The next day finds Elsa and I partaking in another training session in the large arena-like room we used before, only this time, there are no guards training with us. Kai and Gerda are still on the sidelines, next to that same large chest, but Elsa is standing in the middle with me. She's been helping to guide me with controlling my powers, discovering what emotion triggers what reaction, how to react if something starts getting out of hand, etc. So far it seems to be going ok, though like Pabbie said, there's still no way to verbalize what's happening... Ugh, things would be so much easier if there was... Oh well, at least Elsa's very patient and understanding, and in good spirits about this.

"Alright, now let's try some simple exercises." The blonde steps backwards away from me a few feet, giving me some space as I nod back to her. "Take a deep breath, calm your mind, and try to focus your magic into your palms." With a nod, I take a deep breath in, holding my hands up in front of me, and concentrate. I start feeling a tingling sensation spreading throughout my palms, all the way to my fingertips, which start glowing in a soft, red light. "That's it! Now try using anger as an emotional trigger, and let's see what that does to your powers."

"Ok." I focus my eyes on my hands, and scrunch my face in concentration. It isn't hard to find some form of anger, thinking how evil the Aesir are. I feel an intense burning sensation in my hands, and barely turn away in time, palms facing outwards away from me, as small, red blasts shoot from my hands and explode against the far wall. "Whoa...!" I'm in complete shock over what I just did, sharing the same wide-eyed, dumbfounded reaction as Kai and Gerda. "...Oops..."

Elsa manages an impressed, low whistle, before chuckling at my mumbled word. "Well! Remind me to never make you angry."

I chuckle as I blush back at her, rubbing the back of my head nervously. "S-sorry Elsa, I had no idea that was going to happen. And I had no way of controlling it either..."

She walks the few steps to close the gap between us, placing her hands on my shoulders with a proud smile. "That's ok! That's the whole point of this training, to see what you can do. Now, let's try doing some target practice with that angry magic." I nudge her away after she winks slyly at me, both of us giggling at her silly pun. She turns her head and nods to her two heads of staff, and for the first time I see them reaching into that box. Finally I'm going to see what's in there!

Kai and Gerda sift around for a bit, jostling miscellaneous items in there, before finally pulling out some...what on earth are those?

Elsa snickers at my confused face. "It'll make sense once they get them set up."

I can barely nod, and mutter "Ok..." I watch as the two take the odd items and place them along the wall at strange intervals. They keep going back to the chest, getting more out, and after a few trips, it finally clicks. "Oh! So those are my targets. Right?"

"That's correct," Elsa praises, nodding to her servants when they set the last few up. They bow and move safely out of the way, leaving the targets lined up for me to aim for. "Alright Kendra, just do what you can. Aim and fire, simple as that."

I grin, feeling excited about this. "No sweat." I crack my knuckles, tilting my head from one side, then the other, attempting to pop my neck. I roll my wrists to pop them, jerk my arms out to pop my elbows, and then punch my right fist in my left palm. Elsa chuckles quietly, causing me to stick my tongue out at her briefly. Unlike the first two times, she decides not to shoot ice at it, though I don't even think about it, already focusing on the first target.

I take a slow, deep breath in, and hold it for two seconds, before slowly releasing it through my nose. Getting angry out of the clear blue isn't quite as easy as it sounds, so I have to really go through things in my head to work at it. I think on how the Aesir wants to become gods, controlling and enslaving all worlds. I think of how they have Anna and the others captured, how they've sent Elsa into my world countless times. I feel the familiar, burning, tingling sensations in my hands, and try to control it better than the last time. I find it to be a very hard thing to do, but somehow I manage alright. I extend my left arm, palm facing the target, and allow the power to flow in a rapid explosion, the red aura shooting straight for the target. It hits its mark, and I jump for joy, fist pumping into the air with a whoop, but this only causes the magic built up in my right hand to blast straight up into the ceiling, knocking huge chunks loose and plummeting towards the floor. Elsa and I do get away in time, but I hide my blood red face in my hands, too embarrassed to face her.

"Are you alright?" she inquires of me, gently placing her hands on my shoulders. I don't respond to her, still too embarrassed, so she gently takes my hands and pulls them away from my face. She can't help but smile at how red my face is, the look of utter embarrassment and shame, and holds back her giggling, griping my hands lightly in hers. She rubs my palms with her thumbs, fingers wrapped lightly, yet securely, around my own, that look of love and understanding in her eyes. "It's alright, there's nothing to be ashamed of." She presses her forehead against mine, locking her blue eyes with mine, causing me to blush even more at the close proximity. "Right?"

