AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hallo again, guys! First off, thank you thank you THANK YOU both for tolerating me, as I take forever to get new chapters done, and for everybody who's reviewed! It means more to me than I can say!

Also, as a quick note: yes, this chapter generally acknowledges the existence of religion, but—trying to stay true to my prompt—I don't really get into it, beyond making a bunch of references to Elsa's coronation scene in Frozen, and using the context of Anna and Elsa's being Generically Christian (cite "Olaf's Frozen Adventure," wherein we spend the entire first song going on and on about how it's the FIIIIIIIRST CHRISTMAS IN FOREVERRRRRRRRRR...). ;) It's kind of like how I've tried to write Elsa as being a "political figure," but without actually making this political (can I just say how INSANELY DIFFICULT that is? By the way? Ugh, I hope I'm doing okay at it). Anyway, I love love LOVE talking to people about my religion, because it's everything to me, but my goal here is to NOT to shove it down everybody's throats. Therefore, I DO have characters going to church and stuff in this chapter, but... yeah, I don't really go into it, beyond generally acknowledging that Church Is A Thing That Exists. It just fits the context. To go into detail would be, in my opinion, a kind of weird deviation from this Disney/Dreamworks prompt.

Anyhoo. I love you all, thanks for reading, I am SUPER grateful for your reviews and support (like, you don't even KNOW), and I hope you have a fantabulous day! :)

CONTENT WARNING: Shockingly, there's a bit of innuendo in the beginning of this chapter, which shocks you all beyond shocking description

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72: SUNDAY IN ARENDELLE

Knock knock.

The Fifth Spirit groaned inwardly, her grip tightening on her blanket. She squeezed her eyes shut, determined to avoid the prospect of facing another day in the castle for at least a few moments longer, despite how uncomfortably heavy and scratchy the non-ice bedding felt.

Knock knock knock.

"Elsa?"

She froze.

Her breath catching, Elsa looked down her bed in the direction of the art gallery. It sounded like him. But—

"Snowflake? Are you—uh," Jack Frost's voice came again, "Are you up?"

"Jack?" Elsa heard herself squeak.

"It's—um, it's almost eight," he choked, "And if you're not—"

"—JACK!"

Her heart leaping, Elsa sat bolt upright. Kicking off her covers, she scrambled out of her bed, her feet hitting the floor into a full sprint. As she ran, Elsa threw her right hand into the air.

Creak! As the ice ramp shot up out of the carpet, she leapt onto it, sliding to the top of the half-wall.

"Sounds good," Jack Frost said, turned away from her and bending down to tuck his folded-up snowflake blanket under her desk, "Because I didn't want to bust in again, if you weren't goi-OOF!"

As he turned around, the Fifth Spirit leapt forward and threw her arms around his neck, embracing him with all her strength. His body tense with shock, Jack stumbled back a step. After another beat—finding his footing—Elsa felt the Guardian relax, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her closer in response.

Her mind racing, Elsa's heart swelled. He was here. He was back. He was here, with her, in her room, and he was BACK. And Jack Frost—as usual—was cold.

He was strong, and he was here, and he was so. COLD.

Her face melting into a smile, she relaxed into his arms, breathing in the pure joy of his presence once again. As Jack reached up and started to thread his fingers through her hair, stroking it back as he kissed the side of her head, Elsa closed her eyes. This was… wonderful. It just felt so RIGHT. Oh, how she'd missed him… and how nice it felt to have his fingers in her hair, his arms around her waist, pulling her tighter as her chest pressed up against his, and—

Elsa's eyes flew open.

I'm wearing a nightgown.

With a squeak of horror, the Snow Queen jerked away, jumping back from him and quickly folding her arms over her chest. Heat rushing to her cheeks, Elsa sucked in a breath.

"Heh—um," she stammered, "Sorry."

"You're fine."

Standing in front of her in the art gallery, Jack Frost was smiling at her dazedly, his gaze happy and soft. Elsa crossed her arms even tighter, feeling the sharp sting of shame and mortification in the back of her throat.

Note to self, she thought miserably, hunched over in embarrassment. Don't hug male friend until DRESSED.

"It's—good to see you," Jack started, making her jolt back into the present.

