Note:

Here's eight! It will be a bit before I post the next few – I'm about to have a pretty hectic week up ahead. Also, this whole thing is looking like more than 12 chapters now. I think it should be anywhere from 18-20? Not entirely certain yet, all I know is that this plot is going to need some extra building. All I know is that chapter nine and ten will be up before July.

Disclaimer:

I don't own Frozen – not planning to (unfortunately).

Happy reading!

- JQ

Chapter Eight: A Fresh Start

It had now been two days since Princess Tina woke up from her comatose state. Much to her chagrin, Dr. Halvorson had a wheelchair ready for Tina's use. Gunn-Britt was her personal guard so it made sense for the large woman to push her around in the contraption. Currently, Tina was sitting in the wheelchair, in the royal family's flower garden. It looked like any typical large and extravagant royal garden; small fruit trees, a wide array of different hedges, and plenty of different kinds of beautiful flowers.

Tina and Gunn-Britt were sitting in the garden because Princess Stella wanted to show the older princess her 'special' garden. This 'special garden' was mostly comprised of chopped up weeds and an assortment of colourful rocks which were set up in a way that no one other than a three-year-old child could comprehend. Tina would be in a better mood but she was feeling a little down-trodden about her interactions with Elsa.

Despite her little infatuation with the blonde, Tina just wanted to get to know the woman who saved her life. Nolan and Stella would constantly rave about their aunt and Tina would watch as she interacted with – LITERALLY – everyone else but her. Every time the brunette would attempt to make small-talk with the ice wielder, she would run off with some excuse about Olaf or just leave the premises. She knew that a whirlwind romance with the blonde was out of the question (given her doe-like skittishness), but to think that she didn't even want to be acquaintances with her was like a knife to the chest.

Tina just sighed and continued to watch as Stella dug around her garden, presumably planting more 'rock flowers'. Gunn-Britt, usually known for her lack of speech, noticed the princess' unusual demeanor. The large woman took a knee beside the princess and nudged her softly.

"What has got you feeling strange, Your Highness?" asked the guard.

Tina just shrugged. "I-It's nothing, Gunnie." before she could explain anything further, Stella turned around, waving her little muddy fingers around wildly.

"DID YOU SEE THAT TINA?!" asked the little girl, rather enthusiastically, "Did you see me scare away the bird?! He was trying to take my seeds!" the small blonde pointed at the pile of rocks.

Ah, Tina thought to herself, the rocks are seeds.

"Yep – sure did, Stella!" Tina replied. Satisfied, Stella went back to her tasks. Tina tried to enjoy the little girl's adorableness, but she couldn't help but wish another blonde was interested in being friends with her too.

...

Unbeknownst to the Botarskalic princess, Elsa was watching from one of the upstairs windows. She was just minding her own business – and walking down the halls like someone who wasn't going insane – when she looked out one of the windows and saw Princess Stella, Princess Tina, and Gunn-Britt in the garden. Elsa didn't know how long she had been watching them. All she knew was that her attention was more or less focused on the brunette as opposed to her niece...or the woman with the viking helmet.

"Elsa!" came Olaf's voice from behind her, "There you are!" she didn't turn around but she heard his little snowy waddle coming closer and closer. Once he was at her side he gave her a hug. "I was looking all over for you!"

"Really?" Elsa asked, not even looking down. "What's got you looking around for me?"

"Well," he began, "I overheard Honey and Anna talking about you."

Elsa shook her head and looked down at her little snowman. "Olaf – what did I tell you about eavesdropping?"

"I know, I know, it's 'not appropriate'." he said, half mocking her lecture from years ago, "But I thought it was important."

Elsa's eyes softened. "How so?"

"They are worried about you," he told her shyly, "they think you're afraid."

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

Olaf shrugged his little twiggy arms. "Um, Princess Tina?"

Out of all the things that he could have said, Elsa was definitely not expecting that. The blonde's head tilted to the side – as if she were a confused dog. She knew that she was awkward around the princess but she didn't think that her behaviour was alarming to anyone else. She didn't want Anna to worry about her, especially because of something like this (although she had no idea what 'this' even was). If this was a sign at all, Elsa decided to take it for what it was. She decided that she would talk with Anna about what she was feeling. Before she went to find her sister, she thanked the little snowman for the information he shared but made him promise to never eavesdrop again. He promised not to but she knew it would just happen again.

...

