Things left unsaid

"It's a wonderful idea," said Gerda as a big smile spread across her face. She had been speaking on the phone with her son for about fifteen minutes when he suggested they had their usual Sunday dinner on a Monday. "You two bring something to eat and I'll make dessert."

She hadn't expected her son to call that day, and much less to suggest they had dinner together. She knew how busy he was during the week and for that reason they usually tried to spend some time together on Sundays. But the day before, her son hadn't called, and given everything that had happened with Elsa, Gerda had practically forgotten about it.

Now that Kristoff was calling, however, she couldn't deny how excited the idea made her. After all, they rarely got the chance to enjoy a family dinner where all of them were together.

"Yes, at seven is perfect. I'll let your sister know you're coming." She was listening intently to his suggestions when Elsa's muffled voice coming from the other room distracted her. She could hear her in the living room, talking to herself. She didn't think too much of it at the beginning, but the moment she heard her curse — something extremely rare in Elsa. She got worried. Thinking it was best to cut the call short, she said, "Okay. I'll make sure of it. I'll see you then."

She waited for her son to agree with her before she ended the call. "I love you, sweety."

Trying not to be too obvious, Gerda walked out of the kitchen telling Elsa Krisotff was coming to visit. At least she had a good reason to pretend she hadn't heard her.

"Your brother and Anna are having dinner with us tonight." Maybe if she gave her daughter some good news, she could help her with whatever was troubling her.

To her disappointment, Elsa didn't pay much attention to her. She walked past her and right into her room. "Where the hell is it?"

"Is everything okay, Elsa?"

"Ugh?" Finally realising her mother was standing behind her by her bedroom's door, she said, "Yes. Yes, it is."

Thinking it was best to cut to the chase, Gerda said, "it's hard to believe you when I can hear you cursing from the kitchen."

Sighing tiredly, Elsa sat on the bed and asked, "have you seen my bag? I looked for it everywhere."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear. It's my fault you can't find it. It's in the laundry room. It was so wet I didn't know where else to put it."

"Thanks," said Elsa, getting up and leaving the room in an instant.

It made no sense to Gerda why she was in such a hurry. "Do you need something in particular?"

Elsa came out of the laundry room and walked back into her room to pack her things. "I'm going back to the mountain."

"What?" That was the last thing Gerda expected. And the last thing she wanted. In her opinion — and Kai's too — Elsa was in no mental state to be alone. Going back to the mountain was not going to help her. Even if her powers were giving her a hard time, Gerda knew they could find the way to help her at home. "No," Gerda said, putting a hand over Elsa's to stop her from putting her things inside the still wet backpack. Her skin was cold, but not freezing like Gerda had been expecting — maybe her powers were not the reason she was leaving.

Elsa flinched at the touch and moved her hand away from hers. She looked at Gerda, brows furrowed in confusion, "no?"

"Your brother and Anna are having dinner with us tonight," Gerda tried to reason. "Why do you need to go now?"

"Olaf's alone at the mountain. I completely forgot about him. I left him enough food to spend Sunday alone, but I want to make sure he's okay."

At the mention of Elsa's cat, Gerda allowed herself to relax. At least nothing bad had happened in the last few hours to make Elsa want to leave. "Maybe you can feed him and come back?" she suggested, hoping Elsa would stay like she had originally planned.

"Olaf's alone, mum," she said matter-of-factly, and kept arranging things inside her bag. "It's not only about the food."

"Can you please think about it? I was eager to have you home for a few days."

"There isn't much to think about. I'm not leaving the cat alone."

Her daughter didn't sound mad at her for trying to stop her, and that was a good sign. Something told Gerda that perhaps Elsa didn't want to go, she was simply trying to be a responsible owner.

Thinking fast of a way to make her stay, Gerda came up with an idea. "At least call your father and ask him to drive you there. There's no need for you to take the bus." It was no secret she didn't like the idea of Elsa travelling alone, but that wasn't what mattered right at that moment. She knew Kai could come up with a better reason for her to stay. Or even a solution to Elsa's problem.


"Kai, phone."

Kai raised his head to look at his partner, Anders, who was standing in his office's door.

