Lessons part 2

"So as long as we're calm. We need to send out the subliminal message that this isn't hard, and that everything will be just fine." Elsa had been speaking on this theme since they had started getting dressed for dinner. It did undermine the sense of 'just fine.'

But Fitz wisely nodded and said,"Yes, dear."

"The more we convey a feeling of confidence and calm, the less likely that anyone will have an attack of nerves – or spilling – I would like to avoid spilling."

"Yes, dear."

"I mean it's understandable that they're nervous, it is probably the most important thing either of them will do in their lives – OK, except provide Arendelle with an heir – but we can all worry about that when the time comes."

"Elsa ..." Fitz looked down the hall to the formal dining room and saw that for once they weren't the first to arrive for dinner.

"I mean I don't think he'd run. He loves her too much, but just in case I did send his picture to the border guards."

"Oh, Your Highness, you look lovely!" Fitz exclaimed loudly.

Elsa spun in place, eyes wide as she saw both Anna and Kristoff standing outside the formal dining room on time for what she was sure was the first time in their lives. "Oh hi," she added with an overly wide grin.

Fitz, feeling further distraction was in order if not apologies, strode bravely forward, bent over the Princess's hand and gently touched her lips to the back of it. When she pulled herself upright she leaned over and whispered in a seductive voice. "You look exquisite. You will be the perfect bride."

"Oh … in this old thing?" Anna gushed, Kristoff gawked and harrumphed, and any less than completely tactful conversation was forgotten.

This was the first of what Elsa promised, or threatened, would be several practice formal banquets to prepare everyone for Anna and Kristoff's wedding, and because of that occasion, she and Fitz were dressed to the nines.

Fitz wore a tailcoat, but this evening she was also sporting new fashionable striped trousers and a red cravat. This wasn't what she would have on for the wedding, for that she would wear her dress uniform, but for tonight she decided on her "Beau Brummell" attire. She embraced the notion that the only antidote to Elsa's uptight, nervous, nearly frantic demeanor surrounding this wedding was a focused determination to match it with a carefree humor, if it killed her, which, given Elsa's current temperament in all things wedding related, it just might.

Elsa looked much like she had for her coronation except, of course, her dress was made of ice. Outside she was the very image of calm, inside however she harbored the harried demeanor of someone who was both paying for and planning out a wedding with an invited guest list well over three hundred, a bride whose sense of tradition and propriety both seemed to have died in the cradle, and a groom whose best man was presently a reindeer. That last was going to be fixed before the night was out, this she swore to herself.

Anna and Kristoff were not dressed for the occasion. It was quite possible there had been a lack of communication that being how things were going concerning the wedding. It was also possible that Anna had decided that being uncomfortable on the actual day was a sufficient sacrifice to the gods of fashion. At any rate she had opted for a simple dress. The reason she gave herself was 'in case of spilling', not that there necessarily would be spilling, but she had herself considered that there might be an attack of wedding nerves at the last minute or first minute which ever this turned out to be, and wasn't that the kind of forethought that Elsa was always telling her she should practice, and besides she had been late getting back to the castle with Kristoff because she was showing him the options she had found for reindeer wedding wear, which was a bigger selection than you would think. Kristoff … well, his shirt was clean.

"But you said I didn't have to dress up tonight," Kristoff said taking in the sartorial splendor in front of him. He didn't like the out of sorts "stranger in a strange land" feeling that he was quickly associating with castle life in general and his own wedding in particular. He was trying to take his cues from Fitz, but she was both more familiar with court life and much more boisterous than the solitary ice harvester. She also had a lot more practice

"I didn't think we had too." Anna said with a frown. "It's only practice. Why would you dress for practice? And besides I really didn't have anything ready to wear ..."

"How can you not have anything to wear," Fitz scoffed playfully. "Elsa has enough dresses for all the debutantes on the continent, and she's always saying you have one to match."

"Had one ..." Anna mumbled.

"Anna's a little harder on clothing than I am," Elsa interjected. The issue of Anna and her clothing was always a little touchy whether with her sister or their seamstress. "And you know maybe it is a good idea everyone didn't dress up. We have to try out the sauces tonight."

