Elsa wasn't used to talking to people, expressing herself - even with Anna and her starting to reconnect, such sharing was not commonplace for the young Queen yet. Several months of freedom didn't erase years of isolation, no matter what her younger sister tried.
Anna meant well, but she was a little too much to take sometimes. Elsa loved talking with her, spending time with her, but pouring out deep, dark secrets? Elsa simply wasn't there yet.
Kristoff was still...Well, suffice it to say they were still figuring one another out. Olaf was, quite frankly, not to be trusted with any secrets; he never truly meant to, but he'd give things away within an hour of being told.
So, Elsa consigned herself to keeping certain things to herself, until she found herself in the stables. She had meant to speak to the stable master about hiring some ore help - the man was getting quite on in years, and while Kristoff helped when he could, they really needed more stable hands - but couldn't find the man. She was about to leave when a furry head poked out from one of the stalls; not a horse, but a reindeer.
"Ah...You're Kristoff's reindeer, aren't you?" Elsa wondered aloud, blinking at the large animal.
The reindeer gave a vague nod, nostrils widening as he sniffed at her, his neck stretched out as far as he could manage.
"...Sven, correct?"
A snort of confirmation, big, brown eyes watching her curiously.
Really, she knew it shoudn't have seemed that strange to her after everything, but she was still talking to a reindeer.
"...Anna tells me that Kristoff...speaks to you quite often. That must be...nice."
Sven cocked his head to the side, ears pointed in her direction.
"No, no, I wouldn't want to impose on you...Well, I suppose...if you're here, you might, perhaps, not be too busy...?"
A short shake of his head, and another snort.
"Ah, good. I...find myself lacking in a decent confidant, and I could...could use someone to talk to," Elsa admitted, stepping closer to that animal's stall.
The reindeer inclined his head at that, more than happy to lend an ear.
Every week after that, Elsa wandered down to the stables when she knew Sven was there and Kristoff was off elsewhere with Anna. She talked of serious, political issues or things that bothered her - sometimes she brought up memories of her childhood, silly things, things that would otherwise be embarrassing. Sven sat there and listened, munching on carrots, hay, and any treats that Elsa had brought him.
Sven never spoke back, but that was perfectly alright. He listened, he didn't judge, and despite his...odor sometimes, the reindeer was comfortable to be around.
Elsa had found someone she could talk to uninhibited, and in the months that followed, her talks with Sven helped her share more with the others around her.