Disclaimer! I do not own Frozen/Disney.

After eons, I am back updating this fanfic. I started working again so my writing time is greatly reduced but I'll do my best to update as early as possible. Thank you so much for your continuous support!

It took days for them to reach the outskirts of the Duchy of Vinter, on the way they saw small villages and interacted with them. The villagers couldn't be more happy to see their new ruler, the direct descendant of the Vinter Dukes, despite their living conditions. Elsa couldn't help but to feel responsible for them so she spoke with the village elder and came up with solutions that could help their daily lives, especially now that winter was around the corner.

Couple of hours after departing from the village, they stopped by a nearby stream to take a break and had their horses rest. Most of the royal retinue decided to fill their waterskins with cool fresh water, Anna watched them and sat on one of the boulders after removing her leather heeled boots.

"Careful." Elsa warned and moved closer towards Anna's spot.

"My feet needed some break from my shoes."

"Hm."

Cold wind was blowing, Elsa could see Anna rubbing her clothed arms. Without second thoughts, Elsa shed her coat and draped it on Anna's shoulders. "Come back to the carriage, you'll catch a cold."

"Alright." Anna nodded, and reached out for Elsa's hand to help her on her feet.

"Careful now." Elsa reached out with her free hand to place it on Anna's waist, however Anna slipped on the smooth surface of the boulder prompting Elsa take a step back to balance herself but the ground she was standing on was soft making her lose balance, and with quick thinking Elsa pulled Anna into her arms to cushion the latter from the impact.

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

"YOUR GRACE!"

Both Elsa and Anna heard them calling out until. . .

Splash

The shock of the sudden coldness made them feel numb for a moment, both of them were soaked to the bones. Anna was securely protected in Elsa's arms but her clothes were soaked, while Elsa's body was fully submerged in the water aside from her head.

"Goodness gracious!" the Count of Isles exclaimed, while the Harold brothers rushed to them.

Olaf quickly assisted Anna and Marshall reached out for Elsa.

"Anna, are you okay?" Elsa asked in concern, she held out her hand towards Marshall, prompting the General to remove his cloak. Elsa immediately draped the warm cloak over Anna.

"I should be the one asking you that, are you hurt? I heard you grunt when we fell." Anna asked worriedly.

"I am okay."

Anna then noticed the white sleeve on Elsa's shirt stained with reddish tint. Her eyes widened at the growing patch of red coming from Elsa's shoulder.

"Oh gods, you're bleeding!"

Olaf checked Elsa's shoulder, the sleeve was ripped and her skin was sporting a red gash caused by a sharp object, probably a sharp stone on the bed of the stream.

"Don't fuss, I am perfectly fine." Elsa made eye contact with Wendy and Giselle and gestured towards Anna. "How about you? Do you feel any pain?"

"Perfectly fine?! You're bleeding!" Anna ignored Elsa's query.

"I am aware, now please change before you catch a cold. Wendy, please attend to Her Grace."

Wendy brought Anna to the carriage to change, while Lady Giselle prepared a set of fresh clothes, meanwhile Elsa went to another carriage and had her clothes prepared by Eric.

Elsa shed her upper clothing and cleaned her wound. She uncorked a vial given by Olaf to apply on her wound before using clean linen as bandages. It was a good thing she pulled Anna in her arms or else her poor Duchess' back would be filled with wounds and bruises because of the sharp rocks underneath, she thought.

She raised her arm to let her know the limitation movement due to the restraint of the bandage, the only good thing in this situation was that her left shoulder was unscathed. Elsa then proceeded to change her clothes into a dark shirt, dark blue waistcoat and black cravat and a double breasted military coat. Her trousers were black as well, while her military sash was blue.

When she got out of the carriage an anxious Anna was already waiting for her.

"Elsa." Anna called.

"I am alright." Elsa assured Anna once more. "We should depart, we'll reach Vinter Castle soon."

Elsa insisted on having them ride in a carriage so they could somehow rest from what happened. And they sat there for hours.

"Are you sure you're not hurting anywhere?" Elsa asked worriedly for the nth time.

