It was a blur to Elsa before she suddenly found herself sitting on one end of a luxurious couch across from Circe, holding a steaming cup of tea in her lap along with her journal. Of course, Elsa was too nervous and distracted to take a single sip from the cup, despite her usual love of tea.

Maybe I was better off stuck in the boat. What will this sorceress do to me if she finds out that I'm—?

"I just realized, I never asked what your name was!" Circe exclaimed.

Elsa almost spilled the tea onto her dress but managed to steady the cup enough to place it gently on the table in front of the couch before looking up to address Circe.

"What? Oh, I'm uh…," Elsa wasn't comfortable with giving her name to a stranger, and she was already struggling with hiding her ice from the sorceress. Luckily for her, she didn't have to worry about sharing her name because…

"Ima, interesting name," Circe mused with a grin. "So, Ima, what brings you to the Southern Sea?"

Elsa started squeezing her hands as she tried to calmly come up with something to say. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel!

"The ship I was on just happened to be passing through," Elsa answered truthfully. "I didn't even know that we were sailing through this part of the ocean."

"And where exactly were you going?" Circe inquired.

"Corona," Elsa told her, knowing that going to Corona could mean anything to a random person.

Circe was starting to casually twirl her staff around like it was a baton. "Let me guess, you were invited to the royal wedding for that Lost Princess Rapunzel?"

Even without noticing that the amber eyes of the staff's dragon carving were beginning to glow an acid green, Elsa started to become more and more uneasy. I have to get out of here! Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel!

"...My parents were invited," Elsa responded as she slowly moved out of her seat. "I was just accompanying them for my studies. I wasn't even planning on attending the wedding anyway."

Circe looked surprised as she stopped twirling her staff and the dragon's eyes went back to normal. Elsa stopped in her tracks, barely an inch off the couch. She anticipated Circe's reaction with held breath. "Wait, you were traveling with your parents? How old are you?"

"...I would prefer not to answer that," Elsa replied shakily, sinking reluctantly back into her seat.

Circe waved a dismissive hand in the air. "That doesn't matter anyway, tell me where you're from."

Elsa felt herself trembling where she sat. I can't let her know where I come from, she'll find out who I am, and I might never be able to get back home. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel!

"Considering your fashion, I'd say you live further north from here," Circe guessed, not paying attention to Elsa's anxiety. "Too conservative to be from one of the Highland Clans like DunBroch,"—Circe made a face of disgust at the mention of DunBroch—"and too formal to be Andalasian, so you're either from Ulstead or Arendelle. Although, you look more Arendellian with the light hair and complexion, not to mention the buttoned vest, and I recognize the accents on your skirt as Arendellian designs without a doubt."

Despite Elsa's best efforts and much to her terror, her entire side of the couch was now coated with a visible layer of frost. She figured out where I was from just by what I was wearing? That's both impressive and scary.

"I guess you travel a lot," said Elsa, both curious and trying to change the subject to avoid Circe guessing any more information about her or noticing the ice.

"Yeah, I've been pretty much everywhere," Circe gabbed. "Even in places where my island stands out like a palm tree oasis in a cactus desert, but that just makes my visits more exciting!"

Suddenly, Circe looked down at where Elsa was sitting. "Wait a minute, I'm just noticing something…"

Elsa squeezed her hands even harder and pulled them closer to her chest. She glanced around nervously, trying to ignore the frost that was covering half of the couch and the floor beneath her feet. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Circe smirked and raised an eyebrow as she sauntered over to Elsa's spot on the couch. "Oh really? I'm sure you do."

Elsa held her breath in anticipation. She saw my ice! Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel! CONCEAL, DON'T—

"You haven't been drinking your tea!"

"Elsa slowly opened her eyes and saw to her surprise and relief that Circe was holding her cup of tea and examining it.

"Oh," Elsa sighed with relief. "I just wasn't thirsty."

That was only half the truth. Although it was true that Elsa wasn't thirsty, she was also worried that Circe had poisoned the tea.

Circe raised her eyebrow even higher before she shrugged and took a sip from the cup. All Elsa could do was stare in disbelief. Well, I stand corrected about the tea. Maybe I'm safe after all…

"So, Ima," Circe asked nonchalantly, "when were you going to tell me about your ice magic?"

Author's Notes: I'm going to admit it, I was just as terrified as Elsa was when I wrote this chapter. I had to keep rewatching Circe's episode of the Hercules tv show for insight on her character, and even after watching eighteen(?) times, I have no idea how accurate my depiction of her is. I also had no idea how Circe treated other girls since she was mostly, if not only, interacting with the male characters. Even after attempting to research who she was in the original Greek myths, it was hard to tell… Anyway, I hope you are enjoying what's been written so far, and stay tuned for the next chapter! ;-)