"Oh, we're going to have sauces?" Anna said more happily. "I love sauces. The cook does this amazing veal in a saffron cream sauce that is to die for. Is that what we're having? It might make this whole formal dinner practice thing worth sticking around for."

"Well," Elsa took a breath as if preparing for a big announcement, only to let out a surprised yelp as Kristoff, who had finely sorted through the happens of the last fifteen minutes, suavely took her hand and mirrored Fitz's kiss.

"Doesn't look like he's too panicked to me," Fitz muttered to Elsa, stepping between the groom-to-be and her beloved. As Fitz pushed Kristoff back toward his place next to Anna, she asked, "Do you know why you put the lady to your right?"

"No, not really."

"So that when you draw your sword to defend her, you do not cut her femoral artery."

Kristoff blinked. That was actually the last thing that he would have considered. "Is there much defending you have to do at a wedding?"

"Kiss her again, and you'll see," Fitz said lightly.

"Oh, you can dish it out, but you can't take it," Kristoff protested as Anna giggled.

"Please," Elsa gave a tug on Fitz's arm. "Behave!" And then, not wishing to give Fitz any more time to cause trouble, she gave the signal to the footmen to open the doors that led into the formal dining room. This wasn't the room they would use for the wedding banquet, that was so large it would have to be held in the ballroom. But the head table would be the same one, and tonight it was fully set as it would be for the occasion.

"Oh wow!" Anna's eyes went wide and she stopped short as she took in the sheer quantity of plates, glasses, and cutlery laid out. Kristoff gulped and looked slightly ill. Even Fitz who had been prepared, at least intellectually, by Elsa found herself stunned. How much food where they going to eat?

"How many courses are you planning?" Anna asked.

Elsa looked over her shoulder and saw that the rest of her party wasn't moving, so with a tight smile she walked backward a few paces, not the easiest thing to do in a formal dress with a train, and patted her sister on the arm. "Twelve. There will be twelve."

"What happened to soup, roast and ice cream?" Kristoff lamented. Anna had assured him that her needs as far as a wedding banquet were simple. It hadn't occurred to him that she might not be the ultimate authority on their arrangements.

"That was Anna's second bad idea of that evening," Elsa replied, trying to encourage everyone to move closer to the table, so that the evening might begin."But you'll find all three during the reception dinner."

"But twelve?" Anna asked aghast and still unmoving. True, she knew that for her wedding there would be more pageantry than she liked or Kristoff had ever experienced, but this seemed a little excessive.

"Yes," Elsa said with utmost finality, a queen laying down the law with her word. "Weselton had eleven when the duke was wed. We are having twelve."

Fitz looked twice at the woman on her arm. Never had she heard Elsa sound quite that – patriotic.

"So we're showing off?" Anna whimpered.

"No, we are simply doing it as it should be done. Arendelle may be small but we are not the poor hapless relations of Scandinavia. Besides odd numbers are rumored to be unlucky." Elsa's regal composure flickered as she scowled. "Bad luck that I hope the Duke is enjoying right now."

"Hear, hear," Fitz echoed. She could grow to like this feisty Elsa, especially if it meant the Navy might keep Weselton ships and merchandise as prizes. Her purse was much slenderer in peaceful Arendelle.

But Elsa, her momentary outburst over, appeared to be the soul of reason when she turned back to Anna. "And we don't do many formal occasions, so just this once we should really shine. I want to make if perfect for you."

"We didn't shine for your coronation."

"Anna," Elsa said, exasperation winning its fight with reason. "I was worried about freezing my guests to death. I was trying to get them out of the castle as soon as humanly possible."

"Well, if we'd eaten twelve courses probably everyone would have been too fat and happy to chase after …." Anna trailed off as she saw her sister's face. "Soooo, let's get this thing started," she amended quickly and tugged Kristoff over to the table.

Elsa and Fitz followed, Elsa reminding herself that she loved her sister more than life itself, and so it would be in poor taste to kill her. Besides Kristoff looked unnerved enough at the place settings, a frozen fiance probably wouldn't calm him.