Anna was in her study, sifting through some mail. She had finished with the letters and was about to move on to a few packages that she had received from Botarskal. Since Vennesvurg had offered her compensation for looking after Princess Tina, the queen imagined that Botarskal was sending something similar to signify their gratitude. She had already opened two of the packages which had some smoked lamb, cheese, and dried fruit. Before she could ask her guard to fetch her the last package, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Anna said, putting the letters into a neat pile on the corner of her desk.

After the large door creaked open, in walked Elsa – looking like she had just been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar before supper. Anna just raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her big sister as she watched her slowly slink her way into the guest chair, opposite her desk.

"What's up with you?" the queen asked. Elsa simply groaned and planted her face in her palms. She started mumbling but it was muffled and Anna couldn't hear it properly. "Elsa – I can't hear you. Take your hands away."

The blonde groaned louder but tore her hands away from her face. "I said: I need help."

The queen straightened her posture and crossed her arms over her chest. "Help? With what?"

It was Elsa's turn to cross her own arms. "Don't act like Olaf doesn't hear everything and anything that happens in this castle." immediately, Anna's eyes widened and her shoulders sagged.

"Okay fine – you caught us." the queen threw her hands up dramatically. "But you have to admit: you have been acting so weird around Tina since she woke up."

Elsa blushed and could feel her palms start to sweat. The irony of the situation was that despite the heat going through her body, her fingers began to lightly frost over. The blonde quickly shook her hands and sat on them instead. "I-I didn't t-think it was that noticeable."

"Trust me," Anna sighed, "it was noticeable."

Elsa was at a loss for words. She normally was, when it came to her feelings, but she legitimately had no idea what was going on. "I just don't know what it is!" she exclaimed, "I-I just get so...so...I don't even know! It's like I get so nervous around her when she talks to me – I have no clue what to say."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Well, I think all you need is to get to know her better. She's an incredibly nice young woman, who my children adore." Anna then signalled for her guard to hand her the last Botarskalic package. When the guard handed it over to her, Anna realized that it was addressed to Princess Tina. She smiled as she thought of the most perfect plan.

"Here Elsa." the redhead said, holding the package out for the blonde to take. Elsa was hesitant, but she took the small package with both of her hands. She turned it so that she could see all of its' sides.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"It's addressed to Princess Tina." Anna stated simply, "Why don't you give that package to her at some point today? Try to be a regular person about it."

Elsa scoffed. "I resent the 'regular person' comment." she told her sister. "And further, this idea can't possibly help me."

Anna just ignored most of the comment and pretended to look at her various pens. "I don't see you coming up with any better ideas, now do I?" The former queen of Arendelle just huffed and began to make her way out of the study. Before she could fully exit, the redhead called out after her. "If you don't give her that package by tomorrow, I'm telling Gerda not to have smoked salmon on the menu for the rest of your stay!"

...

That evening, Elsa had given up. She tried to find some other way around Anna's idea but none of her options included her actually solving anything. They mostly consisted of her and the Nattruras leaving abruptly. When she approached Ryder about her options, he vehemently disagreed – he was all too excited to hang out with Kristoff and Sven again. Elsa hadn't approached the other sibling, but knowing Honeymaren, she would probably just encourage Elsa to confront her fears (albeit, in a more supportive tone than Anna had). Ergo, Elsa had decided to just bite the bullet and try to talk to Tina herself.

She had originally planned to give the princess her package right before dinner, but Tina hadn't come down. Ingrid had said that she was resting and enjoying her dinner upstairs tonight. The princess had a headache right before she was expected for dinner and just opted to have dinner on her own, in the comfort of her guest bedroom. It wasn't the most fun option, but it was better than being in the infirmary.

Elsa felt ridiculous, standing outside of the princess' guest room, holding onto the small package. It wasn't so late in the evening that it would be considered creepy, but it was odd that she was out here on her own. Everyone else was enjoying each other's company in the library – Nolan and Ryder were allegedly performing a fight from a Shakespeare scene and no one wanted to miss that.

The ice wielder took a deep breath and lifted her hand to knock on the princess' door. However, her fist was a mere inch from the door when her anxiousness began to plague her.

What if she's asleep? She thought. What if she doesn't want to see me after my behaviour? It would be better if I just left the package out here with a note – yes – I'm better at writing than speaking – I'll do that!

Right as she was about to turn around, she was face to face with Gerda, who was holding some fresh towels in her hands – presumably for Princess Tina's room.