"Busy," he said and returned to his work. Whoever was calling him could wait. After all he had to finish with those reports before they left the station in an hour.

"I already told this girl you were here. Just pick up the phone. I connected her to your line."

Sighing in exasperation, he stopped writing the report he was working on and picked up the phone. "Fine. Now get out of here," he said to Anders before he paid attention to whoever was on the other line.

"Hello? Elsa, hey!" he said as soon as he heard his daughter's voice on the other line. Part of him wanted to hit Anders for not realising Elsa was the one calling. "Why didn't you say it was you? I wouldn't have kept you waiting. Is everything okay?"

"Is there a chance you can take me back to the mountain after you get off from work?"

Kai didn't like what he was hearing. "Why?"

"I was thinking of going back to stay with Olaf."

"I thought you were going to stay with us for a couple of days."

"I want to, but I can't leave him alone," she explained. "Mum insisted I ask you for a ride, but I could take the bus if you're too busy."

"Anders and I have to go to the outskirts of town in an hour or so. We won't be that far away from the mountain. I can stop by and pick Olaf on the way back."

Deep down he hoped she'd agree. He had forgotten how much he missed having Elsa around. Even if she wasn't feeling her best at the moment, Kai couldn't deny he loved her company. And right at that moment, he also felt he needed to help her more than ever. He was truly concerned about her and the way the solitude of the mountain could make her react. Not to mention he still didn't trust her friend completely. He'd rather keep her away from Marshall until he knew for certain what had happened between them.

"It's not necessary. I don't want to interrupt your work or bother Anders. And you don't need to bring Olaf home."

"It's not a bother, dear." Before she had a chance to say she didn't want to bother them at home, Kai said, "I'd rather you stay with us for a couple of days."

"It's not necessary."

"Please?" He wasn't one to beg, but this time he wasn't letting Elsa go. He knew deep down he was being selfish. He wasn't really thinking what Elsa truly wanted, but what he wanted. And he wanted — almost needed — Elsa to stay. "Who else will play chess with me?"

His trick worked some magic when after a moment of silence Elsa said, "I don't have much choice, do I?"

"I'm not taking no for an answer, no," he laughed, happy Elsa hadn't argued.

He heard her sigh before she finally accepted, "fine."

"Yes!" With a grin on his face, he pumped a fist in the air. "So, I'll get Olaf and some of his food, right?"

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure mum won't mind?"

"Gerda loves animals, you know that." He silently hoped one day Elsa would start doing the things she wanted and needed, and she'd stop adjusting her life to please them. But instead of commenting on it, he asked, "do you want anything else? We are taking one of the SUVs, there's enough room for anything you need."

"No. It's okay. I brought some clothes with me."

Kai made a mental note to remember that Elsa had planned to stay with them from the start.

"Do you know where the spare key is?" asked Elsa, bringing him back to their conversation.

"Sure."

"Okay…" Her pause told him there was more she wanted to say, so he simply waited for her to gather her thoughts. After a moment, when Kai thought she wasn't going to say anything, he heard her say, "thank you, dad. It means a lot."

He smiled, knowing she truly meant it. "Tell your mother I'll be back home around seven."


After visiting a farmer who had trouble with some recurring burglars on his property, Kai asked Anders to drive them both to the North mountain. He knew his partner was not going to complain about taking a little detour as long as it meant he didn't have to go deal with the new recruits.

Anders was the exact opposite of him in many ways. He was a man of many words and little patience. He wasn't always the most decorous man out there. And without doubt, he didn't enjoy dealing with young people as much as Kai did. At first sight, anyone could say they weren't meant to work together, and there was a time Kai would have agreed with that idea. But after years of working together and having each other's backs, even in the most unusual of situations, they had built a partnership and friendship like no other inside the police station.

There were some colleagues who still couldn't believe Kai and Anders had tolerated each other for more than fifteen years. Though, those who thought that way hadn't seen them working together. The police officers who commented on their peculiar friendship didn't know how much they both relied on and respected each other. They hadn't been there the night Anders helped Kai put together all the necessary paperwork he needed to become Elsa's guardian. Or the many nights he had sat by himself listening to every hardship they'd had at home while Elsa adapted to her new life.

