Chapter 8 – One Thing at a Time

Kristoff had to wait until no one was looking before he jumped out of bed (Ow, my head) and tiptoed out of the castle towards the stables. Anna had assured him that Sven was alright ("He's a little limp, but I'm sure he'll be fine, you don't need to worry") but he couldn't take the fact that he had left him anymore.

He needed to see him.

There were still two people sitting in Sven's stable, as well as one addition.

Olaf was plunked in the straw at Sven's head, regarding him with an expression of clear confusion.

The two men recognised Kristoff, and respectfully left the stable so he could visit with his reindeer alone.

"Why won't Sven wake up?" Olaf asked, raising imploring eyes to Kristoff.

The Ice Harvester sank to his knees slowly, and laid a hand on Sven's neck. The deer felt cold, and for once didn't not respond when touched. Kristoff swallowed hard.

Olaf squirmed a bit, then asked again, "Kristoff? He won't open his eyes. Why not?"

"He's resting," Kristoff said gently. "He's . . . going to be resting for a while."

"Is he sick?"

"Yes."

"Is he cold?"

"Yes."

"He needs a warm hug, then," Olaf reasoned. The snowman got to his feet. He flopped against Sven's neck, his twig arms holding tightly to the thick, coarse fur. Little snowflakes from Olaf's personal flurry landed on Sven's ears and eyes, but the reindeer did not respond. Olaf hugged a little tighter, then straightened up and looked expectantly at Sven.

"Is he better now?" the snowman asked.

"I'm sure it helped," Kristoff said, at a loss for how to comfort a snowman.

"Kristoff?" A soft voice interrupted.

Kristoff looked at the stable doorway, to find Anna standing there. "Hi."

"Is he any better?" Anna came into the stable and sat down at Kristoff's side.

"Yes," Olaf said proudly. "He needed a warm hug."

"Thank you," Anna smiled. "You know who else needs a hug? I think Kai is still upset from yesterday too."

"I'll go find him!" Olaf promised, and trotted out of the stable.

Anna leant her cheek against Kristoff's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"When he's alright, I'll be alright."

"You came for me, when Fluggard's team attacked. But Sven must have been hurt before that. Why did you leave him?"

Kristoff swallowed, and Anna could see his eyes shining brightly. He spoke carefully, keeping his voice level. "I was so certain that he was going to die. He was still and heavy in my arms. I figured he might have been dead at that time already. And I thought that if anyone was going after you . . ." He trailed off, then added softly, "I couldn't lose both of you."

Anna shifted her body slightly, so that she was leaning into him, but still watching Sven out of the corner of her eye. Kristoff put one arm around her, and held her close.

That was how Ace found them when he returned.

He didn't say anything, just slipped into the stable and knelt down at Sven's head, quietly checking the reindeer over.

"How is he doing?" Kristoff asked.

"His pulse is still very weak. We might have to give him more blood later. And get some water into him soon. If he does recover, it should be a full recovery." Ace ran a hand softly down the reindeer's back. "He's a very fit animal and obviously well cared for. That'll help him."

The vet stood up again. "Princess Anna, your sister is back."

"Where?"

"She went into the castle."

Anna almost stood up, then paused and looked at Kristoff.

"Go," he said. "I'll be fine here." He pulled affectionately at Sven's ear. "We're just going to chat for a while."

"I'll be back soon," Anna promised.

Elsa was on a mission.

Aaron had raised a questioning eyebrow when she'd marched into her study to find the letters sent by Weselton regarding the war, but had kept his mouth shut.

Kai had looked up when she stormed past him in the hallway clearly on her way somewhere.

And no one had said a word when she went very definitively into the dungeons, although Kai and Aaron had followed her at a safe distance.

Elsa went straight to the cell Luka was being held in, and opened the door without hesitation. Kai was closest, and about to question what on earth she was doing, when she slammed the door behind her in a manner that clearly said 'stay out.'

Slamming doors was one of the things she was good at.

Luka was sitting on the wooden bench in his cell, and he remained there when she entered. He didn't say anything.

"Why were you after Anna?" Elsa said without preamble.

Luka snorted. "Do you think I'm just going to tell you everything? Because if I don't you'll freeze me to death?"