Elsa cleared her throat. "Um—you too. I mean, it's good to see you, too."

They stared into each other's eyes for a long, silent moment.

"Thanks for bringing me dinner," Jack started again, taking a tiny step towards her. "You didn't have to, though."

"Oh! I'm—glad you liked it."

"It was really nice of you."

Her arms still crossed over her chest, Elsa blushed. She looked down to her feet. "I didn't want you to be hungry. And, I think that the simplest things are the ones you miss the most when they're gone," she admitted, starting to relax a bit, "Like good food. And a warm bed."

As she shyly looked back up, Elsa saw that Jack had raised his eyebrows.

"Or a cold one," she added.

He grinned wryly. "Yeah, that's more like it."

And the silence fell once again.

Twisting her fingers against each other, the Fifth Spirit bit her lip. It felt so strange to be standing here, with him. And yet, so natural.

Jack Frost had the most beautiful eyes…

Pulling her gaze away from his, Elsa's face fell. Closing her own eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest again, the sea of questions bubbling up inside of her. Jack was here now, but—he wasn't, before. And if he really cared… well.

She didn't want to ask him. But it was going to drive her crazy, if she didn't.

Gathering her courage, Elsa sucked in her breath. "Where were—"

"Why weren't—"

They both abruptly stopped talking, looking to each other in surprise. After a moment, the two both let out nervous laughs, mutually blushing at the awkwardness.

Jack cleared his throat, pushing his fingers through his hair. He then let his hand fall back onto his neck. "Sorry, you go first."

"It's okay, you can—"

"—No. You first."

Elsa looked down to her feet, her arms still crossed over her chest.

"Where were you last night?" she asked quietly. "You promised me that you'd be back quickly. And you weren't."

He opened his mouth to respond, only to then freeze. Closing it, he swallowed hard.

The Guardian's face fell.

"I lost track of time," Jack sighed. "I got involved reading something, and—I have no excuse. I'm sorry."

Elsa bit her lip. His head hanging, the Spirit of Winter's ears had flushed pink, like he—like—!

Like he's upset that he made me upset? she thought.

"Reading something?" Elsa asked.

Jack nodded. Without a word, he then turned away from her, walking back into the art gallery. She followed, only to reach the doorway as he stopped at her desk, picking up a small pamphlet.

The Spirit of Winter turned around, holding it up.

"This something," Jack confirmed.

Her eyes bulged.

"You read my Tax Reform?" Elsa gasped.

Once again, he didn't immediately respond. Walking back to her, he shook it gently in the air, motioning for Elsa to hold out her hand.

"Yeah," Jack nodded.

And the Spirit of Winter slapped it into her palm.

Whap.

Taking it, Elsa's heart started pounding. She looked down in wonder, her gaze on the cover of the booklet that represented her first couple of months as the Queen.

"Do you—um," she squeaked, her heart leaping, "Did you have any feedback?"

"It doesn't really need any."

Elsa's eyes narrowed slightly. Just as she was opening her mouth to speak—

"Wait. Hold up," Jack stammered, "Are you quizzing me?"

Kind of.

"No," Elsa choked, "I just—"

"—Well, if I were going to give you feedback, I'd probably bring up the difference between the taxing on fish and deer," he interrupted, his gaze suddenly a combination of anxious and defensive. "I mean, I don't get why those should be separate categories. Pretty redundant, if you ask me."

Elsa's mouth hanging slightly open, she stared, her eyes wide with astonishment. Her mind racing, she gripped the booklet with all her strength.

He HAS read it.

"Oh," she gasped, "I—I'll look into that. Was there anything else?"

Jack rocked back onto his heels, hooking his thumbs onto the edges of his front pocket. "I think that the lowest tier tax bracket is way too broad."

Her eyebrows lifted. "Too broad? How so?"

Jack grimaced. "'The Poor' aren't all the same, your highness," he admitted. "There are a bunch of levels, there. It might be worth a little more research."

"I did research it! I just—I—"

Seeing his expression, Elsa cut herself off. Knowing Jack Frost as she now did—she had a feeling that he was more intimately acquainted with the struggles of poverty than she could ever be.

The Snow Queen cleared her throat.

