"You what?!" Elsa exclaimed, her eyes bulging from their sockets as she stared at Kristoff in shock. Immediately lowering her voice into a hushed whisper least she caught the curious attention of the guards on patrol, she continued. "I can't believe you had her dine in the communal hall! She's a princess for goodness sake!" Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Kristoff flopped down into a chair across from the blonde, propping his elbows on the desk between them. They were in Elsa's officer quarters again, having retreated to the privacy of the room after an awkward apology on the socially inept blonde's part before she proceeded to grill Kristoff about Anna's first day in the barracks.

After Elsa's unplanned sparring match with the princess, the redhead seemed to be all the blonde wants to discuss, Kristoff noted with amusement.

"She insisted on not getting any special treatment. I told her she could have anything she wanted sent down from the castle but she used her authority to force me into taking her to dine with the others." Kristoff shuffled through some of the scattered parchment on Elsa desk, idly picking up a random scroll and skimming the words. Tossing it aside, he picked up another one much to the grand marshal's chagrin.

"Fine. I'll let that slide." Elsa gingerly massaged her temples. She was most certainly going to get her head chewed off by the King for this blatant overlook of the princess's safety.

"We had lunch with the boys too." Kristoff added on, his eyes glinting in mirth when Elsa's face shifted into one of horror.

"With Olaf as well?!" She squeaked, palms pressed against her cheeks, as she dragged them down in mortification. Marshmallow, she wasn't worried about. But her squire? The only person within the entire battalion who knew her better than anyone and she has come to think off more as her younger brother? No.

"My reputation is ruined." Elsa moaned, slumping over her desk with her arms over her head.

Kristoff chuckled lightly. "Technically, you were doing a great job yourself after the match earlier. Good thing no one else was around to see what a bumming, blushing fool our fearless Grand Marshal really is." He snorted deliriously at the thought.

A wave of annoyance crossed over Elsa's features and she discreetly twirled her fingers beneath the desk. Conjuring up a huge ball of snow, she unceremoniously dumped it onto the man's head, causing him to yelp in surprise.

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" Kristoff hurriedly brushed the frost off his head as more rained down on him.

Satisfied that the blond was truly apologetic, Elsa caused the impromptu snow storm to dissipate, leaving no trace of it ever occurring.

The second he was dry again, Kristoff burst into laughter at the irritated grand marshal's expense once more. "You just added childish to the list!" He sputtered, face red from doubling over in laughter.

Sobering up eventually, Kristoff leaned forward in his seat, a serious expression on his rugged features. "But really, what's going on Els? I've never seen you so preoccupied before. Did something happen with the Princess? I barely know her so I can't really tell what her normal behaviour is like."

He paused. "But I know you, Elsa. And this you?" He gestured up and down at the blonde. "This isn't the normal Elsa."

Elsa's lips pursed, her features arranged in the poise and collected mask that the world knew. Yet her thoughts were in complete turmoil. A surge of emotions; guilt, sadness, failure threatened to erupt from within her, most probably channelling a nervous breakdown. But she kept a tight rein over them, forcing them down into the deepest recess of her mind.

Taking in a calming breath, she carefully chose her words, about to reassure the worried blond across her desk that she was fine, that everything was alright.

"Don't give me the 'everything is fine' speech." Kristoff snapped, none too kindly. He had never been one to practise tact and he was done tiptoeing around the humongous elephant in the room.

Like an admonished child, Elsa shrunk down in her seat, eyes downcast.

"Look, I just want to help. You don't have to carry the burdens by yourself. That's what friends are for."

Elsa glanced up, meeting Kristoff's earnest gaze and she chewed on her bottom lip as she struggled for the words to say.

Deciding that there was no way she could wiggle out of this one, Elsa released a heavy sigh.