"It just looks intimidating," Elsa reassured the groom as she gestured to the two seats of honor on her right so that he might seat Anna. "You'll find it's easy once you start."

"And that's a bald faced lie!"Anna muttered, flopping into her seat. "I had etiquette lessons for years, and I can never remember how to use the fish knife."

Elsa put her hand on Kristoff's arm and gave him a smile to re-bolster his spirits. "Most people find it's easy once they do it a time or two." She shot a glare down at Anna, "If they actually listen to the instructions."

"If the instructions were delivered in something other than a monotone by a mumbly French-speaking snooty person perhaps they'd be listened to …." Anna muttered as she snapped her napkin open in a distinctly unprincess-like manner.

Fitz came up from behind and held Elsa's chair for her to sit, which left Kristoff wondering what he was supposed to do with an already seated Anna. He settled for picking her up, chair and all, and moving her closer to the table. Fitz was impressed. The chairs alone were quite heavy.

"And we'll start with the instruction, right now," Elsa said with a sigh as she stood back up. "Kristoff, you will escort Anna in – there will be clapping and everyone will stand until – well until I sit, but you will sit right away being the guests of honor. You will hold her chair and help her to be seated – Anna please stand up, and let Kristoff help this time."

Anna unflopped from her chair just as gracefully as she had flopped, and then the two of them, with only minor fumbling and pushing against each other, managed to get seated.

Fitz reseated the queen and then went to pull out her chair next to Elsa, only to find her way blocked by an outstretched arm. "You'll sit on the other side of Anna, dear."

"Why can't I sit here?" Fitz asked. She liked Anna and all, but really, harmless flirting not withstanding, she would much rather sit next to Elsa. It was more fun, more romantic, and often less hard on her clothes, which since they weren't made of ice required cleaning if someone dumped soup on them.

"For any number of reasons, but you can't. Couples are always separated for formal dining, except of course the bride and groom, and then only at their own wedding. It's a rule – an etiquette rule."

Fitz gave Elsa a look of disbelieve. "Love," she said as gently as she could manage, "don't you think you and I have already broken a few 'rules'?"

Elsa chose not to reply to that statement, but moved on to the next sticky subject. "And you're going to have to escort someone else – another woman – to dinner. Kai will let you know whom."

"What?" Fitz's eyebrows folded into two sharp lines meeting at her nose. "Who? Why?" She stuttered, and then she remembered what the most important question was. "And who's going to escort you?"

"The ranking gentleman in attendance." Elsa ran her fingers over the leftmost cutlery, in what might have been a show of nerves, but she continued without so much as two breaths of a pause. "Now, unfold your napkin until it is still in half – in half, Anna – tongue in, Anna – and place the folded side toward your lap." She waited until everyone had successfully done that. "See, not so hard."

"It just took us bloody fifteen minutes to get seated and put our damn napkins on our lap," Fitz grumbled, unhappy with far more than the napkins or the length of time it had taken to get them out.

Elsa clenched her jaw and leaned forward to smile dangerously at Fitz. "We had an agreement. Are you reneging?"

Chastened by the memory of the horseback riding 'event' and her own promise, Fitz glumly answered, "no," and wondered what couple hating sadist had decided on these "etiquette rules."

Elsa continued her lecture. "Now the first course will be oysters, and you'll find your oyster fork nestled in your soup spoon. Soup will be the second course and served immediately after. Please remember to spoon away from you, Anna – and not across the room."

"Hey, I'm an enthusiastic diner. I like to think that our cooks appreciate my enthusiasm."

"But your sister, the queen and your hostess, would really appreciate it if for just one meal in your lifetime you didn't approach your food as if we starved you in the dungeon."

"I do not …."

"Anna, the last time we had oysters you picked up a particularly difficult shell and bit the oyster, pulling on it with your teeth and yelling, 'get out of there you little bastard.'"

"I really like oysters," Anna pleaded in her own defense, "and they hadn't cut through that one – enough. Hey, the Marquis of Carabas laughed."

"I don't think he was laughing with us," Elsa answered.