"The fact that you're alive means that's still an option for me," Elsa replied flatly. "Now, tell me why you were after my sister."

"Do you have any idea how much you used to trade from Weselton?" Luka asked. "When you boycotted the country, the economy almost fell. People lost jobs. Houses. Businesses. And every letter the Duke sent to you, asking you to reconsider, was ignored."

Elsa folded her arms, waiting patiently for Luka to continue.

"There was only one thing that would get your attention. And that was going after something you loved, and ruining your life, just like how you ruined Weselton. The army was never here for a war. That was a ruse, to take your attention off Princess Anna. And that's why, when you made your little snowstorm, we only lasted a week. Because that's all the provisions we had. There isn't enough food in our country to even feed the people properly." Luka glowered. "And that's your fault."

Yesterday, Elsa would have agreed with him. She would have agreed that it was her fault, that everything was her fault. But not now. Her blue eyes narrowed. "No, it wasn't. I didn't try to assassinate myself. The Duke wanted me dead from the moment he discovered my ice powers. He sent men after me with the sole purpose of killing me. That was not my fault."

Luka grunted. "Everything else was."

"Actually, none of it was. If you want someone to blame, blame my parents. Because they never taught me how to handle any of this properly. I'm doing the best I can, but I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. And barring all trade with Weselton was obviously one of them, but not a valid reason to try to assassinate my sister."

Outside the cell, Aaron, Kai and Anna, who had finally caught up to them, were all listening at the door.

"Whoa," Anna whispered. "Who gave Elsa a pep talk? She's totally in control in there."

"Every one of the people involved in this attack and attempted murder will be tried here in Arendelle under our laws," Elsa continued. "The rest of your army will be escorted back to Weselton, and I will be with them. The Duke and I have some things to talk about."

"He's not going to just let you waltz in there, you know," Luka warned.

Elsa was already half way out the door. She sent a smug smile over her shoulder. "I'd like to see him keep me out."

Anna, Aaron and Kai all leapt back from the door when they saw it start to open and scattered to an appropriate distance way, looking innocently around as though they hadn't been eavesdropping.

Elsa looked a bit surprised to see them all assembled. "What are you all doing here?"

"I was checking on the prisoners," Aaron answered.

"I was making sure you were alright," Kai said certainly.

"I'm coming with you to see the Duke," Anna announced.

Elsa raised a quizzical eyebrow. "No, you're not."

"And just why not?"

"He's already tried to kill you once; do you really think I'm going to bring you directly to him? Besides, I need you to take care of Arendelle while I'm gone." Elsa's expression left no doubt in Anna's mind that this was not the time to argue.

But Anna was still curious. As Elsa started making her way out of the dungeons, she skipped along behind her sister. "So, this is a fun personality change for you."

"What?"

"You're usually a little more . . ." Anna was going to say 'depressed' but thought better of it, "Subdued. But you went in there and really told Luka where he stood. What caused this catharsis of character?"

Elsa didn't know Anna even knew what the word 'catharsis' meant. "I had a talk with Ace."

Anna latched on this new information with vigour. "Really? With Ace? Ooooo . . . What did he say? My god, he practically rewrote your personality how awesome is that do you love him?"

"What? Anna, he's a vet-"

"That isn't answering the question!" Anna hollered. She grabbed Elsa's arm to prevent her from escaping. "Tell me, tell me!"

Elsa didn't have to answer straight away, because Anna was still nattering on, but she did wonder why her sister was still so obsessed with this 'love at first sight' thing when it clearly hadn't worked for her. She wanted to press her fingers into her temples again, because all this was starting to cause a head ache, but Anna was still attached onto one of her arms.

"Anna, if you bring this up again I'll . . ." Elsa didn't actually have a threat ready, and she sighed. "Just stay safe while I'm away."

"Don't you need me to go with you?"

"I'll be fine. Doesn't Kristoff need you to sit with him and Sven?"

"You . . . don't mind leaving to go out of the country, when you know Kristoff and I will be spending a lot of time together?"

"You'll be nursing his reindeer," Elsa said firmly. "And that is all."

"Oh, of course. Because we've never made out in the stables before-" Anna let go of Elsa as her fingers suddenly felt very, very cold.

