Frozen 1. A Chance Meeting

**Hey guys!**

**Just a quick note from yours truly.**

**This is my first fanfic ever so any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, if I did I wouldn't be bothering with college! **

Cold Heart, Warm Soul

(h/c)= Hair color

* * *

The cold air sends a chill down your spine as you glance up at the clear night sky, a beautiful aurora lighting up the dark. In the corner of your eye the magnificent north mountain lies still in the night. Taking a moment to glance at the mountain you notice the soft snowfall continuously falling on the ground.

'How odd...' you think to yourself as you take a few steps forward feeling the fresh snow crunch under your heel.

Even with your limited knowledge of the kingdom of Arendelle you know that snowfall doesn't usually happen until the end of October. Peculiar considering that the date, as you last recall, was mid-august just a couple months after the thaw. The initial revelation of Queen Elsa's power quickly spread across the continent and has since become a great tale of betrayal, fear, and a sacred bond between sisters that could never be broken. When word of the Queen's abilities reached the four corners of the earth, many kingdoms met this news with amazement and some with disbelief. However, many nations were also in fear of just how powerful Queen Elsa really was.

The winds began to howl, blowing around your (h/c) hair. Shrugging of the cold, you reach for your hood and pull it up and over your head in an attempt to stave off the wind slightly wincing as you graze the back of your head. You don't quite remember how you received the bump on your head but all you know is that it hurts. You check to see your sword still by your side.

Moving slightly forward, the winds die down for a brief moment allowing you to hear the sound of crying. With the moon providing ample illumination, you begin to make your way towards the sound. You move through the surrounding trees and come to a small clearing. In the center you find the most beautiful woman you have ever laid your eyes upon kneeling down in the snow. Gorgeous platinum blonde hair, slender frame, and the most lovely face with a certain regal quality, all complimented by a black and teal dress.

You take a step forward, the sound of crushed snowflakes filling the air. The woman jumps at the sound taking a defensive stance. The winds begin to pickup again feeling colder than they were a few moments ago.

"Whoa, whoa, easy," you begin to say as you raise your hands hoping to defuse the situation. "I'm not trying to hurt you..."

Looking at you with disbelief she maintains her ground, tears staining her cheeks. The wind becoming more fierce as you struggle to stay standing.

"I just want to know why you're out here all alone crying!" You call out still trying to avoid conflict.

The woman looks ready to attack but she suddenly falls to her knees and begins to sob as the wind begins to calm slightly. As she falls you race over to her side and crouch down to meet her.

"Hey now, it's all right." You softly say. Feeling a bit bold, you lay a hand on her back hoping to provide some comfort. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

She continues to sob. As your hand gently strokes her back you feel her cold skin through her thin dress. You unclasp your cloak and drape it across her back.

"It's all right, I'm here to help." You say, causing her to look up at you. The first thing that stands out about her face is her stunning blue eyes. 'Wow...' you think. If the moon was a bit brighter she would have probably noticed the tinge of red across your cheeks.

"Please," she begins to say. "I don't want to hurt you. Just leave." she struggles to speak through her tears. She looks back to the ground.

"Trust me. I'm a lot tougher than I look." you begin as you stroke her back once more failing to understand what she means. "I'm not sure what's wrong, but I can't just leave knowing someone as beautiful as you is in such pain."

She looks up into your eyes. "How do I know I can trust you?"

You gaze back into her eyes, nothing but truth in yours. "You don't. The only thing I can give you is my word."

She looks away, tears already forming in her eyes.

"But I promise,"you begin as you flash her a warm smile. "that I wont let anything happen to you."

She looks up again into your eyes, the crying subsiding. The wind around you comes to an abrupt stop.

"I-I was angry and afraid." she says her voice barely above a whisper. "I lost control. Innocent people were almost hurt." she explains.

"What do you mean?" you ask, unsure of what to say.

"My emotions!" she says as she chokes back a sob. "I wish I never had them! If I didn't then maybe those people wouldn't see me as a witch. Maybe my sister would have never been hurt..."

A witch? Sister? This woman couldn't be... Could she?

"Listen, I know that emotions can be painful and scary, but that's all apart of being human." She slightly cringes when you mention the word 'Human'. "You have to realize that we can't always be the perfect people that everyone wants us to be."

She looks into your eyes as if staring into your very soul. Her blue eyes shine radiantly in the moonlight.

You gently wipe a frozen tear from her cheek. "The question you should ask yourself is; How are you going to prove them wrong?" you give her that same warm smile as she stares back at you mouth agape.

'Who is this man? Why go out of his way to comfort me?' she thinks to herself.

"Now come on," You stand up and offer her a hand. "We should probably get out of this cold."

Hesitating slightly, she begins to reach for your hand.

"Please forgive me for asking, but who are you? And why comfort me of all people?" beginning to see her open up your smile widens.

"My name is-" you begin to say but are interrupted by the sound of footsteps entering the clearing.

"Well, well what do we have here?" says a large burly man brandishing a rather large hammer over his shoulder .

A few more men enter the clearing, each of them holding a short sword or crossbow. 'Bandits.' you deduce.

"Clarence, is that the witch?" one of them speaks up pointing toward the woman still on the ground.

"I believe it is. The duke will pay us a hefty sum for her head!" the Large man now identified as Clarence states. He then gestures toward you, a large grin on his face. "You there! Lad! Do us a service and bring that evil harlot over here!"

You look back and forth between the woman and the men. Help her? Or hand her over? You make your choice and draw your sword.

"I don't know who you are, but know this. You will not come near her!" You take a defensive stance daring any of them to come close. You flash the woman a quick smile. "Everything will be alright."

Clarence sighs in disappointment. "If that's how its gonna be... GET HIM BOYS!"

Four of the smaller men charge forward. By the time they take two steps your instincts take over. You swiftly sidestep the man who comes closest to you dragging your blade across his gut. The second man tries to bring his blade down but you parry his strike and throw him off balance. Seizing this opportunity you strike fast and plunge your sword in his sternum. The third man aims his crossbow at your heart, but you prove two quick for him. You dash in front of him and deliver a fierce blow with the hilt of your sword and relieve him of his crossbow. As he staggers back you quickly slice at his throat and you aim your newly acquired crossbow at another man's chest and fire. The fifth and final man moves up to you and readies an overhead swing. Noticing this you throw the empty crossbow at his chest interrupting his strike giving ample time for you to finish him with a powerful slash across his exposed gut. All of Clarence's cronies, dead or dying in a matter of six seconds. As you scan the area for Clarence you fail to notice him sneaking up from behind you.

"WATCH OUT!" you hear coming from the blonde woman.

You turn your head and begin to dodge but it is too late. You manage to avoid a strike aimed for your head but Clarence's dagger plunges into your left shoulder. You cry out in pain and stumble to the snowy ground blood beginning to seep from the hole in your shoulder. As you lay bleeding, Clarence steps up and readies his hammer to crush your head. With a sinister grin he swings his hammer down. Before the blow can be struck a frigid blast strikes him in the chest sending him back several feet into a tree knocking him out instantly.

'Ice?' you think as your vision begins to fade due to blood loss. The blonde woman races to your side.

"Just hold on!" she yells as she begins to freeze your shoulder trying to stop the blood loss.

"My Queen? Where are you?" distant voices accompanied by the sound of horse hoofs draws near. "Captain! I've found her!"

The woman looks toward the voices.

"Captain!" she calls out with sight relief in her voice. "Quickly! This man needs a doctor!" She glances back down as the darkness around your vision slowly starts to grow. "You said it yourself; Everything will be alright!" she says as tears begin to well up in her eyes.

"And what about him?" you hear a gruff, unseen male voice say, referring to the incapacitated Clarence.

"Arrest him and throw him in the dungeon." you hear anger in the woman's voice.

"As you command, Queen Elsa."

Your mouth widens as you hear the name. 'Queen Elsa...'

Queen Elsa looks down at you. Her voice softens yet still carries concern, "We're going to get help. Just stay alive."

