So first, Disney owns Frozen and its characters. I will be happy to discuss transformative work with anyone though.

Next the rating of this chapter is M. If I can figure out how to just to this chapter that's how it will stay. (David, don't read this, your mother will kill me. You're not missing anything but fluff and things you don't want to see anyway.) If not then I'll change the rating of the story. However don't get your hopes up. I cannot write explicitly. I am just horrible at it. :( Sorry. But you'll know where we're going by the end, I guarantee that. Thanks for hanging in. Also if someone feels the overwhelming urge to beta read the rest of this (3 chapters at best) let me know. It's not for grammar (although correction never hurts) but to make sure that I'm making sense and I have sufficient transitions and description.

"But it turned out that the gate was in bad shape, rotten wood or something, so when I hit it that hard it broke, and I fell right over the side in to the water. It was a mess. I was a mess. I ruined everything, my hair, my dress, my shoes. I was never so embarrassed. OK, that's not true, I've been more embarrassed, but still at the time ..."

Elsa interrupted her sister's story, "Whose shoes?"

Everyone turned to look at Elsa, who had been sitting quietly listening until now. She simply repeated in a deceptively innocent tone, "Anna, whose shoes?"

"I'm don't know. I found them in my closet."

The light tone disappeared. "Whose shoes?"

"They'd been in my closet so long; it felt like they were mine."

Elsa wasn't letting up that easily. This particular incident was still fresh in her mind, as was the irreparably damaged footwear. Her voice gained an edge."Whose. Shoes."

"Your shoes. OK." Anna said defensively. "But you said I could wear them."

"Not in the harbor. And I think I loaned them to you a full month before that, for one night. A month you had to return them … I had just presumed they were safely back in my closet."

Anna muttered something about presuming, before she said, "But you have so many shoes. You can't even wear them all, and I didn't really have any right then."

"I have so many shoes and you don't because I don't wear mine in puddles, in the mud, in the fjord, and in the pigsty, which by the way you still haven't explained how that happened."

"The pig was getting away ..."

Kristof chuckled, observing wryly, "So you're making up for thirteen years of sisterly bickering as well?"

"No!" both Anna and Elsa shouted at the same time. "It's just that ..." and then their voices split off into different sentences with each proclaiming their righteousness.

"Oh look, we're out," Carolina said loudly, holding up the wine bottle.

Elsa turned in her chair to ask about more wine and then remembered she had dismissed the staff. It was late. They had stayed in the small dining room telling stories after dinner and only now had moved on to the comfortable parlor, but she hadn't wanted to keep the staff up any later. She stood. "I guess, I'll go and get another bottle."

Carolina leaped her to feet. "No, I can't allow you to do that. Stay here. I'll go."

Elsa cocked her head, "And exactly where were you planning on going?"

Carolina could see the flaw in her plan, but that didn't mean she had to admit it. "Down. I imagine. It's a cellar right?"

Elsa nodded, it was indeed a cellar."To spare you wandering forever in an ancient family crypt I will show you where the wine cellar is, but you can accompany me and take care of any wandering bugs … or spiders." Elsa face left no doubt as to her feelings about bugs and spiders.

"Lead on, my queen," Carolina replied with a sweeping bow.

As they disappeared around the corner, Anna and Kristof looked at each other and started giggling.

"Did they plan that?" Kristof choked out.

Anna shook her head."No, I don't think so, but right about now ..." she paused a moment, her hand in the air as she listened. They heard a heavy door shutting with a thud. "They figured out that they were alone."

"In the wine cellar?" Kristof asked.

"No, the thing about bugs and spiders, she wasn't kidding. I'm pretty sure that's the last place Elsa would get romantic … but there are a lot of closets and pantries on the way to the cellar."

"They're like a pair of randy farm boys," Kristof said with an eye roll.

"Young love ..." Anna replied with a wink, and they both broke down laughing again.

"Mumf, marfk," Carolina mumbled through the kiss she found herself pulled into as she was yanked from the kitchen into a dark closet.