"Make sure no one comes into the castle without being checked by the guards."

"Yes, Elsa," Anna sounded thoroughly disinterested as she twirled a braid around one finger and stared at the grey sky, still dotted with a few clouds.

"And don't break anything."

"Yes, Elsa."

"And don't overthrow the kingdom or anything." Elsa fidgeted at the bottom of the boarding ramp of her ship to Weselton. "If you have any questions-"

"Elsa, I've had a lot of practice spending time alone, I think I can manage."

Elsa wrung her hands together, looking nervous. "I know but-"

"If I need anything, Kristoff is here for me."

That didn't cheer Elsa up as much as Anna intended. The Queen hesitated. "Just be careful."

"I'll be fine, Elsa," Anna assured. "You're the one who might be walking into danger. Make sure you stay safe."

"I'll only be a week, hopefully less."

"And I'll be right here," Anna said. "Now go."

"Queen Elsa?" Aaron called down from the ship. "It's time to go." He was going along for the trip as Elsa's right hand man, with Kai staying behind to hold the fort and prevent Anna from causing an apocalypse.

"I love you," Elsa added.

Anna flung her arms around her sister and pulled her into a tight hug. "Love you too. See you soon." She released Elsa and jumped back. "Now go, everything with be fine here."

"Okay." Elsa didn't look terribly convinced, but she boarded the ship anyway.

Anna waved enthusiastically, waiting until the ship was almost out of sight before she ran back to the stables, and skidded to a halt outside the stall with Sven inside.

Kristoff was beaming. "Look who's awake!" He turned his demented grin from Anna to Sven, and back to Anna.

Ace was sitting at the reindeer's head, supporting his neck and gently dribbling water into his mouth. Sven's eyes were open, and he even managed to make a garbled sound of greeting when he saw Anna.

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed. "He's okay!"

"No, he's a bit better," Ace corrected. "Far from okay. He still needs a lot of care."

Kristoff kept one hand on Sven's shoulder, looking more relieved than Anna had ever seen him.

"Thank you," Anna said to the vet. "For coming here on such short notice and doing everything you could for him."

"Well," Ace smiled, "Who can refuse a direct order from the Princess of Arendelle? I've got to go and see to some other patients, but I'll leave both my assistants here to keep an eye on Sven. Later on, we'll see if he wants to eat."

Kristoff just nodded, still grinning like a doofus.

Ace exited the stables, stopping briefly to bow politely at Anna.

"So," Anna said to Kristoff, "I assume you'll be spending the night in here again?"

"Of course."

"Elsa said I could stay with you."

"She did?" Kristoff looked surprised. "That's odd. I thought she had strict 'no night time' rules?"

Anna crossed her arms, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, Elsa's not here, is she?"

The trip to Weselton was not eventful. Elsa spent most of it sitting in her room fretting, about what she was going to say, what the Duke was going to do, all the things Anna could get up to while she was away, and the fact that her arm still hurt.

Ace had redressed the wound before she had left, which had caused endless teasing from Anna and a lot of eye rolling from Kai ("We have people doctors for a reason, you know. There is no need to go to a vet.")

But Elsa felt comfortable with Ace, and that was more important to her than qualifications. Elsa would let Anna perform heart surgery on her if needed, because she trusted Anna implicitly. That random stray thought stayed with Elsa longer than she thought it would, mostly because she thought she might actually need a heart surgeon if hers didn't settle down soon.

She was more worried about being away from Anna than anything else. So far, she had established the fact that Anna was like an anchor in the sea of emotions that Elsa was always drowning in. Around Anna, she felt more relaxed, more in control. Everything was attainable if her sister was nearby.

And now she was off on a very high stress errand without her sister.

Oh god, what if she froze Weselton?

Elsa resumed her pacing, keeping her hands clasped together. Maybe Anna should have come with. But that would have been selfish, because Elsa would have been purposely putting her sister in danger just to make herself feel safer.

Curse these emotional conundrums!

Elsa sat down on her bed, taking deep, measured breaths. She could do this. She was the Queen, she wasn't going to let the fact that Anna was out of eyesight screw up everything she'd been working to control.