"Take the next exit," Kai said when they were getting closer to the mountain.

"What are we doing here exactly?"

"I need to pick up Elsa's cat. She's staying with us for a couple of days." Pointing to a narrow road to their right, he said, "take that road. You'll find a car park at the end of it."

"You won't make me walk, will you?" asked Anders jokingly, as he stopped the car.

"It's either this or go deal with the new kids."

"We're walking then," he said and both had a good laugh.

They began walking the trail that led to Elsa's cottage with Kai on the lead. Anders had been to the cottage only once, and that had been over ten years before.

"How's Elsa?" Kai heard him ask when they were halfway there. "It's been over six years since I last saw her."

"She's doing a lot better." If Kai took into consideration Anders had last seen her when Elsa was eighteen, then it was safe to say she was doing better. But sadly, the Arendelles had shown up and thrown away all the progress she had made during that time. "Well, she was… until her birth parents showed up."

"About that…" Kai knew an uncomfortable question was coming. His friend rarely thought about the things he said, unless the topic was somewhat sensitive. "When you told me her parents showed up…"

"Yes?"

"I didn't ask you who they are. I didn't want to make you feel like shit at the time. But I can't help wondering, who are they?"

Kai smiled knowing Anders had probably been waiting for a chance to ask that question for over four months. He had to congratulate his friend on the inmensurable self restraint and consideration. "Agdar Arendelle and his wife."

"Arendelle…" Anders said barely over a whisper, as if he was trying to find a face to match to that name. "ArenCo owner Arendelle?"

Kai turned to look at him and nodded.

"You're kidding." Anders said with a smirk.

Kai only looked at him over his shoulder, hoping he'd understand he wasn't playing a joke on him this time.

"Kai, you are kidding me, right?" said Anders, not believing his word.

"No."

"That bastard!" he yelled, surprising Kai, who turned around to appease his partner.

"Calm down, Anders."

"No, don't ask me to calm down," he said as he stopped on his tracks.

There was a reason Kai hadn't told his partner who Elsa's parents were. Anders had seen the state Elsa was in when they escorted the ambulance back to Trolheim. He had been by his side when they first got to see Elsa in the ICU. He had been there when she almost lost control inside the hospital too. He knew Elsa's case just like Gerda and he did, and Kai knew he wouldn't take the news lightly.

"That prick is one of the wealthiest guys in town and you're telling me he couldn't take care of his sick daughter?"

He was mad, that much was obvious. But Kai wasn't going to let him say whatever he pleased because of it. "Elsa's not sick."

"You know what I mean."

"I may know what you mean." Kai walked back a few strides until he was standing in front of his friend. "But if I hear you call Elsa sick again, I'll beat your ass. Am I clear?"

"Right. Sorry," said Anders, looking down, as soon as he realised what he had said. "You know I love my goddaughter."

"We've been through this a thousand times," said Kai calmer now that Anders had understood his mistake. "You're not her godfather. She's not baptised and you aren't even religious."

"At heart I am."

"I wouldn't choose you to guide my daughter to the store. What makes you think I'd let you guide her spiritually?" said Kai with a sneer, as he began walking once again. Even if Anders laughed behind him, Kai could notice he was still bothered by the news of who Elsa's parents were.

"Why would a man like Arendelle abandon his daughter? He's got enough money to help her with whatever she needs."

"He became one of the wealthiest men in town after his father's death. His family may have not struggled, but he wasn't wealthy back then."

"Why on earth are you defending this guy?" asked Anders as soon as he caught up to Kai.

"I'm not," Kai said, sincerely. "All I'm saying is he didn't have the money to help Elsa back then."

"I don't buy it."

"They told us their whole story. I don't justify his and his wife's actions, but twenty-four years ago their lives weren't as easy as they're today."

Anders pondered his explanation for a few seconds before he finally said, "I still think he's a jerkface. Elsa deserved better."

"I won't deny that," Kai agreed. He then climbed the steps leading to his daughters house and walked straight to one of the windows on the front of the house. He checked the lintel and there he found the spare key Elsa kept hidden since she had locked herself out of the house.

