Don't own Frozen, sadly.

~;~

Getting over the shock of having the princess for company through the night, I rush back inside and scan the room for Gerda. I spot her talking with a few delegates. It always amazes me how smart and collected she is. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she were a noble and not a mere caretaker. Her companions don't even look to be suspicious of anything.

They are so engrossed in their topic that I had to loudly clear my throat to get their attention.

"Good evening." I bow. "May I please have a word with the lady alone?"

They exchange looks, shrug then nod their consent before scattering about towards other groups in the party. How predictable. As soon as I was sure they are all out of earshot, I turn my attention back to my caretaker and see that she's regarding me with an intense gaze.

It takes all of my control not to fidget under her gaze but I can't hide the stutter in my voice as I ask, "What?" Curses.

She grins. Double curses. "I haven't seen you in a long while, Elsa. Were you perhaps having a good time with a, oh I don't know… a certain redhead perhaps?"

Oh, for the love of... I can just feel the blood rushing out of my face. I look away from her knowing gaze. Okay, there's no need to worry. I just have to play it smooth to get out of this. Don't stutter, don't stutter, don't you dare stutter… "I-I don't know what you're t-talking about…" Smooth, my ass. At this point, any toddler wouldn't have been safe inside my head.

Her annoying grin widens. "Of course you don't, Miss."

"Hush!" I hiss at her; she raises a questioning brow at me. Before she even gets to inquire, I answer playfully as I gesture downwards, "I am quite offended that you think of me as a lady, Ma'am. Obviously, I'm a boy." For tonight, I add mentally.

She seems to understand what I'm getting at; the slight widening of her eyes and a barely there opening of her lips are a sheer indication of such. She winks—actually winks!—and curtsies. "My apologies, kind Sir. What with the mask and long hair, I overlooked and assumed things."

Mortified, I awkwardly smile as her amusement just seems to escalate. Annoyingly smart wo—

"Els—?" My glare stops her from saying my real name. She falters in surprise but regains her composure nonetheless. "I mean," she coughs, "To what do I owe the pleasure…?"

I smile, satisfied. "El of House Des Vaux, Ma'am." She mouths an amused "El?" and I simply chose to ignore her for the time being. "And I am here because I wish…" I make the mistake of looking over her shoulder and spot Anna whipping her head side to side. She looks to be searching for someone. "Uh… well, you see, I uh—" Gerda's brows scrunch up in obvious confusion then tries to look over her shoulder but I stop her just in time.

With my hand on Gerda's shoulder, I glance briefly at Anna and notice that a frown mars her beautiful face. Gerda looks extremely curious once I turn my attention back to her. "Gerda, listen to me, we need to go home. Now."

She raises her brow at me. "Why? I thought you were enjoying the party?" she reasons but it comes out more as a question.

"That was then and this is now. Please?" A slight pout forms on my lips as I see her skeptical look. I then note that Anna has spotted me in the crows and is now making her way towards us, the frown on her face dipping deeper. Well, that's weird.

Gerda leans in; the Princess looks like she wants to badly choke something. My trustee caretaker whispers, "Milady, what is going on?"

"I'll explain later, but please, we must go. Now." I childishly start tugging her. She looks bemused and slightly amused but I'll worry about my actions later. Right now, we have to get out of here before Anna finds me and Gerda starts asking questions with her eyes.

Relived that Gerda's complying, I weave our way around nobles and some of their flirtatious looks, keeping a neutral face along the way. Only a few meters left and we would out of here. "We're almost there, Gerda. Please, hurry it up a bit."

"I still don't get why you're in such a hurry. I thought you were having fun and I would have loved to still be…" she complains and rattles on. I tune her out.

"You'll get over it." I say teasingly then I offer a shrug. "I could just bring you with me the next time there's a party. You know that, right?"

"Still," she replies stubbornly and continues to grumble some more.

I snicker quietly, shaking my head slightly. Looking over my shoulder, I ask, "What is with you and discussions?"

She glares somewhat and uncharacteristically huffs. I almost laugh out loud, but that will just get us more attention. So instead, I chuckle heartily which turns into a choke when a rather annoyed—yet still pleasant to the ears—voice calls out.

"Sir El?"

Oh no. This will not end well for me. Having no choice but to stop, I sigh in resignation and halt in my steps, Gerda faltering behind me. I nervously turn around while she grunts indignantly and glares at me. I smile to placate her annoyance a bit. She huffs but focuses her gaze on the person who gave us chaise. Her eyes widen in shock as she stares at the princess dumbly. That's a first.

I bow. "Your Highness, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

"Please, rise." I do as told and see that Anna's brow rises in a silent question. As discreetly as possible, I shrug in answer. "And, uh," She looks around, assesses the surroundings and faces me once more. "How about let's go outside? For some privacy?"