"Of course it's dark," Elsa answered after a long moment. "It's the flour pantry."

"And you're in a mood this evening."

"Ummm," Elsa leaned back in, "I spent far too long sitting far too close to you just looking."

"Patience is a ..." Carolina didn't get to finish her proverb before she found herself pushed against the wall in another passionate kiss. They wrestled for dominance with lips and teeth until Carolina fell back with a groan and gave it. This surrender was well worth it.

Finally Elsa pulled away. "You were saying?"

"No idea ..."

Elsa chuckled and played with the neckcloth in front of her, wrapping her long fingers in the knot and slowly pulling Carolina toward her.

Carolina however pre-empted the tug by moving closer and starting to nip her way down Elsa's jawline to her neck. "So, was this your plan all along."

"No," Elsa squirmed and then shivered as she felt teeth drag across her pulse. "If I have a bruise ..."

"Don't make it sound like a challenge, then," Carolina warned replacing her teeth with her tongue. "But you're right," she mumbled into Elsa's neck, "None of us really need any more wine." She nuzzled her way up to her ear, tugged at her ear lobe with her teeth, continuing, "How about we put the kids to bed, and go upstairs for a little grown up time."

"But we'll come back empty handed … they'll know something."

"We'll tell them we couldn't find it," Carolina buried her nose in Elsa's hair and inhaled.

"I couldn't find my own wine cellar?"

"Have you ever actually gone there to get anything?" The voice drifted in between nuzzles.

"Well no, but I know where it is."

Carolina pulled back with a sigh. This was not, in her opinion, a time where logic mattered overly much,"It moved, it's locked, you forgot … something."

"Sure." Elsa smirked, and pushed open the door. A dim light filled the small room. She pulled Carolina with her as she moved into the kitchen.

"Ah, wait … your hair."Carolina looked up at the suspiciously messy tuft where she had nuzzled Elsa's hair out of her braid.

"What did you do to it?" Elsa reached up and tried to smooth it back. "We were in there for ten minutes,"

"Probably more like fifteen, and besides, it's soft, I can't help myself." She brought her hands up to help tuck the errant strands back where they wouldn't be noticed. Their fingers touched for a moment. Carolina pulled Elsa's hand down to her lips and kissed it softly.

Anna yelped in victory and Kristof shook his head when Elsa and Carolina came back from their expedition.

"Yes! Empty handed," she crowed, "You owe me."

"Couldn't find it." "It was locked." They said at the same time.

Kristof shot them a glare. "You were gone forever," he said, wondering why he made bets with Anna. But he had been sure that they wouldn't have dared to come back with nothing after that long an absence.

"Went the long way around," Carolina replied.

"Doesn't matter," Anna continued gleefully. "I won. And now I'm going to walk Kristof home." She yawned dramatically. "It's pretty late."

Her sister had been about to explain that it was late, and that she had to get up in the morning, both of which were in fact true statements, when she heard Anna's announcement. "Yes," she said feebly. "Be careful. See you tomorrow then," she added, a bit quickly. Then she and Carolina watched as Kristof and Anna disappeared through an archway, a moment later they heard wild cackling.

"What in the world?" Elsa asked.

"Good thing we cut her off."

"Yes. Drunk Anna … that's something I don't even want to contemplate" Elsa said raising am eyebrow. She turned her attention to the woman beside her. "So, I think last night we had proposed a game of chess, before we were … distracted."

"I believe I recollect that. And if that is your wish," Carolina moved to take her hand and leaned down giving her a positively sweet kiss. "Please lead on."

The library had become their private place. It worked for a number of reasons. It was a place they were not likely to be disturbed, Elsa seemed convinced that Anna wasn't even exactly sure where it was. It was on the third floor, away from the bedrooms on the second and the public rooms on the first. This also meant it had a tremendous view out its windows, but it was too far up for anyone to see in. It was summer so any drafts from the bare walls and floor were welcome or at least tolerable. And it contained the sofa, the beloved sofa. Carolina had never become so attached to a piece of furniture in her whole life. She was counting on a trip to the sofa later, but right now they were amiably chatting while Carolina lit some lamps and Elsa settled herself near a large marble chess board.