"You're too nice, did you know that?" Anders said to Kai while he looked for the key. "I'd beat the hell out of Arendelle if I were you."

"I don't want to lose my job," Kai said honestly. He had never shown his family how much the news about Elsa's parents had shaken him up, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't daydreamt about it. Though, the idea of losing his job for someone like Arendelle wasn't really appealing to him.

"I don't mind losing mine… Can I do it?"

"No, it wouldn't be convenient. You're still my partner." Patting his friend on the shoulder, Kai said, "it'll be better if you help me with the cat for now. Come on."

"I hate cats."

"Tough luck. Come with me," Kai said as he opened the door to Elsa's cottage.


As soon as Kai and Anders entered the house, they both noticed there were a few puddles of water in the living room. The first thing Kai did was look at the ceiling, hoping to see if there was a leak on the ceiling; but even though he could see the ceiling was wet, he couldn't point out the leak.

"Kai, what the hell happened here?" asked Anders and the concern in his voice unsettled Kai.

"What do you mean?"

"There's blood everywhere," his partner said as he looked at the floor.

Kai looked around them and noticed there were in fact blood stains all over the floor. They weren't big stains, they were like drops, all over the place, with one or two exceptions near the main door. The two stains at their feet were big enough to alarm anyone.

Trying to remain calm, Kai thought about Gerda and everything she had told him about Elsa the previous day. Soon he remembered his wife telling him Elsa had arrived home with a deep wound in her hand. And, if he remembered correctly, she had given their daughter seven stitches.

"Elsa came home with a wound in her hand yesterday. She cut herself fixing a window."

"Did she dance around the house afterwards?"

Kai knew Anders was trying to hide his concern behind the joke.

"Gerda had to give her stitches. Maybe she walked around the house while she tried to stop the bleeding."

"Maybe…" It was clear Anders was not convinced.

And Kai wasn't either. Any person would wrap something around their wound before they began walking around the house. It was something most people did out of instinct. And even if Elsa hadn't been thinking straight at the time, why had she stayed by the door long enough to leave those big stains.

"Come with me," said Kai, gesturing to Anders to follow him into the small room. "I want to check something."

"What is all this stuff?" his partner asked the moment they entered the room and saw all the boxes piled up in there.

"Ski gear. She teaches skiing for a living."

"What do you want to check?"

"The window she was trying to fix," he explained as he picked up one of the boxes that were blocking the window. "Help me move these things so I can reach it."

He handed Anders a box and pointed to him where he could leave it before he moved another one. They moved around a dozen boxes until they reached the window.

"There's some broken glass," said Anders pointing to some shards on the floor. " And more blood stains. She lost a lot of blood."

Kai grimaced at the sight of yet another big blood stain. It wasn't as big as the one in the living room, but he could clearly see it on the floor next to some tools. And to his surprise, the tools he was looking at weren't the ones he had given Elsa when she moved to the mountain.

"What are we looking for?"

Anders' question distracted him from the tools for a moment and he paid attention to everything else around them, trying to see if there was anything else out of place. "I'm just checking," he explained. "Elsa came home very distressed and I want to make sure nothing serious happened."

"You don't believe she cut her hand fixing a window?"

"I don't know," he said, honestly. Maybe he couldn't talk with Gerda without worrying her needlessly, but he certainly could talk to Anders. "I'm just worried something serious is going on and I fail to see it."

"Well, it definitely looks like she was working if it makes you feel better."

"Yes… But these aren't her tools."

"What do you mean?"

"She uses my old tools. These are not my old tools." Kai moved the hammer lying on the floor with his foot as he tried to think if it actually belonged to him and he was just mistaken.

"Maybe she bought some," suggested Anders. It was a common practice between them. One would come up with an idea about their cases and the other would try to contradict him, always trying to find something wrong in the other's theory.

"I don't think so. She hasn't got enough money for new tools."

"Let's check the rest of the house. If we can't find anything out of the ordinary you should ask Elsa where she got them."

Following that idea, Kai went into Elsa's bedroom and Anders went back into the living room and kitchen to see if there was something amiss. A few minutes later, Kai met his partner in the kitchen to tell him what he had found.

