A/N: Really sorry to my only follower out there ;_; Studies decided to eat me up and swallow me whole, the usual reasons. I don't actually have many readers to tend to, so maybe that's why I lost motivation halfway. Anyway, more action in this chapter! I tried to shorten it, but I guess my longwindedness got a hold of me. Do tell me if it's too long or boring or something. Enjoy!

Elsa's POV

Alarmed shouts and horrified shrieks greeted the sleigh as it raced towards the square. Wooden wheels screeched on graveled ground as the horseman pulled on the reins, followed by the soft but urgent click of heels. The seaof confused bodies parted for their queen like curtains unveiling the next soap opera at the Grand Theatre, only that the revelation was simply a seemingly delirious young girl caught in her land of fantasy.

A gasp escaped from her pale lips as she laid her eyes on the grinning fool. The flames exploding around her in small balls of sparks only proved hers and Anna's suspicion right. Like a smack to her head, a wave of dizziness shook her. She raised a hand to her forehead, wincing. A pair of soldiers who had been stationed behind the sleigh flanked her quickly, weapons at the ready.

The sudden headache urged her soldiers to edge closer to her, one of them reach out for his queen gently. But Elsa was stronger than that. She had her people waiting for instructions and guidance, and soldiers ready to receive orders. They needed her, and her service they would get. That acknowledgement of her duties knocked sense into her in one fell swoop. She straightened up, focusing on the whirling blue and green dress.

There really was someone like her. Someone who had magic running in her veins. Someone who wielded a similarly amazing power. Someone who was being viewed as a monster right now, just as she was during the coronation.

"Stop!" Elsa hollered at her. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

She stopped mid-twirl, coming face-to-face with the blonde. Her grin vanished as she was shaken out of her stupor. Plucked out from her world of wonder, she scanned the crowd with wide eyes. Not a single expression lacked horror, some even containing mild disgust. In fact, the response was the exact opposite of the reaction towards the earlier ice display

A tiny stray fireball was still dancing in the air, slowly floating towards the fair skinned lady. With a simple flick of her hand, a fierce icy blast crushed it, resulting in a small collision of glitter. The girl's eyes shot towards her, a gleam of recognition swiftly passing her gaze as her mouth formed an 'O'.

Seeing as the girl was merely mutely staring, Elsa took the first step. Raising her hands, a wintery wind gushed out from her palms towards the girl's wrists. Cuffs carved from ice blocks encased her hands completely, ending off a little above her wrists. The peasant winced visibly and Elsa nearly winced along with her; she seemed innocent and honest, surely she didn't deserve to be treated like someone caught committing crime. But there was no way she could ascertain those fire powers wouldn't spiral out of control. After all, she had had a very close up, first-hand experience herself.

Just as she was about to command the girl's arrest, an older woman burst from the throng of people, shouting, 'Magdelene! Magdelene!'

[i]Magdelene.[/i] She would remember that name very well, indeed. From the way she rushed over, it was highly likely she was the girl's mother. And of course, which mother wanted to see her daughter in cuffs? Upon sighting the ice blocks, she whirled to face the local queen, but without anger; more so confusion than rage or indignance.

And just as well, they were to comply with her commands. "Magdelene, you are arrested for causing public disturbance." Head dizzy from shock, she couldn't remember anything else that could warrant a trip to the dungeon. "And I believe I have my own business with you."

Guilt shoved her towering confidence to one side, before her determination rose and pushed it back. The mother and daughter duo were nothing short of pitiful as the former clutched the latter's arms, soothing her in gentle tones, almost in tears. This was a matter of her country's safety and she could not let her kingdom down. Not with this magic wielding girl freely showcasing her dangerous flames.

"Bring them onto the sleigh."

Magdelene's POV

Winter nights in her cottage by the hills would have probably been better than coldness emanating from the slim figure before her was quite literal; while her attention wasn't on her, she could feel icy wisps claw at her, creeping coldness prodding at her skin. The queen's eyes kept shuffling from her to the view outside, troubled and thoughtful. Unfortunately, it was possible that she was pondering how to… do away with her. Unable to contain her emotions, she finally let a few minuscule tears trickle down her cheeks. Her mother, sitting by her side clutching her arm, dabbed at her face with a hankerchief, but she herself was close to sobbing.