"I will definitely research it more," Elsa decided. "And I'd—I'd love your input. Actually."

He smiled bitterly, giving her a pained nod. Sticking his hands into his pocket, Jack glanced to his shepherd's crook, which was leaned up against the side of Elsa's desk.

All of a sudden, his eyes went cold.

"You didn't think I read it," he said icily, looking back up to her. "Did you?"

Elsa shifted uncomfortably on her feet, squirming in his stare. "Well, it's not very… um," she admitted, staring downwards. "Fun?"

To this, Jack let out a sharp bark of laughter, his face breaking into a grin. "Alright, Snowflake. I'll grant you that," he chuckled.

"It's not exactly a page-turner."

"You researched me. So, I'm researching you," Jack shrugged, stepping forward and tapping the booklet. "Because this—Snowflake—has Queen Elsa written ALL over it."

He flicked his hand over the surface of the pamphlet, a sparkle of snowflakes bursting out of his fingertips and floating down onto its front cover. As he stepped back, sticking his hand into his pocket again, Elsa watched the largest snowflake land on the top of her name, gleaming on the E.

"Prince-Boy isn't the only guy around here who can research stuff," Jack added.

"Oh, I know. I just didn't think you would care."

Jack's mouth fell open. Seeing the hurt in his expression, Elsa instantly jolted to retract the statement, but—

"I care!" he sputtered.

"Jack, I—"

"—I do care!" he protested, his voice breaking as he looked down to his feet, awkwardly kicking at the carpet. "I—I care more than he—!"

Jack abruptly stopped talking, his ears flushing pink. Taken aback, Elsa snapped her mouth shut, watching as he anxiously pushed his fingers through his hair again. She had meant that she didn't think he'd be so passionate about tax policy, but—

Giving her head a shake, Elsa gulped down the terrible feeling, sick at the thought of hurting him. She drew herself up.

"What were you wanting to ask me?" she started again.

Jack looked up. "Huh?"

"You were going to ask me something," Elsa said, "But then, you said that I could go first. What was it?"

The Spirit of Winter's face flushed. "Oh—uh, don't worry about it."

He turned away, reaching around and picking up his staff. Elsa jolted, jumping and running in front of him.

"Jack, I want to know," she pressed, "I mean, if you want me to know something—if there's something you're not—asking—me—?"

He paused, staring at the floor. Her heart pounding, Elsa picked up his free hand, grasping it in her own.

"Please?" she pleaded.

Her heart pounding, Elsa squeezed his hand again.

Opening his mouth to speak and then closing it, Jack glanced down to their hands, his cheeks and ears turning pink. Sucking in his breath—

"Why weren't you sleeping next to me last night?" he blurted.

Elsa's eyes widened.

She dropped his hand. "What?"

"Well, two nights ago, we had the ice wall, with my bed on that side, and yours—you made one—on this side, next to each other," he stammered, gesturing with the staff, "But then, last night, there was—you were back in your normal bed. The not-ice one."

He shifted on his feet, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding in the direction of the ice wall. Blushing furiously, he then shyly looked up into her eyes, like he wanted to both watch and avoid her reaction at the same time.

"Oh! Um," Elsa admitted, "I would have, but—well, it's a pretty personal thing, and I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with it. I didn't know if you would want me to sleep next to—"

"—I want you to sleep next to me."

His face was devoid of humor, his nervous gaze suddenly an intense stare piercing into her eyes. Under the weight of his scrutiny, Elsa felt a shuddery sensation of excitement shoot through her body.

Her stomach feeling strangely light, she swallowed.

"Okay," she said.

His face seemed to relax a bit. After a few moments, he suddenly jolted.

"Unless you don't want to!" Jack stammered, "Because if you didn't want to, then I don't want you to feel like I'm making—"

"—I want to," Elsa interrupted.

His gaze met hers again, his eyes wide. The Fifth Spirit gave him a little shrug.

"I like having my bed next to yours," Elsa admitted. "It's nice."

"Oh! Um, great. Then."

His expression melted into a sheepish smile, and Jack Frost caught his staff forward into his hands. "As long as you're okay with it," he said softly, starting to walk back towards her room. "I mean, we have the wall, but…"

She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her skirt as she followed. "I like sleeping with you."