"I am, and you should worry about yourself." Anna chastised.

Elsa gave Anna a worried gaze before sighing. Her thoughts then went to the things that could've been happening at the capital, since she received Rapunzel's letter. She wanted to go immediately but she couldn't, not until she made sure Anna was in the safety of Vinter Castle.

"Uhm. . . Darling?"

Elsa was startled by the sudden endearment and blushed, but she kept her cool. "Hm?"

"Nothing, I just want to call you." Anna gave her a soft smile.

"Right." Elsa smiled as well and watched Anna with so much love in her eyes. "Before I forget, I asked Olaf to teach you the language of Encanto so you'll be able to participate in conversations with Princess Isabela."

After mentioning Isabela's name, Anna's expression changed for a moment before smiling again and nodded.

"He'll give you lessons until I get back from the capital."

"I'll do my best. Wait a minute, you'll leave with only Marshall by your side?"

"That's the plan."

"No! You can take Eric with you, Olaf is more than enough to protect me." Anna insisted. She then coughed, earning a concerned look from Elsa.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. My throat is just itchy. Nothing serious."

"If you're sure." Elsa reached for Anna's gloved hand. "Marshall and I can handle them." Elsa assured.

"No, Elsa please. I'll be more at ease if you take Eric with you. You're going to confront those traitors and having two of the Harolds will ensure your safety. And it will put my mind at ease." Anna's teal eyes were looking directed at her own.

Elsa gave in. How could she not when she had this pleading look and earnestness?

"Alright, if my wife insists." They shared a loving look.

A knock on the carriage door made them look at Marshall who was on horseback by the carriage, sans his cloak, somewhat miffed about something. Elsa turned to him through the carriage window to ask what was the matter.

"A messenger from the castle arrived." Marshall passed a letter to Elsa before riding ahead.

Elsa's brow twitched in annoyance.

"What's the matter?"

Elsa passed the letter to Anna instead of explaining what had vexed her.

Dearest Cousin,

Things had gone out of hand as I wrote this letter. First, I need to ask for your forgiveness for not mentioning this before. A spawn of Runeard found her way in Arendelle, the youngest of the six. My mother found her in the streets of Arendelle unconscious the day she arrived from Corona. My mother and her got attached to each other, I found out her true origin but my mother had asked me not to tell anyone but then again my father found out and flew into a rage days ago and wanted to kill her, Runeard's spawn. I stopped him from doing so, since we can't afford to cause something that would gain attention on top of all the troubles we are facing.

I really need your presence as soon as possible to pacify my father and to control the situation here. And I wouldn't be able to go up north as planned.

Regards,

Rapunzel

After reading the letter, Anna was filled with worry. She contemplated for a while and spoke.

"What do we do?"

We? Elsa thought.

The term we was something Elsa wasn't used to when it comes to this kind of affairs. It was always 'what do I need to do?' or her cousins would ask "what's the plan?' while her uncle would say 'do what you must to solve this' . Her cousins respected her authority, they did not put themselves on the same level as she, while her uncle used his rank to assert his authority over her. But here was Anna, a woman who saw herself as Elsa's equal, not intimidated by her rank as Queen and not demanding to overpower her. It may sound and look arrogant to others if they knew Anna acted like this towards her as if they were equal, but for Elsa she's a perfect match. Elsa couldn't help but to feel warm inside and make her smile as if all of her annoyance regarding the letter dissipates.

"Elsa? You're smiling at a time like this?" Anna frowned in confusion.

"Don't mind me." Elsa cleared her throat and tried to look serious, but her eyes were gleaming with glee.

"You told me that there were six acknowledged bastards. The twins are dead, same with Anastasia and Ector. Giselle is on our side, that would make them five. The one in the capital is the last one." Anna summarized.

"Yes, I don't even know her face. I only know she's a year older than you and that she's beautiful, and- why are you looking at me like that?" Elsa asked, since Anna's usually soft eyes turned sharp.

"No reason." Anna grumbled and crossed her arms in annoyance before mumbling to herself. How could she say that? Describing another woman beautiful in front of her own wife?

"Right." Elsa said before moving to sit herself next to Anna.

