For a moment, she couldn't breathe.

Her hand clutched her chest as she sat up, eyes and mouth both open wide, shoulders stiff as a square as she readjusted to her surroundings.

And then, the gasp finally came as her throat finally opened, and it sounded more like a ragged groan.

How she hated that recurring nightmare, the one about her spine being broken, and those green eyes burning into her every thought.

Yes, after this, she wouldn't be able to sleep for a long while.

Pushing back some lose strands of ebony hair, Astro slid off her bed, still breathing heavily, heterochromatic eyes glimmering unnaturally in the dark, but she knew where she was going.

As her breathing stabilized she left her room, one hand still on her chest as the other ran through the corridor walls while she wandered, reminding herself that the castle was safe, far away from the origin of her worst nightmare, and that within it there were people she had grown fond of, and maybe she could say she loved them.

Love, what a strange word, wasn't it? She had heard it from her mother so many times in what little time they had spent together. She had also heard it in her nightmares, from people who were either liars or had a very twisted way of feeling.

Would Elsa ever say that to her? That she loved her?

Frowning with wide eyes, she shook her head.

What the hell was she thinking? The warrior should never bother the queen with such tribal yet embarrassing matters. How childish of her to even consider it.

A discrete sniffle pulled her away from her thoughts. She could hear it coming from a balcony. She smelled the air, mouth slightly open to taste the scent, and it took her less than a second to identify the origin of that sound...

"Your grace?" Astro approached the woman leaning on the bars of the balcony, who was startled enough to freeze them by instinct.

"Ah, sorry-" Pulling her hands from the frost she rubbed her eyes, trying but failing to conceal that she had been weeping in silence.

The taller woman walked closer, and rested a hand on the frost, easily melting it.

"What troubles you?" She then asked.

The way the warrior's voice was soft made Elsa feel even more embarrassed at being addressed with such care. "It's nothing... Did I wake you?" She asked instead.

Astro shook her head. "I might not fully know you, but this much I know: you don't cry for 'nothing'. Hell, it's rare to see you crying, even when you have every reason to."

Blue eyes slowly slid away, accompanied with a sigh.

"You don't have to tell me... But I am here if you need anything." It was the tanned woman's priority and main instinct to put those she cared for before herself. Thankfully, it also helped her not think about her nightmare.

Both women looked up at the sky. The rain from earlier might have ended, but the clouds were still there, concealing the moon and the stars. It sure was grim.

"What a sad day." Whispered the monarch. "Everything is so grey."

The warrior crossed her strong arms on top of the balcony bars, and leaned her chin on them. "You know... When the leaves are wet from the rain, their colors shine brighter, in contrast to the grey atmosphere. It's a different kind of beauty."

That comment made Elsa smile a little bit. She had never thought if it that way, but it was true.

After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke. "I had a nightmare." Admitted the platinum blonde. "About the war that might be coming, and Anna living the horrors of it, getting hurt, getting... Killed."

Astro knew very well the impact nightmares could have. She looked into the queen's eyes from her leaning position.

"I think Anna will be okay if she stays inside the castle. Still, if it makes you feel better, I will make sure she will be okay, and protect her with my life if needed."

Fidgetting with her braid, Elsa sighed. "It kind of does, but... I don't want to lose you either. I just don't want to lose anyone anymore." She admitted, feeling her eyes well up with tears again. Then she gasped a bit upon feeling a warm hand on hers.

"It's okay to be scared." Astro said. "Then how about this? I will protect Anna, you, the kingdom... And live to tell the story."

They were both aware of the responsibility Astro was loading herself with. Maybe the warrior was bluffing, or maybe she truly trusted her own skills. Truth is, even during the training, Elsa had never seen her true potential. Neither of them were invincible, but... The enemy wouldn't be either.

"The Duke knows about my ice powers, but not about how much I have improved." Said the queen, rubbing her eyes once more. "And he definitely has no idea about you and your magic."

"I think we can win." Agreed the foreigner. She just hoped there wouldn't be too many broken things around the kingdom by the time the battle was over.

In another calm silence, both women watched the sky. Coincidentally, a few clouds parted ever so slightly, enough for them to see the moon, which was nearly full, nearly a perfect circle.

Yes, even if the sky was dark, there would always be light awaiting behind the storm.

.

Most of the kingdoms that had received the queen's letters answered by sending soldiers their way. Ships from several different locations came to port, although not as many as when Elsa had been crowned, and their spirits were far from jolly, but they were also determined to protect Arendelle in its time of need.

In the last few days, the leaves had all fallen, leaving the trees naked to the cold of the incoming winter. Many would compare the branches to fingers, and combined with their trunks, they looked like demons, clawing their way out of the underworld. Of course, that was just something kids would say to scare each other.

Erik was brave. He wanted to be a soldier upon growing up. He had to overcome his fears, and, encouraged by his mother, the first thing he was determined to do was apologizing to the scarred, foreign woman he had met at the beginning of the season.

Yes, she was scary, but she wasn't bad, and he had hurt her feelings that day.

He hoped that maybe they could be friends and she could teach him cool things!

From the roof of his house where he had climbed against his mother's orders, he could see all the ships arriving, and with puffs of breath coming from his mouth against the cold air, he admired every single armored man walking on the port.

The queen was amazing if she had these many strong friends.

And there she was, walking over to receive them, followed by the Spanish woman, who would always dress in black, and the princess, whose ginger braids bounced with every lighthearted step she took.

Elsa would give a regal welcome to each group of soldiers, and they were led to the castle by servants.

As they began to leave, the boy made his way down the roof and ran to them, finding a flower on the way.

"You, big 'un!"

Astro turned to look at him, trailing behind from the group.

"I- uhm..." The kid hesitated, then frowned with determination and bowed his head. "I'm sorry! I hurt your feelings the other day, and even though you are still scary you don't deserve to be hurt!"

The woman's heterochromatic eyes were wide with surprise, maybe even a slight confusion.

Then, Erik offered her the flower he had found. "Don't be mad at me, okay? I... I think you're kinda cool."

Wordlessly, the gentle giant accepted the flower, her fingers holding it with extreme gentleness.

That made the boy smile.

"Astro, what's wrong?" Elsa's voice called from afar.

The ravenette looked at the boy. "You're a good kid. Thank you." She finally said, before turning to catch up with the queen and company.

After watching them leave, Erik walked back home.

"Today, I was brave."