You black out. The last word Queen Elsa said echoing in your mind: _Alive._

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**And that's a wrap on chapter one!**

**What do you guys think?**

**What'd I do wrong? What'd I do right?**

**Think I should change the rating?**

**I, for one, kinda felt like I wrote Elsa a little OOC...**

**Anyways, Hope you guys liked it and as always, thanks for the feedback!**


	2. Pieces of The Past

**Hey guys!**

**Welcome to another installment of 'Cold heart, Warm Soul'**

**Hope you Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: In some crazy parallel universe I might own 'Frozen', but alas in this universe I don't (sad face)**

Chapter 2: Pieces of The Past

(y/n) = Your name

_Alive..._

The last word that Queen Elsa spoke to you still lingers in your head as you lay unconscious. The word echoes throughout the endless sea of darkness clouding your mind.

_Alive..._

The word resonates and pulses once more and you start to find fragments of your scattered past begin to surface. As the word continues make waves I your head, you find more and more pieces of the past begin to rise up out of the darkness. Visions of your childhood, memories of an old flame, and Glimpses of your time in the military start to slowly come together. One memory in particular is affected by this word. The pieces are starting to come together like a puzzle.

_Alive...?_

* * *

_The memories begin to form a image._

_You find yourself in some sort of council chambers. People on all sides appear to be arguing about some matter. You find yourself looking around noticing that some members you are unable to make out and others appear as clear as water. The words they speak make no sense. You are unable to understand what most of them are saying. In time your mind begins to clear and focus in on one voice._

"_hatW fi hes anc frzee vroe het erinte nentticon?" At first their words are jumbled and incoherent but begins to clear gradually. "I tond ees how ew nac peek siht kingdom alive!" The memory comes to focus and reveals that the voice belongs to and older gentleman with a scruffy grey beard and a balding head._

_Another voice speaks up, "And just what do you propose we do then Krum? March our armies to Arendelle and sack the place? What would our allies think about us attacking a kingdom for no reason?" _

"_No reason?! If the rumors of her power are true, then attacking Arendelle is the only way to ensure our survival! If the other nations fail to see that, then to hell with them!" Krum's words bring the council to an uproar. As the council grows louder, a figure to your right stands up._

"_Enough!" the voice booms to the right of you. The council chambers fall silent. You turn to see a man adorned in a red and gray sur-coat. Atop the sur-coat was a robe made of the finest materials. Above his head you notice a thin, golden crown. The man's face is lightly obscured by shadow but you are able to make out his dark brown hair. Clearly this man was of royal blood._

"_While I appreciate your passion in this matter," The figure turns to address Krum. "we cannot simply invade a peaceful kingdom with no warrant."_

"_But King-" _

"_We Are not attacking," the king says his voice growing more stern. "end of story." _

_Krum slumps into his chair._

_The king moves to address the entire council. "There must be a peaceful way to resolve this."_

_The council begins to murmur. One man speaks up._

"_Could she maybe be an ally?" across from him a woman adds to his proposal._

"_Perhaps we could send a political envoy or ambassador to get Arendelle yo our side!" With this the council nods and murmur in agreement._

_Pondering this proposal, the king looks over to you. Deep in thought, he strokes his chin the prospect of this idea growing more and more appealing. "That is not a bad idea at all..."_

_The king raises his voice. "This meeting is adjourned for now!"_

_As the council rises and file out of the chamber, the king gestures toward you as you turn to face him._

"_I want to speak to you in my study about this matter. I believe we have just found our way to keep the kingdom alive..."_

_The memory fades out._

* * *

You awake to find yourself in an unfamiliar room. You try to lean up against the headboard but are halted by an intense pain shooting through your shoulder.

"Gaaahh!" you look down to your shoulder and find it wrapped in gauze. With a sigh, you let your head fall back into your pillow.

"You shouldn't move too much. You may re-open the wound." a voice to your left says.

Turning your head you see a large woman who appears to be in her forties wearing a green maid's dress cleaning the floor. She looks at you with a slight blush noticing your bare chest.

"I'll keep that in mind..." you say under your breath as you stare at the ceiling. As the woman returns to sweeping the floor you take a moment and begin to remember the night that led you to your current state. Wandering through the trees and snow, comforting a beautiful woman, and fighting off bandits are the most prominent memories. You gaze at your shoulder and begin to remember a large man, wielding a hammer, driving a dagger into your shoulder. Last you recall he was poised for a killing blow until that woman saved you. Of course! That woman was Queen Elsa! You remember her kneeling over you desperately trying to help you.

'Well I'm not dead.' you think to yourself. You look over to the woman in green 'Then I must be in...'

"Excuse me, miss-"

"Gerda." she interrupts you, a soft smile on her face.

Smiling back you continue, "Gerda. Where exactly am I?"

"Arendelle Castle, the queen brought you in here last night." She walks over to your bed and begins to dust a chair as if preparing it for someone.

"Would you happen to know how long I was out?" you ask politely.

"Well, Queen Elsa arrived here with you around midnight and it's already past midday, so close to thirteen hours if my math is right." She starts to walk towards the door. "If you'll excuse me, someone wanted to be alerted as soon as you woke up." With that Gerda leaves the room.

Taking the advantage of the time before she returns, you look around the room and examine it more closely. To the left of your bed you notice a small end table, on top of it are various medical supplies. Gauze, scissors, and bloodied rags are among some of the things. Looking to the left you let a sigh of relief as you see all of your gear and clothes as well as your sword resting on it. Oddly though, the one thing missing from the pile of gear is your cloak. As you try to remember what happened to it the door clicks open revealing the ever beautiful Queen Elsa. You can see her mention something to Gerda before she closes the door behind her.

You feel yourself slightly blush as she approaches. Being all alone in a room with a gorgeous woman as you lay there with no shirt on would certainly cause any man to blush. She moves to sit in the chair beside you. The queen also appears to have a faint tinge of red in her cheeks apparently noticing your exposed chest.

"How are you feeling?" she asks, her eyes meeting yours. Not wanting her to worry, you fumble for a response.

"I'm feeling well Quee-"

"Just Elsa, is fine." sensing your deception she puts her hand on your forearm a stern look on her face. "And be honest with me, How are you really feeling?" Sensing the concern in her voice you smile.

"To be honest, the bandages are kind of itchy." you joke, bringing a small grin to her face. "But otherwise I feel fine if I don't put any pressure on it." She looks down at your bandaged shoulder. To help ease her mind you reach across your body and take her hand. "Hey, don't worry about it, okay?"

She looks away from your shoulder and pulls her hand back. "How can you say that? If you hadn't been there then you wouldn't have been hurt."

"True." as you say this Elsa looks into your eyes. "But If I hadn't been there, then you might have been hurt. And that's just something I can't in good conscience live with." The corners of your mouth turn up into the same warm smile that you comforted her with last night.

As you look into each others eyes you see Elsa match your smile with one of her own. For the brief time you've known her this is the first time you've seen Elsa genuinely smile.

'Absolutely beautiful.' you think. You can practically feel all of your blood rushing to your cheeks. The palms of your hands begin to feel sweaty. 'Maybe I am dead. A woman as gorgeous and kind as Elsa can only be found in heaven.'

Your train of thought is broken as you hear the door open again. You look towards the door to see Gerda entering with a tray of food. Carrying it over to the end table she clears away the rags and bandages and sets the tray down. Before she can begin serving you, Elsa speaks up.

"Thank you Gerda, I can handle it from here."

"Yes Milady." Gerda bows and Begins to walk towards the door.

"Gerda!" you call out just as she reaches the door. "thank you."

She flashes a smile and gives a small curtsy before she closes the door, leaving you alone with the beautiful snow queen once more.

"It's been well over twelve hours," Elsa says turning her attention back to you. "You need to eat something."

Elsa reaches toward the end table and removes the tray cover revealing a steaming bowl of soup.

Knowing that there was no way you could convince her otherwise, you try to pick your back up and rest against the headboard taking care not to hit the bump on your head against it.

Biting through the pain in your shoulder you manage to succeed, but not before Elsa catches the look of hurt on your face. Elsa's smile falls into a frown. Before she can speak, you stop her.

"Trust me I'm fine," you say giving a reassuring grin. "I'm tougher than I look, remember?"

She begins to smile again causing your own grin to grow wider. Elsa takes the bowl of soup and gently hands it to you. As you take the bowl in both hands you didn't expect the bowl to be so hot.

"Ow!" You say pulling your right hand back while still holding the bowl in your left trying not to spill it.

"Something wrong?" Elsa asks, a look of concern dawning on her face.

"Just a little hot is all." you reply with a sheepish grin.

"Here allow me," Elsa's hand begins to glow a faint blue as she touches the rim of the bowl, cooling it almost instantly. You stare In amazement as she does this, seeing her magic with out the cost of being mortally wounded.

