Frozen 1. --

It's been almost a year since I left my home. I have been trying to find a new place to fit in ever since then. There have been short moments where I finally feel I can be at peace. Peace with myself, peace with what I have done. However, I struggle for control over something I do not understand, a curse I have had for as long as I have memory, a curse that drove me away from my home. My cycle of running and settling down has allowed me to stumble upon Arendelle. Maybe I can finally find something or someone to help me find peace with myself so I may be able to go back home and somehow make peace with my family.


	2. Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

Elsa quietly entered her sister's room and sat on the bed next to Anna's sleeping form. She swept a strand of hair out of her sister's mouth and back into the tangled fireball of Anna's hair.

"Anna, it's time to wake up." Elsa said, gently shaking her sister's shoulder.

"Time. What time is it?" Anna asked groggily, still sleeping.

"It's before breakfast, Anna."

"Just give me five...five more minutes." Anna yawned before falling back into her light snore.

Elsa stood and went to the bedroom door. "Just don't take too long, or I will have to build a snowman all by myself."

She closed the door and leaned against the wall nearby, waiting. Seconds later, Anna burst out of the door wearing a blue winter dress with a pink cloak. "Come on, Elsa, you are wasting time!"

Anna grabbed her sister's hand, practically dragging Elsa to the garden where they planned to build the snowman. The first natural snow of winter had covered everything in a white blanket disturbed only by the sister's footsteps as they entered the garden. The predawn sky was alive with the light of aurora borealis as the sun had barely begun to crest the horizon.

"It's beautiful." Anna said as she took in the sight.

"Maybe if you wouldn't sleep in you'd see it more often." Elsa teased.

"Well I, like other normal people, love our full night's rest." Anna countered.

Elsa saw her sister's face fill with regret over her comment about "normal people". Elsa knew what Anna meant and gave her sister a reassuring chuckle. Anna dropped a bag she was holding and knelt down to the snow before forming a ball of snow in the palms of her mittens. Elsa followed her lead and set her ball of snow on top of Anna's larger one. Elsa then started on the snowman's head while Anna took two pieces of coal, two twigs, and a carrot from a bag slung over her shoulder and finished their snowman.

"Do your thing, sis." Anna stepped back as Elsa twirled her finger causing wisps of snow and ice to circle the snowman before bringing it to life.

"Olaf!" Anna cried as the snowman gave her a warm hug.

"Olaf, what happened?" Elsa asked.

Olaf released the princess from his hug and faced the queen. "Well, I...uh my snow got dirty and I knew that when people get dirty they take baths so I tried to wash myself and I melted."

"Olaf, even freezing cold water can melt snow, if you get dirty again just come see me and I will help you. We were worried sick when we could not find you."

"I'm sorry." Olaf looked down at the ground and shuffled his foot in the snow.

Elsa knelt down and hugged the snow golem. "You don't need to apologise, you didn't know any better."

The trio was interrupted when the castle's seneschal, Kai, greeted them with a bow. "Your majesties, breakfast is now being served in the dining room. Sir Kristoff is already waiting for you there.


	3. Ice

Anna and Elsa had arrived at the dining room and greeted Kristoff who was waiting patiently for them to arrive.

Ever since he started his courtship with Anna, Kristoff was welcome into the castle whenever he pleased. He did not take advantage of this freedom, however. When he was not with Anna, Kristoff preferred to be up in the mountains instead whenever he had free time from mining ice from the northern lakes.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Anna and Kristoff had to keep their conversations quiet while the Queen and her advisor went over the schedules planned for the winter festival which started in two days. Guests would be arriving from other kingdoms to attend the festival which started with a ball and spanned the entire week with varied celebrations and other competitions planned. The only issue on the guest list that concerned Elsa was the arrival Prince Karl of the Southern Isles, Prince Hans' eldest brother. The Queen begrudgingly approved his request for an invitation after reading his letter practically begging her to try to clear the bad blood between their kingdoms after his little brother's stunt.

After a few hours, seeming more like days, the advisor finally left and Elsa looked up at the empty table, she wondered when her sister left, or more confusingly, how she left without her noticing. She cast the thought away, knowing Anna did not mind. Elsa had been reminded several times by her sister that she understood the demands that running a kingdom required. Being as young as she was doubled the strain of her responsibilities to Arendelle and the Queen relied heavily on her advisors to which she was eternally grateful for their wisdom.

The Queen entered the castle courtyard flanked by two guards, more of a formality than for protection. It seemed like everyone had turned up to see the queen create her ice decorations for the upcoming festival. It was only a simple chore but the people loved to gaze upon the beauty of her ice powers, and, it made Elsa feel accepted by her people.