"What are you doing, go back to your seat!" Anna protested but her protest was met with a gentle hug and a kiss on a cheek.

"She may be beautiful based on the reports they sent me but I am absolutely sure that you, my dearest darling, are much more beautiful." Elsa soothed Anna's feelings. "There's no else for me but you. Only you Anna Eldr-Vinter."

With those words Anna melted and accepted Elsa's embrace.

"Better be." Anna mumbled. "On a serious note. What should we do with this threat?"

"Same as before, however I should leave as soon as we arrive at Vinter Castle. And no you aren't allowed to come with me." Elsa quickly denied Anna's participation in case she insisted on coming with her.

"But-" Anna untangled herself from Elsa.

"Please my heart, I need you to be in Vinter Castle. Not only will you be safe there but also I need you to protect my family's home for me."

"Me?" Anna looked at Elsa with confusion and in disbelief.

"Who else but my wife?" Elsa smiled at her. "You may be Duchess of Eldr in public but you are also the Duchess of Vinter. The people of Vinter are your people now too. In my absence you'll have full authority over the Duchy, they will obey your every order."

Anna was stunned.

"I know it's a lot to ask of you." Elsa removed her Vinter signet ring and placed it on Anna's pinky finger. "But I know you'll do right by it."

Anna stared at the ring on her finger, she could feel the heaviness of the solid gold ring in a literal and metaphorical sense.

"It was a good choice to have it refitted, my father's pinky is the size of my forefinger. I don't usually wear rings since they often interfere with my sword training."

Anna was still speechless.

"Do not lose this ring nor let the others touch it, it's my important link to my family."

"I promise." Anna answered with tears in her eyes. "I promise to protect Vinter Duchy until you come back."

"Thank you." Elsa said before giving Anna a short sweet kiss on the lips.

Anna blushed. "Promise me that you'll be safe and come back to me alive."

"I promise."

"What are you going to tell them? I know you dislike having them know your activities."

Elsa knew exactly who Anna meant.

"I already have a solution to that, all I need now is for you to distract them in every way possible. Can you do that for me?"

Anna thought for a while before nodding. "I'll do my best to keep them occupied." she burrowed herself on Elsa's side.

Elsa smiled in satisfaction but her brows suddenly furrowed because of the unnatural heat she felt on Anna's skin.

Couple of hours later the sun was about to set, they entered Vinter Duchy and made their way towards the castle, the loyal guards of Vinter lined up at the courtyard to welcome their monarch and her soon-to-be consort. The fanfare from the trumpeters was welcoming and brought a feeling of exhilaration.

Pabbie and a lady behind him were waiting at the foyer of the castle, he had this fatherly smile on his face, while the lady looked ahead. Pabbie saw Olaf grinning so wide at him, making him chuckle in amusement.

The carriage marked with the royal crest of House Vinter turned on its side for the Queen to exit the carriage. The Queen got out of the carriage and assisted the newly minted Duchess of Eldr out by holding out her hand.

"Your Majesty and Your Grace, welcome to Vinter Castle." Pabbie and the rest of them bowed deeply to their monarch and the Duchess of Eldr.

"Master Pabbie." the Queen smiled at him, then her gaze landed on the lady behind him.

"Ah apologies, may I present Marchioness Celine of House Vår . She was chosen to educate Her Grace on our customs and traditions."

"Your Majesty." the middle aged Marchioness curtsied so low and lowered her gaze, as a sign of deep respect.

"Marchioness." the Queen gave her nod of acknowledgement. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty, it's an honor to be in your presence."

"May I introduce, Duchess Annalise of House Eldr." the Queen said.

"Your Grace." The Marchioness once again curtsied but not as low as she did to the Queen.

"Pleasure to meet you, Your Ladyship." the Duchess of Eldr smiled but her smile was different from her usual ones, this smile was more like a grimace.

"Pleasure is all mine, Your Grace." The Marchioness Celine's face was stern and her eyes were sharp, making the Duchess feel unsettled.

"We've prepared refreshments in the Duchess' Drawing room." Pabbie said and led them to the hall leading to the said drawing room.