"That's really incredible..." you tell her as you reach for a spoon on the tray.

"Yes, well it has its ups and downs," she begins to say as she reaches for the spoon also causing your fingers to graze hers. You quickly pull your hand back as does Elsa. You try to hide your glowing cheeks.

"Sorry,"

"It's quite alright."

Reaching for the spoon you notice Elsa looking away attempting (and failing miserably) to hide her own flushed face.

'Cute..' You think as you begin to eat.

Her blush receding, she turns to back to you. "You know, I still never learned your name..."

Looking into her stunning blue eyes you reply, "(y/n)."

"Well, (y/n) there's another thing I've been meaning to ask you."

Swallowing a mouthful of broth, you look at her, curiosity in your eyes. "All right, ask away."

"What exactly were you doing out in the forest when you found me?"

You pause for a moment to think about how to answer that question. You try and try again to remember but you find yourself unable to do so. The bump on the back of your head begins to throb. You begin to recall that vision you had while you were unconscious, but it doesn't explain what you were doing in the woods last evening. Elsa casts a worrisome look towards you.

Struggling for an answer you can't seem to find, you only manage three words:

"I Don't remember..."

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**Whew! And thus another chapter is wrapped up**

**Big thanks to all everyone who took the time to read this story, I hope you're enjoying it so far**

**I gots a lot of stuff planned for you and Elsa so stay tuned!**

**Feel free to leave a comment about how I did or if you just wanted to ask some questions about the story. **

**Additionally: while I do have some major plans I want to stick to, I do essentially try to put !You! Into the story, so if you got any suggestions about what you want to see happen, please feel free to let me know and I'll see if I can make it happen! **

**Okay til next time, Bye guys! **


	3. To Close the Rift

**Hello! **

**Welcome to Chapter 3 of 'Cold heart, Warm Soul'**

**Big Thanks for the feedback, your comments are greatly appreciated!**

**Hope you Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: My cousin owns a DVD copy of 'Frozen', does that count? No? I don't own 'Frozen' then.**

* * *

Chapter 3: To Close the Rift

"Well, I imagine it would be difficult considering what happened." Elsa states trying to ease your mind.

"It's not that its difficult to remember its just that..." You pause still trying to find a proper way to explain your situation to Elsa. Your mind immediately thinks to the vision you had in your state of unconsciousness. You try to grasp some idea as to why you can remember that specific memory but not what you were doing in the forest. You fail to find an answer, and you turn your head to face Elsa. "Whenever I try to think about whatever I was doing in the forest the only thing that comes to mind is... nothing."

Looking at you with a slight frown, she softly rests her hand on your shoulder. Not even flinching at the contact, you look at her with eyes filled with confusion. You don't even know what to do now. Your gaze shifts away from the snow queen's eyes, as you once again scan your mind, hoping to find even a sliver of information. "I don't even know where to start."

Sensing your frustration, Elsa looks to with a comforting smile and begins to speak up. "Well let's start at the beginning. What can you remember?"

Meeting her eyes once more you begin to recall, or at least try to recall, some aspects of your mysterious life."I can remember growing up on the streets in some place warmer than Arendelle. Somewhere east I think." You struggle to say, having trouble trying to remember the name of the city.

Elsa smiles and takes your hand. "I think we might be getting somewhere. Tell me more, do you remember your family? Your mother? Father?" Elsa asks seeming to be excited at learning more about you.

Blushing slightly at the warmth of Elsa's hand you try to remember more about yourself.

"I can remember…. Other kids. I used to play with them." Next to you Elsa is grinning with delight. Smiling back you continue. "Me and the other kids were all in one place. I can remember... an orphanage."

Upon hearing this Elsa's Grin drops into a small frown. Knowing the pain of losing her parents she looks away from you afraid she might have hurt you. "I-I'm sorry" she stutters.

"No, please don't do that," you say holding on to her hand tighter so she can't pull away. "Elsa, its okay.

It really wasn't all that bad."

"What do you mean?" she asks, turning back toward you.

"Well I had the other kids to play with, and the caretakers were kind and caring." you say with a smile. "Please don't beat yourself up over my past."

Accepting this answer, Elsa tightens her grip around your hand once more, the look of hurt replaced with a kind look of compassion. "Were you ever adopted?"

You ponder for a moment before replying. "No, but I did join the Kings army as soon as I was able, so was never really alone. In fact I think I can remember getting tossed around like a rag doll during training." Elsa covers her mouth stifling a giggle.

"The Kings Army?" she asks. "Do you remember which King?" Elsa asks, hoping to use her political knowledge to help you unearth your mysterious past.

"I'm afraid not, sorry" you say with an embarrassed smile.

"Oh, don't be. I was just wondering." Elsa says, excitement returning to her voice. "So what was your time in the army like?"

"Well... Its still a bit hazy, but I can remember fighting rebels in a few skirmishes. I think I served for about..." You pause letting Elsa's hand fall out of your own. You stare off into space as your mind begins to race, desperately trying to find the missing memories. You continue to struggle but find only a rift. A few moments pass and you, so deep in thought, forget to notice Elsa's worried frown growing on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asks, concern seeping into her voice.

"That's it... I can't remember anything after that point." You mind begin to calm down, giving up on trying to find even a small clue to figuring out what happened between enlisting and meeting Elsa.

"Hey," you look back towards Elsa, her eyes showing signs of kindness. "Everything's gonna be alright, you said it yourself, remember?"

That same warm smile returns to your face. "Well those weren't my exact words, but yeah I guess I did." Elsa giggles a bit making your smile widen. "Besides, I'm sure that it'll come back to me in time."

"And I'll be here when ever it does." Your eyes widen at this. Elsa would be willing to wait for your memory to return? Despite just meeting her yesterday evening, you find yourself falling in love more and more every second you're round her.

"Go back to the beginning, I want to know more about your childhood."

Giving her a playful grin you start to remember bits and pieces of your childhood. "Well I do remember getting into quite a bit of trouble around town..."

* * *

For the next few hours You share with Elsa almost everything you can remember and in return Elsa shares some of her stories as well. Caught up in all the laughter and amazement of each others' stories, you both fail to notice that the sun, once high in the sky, is now almost completely under the horizon.

"And they didn't give you a dishonorable discharge for that?" Elsa asks barely containing her laughter.

"I told them that I had nothing to do with the elephant droppings and that a man with no clothes on ran straight for the coast!" Elsa bursts out in a fit of laughter.

Just then the door of your room opens revealing Gerda a smile on her face seeing the queen laughing so hard. Resisting the urge to leave you two to your fun she speaks up. "Excuse me milady, but you must get your rest. The council meeting you scheduled is In the morning."

Getting up with a sigh, Elsa looks back to you, a slight pout on her face. "Well I could always just reschedule it..."

Laughing bit you smile back at Elsa "No, no, you do have a kingdom to run. I just hope you can find some time from your busy schedule to see a peasant like me." You say dramatically putting your fore arm against your forehead.

"Well I can do better than that," she says laughing in between words. "you should get some rest too. After all, we both have busy days ahead of us."

"We? Don't tell me your going to force me to sit through your meetings?" you ask jokingly.

"Ha! I should remember that just in case someone needs to be tortured." she jokes, her laughter subsiding as she walks toward the door. "I'll have your tour guide come pick you up in the morning." Before exiting the room she turns back to you. "I hope you like chocolate. Good night!"

"Sweet Dreams, hopefully with me in them!" you tease, sticking your tongue out at her.

Smiling at you one last time, she turns away and shuts the door.

You lay back in the bed thinking about everything that happened today. You grew so close to each other in such a small matter of time. You don't know why but you feel so comfortable around her. Like you can talk about anything. Even with your fractured memory, Elsa the snow queen is easily the kindest and most caring person you've ever met.

'Is this what true love is?' frowning your mind shifts to a different train of thought. 'No, this is what friends do...really good frends.'

"Only in fairy tales" you say aloud to yourself. You realize however, that she is one friend that you couldn't stand losing.

'I wonder what she meant when she said tour guide.' you think as you find your eyelids grow heavy.

Before you drift off to sleep you wonder aloud one more thought: "Huh... I still never figured out what happened to my cloak...zzzzz"

* * *

Out side the door Elsa, walks down the corridor alone and in thought about what she has heard today. As she rounds the corner she bumps into a very energetic and bubbly princess Anna and an adorable little man made of snow.