"Her room is a mess."

"A typical girl's bedroom mess or a—?"

"Someone-rummaged-through-her-things mess. Half the things from her wardrobe are on the floor," Kai said, sitting on a kitchen chair with a tired sigh. It was true he had been worried about Elsa, but he had never imagined he was going to find such a big mess in Elsa's house. Now he had more questions than before, and he wasn't sure if Elsa would be in the mood to listen to his questions when he returned home.

"Do you think someone broke into the house?"

"I don't know." Something told Kai no-one had broken into. Something had happened while Elsa was still inside the house. "Did you find something?"

"Well, you may have already noticed the kitchen floor and table have blood stains too."

Kai looked around and realised he hadn't seen the now very obvious stains. He was so concerned about someone breaking into Elsa's house he hadn't even paid attention to his surroundings.

"And, whoever was here — burglar or not — lost their wallet," said Anders with a smirk as he showed the leather wallet to him. Kai opened his eyes in surprise at that and looked at his partner as he opened the wallet and searched for an ID.

"Hålkesen, Marshall," said Anders as he threw the ID to him. "Do you know him?"

"This is Elsa's friend." Kai looked at the man in the picture. He had to agree with Gerda, little Hålkesen had changed a lot through the years, but he could still see the little kid he once knew in his eyes.

"It's safe to say that he was here when she had the accident, then." Anders sat down next to Kai and threw the wallet on top of the table.

Kai didn't understand why Elsa would lie about fixing the window on her own if her friend had been there with her. Unless, he had left before it happened. But that didn't quite explain why the house looked the way it did. "Elsa said she couldn't take care of the wound on her own…" Kai murmured a bit louder than intended, as he tried to remember what he had talked with his daughter that morning.

"What did you say?"

"But this morning he asked her about it," he continued, unaware of Anders' question.

"What?"

"He must have been here," Kai said, looking at Marshall's picture once again.

"No shit, Sherlock," Anders deadpanned. "Did you miss the part where I found his wallet and I told you exactly that?"

Kai rolled his eyes at him.

"Look, even his jacket is here." Anders continued, picking up a brown leather jacket that had been lying next to his chair. "It must be his, right? It's too big to belong to Elsa."

Kai nodded. It was definitely a man's jacket, and he was certain it didn't belong to Kristoff.

"This house is a mess."

"Can you keep your criticism to yourself?" complained Kai. "She isn't usually this messy. Maybe I'm right. Maybe something happened here the other day."

"Besides the fact Elsa had a serious accident and had to rush to the city so she didn't pass out from blood loss?" Anders asked, stating the obvious.

"Yes, Anders. Besides that." Kai knew he was jumping to conclusions, but something was off. Elsa had no reason to lie to him, unless she was trying to protect her friend. Protecting him from what, he wondered.

"Or maybe you're trying too hard to read a room," Anders said, distracting him. "Despite the blood everywhere, this isn't a crime scene, Kai."

"I know. I know." Drawing a sigh, he thought about it and he had to agree with his partner. Maybe he was trying too hard to find a problem where it wasn't. "I just can't help worrying."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Anders asked, knowing there was something bothering his friend. "We already ditched work. Let's have a coffee before we leave."

Anders didn't give Kai enough time to answer as he stood up and began looking for the things he needed. "Why are you so worried?"

"Gerda and I think Elsa is finally reaching her breaking point," Kai said, honestly. Perhaps talking with him could help. A different point of view could help him find a solution to Elsa's problems. "She's been in the doldrums lately."

"Can you blame her?"

"No, of course not. She's been through so much."

Anders nodded over his shoulder as he poured some water on the coffee maker. "Half the people I know would have given up a long time ago in her shoes…"

"I know she's an adult now, but I fear something might happen to her and I fail to see it…" He looked at the man in the ID, trying to see if there was something wrong with him. Anything that screamed 'this man is dangerous' to him. But as it was logical, there wasn't. "It's hard not to worry."

"I don't know Elsa the way you do, obviously," said Anders stating the obvious. "But she's only been in the real world for ten years if you think about it, Kai. I think it's logical for you and Gerda to worry." Leaning on the counter, he looked at Kai and smiled. "Have you tried talking to her about seeing a shrink? We could ask the police department, maybe they can help you. They make this person part of her case and—"

"Her case is closed."