She had been repeating these thoughts to herself for so long it was a relief to hear Aaron knock on her door and call, "We're approaching Weselton harbour."

While Elsa was relieved that the journey was over, because waiting and brooding was getting her wound up too tight, she found herself suddenly terrified at the prospect of actually doing this. Perhaps a war would have been better. Less nerve wracking.

She put on a façade of calm, and went onto the deck of the ship to see the harbour.

She had never seen Weselton before, and it was startling how similar it was to Arendelle. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, perhaps some outrageous architecture, but it certainly wasn't something similar to home. That was . . . anticlimactic.

But familiarity, Elsa knew, was her friend, and a fraction of tension left her. She could see the Duke now, standing near the docks, but she couldn't read his face from here. As an educated guess, she would assume he was disgruntled.

Aaron stepped to her side. "Relax."

"I am."

"The fact that the deck is frosting over says otherwise."

Elsa gasped and looked down. Sure enough, there was a light but distinctive white patch forming around her. Oh, great, we're not even there yet and Weselton is already expecting a suddenly change in weather.

"You don't have anything to be nervous about."

Elsa shot him an exasperated look.

"Besides, he's more scared of you than you are of him."

"I'm not scared of him at all, just the conversation we're going to have."

"Good. Then you have nothing to worry about. You're good at conversations."

"Based on what? Anna is good at conversations; I'm good at shutting up and keeping everything inside."

"No, Anna rambles. You don't speak without thinking, and you only say what needs to be said. You'll handle this brilliantly. And if you don't, what's another frozen city?"

"That's not funny," Elsa mumbled.

The Duke was clearly visible now, and he did not look amused. Elsa took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment and collecting her thoughts. She was regretting the decision to come here.

"So," Kristoff leant comfortably against Sven's back, the reindeer's head turned to watch him with quiet eyes, "What's this about Elsa and the vet?"

Anna was snuggled up in Kristoff's side, preparing for a night of reindeer nursing (and whatever else might come about when everyone left the stables later). She giggled. "Aw, you know. He fixed her arm and her back. And followed her when she ran off. And brought her back."

This didn't sound all that earth shattering to Kristoff. "So? I would have done the same."

"Ah, but Elsa wouldn't let you. Do you honestly think she'd let you take care of her if she was hurt? She didn't even want you in her room while she was sick. And she hated the doctor Kai got."

"Elsa's not a people person," Kristoff pointed out reasonably. "There's no underlying motive behind her actions."

"I asked her if she loved him and she dodged the question!"

"That's probably because she has only had two conversations with him and the answer was incredibly obvious."

"You grew up with love experts, you know it can happen."

"And you caused a whole city to freeze because you thought Elsa would accept your 'love at first sight'. You tend to jump on things wholeheartedly, but Elsa takes her time with any changes. She still doesn't like me."

"I guess. But I think there's something going on between them."

"Sure, sure." Kristoff yawned. He closed his eyes and squirmed a bit against Sven.

Anna chattered away, oblivious to the fact that he wasn't really listening anymore. Sven was, occasionally adding a grunt where he felt appropriate. Eventually, Anna ran out of words, and snuggled into Kristoff's side.

"Good night, Sven," she murmured. "Sweet dreams."

The Duke was not hiding the fact that he was glaring.

Breathe, Elsa reminded herself. It really won't help matters if you lose it. She stayed where she was, at the bottom of the boarding ramp, wondering who was going to speak first.

When the Duke drew himself up to his full, diminutive height she took the initiative, largely because she didn't want to know what he was going to blurt out.

"Look, let's get this straight," she said. "You don't like me, and I don't like you. But my first act as Queen was to boycott all trade with Weselton, and I didn't consider what that would mean to your country. I realise that my decision has caused a lot of problems, and I'm here to rectify that mistake. You can either send me home, or we can discuss this sensibly, but bear in mind that I am the only person who can help you right now.

"If you do send me home, you'll be dooming your entire country to starve just because you and I had a disagreement. This is not the fault of either country, it's between us."

There was a tense silence that stretched out longer than Elsa was hoping. She reminded herself to remain calm. She had nothing to lose here.

