Elsa sighed and leaned on the cold balustrade of her balcony. The snow-capped mountains shimmered gold, pink, purple, and gray in the new light of dawn. At this height, in the thin air, the silence was so profound that she thought she heard the sun itself rising from behind the peaks. The view from her room at Arendelle had never come close to this.

"This is what I was meant for," Elsa said. Even that whisper sounded profane in such quiet.

There were those who would call it loneliness—but it was only in Arendelle Castle, within four unchanging walls, shut away in fear of her own magic, that she had been lonely. Here, she was alone, yes—but free. Free of that fear, free to stretch her powers, to release her energy, to see the wide, wild world. She was not born to wear a crown, or hold a scepter, or sit a throne. The North Mountain was her throne, and no emperor's could be grander.

When the sunlight made her eyes ache, Elsa looked down over the treetops. She was so far above them, she might as well have had the power of flight as well as ice and snow.

The young queen blinked. There was a dark spot moving down there, leaving a trail of broken snow, a blemish upon the pristine skin of the mountain's face. She frowned. Was there already an intruder upon her sacred domain? Wanting a closer look, she went back inside, down one side of the grand staircase, and across the glittering, varicolored foyer.

She paused, flexing her bare fingers, and took a deep breath. All she wanted was solitude on her own terms. Yet here she was, once again cowering behind a closed door, summoning up the courage for whatever lay on the other side. She reached for the handles, flung open the double doors, and stepped out onto the front stoop.

"Loki?"

He was standing at the foot of the curved steps. He looked clean and rested, as if he had flown, or appeared instantly, rather than hiked across mountains. His eyebrows flickered up and his eyes widened in surprise for the briefest moment before the now-familiar grin slowly spread across his face.

"Is this Queen Elsa before me?" he asked. "The mountain air certainly does change things."

When Elsa remembered what he was looking at, she felt warmth creep into her freckled cheeks. Her glamorous blue dress, as sparkly as the walls of her ice palace, and the loose braid hanging over her bare shoulder, all seemed ridiculous now that she was no longer alone. She felt like a child who had been caught playing dress-up with her mother's clothes. She was about to shrink back through the doors, but stopped herself. This was her place, her realm, and she had no reason to be embarrassed or to back down from anyone. Squaring her shoulders, Elsa lifted her chin slightly, putting on a facade of frigid calm as she watched the dark-haired prince climb toward her.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she said. When he reached her level, she forced herself to stand her ground. Somehow it was harder now than ever.

"I did not expect to find you here," Loki said. He looked up, up, up at the crystal structure, its turrets and spires blinding in the dawn. "So this is the power you have been hiding all these years."

"Yes," Elsa said, letting herself smile. "I didn't realized I could do it."

"And this…" Elsa held back a shiver as he reached out and lifted her braid, his knuckles brushing the skin of her shoulder. His thumb touched one of the little snowflake-shaped jewels scattered throughout her hair. "Is this is the woman you have been hiding?"

"I suppose so," Elsa said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Loki smiled and drew back his hand, clasping both behind his back. "I like her," he said.

"Thank you," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"Considering recent events, I thought I would find a princess in need of rescue." He looked over his shoulder at the icy bridge spanning the canyon, and toward the mountains beyond. He turned back to Elsa, the glint in his eyes rivaling the palace walls. "Instead, I meet an elegant queen who has freed herself. It seems she has no need for a gallant prince after all."

"She doesn't now," Elsa said, annoyed. In her panic over disclosing her magic, she had sought him in the crowd. Everything might have been different if he had come to her aid then. But if he had, where would she be—back in the city, smoothing over the damage and still trying to hide?

Loki blinked, apparently surprised by her response. "I mean…" she added, stumbling over her words. "What happened to you, at the ball?"

"You wanted to speak to your sister, so I took the opportunity to explore your fine home. I heard screams and, well, my suspicion was confirmed when I returned to the ballroom. I saw the ice, and then your tracks across the water."

"And you came looking for me?" she asked.

"After a bit of a row with Thor, yes. He thought it best to leave Midgardian matters to the Midgardians, as our father demanded before we came. I would have agreed—were it anyone else." He smiled. It was not his usual teasing grin, but rarer—a warm, disarming beam that lit up his face.

No, Elsa thought. This is my place. My magic reigns, and I will be subject to no one's charms.

"Why did you come?" she asked him.

"Did I not just say—"

"I don't mean the North Mountain. I mean here—Arendelle, Midgard, my coronation. Why did you come?"

"Ah," he said. "I thought it obvious enough not to require explanation."

"Indulge me," she said.

"I gave you an invitation. You asked to postpone it—until you were twenty-one, your sister eighteen, and the kingdom yours. I believe requirements have been fulfilled, and I am here to collect on a debt."

"You still want me to come to Asgard with you?" Elsa asked.

There was that mischievous smirk again. "I do believe that was the plan, yes."

"Yes, I…I just wanted to hear you say it."

He bent down slightly, resting one hand on her hair again. He was not vastly taller than she, but enough to be intimidating. "What else would you like to hear me say?" he murmured. At her glare, he chuckled and straightened. "Very well—what do you say, then?"

"I don't know," Elsa said. "Things are different."

"Indeed so." He looked back up at the soaring edifice. "Well, I suppose you could always make another one."

It was Elsa's turn to grin. "Come inside," she said, grabbing his hand. "I want you to see."

Loki did not object as Elsa led him through the tall doors into the entrance hall. When he looked up at the sweeping double staircase, the columns, and the cathedral ceiling—all structured with snowflake patterns in shades of silver and blue—she knew he was impressed.

"Well done," he said. "I would not have expected…"

"You like it?" Elsa asked.

"Rather cavernous, perhaps. A bit empty."

