Elsa had left Gerda in charge of Astro, for she still had to attend to royal duties until dinner time. It had been hard for her to focus, as her mind couldn't leave her guest, nor the countless things she wanted to ask her, but at the very least she hoped the stranger had managed to adjust during those hours, and hopefully feel less wary or overwhelmed.

Now, at the dinner table, the monarch was wearing a blue dress with ornaments that very much reminded of snowflakes, a necklace resting on her exposed clavicle, and blue shoes with thin, high hills. She was so deep in thought, keeping herself from tapping the fine wooden table with her slender, dainty fingers, that she could barely pay attention to the words around her.

Most of them were being pronounced by Anna, who had chosen a more cozy-looking yet still elegant attire, combining warm shades of ochre and green, her hair shining like copper as it had been tied in her signature twin braids. She was quite nervous too, as indicated by her rambling.

Kristoff was the patient man listening to her. He hadn't bothered wearing anything fancy, always comfortable in his usual casual clothing, his blond hair messy but not tangled. He was smiling like an idiot, probably not even processing the barrage of information sent his way by his hyper girlfriend, yet his brown eyes showed nothing but love towards her.

By his side was his best friend Sven, although one could say that reindeer was almost like his brother, since they had pretty much grown together. The poor animal could only think about how hungry he was for carrots, as next to him someone else was also chatting non-stop.

And that someone was olaf, the goofy snowman who couldn't wait to meet Elsa's new guest, although even though he hadn't even seen her yet, he already called her the Queen's new friend. The snowy cloud above him thankfully kept him from melting, at least, as everyone enjoyed the warmth of a nearby fireplace.

Kai was watching over them, monitoring the table, as he wanted to make sure food was perfect, made in due time to eat. He seemed a bit nervous about the timing he had so perfectly calculated, since Astro had yet to show up.

"What's taking Gerda so long...?" He whispered to himself, as the female servant had been assigned to Astro.

Kai was a big, chubby, balding yet elegant ginger butler. Under his potato nose there was usually a smile. This time, though, he was frowning in concern.

"My sincerest apologies!" The maid's voice finally caught everyone's attention as she rushed downstairs with quick, tiny steps. "I tried to offer something more appropriate for our guest to wear, but she kept refusing and clinging to her rags and her bag- the whole ordeal took some time. I'm afraid she'll be dining with you in her... Usual vest."

Kristoff shared a sympathetic look with Sven. He preferred his own comfy yet informal clothes too. Maybe this Astro woman would have some things in common with him, since neither came from a noble family.

"That's okay." Elsa said. "Please, don't force her. We want her to be comfortable and to feel welcome."

Gerda nodded obligingly, then turned and motioned for Astro to follow her to the table.

Now that she was alone, surrounded by the royal family, Astro looked so tense. Gone was the mysterious, eerie, menacing woman from the street. This tall stranger looked so nervous one could easily feel sympathy towards her.

She walked to the chair Gerda and the guards escorted her to, and as she was about to pull it back, Gerda herself did it for her, which startled her enough to step back.

Extremely embarrassed and frowning with a blush, Astro sat down, looking awfully rigid. Such a sight was endearing to Anna, and she smiled, as it reminded her of the first times Kristoff went into the castle.

"Hi!" The silence was broken by Olaf, who had a huge smile. "I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"

Astro's eyes widdened, her lips pressed together in shock. "...the snowman is alive." She finally said, mostly to herself, as she was processing. Anna giggled.

"Yeah, Elsa made him!" Said the princess. "He's our friend, and he gives the best hugs!"

"Would you give me a warm hug?" Asked Olaf, reaching out with his arms made of branches.

"...I... Might be a bit too warm for you." Astro mouthed in an awkward grunt.

"Astro here has fire magic." Explained Elsa with a gentle smile. "Astro, welcome to out table. Allow me to formally introduce you. This is my sister Anna." She motioned to her with an open hand, and the braided ginger waved excitedly.

"This is her boyfriend Kristoff." Continued Elsa.

"Hi, yeah, I pretty much sell ice." Said the big man.

"This is Sven." The queen gestured towards the reindeer. "And you already know Olaf." She finished.

Before Astro could answer, food came. Dishes of delicious-looking meals that the Spainard had never seen were displayed in front of them. Then, all that cutlery... Why were so many forks, knives and spoons needed? Royalty was sure crazy.

Kristoff recognized that look in the stranger's eyes. He himself had once eyed all those utensils in that manner.

"Psst."

Heterochromatic eyes met brown as the blond was trying to help her out. He discretely pointed towards the appropriate fork Astro should take, but it didn't go unnoticed by the others as the ravenette hesitantly followed Kristoff's instructions.

"So, tell us a bit about yourself." Said Elsa, trying to sound inviting. "I'd love to learn about your origin and your powers."

"My powers..." Astro said, looking at the fork she was holding. Despites being big and strong, her calloused fingers were still long and slender as they delicately held the utensil. Maybe, had she been born in a wealthy family, her features would be dainty and soft. "...I was born with them. For a long time they were all I had in order to survive, so I kind of mastered them. My fire will only burn what I want it to, and I know how to use it at will and control it perfectly."