Finally, the Duke grumbled, "Welcome to Weselton."

Weselton was smaller than Arendelle, Elsa noticed. The conference room she and the Duke were in was maybe half the size of Arendelle's. The Duke had surrounded himself with people; Elsa assumed it was in the misguided belief that if she completely lost the plot she was statistically less likely to freeze him. Or maybe he thought she would be intimidated by the number of people.

Elsa wasn't. In fact, she was feeling much more at ease since leaving the ship. The ground was no longer rocking up and down under her, and now that she was faced with a task instead of moping and contemplating it, it didn't seemed too insurmountable.

Aaron was the only person from Arendelle with her, seated at her right, and apparently engaged in a staring contest with one of the Duke's men who had been at Elsa's coronation.

"Before we start," Elsa said, wanting to get everything out in the open, "I just want you to know that your attempt on Anna's life is unforgivable, so don't expect much sympathy from me regarding your plight."

Aaron gave her a look, losing the staring contest, which apparently meant something like 'seriously, Elsa, someone going after your sister is unforgivable but someone wanting to attack and declare war on everyone is just fine? Way to make us feel safe. Great priorities.'

Elsa ignored him. "But I can't let the whole of Weselton suffer because you . . ." Elsa had to pause for a second, to come up with a politically correct way of paraphrasing Anna's description of 'he's a dick', "… Are-"

"A dick," Aaron muttered.

"-Not on the best terms with Arendelle and myself." Elsa sent a glare briefly at Aaron, warning him to keep his mouth shut. If she wanted someone spouting nonsense next to her she would have brought Anna. "We are willing to reinstate some of our trade agreements."

"My neck still hurts!" the Duke accused. "I've been suffering for months."

Elsa almost rolled her eyes, but reminded herself that she was a Queen, not a whiny teenager. "You don't seem to be getting this. The ball's in my court. You have nothing to offer me. If you piss me off any more, I'll take my offer and your country's future and sail on home. It's your move. Make sure it's the right one."

Aaron had a self-satisfied little smile on his face.

"Fine! Which trade agreements are you willing to renegotiate?" The Duke crossed his arms huffily (Good grief, Elsa thought, he's more pouty than Anna).

Great, things were finally going the right way. Elsa felt a bit more tension leave her. "Before we sort that out, I just have one more thing to add."

The Duke made a 'go on' gesture with one hand.

"Do not try to attack my people again. Because next time you try it, I will fight back. Last time you saw me I was still getting the hang of my powers. Now, I'm in complete control, and I know what I'm capable of. If you attack, I will freeze everything. And trust me, when I do it on purpose it's much worse than when it's by accident."

Anna could see Elsa's ship returning, and she shouted loudly at Kristoff. "I see them! She's home!"

"You don't have to shout. You're sitting on my shoulders, it's not like I'm far away."

Anna waved madly, nearly over balancing. Kristoff just barely managed to keep them both upright. Anna had wanted a raised seat to watch Elsa's return, and had clambered on top of her poor, abused boyfriend because the lamp post she tried to climb was freezing cold and her hands had stuck to it without gloves, and slipped with them on.

Standing at Kristoff's side, slightly wobbly, and occasionally leaning against him, was Sven. Kristoff's round the clock nursing was paying off, and this was the second day the reindeer had been out for a walk.

The ship pulled up into the harbour, and Anna waved with both hands, almost falling off Kristoff's shoulders. He grabbed a bit more securely at her legs.

Elsa was leaning on the railing of the ship, looking peaceful and relaxed. She waved at Anna with one arm, much more subdued and dignified than her sister.

"Did you kick his ass?" Anna asked as soon as Elsa was back on solid ground. She scrambled off Kristoff in order to give her sister a hug.

"I didn't have to," Elsa said, returning Anna's hug. "We talked, and sorted everything out. And I told him to leave us alone, or I would have to take matters into my own hands."

"Ooo, sounds bad ass. How much did you have to freeze before he agreed with you?"

"Nothing. It was a perfectly peaceful negotiation."

"That sounds boring." Anna made a face.

"No, it was exactly what I was hoping for." Elsa nodded to Kristoff. "Thank you for keeping an eye on Anna for me."