I swallow hard, closing my eyes so I don't have to look into hers anymore. Looking people in the eye has always been...hard for me to do. I don't know why, but I've never been comfortable holding gazes for long, if any at all. But this close proximity, her forehead pressed against mine, her breath tickling my skin, it only adds fuel to my embarrassment and shame, leaving me lightheaded, and quite dizzy. Everything is spinning. I can feel my ears burning, my face very flushed, my breathing quickens, but is very shallow. My heart is racing, my hands trembling and sweaty, and I feel as if I could pass out any moment.

Elsa suddenly releases my hands and pulls her forehead off mine, immediately wrapping her arms around me and holding me close. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable... I was only trying to help you feel better. I hope you can forgive me."

Realizing that I was having an unintended reaction, Elsa reacted with her failsafe method. Thankfully, it helps stabilize me as I try to slow my rapid breathing, deepening each inhale to get more oxygen in me, closing my eyes and releasing the awkward tension. My blushing continues, but for a different reason as I manage a light chuckle. "I'm sorry Elsa... I just felt so bad for shooting the ceiling, and when you got so close, I guess I just panicked a little, because I'm not used to it. I know you were meaning well, and I'm sorry I made you feel bad for it... Um, thank you, for all of it..."

"...You're welcome, Kendra." The sound in her voice is unmistakable. She's smiling. I'm so glad... We share a hug, lightly squeezing before breaking it off. "So, shall we continue?"

I grin sheepishly, but nod eagerly. "Yes, let's."

Target practice continues, and every few targets I try using a different emotion to fuel the blasts. I'm still having a lot of trouble understanding my powers, how to utilize and control it, but at least my aim is better than I feared it would be. The power behind the blows is very inconsistent however, and after I destroy the second to last target, I huff in frustration, almost sounding like a small animal growling softly.

"Don't give up, Kendra. I know it's frustrating, but I know you'll be able to get this." Elsa has so much faith in me, and though she's right, I know we don't have a whole lot of time to play with.

"But the Aesir! How much time have we wasted already?! I have to get used to my powers, get good at using them, otherwise this will all be for naught!" I punch my right fists towards the last target, obliterating it in such a devastating explosion, bits and pieces fly all over the immediate vicinity around it, splinters of wood landing just feet from me and Elsa. Kai and Gerda jump in surprise from the small blast, eyeing me fearfully as I breathe heavily in place, anger and frustration plastered all over my face.

Elsa feels her heart sink sympathetically, walking cautiously up to me, placing a hand lightly on my shoulder. "Kendra, listen to me... We can't just rush in there recklessly without you having a better control over your powers. It's too dangerous."

I don't respond to her, lifting my gaze towards the targets on the far wall. My eyes scan them, landing on one that has the least amount of damage, from my less prominent blows, and I jerk my shoulder slightly, out of Elsa's grip. I keep the movement going as I hit the heels of my hands together and shoot my palms towards the target. I focus all of my anger, all my frustration, everything plaguing me right now, I force it out in that one, sudden, powerful blast. And what a powerful blast it is. A very large, dark red orb forms in my hands, swirling with a black mist around it, so large it extends my fingers around it like flower petals, shooting from me like a gunshot. The target stands no chance, exploding in a much larger blast, barely stopping the aura shot as it blows a huge hole in the wall, chunks of debris exploding everywhere, forcing Kai and Gerda to drop to the ground in surprise, hands over their heads protectively. The backlash from the power of the shot knocks me backwards several yards, crashing hard onto my back. I was completely unprepared for the unexpected power, exerting so much that I succeeded in ridding myself of all negativity.

Elsa takes a moment to calm her own breathing, arms protectively covering her own face. She wasn't expecting such a reaction out of me, and cautiously peeks through the space between her arms at the hole in the wall. She doesn't know whether to be impressed by my powerful magic shot, or worried about what's going on inside my head. She sighs lightly, lowering her arms, and makes the decision to simply be the loving sister figure, and help me through whatever is going on. She smiles as she turns to look at me beside her, but her smile disappears with confusion at the blank space. She turns her head, and her eyes widen in shocked fear as she sees me lying on my back quite a ways behind her. She feels her heart stop at the familiarity of this moment, yesterday morning's training session with the guards replaying in her head. She fights to keep her powers calm, rushing to my side. She's shocked at the blank look on my face, and honestly can't tell if I'm unconscious or in a trance, or if I'm even ok. She tries to gently wake me up, get a response, anything, not realizing that I'm reliving a flashback from last night until this morning.