"Hey Elsa! Just the queen I was wanting to see!" Anna exclaims loudly.

"Anna! Keep your voice down! People are trying to sleep!" Elsa states looking back around the corner at your door, hoping Anna's out burst didn't wake you.

The little snowman by Anna's side stares at Elsa with a strange look. "That wouldn't wake anyone. If you want to wake someone you have to do it like this," The snowman inhales a large gust of air.

Just as he was going to exhale, and probably wake the entire castle, Elsa snaps his mouth shut with her hand, which unfortunately sends is head flying back a few meters. A sound of a crash and breaking glass can be heard off in the distance.

"Oops... Sorry Olaf," Elsa says hoping he would hear it. Unsure of what to do, his body goes racing off to find it's head bumping into several walls and objects.

Anna who had been giggling excessively at this scene finally manages to calm down. "So Elsa, you spent an awful lot of time with our special guest today, did you do anything... provocative in there?" Anna says wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

"Anna!" Elsa says with a blush, still trying to keep her voice down. "We just talked for a bit."

"A bit? You were in there for five hours!" Anna says with a suggestive grin on her face. "That's a lot of time for talking Elsa..."

"We didn't do anything!" Elsa yells, snapping her hands over mouth just as she finished saying it.

Anna giggles softly. "Take it easy Elsa, I was only teasing!"

Anna loved to tease Elsa. Ever since the thaw months ago, Elsa and Anna spent many days making up for lost time. They had grown closer to each other than they had ever been as little girls all those years ago. Anna truly loved her sister, and she would do anything to make her happy.

"Well if you are done laughing at my expense," Elsa says with a blush still staining her face. "I have a favor to ask you."

"So long as it doesn't involve me jumping in front of sword again..." Anna says with a smile on her face.

"I assure you its nothing so intense." Elsa says. "I just need you to give someone very special a tour of Arendelle, and keep him busy until dinner."

"Would this special someone happen to be you knight in shining armor?" Anna teases.

Elsa's Blush deepens. Seeing this Anna begins to wonder. 'I've never seen Elsa this flustered... Is she falling in love?'

"Can you help me or not?" Elsa says with slight urgency in her voice.

"Of course! I'd do anything for you sis." Anna says.

Elsa smiles and pulls Her in for a hug. "Thanks Anna, you're the best!"

Olaf having found his head comes running up to the embracing sisters and wraps himself around Elsa's calf, not wanting to miss out on a warm hug. "So what are we doing tomorrow?"

* * *

Deep in the dungeons of Arendelle castle Clarence can be found Carving yours and Elsa's face into the stone wall with a rock.

"Just you wait Pretty Boy. Just. You. Wait."

Clarence's wicked laugh can be heard though out the dungeon.

"HAHAHAHAH-"

"Oi! Shut Up!" Calls another prisoner.

"hehehehe..."

* * *

**Three chapters down, a bunch more to go!**

**I Admit this Chapter was a bit more difficult to write because I had a million different ideas about how this could have happened. But I saved Most of them for different chapters, so Stay Tuned!**

**Thought you'd see the last of old Clarence? Nope! Looks like things are heating up with you and Elsa! And whats the deal with your Past? **

**I'm Glad to see Everyone's Liking the Story so far! **

**That brings me great joy**

**Well, as always, feel free to leave a comment about how I did or if you have any suggestions or ideas you might want me to incorporate into the story!**

**Thanks For Reading! **


	4. New Faces, New Bonds

**Hello All! **

**Welcome back to the show!**

**Thanks Again for all the reviews and feedback! **

**Anyways, I proudly present to you Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: Here I am, lamenting over the fact that I don't own 'Frozen'. **

* * *

Chapter 4: New Faces, New Bonds

(Y/N)= Your Name

You awake the next morning with a small smile on your face. Thinking back to the events of yesterday; Trying to piece together you past, sharing some laughter, and just spending time with Elsa, the snow queen. Your smile widens at the thought of Elsa's name. After spending so much time with her yesterday you honestly cannot remember a time you felt happier, the connection between you seems unbreakable. Your smile drops. 'Only in fairy tales...' you think to yourself.

Removing the covers from your body you sit up in the bed. You reach your hand to your shoulder feeling only slightly sore as you squeeze it slightly. You Flex your arm to get a better feel of it's condition.

"It's not as awful as it was yesterday, but still..." you say aloud. As you continue to move your arm you notice a delicious scent filling your lungs. Looking up from your shoulder, you see a small tray laid out on the end table. On the tray is a small platter of eggs, bacon, and a glass of orange juice with a note right beside it. With a curious look you pick up the note, opening it to read its contents.

_Dear (Y/N), I Wish I could have been there to _

_wake you personally, but my meetings are _

_likely going to be keeping me busy all day. I hope you _

_enjoy the breakfast I had Gerda prepare, you're going _

_to need the energy to keep up with your escort. _

_She'll be waiting in the courtyard whenever you're ready. _

_I never got to thank your for protecting me that night _

_so I figured a tour of Arendelle was in order._

_I promise I'll see you when I can, but until then please try to enjoy_

_yourself today. Have fun! _

_Yours, Elsa_

Smiling, you place the letter back next to the tray. 'She didn't need to do this.' Reaching for a fork you feel slight heat radiating off of the eggs indicating that they hadn't been there for more than a few moments.

Twenty minutes and one delicious breakfast later, you let out a large belch. 'I should really thank Gerda for that breakfast.' You move towards your pile of gear in the corner. You decide that the city should be more tame than the forest and only don your under clothes, leaving your armor and sword in the pile. As you put on your shirt you notice a hole, clearly from the previous encounter two nights ago. Seeing this you look for another shirt to wear. Finding none you reluctantly put your damaged shirt on. With a sigh you step into the hallway.

'Wait a minute...' you think as you look around the hall. 'How do I get to the courtyard?'

* * *

After wandering around the castle for a good thirty minutes you manage to find a servant who directs you to the courtyard.

'What an ordeal... That probably wasn't even a fourth of the castle.' You think as you approach the castle doors. The light of the sun slightly blinds you as the guards open the doors. Thanks to Clarence, this is your first time in the sun in nearly two days. It is a glorious day. Looking up you can see the sun shining across a cloudless sky. You begin to descend the steps. Looking away from the sky you cast your eyes forward and are greeted by a magnificent view of the castle courtyard, and beyond that, you can see the beautiful city across the bridge. You can see a thin layer of snow blanketing the courtyard. Focusing your vision, you come across a peculiar sight. A large man with blonde hair is seen leaning against a fully grown reindeer feeding it a carrot and- 'Wait did he just take a bite out of it too?' To the side of him you can a stunning strawberry-blonde building a snowman with the help... of... Another snowman?

Approaching them slowly, you come close enough to hear them talking.

"Remind me why I agreed to this?" The blonde man says as he pets the reindeer gently.

The strawberry-blonde looks away from her half-built snowman."Because you love me!" she says with a smile.

The large blonde man smiles gently at her. "That maybe true, but why did we have to get up so early?" The woman turns back to the snowman. "Elsa said he'd be meeting us here in the courtyard in the morning. She forgot to just mention what time in the morning he'd be here."

"Hey Anna, Is that him over there? You know the guy with a silly look on his face?" the living snowman seems to notice you approaching.

The woman, referred to as Anna takes one look at you and rushes over and captures you in a quick hug. "Hi There!" Anna says as she releases you. "Listen I just wanna say thank you for helping my sister the other night!" shes states. "She really means a lot to me," she says with a thankful smile on her face.

'She's very bubbly..' You think to yourself. "Um it was no problem really, I was just happy to help." you say rubbing the back of your head.

"But still, Elsa said a reward was in order so what better than a tour of Arendelle by none other than her sister!"

"Sister?" You ask. "You mean you're-"

"Yep! Princess Anna in the flesh! Want an autograph?" She asks with a confident smile. The blonde man taps her shoulder.

"Anna..." he says with a small smile.

Turning to face him, her face lights up in realization. "Oh Right!" She exclaims. "Let me introduce you to everyone!"

Anna puts her arm around your back, slightly pushing you towards her companions. "This is Sven, He's an absolute sweetheart." She says gesturing towards the large reindeer. Sven Trots up to you. With a large grin on his face, he gives your face a friendly lick.