"The Princess and I knew each other a long time ago…"

Elsa quickly summarised her childhood within the castle, omitting the details of the precious memories that she shared with the redhead princess and ending off with how she had almost fatally hurt the younger women with her powers. As she recounted that particular event, a light frost had begun creeping up the stone walls of the room, a testament to the fear that still gripped her from within her memories. When she finished, they sat in silence; Kristoff quietly mulling over the information while Elsa fidgeted with her hands beneath the desk, afraid of what the man might think of her.

"She remembers you." He stated softly.

"What?" Elsa stared at the blond incredulously, the frost on the walls cracking into a sprinkle of ice particles as she was distracted.

"She mentioned she had a childhood friend named Elsa. I don't think she's figured out that it's you yet." Kristoff hurriedly added.

"Does she…does she remember? What I did?" Elsa's voice cracked and she physically cringed as if afraid of hearing Kristoff's response.

"I don't think so." Kristoff revealed thoughtfully. "She didn't let on much, but from what I could gather, she really misses you."

Elsa blanched, what colour in her pale skin draining away as Kristoff's words repeated in her mind. How could Anna still miss her after what she had done? Even if Anna had no recollection of the accident, how could she not hate her for leaving without a word?

As if he could read her thoughts, Kristoff offered an encouraging smile. "Maybe you should worry less about the how's and why's and focus a little more on the now. You've a chance to fix the distance. Don't let it slip by."

xxx

"Uh – hi." Elsa greeted, her voice going up an octave at her nervousness as Anna pulled the door opened.

Anna's mouth gaped opened as she struggled to speak, the words evading her as she took in the woman before her. The blonde had on a crisp, high-collared, black jacket that accentuated her feminine figure, her shoulders adorned with yellow epaulettes and a single braid of silver hung from her right shoulder. Pressed grey pants with a single strip of blue running down the sides, clung on to the blonde's slender legs.

The uniform was similar to her Father's, differing only by the different coloured aiguillette indicative of the blonde's lower rank. "It should be illegal for Elsa to be in uniform." Instead of affirming her authority, the form-fitting outfit only made the blonde look deliciously stunning. And Anna found herself incredibly jealous of the uniform and how it clung to the blonde in all the right places, the thought causing heat to rise to her cheeks.

Noticing the blonde's awkward smile faltering, Anna realised she had taken far too long to respond.

"H – Hi!" Anna sputtered; she could feel the tips of her ears burning in embarrassment.

On the other side of the threshold, Elsa was only having slightly better luck with concealing her emotions. Her eyes had roved up and down the younger woman, taking in her appearance; an olive green blouse beneath a black bodice, matched with a deep orange skirt and a pair of black-heeled boots. The casual outfit brought out the sparkle of her aquamarine eyes and remind Elsa of summer. In fact, everything about the strawberry blonde reminded her of summer; from her vibrant personality to her burnish copper locks that fell in two braids over her shoulders.

The two women stared at each other awkwardly; Anna keeping her eyes fixated on a point a little to the left of the blonde and Elsa struggling to form words into coherent sentences.

"This whole friendly reunion is harder than I thought and extremely one-sided."

Elsa forced her features to rearrange into a smile and she offered her arm to the Princess, supressing the urge to flinch when the younger woman shyly slipped a hand into the crook of her elbow.

They walked down the hall in silence, separating from each other only to climb the spiral staircase. Elsa, playing the role of a gentleman far better than any Prince or Lord that Anna had met had stepped back to allow her to lead. They emerge on the roof two flights later, the blonde immediately offering her arm again when they arrived on the landing.

Trailing behind Elsa, Anna's eyes widened in amazement as she took in the scene. The centre of the roof was occupied by a single wooden table accompanied by two high-backed chairs on each end. The polished dining table was laden with an array of silver platters covered by matching silver domes to keep its contents warm.

The orange glow of the setting sun peeked over the parapets, casting a warm hue over the dining table and creating a cosy ambience.

"I thought you might like dining out in the open. Must get a little suffocating being stuck within the confines of the battlements and all… Is it too much?" Elsa asked weakly as she pulled out a chair for the redhead.