The oysters arrived, everyone getting just two crustaceans delicately set on tiny plates. With twelve courses no one needed large portions, and the real dinner would take many hours tonight. Elsa was showing Kristoff the proper grip for using the tines of the little fork to separate and lift the oysters from their shells when she heard a familiar giggle.

"Really?"

"Well, enough that there are a lot of jokes about it," Fitz answered. Then she picked up the shell and with a wink to Anna wrapped her tongue around the bivalve, gently sucking …. and yelped when a spray of snow hit the back of her neck.

"What? What? I was merely engaging the lady in fascinating educational dinner conversation."

Elsa's glare said volumes about what she thought of that particular educational conversation. "Your lady will be to your right. One does not speak … frivolously … to the lady on your left. It's a rule."

"Come on," Fitz whined. "We're just having fun."

"It. Is. A. Rule." Elsa felt that was a better answer than "don't corrupt my sister with your degenerate ways, you smooth talking cad."

From there everything continued smoothly until the fish course, which was the third course. Elsa was demonstrating to Fitz, Kristoff and, much to her parents embarrassment even from beyong the grave she was sure, Anna how to use the fish knife.

"And then you lift the whole backbone like so, and transfer it to the edge of your plate."

Anna nudged her fiance with her elbow. "Did you see that Kristoff? Wow. That's skill."

Kristoff nodded in serious appreciation. "Yeah, Elsa that was pretty impressive."

Elsa looked up and saw three pairs of eyes riveted on her. "Thank you?" she said.

"No, really." Anna continued. "That's better than Mr. Elksen, the fishmonger. He never manages to get the bones out so cleanly. You know if this queen thing doesn't work out, I think that would be a great profession for you."

Kristoff groaned and smacked Anna on the arm. "You set me up for that, didn't you?"

"Kristoff, you can't hit the lady you're escorting at the table," Anna said.

"Even if she ..."

"Especially if she ..."

"It's a rule," Fitz chimed in, wagging her finger.

Elsa wondered if it was possible to arrange for actors to come in to play the parts of the bride, groom, and the queen's … or straight-jackets and gags dressed up like festive party wear, that would also work.

The chicken course went smoothly. Everyone knew how to eat chicken, and the dish was simple and unadorned. Elsa took this moment of dining calm to address some remaining questions she had about the wedding.

"Kristoff, what about your family?"

Kristoff looked up from cutting a piece off of a small slice chicken breast. 'Cut and eat, cut and eat' was a new concept for him. He was more of a 'cut everything up so you only dirty your knife once' kind of man or sometimes when he was in a hurry a 'fit all of this chicken breast in your mouth at once kind of man.'

He carefully swallowed before speaking. "What about them?"

"Do they need –" Elsa had rehearsed this conversation so it would come out smoothly and politely – "special accommodations?" Kristoff's brow knit in puzzlement, so she continued. "Seats near the very front of the chapel? Ramps? Things they can roll on. Seats at the reception. I wasn't precisely sure if they – ate anything – special – or – or at all?"

"No, don't go to any extra trouble for them." Kristoff waved off the idea with a toss of his head.

Now it was Elsa's turn to be puzzled. "But they're – they're medium sized boulders – um rocks." Her etiquette instructors never covered how to describe a rock troll politely, which considering her past was probably an oversight. "They must need something to uh … fit in?"

Kristoff shook his head again. "Nah, they're fine. I think only Grand Pappy might come, and maybe not even him. I know everyone in Arendelle is familiar with magic by now, but trolls, they don't appear to just anyone." He took a moment to think about it. "We haven't talked, but probably they'll want another ceremony up in the mountains, just for them."

"Another wedding?"

"Yeah. They like that kind of thing." He smiled, thinking of his very carefree happy, come as you are clothes or not, family and how their weddings were a lot less tiring. "You know Anna and I were basically married by them before, you know when we went to see them about yo..." He gasped as Anna thrust her elbow into his ribs. "… earlier, when we had just met."

Anna looked the picture of innocence as she nodded in agreement, quickly expanding on the story. "I tried telling her that. I tried tell her that anything we did … you know … was fine because we were already like 'troll married.' She said it didn't count."