"Ha ha! Hello Sven!" You laugh. You give Sven a gentle pat on the head. You turn your attention back to Anna, who giggles at the exchange. Anna, still laughing slightly, then gestures to the large blonde man. "And this is Sven's pet human, Barnaby ."

"Hey!" The man says as he steps forward.

"Oh Relax." Anna says, giving him a playful shove. "You know I'm just kidding!"

With a sigh 'Barnaby' turns toward you, holding out his hand. "You see what I put up with? I'm Kristoff."

With an amused smile you firmly grasp his hand. "Nice to meet you Kristoff. I'm (Y/N)."

With a smile, Anna points to the last, and probably oddest member of the group. "Last but, most certainly not least, this is-"

"Hi!, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" The short living snowman all but yells, holding his stick arms out.

Still baffled at the prospect of a living snowman. You simply stare at him filling the air with an awkward silence.

Kristoff looks at you and whispers, "You'd better do it, he can be very persistent."

You glance back at Olaf. "It's free-ee!" Olaf says as he wiggles his, um fingers?

You kneel down and hold your arms out. "Uh... Hi?"

Olaf runs over and encompasses you in a hug. "Aren't hugs great?" he asks.

You initially shudder at his frigid touch, but eventually give in and begin to lightly hug him back.

"As cute as this is, we've got a lot of city to see and not enough time to do it! So lets get a move on!"

As you break the contact, Anna walk over and begins playfully shove you out of the courtyard and across the bridge with Kristoff an Sven in tow.

"I just love family outings!" Olaf says from atop Sven's back.

* * *

"And this is my favorite place in the whole city, the candy store!" Anna exclaims as she rushes into the store.

The tour of the city had been going along for a few hours now. You had grown quite close to your new-found friends. Kristoff had shared stories of his his and Sven's life up until they had met Anna a few months ago. You had also learned of his and Anna's growing relationship. Olaf was a curious specimen. Anna told you of how she and Elsa had built him as children and he took the liberty of singing to you his 'Summer Song'. The tour of Arendelle turned out to be quite fun experience, with many laughs and stories being shared along the way. Elsa was right to mention Anna's energy, the girl had been leading you around the city at an alarming rate. You had seen the Fjord, the town square, the path leading into the mountains and everywhere in between. Kristoff and Sven are trailing behind visibly winded at Anna's inhuman pace. Despite your impressive stamina, you find yourself drawing breath in large increments as well. The only one of you not even remotely tired is Olaf, likely due to the fact that he lacks lungs. And blood. And the need for oxygen. With a slight fatigue in your step, you walk into the store to find Anna drooling over a rather large piece of chocolate. 'Must be the sugar...'

"Uh, Anna?" you say stopping her in mid sentence. "Think we could maybe stop for a breather?"

"Huh? But we've made pretty good time so far. We should- Oh" She pauses, examining the hole in your shirt. "Well, this simply won't do. We NEED to get you some suitable attire for this evening." Anna pushes you outside the entrance to the store, but not before running back in to purchase that large piece of chocolate.

Outside the store Kristoff and Sven look over to Anna. "Leaving so soon? I figured we would've been there for hours." he says as Anna continues to push you down the street.

"I know, but this is an emergency!" She yells with the absolute most serious look on her face.

Kristoff flashes her a worried look. "What's the problem?" he says, his voice laced with anxiety.

"(Y/N) needs clothes!"

Kristoff looks at Anna, his concern replaced with a blank stare. "Uh-huh. Clothes." Kristoff looks back to Sven, offering him a carrot. "Remember when emergencies meant doing exciting things, like rescuing princesses and fighting giant snowmen?" Sven only rolls his eyes and takes a bite out of the carrot with Kristoff doing the same shortly after.

"Ooh! I wonder how marshmallow is doing these days?" Olaf says skipping along next to Anna. "We should go visit him!"

All the while you try to get hold of the situation. "Wait Anna!" you say, still being pushed down the road. "I assure you my Clothes are fine!" you say fighting the against Anna's unusually strong grip.

Anna continues pushing you towards a tailors. "Not for tonight, they aren't!" she says pushing you into the store.

"But what's going on tonight?" you say, still trying to make sense of the predicament you find yourself in.

Ignoring your question Anna steps up to the counter, soliciting the attention of the shopkeeper.

"Princess! What can I do for you on this fine day?" the man asks with anticipation.

"Gordon! This is man is in dire need for proper attire." Anna says pointing to you.

Gordon walks over to you, tape measure in hand. "For what occasion I might ask?" Gordon says as he starts taking your measurements.

"An audience with the Queen." Anna says, nibbling on the large piece of chocolate.

"Oh my! How exciting!" Gordon says as he starts dragging you to the clothes racks near the back of the store.

"Wait, audience with Elsa?" you ask looking back toward Anna. Just as you prepare to ask another question, Gordon shoves an assortment of clothes in your hands and leads you to a changing room.

"Please, try them on." he says to you.

"Wait, Anna-" you call out.

"Nope you heard the man! Now get in there and strip!" She says a little too loudly.

* * *

Meanwhile outside the shop Kristoff and Sven are staring at the door, wondering what exactly is going on within. Off to the side Olaf chases a butterfly.

"_Now get in there and strip!"_ Kristoff hears the voice of Anna from behind the closed door. Kristoff turns to Sven. "Think I should see what going on in there?"

Sven only flashes him a look that seems to say, 'That's probably a bad idea...'

"How bad could it be?" Kristoff says as he approaches the door.

As he reaches for the handle, he pauses to hear another, unfamiliar male's voice say _"I don't bite! Now, the pants if you please?"_

Backing away from the door slowly, Kristoff makes his way back to Sven. "You're right. I don't even want to know."

* * *

Back inside the shop you continue to do as Gordon instructs. From behind the door of the changing room you fasten a pair of highly uncomfortable pants. You open the door of the changing room to see Anna and Gordon looking on with eager faces, only for their looks of excitement turn into looks of slight unease.

"Well?" you ask.

Anna and Gordon look at each other for a moment before closing the door in your face.

Anna looks back at Gordon. "What else you got?" The tailor makes his way back to the clothing racks.

"Hmmm, How about...?"

After an hour of trying on various outfits, Anna and Gordon grow frustrated at their inability to find you a suitable set of clothing. This goes on for a few more minutes, until Anna decides to speak a bit too loudly again.

* * *

Back outside the shop, Kristoff and Sven reluctantly stare at the door, still no clue as to what's going on.

After several moments of silence, Kristoff motions toward the door. "Think they're done?"

Just as Sven is about to reply, Anna's voice can be heard once again. _"Come on Gordon, Is that all you have? Give him the good stuff!" _Kristoff's faces pales slightly at this, until he hears Gordon's voice once more.

"_Okay, but it will cost extra." _If it were possible, Kristoff's face would pale even more.

Sven looks over to Kristoff, before gesturing towards Olaf; who is still chasing the butterfly.

"Uh yeah," he says. "anything to get away from this." Kristoff and Sven make their way to Olaf, deciding that helping the snowman catch a butterfly, is way better than listening to the banter inside the shop.

* * *

"That's alright, Elsa's the one paying for it." Anna says with a sheepish grin.

Gordon makes his way to the back room. "I think I have just the outfit." he says as he returns with a box. "Here, I've been saving this for just the right person." He says, sliding the box underneath the door.

Several minutes later you step out of the room, wearing black pants with a dark blue sash running down the side. On your torso, you wear a dark gray undershirt with a white cravat around your neck. On top of the shirt, you sport a dark blue vest. Atop that is a black jacket with dark blue trimmings along the sides along with the coattails reaching the back of your knees. You initial shoes are now replaced with a pair of black leather boots. Tying the whole outfit together is the pair of black silk gloves.

Looking back to Anna and Gordon you flash a sly smile. "Well? Good enough for the Queen?"

Anna just stares at you, mouth agape and a slight blush staining her cheeks. Gordon simply matches you smile with a proud grin.

* * *

"Thanks again Gordon! Say hello to the missus for me!" Anna says as she leads you out of the store.

Kristoff walks up to you and Anna. "Finally, I was afraid I was going to have to call the guards."

Anna stares at him with a Quizzical look on her face. "What for? We were just buying clothes." She says.

"Then he didn't? You were just?" Kristoff says as he fumbles through some questions. "You should really learn to talk softer..." He says under his breath.