Kristoff shrugged. "No problem."

"How's Sven?" Elsa asked.

Kristoff slung an arm over the reindeer's back, and Sven leant against him. "Doing better all the time. That vet's really good, by the way. I don't think Sven would have made it without him."

"Hm," Elsa glanced in the general direction of the stables, looking thoughtful. "Excuse me for a moment. Anna, I'll see you at dinner."

"Okay," Anna said slowly as Elsa started towards the stables. She traded glances with Kristoff. "What do you think that's about?"

"I have no idea."

Sven grunted.

"And neither does he," Kristoff translated. "C'mon, buddy, let's take a walk. You need to exercise." He kept his arm over Sven's back as the reindeer took a few, halting steps. Anna went to Sven's other side. "Where's Olaf? He wanted to come with us next time we took a walk."

"I think he's in the castle," Anna said. "Is Sven well enough to go find him?"

"What do you think?" Kristoff asked his reindeer. "Do you want to find Olaf? He's been missing you."

Sven nodded, and lurched forward with a bit more energy.

Elsa peered hesitantly into the stables. She didn't know why she was so nervous. "Um, Ace? Are you in here?"

"Queen Elsa," the vet popped out of a stable, his brilliant smile in place. "Welcome home. I'm almost done here, if you need to talk. This horse bruised his foot, I'm just checking up on it."

Elsa waited in the door way until Ace exited the stable, running a hand through his dark hair. He bowed politely.

"How can I help?"

"I wanted to thank you. For taking such good care of Sven," Elsa began. "You had to work hard to save him, and he's only a reindeer-"

Ace held up a hand. "No, he's much more than that. Things only have as much value as we give them. Sven means the world to Kristoff, and to Princess Anna. And to your little snowman. He's worth more than all the horses in this stable combined. There is nothing 'only' about him. Monetary value is not the true value of something. I will work just as hard to save a little's girl's pet as I would on the most expensive horse in Arendelle, because they are all equal. But thank you, for appreciating my work."

"Would you . . . I mean, please join us in the castle for dinner tonight. As part of my thanks. And for being incredibly diplomatic. You also need to give me a bill for your services."

"The reindeer belongs to Kristoff, so I will ask of him what I need."

"Kristoff does not have that sort of money."

"Then, neither will I," Ace grinned. "I'll get by. My payment is knowing that the animals I treat are safe, loved and cared for."

Elsa cleared her throat. "I also owe you for treating me."

"Don't be ridic-"

"No," Elsa interrupted, "Your medical training is a specialised field. Let me know how much I owe you for taking a look at my arm and back."

"I don't really treat people, so I don't have a billing system for that . . ."

"Well, then, let's start with dinner, and see what happens from there. How does that sound?"

Ace smiled. "Perfect."

"I'll see you tonight, then." Elsa nodded briefly at him. "And thank you, again."

"You're welcome."

"Oh, you did what?" Anna asked, sitting cross legged on Elsa's bed with her jaw on the floor. "You asked the vet on a date?"

"It's not a date," Elsa replied patiently, untying her hair and unravelling her braid. "You're going to be there. So is Kristoff."

"That just makes it a double date!"

"It's not; it's to thank him for what he did. He dropped everything to come when you called him, and he really is the best vet around. He's not as well off as we are, and I thought it would be nice to do something for him to show our appreciation. Sven would be dead without him."

"That's true. But it still sounds like you asked him on a date."

"Well, I didn't."

Anna raised both eyebrows. "Oh, really?"

"Why are you so fixated on this, Anna?" Elsa asked with a sigh.

"Because everyone needs someone. You still need to find your true love. Like me and Kristoff."

Elsa sat down next to her sister. "True love can take many forms, Anna. Love is meant to make you feel complete. And I have that already. I have you."

"But you still need romantic love," Anna insisted. "Everyone does!"

Elsa closed her eyes for a second, practising patience. "One thing at a time, Anna. I'm still getting used to having people around again. Don't rush me."

"Sure, sure. I'll keep quiet about it. But . . . Don't close people out. If you're so comfortable with Ace that you let him doctor you, and invited him to dinner, maybe you feel something for him."