Both Pabbie and the Queen were conversing while walking, but the Duchess was having a hard time keeping up. She closed her eyes for a moment and took deep breaths.

"Anna?" the Queen called and was quick on her feet to support her. The unnatural heat she felt on the Duchess' skin was hotter than before. The usual passive expression of the Queen was etched with worry. "Goodness, you're burning up."

"I'm fine really."

"No, you're not. I'll take you upstairs." the Queen steadied the sick woman.

"I can walk by myself- Elsa! What are you- your shoulder was hurt!"

"Enough." the Queen snapped and carried her in her arms. "Stay still. Pabbie please send Olaf my way, and Marchioness kindly tell Bulda what happened, she'll know what to do."

"At once, Your Majesty." both of them said in sync.

Flurry of servants went up and down the grand staircase while carrying clean linens, hot water, and other necessities the Duchess would need. This scene alone made it clear that something was wrong and didn't take long for the nobles to find find out the Duchess' condition and, they too,were worried, they tried to see her but the Queen forbade anyone other Olaf, Erikson -the castle's physician, Bulda, Wendy and herself to prevent overcrowding the room.

The Duchess had caught a cold, resulting in fever due to the coldness in the territory at this time of the year. The Queen was internally blaming herself for not noticing the Duchess' condition quickly. And now all she could do was stay by her side and pray to the gods for the fever to break and make a hasty recovery.

Meanwhile in Arendelle Castle Dungeons.

Ariel was sitting on bed stuffed with straw, her ankles were chained, so did her wrists as if she was some criminal. Maybe she was, maybe her bloodline made her one. She couldn't help but to shed tears at her doomed fate. The moment learned of her father's atrocities, it would only be a matter of time before she'd end up in prison and she did end up in one. Ariel had resigned herself to be in here and chose to be in here instead of being a man's plaything, that's the reason why she came to the capital in the first place. However, what she didn't expect was the warmth she felt from a foreign Queen, who happened to be the wife of King Frederic, the Queen of Arendelle's maternal uncle.

Parental love was something Ariel craved in her life, given how awful her mother was and how absent her father was. That's why she was crying, she felt lost. Ariel unexpectedly had something to lose if she went to prison. All she had to do now was to wait for her judgment and accept her fate.

"Hey, you! Quit your sniffling! I am trying to sleep here!" a man, a few cells from her shouted.

"Sorry." a cracked and hushed voice escaped from her.

Ariel hugged her knees and cried silently as possible.

Back in Vinter Castle at midnight.

Elsa was sitting up on their shared bed and caressed Anna's cheek gently as possible so she wouldn't disturb her sleep. She was dressed in a midnight blue fitted double breasted frock coat with a slit on her left thigh. The buttons of the frock coat were silver as well as the trimmings of the collars were embroidered with silver threads. The cravat around her neck was white and a sapphire brooch kept it in place. Underneath the frock coat was white shirt and dark blue waist coat paired with black trousers and black boots with silver embroidery of a snowflake. She also wore a black belt around her waist and lastly a dark blue hooded cloak lined with black sable fur.

For the first time she was having second thoughts about leaving to fulfill her duty as the protector of the realm. The entire time she was dressing her mind was plagued by the thoughts of her ill Duchess.

The soft knocks were heard and Bulda came in with a fresh basin of cool water and clean linen. The older woman sighed at the sight, utterly displeased.

"You're leaving then."

"Yes." Elsa answered in a low hush voice, and that answer met a click of a tongue. Elsa turned her eyes on the source of the sound, she frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"You're asking me what's wrong? Elsa you're an intelligent woman, I am sure you'll figure it out. Move." Elsa moved aside; if she didn't she was sure Bulda would push her out of the way.

Bulda soaked the linen in the water and wringed it before wiping Anna's body, she repeated the process until she made sure Anna was free from sweat and changed her night dress. She used another linen to soak into the water and wringed it before placing it on Anna's forehead. She turned and saw Elsa standing by the foot of the bed.

"You're still here? I thought you have a kingdom to save?" said Bulda in a harsh tone.