"No disrespect to the trolls meant." Elsa answered. "But – well – troll marriages aren't really recognized by the people but an all too human pregnancy so very would be."

Kristoff blushed. "Well yeah, I can see that." Then he winced, "That's not a pun or anything, I'm serious. And you don't have to worry about my family. We will work something out. It will be a lot of fun. Of course you and Fitz need to come."

"Yes, I am sure that they will have plenty of troll juice on hand for you," Anna deadpanned.

Simultaneously both Fitz and Elsa paled and swallowed some rising bile.

The entree was indeed medallions of veal in a saffron cream sauce with white asparagus. It was, as Anna had already exclaimed, her favorite. And she dug in with great gusto.

"Oh, Elsa," she said between mouthfuls. "This is exquisite. We haven't had this for well, it seems like forever. Isn't it great Kristoff?"

"It is good," Kristoff said nodding.

"Um, about that." Elsa took a deep breath. "I was thinking maybe, at the wedding, you might both have it dry."

"Why, I love the sauce. I could practically drink it." Anna picked up her plate and slurped a little from the side. Then with a glance around at the rest of the table, she quickly put it down. "I mean, I won't if that's what you're worried about."

"Anna, the sauce is a bright yellow."

"OK, yeah, I know that."

"Your dress will be entirely white." Elsa's eyes dropped to where a small saffron colored stain sat perfectly centered over Anna's breasts.

The implications only took a minute to sink in. "Hey, wait a minute, that's not fair. You're going to have my favorite fancy dish at MY wedding, and I don't get to eat it."

"You'll get the veal."

"Without the sauce! That's like … like … summer with no sun … or you know, winter with no snow, just rainy icky weather that makes you sick." Anna shook her spoon for emphasis and Fitz hurriedly covered her coat with her napkin. "You know what I mean. The sauce is the best part!"

"We could have Bonhom chicken with a morel sauce," Elsa offered.

"Yeah, but we just had chicken. And I still won't get the sauce, will I?"

"I'm not saying you won't get any sauce, I just want you to … consider it … maybe in consultation with Kai."

"Mr. Snootypants himself."

"Anna!" Elsa said firmly. "Kai is a valued friend of the family. You shouldn't speak of him that way."

"And certainly not when he is in the room." Kai added from his position near the buffet.

Anna gulped. She had forgotten that Kai was remaining in the hall as a good butler would during a formal dinner. She turned and waved at him. He didn't wave back. Turning to Elsa, she said, "Friend or not, we both know what he's going to say."

"Or Gerda?"

"Hmmph," Anna sulked. "I want the sauce."

"I think that Anna looks lovely in yellow," Fitz chimed in, guarding the back of her neck with her hand.

Elsa sent a line of frost up her pant-leg instead, smiling when she saw the startled reaction. "You're not being helpful, dear."

The roasts came next, a course that had Anna sighing in relief.

"At least, something I planned for my wedding."

"I was thinking you might want to stick with the turkey," Elsa said as the footman offered the elegantly carved pieces. "That way you can drink only white wine."

"Elsa!" Anna howled.

"Water is clear, too," Fitz added.

"You know troll juice goes with everything," Kristoff said, grinning when both Elsa and Fitz yelped, "No!"

Then came the palate cleansing sorbet, which Kristoff happily greeted as dessert only to be disappointed when he found out it was only the half-way mark.

The game course would be the course number eight. They didn't actually serve one tonight because no one had been out hunting yet. There was, however, some discussion of what the game might be.

"No, not rabbit!" Fitz exclaimed again.

"But why?" Kristoff asked innocently.

"You bloody know well why!" Fitz snarled. "Old family allergy."

"Carolina, language!" Elsa said. She waved off Kristoff's impending protests, "But it won't be reindeer."

"You shouldn't even need to say that," Anna chimed in. "Of course we're not going to cook any of Sven's relatives." Her expression turned thoughtful. "I think that reindeer hunting should be banned by royal decree."

But Elsa had moved on to the next order of business. "Yes, about Sven."

"Oh, he's not here is he?" Kristoff said with a worried look. "I told him he had to stay outside tonight. Uff!" Again Anna elbowed his ribs. "And every night."