"Ah!" Elsa softly exclaimed, nearly dropping the package in her hands. She struggled to catch the package a bit and nearly stumbled, trying to pull herself together. Despite her shock and initial clumsiness, the small box never touched the ground. When she regained her composure, she looked up at the head servant with a shy apologetic smile. "Heh – sorry, Gerda."

Gerda simply raised an eyebrow at the former queen with a relatively un-phased look on her face. She inhaled, as if summoning patience and grace. "Your Highness," she began, "may I help you?"

Elsa laughed nervously, shrugging her shoulders. "Ha – well – I-I was just going to visit the princess." she explained, "A-Anna wanted me to – um – this package! For T-Tina. I must give her...it." she smiled sheepishly while Gerda remained unaffected; she was used to the Arendellian sisters and their mannerisms. After knowing both of the young women for their whole lives, nothing was a surprise any longer.

"Is it because of your recent uptick in behaviour, Your Highness?" Elsa was taken aback slightly.

"How did you –!"

"Anna had alerted me to your task and I had been keeping an eye on it. She has advised that you are to have no smoked salmon for your stay, should you fail to complete your task by midnight." Gerda simply stated while taking a step back. Elsa was about to roll her eyes but thought better of it – Gerda was not a stranger to pinching her ears for 'unrefined' and 'unladylike' behaviour. "Now then, my girl," she began, gesturing to the princess' guest room door, "go on then – knock on her door. Be a proper lady."

Elsa huffed. "Can't you just knock for us?" she immediately regretted her question as Gerda stared her down.

"Certainly," the head servant replied, "if you could bear to accept your sister's incoming remarks about this. Surely she would taunt you until the very end of your life." her tone was so nonchalant that Elsa was reminded of when she was a small girl who refused to eat her vegetables. "So, shall I knock? Or will you be a proper woman about this?"

Elsa just huffed but lifted her right hand and began to knock on the Princess' door. "Happy?" she asked the head servant. Gerda just smiled smugly.

"That's a good girl." she said proudly, "I knew you could do it."

Shortly after Elsa's knock, they heard Princess Tina respond. "Come in," came her voice – ever so softly – from within the room.

Taking pity on Elsa, Gerda took the lead and opened the door. They both entered together and Elsa tried not to feel too guilty about the shocked expression on the brunette's face.

Not one to waste any time, Gerda walked passed Tina and headed into her guest bath. "I've brought some towels for you, Hrafntinna," she said, "and Her Highness has brought you a package." without waiting for a response, Gerda disappeared into the guest bath to drop off the new towels and collect the old ones.

Elsa just smiled shyly, holding up the box and giving it a little shake. "This package came in for you."

Tina's head tipped to the side slightly. "Oh? Really?" she asked curiously.

The blonde nodded. "It's from Botarskal, on royal order by King Hallgrimur's court." for the first time in the last few days, Elsa saw Tina's face fall. The blonde didn't spend much time with the princess, but from what she had observed from afar (in a completely not creepy way), the princess seemed to be someone who chose to wear a smile. Before any of them could say anything, Gerda came back out of the guest bath.

"Now then," she said, facing the younger woman, "is there anything else I may do for you, dear?" quickly, Tina's visage changed and her signature soft smile was back.

"Nothing that I can think of Gerda." the brunette smiled. "Þakka þér fyrir."

Gerda smiled widely and replied with, "No problem, my dear." she laughed a little. "Sorry – I can understand you, but my response may have not come out right." Elsa watched as both the head servant and the princess began to laugh.

"That's okay – we can work on it." Tina said, winking at Gerda.

"If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave." the older woman bowed towards the princess and began to leave. Before she left, she bowed toward Elsa.

The blonde simply smiled as acknowledgement, but Gerda had other plans. She used the back of her hand to slap Elsa's shoulder. "Posture, Your Highness." the woman admonished. "Stand up straighter dear – Hrafntinna's posture is proper and she's got an active injury." Gerda turned to face Tina while Elsa shuffled uncomfortably. "You'd think she was raised in a barn."

Tina's musical laughter filled the atmosphere of the room and Elsa couldn't help but enjoy the sound. "It's alright, Gerda," the princess said, "I don't need formalities at this time of the night."

Gerda huffed with mock defiance and turned to Elsa again. "You're lucky Her Highness seems to ignore your unrefined behaviour. Behave or else." she pinched the air in front of Elsa's face to get her point across.

"Yes, Gerda." the platinum blonde sighed, earning a pat on her head.