But she could come herself, she always had. Magdelene took a couple of deep breaths, willing the tears to still. As if they could return to her eyes. She supposed she could be thankful this royal figure hadn't made them walk the way to the castle. When she said she wanted to enter the castle, this wasn't how she had expected it to go. Maybe in another scenario she would have been delighted to be going so close to the castle, but this was a highly different kind of sight-seeing.

The carriage had stopped whilst she was caught up in her whirlpool of worry. A soldier opened the door for the silent queen and Magdelene almost fell into the illusion that it was for her. The freezing ice cuffs had already numbed her pair of hands and the frost radiating earlier on from the queen wasn't helping either. Shuddering, she stepped out of the sleigh with her mother close behind.

Were there going to be more soldiers? The ones who had escorted her hadn't done much, but their unsmiling expression only made them seem foreboding. Maybe an army would be waiting to bring her to the dungeons? Maybe even the king himself would come forth to use his great big sword to lop off her-

It was just a brunette. A young teenager, probably not much older than her. Neither a soldier nor the king. The queen rushed forward to meet the young girl, the urgency of her action, rushing to her instead of the other way round, seemingly not matching that of a matriarch greeting her servant.

"Elsa! What was it?"

No 'Your Majesty,' or 'My Queen', but 'Elsa'. The queen's reply was merely muffled murmuring from the distance. Meanwhile the guards were pushing Magdelene forward, herding her into the main hall. Despite being engaged in conversation with the blonde, the teenager's large sea blue eyes were focused on her, and she could feel her gaze searing holes into her back as she trailed away.

"Guards, leave her there for a moment!"

"No, Anna! What do you think yo-"

The soldiers obeyed the command; the teenager had to be a princess. And from Elsa's reply, she probably didn't get much control over palace happenings.

"Magdelene, right?"

She was mechanically turned around by a guard, while her mother shifted away timidly.

"I heard about what you did-"

A lump formed in her throat.

"-and you just need to know that we're not going to-"

Elsa was right behind, sapphire eyes glaring at her.

"-so there's nothing to be scared off. My sister just-"

She missed out a large portion of the princess' little speech. And an important part too. Great. So what were they planning to do with her?

"-worries a lot and well, she just needs to calm down -"

"Alright, I think that's all Anna has to say!" Elsa barely avoided the brunette's pointed stare as she nudged the princess . The lump trembled in Magdelene's throat while her teeth begun to chatter. If she wanted to say something, she had to do it before her voice abandoned her.

"Please, Your Majesty. Please, I didn't mean t-to. I didn't r-realize I was bothering anyone. I really d-d-didn't know what I was doing." At this point she was struggling to get her words out, choking on the last few words.

"And no one was hurt!" The princess piped up, earning her another glare from the queen before both turned their back on her.

Was there? She couldn't tell, she was so absorbed by her dance and then occupied during her arrest. Magdelene struggled to follow up her statement with some rather well formed arguments, but she was already desperately trying to fish out coherent sentences from a muddled pool of vocabulary.

And orange glow rose as her lower lip quivered. Tiny cracks silently slithered along the handcuffs' surface. It was only when a huge cut announced its presence on the ice with a loud crack did those present face the girl. Hurriedly the queen raised a hand to summon more ice, but the climax had already struck.

Like glass, the ice cuffs shattered, drawing a combined gasp from the room's occupants. Flames came to life in Magdelene's palms as soldiers yelled in alarm. Even her mother had to back away as Magdelene waved her arms left and right in shock and in a bid to fend off attacks.

The unintentional outburst was likely seen as an aggressive action, for the queen's sky blue eyes was shooting daggers at the frightened teenager with her own hands raised. Metallic clinks sounded as soldiers drew their swords and approached. Soldiers surrounded her and formed a ring as she took uncertain steps, only to realize that she couldn't go anywhere. Somewhere behind the circle of guards her mother was shouting, foolishly attempting to shove the men.