Anna was at a loss for words, touched that the blonde would go to such extents for her. She was expecting them to dine in one of the chambers within the Keep but this; this was beyond anything she had imagined. It was romantic even.

"I – I'm sorry. I can arrange for us to dine somewhere else. Just give me a minute – I…" Elsa sputtered, having taken Anna's lack of response to be disdain.

"No!" The princess said, a little too loudly and causing the blonde to hesitate, already halfway across the roof. "I mean, you don't have to. It's fine. It's beautiful actually. A – And I appreciate your efforts. I really do."

Elsa took her place wordlessly and both women began picking at their meal in silence, furtively stealing glances at one another across the table. She wanted to say something, anything; after all that's what normal people do at dinners, engage in conversation. Yet she found herself tongue tied, anxiety wrapping its icy tendrils around her heart as she began to question everything she had done thus far.

Was it too much? It was too much, wasn't it? She shouldn't have picked out this location or had the castle's kitchen send down the princess's favourite food. Surely Anna would think it extremely creepy that the grand marshal knew exactly what she enjoys.

Across the table, Anna was absentmindedly prodding at a bite of meat, pushing it around on her plate as she pondered upon a similar train of thought. In a sense, she wasn't surprise, flattered even that the blonde had clearly done quite a bit of research in planning this dinner. She was the Grand Marshal tasked with the defense of a kingdom after all and probably knew more about anyone than they do themselves.

Anna doubted that the blonde had intentionally arranged for this night to come across as a romantic dinner. The standing oil lamps, scented no less, casting their warm light over the table? That's just to provide light, obviously. The table filled of her favourite food from the castle? Elsa was just being thoughtful and probably wanted to help her feel a little less homesick.

"Come on, Anna. Stop reading so much into this. It's just a dinner. You've endured worse with throngs of suitors vying for your hand."

"Yeah. Those were all men. This one's a goddess." A small voice piped up from the back of her mind.

"Ugh. Stop it Anna. Act normal." She muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Anna glanced up, abandoning her quest to cut up a piece of roasted pumpkin into minute cubes and met Elsa's attentive gaze.

"How did she even hear me from across a 5 foot long table?"

Grateful that the blonde couldn't hear her internal monologue, Anna hastily grabbed the handle of a food cover nearest to her, revealing the contents on the platter with a flourish. Freed from its confines, the rich aroma of decadent milk and roasted cocoa wafted through the air, prompting both women to inhale deeply.

"Mmmm…Chocolate." They said in unison, startling themselves before quickly averting their gazes.

The moment, for Anna felt like déjà vu. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. It felt familiar, yet vague. As if she was peering through an opaque glass to look at something that she just knew was there. Deciding that the longer she focused on the thought, the more it would elude her, Anna picked up a random truffle, popping it into her mouth and humming in satisfaction.

Even in the castle, quality chocolate was a luxury and these were the best she had had in a while. It melted in her mouth in a mixture of tempered silky smooth milk chocolate and a raspberry filling with a hint of something else she couldn't quite figure out just yet.

Half a plate of truffles, each one with a different filling later, Anna realised they were rum infused. Alcohol was by no means unfamiliar to her, having had the occasional wine when the occasion calls for it. But coupled with the endorphins within the copious amounts of chocolate that she had literally binged on? The result was a brazen redhead, more so than usual with the faux courage that mild intoxication brings.

"So, I heard you can do magic." Anna blurted out suddenly, causing Elsa to nearly choke on her glass of wine.

Elsa grimaced as she accidently inhaled some of the liquid and it burn in her throat. Before she could respond, Anna was speaking again.

"Could you show me? Is it like a waggly thing?" Anna wiggled her fingers in the air. "I wish I had powers too… maybe like, I don't know, fire? That would be nice. I could roast marshmallows in my room and no one will ever know." She sighed wistfully, toying with the idea.