"Yes, well," Elsa cleared her throat. She knew Sven was very important to Kristoff and was indeed his best friend. But there was no way she was going down in history as the sister of the woman who had a reindeer as best man at her wedding. "About Sven … and the wedding …."

Anna took a breath and winced. This was the conversation she had been dreading. She knew how Elsa felt about the wedding. She knew how Kristoff felt about Sven. Elsa had the upper hand, of course, she was the Queen … and not to mention snow powers. But she didn't want to see Kristoff's face and she didn't want Elsa and Kristoff to fight about anything, and certainly not this.

"Oh yeah." Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

"Yes well, it's just that a best man … at least from the correct species …."

"You didn't think – you didn't think I was going have Sven as my best man, did you?" Kristoff said lightly.

"But you said," Anna started and then she went "uff," as Kristoff elbowed her in the ribs.

"No. I know that Sven can't - and well he knows it, too. He completely understands."

"Does he?" Elsa said still a little flabbergasted that this hadn't turn out to be the big 'thing' Anna had implied it was.

"Yeah, he does. So I though, I mean as long as the 'man' part isn't the important thing that -" He looked down the table – "that Fitz might be able to do that for me. I mean if it's OK with you and all."

"Fitz?" Elsa blinked. "Yes, yes – Fitz – perfect, just perfect," her face broke out into a smile. "Fitz will be perfect."

"Your best man? Your best man. Well, thank you, that's quite an honor," Fitz said, chest puffed out with pride. "I've never been a best man before. I've actually never been to a wedding. What do I get to do? I know, I stand at your back, and then if anyone objects to the marriage, I challenge them right then and there. Sort of like being your second, only slightly more preemptive. A champion really, a prince consort's champion. Of course, I would make quite a show with my sword before hand, to warn off anyone who might think of causing trouble."

"Perfect," Elsa groaned.

The sorbet was cleared, and everyone, except Elsa, waited in stuffed, tremulous suspense for what dish would come through the door next.

"Now the entremet," Kai intoned.

"The what?" Anna, Fitz and Kristoff said in chorus.

"Elsa that's not -" Anna made some vague gesture at her intestines.

"What else would it be?" Elsa returned.

Anna tried to hide her gagging in a cough. Fitz, however, looked hopeful. She had been cut off of her regular diet of sweetmeats and head cheese since her stay in Arendelle.

Anna meanwhile considered her options. Of course if it was something that had to be served at weddings she would eat it, but she didn't think she'd like it. Elsa didn't like stuff like that either, so if Elsa was allowing it to be served that must mean it was some traditional Arendelle wedding thing. Probably another one of those rules she kept going on about. Anna though she could eat anything, well almost anything, as long as it was a small serving. She'd ask Kai to make hers particularly small, and suddenly she regretted her outburst earlier. She had several months to make it up to him, maybe he'd like another green suit, or she could try to get out of bed, every day early, with out being called, at least until the wedding. Who was she kidding, that wasn't going to happen – and wait, what? Was that chocolate?

A small chocolate cake, shaped like the castle complete with blue icing for Elsa's Snow Queen inspired additions, was set down on the table.

"The entrement," Kai said, his jaw tight to keep from laughing.

"You stinker!" Anna exclaimed at her sister.

"I'm sorry, but the look on your face was priceless. The entremet is just an elaborate side dish, usually savory, but the cook said we could have sweet if we wanted, and I thought you would like sweet. The other choice was pike with pudding in the belly."

"Oh, this is much better."

Fitz sighed in disappointment.

The salad course was uneventful. The dessert and ice-cream course was only eventful because there would be ice-cream, which was hard to do at a banquet, but Elsa had assured the chefs she would make sure whatever they prepared stayed frozen until it had been served. Anna was beside herself with joy as one chocolate dish after another came out. There was chocolate torte, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, chocolate creme brulee, chocolate fudge, chocolate toast, chocolate fondue, and of course the ice cream choices included chocolate.

