A/N: Updates between chapters will be slightly longer now, as the next 4 chapters have never been revised. Stay tuned to this bug-channel for updates!

Chapter 8

Out on the Ice

Even when Elsa did not wake at the usual hour (which wasn't often), normally Kai, or possibly Gerda, would come to wake her. But what woke her up today was something she hadn't heard in nearly thirteen years.

"Elsa! Psst, Elsa!" came a whisper next to her bed. Elsa started awake, and very nearly dropped a snow drift on the intruder.

Elsa's brain finally recognized the owner of the voice, and she rolled her eyes, noting the sunlight coming in the window. At least it isn't the middle of the night this time, she thought.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" the voice of her sister insisted, nudging her forcefully.

The blonde groaned softly, and felt very much like dropping that snow drift anyway, but decided that she would play along this time. "Anna, go back to sleep," she mumbled.

"I just can't!" Anna said, flailing on top of Elsa dramatically, causing her to grunt from the extra weight. "The sun's up, and there's stuff to do, and I want to get it done before your gathering this afternoon."

Elsa blinked, looking up at her sister in utter astonishment. "Pinch me, I must be dreaming."

"What?" the strawberry-blonde said, confused. She turned on her side, so that she could face Elsa (more or less), though Elsa wished she hadn't. Her sister was heavier than she realized!

"For a moment," Elsa observed, "I could swear you sounded responsible, Anna. And you didn't even ask if I wanted to build—"

"Not yet," Anna said, grinning. "But there'll always be time for that later, when you're not busy." Putting on a serious face again—albeit one with a hint of mischief—she said, "For now, though, I need three things."

Elsa tried to sit up, but was finding it rather difficult. "And what might those be?" she grunted, struggling to dislodge her sister.

"First," Anna said, ticking off one finger at a time, "I need breakfast. Second, I need shopping money. And third..." She ticked off a third finger, and that mischievous grin overtook her serious face, "I need a diversion."

Elsa sighed. "What time is it?"

"Half past seven," her sister replied. Elsa gaped at her, and reached up to pinch herself. Anna laughed. "Like I said, there's stuff to do. Kai about had a heart attack when he saw me up before ten..."

"Speaking of Kai," Elsa said, "where is he? Don't tell me you actually landed him in the infirmary..." She again tried to move Anna, but couldn't get her to budge.

"No, no!" Anna said, giggling. "He said he was coming to wake you for the day, so I, uh, volunteered to do it."

"Oh, you big goof!" Elsa said, and with a great heave, finally managed to shove her sister off the bed. "Oof!" came her sister's voice from the floor.

"You're not as little as when you were five, Anna," Elsa teased. "I have no idea how you eat all that chocolate and manage to stay looking that good..."

"Just lucky, I guess," Anna said, picking herself up off the floor. "Come on, get up! That breakfast isn't going to eat itself."

Elsa sat up, and finally got a good look at her sister. Stifling a laugh with her hand, she said, "Tell me, Anna: are you sure it was your early rising that startled Kai, or was it your frightful bedhead?"

"Oh... oops! Guess I forgot that part..." Anna said sheepishly. She hadn't even changed out of her nightgown! "I'll go get ready, then. Bye!" And with that, she shot out the door, leaving Elsa to just chuckle at her sister's antics.

At breakfast, Anna explained her plan.

"So, I need to get Kristoff a new sled, and ice cutting equipment, and a new lute, right?" she said, smoothing her green skirts absently. "And I want to set them out and stick a bow on them or something, and leave Sven to watch everything while I fetch Kristoff. But I need him distracted."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Elsa wondered, as Eugene and Rapunzel entered the dining room.

"What seems to be the problem, ladies?" Eugene asked. Anna rolled her eyes, and repeated her plan. "We might be able to help with that," he said, taking a seat at the table. "Blondie is taking me into town again, remember. We could drag Kristoff along, and do our best to keep him away from the sled shop."