Anna shrugs, clearly not understanding where Kristoff was coming from. "Whatever then. Hey! how does (Y/N) look?" she says with a smile on her face.

Kristoff turns his head to you. "Um, Good I guess? Guys don't really comment on how good other guys look."

"Well, I don't know about you, but Elsa will love it!" Anna exclaims. Seeing something off, She searches the area for a moment. "Hey, Where's Sven and Olaf?"

"Here We Are!" you hear Olaf in the distance. Turning you head towards the sound of his voice, you find Olaf standing on top of Sven's back on one leg as he tries to reach the butterfly, who has perched itself on a tree. "Almost!" he says reaching his stick arms out.

"Come on guys! We have to go!" Anna calls out to them as she begins walking in the direction of the castle with Kristoff's arm around her.

Sven snorts in agreement and trots over to Anna, causing Olaf to lose his balance and fall to the ground in a heap of snow-body parts. "Darn, I Almost had him..." Olaf says as he literally picks himself up.

Laughing at Olaf's antics you walk over and help him reassemble himself. As you place his head back on his shoulders, you glance up at the sky. The day is over for the most part. You feast your eyes on the sunset, which is almost as beautiful as a certain snow queen's eyes. At the thought of Elsa crosses your mind, you catch up to Anna with a question lingering in your head.

"Hey Anna?" you ask as she turn's her head to face you.

"What is it (Y/N)?" she asks.

"What is this 'audience with the Queen' business?" you ask with a curious look in your eyes.

"Your date with Elsa, What else?" She says with a suggestive smirk.

Your face turns a deep shade of crimson.

"D-date? With Elsa?"

* * *

**And so another chapter is finished!**

**Hope you all enjoyed reading it as I did writing it!**

**Definitely went a little more humorous to help contrast the seriousness**

**Truth be told, this one took me a bit longer to write because I was trying to get a feel for Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf's personalities. How'd I do with them?**

**As Always, thanks for reading!**

**Feel free to comment about the story or if you have any suggestions or ideas you may want to see!**

**Till Next Time! **


	5. A Good Place to Start

**Hello Everyone!**

**Welcome back!**

**Sorry if it took a little longer to get this out, my computer had a little malfunction, but its all good now.**

**I'm Glad to see everyone enjoying the story so far!**

**Once again, thank you all for the reviews and feedback, It really means a lot to me!**

**Disclaimer: Still kinda bummed that I don't own 'Frozen'**

* * *

Chapter 3: A Good place to Start

(Y/N) = Your name

The walk back to the castle proved to be a harrowing one. The mere thought of a date with Elsa, brings feeling if unease and anxiety. The sun was just barely over the horizon, its brilliant rays lighting up the evening sky in a vibrant display of red, orange, and yellow. As you and your new friends approach the bridge to the castle, you turn to Anna, who as it were is leaning against Kristoff's shoulder. "Hey, Anna?"

Anna turns away from Kristoff to face you. "Hmm? What is it (Y/N)?"

"This isn't a joke is it?" you say, still disbelieving Anna's words. "Does Elsa really want a date with me?" you ask, feeling the familiar sensation of blood rushing to your face.

Sure you had spent the last day talking with one another and in your mind you truly want to pursue a relationship with her, but does she feel the same? Or is she just being a good friend?

Anna slightly giggles at your reddened cheeks."Of course !" she exclaims, excitement filling her voice. "At least I think she does..." she mutters, her expression of excitement turning into one of deep thought.

"Wait, You think?" You ask, taken slightly aback by Anna's statement, but still maintaining your step.

"Well maybe they weren't her exact words but I'm pretty sure it was implied somewhere in that conversation we had yesterday." Anna says with a sheepish smile. "The question you need to ask is, do YOU want to date Elsa?" Anna says pointing a finger at you, a clever grin replacing the sheepish one from before.

Embarrassment apparent in your eyes you turn away, hoping your blush wouldn't show. "yes..." you mumble under your breath.

Kristoff and Anna look at each other with a a playful grin. Kristoff lets go of Anna and gives you a small nudge. "I'm sorry what was that?"

You send an irritated glare back at him. "Yes, I do." you mutter, slightly louder than earlier.

Anna stifles a chuckle and gives your shoulder a small punch. "You don't sound to sure of yourself."

Your gaze turns to Anna. "Seriously? That's not-" your sentence is immediately interrupted as Sven places a hoof on your back, giving you a playful shove.

"OKAY, YES! I WANT TO DATE ELSA!" You blurt out, rapidly covering your mouth with you hands.

Kristoff and Anna burst into a fit of laughter. "Now isn't that better?" Anna says in between laughs.

Your face softens as you begin to chuckle along. "I guess so," turning your attention to Sven, you give the reindeer a gentle scratch under the chin. "Shoving isn't nice, Sven. I might take your carrots away" he gives a large grin and an expression that seemed to scream, "Worth it!"

Olaf, quiet during all of Kristoff and Anna's antics, looks at you. "Huh. You don't really know much about love either." he says glancing between you and Anna.

"Hey!" Anna says, narrowing her eyes at Olaf. "I think I learned a lot about love." Anna counters, taking Kristoff's hand in her own.

"Yeah, but you did almost marry a man who tried to kill your sister." Kristoff's voice chimes in.

"The key word there is 'tried'..." Anna says, her voice trailing off.

Tuning out the conversation between them, you take a last glance at the Fjord, the sun now gone and the bright moon lighting up the dark waters. It's hard to believe that Elsa had frozen all of this, let alone the entire kingdom. Elsa's power over ice and snow was absolutely amazing. Your eyes move to Anna,who was laughing as Kristoff lifted her off the ground and held her tight. 'Love truly is a powerful thing.'

As you continue down the bridge, your eyes narrow for a moment. Something isn't right. 'If I can't remember anything from the past few years, then how do I know about Elsa and Anna?' You stop walking for a moment. As you think about this development, doubt begins to set in your mind. 'Why can't I remember?'

Anna seems to be the first to notice your idleness. "(Y/N)? Somethin' wrong?" she asks.

Snapping out of your trance, you look up to find all of your new friends looking at you with worried looks. Not being able to come up with a response you stand still for a few moments.

"Why's he just standing there?" Olaf whispers to Sven. "Did he forget how to walk?"

Not wanting them to worry, you push the issue to the back of your mind. Hopefully you can try to remember some more of your life later, but for now you reply with a composed look.

"It's nothing really." you say hoping to alleviate any concern they have. "I just wanted to say thanks for today, It was a lot of fun!" Despite your troubled mind, you give them a genuine smile, signifying that you had indeed enjoyed your time with your new friends.

"Aww don't mention it buddy! You're one of us now!" Anna answers as she moves to give you a hug, which you eagerly return. "Besides, you should really thank Elsa. She's the one who paid for, pretty much, everything."

"Hugs!" you hear Olaf say as he wraps his stick arms around you and Anna's legs. "Everything is better with hugs!"

You can hear Kristoff and Sven softly Laughing at the display of affection. 'So this is what having friends feels like.' you think to yourself.

Even with the limited memory you can't seem to find a time where bonds such as these seem so pure and warm. Sure there had been kids in the orphanage, from what you can remember, but those had been short lived as most of them saw adoption. Memories of your time in the army fared no better. The people you had met in the service were usually no nonsense warriors, with the few friends you actually connected with dying in the line of duty or living out the days in retirement. You had honestly never felt this at ease. 'This feels nice.'

* * *

After crossing the bridge, you find your stomach doing more and more flips as you approach the large doors of castle Arendelle. Your heart begins beating faster and faster with each passing second. As you and your friends enter the doors a rather large man sporting a green uniform steps forward, bowing slightly, and addresses the princess.

"Princess Anna, Her majesty is awaiting you and your friends in the private dinning hall." he says.

Anna gives a small nod, "Thank you Kai, that will be all."

Kai gives a bow before excusing himself to resume his duties in another area of the large castle.

Anna turns to face you, "Feeling nervous?" she teases.

You don't even bother replying, your red face and shaky hands are providing more than enough evidence of your current condition. "But she doesn't even know its a date!" you assert, remembering Anna's words from before.

"I'm pretty sure her intentions are purely romantic, now come on, this way!" Anna says, leading you down the halls of Arendelle castle walking ahead of you and the others.

"But what if..." you trail off, Anna clearly not listening to you, too excited at the notion of Elsa opening up to someone other than her.