That disrespectful tone got into Elsa, her anger rose but kept her voice calm as possible. "What is your problem?"

"I have no problem, you should ask yourself since the way you look at me is akin to a beast wanting to rip my head off." the stout woman placed her hands on her waist, meeting Elsa's angry glare. "Of all the things you could inherit from your mother's side of the family, you chose to have that bad temper or was it your good uncle's doing?"

Elsa gritted her teeth. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Bulda scoffed and shooed Elsa away. "Go and be a hero while your other half is suffering."

"I am only doing my duty." Elsa lowly growled.

"Then what of your duty as a spouse? Yes I know you two are already married, I forced Pabbie to tell me since we were instructed to obey a Duchess of another Duchy, which was bizarre in all aspects and I had to find out what prompted that."

Elsa remained silent.

Bulda sighed. "Your father was almost arrested for disobeying a royal order." Elsa's attention piqued. "One winter, a year before you and your sister were born when your mother suffered from fever, and at the same time King Olav had summoned the key nobles of his council and your father was one of them."

"We were preparing for the worst, she was unconscious for days and we thought that would be her last moments. Your father refused the summons and stayed by your mother's side. Their relationship may have started with an arranged marriage, such as yours, but they care for each other so much that it turned into love. And I can see that you feel the same way towards Anna. I am not saying your duty as Queen is not important but I just want to remind you how sacred marriage is, especially to us with the blood of the Kaldrians, whether or not you had performed a Kaldrian ceremony. Your father knew what was waiting for him for not answering a royal summon, but he chose to uphold his marriage vows for being there for your mother. Given your position as Queen, you have a lot of room to adjust because they answer to you not the other way around." Bulda reached out to caress Elsa's cheek. "My dear child, don't burden yourself too much. Share the load to us, we are your family and we will help you in any way we can." with that Bulda left the room, leaving Elsa to contemplate on Bulda's words.

Elsa sat by Anna's side and whispered

"Please wait for me." Elsa leaned down and gently kissed Anna's lips. "I love you." She then left the room. She made her way to where her knights' rallying point.

Her entire body ached in pain, she could barely open her eyes to see where she was. She was feeling hot and cold at the same time, going in and out of consciousness every hour. She could hear some people conversing but couldn't comprehend what they were talking about. There was a cold sensation on her forehead, bringing her to consciousness.

The room she was in was dark, and she could discern a silhouette but she was not sure who it was.

"Elsa?" Anna called using her hoarse voice.

"No, my dear." Bulda said softly. Anna realized that Elsa must've left hours ago. It was only natural to have Bulda attend to her, she felt sad at the lack of Elsa's presence.

"Where am I?" Anna asked.

"In the Queen's bedroom."

Anna blinked a few times to see her surroundings clearly.

"Water. May I have some water please?" Anna asked.

"Of course, if you could just wait a little. I had someone to fetch it for me— ah there she is." as if on cue, the door opened and revealed Elsa who was holding a tray for the pitcher and a glass.

"Elsa?" Anna was surprised at Elsa's sudden appearance, her spirit was lifted. "What are you doing here?"

"Good gods. You're awake." Elsa quickly placed the tray on a small round table next to the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked, while Bulda filled the glass with water.

"Elsa be a dear and assist your wife to sit up."

"Of course." Elsa gently assisted Anna to sit up as per Bulda's order, not minding how disrespectful Bulda had sounded by not addressing her with proper titles. The Duke of Weselton would be appalled by Bulda's way of speaking to her. She took the glass of water from her former nanny and helped Anna to drink. "Slowly. There you go. You're doing great."

Elsa gave back the glass to Bulda and dabbed Anna's lips with a clean handkerchief.

"Why are you here?" Anna asked again as she slowly lay down with Elsa assisting her.

"I'll leave you both to talk but don't tire her Elsa, she needs rest." Bulda said with a motherly tone and left the room.

"Elsa, you're not answering my question." Anna saw Elsa's discarded coat draped on the back of a chair.

Elsa sat on the plush chair by Anna's bed and held her hand. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Anna was confused.

"I was supposed to go as planned but I realized how awful of me to abandon you in your current state."