Jack abruptly stopped walking.

"NEXT TO!" Elsa blurted, her face flushing, "I like sleeping NEXT TO you—I, I didn't—"

"—I know what you meant."

The Spirit of Winter pressed his lips together, obviously pleased with her slip but clearly trying to suppress either a smirk or a laugh. As they came up to the wall, he silently reached down to the bedframe as Elsa lifted her arms towards the half-wall.

Whoosh. Flurries of snow swept into the air, trails of frost dancing and swirling around them as the ice disintegrated, falling away into the carpet and twisting into a series of tight streamers. As Elsa's enormous snowflake burst apart into the silence, Jack pressed his middle finger to his thumb.

Snap.

And the streamers burst apart.

Glancing to her nightgown, Jack reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. Next to him, Elsa twisted her fingers together.

After a few more moments of silence, she sucked in her breath.

"I should get dressed—"

"—Oh! Yeah, I—yeah."

Jack blushed, laughing nervously and turning away. As he walked back towards her desk, Elsa saw him pull his hood down over his face, leaning into the wall and sinking down against it.

Her heart light, she whirled around and ran for her room divider.

Less than a minute later, Elsa was stepping out again, this time in a light green dress with a capelet flowing out from the waist and her signature long, tight sleeves. As the last of the ice particles softly billowed off of it to fall into the carpet, she called out to him. "Thanks for waiting, Jack."

"Not a problem, Snowflake," he answered. Straightening up from the wall, he snatched up his staff, letting it fall back onto his shoulder. "What's the plan?"

"It's Sunday," Elsa replied. She glanced down to Jack's feet. "Are you sure that you don't want to wear shoes?"

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Jack didn't want to wear shoes.

After a brief and rather light-hearted argument, the Snow Queen had conceded that, no, perhaps a floating pair of shoes walking themselves down the aisle of the chapel wouldn't help to foster the stern reverence that was generally encouraged there.

It had been almost a full week since Jack Frost had shown up in her bedroom, at 2:00 AM on the previous Monday morning. Given everything that was going on, between Jack and Anna and Frederik and Rapunzel and Christmas and the Council and the Forest and the kingdom, Elsa was grateful for the opportunity to silently sit in the front pew of the castle's chapel and listen to their bishop's sermon, deep in thought and pleasantly torn between deciding if she should feel more guilty or inspired. He was the same bishop who had coronated her, the same one that she and Anna had grown up hearing every Sunday, and there was something very reassuring about that.

For the first time in a solid week, the Fifth Spirit of the Enchanted Forest felt that—for two hours—she knew exactly what she was supposed to do.

Upon joining the Nature Spirits, Queen Elsa had elected to keep the religion of her youth, and would almost always make it back to join Queen Anna and King Kristoff at their weekly services. The Northuldra (who were of a different faith entirely) were very kind and understanding of this, and would rarely discourage her unless she were DESPERATELY needed in the Forest, like the time when sweet Bruni had fallen ill, and kept setting their settlement on fire. Elsa did not remember that week with fondness. Now that she was temporarily reinstated as the Acting Queen of Arendelle, however, her Sunday schedule had basically reversed: Instead of waking up in the Forest and then riding down to spend some time in Arendelle, she would now wake up in the castle, go to church with her family, and then leap into her Spirit Dress and be riding the Nokk back to her real home within twenty minutes of the service's end.

At least, that was generally the plan. Sometimes, essential pleasantries took longer than Elsa would have liked, but Queen Anna was very good at helping the Fifth Spirit to escape the royal small talk that she found so frustrating. More than anyone, Anna knew that—while her sister did indeed need to go and check on the Spirits, to make sure that everyone was doing alright in her absence—Elsa needed the Enchanted Forest almost more than it needed her, and that the Snow Queen's weekly opportunity to go and spend a few hours breathing in its crisp, magical air was probably the only thing that was truly keeping Elsa sane.