The Queen raised her arms and started with the two fountains, gently coaxing the dancing streams of water before freezing the flow in place. She moved on to the perimeter of the courtyard and created various statues of people, the craftsmanship rivaled only by master statue carvers. The final part of the decoration was on the roof of the castle and the surrounding guard towers. Ice slowly trickled along the surface leaving an effect that looked as if the roof was made of jewels. Elsa waved her hand and created the finishing touch, a snowflake, unique as any other, on top of the tallest spire of the castle.

The crowd cheered when the final decoration was in place and Anna stepped up next to her sister.

"I am so jealous of you sometimes, do you even get tired of creating all of these beautiful things?"

Elsa smiled at the princess. "Not at all, it is a really nice break from everything."

The crowd's cheers had died down to a steady rumble of conversations as they checked out the queen's most recent constructs. Elsa worked her hands in midair to create a sphere of ice before giving it to her sister. Anna took it and found that Elsa made her a snowglobe with a miniature version of the castle inside.

Anna hugged her sister. "It's beautiful, I love it."

"I'm glad you do," Elsa replied, "and don't worry too much because it will not melt but it can shatter if you drop it."

Everyone went silent when they heard a panicked outburst.

"Fire!"

The queen turned to the nearby guard tower she heard the call come from.

"Fire! Fire in the north woods!"

The Queen's guards were barely fast enough to open the doors for her as Elsa ran to see what was going on. She quickly spotted the fire to the north with the large columns of thick black smoke which was still far enough away that there was no immediate danger but it could rage upon the city quickly. Elsa gestured the guards to step back as she waved her arms and conjured a snowstorm over the fire, quickly extinguishing the flames.

"Fires like this don't usually start on their own especially in winter. My queen, should I gather the men?"

Elsa turned to the guard. "Yes, find out what caused this disaster, rescue any survivors, and make sure to check on that trading post."

With a bow, the guard exited the tower and headed off.


	4. Fire

"Come on, kid, just give us the sword and we may leave you alone."

Two men wearing dark clothes and hoods had cornered a traveler in the forest. They each had a sadistic smile on their faces and obviously wanted more than to rob their victim.

"You want this sword? Take it!"

The traveler drew his sword and charged his enemies, he handled them easily since he was a highly skilled swordsman yet he failed to notice the third bandit emerge from the bushes until it was too late and quickly received a hard blow to the back of his head. The traveler fell, dizzy and disoriented, he saw a blurry figure raising a weapon to finish him off. He raised his hand to block the blow and saw a flash of orange just before passing out.

* * *

Elsa was in her study writing yet another rejection letter to the Duke of Weselton for his third letter requesting she rescind her moratorium on trade between them. With this being the third request, she kindly reminded him he was lucky to have his head after he sent his henchmen to kill her after she accidentally froze the summer. She then signed the letter and imprinted the paper with a snowflake before putting it in an envelope with a wax seal.

Elsa slumped back in her chair, exhausted, and looked up to the painting of her father.

"How did you do it?"

The painting stared back at her with the same resolute expression that answered her every time in the past. She was startled when an unexpected knock came to the door.

"Who is it?" She asked, hoping it was Anna.

"It's Captain Tiberius, your majesty, may I come in?"

She allowed it. The captain entered, his short, wide frame deceived only by his deep voice yet he was still very strong and not too round.

"My queen," the captain continued, "we finished our search of the burned forest and found no major loss of property but there is one thing I wish for you to see down in the dungeon. I could not for the life of me describe it so I thought it best for you to see it for yourself."

The queen was puzzled at the captain's lack of words since he usually described every problem with eloquence. Her work was done for now so she decided to see what had the captain so excited.

Tiberius directed Elsa to one of the cells with a prisoner inside, he was unconscious.

"We found him at the origin of the fire with three charred corpses around him; miraculously, he was the only one unscathed which leads me to believe he is the arsonist."

"If he caused this fire then why did he let himself get caught?"

"I'm not sure, your majesty, you can ask him though, the chloroform should be wearing off any minute now."

The queen gave the captain a puzzled look.

"We had to sedate him because he resisted us as we tried to grab him."

Elsa fidgeted nervously, she had suspicions of her own about the prisoner.

"Oh, yes! I also wanted you to see these."

The captain walked over to a table and dumped a pack of its contents. He first selected the sword which was made of high quality folded steel and had a gold plated hilt with a blue sapphire embedded in it.