"That sounds great!" Anna exclaimed. She quickly explained when she planned to visit the shops, and when she wanted to fetch Kristoff. Eugene nodded, and told her where the shops she didn't know the location of were; she hadn't had much time to familiarize herself with the town, after all, since leaving the castle. "Just make sure that he leaves Sven here," she finished. "Now we just need Kristoff..."

It wasn't long before the mountain man came down for breakfast, having been roused by Kai, at Anna's request.

"Good morning, Kristoff!" Anna said cheerfully. "Rapunzel and Eugene just offered to take you into town with them today."

"Oh," Kristoff said. "That sounds fun... I guess."

"Cheer up, Kristoff," Elsa said. "Maybe Eugene can help you find some new clothes."

Kristoff groaned at the prospect of clothes shopping, making Anna giggle, but said, "Okay."

Studying Elsa for a moment, Rapunzel said, "Elsa, is that dress made of ice?"

Elsa grinned. She had elected to make an ice dress today, to wear at the gathering that afternoon, despite Anna's concerns about it being distracting. "It is, indeed."

"How exactly does that work?" Kristoff wanted to know, and Eugene said, "Yeah, how?"

"I'm not really sure," Elsa admitted. "The first time I did it, I was wearing my coronation dress, and I just... willed the ice to replace the threads of fabric, or something. It also changed the cut of the dress. This one," she said, gesturing to the dress she was wearing now, "is just like the first, except I made it from scratch. I can probably change it to whatever style I want, with just a thought and a little magic."

"It's gorgeous, Elsa," Rapunzel said, "but isn't it, you know, cold?"

"That's never really bothered me," Elsa replied. "I suppose it would be rather cold, to someone else."

"Fascinating," Kristoff said, awed.

"Elsa," Anna said, a hint of warning in her tone, "what did we discuss before dinner the other night?" She shot a quick look at Kristoff, hoping her sister got the point.

The blonde blushed a little, and said, "Oh, right." She straightened in her chair. "Sorry, Anna."

"Am I missing something?" Eugene wondered.

"No, it's nothing," Anna said quickly. "Just girl talk." Elsa and Rapunzel nodded in agreement, the latter obviously having caught on.

Breakfast was eaten in mostly silence, with some quiet conversation between Rapunzel, Eugene, and Kristoff, Rapunzel explaining to Kristoff where she wanted to take him and Eugene.

When everyone was finished eating, Elsa stood, and motioned for Anna to follow her, saying, "If you'll excuse us, I need to discuss some things with Anna before this afternoon's gathering."

"Okay!" Rapunzel said. "See you later!"

Elsa led Anna to her study, which of course used to be their father's study. Inside was a large desk, liberally covered with paperwork, and a tall-backed chair in front of it. Nearby, a large portrait of Agdar's coronation hung on the wall over a small table, where Elsa had set some things for Anna's outing. The fireplace had been lit, at her request; Elsa seldom needed to use it, but she made an exception for Anna—especially at this time of day, when there was still a chill in the castle.

"That's a lot of paperwork," Anna commented, glancing at the desk.

"It's what I have to look forward to every day," Elsa said, grimacing. "Before my coronation, the Council took care of much of this, but it's my responsibility now."

Picking up the obvious letter on the desk, Anna said, "I hope you scolded the guy."

"Anna," the Queen said, "it isn't the King's fault that he has a scoundrel for a thirteenth son. I explained to him what happened, and why I am sending the Prince back to him. I don't want to damage relations with the Southern Isles any further than they already have been.

"Anyway, we're getting off-track." She took the letter from Anna and set it aside, then picked up the coin pouch sitting on the table. "Here," she said, handing the modest-sized pouch to her sister.

Anna looked inside the pouch, and gaped at the sheer quantity of coins within, a good number of which were silver. "Uh, isn't this kind of a lot, Elsa?" she said, pulling out a handful of skillings, staring at them in disbelief, before dropping them back in.