"Didn't you write down a petition to—?"

"Elsa begged me not to send it. She's terrified of facing court. She's terrified of running into Weselton again."

Anders sighed and nodded, letting Kai know he understood Elsa perfectly well. It wasn't the first time a victim decided not to seek justice just so they could avoid their perpetrator.

"She's terrified of people finding out her powers too."

"Okay…" Anders thought about other possible options. "So, no police intervention. You still may be able to find someone who can help her."

"We've talked to her about it — when she was younger," he clarified. "There's no way we could talk her into it. Nielsen said it was best not to force her."

"Nielsen still around? You should ask for his opinion again."

"He no longer works at the hospital, but Gerda's still in contact with him. He's the only doctor we trust."

Filling two cups of coffee, Anders offered one to Kai and sat down in front of him. "You could try again. She needs to open up about her life to someone. If not about her past, about whatever is going on in her life right now."

Kai nodded, knowing Anders was probably right.


Dusk began to fall over Trolheim and Elsa still found herself sitting in her parent's veranda. The grey weather fit perfectly with her mood, and she found some comfort in that. For that reason, she had spent most part of the day outside, not finding the will power to go back inside for more than an hour or two at a time. She knew she was bringing her mother down with her sorrow, and even if there was nothing she wanted more than to go inside and spend some time with Gerda, she knew that it was only a matter of time until her mother started asking questions. Questions she wasn't sure she knew how to answer.

She couldn't tell Gerda about her confrontation with her birth parents. She was certain one thing would lead to another and, before she knew it, she would need to tell her about Marshall and what she had done to him.

The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself it was best not to tell her parents what had happened. She wasn't ready to face Gerda and Kai's disappointment. After all, they still believed she was capable of living a normal life. And, as she had proved herself over and over again, she wasn't ready — and she probably never would. The last thing she needed was to give her adoptive parents a reason to leave her behind like her birth parents had once done.

She sighed once again as she remembered Marshall. She couldn't get rid of the guilt and sadness she felt for hurting him. For losing control in front of him the way she had and for almost killing him with a blast of ice. She had tried to pretend it hadn't happened. That it hadn't been that serious. But the truth was, she had almost struck him with a blast of ice. And their call that morning had done nothing but increase the guilt she felt.

She hadn't been ready to talk to him that morning. A big part of her had only wanted to ignore Kristoff's call and not call Marshall at all. But she had thought better of it. She had gathered the courage to call him so Marshall didn't call Kristoff again. She hadn't been sure if he was going to say anything, but she couldn't risk it.

Looking at the wireless phone in her hand, she pondered the idea of calling Marshall once again. She definitely needed to. He had promised not to say anything to anyone, so that was something less to worry about. But she hadn't had the chance to apologise to him the way he deserved. If only she had been more open about what she wanted to say to him, maybe he wouldn't have hung up on her.

He was hurt and confused, and she hadn't said or done anything to help him see why she kept her distance. All she had done was push him away once again without telling him anything that could help him understand what was going on. Now that she thought about it, she had done nothing but beg to be left alone and for him to give her time. She had hurt him, she had almost killed him; and yet, she was the one asking for some time to think. He was still willing to listen to her. At least he had been that morning. But she had said all the wrong things. She had ignored his questions, telling him only what she wanted him to know.

She looked at the phone again and wondered why it was so difficult for her to call him a second time. There was nothing she wanted more than to talk to him. To apologise and to make sure things were still okay between them. She'd be lying if she said she didn't need to hear his voice again.

She watched the day turn into night behind the clouds as she tried to find the courage to call him. Thinking it was best to just stop dwelling on it, she drew a sigh and forced herself to do it. She knew she was not going to be able to sleep that night unless she did.

She wasn't sure when she had memorised his number. She guessed it was somewhere during the time she had been living in her brother's flat. It was something she did almost everyday and didn't even notice; and now she was sitting there, struggling to press one number after the other.

"The TV is broken?"