As you walk down the hall Kristoff gives your shoulder a small pat. "Just go with it, that's what Love is about. Adventure." Kristoff gives you a smile before walking ahead to try and catch up with Anna.

Adventure. Love is an Adventure! Your face lightens and your hands begin to calm themselves, as you begin to understand. All your life (at least the parts you can remember) love was this abstract concept that only existed in fairy tales. But you can see what true love really is. You can see it in the way Kristoff Holds Anna close. The way they always seen to smile whenever they hold hands. But most of all, you can see the way they trust one another. You may not know what true love feels like for yourself , but Kristoff had just given you a good place to start.

"Kristoff!" you call, before he makes it to Anna. He turns around to face you.

"Yeah?" he asks, the smile still on his face.

"Thanks." you softly say, your mind at ease. 'This is an an adventure that I am willing to go on. I just hope Elsa is willing to go on it with me.' you think to yourself

Kristoff's smile widens. "Like Anna said earlier, you're one of us now. So don't mention it."

"Uh, you guys coming?" you both turn to see Anna a ways ahead of you.

Kristoff turns and points down the hall. "After you, (Y/N)"

Giving him a smile, you nod and continue down the hall, all thoughts of nervousness and anxiety quelled. As you and Kristoff make your way to Anna he offers one more message, "Remember, Love is an adventure, not a mission."

'Mission?' you think to yourself. 'Why does word that seem familiar?' pushing that thought aside, you and Kristoff make your way back to Anna and the others, who are standing in front of a set of doors.

Approaching the doors, you begin to muster your courage. Glancing at Kristoff and Anna, you swallow any remaining doubt and proceed to open the doors.

As you open the doors you are greeted to a rather large dinning hall. In the center there is a long table, with enough space to fit and feed at least twenty people. Along the walls on both sides of the table are various works of art, tapestries, and the occasional vase or two. Shining directly above the table is an elaborate and beautiful chandelier. Spread out near the end of the table were two plates of food across from each other.

'For a private dinning hall, this seems a bit large.' You think to yourself. One thing that stands out in particular is the wide set of windows near the the end of the table that gives a gorgeous view of the Fjord and mountains. Beside the windows, a lone figure stands with her back turned to you, staring out into the night. As you make your way to the end, the figure shifts and turns to face you. You feel your heart stop for a moment.

There she was, the woman you find yourself falling for, dressed in a stunning blue dress that seemed to hug her slender figure, highlighting her curves. Her hair was tied into a braid that ran down her back, quite a difference from the usual bun you're used to seeing. In short, you were staring at an angel. Controlling your blush, you walk down to meet her. 'Not letting the nerves get me now.' you think.

"And just when I thought you couldn't be anymore beautiful." you say teasingly.

Elsa, having noticed your new appearance, also finds herself suppressing the heat rising in her face.

Giggling softly, she steps a little bit closer. "And I see you clean up fairly well (Y/N), Gordon's work?"

"How did you know?" you ask smiling at Elsa's approval of your look.

"Well Anna was your tour guide so naturally, I figured that she would take you to Gordon. He does all of her special requests." She replies. "Speaking of Anna," Elsa turns her gaze away from you to see Anna and the others still standing in the doorway.

"I don't suppose you'll be joining us?" She asks, seeming to know the answer Anna was going to give.

Anna beaming a bright smile at the two of you, flashes Elsa a knowing look. "Oh no by all means you two enjoy your evening." Anna latches onto Kristoff's arm. "Come on guys, lets leave the lovely couple to their date."

"But wait! I want to see what this whole dating thing is like!" Olaf interjects.

You look over to see Kristoff whispering something into Sven's ear. Sven looks up and quickly winks at you, before trotting up to Olaf and tapping him on his snowy shoulder.

"What's up fuzzy buddy?" Olaf says.

Sven quickly bites Olaf's carrot nose and runs out into the hall with it.

"Hey!" Olaf yells chasing after the reindeer. "I need that!"

As Olaf chases, or at least tries to chase, Sven, Anna looks back to you with a look of approval, shortly before closing the door behind her.

Elsa looks at you with a shy smile, as she gestures to the table. "Shall we?"

Smiling back, you move to pull out her chair. "After you, Milady."

* * *

**Yikes, things are getting pretty serious huh? Well maybe not 'Serious' serious but Elsa seems to be opening up more as far as you can tell. **

**I had actually written the entire dating scene, but I wasn't really sure about how it turned out. **

**Any advice, comments, suggestions are more than welcome. **

**As Always, thanks for reading!**

**Till Next we meet!**


	6. A Nice Night for a Walk

**And So begins another chapter of this Grand tale of love... And a bunch of other stuff I still have in store for you!**

**Huge thanks for all the support and feedback! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Frozen' sadly**

* * *

Chapter 6: A Nice Night for a Walk

(Y/N)=your name

"My, what a gentleman." Elsa says as she takes her seat, smiling as you push her closer to the table.

"I try," you say, making your way to your chair. "I don't remember a time where I've had to be chivalrous, so this is kinda new to me."

Smiling softly, you take your seat. "You look beautiful in that dress by the way," you say with a faint blush. "It matches your eyes."

Elsa blushes and smiles at the ground for a moment, before meeting your eyes again. "You like it? I made it myself."

Your eyes widen as a surprised grin appears on your face. "You didn't tell me you could sew!"

Elsa giggles softly. "I can't."

You stare strangely at Elsa's dress,a confused expression clear on your face. "You... can't? Then.. How did-?" you ask, still confused as to what she means.

Elsa simply smiles as she raises a hand. Ice and snowflakes begin materializing out of thin air, swirling around her hand. In just a few seconds, the ice begins to come together making the figure of an intricate rose as Elsa closes her hand around the stem. You stare in awe at the snow white rose made of ice in her hand. The fact that the flower was incredibly realistic showed Elsa's attention to detail. Every petal was in place, swirling around the center perfectly. The rose's size matched that of roses you had seen before.

Elsa's small display of power was nothing short of astonishing

Looking away from the rose, you look back to her dress with realization in your eyes.

"So that dress... it's made out of ice?" You ask smiling in amazement at her.

Elsa nods and laughs as your mouth remains agape.

"That is absolutely amazing!" you exclaim, eyes full of wonder.

"Well," Elsa beams a proud smile, staring at the flower. "I'm glad you think so."

Taking the rose in her hand, she opens her palm allowing the rose to float upwards. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, it began to disintegrate into individual snowflakes gathering into a sphere just above Elsa's open palm. With a wave of her hand the sphere suddenly shoots up and bursts into a light snowfall over the both of you. As the snow cascades down, you break from your look of amazement to look over to Elsa, as she admires her handiwork. As the snow falls around her you can't help but stare at just how beautiful she is. You can't seem to stop grinning, as if just simply being around her makes you happy.

As the snow stops falling, Elsa looks up into your eyes before turning away with a bashful smile. "Um... We shouldn't let the food go cold." Elsa says trying to fight off a blush.

As if on cue your stomach lets out a loud rumble. "Oh, right!" you reply, mentally scolding your stomach. 'Damn stomach.'

As you and Elsa proceed to eat, the snow queen takes the opportunity to speak up.

"So how was your day with Anna?" Elsa asks as she uses her fork to spear a piece of food.

"Exciting, to say the least," you answer, chuckling slightly as you remember the crazy events earlier today. "You have an interesting family."

"Anna and Olaf tend to make things exciting." Elsa says as she swallows a mouthful of food. "Kristoff and Sven are... surprisingly insightful."

"No kidding." you say thinking back to Kristoff's advice. "Anna's lucky to have a guy like him."

"He just better not break her heart," Elsa says protectively.

"You don't like Kristoff?"

"Oh! Don't get me wrong, Kristoff is a great guy, it's just that..." Elsa pauses trying to find the right words. "Enough's happened to her heart already." Elsa says as she thinks back to when she nearly killed her sister.

'She really cares about her family.' you think to yourself. It's easy to understand though; during your conversation with her yesterday, she had mentioned how she hurt Anna when they were children, which caused them to grow so far apart due to Elsa's isolation from her and the rest of the world. In addition, they had both lost their parents years ago in the middle of a large storm. Sure they would never truly be alone ever again,but in terms of blood, Elsa and Anna only had each other, so it's easy to see why Elsa is worried about her.