"It is," Elsa replied. "Most of it is for what you'll be purchasing today, but the rest is for you to spend as you will. Consider it a late birthday gift."

"Oh, Elsa," Anna said, smiling, "you don't need to do that. Having you back is gift enough for me any day."

Elsa smiled back warmly, and said, "I promise to celebrate your birthday properly next year, though." She grinned, and added, "You know, you could bring something back to share..." She licked her lips.

"Ooh... right!" Anna said, obviously getting the hint. Gesturing to the other items on the table, she said, "What are these?" The items in question were two silver medals, one a bit larger than the other, each with a snowflake embossed on the front. The smaller of the two sat on top of a folded document.

"Those are my gifts for Kristoff and Sven," Elsa explained. "They go with his new title of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer."

"Ohhh," Anna said, picking up the larger of the medals. "So this one is for Sven?"

"Right," Elsa replied. "You can give it to him before you fetch Kristoff. The other one, and the document that you saw last night"—she indicated the folded paper—"I will give to Kristoff in person, after the gathering this afternoon." She smiled, and strode toward the study doors. "Feel free to tell him about it, though."

"Okay!" Anna said. "He probably won't believe me, though." Putting the coin pouch and the large medal in her bag, she followed Elsa out of the study.

If he doesn't believe it, the Queen thought, as she and Anna headed through the castle halls, there are others who might not, either. I may just have to knight him. She had been considering it, especially since it would make his newly-invented title less conspicuous. Anna was skipping out the front doors behind Elsa, and was half-dancing by the time they reached the stables.

When they entered, Sven was waiting for them, looking a bit miffed at being left behind while Kristoff went out. Anna pulled a carrot from her bag and held it out, and Sven snapped it out of the air, as if he was starving.

"Whoa, Sven!" Anna yelped. "I need that hand!" Elsa laughed, and turned her sister to face her.

"A couple of things, Anna, before you go," Elsa said, seriously. "Remember to get the things for Kristoff first, before you go shopping for sweets, okay?" Anna nodded. "Also, if Kristoff tries to refuse your gift, tell him that there are no returns or exchanges, Queen's orders."

Anna giggled. "Can do, sister!" the strawberry-blonde said, and motioned for Sven to follow her. "Come on, Sven!" The reindeer trotted after her, eager for the fresh air.

"Good luck, Anna!" Elsa called after Anna.

After Anna had gone out the gates, Elsa headed back to the study to try and put a dent in the paperwork covering the desk. Her sister was correct; there was a lot to do, and if she didn't do a good portion of it before they went on their trip into the mountains, it would take a week to finish.

Calling Kai in, she handed him the letter and scroll she had finished the night before. "Please give this letter to the French ambassador," Elsa instructed, "and tell him he is to deliver it to the King of the Southern Isles, in person, when he arrives there."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kai said.

"The scroll is the formal declaration of embargo with Weselton. You may read it to him before he departs, and leave the document with the guards accompanying him. And Kai..." The Queen paused, letting a smirk cross her features. "You have my permission to pronounce it however you like." There was no need to tell him what it was.

"Gladly, Your Majesty," Kai said, smiling. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you, Kai." Elsa replied. Kai bowed, and left the study. The Queen sat down at the desk, and began going through the massive quantity of papers.

After what felt like hours of going through reports, reading and replying to marriage proposals (all politely declined; she simply wasn't ready to deal with suitors yet), and scanning over various trade proposals (to be discussed at the next Council meeting), Elsa desperately needed some fresh air. Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was past noon already. I've been sitting here for almost four hours. Where did the time go?

She walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, and saw a few people already gathered. At two o'clock, she would go out there and talk to them. Feeling nervous about appearing in front of so many people, now that her secret was exposed, Elsa decided that she need to take her mind off the gathering for a bit. She wandered the castle, every so often mumbling a greeting to the castle staff she passed, but she was mostly lost in her thoughts, worried about how the people would react.