"What do you mean?"

"Bulda made me realize what should be my priority, and that is you." Elsa kissed the back of Anna's hand. "I am the Queen and I have a duty to this kingdom. I have a multitude of responsibilities but I am also a wife, your wife." Elsa caressed the back of Anna's hand with her both hands. "Having someone to love as much as I love you is a new thing to me. For the first time in my life, I am lost. I don't know what to do."

"Bulda talked some sense to me and I feel humbled that she had to do that when I should've known and didn't need her nor anyone, for that matter, to tell me those things."

Anna's eyes softened and smiled at her.

"My dearest, come here." Anna patted the spot beside her. Elsa complied and sat next to her. "If I say that it was fine for you to leave, I would be lying." tightening her hold on Elsa's hand. "Before you arrived, I was saddened but I understood why you weren't here. But my heart rejoiced when I saw you carrying that tray ever so carefully." she chuckled. "Where are the servants anyway?"

"I insisted on getting it myself, besides getting a servant down stairs doesn't make any sense for a glass of water, in an ungodly hour, when a few more paces and you'll be in the kitchen."

"You have a point."

"Anything for you." Elsa touched her forehead. "Your fever subsided, how are you feeling?"

"Cold."

Elsa fixed Anna's blanket to keep her warm. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you." Anna said but her eyes were filled with longing. "Elsa?"

"Yes darling?"

Anna hesitated for a moment then said. "Will you lay next to me? Just until I fall asleep, please?"

"Of course." Elsa smiled and laid herself next to Anna and pulled her in a warm embrace. "Sleep well, my dearest." She kissed Anna's forehead.

Anna snuggled on Elsa's chest and mumbled. "Good night, my love." and she fell asleep.

The next day, Elsa woke up early and made sure to tell the servants to serve their breakfast in their shared room, while the nobles were still banned from visiting the sick Duchess. For the meantime while Elsa waits for Anna to wake, she had Pabby fetch the castle's ledgers and other documents that needed to be reviewed and signed. And one of those documents was a list of the possible regents in Vinter castle in time of her absence or if she was incapacitated. This certain document was immediately sealed and it was put in a secured lock box that only Elsa, Pabby and Bulda knew of its existence. And she asked Pabbie for a small favor to check something for her at the castle's garden.

The next few hours were spent on reviewing the Duchy's ledger and making sure to have enough supplies for the coming winter. She wanted to ensure no one would starve and she wanted them to be protected from the cold. Many of her people in the Duchy were resentful towards the former regime, especially those who were of Kaldrian descent, their lands and titles were stripped from them and now she was reinstating their status to their former glory. Elsa needed them as part of her powerbase to balance the scale with those Eldr nobles.

There was also the question of how much dowry would be given to her by Anna. Elsa knew this practice very well, she had been offered a huge amount of gold for her to marry a nobleman's daughter, and vast lands to marry a princess, and she couldn't care less about them. Men flocked to women who could give them wealth and prestige even if they weren't interested in the ladies themselves; those kinds of marriage often fall apart. She witnessed so many unhappy brides who were given away by their families for the sake of family reputation and connections.

The thoughts of brides made her recall how Anna asked if she would marry Giselle after her for the sake of keeping others to claim the other Eldr offspring to their advantage. It was common practice for royalties to marry more than one person in certain cases such as; if the Queen couldn't produce legitimate heirs, or if the candidates were part of powerful families that could cause instability to the monarch's power.

Many Arendellian kings took advantage of such marriage rules to the point of having problems on who should inherit the kingdom, causing siblings to fight one another. The murders in the royal household increased at that time, they even killed their father the king and seized the throne for themselves. The kings after that gruesome kinslaying became wiser to keep themselves on the throne, that's why instead of marrying those women, they would just take them as mistresses and have their children out of wedlock. Indulging with carnal relations with them without worrying about the Heir's status as the next monarch, but they didn't explicitly ban those marriage rules in case they would be needed.