Tall columns of fire burst from the ground around Magdelene, hiding her from their sight momentarily. When they died down, she had only been pulled into a more frenzied state, the sooty black marks sizzling, like ebony snakes guarding their mistress. Elsa could only stare in horror at the sudden display of power, unsure how to restrain the girl without the directing of those hungry flames at her.

Waving her arms wildly, two whips lashed out from the blazes at her palms. While some men managed to jump out of the way, they latched onto the arms of two soldiers, drawing out cries of pain as burn marks appeared on their skin.

Magdelene saw it. Her first induced injury couldn't have gone unnoticed. Eyes widening, her arms lowered a fraction, though the fire didn't die out. She stared at one fallen guard, then the other on the other side of the ring. Each whip had scored a nasty burn, just because she was unable to control her fire.

Magdelene's eyes jolted to the blonde stepping forward, blue sparks gathered at her hands. The former thought she saw her mouthing 'I'm sorry' before something made impact with the back of her head, forcing her into an empty darkness.

Elsa's POV

"She's just a girl! And her mother! What harm could those poor things bring?"

Elsa pressed her forefinger and thumb against her forehead in frustration, closing her eyes. The room they had settled in to discuss matters, where she usually did her paperwork, only reminded her of the requirements she had to fulfill as a queen, adding on to the piling stress. And the headache that had taken her by surprise at the town square had struck again, only fading when she had sat down more comfortably. The princess pacing back and forth before her was stringing argument after argument, insistent as ever. Of course Anna wanted to show compassion. Yet, she was a teenager, a princess who had barely begun training on how to rule a country. Not that she would need to with her older sister around.

"Anna, just calm down."

"I know that if you talk to her, she won't randomly burst out with her powers. She's just an innocent teenager, and she had no intention to lash out, I can feel it in my bones. My bones! And no one was hurt, right? She won't harm anyone if you just gently tell her-"

"Your bones aren't going to protect a country, Anna!" Snapping her eyes open, Elsa straightened up and raised her head to face the pacing young girl.

Anna paused mid-step, turning to face her sister.

"I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have burst out like that." A thin layer of ice had already spread over the golden arm rests, with a few icicles growing at the foot of its thin, graceful legs. When Elsa loosened her back and fell back against the cushioned back rest. "It's just… This hasn't happened before. Why would it?"

Conscious of the lowering temperature around her, she flicked a hand and the forming ice around her vanished. All that practice in controlling her powers after the Big Freeze wouldn't go to waste. Anna looked downwards for a moment, before strolling towards her sister.

She knelt down in front of her, each hand grabbing each of her hands and clutching them tightly, ignoring the cold.

"I know you're worried, I do. But I don't want you doing things that you'll regret afterwards."

"I won't." For the first time since meeting Magdelene, Elsa was truly confident in this proclamation. "I know why I'm treating her like a prisoner. It's to protect Arendelle."

"And you will. Just… Maybe not using this way?" Anna answered more gently.

That was her little sister, always trying for the more humanitarian side. Elsa sighed and tried again. "We know nothing about her. She may seem like a teenager, but what if it's some guise? She could be a wolf in sheep's clothing; even you have been tricked that way before." Anna winced as she was reminded of a certain faraway prince.

"If she is truly not out to harm us, I promise I will treat her fairly, whatever civilian would deserve. And if she is not what she seems, I must deal justice. After all, she is on my territory." As she explained herself, Elsa still wasn't sure if Anna would understand her worries.

"I will question her in a few days, before the Trade Meet officially starts. No one must go through a disaster like the one I caused. My people must never experience the 'fear' side of magic ever again."

Magdelene's POV

When she woke it was pitch black. Magdelene could imagine the cellar she would have her time-outs in, the air unmoving and any sound she made bouncing off the walls and forming little echoes. But she knew she couldn't possibly be back at home. Hadn't she left for Arendelle long ago? She shifted and realised that she was lying down on the cold stone floor, her neck aching after what was probably hours of staying in that position. Wincing, she lifted a hand to rub her neck, only to find that her hands themselves were still cuffed, in thick blocks of ice. It was no wonder she hadn't realised them straightaway when they had totally numbed out her sensations.