Eventually, the Queen's wandering took her to one of the perimeter towers. Climbing the spiral stairs, she emerged out on the perimeter wall, which encircled the castle grounds, before stretching laterally across the fjord towards the mainland. She walked to a place along the wall where she could see Arendelle Town, and as she stood observing it, an idea came to her. Feeling mischievous, Elsa waved one of the guards on duty over to her. "Do you have a spyglass I could borrow, Guardsman?" she asked.

The guard nodded, handing her a small spyglass. "Here you are, Your Majesty." Pausing, the guard asked, "If I may ask, what are you looking for, my Queen?"

"Oh, that's easy," Elsa replied, smirking. "I'm going to spy on my sister."

"Very well, Your Majesty," the guard said, grinning, before resuming his post.

Putting the glass to her eye, Elsa looked out at the town. Searching for a bit, she finally spotted a shiny new sled sitting next to a flower stand, a new lute sitting on the seat and Sven with his medal waiting patiently nearby. Noticing a blur of green dress dragging a tall blond-haired man blindfolded behind her, Elsa flinched as Anna ran Kristoff right into a lamp pole.

If she keeps that up, she's going to land him in the infirmary, Elsa thought. She watched as Anna presented the sled to Kristoff, Sven strutting up to it and running a hoof over it dramatically. She saw Kristoff suddenly sweep Anna off her feet and swing her around in the air, before setting her down again. An awkward moment passed, and Anna pecked him on the cheek. Kristoff then bent down and kissed her full on the lips, and Anna returned it, causing Elsa to blush and put the glass down.

My little sister is growing up, she thought fondly, brushing a tear from her eye. Handing the spyglass back to the guard, she thanked him and returned through the castle to her study, her spirits lifted somewhat. She decided that she could get a little more paperwork done before two o'clock.

By two o'clock, the majority of the townsfolk had assembled in the courtyard, and were waiting for the Queen to appear. Anna stood with Kristoff and Sven near the gates, Anna positively glowing with happiness.

What a great day, she thought. The sun is shining, my sister is out of her room, I've got a new supply of chocolate, and the guy I like actually just kissed me! Remembering her sister's advice, she mentally promised herself that she wouldn't let them go any further than kissing, not for a long while. Elsa's right, I'm starting to sound responsible, even in my head!

Finally, Kai emerged from the castle, and announced, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

Elsa glided out the castle doors, to general applause. Anna could tell that some of the people were still a bit unsure about their Queen. Well, she thought, that's what this speech will be for. She hoped it would be enough. Just from looking at her sister, standing with near-perfect poise on the castle steps, Anna could tell that she was a bit unsure herself, nervously wringing her hands. Anna considered walking over to join her, but decided against it. Elsa needs this.

"People of Arendelle," the Queen began finally. "I thank you all for gathering here today. Given the recent circumstances, I feel that I need to let you know a few things.

"First, I am sure that by now, most of you are aware of my powers, or at least the unnatural winter they started five nights ago. That winter was caused by my lack of understanding in how to control them, something I had not had my entire life, until just two days ago. The key is, and always will be, that love will thaw; I have my sister, Princess Anna, to thank for helping me discover it, though she put herself at great risk to help me." Anna impulsively waved to the crowd; many people waved back, and she blushed. She clasped her hands in front of her, not wanting to distract from her sister's speech again.

Elsa continued, "That having been said, I am now in control of my powers, and there will be no more unnatural winters, for while I draw breath I will always love Arendelle's people, and thus remain in control. I know that some of you must be nervous or scared of me; you have nothing to fear, for I always have the well-being of the people in mind. Even my self-imposed exile to the mountains that night was intended to protect the people, and had I not been in such haste to flee far from Arendelle, I might not have started a winter at all, or seen sooner what I had caused.