After what Fitz called "the chocolate orgy," they had fruit, or Elsa, Fitz and Kristoff did. Anna was clutching her stomach and moaning softly. After the fruit came nuts and candy. Some of the candy was chocolate, so Anna went bravely once more unto the breach, making a sacrifice for Queen and Country, and stuffed a few truffles in her mouth.

"Dese are mumph niwce bu ah wod like mo ice cream."

Elsa let out her longest suffering sigh of the evening. "Anna, please. Would you at least not talk with your mouth full?"

"Sowwy yur maajestee."

"You have to eat properly, just this once, at this dinner. All of Arendelle, much of the world, will be here watching."

"Sooh?"

"You have to look like a proper princess, a real member of a royal family!"

"Bu Ahm not a popper pincess, eweryun noes dat."

"Yes, you are, Anna! Oh for heaven's sake." Elsa tossed her napkin on her plate, and buried her head in her hands, the strain of an evening of fretting over everyone's table manners wearing on her. "I don't know why I'm doing this."

Anna swallowed. "I guess I don't know either. I thought it was my wedding. Can you just lay off for one minute, Elsa!"

The sisters glared at each other as silence fell over the table and the air chilled. Kristoff blushed and reached to scratch the back of his neck and then brought his hand quickly down. Fitz picked at an unseen mote on the table cloth.

"You know, it could be worse. We could be having mushy peas as the vegetable," Elsa intoned.

Anna did a double take. "Really?"

"They are the national dish of Arendelle."

A tiny smile appeared on Anna's face. "You know I believed that until I was almost 13."

Elsa chuckled ruefully, "I believed it until I was 21."

"No … no kidding? You didn't." Anna's grin quivered.

"Yes, I asked Kai why we didn't serve them more often at state dinners. That's when he told me."

Trying her best not to crack Anna only managed to get out a quick,"Really?"

"Really," Elsa sighed.

Anna could hold it back no longer. She burst into a cacophonous cackle of laughter, clutching her sides and slumping in her chair.

Elsa smirked, too. Although she was torn between watching her sister clutch feebly at the table cloth and remembering how much, or how little, she had changed growing up.

"No. No. No. No. No."

Nanny was valiantly trying to wedge the spoon with the mushy peas on it into Anna's mouth, but already Anna had learned that she could still yell from behind tightly meshed fingers so more peas were on her dress than in her stomach.

Elsa had to agree with Anna's sentiment on mushy peas, but Papa had said that mushy peas were a national dish of Arendelle, and that it was her duty to eat them to show she was proud of her kingdom, so she did. But she did truly wish she was Crown Princess of some other kingdom whose national dish was cookies or ice cream or chocolate treats wrapped up in pretty shiny paper.

"Pffft!" There was a loud sputtering noise. Nanny must have gotten some peas through Anna's defenses somehow because she spit them out all down her dress and started to cry and howl. "Noooooooooo!"

"Adgar, I think she's still a little young to eat with us. She's only two. Most children eat in the nursery until they are six or seven." Mama's calm voice made Elsa feel better because she could see Papa turning red, and that meant he was mad. He was scary when he was mad, which was another reason she ate her whole dinner, even the parts she didn't like very much. And sat quietly. And tried not to chew with her mouth open. And didn't fidget, too much. And only blew bubbles in her milk when they were alone with Nanny.

"She's not 'most children', Idunn! She's a princess! She has to learn to eat like a civilized lady. And we cannot just allow her to throw a tantrum just because she doesn't like something."

"She's two," Idunn repeated.

"And when exactly do you think that it might be time for her to learn that the world doesn't always go exactly the way she wants it!"

"How about when she's three?" Mama said calmly. She never yelled like Papa, never ever. "Or perhaps when she's … how old are you now, dear?" But she could usually get Papa to stop yelling.

Papa turned even redder, and he made a funny face, but he didn't yell again. "Fine. Nanny, take Princess Anna upstairs to the nursery."

"Yes, your majesty."

But as Nanny started to untangle herself and Anna from the chair, so they could go, Anna let out another wail.

"Nooooooo! No bye bye. No go bye!" She thrust her pudgy fists at Elsa. "Essa! Essa! Essa!"