"That's my good girl." Gerda praised while Elsa just shook her head – she could do without the patronizing tone but knew there was no other way than Gerda's way. "Have a good night, Princess Elsa and Princess Hrafntinna." and with that, Gerda had finally taken her leave. Once the door was closed behind the head servant, Tina's laughter was heard again – much to Elsa's delight.

"She's lovely." Tina smiled.

Elsa groaned. "If by lovely, you mean 'overbearing' and 'strict', I agree."

A playful smirk danced across the brunette's face. "Really?" she asked, picking up the bedside bell that was used to call servants. "I suggest you behave or I can call her back." Elsa knew it was a playful threat but she wasn't going to chance it – the spot just under her shoulder was still tingling.

Elsa simply bowed toward Tina, suddenly feeling equally as playful. "I apologize, Princess Tina. I shall endeavour to properly engage in civilized discourse with you, a woman of distinguished grace." the brunette lifted her hand to her mouth to hide her giggle. Elsa decided that she rather enjoyed making Tina laugh.

"Thank you, Your Highness." the princess replied. She shifted in place, presumably to adjust her angle better – she was still recovering after all. She then gestured towards the packaged in Elsa's hands. "You said you had something from my father's court addressed to me?" snapping out of her mild trance, Elsa shook her head and began to walk forward to place the package on the bed beside the princess.

Tina picked up the small package. The box, itself, was no longer than five inches across all dimensions. It wasn't heavy, but she shook it and there was something loose bouncing around inside. Whatever it was, Tina guessed that it was much smaller than what the box was supposed to be used for. Elsa just stood awkwardly by the bed before Tina patted the spot to her left. Taking the hint (and mustering up all her bravery), the blonde sat beside the princess on the bed.

Deciding to be even braver, Elsa said, "What do you think it is?"

"Not sure," she said, looking at the package's writing, "All I know is that it is one of my older sisters' penmanship."

"Sisters?" Elsa inquired. "As in 'plural'?"

The brunette nodded. "Yes. I've got four sisters – three older and one younger." without waiting for another response from the blonde, Tina tore at the package's wrapping and started to open it. Once the wrapping was off, a small wooden box was revealed. Carefully opening it, Tina peaked at the contents within. Once it was opened fully, she gasped at what was inside. She reached in and slowly pulled out a small gold chain with a sizable gold locket on the end. The chain looked like it was meant to be worn, but the locket looked a little larger than the chain was supposed to hold. Letting the box fall to the side, Tina examined the new piece of jewellery with reverence.

Being her usual observant self, Elsa noticed something else. "Sorry b-b-but I think a note fell out of the box." looking to her right, by her thigh, there was a small note underneath the box's lid. She slowly picked up the piece of paper and read the message out loud. It was in Icelandic but she chose to translate for Elsa's sake.

"Dear Tina," the brunette read, "This was supposed to be one of our gifts for you, on your...wedding day." once again, Tina's face looked crestfallen. Elsa wanted to say something but the younger woman just continued. "But, since we heard of your accident, we thought it might be better to gift it to you now. We hope it brings a smile to your face and that you think of us fondly." Tina sniffled lightly. "We are wishing you a steadfast recovery and we will see you in Vennesvurg. Love your sisters: Princesses Katla, Gilly, Rikki and Finn of Botarskal." the princess then proceeded to open the locket. Inside was a small picture of her and her sisters. They were younger in this photo, and they all sported happy smiles. The blonde leaned over to take a look and hummed happily.

"Those are some cute smiles." Elsa commented. "Your sisters also have cute names."

"Thanks." Tina said as she shrugged. She then made a show of snapping the locket shut. "Their full names are Arnkatla, Engilbjört, Hinrikka, and Finnborja." the brunette then turned toward the ice wielder to gauge her reaction. Elsa let out an elongated whistle which made the brunette giggle again. "I mean, my name is Hrafntinna and I know you know my father's name. Surely, you aren't all that surprised by the names."

"Honestly," Elsa replied, "I'm more shocked by the number of them. But you are right, I shouldn't be surprised." the blonde adjusted her position to sit a little closer to the younger woman. Elsa decided to try her hand at being 'regular' as Anna had put it. She rolled her shoulders to give herself the illusion of loosening up. "So..." she started, "what was your mother's name? How many letters?"

Tina smirked at the blonde's attempt at an ice breaker. "Guess."