"So please, do not fear me for my powers. As I have told my Council, I will not use them as a weapon of war, nor will I ever use them to harm another being, except in self-defense." Placing a hand over her heart, Elsa said solemnly, "As Queen of Arendelle, I vow to only use my gifts for the maintaining of peace, and for the enjoyment of others. I will uphold the laws of Arendelle, and will defend its people to the best of my ability, while my reign lasts."

This brought a large round of applause from the assembled people. Anna was truly impressed with her sister's speech. Did Elsa rehearse all that? she wondered, as the Queen stepped down and walked into the courtyard.

Stopping in the center of the courtyard, between the two large fountains, Elsa continued, "It is primarily for enjoyment that I have brought you here this afternoon. When I was eight years old, I turned the castle ballroom into a winter wonderland for me and my sister. Today, I am going to transform this courtyard into something everyone can enjoy: an ice-skating rink. If you do not have skates and want some, I will provide them." Glancing around at the eager townspeople, she smiled, and said loudly, "Are you ready?" The people cheered in affirmation.

Anna watched as Elsa stamped her foot down onto the surface of the courtyard, within seconds covering it in a layer of ice thick enough to skate on. The ice spread in a controlled fashion up the sides of the castle walls surrounding the courtyard, forming beautiful patterns. The Queen waved one hand, then the other, freezing the water in the fountains beside her in pleasing shapes, not the horrific ones like on coronation night. With a final gesture, she tossed a ball of ice high into the air, letting it burst into a light snowfall.

Many people had indeed brought skates, and began skating around the frozen courtyard right away; most, though, preferred to stand and watch. Anna, hopeful that she could be one of the latter, wobbled and slid her way over to her sister.

"Woah..." Anna said, trying to keep her balance. Reaching out, Elsa caught and steadied her. Anna smiled and said, "I like the open gates."

"We are never closing them again," Elsa promised, returning the smile. She gestured at Anna's boots, causing blades made of ice to appear on the bottom of each. Anna gasped in surprise.

"Oh, Elsa, they're beautiful, but you know I don't skate—" Anna began.

"Come on, you can do it!" Elsa insisted, sliding away, dragging Anna along with her, the strawberry-blonde saying "Woah, woah!" all the way.

"Look out, reindeer coming through!" came Kristoff's voice from nearby. Anna glanced over and saw that he was sliding along the ice by hanging onto Sven's tail.

Anna still wasn't so sure she could do this, especially after yesterday's practice, but she decided to make the best of it. "I've got it, I've got it... I don't got it, I don't got it..." she said, trying and failing to keep her balance.

"Hey, guys!" Olaf said, bumping into Anna from behind, in the process helping her to regain her balance.

"That's it, Olaf," Elsa praised the little snowman.

"Gliiiiide and pivot, and gliiiiide and pivot, and gliiiiide and pivot..." Olaf said, trying to help coach Anna.

Is that supposed to help me? Anna thought. I can barely stay standing up... But she managed to stay on her feet for most of the afternoon.

A/N: Finally, we've reached the end of the movie, 8 chapters and over 31K words later... sorry it took so long. :P We'll be in uncharted territory from here on out.

–Anna sneaking into Elsa's room was another of those spontaneous ideas I came up with.

–Tried to explain Elsa's ice dress-making ability. There's really only two possibilities I can come up with: (a) changing the fabric itself to ice, or (b) covering the existing fabric, while still making changes to cut and style. Of the two, (a) seems most likely.

–Again from my research on Norwegian units: between 1816 and the adoption of the decimal system of krones and øre in 1875, Norway used a currency called the speciedaler, which was divided into 120 skilling. Coins were made in several denominations, the lower values (½, 1, and 2 skilling) being struck in copper, and the higher values (including the ½ and 1 speciedaler coins) struck in silver. As to what goods were actually worth in 1845, I can only guess.

–Having Elsa spy on Anna was just my way of showing where we are in the movie, leading up to the end. Besides, it's funny. ;)

–The speech was tricky to write, and I'm not 100% sure about it, but it'll do.

Next chapter: A solemn visit, and horse riding!