Her brother's voice startled her, and she turned around to see him standing only a few metres away with a silly grin on his face. She hadn't heard him came out of the house and it made Elsa feel stupid. Feeling the way she did, she was supposed to be more aware of her surroundings. The last thing she needed was to hurt her brother with her ice powers by mistake.

Trying to sound as normal as possible, she greeted him. "Hey."

"Hi," he said with a smile that told her he hadn't noticed her miserable mood yet. "What are you doing out here?"

She shrugged, unsure of what to say. "I like this weather." It wasn't a lie at least. "What are you doing here?"

"Mum didn't tell you we were coming?"

She tried to remember and she guessed her mother had said something to her earlier that afternoon. But the truth was she had been so concerned about Olaf she hadn't really paid attention to her. And she regretted not listening. She would have tried to be mentally prepared for Kristoff's arrival. After all, she wasn't sure she could play the fool in her brother's presence.

"Anna's inside," he said pointing to the door behind him. "She's talking with mum. We usually have dinner with mum and dad on Sundays. But we couldn't come yesterday so…"

"Right," said Elsa with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Since I'm always at the mountain I forget you guys meet almost every week."

Kristoff nodded and smiled. "I'm glad you're here this week."

Not thinking twice about it, Elsa stood up and gave her brother a hug. She knew he was going to suspect something was off with her, but his comforting presence was already helping her feel better.

Kristoff hugged her back and ruffled her hair when they pulled apart. Elsa instinctively tried to stop him and pushed his hand with her injured hand by mistake. "I shouldn't have done that," she hissed.

"What happened to you?" he asked with concern, finally noticing the bandages around her left hand.

"I tried to fix the stupid window in the small room."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," Elsa said, trying to reassure him. "Mum gave me stitches. It wouldn't stop bleeding yesterday."

"So that's why you came to town all of a sudden," he said, as if he finally understood what she was doing there. "You should've called me."

"It was too early on a Sunday to bother you." She was glad that wasn't a lie either.

"Just know you can call me anytime, alright?" He waited for her to nod her head before he said, "anyway, Anna and I just stopped by to leave Sven before we went to pick up some food. Do you want to come with us?"

"I don't know…" She wasn't really in the mood to go to the city centre and be surrounded by people. Even if it was for just a few minutes.

"Come on. When was the last time you've gone to the city centre?"

Looking at the phone in her hand, she wondered if she should go or not. She still felt like she owed Marshmallow an explanation, even if he didn't want to talk to her anymore and she didn't feel ready to talk to him yet. And no matter how much she enjoyed her brother's company, she wasn't really in the best state of mind to leave the house.

"Come on," Kristoff insisted.

"Maybe I should stay," Elsa said, still looking at the phone.

"Oh, wait. Did I interrupt a call?" asked Kristoff when he noticed the phone in her hand.

"No. I mean, I was about to—"

"Make the call. Anna and I will be waiting for you inside." With that, Kristoff left her alone once again as he rushed into the house, calling Anna's name.

Elsa watched her brother disappear inside the house while she stood there, wondering if she should call Marshmallow or not. Something inside her said it was best if she did. She had been moments away from doing it before Kristoff interrupted her after all.

Once again, she marked his number with trembling hands. She walked into the backyard, away from the house, in case Kristoff or Anna came out. She listened to the tone and realised she wasn't sure if she wanted Marshall to pick up this time or not.


- How many chapters do you want to post in less than a week?

- Yes.

I should learn to work in more consistent way, shouldn't I? Haha. Well, in the meanwhile enjoy!

Please, let me know what you think of this chapter. It was originally going to be part of the previous chapter, but I wanted to include a bit more of Elsa in it.

As always, thank you all so much for your reviews and encouraging words. It's so nice to see you guys enjoy the story.

For those of you who feel like you cannot forgive Elsa's birth parents, let me tell you that my intentions from the very beginning were to write them as characters full of flaws. It's up to you to like them or not, to hate them or not. Nothing is set on stone. So please, feel free to keep commenting the way you feel. It lets me see that I'm actually doing a good job, or at least I am being consistent with my original intentions.

Feel free to comment on any other thing that calls your attention. It's lovely to read you guys.

Take care. Read you soon!