After supper last night, Elsa and I explained to Kai and Gerda what happened with the trolls. They said some nice things about me, though I denied them. They of course reiterated their words, even Elsa stepping in and adding to the compliments. Though her own were enough to bring tears to my eyes. After we started hugging, I was grateful to have my head hidden from the two servants' view, but I wasn't expecting what happened next.

"Kai, Gerda, we've had a long day, and will be turning in soon. So you two are dismissed for the remainder of the evening. And thank you again for everything."

I hear their two chairs scraping the floor as they get up from the table, bowing to their queen I'm sure. "Of course Majesty, good evening." I swear I can hear a hint of concern in Gerda's voice. Probably over me...

"Good evening, majesties." Kai in turn responds right after Gerda, and the sounds of two sets of feet walking away is almost ominous to me for some reason. It isn't until I hear the door close behind them, that Elsa speaks again.

"Kendra...you truly aren't used to receiving such compliments...are you?"

She starts petting my head when I hesitate to reply. "I...no... Elsa, I'm really not anything special... Heck, I've told you how I am, back when we were still in my world and I was telling you about myself..."

"I know," she soothes, continuing to pet my head, rubbing my back as well. "You've had a lifetime of pain, rejection, and in turn you have a very low self-esteem, very low self-confidence, and a very low sense of self-worth..." She pauses when I sniffle, wrapping her arms tightly around me for more reassurance. "It'll take some time, I know. But we'll help heal you." She pauses. "I'll help heal you..."

I return her squeeze with a light squeeze of my own, smiling through my soft tears. "Thank you Elsa... You're really too good to me..."

She returns to petting my head, running her fingers through my hair as well. "It's what any good sister would do." She allows us the span of a few short minutes like this, just hugging in silence, her playing gently with my hair, before she gently breaks off our hug, looking me lovingly in my now dry eyes. "We'll resume training tomorrow, and we'll do it differently now that you have powers. We'll see if we can't learn how they work and how to use them, and how they'll help us against the Aesir. For now though, let's get some sleep. It's been a long, stressful day for us both, and I'm sure you're just as exhausted as I am." She chuckles lightly, and I can't help but join her.

"Yeah, some good rest will be good for us. You must be very exhausted...worrying about me so much today, taking so much care of me..." I look worriedly at her, concerned over just how much she's hiding. I know how she is; there's a lot more than she's letting on.

She just dismisses it with a wave of her hand. "Oh don't worry about me. You're the one who's had it rougher today. All those attacks you were having from your powers, and everything resulting from it. You need the rest more than I do."

I just roll my eyes and giggle. "How about we just both need rest?"

She chuckles back at me, smiling so serenely. "Deal."

We both head upstairs to her bedroom, her leading the way of course, but on the way I realize something. "Hey, Elsa? I know last night I slept with you in your room, but, do you want me to have my own room now? I mean, I don't want to be a bother or a pest or anything. You don't have to let me stay in your room if you don't want to."

Elsa stops my rambling by taking my hand in hers, gripping it ever so lightly, without even breaking her stride. "Kendra, my point last night still stands. I'd feel much safer having you there with me, where I can watch over you. Besides, you are far from being a bother or a pest." I snicker softly as she uses my words against me, stealing a glance at her to share smiles. "Unless you really would prefer your own bedroom, my door is always open, and my room is always welcome to you."

I lightly squeeze her hand, leaning into her for a few moments as we walk. "Then lead the way your Majesty~"

Getting ready for bed is uneventful after we arrive to her room. She locks her door again, and we waste no time in getting changed. After climbing into bed, we share some sweet words and light laughter, wish each other goodnight, and drift off to sleep.

Hours later, sometime late in the night, Elsa is rudely awakened by a punch to her side. It's not hard, just enough to jab some air from her as she's jolted awake. She immediately gets her answer to the source as her eyes adjust to the darkness, the mattress shaking by the same source. Elsa tries to gently awaken me, but it's apparent that I'm too deep into my nightmare, the clutches too strong. She grips my shoulders and tries shaking me this time. Normally I'm a very light sleeper, and just the slightest touch can wake me up. But this nightmare is powerful, and it's taking all Elsa can do to keep herself calm. She gets an idea, and holds her hand above my face, creating a very soft, gentle frost, that almost immediately wakes me up when it hits my face.