"This also gets my suspicions up that he is a thief as well, I don't recognize where it might be from but it was definitely forged for a king. There is also a bag of gold coins with an unusual royal seal on them and a pair of old leather gloves."

Elsa picked up the gloves, uninterested in the other items, and examined them herself. The thick leather was hard to bend and the inside of the gloves were black and smelled burned.

"Open the cell." Elsa ordered.

The captain acquiesced, drawing his sword and readying to act at the first sign of trouble.

Elsa entered the cell and saw the prisoner huddled in the corner with his hands tucked into his sides. She recognized immediately that was exactly what she did when she was trying to conceal her own power.

"What is your name and where are your from?"

He looked up at the queen, his eyes filled with a familiar fear.

"I-I'm James, of New Callette."


	5. The Fire Inside

Elsa had exited the dungeon cell and was quietly talking to Captain Tiberius about where this mysterious New Callette was and why they have never heard of it.

"Your majesty, if I may, I can take a few of these coins and show them to the merchants, perhaps they know more."

The queen nodded approval.

Tiberius gathered the coins and directed a few guards to protect the queen in his absence before leaving. Elsa still had some questions and entered the cell again.

"What happened in the forest?"

James looked back at the queen. "I was cornered by two men that wanted my sword, they must have wanted it badly since they tracked me for two days. I would have been able to fight them off but I did not see the third until it was too late and I accidentally ignited the fire as they were about to strike me down."

"What do you mean? How did you set the fire?"

"I'll show you if I can have my gloves back."

Once James got his gloves back he started to rub his hands together causing the cell to get warmer. Then, he snapped his fingers and a ball of orange flame danced to life in his hand. In the light, Elsa noticed his eyes matched the sapphire on his sword; the color in his eyes tainted only by sadness and a fear she knew all too well.

As quickly as it flashed to life, the flame was extinguished and James quickly slipped his gloves on and tucked his hands back into himself.

"You can't control it, can you?"

"That's not one I have heard yet, usually people call me a monster and try to kill me. How can you tell that I can't control it?"

Elsa summoned a snowflake into her palm. "I have a bit of experience with this sort of thing."

James remained silent and continued to stare as the queen dissipated her snowflake.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I guess I am just shocked, all of my life I thought I was the only one with this kind of power. I finally have some hope to gain control- That is, if you are willing to help me. I would pay any price just for that."

"There is no need for that, and while I can not help you directly, I know some who can."

James slowly rose to his feet, making sure he was steady.

"You have no reason to be helping me like this, why?"

"I am helping you because, when I look into your eyes, I see what I used to be."

* * *

Elsa and James arrived in a valley with geothermal vents dotting the floor. James helped the queen dismount her horse's side saddle and earned an approving smile.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"We are seeking help from some people I have known since I was a little girl. If they don't know anything about your power, no one does."

They stopped in a clearing littered with many small boulders. James gave a start when he saw one rolling for him and dodged. But the rock stopped short of where he was and unfurled into a rock troll, barely taller than his knees. The other rocks followed the lead and revealed themselves as well.

"Your majesty," the elder troll greeted the queen, "I am very pleased to be meeting you again. How may I be of assistance?"

Elsa motioned over to James who seemed completely out of his element amongst the army of curious trolls.

"He has magic similar to mine but with fire. He has been looking for a way to control it."

The elder motioned for James to come over.

"Please, kneel down and remove your glove."

James offered a shaky hand but balked at the last second.

"Don't worry, you can't hurt me for I am made of stone."

This time, James connected with the troll's rocky grip.

"Oh my. So much grief for a young prince as yourself. To gain control, you must confront-"

James released his grip and started walking away, the air was very hot around him. Elsa started to follow but was stopped by the elder troll.

"Leave him be for now, I saw more than he would have liked. Unfortunately, the burden has fallen to you to help him control the fire inside of him."

"What do you mean?"

"He has fire in his heart, but, unlike Anna whose heart burns bright and vivaciously, his heart smolders slow and steady. He loves and cares the same but takes his time and can be a bit shy. Show him kindness and he will open up to you on his own."

Elsa had never gotten used to the elder troll's cryptic messages but she knew she would figure it out when the time came.

"Woah woah woah, watch out, bud."

"Man down! Man down!"

Everyone turned their attention to the cacophony of panicked shouts and found James on the ground, unconscious.


	6. All Hope Lost

"Elsa, quickly, it's his heart!"

Each step toward James became increasingly hotter as Elsa worked against the waves of heat to reach him. The grass around his body had dried up and was beginning to smoke.