"I think Kristof's warming to me a bit." Carolina observed, trimming the wick to a nice point.

"Was he ever … not warm?" Elsa asked setting up the pieces, the marble clicked nicely as she put them down. She always found Kristof sensibly reserved and good company. They could sit next to each other for hours.

"He didn't seem too friendly at first. He gave off an odd feeling." Carolina found the matches and borrowed the flame of the lamp the servants had lit earlier.

"I can't imagine why."

"Me either, but anyhow tonight I didn't feel that. He was my new best friend … or the boyfriend of the sister of my new best friend." She shut the chimney, looking for a bit of rag to wipe her hands on.

"Is that what I am … your new best friend?" Elsa asked.

"Ummm," Carolina had to think for a moment. "Yes, yes, I suppose you are, as long as you consider kissing your best friend to be acceptable."

"Nothing else?" she asked casually.

Carolina stopped and turned, surprised, "Can I be anything else?" There it was, the unspoken question that had hung over them for the better part of the week. Carolina could ignore it, had ignored it. She realized that for better or worse she was a "live in the moment" sort of person, which given that she didn't expect an extraordinarily long life was an asset. But she also knew that they both had obligations, she to Avalon, Elsa to being queen, which made pursuing anything more than enjoyable conversation and an abundance of passionate kisses unlikely.

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them Carolina was sitting across the chess board from her.

"I … I don't know," she said. "My head is a positive muddle. I'm sorry." She reached around the board, around the pieces and took Carolina's hand. "I know I ..."

"No, don't worry about it," Carolina said with a bravado she almost felt, "I knew this going in. You're a queen. Queens don't have relationships with … with ... with me. You have obligations. Alliances to form. An heir ..."

Elsa winced. "No, not an heir."

"What?"

"I would be too afraid ..." she held up her hands and a light dusting of frost drifted off them.

"I see." There was a long silence while Carolina pondered what possibly she could say next.

Elsa made a visible effort to lighten the mood, shaking her shoulders and bringing a smile to her lips. "Anna is my heir," she said lightly, "and she will have children. Sooner rather than later I'm afraid sometimes." Her eyebrows knitted together in exaggerated concern. "Really I should probably talk to her about that."

"And you intend that Anna would be queen?" Carolina mirrored her light tone.

"For as short as time possible," Elsa clarified, "which is why I'm planning on her having a child in the foreseeable future, so it will be grown by the time I'm ready to leave this mortal coil. I love my sister very much, but I do not think I would be doing Arendelle … or Anna … any favors if she spent too long as queen."

"Oh I think Queen Anna would be great fun. Lively. Certainly diplomatic negotiations would be unpredictable."

"Which was exactly my point." The queen laughed and then picked two pawns off the board, one white, one black.

Carolina eyed her with suspicion. She had counted on having white so the game might be a little bit of a challenge. "So how well do you play?"

"Papa taught me, and we played now and then." She offered her two closed hands to Carolina. "Part of 'learning about strategy', he said. Although I still don't see a great overlap between this game and ruling a kingdom. I imagine you play well?"

Carolina picked a hand and sighed when she saw black in it. "You would imagine wrongly. I have played, but always very badly. I'm really not a very strategic person. I throw away my pawns needlessly," she rotated the board so that black was on her side, and took that excuse to bring her hand to Elsa's face, running her thumb across her cheek, "and the lure of capturing a queen is too much for me to resist."

"Indeed," Elsa chuckled at the dreadful pun. "I would have thought someone in your profession would have a natural inclination to strategy." She looked at the board planning her opening.

"Absolutely not." Carolina replied, shaking her head. "Admirals may think in grand stratagems, but I do not have that luxury." She watched absently as Elsa moved a pawn. She was still focused but not seeing the board when finally Elsa touched her hand again.

"Are you alright."