But here in the chapel, the Royal Family took the front pew, which was reserved for them as usual with enough room to accommodate a few royal guests. Sven the reindeer waited outside, par the bishop's request. When this had first come up, back soon after Elsa's coronation, Kristoff had been extremely upset. However, when the then-Princess Anna suggested that the ice-man's furry friend probably didn't need to be too concerned about his salvation, Kristoff had immediately relaxed about the whole thing. After all, reindeers were better than people, and the very idea that his beautiful, innocent, perfect Sven was even CAPABLE of committing sin was preposterous. Kristoff had taken this matter very seriously, but Elsa had to actively restrain from collapsing into a fit of giggles every time that she even remembered the exchange. As Kristoff had passionately expounded upon his reindeer's many virtues, all that Elsa could see was a ridiculous image of Sven the Reindeer hovering on a tiny set of wings with a halo floating between his antlers and a choir of angels behind him.

But back to the service.

"Aaaah!" Eugene exclaimed, stretching out his arms as he stood up at its conclusion, "Nothing quite like sitting on a hard wooden plank and getting lectured for two hours to really wake up those old muscles! There is absolutely NOTHING I'd rather be doing on a beautiful Sunday morning; your thoughts?"

Rapunzel giggled. "Eugene…!"

Elsa laughed into her hand, while still keenly aware of the chill from how close Jack Frost was to her, sitting on her other side. "Well, I'm sure we all appreciate your sacrifice," she offered with a chuckle.

Jack said nothing, grinning as he got to his feet and snatched up his shepherd's crook. Sitting cross-legged in the air with the staff dropped across his lap, Jack Frost had sat beside to her through the service, next to where Elsa had purposely taken the seat on the edge of the pew. He'd even kept his hand on top of hers the whole time, invisible to the other churchgoers. Elsa had actually been the one to initiate this, having placed her hand down on the wood, just in case—and Jack had responded. It was wonderful.

As they left the chapel, both Anna and Elsa exchanged a number of pleasantries with the variety of church members from the town, and of course the bishop himself. With all of the extra people in the castle connected to the suitors (including Frederik, of course, even though he had been hastily called away after the service by his attendant), the chapel was full to bursting. Finally making it out of the building, the royal family began to head back towards the castle.

"I was thinking," Queen Anna bubbled excitedly, holding hands with both Elsa and Kristoff as she thunked down the icy front steps with her enormously pregnant stomach, "After Elsa gets back from the Forest, maybe we could all play charades again, and then have hot chocolate, and maybe some sandwiches, and then tell stories by the fireplace up by our rooms. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"I love charades!" Rapunzel exclaimed, "And I actually brought a couple of puzzles. If anyone is interested."

Elsa laughed, glancing to Jack, who was silently walking on her other side, invisible to the crowd of castle churchgoers, servants, and of course, her cousins. Even though the people could pass through him easily, Elsa noted that the Spirit of Winter went out of his way to avoid walking into people… as it was literal, for him.

He shrugged. "As long as I'm introduced, at some point," he chuckled into her ear.

She gave him a tiny, almost-indiscernible nod. Anna had prepped her sister on the fact that, while she and Kristoff had told Rapunzel and Eugene about the Guardians, the name of Jack Frost himself had yet to come up.

"Well," the Snow Queen agreed, turning back to her family, "I think that all sounds wonderful. And very doable."

Anna grinned, glancing to Jack. Looking back to her sister—a mischievous glint in her eye—she then pulled in her breath.

"Why don't you just—um—stay here for a few minutes," Queen Anna suggested, glancing between Jack and Elsa once again, "And greet more of the townsfolk, on my behalf? The rest of us can go back to the castle."

"That sounds fun," Princess Rapunzel agreed. "What do you want to do first?"

"Actually, I think I'd like to go lie down in the back parlor for a few minutes," Anna admitted. "And of course, there will be sandwiches for everyone."

"Sandwiches are a GREAT idea," Eugene piped up again, "A splendid idea. A PERFECT idea. In fact, speaking of perfect ideas, I actually had an idea for a new type of sandwich the other day."

Rapunzel's eyebrows lifted. "And what's that?"

"I call it: a cakewich," he breathed, sweeping his hands to the side, "Because the filling would be cake, and then instead of condiments, there'd be pudding, and then, instead of bread, you would have donuts."

The entire group fell silent.

Holding her pregnant stomach, Anna pulled in her breath. "That sounds amazing," she whispered.

"That sounds disgusting," Kristoff countered.