"You need to put ice in his heart, but don't completely freeze it!"

Elsa knelt down and shielded her face from the heat with one hand. She slowly lowered the other hand onto his chest and was greeted with a searing pain. She fought the beating waves of his heart until, finally, her ice had taken hold. His heart was only half frozen but it was enough to stop his combustion and stopped the waves of heat from charring his surroundings.

"What happened?" Elsa asked as she inspected her hand, it was painfully red and started to blister.

The elder troll shook his head. "I've never seen anything like this. He has been grieving for so long that he has lost all hope."

"What do you mean?"

"For magical beings such as ourselves our power lies within our heart. But, to keep our power from consuming us, our head keeps our heart in check. His head has lost all hope of living and it has caused his heart to burn uncontrollably."

"What would have happened if I had not froze his heart?"

"All energy, magical or not, tries to find a balance. If you had not froze his heart, all of that energy would have been released with disastrous result."

Elsa shifted uncomfortably. "So, is he safe? He won't explode, will he?"

"He shouldn't, as long as you keep ice on his heart. It will melt slowly as long as he does not use his power but you will have to reinforce the ice once every day until we can find a way for him to regain balance."

The troll placed his rocky palm on James' forehead; his eyes slowly cracked open.

"How do you feel?" Elsa asked.

James slowly sat up and rested against a nearby tree.

"I don't know, I have a weird feeling in my chest. If I remember correctly how my sister described it, it feels...cold."

"You don't feel cold?"

"I do know when something is cold but I never actually experienced what cold was. What happened?"

"You were dying, you heart was burning too hot so I froze it just enough to stop it. The ice should last a day or more as long as you do not use your power."

James snapped his fingers to to see if he even still had his power and the flame in his hand was extinguished as soon as it sparked in order to heed the queen's warning.

"What now?" He asked.

"There is so much more I wish to tell you." The elder troll instructed. "But both of you should get some rest and come back tomorrow, if possible."

"We will." Elsa said. "Thank you for your help."

James finally stood and began walking back to the horses with Elsa.

"What is going to happen to me now?" He asked.

"Unless you prefer the dungeon I can arrange for you to stay in one of the castle's guest rooms."

"I can't do that, I'll just stay at the inn in the village."

"How? Your gold and your sword have been confiscated by Captain Tiberius and who knows when he will give them back. I am ordering you to accept my offer, disobey and you can sleep in the dungeon."

"Fine, I accept, your majesty."

"Please, just call me Elsa, unless formality is required."

James then helped the queen mount her horse and they both stopped at Oaken's Trading Post (and Sauna) to get a burn salve for Elsa's hand before heading back to the castle.

* * *

Elsa was in the garden savoring the last bit of daylight with Anna before dinner. Elsa had been constantly thinking about James since she showed him to his room when they got back from their meeting with the trolls. Anna was too busy describing her first experience of ice fishing with Kristoff to notice her sister was not paying attention.

"Elsa...Elllllsa."

"Huh?"

The queen focused back to Anna.

"You okay, Els?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a busy day is all."

"Well it seems you are not done yet." Anna pointed to Captain Tiberius approaching them. "Just don't be too late for dinner."

"I won't." Elsa smiled at Anna as she left.

The captain greeted Elsa in the usual manner. "I apologize for it being so late, I had a spot of trouble finding you."

"Don't worry about it. I assume you are here to inform me of your findings?"

"Yes. As it turns out, the coins are from the same kingdom as our...guest. From what I could gather from the merchants is New Callette is a week's journey west across the ocean. Their main exports are tobacco, silver, and high quality steel weapons and armor which explains the sword. The most interesting information I found was about the royal family itself. The king was a commoner who married the queen. Together, they had a daughter and three sons."

"Is that all?" Elsa asked, she was trying to hide her eagerness to rejoin her sister.

"No, just about a year ago the three princes were caught in a mysterious fire, the eldest was the only survivor but he soon dove off the cliffs into the sea, he was never found again. Your majesty, I do believe our guest is the eldest heir. We must send notice immediately, his family deserves to know."

"We can't. He needs my help, until then, no one is to know who he really is."

"I am sworn to secrecy, your majesty, as always I trust your judgement but for everyone's safety I shall have two guards escort him at all times."

* * *

James was in his room that he was granted for his stay in the castle. After a bath and some fresh clothes he stepped out onto the balcony despite the biting chill of the winter air. It was not long before he was shivering violently but he did not care, all that mattered was he was finally feeling cold. He gazed upon the forest covering the mountains and was reminded of home, and the fire. Such memories would normally set him ablaze but his frozen heart managed to stave off the heat for now.