Of course, this was the dungeon. The good news was that she had expected something more like a torture chamber, whilst this place had at least a single plain metal bunk bed attached to the left wall, with, paper-thin sheets and a pillow that was more like a couple of pancakes that had rose halfway and then stopped. A bucket idled in a far corner; all that she was given for her private business. Nothing more, nothing less. A slit of dim light had slowly slid into the room, the clouds showing mercy to the moon and allowing the moonbeam to pass, now the only relief from the earlier darkness. The lack of warmth caused a shiver to run through her. Glancing around with bleary eyes, she noticed something was missing. Or rather, someone.

Mother!

Gasping, she stood up hurriedly, the chains on her legs sounding and alarm as she darted forward. Her ice cuffs were heavier than before, resulting in her awkward shuffling. The chains were pulled to their maximum just as she was her body was a few centimeters from the door. With as much energy she had left in her drained body, she raised her solidified pair of hands and slammed them against the door.

"Where is my mother? What have you done with her?" She yelled as she banged with as much force she could muster.

"Maggie, are you awake?"

She backed away from the door in surprise. Lugging herself to the right wall, she pressed against the freezing bricks. "Mother?"

"Stay calm, sweetie. They haven't done much. You've-you've just been out for a while. It's night time now." Thank the gods the walls were thin.

"What are they going to do? I d-didn't know I would do that. I've always kept good c-c-control. Always," Magdelene asked quietly, starting to stutter a little. "That never happened. Not since the first year. I'm s-sorry."

"Shhh," was the gentle response. She could hear slight scraping, probably her mother pressing herself a little to hard against the wall and her nails ending up catching the rough brick. "I don't know, Maggie. But we'll find a way. We can still salvage th-"

An annoyed shout rose from the door in Magdelene's prison. The little window was swiped open in a swift movement, but no one came. Shadows flickered as a muffled argument floated through the small passage. "Sweetie, what's going on?"

"I don't know", she mumbled. Carefully, she shuffled back to the door. Tensed and fearful, Magdelene approached the tiny window, standing on tiptoe so that she could peek out.

"You're alright!"

One of her leg caught on the other and she promptly tripped. The heavy chains didn't exactly help as she fell on her rear end.

"Ooof!" came the voice from the other side of the door, laced with symphathy. "Sorry, um, Magdelene? Didn't mean to scare you."

I sure hope not! She thought. This was very unlike what she had expected when the thought she was going to be sent to a torture chamber.

"Are you-are you here to take me for my real punishment?"

The said guard coughed, but it was a faint and dainty one. "Uh, well, nope. I just wanted to visit you and well, offer you comfort if you needed it. I managed to place you right beside your mother. I know you won't collude or plot anything," the voice answered, though she sounded uncertain about her own claim.

Somehow she managed to find her voice from her sprawled position on he stone floor. "You managed to place me here?"

"Yep!" The speaker seemed rather proud of her work. "Oh, I didn't tell you who I was, did I? I'm Princess Anna and my sister Elsa was the one who, ah, got caught in the misunderstanding."

Magdelene stayed silent, not because she was angry at said mentioned queen, but because it was rather unbelievable that the Princess herself would visit someone who was marked as a threat, much less place her as close to her mother as possible.

"I know you're angry at being mistaken, I know!" the princess went on when she didn't get a response. "But you have to understand, that your powers are unusual and my sister needs to protect her people. She… knows what it's like to have magic laid upon the citizens without a warning. What's more, this is fire! It could hurt others more easily!"

"Think I don't know that, huh," she mumbled softly, though the small room only allowed for low voices to echo louder.

The comment thus did not go unheard. "You're the one living with this curse - I mean – out of this world magic, so I get it; you have had it harder." The voice paused here, seemingly unsure what to say.