"What? Nonsense!" Eugene laughed, "It's brilliant. It's PERFECT. In fact, I think," he proclaimed, giving Kristoff a poke in the arm, "That you're just jealous! Because you didn't think of it first."

Eugene nodded resolutely, crossing his arms over his chest, and Elsa restrained from a snort, exchanging a glance with Anna and Rapunzel. As Sven clomped up from beside the building to join them, Eugene waggled his eyebrows.

"Just wait until you hear about my idea for ice cream soup," he added.

"Ice cream soup?"

"Yep!" he said, nodding as the group turned to walk towards the castle, leaving Elsa and Jack behind them in the square. "It's like ice cream: but soup! And then you eat it with cherries."

Anna laughed, putting her arm in King Kristoff's. Giving Elsa a bright smile, she and Rapunzel then nodded, turning and following.

As they walked away, Elsa felt the tiniest gust of icy air billow past her capelet.

"They're growing on me," Jack said.

She turned around, her heart leaping as their gazes locked. Biting the edge of her lip, Elsa fidgeted with her fingers, looking down. They were still in the center of the square, but no one was particularly paying attention to them at the moment.

She could be subtle.

"Are you coming with me to the Forest?" she breathed, hardly moving her lips.

"Yeah! But I think that first, a little snowstorm might be in order," Jack grinned. "Mind if I take a quick jaunt—that way?"

He glanced to the sky, then wryly looking back down to her and drumming his fingers on the staff. Elsa smiled, restraining from a laugh as she looked to the ground, still aware of everyone that could still see her.

"Please do," she whispered.

Giving her a quick wink, the Spirit of Winter bit the edge of his lip with excitement. Then, he bent his knees and leapt into the air, shooting straight upward into the sky.

Watching him as his lithe form got smaller and smaller—a swirl of stormclouds beginning to move through the sky as it did, beginning to darken and sink—Elsa's heart fluttered. Clasping her hands together in front of her skirt, she beamed.

Oh, he was wonderful.

"Queen Elsa?"

Jerked from the stupor, Elsa whipped around. Her head councilman, Rolf, was suddenly standing right next to her in the square.

And the previously light feeling in her chest abruptly vanished.

"Good morning, Rolf," Queen Elsa stated, feeling her heart turning to stone and sinking into her stomach. "Did you enjoy the service?"

"Yes—uh, quite inspiring. Anyway," he blurted, as if flustered by the pleasantry, "I have come representing The Council. There were no available messengers, and—well, your presence is needed. Urgently."

"My presence?" she asked, "What do you mean?"

He drew in his breath. Gathering his courage, Rolf then straightened up.

"We have already lined up your meals. You will be leaving in fifteen minutes by carriage," he said quickly, without giving her the chance to protest, "To take Prince Frederik of Kingsley on a tour of Arendelle. Your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the day for this."

Elsa's mouth fell open.

"Excuse me?" she sputtered, "Are you meaning to tell me that, with my family in the castle, I am to—!"

The Snow Queen abruptly cut herself off, suddenly remembering again that they were still standing in the midst of the throng of Arendellians, some of whom were beginning to notice the exchange. Clearing her face of emotion, Elsa drew herself up.

"Please walk with me," she choked.

Rolf gave her a curt nod, gesturing for her to proceed.

"Rolf," Elsa gritted, whirling around to him as soon as they reached the edge of the nearest building, having let him around the corner, "Am I to understand that the Council—despite my family having recently traveled all the way from Corona, in December—has set me up on an all-day date with a man that I just met the day before, so that I have literally no time to spend with them?"

"You should have plenty of time," he said emotionlessly, "After the holiday. But for now, your focus should be on Christmas, and your suitor. He is the matter at hand."

"After the holiday? But my cousin and her husband will be gone by then!" Elsa protested, "That's the post-Christmas interlude! Remember?"

Immediately after Christmas, it was tradition that everyone in the castle—except for a bare minimum number of guards and servants, on rotation—would get a two-week vacation from the regular duties. Even in her childhood, when she'd mostly been separated from Anna, Elsa fondly remembered getting to spend time with her family, singing carols and playing games, albeit while wearing her gloves. With the parties and the holidays looming over her like the very castle she was honestly growing to resent, Elsa had been holding her breath for this vacation for months.