He heard a knock on the door and walked over to investigate.

"Yes?"

"Sir, the queen has asked me to invite you to dinner this evening, will you be attending?"

"No, I am feeling rather tired and was just about to go to bed. Thank you for the offer."

James was very awake and could have stayed up for hours; he hated lying to the first person who showed him kindness since he left his home but he was not ready for any other questions the queen had for him just yet.

* * *

**Author's Note: I apologize for the long delay in updating this chapter, I had a bit of trouble putting this together and ended up rewriting it a couple times. I hope you enjoy the story so far and I really do appreciate reviews and feedback.**


	7. Frokost

James was running through during the middle of the night. The full moon was enough to light his path as he neared the cliffs that towered over the icy ocean below. He stopped at the edge causing the snow in the area around him to melt before sizzling away into steam.

"James stop! It's not your fault, you're still learning to control it!"

James' father emerged from the trees shortly after. He was heavily winded but forced his posture.

"Just come back, we can get through this."

James looked back at the King.

"I can't, I'm too dangerous and we all know it. It's better this way."

Before anything else could be argued, James leaned back and dropped off the cliff.

* * *

Elsa was up at her usual early hour, her platinum blonde hair was tied up in a bun and she was wearing a teal dress with black sleeves and a violet cape. She hated wearing this outfit but it was proper for the royal court session she had to attend later in the morning. Her first order of business was checking on James. The guards at his door came to attention at the sight of the queen as she approached the door and knocked. When there was no answer, she assumed James was still sleeping and quietly entered. She spotted him out on the balcony instead, his bed was neatly made and looked almost untouched.

"Did you even sleep last night?" Elsa asked as she entered the balcony.

"As well as I could." James turned to face the queen and leaned back on the railing. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curiosity, your bed looks unused."

"I made it myself, I never was too fond of other people doing things for me that I could easily do myself, even if it is their job."

James pressed his hand over the center of his chest and reminded Elsa why she came to check on him.

"I had some business to attend to this morning but I first wanted to check the ice on your heart."

James lowered his hand and felt the cold pressure of the queen's hand shortly after. Elsa was surprised, there was only a sliver of ice left on his heart and she could feel the beating waves of fire beneath the ice. She counted down but James was still caught off guard as he felt sharp icicles impaling the center of his chest. The pain was quickly numbed by the cold.

"Is that all?" He asked.

"Not yet, I have royal court this morning and will be quite busy. It will not be until the afternoon that we will be able to visit the trolls again. Until then, you are free to roam almost anywhere in the palace and the village but, as requested by the captain of the guard, you will have an escort."

"I'm sure I can entertain myself until then."

"Don't be too eager to leave just yet, I assume you are hungry so I arranged for frokost to be delivered here since you didn't eat last night."

"Thank you, Elsa." James gave a small smile which, to him, seemed to be the first time in forever.

Elsa returned the smile and headed toward the door but was stopped short by James.

"Do you have a library?" He asked.

"Yes, third floor and at the end of the hall you should see a large double door, that is the library. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, thank you, again."

James had hoped the afternoon would come quickly because he was very eager to know what else the elder troll had to tell about his power, maybe he could find a way to control it.

His thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on the door, it was a servant with a food cart, his breakfast. James thanked her and was immediately hit with hunger pains from the smell of the food, he realized he had not eaten in days. On the cart was smoked salmon next to lefse - potato bread - and a soft boiled egg. There was also a fruit jelly intended for the lefse and coffee to drink with sugar and cream on the side.

It did not take long for James to finish eating and he decided to try and find the library. He did not get too far down the hallway before he noticed he was being flanked by two guards.

"I assume you are my escorts?" James asked.

"By order of the captain of the guard." One of them replied.

James was slightly annoyed, he did not want to draw attention even though the halls were empty save for him. He knew he was stuck with them so he did his best to ignore them as he ascended to the third floor. The doors to the library were easily found and, to his preference, the guards stayed outside while he searched the shelves until he found the book he was looking for, a fairytale he grew up with and never quite grew out of, a tale of swashbuckling, heroics and true love. James lay down on the sofa in front of the fire and began to read, shortly after he heard someone enter the library. He peeked out and saw a red haired girl scanning the shelves. James remained quiet, hoping she would leave and not notice him but he had to sneeze. It was not one that could easily be stifled and startled the girl enough that she screamed causing the guards to burst in with their swords drawn.