"Okay...um..." Elsa decided the appropriate thing to do was count the amount of letters in her sisters' names and divide them by the amount of siblings – including Tina. After a moment of looking at the note, counting, and doing the math in her head, she found a suitable estimate. "Nine letters." Elsa stated rather confidently.

Tina tried to hold in her laugh at the blonde's effort but couldn't. "I am impressed by your math skills, but no – she was an import from another kingdom. Her name is Úna." Elsa wanted to feel ridiculous, but the sheer hilarity of the real answer was enough to keep her sane.

"Huh." Elsa said, dumbfounded. "Never would have guessed."

"Again, I commend your efforts." said the brunette as she placed the locket and note back in the box. She placed the box to her right, on a bedside table. "Thank you for bringing it to me." she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And...thank you for coming to visit. I'm sorry I missed dinner."

Elsa quickly shook her head to protest that last comment. "No, no – you needed to rest." Elsa told her, "Dinner would have been way too loud for a headache. Especially one related to your injuries."

"Nonetheless," Tina said, "thank you for stopping by. I-uh-I thought that you weren't exactly a fan of me."

That comment surely took Elsa by surprise. She didn't expect the princess to notice, let alone confront her on it. However, if Anna noticed, then it made sense Tina did as well. Elsa sighed and scratched the back of her neck.

"Yeah, about that..." Elsa said, beginning her apology, "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way. I-I never intended for that to happen." she looked up to see the princess smiling at her softly.

"That's alright," she said, "I guess you're just not one for many social situations?"

The blonde laughed nervously but nodded anyway. "Uh – I guess. Either way, I hope we can – um – start over?" Elsa had this very small and hopeful smile on her face that Tina just couldn't say no too. For the woman's tall frame and her reputation, her overall demeanor seemed much smaller and timid. Tina found it incredibly endearing.

"Sounds good to me." Tina said happily, extending her hand out for a shake. "I'm Princess Hrafntinna of Botarskal. But please, call me Tina. Pleased to meet you."

Elsa smiled brightly and mimicked the princess' action. "I'm Elsa. Former Queen of Arendelle and current protector of the enchanted forest."

Tina and Elsa then shook one another's hands. The moment that their hands touched, Elsa felt a sudden jolt of energy shoot up her hand that seemed to flow through her shoulder and into her chest. She then made the mistake of looking up at Tina – her amber eyes shimmering in the dim candlelight of the room. Elsa blushed instantly, but couldn't tear her eyes away from the brunette's.

The first thing that Tina noticed how warm Elsa's hand felt in hers. Strange, she thought to herself, I thought she'd run colder. After years of being told the stories of Arendelle's 'Ice Queen', Tina had held a different picture of the blonde. So far, Elsa was unlike every single story she had ever heard. It only made her want to know more. She looked into ice blue eyes and felt her heart start to race. In that instant, she knew she wanted to discover anything and everything about the ice wielder.

After a moment of just staring at each other, Tina cleared her throat and was the first to remove her hand from their handshake. Elsa blushed harder and quickly rubbed her hands together.

"Well since it's getting late, I should probably go to bed." Tina said, "Can I spend some time with you tomorrow?" she hoped that asking Elsa for permission would fare better than her merely 'throwing' herself in the blonde's lap, as she had already done (which was already established as a 'bad idea').

The blonde's stomach felt as if it was going to burst and her heart raced a mile a minute. She was simultaneously delighted and horrified about spending time with the princess, but tonight had gone well. As such, she was hoping to have some composure by tomorrow. "Yes – absolutely. May I request we meet – uh – in the library, after dinner? Like...roughly at the same time as my visit tonight?" Elsa preferred to see her when the hustle and bustle of the castle was nonexistent. It was almost as if she could feel the energy of others through the atmosphere and wished to mimic an environment that was calmer and more intimate.

Tina smiled softly and bit her lip. Elsa was unable to read this expression, as she had never noticed it before (aside from when Tina did it at dinner a few nights ago). Although the expression was a mystery to her, she found that she quite liked it when Tina looked this way. She didn't entirely know why.

"Sounds like a plan." Tina said with a wink. Elsa smiled but also felt like she wanted to die.

And what an embarrassing way to go, Elsa thought to herself. While Elsa didn't feel any fear at that, she did feel a warmth spread throughout her chest. That surely was a new feeling and she found it quite bizarre. She hoped that she would understand what her feelings were trying to tell her and she prayed that it would be sooner rather than later.