"Yes, I'm sorry I got distracted." She studied the pieces for moment and then moved her knight out. "It is just ...well, there is very little strategy to battle when it is you and your enemy yards, or even feet from each other, matched or nearly matched in arms and men. Just the endless boom of canon, and the screams of the wounded and dying, and all the while you are wondering if they will lose their nerve first or will you suffer such losses that you cannot recover."

Elsa looked up from the board, all thought of chess gone. "That sounds, horrible. More than horrible."

"It is," Carolina agreed solemnly. "Truly and fully horrible. Not at all like the young men and women who join us think it will be. They think of honor and glory in battle. But until the enemy captain surrenders his sword to me there is no honor, there is no gallantry, just killing. And I will fight as hard as I can, use any means necessary, kill as many of them as I can, kill him before he kills me, or worse kills those who depend on me to command them, so that in the end we are the victors, and I bring my crew safely back, at least as many as I can."

Elsa didn't know what to say. The silence fell again until Carolina dropped her head and began to fiddle with imagined lint on her trousers. "I know I told you that the price of the Vigilant was high."

Elsa nodded. Then realizing Carolina couldn't see her, added, "Yes."

"I had two hundred men on my frigate; I lost seventy, three of those were midshipmen and a master's mate. Those were, still are, unacceptable losses. I should have been hung, or flogged and then hung, but instead, because we were victorious, and I brought home one of the most important prizes of the war, I was a hero. I was lauded, enriched, and given the Vigilant as my own." Her eyes stayed down, but her hand moved back to the chess table in a clenched fist. "It is a bit of an irony that my most prized possession is the one I most regret gaining."

Elsa took a breath. "So why do you do this, for Avalon?"

"Yes. I suppose. I have a sworn duty. I took an oath," she finally looked up in to Elsa's eyes. "But I love the sea. I love being out there were no person can gainsay me, where the only person I am is the Captain of the Vigilant. That is the me I love best." She smiled, but almost as soon as the smile appeared it vanished. "But also, I am good. I have made my reckless mistake and unlike many others I have learned from it. I do not treat my crew like pawns to be sacrificed." She gestured to the board. "I have a good record. I am well known for victories, my crew is not wanting for prize money. But I always make sure that the odds are well in my favor. I will not make the same mistake twice. I will not be responsible for needless death."

"You really think it is entirely your responsibility?"

"Of course it is, I'm the captain. It is always my responsibility!" Her voice was sharp and biting, and she was much louder than she intended. Elsa jerked in her seat and looked away.

Carolina took a breath and then reached over, gently bringing Elsa's face back to hers. Then she took her hand. "But, I will tell you a secret that I have never told anyone." Elsa frowned but seemed interested. "The truth is my favorite tactic is to let them get close enough to realize that I'm that crazy Avalonian woman they've heard so much about, and then hope they decide to run." She saw the glimmer of a smile appear on Elsa's lips. "Really, I have found a little reputation goes a long way in saving a lot of trouble."

"And it does seem you have a bit of a reputation."

Carolina felt the tension lift. Thank god, this was not the turn she had intended this conversation to take.

"I'm sorry. This is not what I had planned to be doing with you this evening, discussing serious and morbid things."

"No, no. It's fine. It's good actually. You know, I do have some small responsibility of my own." Elsa gave her a small lopsided smile. "And I'm glad to hear that you don't … you don't enjoy …."

"Killing people. No, Elsa, despite that I have killed quite a few, I have never enjoyed it."

They sat there hands entwined as Elsa brought her other hand to join the first."Is it strange for me to say that after hearing that," she leaned forward, "that you care about these things, makes me want to kiss you all the more?"

"Strange? I don't know." Carolina exhaled and smiled back. "But is very welcome. Very, very welcome." They stared into each others eyes until Elsa broke away, looking about the room.

"But not here."

"Not here?" Carolina had thought any portrait related embarrassment was long over, and this was "their" room.

"No, not here." Elsa sounded more sure this time.

Carolina stood, and offered her hand down to the queen. "I am your Majesty's servant. Where should I escort you?"