* * *

**Author's Note: I cut it off here because the chapter was taking longer to sort out to get to an ending point without being too long. Also, cliffhanger!**


	8. Conceal It

The guards positioned themselves protectively between the red-haired girl and James who was now standing; they were eyeing him dangerously. The air grew thick and hot, James struggled to conceal the fearsome heat inside of him but experience taught him it was only a matter of time. As he prepared to escape, he saw the girl push her way in front of the guards, her sweet, high-pitched voice breaking the hot tension.

"No no no, it's alright, he just sneezed and it startled me."

"Are you sure, princess?"

"Yes, I'm fine. You can go back to...whatever you were doing."

The guards slowly left, unsure whether they really should or not but, for every step they took away, James relaxed more and more allowing the temperature of the room to cool back to normal.

"I apologize, madam, for startling you, I should have let my presence be known a little less surprisingly."

"Oh don't worry about it, I was the one who interrupted your reading. Say, I've never really seen you around here before."

James cleared his throat nervously. "Yeah, I'm fairly new here, my name is James. The queen has allowed me to stay here as a guest. I was just reading to pass the time because her and I have some business to attend to this afternoon."

"Oh, so are you just here strictly on business or did you come for the winter festival as well?"

James noticed a glint of hope in the princesses eyes and began to wonder exactly what she wanted. He proceeded to answer her previous question.

"It depends on how long I will be here."

Her glint of hope turned to a look of curiosity and suspicion. "So," she said, "you told me your name but I still have no idea of who you are. Are you a dignitary, are yo-"

"I am a blacksmith by trade, a knight at heart, and a gentleman by act, if you must know."

James had used a scene in his favorite story as a deflection, hoping it would work, technically, he was not lying either.

Anna caught on and decided to play along. "Alright, Mr. Smith, I know your trade, your heart, and your act but what is your nature?"

James did not think out this part and immediately dreaded answering. He did not expect the princess to remember something from what was considered a child's fairytale. Breaking from the story and choosing his words carefully, he answered.

"My nature is quite scary, best left unknown."

Anna noticed his somber tone and backed off. She had been suspicious James could become another situation like what happened with Hans during Elsa's coronation. The gentleman she had been talking to, however, did not seem to want anything. All he had to hide was a few regrets in his past and...his hands.

Anna's curiosity got the better of her again; without any restraint she blurted the first question that came to mind.

"What's with the gloves?"

This was a lesser fear James had. He had rehearsed and answered this question dozens of times in order to conceal his fiery secret.

"As I said, I'm a blacksmith by trade so, as you can imagine, I burned my hands pretty badly once. The scars never fully healed so there is a special medicine inside these gloves to help with the pain."

"Oh, I just thought you had a very big thing about dirt considering that is some pretty heavy leather."

Anna wanted to learn more about James but she finally realized exactly how many questions she bombarded him with in the short time she had seen him.

"I hope you can forgive me for being nosy, I recently had a bad experience with someone I thought I knew but really didn't."

James shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I get this a lot. Do you mind if I ask a few questions of my own?"

Anna shook her head.

"Okay, what is _your_ name?"

"Anna. Princess Anna but you can just call me Anna, I am not much into formalities."

"Oh, princess, so you are the queen's daughter?"

"What? No, she's my sister! What in the world made you think that?"

James put his hands up defensively. "Please forgive me, I assumed since she was the queen and you the princess...you know. And hoping I don't overstep, the queen does look a bit more...mature when she is wearing her attire for royal court."

Anna's face softened and a playful expression took over. "I am so telling Elsa what you said."

"No, please don't, I beg you. I'll do anything."

"Oh don't worry, I tease her like that all the time. But, that was the book I was looking for."

Anna pointed to the side table where James had set the book down.

"Take it, I've read it so many times I have it memorized."

"But what's the fun in that? I tell you what, I'll read it to all of us."

"All of us?"

"Yeah, you, me, and Olaf...once he finally gets here."

"Who's Olaf?"

"Oh, well he's kinda hard to explain. You'll see when he gets here."

As if on queue the library doors opened and a chipper voice called through.

"Hey Anna, did you find the book yet?"

At first glance James saw a small child dressed in a puffy white outfit but he blinked his eyes in disbelief as he saw a snowman very much alive and with a personal snow cloud.

"He's a snowman and he's...alive."

"Yup. Just don't ask me how Elsa did it, she doesn't even know."

"Elsa is quite powerful, maybe she really can help me." James said under his breath.

"Come on, are you going to listen to the story or what?"