Elsa exhaled, her shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. "Okay, Anna, I'll give it chance. But only to get you to shut up about it."

Anna's whole face lit up. "Yay! I'll get ready for dinner!" She leapt towards the door, then paused half way out of it. "I'm only bugging you about this because I want you to be happy like I am."

"I know." Elsa smiled tenderly. "And your heart's in the right place."

Anna grinned. "See you at dinner. For our double date."

Ace was waiting when Anna and Elsa came downstairs, but Kristoff was nowhere to be seen. Anna immediately elbowed Elsa in the ribs when she caught sight of the vet, because he had dressed himself up in a wonderful dark outfit and had his short, smooth hair was finally free of his woollen cap.

Elsa didn't know why Anna elbowed her, but she assumed it was an extension of the conversation they had had earlier.

"Good evening Queen Elsa, Princess Anna," Ace bowed. "You both look lovely."

"So do you," Anna replied. "Who knew vets cleaned up so well?"

"My family was actually quite well off," Ace said. "But I had to leave them to continue my work."

"Where are you from?" Anna asked, seeing as conversation was not Elsa's strong point and she didn't seem at all inclined to try to rectify that flaw.

"I was actually born in Weselton."

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"I was working there until . . . the middle of summer. Then I heard . . . well, I might as well be honest." Ace squared his shoulders. "My brother was working for the Duke of Weselton at the time of your coronation. He was here, when you froze summer. When he came home, things started to go a little bit awry. We had a food shortage, and a work shortage. I came here to work, and to send whatever I earn home to my family."

"Hang on," Elsa said, "You weren't going to accept payment for helping Sven."

"I know. He shouldn't have been injured. None of you should have. I can't accept payment for my country causing the pain."

"Oh," Anna said. "That's very . . . nice of you."

"But your family must need the money," Elsa pointed out. "I mean, I've reinstated most of the trade with Weselton, but it's still going to take a few months for things to go back to normal there."

"My brothers . . ." Ace hesitated. "My brother will help as well. We'll get by." He looked sad, his dark eyes dropping to the floor.

Elsa recognised grief when she saw it. "Ace? You corrected yourself when you said 'brothers'. Is everything okay?"

"I shouldn't talk about it."

"You told me that keeping it inside was unhealthy," Elsa said gently.

"You'll feel bad," Ace said. "And I don't want that. And besides, it's not like . . . oh, you'll find out soon enough. One of the men who attacked Anna, the ones you . . . accidentally killed . . . one of them was my older brother."

Anna noticed her breath was suddenly visible in the room, and a worried glance at Elsa revealed all the colour draining from the Queen's face.

Elsa felt her heart beat quicken, felt that wave of guilt that had been lying idle wash over her. That didn't make sense. It couldn't be true. Why would Ace have comforted her that day in the forest if he knew . . .? Why would he even speak to her? Why would he do anything for her? Oh god, she was worse than a monster.

"Queen Elsa?" Ace asked uncertainly. "Are you alright?"

She couldn't answer; her breath was stuck in her throat. She felt utterly mortified at what she had done.

"Elsa?" Anna questioned, lifting one hand hesitantly towards Elsa's shoulder. She could feel the cold radiating from her sister.

The fact that one of the murdered men was Ace's brother made it all seem real; he wasn't just a nameless, faceless person from Weselton. He had a family. Elsa had hurt an entire family. She knew what it felt like to lose part of your family.

It gnawed away it you, it was the worst feeling in the world. And she had done this to Ace, to one of the sweetest men she had ever known, without a mean bone in his body.

Both Anna and Ace looked up, startled, when they heard the wind outside begin howling again, and the familiar sound of snow battering against the castle.

Anna reached her hand towards Elsa, just brushing against her arm. Elsa jumped back as though stung, her eyes bright and wide and frightened. "No, Anna! Don't touch me!"

"Elsa-"

But Elsa was backing away from them, bringing both hands up to her chest, where they were safe and where they couldn't do any more damage. Then she was running back upstairs, leaving a trail of frozen carpet where she stepped.

Anna was about to go after her when the door opened, and Kristoff appeared. He looked pale, his expression worried. He blurted out, "Sven won't get up!"

Thank you all for reading

SpicedGold