Anna sat straighter with a start, another thought clearly coming to mind. "Wait, I don't mean marshmallow as in Marshmallow. Obviously not the guy. That would be weird, and psychotic, which I'm not, at least I hope so?" She stared at the flabbergasted Elsa, fidgeting with the ends of both braids as she waited for a response.

"Oh no… you totally think I'm weird, don't you?" Anna wailed, dropping her face into her hands while Elsa blinked dumbly at her.

"Uh." Elsa glanced around uncertainly, at a loss as to what she should do. Breaking up fists fights in the dining hall she can deal with, but she wasn't equipped with the skills to console an upset princess. Especially when said princess's emotions were amplified ten-fold by alcohol.

Deciding she may as well do as told, Elsa pulled off her gloves.

"Your Highness." There was no response. "Anna…?" Elsa tentatively tried, smiling nervously when the princess's head shot up.

She held up both hands, palms placed slightly apart before glancing back at the redhead. "Ready?" She called out hesitantly, waiting with bated breath.

An immense grin spread across the princess's face and she nodded vigorously, eyes widening in anticipation. Her excitement was infectious, and Elsa found herself grinning a half smirk, her confidence soaring.

The last time she had used magic around Anna had been disastrous. The fear that she might still hurt the princess was still present, but even as a child, she had never been able to resist indulging the younger woman.

Holding her breath, Elsa cupped her palms together; brows furrowing in concentration as she visualised, sculpting her magic with her imagination as its architect.

The bright blue glow that seeped from between her fingers dissipated and Elsa pulled her hands apart.

Across from the table, Anna had half-risen from her seat, hands braced against the wood as she leaned forward to see better. As always, Elsa never failed to deliver.

A single snowflake, the size of her palm floated between Elsa's outstretched hands. The ice crystal was perfectly symmetrical, each dendrite having grown exactly as how the blonde had intended them to. Unlike regular snowflakes, this one was perfectly clear; each individual crystal facets arranged in a manner than allowed light to diffuse evenly through the structure.

"Here. For you." With a wave of her hand, Elsa sent the snowflake floating down the length of the table where it halted just before the redhead.

"I'm afraid if I touch it, it'd melt…" Anna spoke in a hush whisper, afraid that if she raised her voice any higher, the ice crystal would shatter.

Elsa shook her head in amusement. "No, it won't. My ice will never melt. Not unless I intend it to."

"What am I even doing? What is wrong with me? If I hurt her again…no. I can't hurt her again."

"Wait. Maybe you shouldn't…" It was too late, Anna's fingertips grazed against one arm of the crystal sending it spinning on its axis.

Elsa's lips parted in surprised as Anna recoiled, hastily withdrawing her fingers.

The snowflake spun faster and faster, then exploded in a shower of frost.

"What…?" Elsa gasped out. That, has certainly never happened before. It almost seemed as if she had no control whatsoever over her creation. Her gaze snapped to the princess, worry flitting over her face as she studied the redhead for any signs of injury.

What she saw however, struck a greater fear within her heart.

Anna was giving her a curious look, head inclined as she watched the blonde through inquiring eyes. She unconsciously raised a hand, fingers automatically seeking out the streak of platinum from root to tip in stark contrast to her copper locks.

Elsa blinked, unable to fully comprehend what was going on. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Anna gaze was still fixated upon her, with what she was beginning to realise was understanding in those clear, blue orbs.

"This…was from you..." Anna raised her right braid with the streak of blonde woven in, her voice was soft, hardly accusatory; but to Elsa, she may as well have screamed hatefully in her face.

Not knowing how else to react, Elsa sprang up from her seat; the chair scraping noisily across the stone tiles. Ignoring the desperate calls from Anna to return, she bolted from the roof.

Running away seemed to be the only thing she was good at nowadays.

A/N:

I lied. Hur hur hur. =X

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review/favourite/follow. Each time I get a notification email, my heart does a little leap in joy. =)

As to the lack of fluff, I do apologise. It will come. Eventually...