Anna was sitting on the sofa with Olaf on one side. James looked at the clock and noticed it was barely ten. Still a while to go before afternoon would be a thought to anyone so he sat on Anna's other side making sure to keep his distance. Anna opened the book and began to read.

* * *

**Author's Note: I am having trouble naming this chapter, any suggestions are appreciated! :)**

** Edit: I figured a name but I will change it if someone suggests one I like better.**


	9. Who I Used To Be

Elsa was exhausted from talks and negotiations with foreign dignitaries all morning long but it was necessary. After word got out about the events of her coronation she did her best to remain on good terms with the other kingdoms, most of whom were afraid of her power. Her final order of business was with the Duke of Weselton. Her fuse was immediately cut short at his unexpected arrival. The duke had a blatant and insulting disregard of the queen's authority instead trying to force his own. The queen remained calm, the only indication of her annoyance being a slight chill in the air.

"...and you must understand! The king is threatening to replace me if I don't straighten things out! Any kingdom who has not canceled their trade contract with Weselton have jacked up their prices to spite me; at this rate, my people will be starving by spring!"

The duke finally ended his monologue nearly breathless and forced a stance of brave regality in an attempt to stifle his frightened shivering. He knew he had not experienced the whole of the queen's wintery wrath. Elsa took a few seconds to collect her thoughts and used her silence in an attempt to unsettle the duke, a technique she was taught when learning to deal with hostile negotiators.

"Sir duke, the attempted murder of a monarch, me being the victim, is quite an egregious error. I feel nothing but sympathy for those other kingdoms who canceled their agreements. I do hope the king replaces you because that is the only way I shall grant another audience to negotiate a new trade agreement with Weselton."

Elsa hated being so cold in her words but she reassured herself that she had the right to be, this was the man who almost killed her.

"Begone, sir duke, your presence is no longer welcome here in Arendelle."

The duke turned to leave but had one last remark.

"You underestimate the power of a desperate man."

"Is that a threat, sir duke?" Elsa's words were sharp like the biting chill of an arctic wind.

"It doesn't have to be."

With the duke gone, Elsa massaged her temples in an attempt to calm down; the release of her frustration caused it to snow in the room.

"Ahem, your majesty," Kai had entered the room, "may I get you some tea to help you calm down?"

Elsa realized what was happening and quickly waved away the weather but a cold chill remained.

"No, thank you." She said.

* * *

Elsa took a few minutes after court had ended to change into her ice blue gown that was actually made of ice. Upon figuring out where James was, she entered the library unnoticed by both Anna and James, they seemed to be getting along.

"What's your favorite color?" Anna asked.

"Blue."

"What's your favorite food?"

"Hmm, if chocolate counts, I would definitely have to say that, especially dark chocolate."

Anna wrinkled her nose. "Dark chocolate? That stuff is bitter!"

"Yeah, that's the best part. The bitter offsets the sweetness of the chocolate."

"Alright, that makes sense, I guess. So, how about your favorite thing to drink?"

"Sarsaparilla."

"Sas-a-what-a?"

James let out a chuckle. "Sarsaparilla. You may know it better as Root Beer."

"Oh, Root Beer, I do know that but I have never tried it. What does it taste like?"

"Oh. I really don't know how to describe it but, I promise, I will get you some when I have the chance."

"Okay, deal."

Anna then sat up and began looking around the library.

"Come on, Elsa, you can stop hiding now."

The Queen emerged from one of the aisles of shelves surprised.

"Anna, how did you know?"

"Oh please, the temperature drops ten degrees whenever you are around. I assume you are here to retrieve this fine young guy so you two may do "business" I presume?"

Anna made quotations with her hands around the word, business, causing James to wring his hands in unease.

Elsa also seemed to show a bit of color. "Anna, lets just talk about this later, okay?"

"Okay."

As Elsa and James left the library, Olaf called out. "Bye James!"

"Good bye, Olaf."

Once the doors closed, Elsa quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry if Anna was a little...you know."

James cracked a small smile. "It's alright, she actually reminds me a lot of my sister. We read most of the time but any longer and she would have figured I was hiding something."

It was then James noticed the guards assigned to him were no longer around. He inquired and Elsa told him they had been dismissed as she led him to her personal study.

"The captain does not like it when I go outside the castle without a guarded escort so…"

Elsa picked James' sword off of her desk and set it in front of her, from the tip of the blade to the end of the hilt was the height of her shoulders, the scabbard was wrapped in a black cloth, and the sapphire upon the golden hilt shone brightly in the sunlight peeking through the nearby window.