"Look, I know you mean no harm. If you wanted to I'm sure you could have burned through that ice block – and sorry about the thicker cuffs, Elsa needed more assurance – on your way to the castle and be on your jolly way! Plus, your mother was with you. What kind of villain would try to hurt others while dragging her mother along? A sightseeing tour of burnt houses?"

Another short silence ensued. Magdelene would have laughed if she hadn't been in this situation. Where had her sense of humour gone? Frozen along with her hands? The thought that the queen might have managed to suppress her emotions and thoughts with her magic only increased the levels of panic climbing their way to her mind.

"Um, maybe that wasn't right." She had noticed the lack of giggling at her slightly insensitive joke. "Anyway, I'll convince my sister to let you free, I promise. Or at least give you a place more comfortable to stay in."

At that statement Anna rose to come to eye level with the peep hole. Bright turquoise eyes shone down at her and for a moment she imagined that they were glowing brighter than the streaming moonlight. "Oh, don't lie on the floor! I know the bed's probably not comfortable but it's still better than the floor. I'll try to convince my sister as fast as possible. Just, um, hang in here."

With that, the pair of smiling eyes disappeared. There were muffled voices again, like the earlier argument had been paused and then played on when the princess had finished talking to her. A masculine voice was more prominent this time, confident and assertive. Soon the princess' voice dwindled to barely a whisper and was then gone.

The slot in the door remained open, footsteps shuffling; the guard had likely returned to his post and hadn't bothered to attend to the silent prisoner.

Breathing out, Magdelene struggled to her feet, returning to the wall linking the prisons.

"Who was that?"

"T-t-the princess. Princess Anna."

"Well that's good news! She could well be the only one who can help you right now."

"But I barely caused a public disturbance. Is that even a huge crime? What do I have to do to make up for it? What does the queen want with me?"

There was a short silence and Magdelene could almost here the thoughtful hum as her mother searched for the right words to say. "Honestly, having magic itself would probably be a crime. I don't think I've told you, but the queen herself was once branded as an evil witch. Banished herself, then she was accepted by her people afterwards, but that is another story for another day."

She did hear the story, though only vaguely, for the details were unknown to the girl who hadn't had that much interaction with strangers. "Perhaps she fears you. It is after all natural for ice to fear melting. But maybe, even with her powers, she wants to add you to her collection? You never know. What's important is to get out of here with our heads still on our necks."

That wasn't a very pleasant reminder of her possible fate. The girl gulped down the rising lump in her throat hurriedly. "I-I-I know. I get it."

A sigh could be heard. There was a slight stuttering, maybe her mother's uncertainty of how else to comfort her when things were so uncertain, or it could be her mother tapping against the wall, she wasn't sure. "Alright then, I'm sure you're as tired as I am. Get some rest. We have no idea if she'll have decided what to do with us by tomorrow."

At least she wasn't trying to drive suggestions for pleading into her. Her mother was already moving away, for the scraping could no longer be heard. Forgetting that no one could see her, she nodded. She had expected her mother to want to sleep by the wall, to comfort her or something of the sort, but she supposed getting rest in a more comfortable place would be in order. What could she say that wouldn't get her more tense than she already was?

In a daze, she shuffled to the opposite wall, the chains shaking tauntingly. It was difficult getting on the bunk without her hands to support her, but after some struggling she managed. Lying on the metal bunk, she settled on top of the thin blanket, using it as a frail mattress sheet. Cautiously, she wiggled her body. Soothing warmth grew over her arms, her chest, and her legs; everywhere. So her powers hadn't been restricted after all. Maybe the queen didn't know how to?

Allowing herself a small smile, she let her ice handcuffs lie beside her pillow. They hadn't melted from her powers, nor had they dripped a single drop of water onto the floor since before the princess visited her. No way would it wet her bed.

Her fire would burn inside of her. It had had, and for now, there was no reason it would escape like it did in front of the queen. And till tomorrow, or whenever the queen would come to take her, that was how it would be, discreetly warming her up and telling her she could pull through.

A/N: And I guess that's it! Studies are always hungering for flesh, but I'll try. Do review, criticism welcome. Till the next chapter.

~Seasonal~