"We have another library downstairs, on the second floor. It's smaller, and more private."

Carolina nodded, and Elsa led her back to the main staircase and down one floor. They passed Anna's room, which Elsa noticed was dark and unoccupied. They past another door similar but with purple scrollwork. They turned a corner almost immediately into a door which opened into a foyer. There were three doors off this room, one of which was open.

"Here is the library, well really it's more of a study." Carolina walked in through the open door. It was a smallish room, indeed a study or an office. A large desk sat near a window with the fireplace across the room, oddly enough unlit. There was a table with two comfortable chairs near the fireplace. A plush rug covered the floor, on the desk were stacks of papers, a box of quills and pots of ink. One quill sat out as if it had been used recently. The whole room seemed lived in, neat but not the almost sterile order of the public areas of the castle. Carolina looked behind her and noticed that Elsa had not come into the room but was still standing back in the foyer. Carolina looked from her to the desk and back. Then she walked back out into the small entryway.

"It's nice. Although the chairs aren't … well, I supposed there is the desk." Elsa tittered, shuffling nervously. Carolina gestured with her head. "How about this room?"

Elsa pushed open the door. There was a fire in the grate here. And Carolina could see the outline of a vanity and wardrobe. "It's a dressing room, and in the back a - a bath."

Carolina stepped forward but not to the room. She ran her finger down Elsa's jawline, then to her neck lifting her chin up and looked deep into Elsa's eyes. "And the third door?" she asked her voice dropping to a husky whisper.

Elsa gently disengaged herself and pushed open the last door. It was her bedroom.

Carolina's breath went ragged,"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I am of anything," Elsa said, extending her hand. She and Carolina walked in stunned silence through the doorway, which they shut immediately behind them.

There was a long moment once they were inside the room, Elsa wondering what exactly to do next, Carolina wondering what she had done right in her life to deserve this. Carolina moved first taking off her sword, her coat, everything down to her shirt sleeves and trousers. Elsa, seeing this, raised her hand to dissolve her dress, but found it was grabbed up and held immobile.

"Don't," Carolina said, a command, although gently given, not a request. "Not yet."

She sat down on the bed pulling Elsa beside her and kicked off her boots. She turned to Elsa ran her hands across the bodice of her dress, pleased when Elsa buried her head in her side and purred. Carolina asked, indicating the dress, "Can you take this off slowly?"

"I don't know … I haven't tried."

"Well that sounds like a challenge," she wiggled her eyebrows at the woman staring up at her.

Elsa decided that she needed to keep the odds even, and so she began unbuttoning Carolina's shirt, her fingers trembling at each button making it a drawn out process. Carolina shrugged the shirt off when it was undone, and then pulled off the undershirt herself. Elsa swallowed, and then reaching out with tentative slowness put her hands on Carolina's waist. It was firm but amazingly soft. There were a few scars that she could see, most on her arms and shoulders. One ran right above where her fingers sat. Resolving to explore those later, she slowly brought her hands up and over Carolina's shuddering abdomen until she was cupping her breasts. She ran an idle thumb over the suddenly erect nipples. "Sensitive?" she asked teasingly.

"That's a promise you're going to keep," Carolina whispered.

"I imagine," Elsa whispered back as she found herself being guided to recline on the bed.

"Let's get this dress off." Carolina wrapped her hand around Elsa's. Then with exquisite slowness, watching the it's journey like a predator watching it's prey, she drew their joined hands slowly down the front of Elsa's ice dress. Elsa concentrated on removing just the crystals the tip of her index finger touched, it took effort and she found that by the time Carolina had stopped and pulled her hand away she was flushed and breathless. Her dress fell away from her and then disappeared. Carolina exhaled in admiration, taking in the exquisite woman lying out before her.

"Leave the shoes," Carolina rasped.

Elsa smiled back up at her, "Say, please," she responded in a teasing lilt.

Carolina leaned over her and began kissing her, first her neck then her jaw, at last moving her lips to Elsa's ear she whispered, "Please."