Not that the Council particularly cared about what Elsa wanted.

"Well," Rolf huffed, "Then perhaps you ought to manage your time better, your majesty."

Feeling her fingers tingling, Elsa clutched them together in front of her skirt. "I ought to manage my time?" she bristled.

"The Prince of Kingsley is of highest importance."

"As is my family."

"You will most likely be able to see them before retiring for bed," he said defensively, as if this made up for the situation. "You should arrive home just before nine-thirty pm."

The Snow Queen clenched her teeth against the slew of words she wanted to throw at him, squeezing her eyes shut. They had indeed filled up her schedule. Her entire schedule. Apparently, she wasn't going to the Forest today… nor doing ANYTHING else.

This definitely wasn't a thinly-veiled punishment at ALL.

As snow started to fall around her—and thankfully, everyone else as well, as the flurries were clearly falling from high above in the December clouds—she bit the edge of her lip. Pulling in a cleansing breath, the Fifth Spirit drew herself up.

She opened her eyes.

"And tomorrow morning will be left free," Elsa enunciated, glaring into Rolf's face, "For me to spend some time with my family, before going to the schools?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Good. Thank you."

As she started to turn away to go up the stairs, Rolf hesitated. Then, following her, he cleared his throat. "Queen Elsa—!"

She paused, looking back to him. He leapt up the stairs after her and pulled in his breath.

"I get the feeling you don't know…"

A look of confusion swept over her face. "What do I not know?"

Rolf's features were suddenly pained. Gathering his courage—

"With the Prince of Kingsley—we need to move quickly," he stammered, "Before he is spooked. There has been—talk."

"Talk of what?"

"You are aware of the sudden retirement of Mr. Hauge and Mr. Ellingbow?"

Elsa's eyebrows ticked up. Schooling her expression, she nodded.

"Yes. Quite unfortunate," she responded. "But weren't they near retirement, anyway?"

"That isn't the point! It's that—well, there's a—!"

Rolf snapped his mouth shut, like he was struggling to think of what to say. Giving his head a quick shake, he sucked in his breath.

"It is believed," he shook, leaning in close and dropping his voice to a whisper, "That—that Arendelle proper has acquired a—a phantom. Your majesty."

QUEEN FACE!

"Oh, no," Elsa enunciated, swallowing her intense desire to burst out laughing with frustrated triumph. "Do you really think so?"

He shifted on his feet, looking abruptly uncomfortable. Sensing it, the Fifth Spirit of the Enchanted Forest took a step towards him.

"To be completely honest—Rolf," she pressed, "I was not aware that you believed in such things."

He snapped his head up. "I never said I—"

"But you just—"

"—That is not the POINT, my queen!" he bristled, cutting her off again. "It doesn't matter, because the POINT is that—well, if I may speak boldly—"

You will, Elsa thought, Whether I grant you permission or not.

She clasped her hands together in front of her skirt, her expression one of practiced, detached interest.

"You should really be making more time for Prince Frederik," Rolf hissed, nervously glancing around. "Before he is spooked! If Arendelle Castle has indeed acquired a phantom, probably due to your little meltdowns somehow, then your priorities should really—"

"—Remain firmly centered on my family and my kingdom," Elsa finished. "And leave potential future alliances in their place, as a lower priority."

"But Arendelle—"

"—Has a number of alliances already."

As if on cue, Elsa looked up to see Jack Frost round the corner, a burst of snow whipping up around his feet as he found her. Her heart leapt, and—hiding it—she pulled in her breath.

"I think it would be a good idea to NOT let those existing alliances grow weak, in favor of obsessively pursuing new ones," she said sternly. "Especially when the permanent queen is on leave. Don't you agree, Rolf?"

"But an alliance with Kingsley is time-sensitive!" Rolf hissed, visibly pained as he leaned in close to her face, "If this phantom decides to pursue the prince, then all of our work is in vain!"

As Jack lit onto the ground, Elsa's heart swelled. Struggling to maintain the Queen Face, the Fifth Spirit of the Enchanted Forest gave Rolf a casual shrug, her eyebrows lifting.

"I do not imagine that such a thing should be a concern," she assured him.