I sit up immediately, breathing hard and heavy, eyes wide and fingers clenching fistfuls of the blankets. In the soft moonlight, Elsa can make out a glistening in my eyes, which immediately trails down my cheeks. "Kendra? Are you alright?" I don't respond right away, so she gently reaches out to touch my face. She wipes away my tears with gentle fingers, and I shudder under the touch. My reaction was very unexpected, and concerning. "Kendra...?"

I finally turn my eyes to her, more and more fresh tears building in my eyes. "Elsa..." My voice shakes and trembles, like Anna's voice did when she saw Hans about to kill Elsa on the fjord. The sound breaks the young queen's heart, as she takes my face gently in both of her hands. I fight hard to keep from crying, but I can tell it's a losing battle. "I-I had...the worst nightmares...I think I've ever had...!" With those simple words, Elsa pulls me into a tight hug, holding me as I cling to her and start sobbing. My fists grip her nightshirt, my voice muffled into her shoulder, the fresh, hot tears trailing down my cheeks and wetting the fabric. "I-I dreamed...th-the Aesir...they got you! They hurt you, and Anna, and really, really hurt you both! They tortured you two in front of me, then they...!" My voice breaks as I sob harder, completely in shock over the hell I dreamed.

Elsa tries to open her mouth to speak, but I manage to continue before she can get a word out. "I...I dreamed that...th-they somehow turned me evil! And they made me hurt you two! Then...we were fighting each other...! Thank God though you woke me up then, 'cause I dunno if I could've handled dreaming the rest of that horrid, awful nightmare...!"

Elsa clings tightly to me, gently shushing me with her soft voice, rubbing my back and head. "Kendra...you would never hurt us...and we would never hurt you... And I would never let the Aesir turn you evil... This was all just a very bad dream, and nothing more... It's not real... I'm ok, see? And I'm sure Anna's still ok too, so there's nothing to worry about..."

Her voice is very soothing, though my leftover fear still has one last thing to try. "But...it seemed so real...! It really did seem like...like it was real...!"

"I know. Dreams sometimes seem very real to us. But it's not real. I promise."

I sniffle, feeling bad for getting her nightshirt wet, but glad for her love and support. "Thank you Elsa..."

"You're welcome, sweetie..." She gives me another squeeze, before we break off the hug, using her powers to clean my face for me. We lie back down, but she holds her arms open, giving me an inviting, loving smile.

I can't help but smile back rather sheepishly, very thankful for the offer. I don't hesitate to snuggle up to her, wrapping my arms around her as she does the same. "Thanks Elsa... I think this should help..."

"Good...'cause I intend on protecting you from anymore bad dreams."

I quietly chuckle, our foreheads pressing together for a few moments, before we return our heads to a comfortable position on the pillows.

"Goodnight Kendra. I love you."

I blush softly, though the night's darkness keeps it hidden. "I love you too, Elsa. Goodnight. And thanks again."

As I close my eyes and start to drift off, I could almost swear to hearing an echoing sound, almost as if far away. It slowly gets louder, and it's then that it sounds like something talking. The emotion in the voice is concerned, urgent, and a little scared. I listen more, and it starts sounding like my name. It keeps getting louder and louder, showing itself to be Elsa's voice, and it's only then that the flashback finally ends abruptly.

My eyes jerk open as I gasp suddenly, finding myself flat on my back on something cold and hard, staring up into a familiar pair of blue orbs. Those eyes...they belong to someone I know. But they look very worried...

"...Elsa?"

The blonde releases a breath she didn't realize she was suddenly holding, tears finally escaping from her eyes in relief. "Oh thank goodness, Kendra... You had me scared to death!" She lifts my upper body off the floor, helping me to sit up as she holds me to her, hugging me tightly. "I didn't think the backlash from your powers would have that effect on you... I couldn't tell if you were unconscious or what!"

I can't help but think how I relived the previous night's events, unsure how long I was out of it. My eyes scan the room as everything comes back to me. The destroyed targets...the petrified forms of Kai and Gerda...my powers...

My powers!

I suddenly feel something, and unlike yesterday, I'm able to focus on it. I can't explain what it is, but it renews my spirit, my inner fire, and I make a decision. "Elsa? Training can wait. We have to go and save Anna. Now."