"It's a work in progress," Elsa said. "How about this?" She stretched out a hand toward the center of the foyer. Up from the cold, slick floor grew a three-tier fountain, with frozen water that dripped as still as a painting.

"Quite marvelous," he said.

As he was turning his head, trying to see everything at once, Elsa realized something. She looked down at her left hand, the one she had used to summon the fountain.

"Loki?" she said, alarmed.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding confused. Then he noticed the same thing. Elsa was holding his left hand with her right—and yet she had still done magic. She was staring at her free hand, held up before her face as if she had never seen it before.

"Not even you can restrain it now," Elsa said. She began to laugh, the unfamiliar sound bouncing off the walls and ceiling. The echoes made a strange music in the grand chamber. "I am free!"

He was giving her that charming smile again; Elsa hoped he really meant it this time.

"That reminds me," he said. She looked at him curiously as he reached inside what must have been a pocket somewhere amidst the leather, metal, and cloth he wore. Elsa almost could not believe it when he pulled out a pair of long, silk gloves. They looked exactly like the ones she had worn at her coronation, but…

"They can't be," she said. "Where did you get them?"

"I persuaded your sister to give up the one you left with her. As it happens, the second was useful in directing me toward your…new abode. When I saw it tangled in a branch, I knew I must have been on the right track." When Elsa hesitated to take them from him, he added, still smiling, "You must take better care of your things, your highness. I cannot always be fetching your gloves for you."

Elsa picked them up in one hand, noticing loose threads where the glove had snagged on the tree and spots dampened by snow.

"I don't need these anymore," she said. She looked back up at him and took his hand again, gripping it a little tighter than before. "Come on!"

She pulled him along behind her, across the smooth floor and up the grand staircase, past walls of crystal-clear ice, through a labyrinth of rooms. Not even Elsa knew all of the palace's layout; she had not yet had time to explore it for herself. Together they wandered the halls, peeked through doorways, and climbed more stairs, stopping to examine the details of a column or window, occasionally getting turned around and losing each other.

Finally they reached the highest tower, and the balcony where Elsa stood before Loki arrived. The normally flippant prince seemed dumbstruck by the view. Elsa hung back, watching from the doorway with pride as he slowly approached the ledge.

"This is a beautiful country," he finally said. Elsa stepped out to join him at the balustrade. "Asgard is preferable, but…" He looked down at her and grinned. "There is some beauty that is unique to this place."

"Tell me about Asgard," she said quietly.

"Why should I?" he asked. "You could come see for yourself."

She shook her head. "I want you to tell me first."

Loki was silent for a few minutes, first examining Elsa's face, and then turning his attention back to the mountains. She almost wondered if he would ever speak again. Finally, he opened his mouth, his words emerging with a tone she had not heard him use before.

He talked about a world full of sunshine, with changing seasons that were never too harsh. He told her of mountains and rolling hills and shady valleys, of vineyards and orchards and thick forests, of quiet brooks and wide rivers and thundering waterfalls. He talked about the many golden spires of Odin's palace, the architecture and artwork within, the library that was often his haven. He spoke of the great, hoofed beasts in the palace stables, and the treasures hidden in Odin's weapons vault, brought back as prizes of war. He described thrilling hunts for wild boar and deadly serpents, and the bloodless but mighty battles fought for practice on the Warrior's Field. Finally, he told her about the rainbow bridge, the Bifrost, and the giant in golden armor who served as gatekeeper to the realm.

As he concluded his tale, he grinned. He had lost himself in the storytelling, but now saw how Elsa had listened, wide-eyed and breathless.

"Does such a place really exist?" Elsa asked. "Why would you ever leave it?"

He reached out to caress a stray lock of her hair. "Come and see it," he said.

"I don't know, Loki," she said again. "You wanted to teach me to control my magic. But look at this place—the work is done. I'm finally who I'm supposed to be. Your world sounds heavenly, but this is my world, and I've only just begun to live in it."

"What do you have here that Asgard could not offer you?" he asked.

"Maybe nothing," she admitted. "But I should find out for myself."

Loki turned away from her again, clearly agitated as he leaned on the railing. "Be gracious, she told me," he grumbled. "This is what I get for my patience."

"All my life, I've done everything I was told to do," Elsa said. "I didn't question the trolls that took Anna's memories. I didn't question my parents when they shut us away. I didn't question the advisors who ruled in my stead and then made me queen. If I go with you, I want to make sure it's what I want to do, not just because you asked me. It probably is—but I have to be sure."

Loki turned so that he was facing her, leaning sideways on the balcony. "Tell me, your highness, is there anything you are sure about?"

She watched his face, wondering if he was seriously asking, or just teasing her again. She was sure of her magic now, she knew that much. And there was always Anna. Elsa knew she loved her sister, just as she knew they were better off apart. She certainly was unsure about the man who stood in front of her, and Elsa wondered if she ever would be. As for her feelings about him…

Loki seemed to understand where her thoughts had wandered. His expression softened as he came closer. Once again, Elsa found that she had to force herself to stand her ground. He brought his hands to her face, the chill of his fingers a stark contrast to her warm skin. She did not shy away this time, though she might have had reason to.

"Apologies," he said. "I did not think to pack any gloves of my own."

Smiling, Elsa placed a hand over one of his. She rested her other on his shoulder, where the thick-woven cape met the leather and armor of his uniform.

"The cold never bothered me anyway," she murmured.

He bowed his head toward hers and kissed her. It was as sweet as Elsa remembered, and this time she had nowhere to go and nothing to hide. When Loki began to draw away, she wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him back, feeling him smile against her lips. Elsa did not know how long they stayed like that, and she hardly cared.

When they paused for breath, a question came to her mind.

"Did you really want to rescue me?" Elsa asked.

There was a trace of sadness around his eyes. "I would have rescued you three years ago."