Elsa was repulsed by the idea of taking another wife just because of such trivial political matters, her Kaldrian upbringing clashed with Arendellian practices. Kaldrians were known for their monogamous marriages, they treat marriage as a sacred union that only the gods or death could break. The founder of Kaldr and his people were devoted followers of the goddess Frigg, that's why he had chosen a raven carrying a sprig of mistletoe in its talons for his house crest in her honor and made sure to raise a close knit and loving family.

"Elsa?" Anna's hoarse voice reached her ears.

Elsa immediately rose from her seat and moved to Anna's side.

"Good morning my darling. How are you feeling?" Elsa asked softly.

"Good morning. I feel better than last night." Anna smiled and held Elsa's hand. "What were you doing?" She asked as she eyed the writing desk filled with state papers by the window.

"Ah. That. I was reviewing the ledgers and some other things. Oh I almost forgot." Elsa took a sprig of lavender flowers from her waistcoat's pocket and gave them to Anna. "Despite its rundown condition, there are still some flowers that flourished in my late mother's conservatory."

Anna took in the heavenly scent of the flowers. "Lavenders."

"Yes, for your speedy recovery." Elsa leaned her forehead against Anna's.

A bright smile bloomed in Anna's face as she felt the warmth from her lover's actions and through her words. Seeing this smile gave Elsa the encouragement to pull her into her arms and hold her.

"I was so worried. I'm glad you're feeling better now." Elsa whispered.

"Your presence helped me greatly. I know Bulda would take care of me but having you here beside me gave me strength."

"We'll stay here until you're fully recovered."

Anna pulled away slightly to look into Elsa's eyes.

"Then about the things in the capital?"

Elsa smiled. "I trust my cousins to do what I asked them to."

Meanwhile in Arendelle castle, the Harold cousins arrived safely that morning and they were exhausted but that didn't deter them. Rapunzel was woken by Vladimir as he knocked on her door and informed her of the arrival of the trio.

Dressed only with her robe, she welcomed the cousins in her room with tea already served.

"Welcome back." Rapunzel gave them each a hug.

"We're glad to be back." Olaf smiled.

"Your arrival is most opportune." Rapunzel sighed.

The blue eyed trio shared a look as they all noticed the Princess' weary expression.

"Is there something amiss?" Marshall asked.

"My parents are having a quarrel."

"Oh. How rare." Olaf mumbled. "What happened?"

"My mother picked up a stray and she unknowingly saved one of the spawn of Runeard."

The Harold cousins were stunned for a moment.

"And your father, the king, didn't take that well, did he?" Eric asked.

"Of course he didn't. And with all the problems that have piled up since you guys left for the Royal Progress, I am quite sure I won't be able to handle this by myself now that my parents are like this."

"Where is she? The Eldr." Marshall asked using his cold and dark tone.

"Imprisoned in the dungeon." Rapunzel said, but after she uttered those words, Marshall immediately stood up and marched towards the dungeon.

Olaf could only sigh, he still needed to discuss important things with Rapunzel but he knew his brother well. He stood up only to be tapped on the shoulder by Eric.

"Stay. Tell her what Elsa had asked and I'll follow that stubborn mule." Eric bowed at Rapunzel and went on his way to follow Marshall in the depths of the castle.

Once Eric reached the dungeon, he witnessed how Marshall was coldly looking down at the person inside the cell.

"W-Who are you?"

A familiar voice reached Eric's ear. He wasn't sure where he heard it.

"By your red hair, there's no doubt you're the daughter of that murderer." Marshall said and placed his hand on the grip of his sword.

Eric saw this and quickly stopped Marshall from harming the woman.

"Stop this." Eric growled at Marshall. But he received a glare from the latter. "Let Elsa decide her fate. Not you."

Marshall reluctantly obeyed but his rage grew a thousand fold when the woman spoke again.

"M-Max?" it was faint but both cousins heard it. Both cousins froze.

Eric turned and saw the woman he never thought to see again.

Ariel stared at him with surprise in her eyes and was shocked to see him wearing such elaborate uniform that only a person of high rank in the military would wear.

"I-It's y-you." Ariel whispered.

There was silence and then Marshall's cold and wrathful voice filled the air.

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Yikes.

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