"Oh for heaven's sake," the king muttered and buried his head in his hands. "Why am I doing this?"

Mama looked around Papa to where Elsa was sitting on his left side, where it was not as likely they would get their elbows tangled up when they were eating. "Elsa, dear. Do you mind going upstairs with your sister? I'll have cook bring up some more dinner. And if she eats something that isn't her fists or the rug she can have dessert with you. I think it's chocolate cake. Nanny will help."

"Oh yes, Mama!" Elsa said enthusiastically as she sprang up from her chair, and then looked around cautiously to see if Papa had noticed. He hadn't, he was still sighing into his hands, and she eagerly embraced the reprieve. Eating silently because children were seen and not heard, sitting on the hard seats with her legs dangling because the chairs were too big, and having to pretend to be interested in whatever Papa was talking about, which was usually some place called Weaselton, and even though it had a funny name she wasn't supposed to laugh at it, was not fun. Eating upstairs with Anna and Nanny, where Nanny could make chuggy carriage noises with Anna to get her to open her mouth and never forced the pea issue, was much better. Anna was messy, and sometimes she was very loud, but she was much more fun than Papa.

"Essa! Essa!" Anna, not having heard her mother, was still crying, red faced with huge tears streaming down her cheeks. "No bye-bye!" But as Elsa ran over to her as sedately as she could and wrapped her arms around both her and Nanny, the crying stopped.

"Essa come wif Anna?" she sniffed.

Elsa nodded and smiled up to her sister who was in Nanny's arms."Of course, Anna. We'll go have dinner – upstairs, together."

"Essa come Anna. Essa and Anna! Essa and Anna!" Anna burbled happily as they started out the door and up the stairs.

It made Elsa feel proud, proud and grown up to know that she could make her sister so happy. It was a wonderful feeling.

"You know, I just want you to be happy. That's all I really want," Elsa offered as an apology.

"I know," Anna said sucking in deep breaths, sniffing and wiping away hysterical tears. "And I promise, I'll be the best Anna I can be for the wedding. I just don't think I can be anyone else."

"I don't want anyone else," Elsa said shaking her head at her sister fondly. "You are the best princess Arendelle could ever hope for."

With that Anna looked torn between laughter and tears, and sniffing frantically she reached out to hug Elsa.

"Oh, no, no, no, no," Elsa said, quickly holding out her napkin to Anna's nose. "First things first. Blow."

"No, Elsa!" Anna said sniffing in horror. "We're at the table."

"Come on, this once, you're … well … you really need to."

"But you never … not at the table!"

Now was the time Anna decided to remember her etiquette lessons? Elsa thought resignedly. "It's just the four of us. Really, it's fine."

Anna gave her an incredulous look as if this might be an etiquette trap.

"You really need to, you have to ..." Elsa started.

"It's a rule!" Fitz finished for her, hunkering down to fend off any attacking ice.

So Anna blew her nose into Elsa's napkin, which the queen discreetly tucked under the side of her plate when they were done. Fitz squirmed as ice appeared in a completely unexpected place. And the two sisters hugged, all tension from the laborious dining experience gone. Anna even felt good enough to ask for another dish of chocolate ice-cream.

Kristoff stretched and sighed as he watched his fiance. Anna was a very impressive eater. But he was getting stiff. "Elsa? I've been sitting so long I think parts of my body have fallen asleep. How much more do we have to go?"

"Oh, we're finished eating," Elsa said with a nod.

There was something about the way she said it that led Kristoff to ask, "What's next?"

"Well," Elsa said watching her sister take an unfortunately large mound of chocolate ice-cream and stuff it into her mouth. "Next we escort the bride and groom up to their room and wait, watching, while they consummate their marriage. So there's no chance the marriage might be annulled – you know, it's a rule."

Anna's head whipped around, and she swallowed the entire mouthful of ice-cream in one gulp, which sent her throat into freezing spasms of pain, which led to coughing and a spew of chocolate across her plate.

"And that, dearest Anna, is why we take small bites," Elsa said victoriously.

A/N: I even managed to sort of eek out a family portrait ... the revised + Fitz version.