I accept her offer and lead the way. Opening the door, I step aside and bow as the princess passes. Gerda follows suit but not before staring at me questioningly. Yep, this will not end well for me.

Silence engulfs us. I break it before it turns awkward. "Your Highness?" Said person's eyes narrow. A smirk pulls at my lips, my brows rise in a challenge.

She shakes her head in mock disapproval then nods in acknowledgement. "Yes. Fancy meeting you again," my lips twitch in amusement. She blushes cutely. "I mean, I know it's a bit late to say that and it's a little awkward… okay, maybe, a bit more awkward and uh—anyways, I was wondering where you're going to in such a rush?" Her posture straightens as her attention shifts to a still flabbergasted Gerda. "I don't believe we've met," she curtsies gracefully, "I am Anna."

Gerda's confused expression amplifies. I would have laughed if the situation isn't so stifling. She glances at me for guidance but I have none to offer. If I remember correctly, that was how Anna introduced herself to me as well. "Uhm, a pleasure, Your Highness."

I hum thoughtfully and have to begrudgingly admit that Gerda had offered a smooth greeting.

Anna smiles yet her eyes are void of crinkles. It was a smile that lacks her usual warmth. "Same here," she trails off; Gerda understands since she hastily introduces herself. "Ma'am Gerda."

"Please, Your Highness, I am of no importance. Gerda is fine."

Anna looks genuinely puzzled; I let out a chuckle. I glance at Gerda and see her nod faintly. I return my attention to Anna, only to see her looking at me with a meaningful expression. I grin at her; from my peripherals, I notice Gerda giving me a calculating look. I wonder why. "She is my caretaker. Has been for as long as I can remember."

Anna's eyes light up. "Oh, I see!" She states, voice surprisingly pleasant and chirpy now. "A pleasure, indeed!"

Gerda and I share a look; nonetheless, she smiles and curtsies. "Believe me, Milady, the pleasure's all mine." The strange glint in her eyes as she replies has me worried. "But, I regret we must cut our meeting short."

"What? Why?"

Right now, I'm positive Anna's the epitome of adorableness. Unable to hold back a grin, I answer her, "Home." She turns her attention to me; for some reason, I feel incredibly happy. "The answer to your earlier question. You asked us where we were off to in such a hurry, remember?"

She nods slowly, brows furrowed and a slight frown on her lips. After contemplating for a minute—and no, I was not counting. I was busy staring at her adorable face. Yeah, forget I said that—she bobs her head, frown more prominent than before. "Yes, I do."

I nod in return and bow. Stepping back, I say, "Well, then, have a good evening, Princess Anna." I smile charmingly at her before walking towards the gates, Gerda dutifully following behind me.

"Wait!"

My steps immediately halt before I twist in place to face her, quirking a brow in question. Her cheeks tinge pink but she power walks towards me, grabs my face and brings it closer, much closer, to hers. In the dead silence of the night and with lips a hair's breadth away from mine, she whispers, "When will I see you again?"

My blood rushes north, making me a bit faint. My jaw drops marginally as I hold her hopeful stare. The atmosphere then turns sultry as I feel the spark of a connection. My body heat skyrockets with our proximity as her earlier gaze full of hope becomes sizzling. Their beauty, accompanied by the swirl of powerful and unknown emotions, is making me lose my breath all over again.

A cough echoes in the night, effectively cutting the trance I found myself in with the princess. I look back to find the source of the noise, only to find Gerda standing by the open door of our carriage. Wait, when did she get there?

"Pardon me but I think it's time to say your goodbyes," she states, her gaze flitting from my form to Anna's then back.

Immediately, I step away from Anna's hold and tempting body heat, in hopes I can gather my wits of my sudden discovery. Again, I bow and state, "That is for me to know and for you to find out, Your Highness." I silently cheer and mentally pat myself in the back for speaking clearly.

I then walk towards our carriage, glance at a smirking Gerda and offer one last nod of the head towards the gazing princess before hopping into the vehicle. After Gerda gets comfortable, the coach starts moving with my house as the destination. I promptly ignore Gerda since I was lost in my thoughts.

… Anna… Anna… Anna…

I sigh inaudibly.

Dear god, what am I going to do now?

~;~

A/N: Terribly sorry for posting so late… can't simply try to ignore life even if I wanted to. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up soon and that I won't have difficulty writing it. Thank you for the reviews and alerts! Means a bunch!

To the guest, yes, I hope Elsa reveals herself to Anna soon as well. Hahah :D

: Well, seems I can't give you a private message... But, that's a pretty nice scene you've thought. Mhmm :D

Oh, and I'm sorry for the mistakes.