"...I am offering you to be the queen's personal guard."

James was shocked. "Why do you trust me like this? I burned down your forest and you barely know me."

"Don't worry about the forest, you only burned a few acres, they will grow back in a few years. This may sound a bit unbelievable, but, when I look at you, I see who I used to be."

* * *

**Author's Note: Heyo, it's me. I apologize for the long delay, I had a lot of issues with transitioning from the end of Elsa's court session back to the library. Turns out All I needed to do was watch Frozen two more times. Anywho, I don't plan on updating again until after the new year but I may surprise you. :D**


	10. Powerful Magic

"Who I used to be."

James repeated those words in his head as he carefully took his sword and slung it around his back. Elsa's eyes spoke empathy but what terrible things could she have done to know his pain?

The ride to the Valley of the Living Rock where the trolls resided was rather silent. James seemed to be at ease to be surrounded by the snowy forest. Unknown to Elsa, winter was his favorite season because of the cold and snow.

Upon arriving, they hitched their horses to a tree and found the elder troll waiting for them.

"Ah, good afternoon, Elsa, James. I am glad you could make it."

"I am glad you wish to teach us more about our power, every bit helps." Elsa said.

"Please, sit. This may take a while."

Elsa and James found a nearby log to rest on as the elder troll conjured magical images to help illustrate what he was saying.

"Both of you wield a magic more powerful than anything. You wield elemental magic. I say more powerful because you need not mutter words of incantation to use your power. Elemental magic needs only for you to think and feel. Elementals are also born in pairs and are always exact opposites: earth and lightning, fire and water, fire and ice. Not necessarily born as siblings or even fated to fall in love, they often live out their lives not knowing the other exists. However, in order for elementals to fully control their power, they must find each other first and experience the other's power."

"When you say we need to experience the other's power, is that like me freezing his heart?" Elsa questioned.

Yes, but direct exposure to the heart is extremely dangerous. If you freeze his heart completely, it will extinguish his flame and-"

"And he'll freeze." Elsa finished the elder's sentence and James thought he saw a phantom of his pain in her eyes.

"It is imperative you protect your heart, both of you, for that is where all of your power lies. If your head gives up, loses all hope, and is no longer strong enough because it is fighting grief or sadness or if you are slain, all of the energy in your heart will be released disastrously. It is the curse of all elemental beings."

The troll dissipated his images and turned toward the two elementals to see if they had any more questions.

James broke his silence. "You have taught me more than I ever knew before but I still don't know how to regain any sense of control over my power. The only thing that is keeping me together is the ice that is suppressing my heart."

"I understand, but I will need to see more to offer you help. But it may end up doing more harm than good."

James kneeled forward and extended an ungloved hand. "I need to know."

* * *

Nightmare? No, too real to be a nightmare.

A charred forest still smoking from the fire that recently raged through it.

James was kneeling over two piles of ash. He was frozen with shock over what happened.

He was a monster.

A demon.

* * *

The vision faded and James was back in the valley. His shaky breathing was the only thing that could be heard in the deafening silence.

"I...I need some time." He said before heading toward the forest.

Elsa was about to follow him when the elder stopped her.

"He won't go far and his heart is in no danger. I said that finding each other will allow both of you fully control your power. You, Elsa, are the only strength he has left and the only reason he has stayed. I do apologize for giving you this burden but it is the only way he will be able to confront that which is haunting him. It may help you too, I have seen you are still not completely at ease with what happened last summer."

While Elsa pondered the elder's final words, she waited a bit longer to make sure she had given James enough time alone she headed back to the horses and only found tracks in the snow. She followed the tracks and quickly found him in a clearing making snowballs with his bare hands.

"What are the snowballs for?" Elsa asked as she sat down beside him.

James finished the one he was working on and set it upon the pile he had made.

"Back home, I had a clearing like this to escape to whenever something happened. In the winter my mother suggested I make snowballs until they stop melting. Just anything to clear my mind and calm down."

He paused for a short while.

""What did he say about my power?"

"Well," Elsa sighed, "you will need to confront whatever is haunting you inside but you will not be alone." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I will help you any way I can."

"I guess I can't hide from it forever."

James glanced up at the darkening sky, he knew it was not that late but the winter season meant daylight went quickly.

"We should head back, I don't want Anna to think you are skipping out on her."

"Let's go, then."

* * *

**Author's Note: It just needs to get a little darker before we can see the light. Hope you like it so far!**


End file.

Frozen, Fantasy, Romance