Elsa remembered how she had spent most of her life concealing her own magic, and only began to discover and control it after her coronation. Had she been free like Astro, would she jave mastered them as well? Then again, this woman's story was one of survival. It might not have been pleasant either.

While Elsa was deep in thought, Astro's attention had been brought to the reindeer.

"Can you make living creatures, like Elsa made me?" Olaf asked.

Astro looked back at the snowman, and shook her head. "No, fire isn't a solid, and it pretty much burns."

"Awh, man." Olaf seemed a bit disappointed, but his smile never left his face.

"But you said you can make it burn only the things you want it to." Elsa said, to which the tanned woman nodded.

"Can you show us?" Anna asked excitedly, almost bouncing on her chair.

Astro looked at Anna, then nodded solemnly, her demeanor recovering its usual pride as she made a small fireball between her hands, then threw it up, which made the servants gasp and the guards grab the handles of their swords. The fireball branched into countless fractals that morphed into what resambled flowers, yet they were made of flames. Then, the 'petals' began to fall, fading away before they could cause any harm.

Elsa and friends watched in awe. Just like ice, fire could be so beautiful when used with kindness and expertise.

The always carefree Olaf clapped his hands enthusiastically while he chuckled.

"That was... Gorgeous." Elsa said.

"You're as amazing as my sister!" Anna beamed.

"That was pretty cool." Said Kristoff, making a lower-pitched voice to speak for his reindeer. "I agree, buddy." He then said in his own.

Astro's eyes showed pure shock. They had... Actually liked it? It felt so odd to be in the recieving end of compliments, but it filled her chest with a foreign warmth.

Then, the monarch realized her guest was the only one who had yet to touch her food.

"Try some of this." She motioned towards something that looked like meat. Astro didn't know what it was. "It's really good." She encouraged.

Astro frowned at the fork. She didn't want to make a fool of herself, but ripping some of it with her hand would be rude, now, wouldn't it?

Then Gerda served some to her, and for once she was thankful to that maid.

She stabbed the meat on her plate and, upon opening her mouth, she revealed sharp teeth and fangs, resembling those of a feline.

She had never tried a meat so deliciously cooked, used to merely heating whatever she managed to hunt. The sauce, the seasoning, everything... The food was soon gone from her plate, and she looked satisfied.

"Your majesty." She suddenly said, turning to Elsa. "If you'll allow me to stay in Arendelle, I will put my knowledge and powers at your service."

Astro's tone was once again cold and independent-sounding, but it was clear that she didn't want to be alone anymore, and wished as much as Elsa did to have a friend who'd have things in common with her.

"Of course." Said the queen. "You can stay in the room you were assigned. I'm sure we have a lot to learn from each other."

"Yes!" Anna whispered under her breath. Not only was she excited for a new friend, but more importantly, she was excited for Elsa to finally have someone so similar to her.

Astro nodded solemnly to the monarch, then looked at her empty dish with an unreadable expression. "In that case, my fire is yours." It was her way of pledging her loyalty, but it was clear she seemed conflicted, not used to being accepted so easily. "And... I will properly settle into the room." She added reluctantly, eyeing her precious duffel bag. "I promise I carry nothing harmful, but you can make it sure. I don't mind showing you what I carry."

"We'll gladly see it after dinner." Elsa said.

Then everything became the usual cheerful chatter of mostly Anna and Olaf, as Astro just listened as she tried to adjust and understand this new environment.

.

The duffel bag had been carefully placed on top of the bed, Astro standing by it, and the royal sisters behind her. The males had gone to sleep, not wanting to intrude in a woman's personal belongings.

Slowly, the ravenette opened it, and behan to pull out what little she owned:

- A few sets of spare clothes, all made of black fabric, all just as battered.

- A box with a wide variety of medicinal herbs she herself had collected.

- A very old handmade rag doll, which Astro handled with utmost care as she placed it down.

- An old comb with small ornaments engraved on it.

That was it. All the woman owned had been displayed. Anna watched intently, as Elsa's attention had been drawn to the doll.

"May I?" She asked, pointing at it, and there was an almost desperate, almost childish hesitation in Astro's features, as she very slowly nodded. That toy was clearly priceless to her.

"My mother made it for me when I was an infant." She explained.

"What's her name?" Anna asked curiously as Elsa held it, her pale fingers gently tracing over its carefully embroidered facial features.

"Friend." Astro said, looking away with an embarrassed frown.

It was both adorable and depressing. Had this doll been the foreigner's only friend for so long?

Elsa very gently put it back down. "She's beautiful. Your mother clearly poured all her love into its making."

Astro looked back at the doll, and nodded.

Then, there was silence. Both parties had wondered what had happened to the others' families. Why had Elsa been crowned so young? Why had Astro been forced to survive on her own?

The quiet was broken by Anna yawning, then a sheepish apology and a giggle.

"We should all get some rest." Elsa concluded. "I hope you settle in well." She then said to Astro. "Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams!" Anna added.

Astro waved silently as both sisters left, and then looked back at her stuff, remembering how unbearably huge the room was. This would be a long night.