"I just don't know what I would do if-" you cut Elsa off as you reach over and place your hand over hers.

"Elsa, you are amazing," you tell her. The contact between your hands causes her cheeks to grow red as you continue. "but so is Anna, so don't worry too much."

Elsa looks at you, a soft smile finding its way to her face. "I'll try, but no promises... Thank you."

You smile back gently and remove your hand from hers. As your hand leaves hers, Elsa's smile falters for a brief second right before she smiles again. 'Did she just pout?'

"So," Elsa says as she turns back to her plate, trying to hide her blush. "Is your shoulder feeling better?"

"Actually, it feels much better," in all honesty you had forgot about your still-bandaged shoulder. Between spending the day with your friends and your date with Elsa, your shoulder was the last thing on your mind. "but you don't have to worry about me."

"Oh? I'm pretty sure I'd be a bad friend if I didn't." Elsa says with a friendly smile.

"Oh, Right!" you say with a smile. While you feign a playful smile, in your head you feel slightly saddened. 'Friend...'

"Well I'll be sure to not give you a reason to worry then!"

Elsa smiles warmly at you.

As dinner winds down, you spend the rest of the meal telling Elsa about your day in the city and in turn Elsa, reluctantly, explains a bit about her the events in the council room. Well, at least one of you had a fun day.

As you settle back into your chair, you lightly pat your stomach. "Whoever made that is a culinary genius." you say aloud.

"Well, I'll have Gerda inform Chef Halvor that you appreciate his talents." Elsa says, laughing softly.

Laughing along with her you think about everything that happened today.

Today was absolutely perfect. While you may still have many secrets to unlock about your past, you had gained some great friends and had grown even closer to the beautiful snow queen. You do feel a mite disappointed however, the most enjoyable part of your day was spending time with Elsa, but the time seems do disagree with you as notice Elsa rise from her seat.

"Well this was a wonderful way to conclude my long day of boring meetings." Elsa says as she summons some servant to take your plates. "I'm actually kind of sad it's over." She says after nodding a thanks to the servants.

'That makes two of us.' you think as you stand up. 'Wait. Love is an adventure.' Thinking back to Kristoff's advice, you make your way over to Elsa and, in a bold move, take her hand. "Who says it has to be over?"

Elsa eyes you with an enthusiastic look. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Realizing that the only place you hadn't explored was the castle itself, the queen took it upon herself to personally escort you around. This was definitely a step up from roaming around for half an hour lost as a stranger in a strange land. A short time after leaving the private dinning hall you and Elsa find yourselves in the gardens. While not extravagant of elaborate as other parts of the castle, it certainly was beautiful. The night sky was as cloudless as the day. The moon shining high above, while an aurora lights up the night sky. The air is crisp with a slight breeze blowing through the garden. Elsa shivers awkwardly and presses herself into you and latches on to your arm. As you blush at her actions, a lone thought passes through your head. 'Isn't she immune to the cold?' Smiling at this revelation you relax as Elsa leads you around.

"Okay, favorite color?" Elsa asks you, as you make your way through the garden.

Somewhere along the tour of Arendelle castle, someone had the idea to play a game. While originally intended to fill the silence between certain parts of the castle, this game had actually taken majority of the conversation. You and Elsa took turns exchanging questions with one another, with Elsa Occasionally chiming in to talk about certain parts of the castle. Much like the long conversation you had yesterday you and Elsa had learned a lot about each other. Your likes and dislikes, favorite foods, and even some hobbies, although your answers were a bit more hesitant considering your current mental condition. Thinking back to the game you were playing, you think of an answer.

"Well," you say, pausing to remember. "I can't actually remember ever having one."

You look into Elsa's gorgeous blue eyes as they shined in the moonlight. "But I found a very good reason to start liking blue."

Elsa blushes and smiles at the ground. "Quite the charmer, aren't you?"

"Not most days," you reply, laughing sightly.

Elsa looks back up and giggles. "I believe it's your turn."

"Hmm." Your mind lingers for a moment before coming up with the perfect question. "What brought this on?"

Elsa looks at you with a confused expression. "What to you mean?"

"Well," you say stopping for a moment. "This date, or why spend so much time with me?"

Elsa lets go of your arm. She looks around and walks over to a nearby bench as you follow her . As she sits down, she stares up at the moon, lost in deep thought. After a few moments of silence, she turns her

head up to look into your eyes. "Can I be honest with you?"

"Elsa," you reply, sitting down next to her. "you can tell me anything."

The snow queen smiles briefly at you, before it shifts into a frown. "Honestly, at first this was nothing more than a way to say thank you."

"Thank you? For-" you stop mid sentence as your mind brings you back to the night you comforted her in the snow. "Oh."

Elsa looks away from you as she continues.

"It seems improbable... Growing close to some stranger who appears and protects me from bandits, and on top of that a stranger who can't seem to remember anything from the past few years. With any other person I might have just given them a medal and sent them away."

As Elsa speaks this, you can practically feel your heart sinking deeper and deeper.

"But when we spent time together yesterday and all through tonight, I can't help but feel happy whenever you're near." your eyes fill with hope as, you see Elsa stand up from the bench with her back facing you. "I had told myself that we could only ever be friends, but I cant help wanting more than that."

You rise from the bench, gulping nervously as you approach Elsa from behind. 'Is this really happening?' you think as Elsa resumes.

"I know it is too early to call it love,but perhaps we-" you never let her finish as you gently place a hand on her shoulder.

Elsa turns around to face you. You smile warmly at her and move your hand to her cheek. You can almost hear Elsa's rapidly pounding heart, as her face turns a bright shade of red. Elsa's eyes flutter shut as you close the distance between you, meeting her lips in a passionate kiss.

As your hands make their way around her waist, Elsa's own hands find their way around your neck as she deepens the kiss.

Moments later, you both pull away, wide grins across both of your faces.

Out of breath, you smile at her. "That was-" It was Elsa's turn to interrupt you as she grabs your head and pulls you in for another kiss.

* * *

Sadly, Elsa escorts you back to your room, the night had to end sometime, after all. No words were exchanged along the way as you and Elsa find solace from the mere presence of one another. Your arm around lies her shoulders as she leaned against your chest.

As your footsteps echo down the hall, you can see the door to your room. As you approach the door Elsa frees herself from your arm.

"Well I suppose this is good bye," Elsa says with a playful grin.

"For now," you say grinning back at her. You both stare into each others eyes for a few more moments, before you pull her in for a light peck on the cheek.

"First thing in the morning," She says as you pull away.

Smiling you open the door to your room. "I'll hold you to that. Goodnight, Elsa. See you in the morning." you say as you begin to close the door.

"Goodnight, (Y/N)." she says as she slowly starts to walk away.

As you shut the door you still cant help but smile at the day's events. You had a great time exploring the city with your new friends, you had an excellent dinner, and above all, you had just entered a relationship with the most amazing woman you had ever met. Today was arguably the best day you can remember.

Moving over to the chair your gear was piled up, you begin to remove the new clothes you had gotten today. Leaving the pants on you move to the bed, suppressing a yawn.

'What an adventure...' you think to yourself as you lay down in bed. 'I should probably thank

Kristoff again for the advice.'

At the thought of Kristoff, your mind focuses on what he said.

"_Remember, Love is an adventure, not a mission."_

As sleep begins to take hold of you, one word begins to echo around in your head stirring, up shrouded memories previously lost in the rift of your mind.

_'Mission' _

* * *

**With that, your perfect night with Elsa ends on a rather mysterious tone. I wonder how the word 'Mission' will play into this.**

**What memories will be unearthed and how will this effect your new-found relationship with the beautiful Snow Queen? **

**Tune In Next Time on DRAGONBA- I mean 'Cold heart, Warm Soul'**

**All that aside, I once again want to thank everyone for the support and feedback! It really means a lot to me!**

**I'm still a little new to this whole 'writing' thing so any advice is greatly appreciated!**

**Feel free to leave me a comment, criticisms, or suggestions for what you want to see in the story!**

**Till next time, Bye! **


	7. Bright Night, Dark Dawn

**Hello! **

**Things are getting a little heated, no?**

**Well Thank you guys so much for all the support and feedback!**

**Note, this chapter may be a little darker than the other chapters**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own 'Frozen'**

**Without further pause, I Proudly present,**

* * *

Chapter 7: Bright Night, Dark Dawn

_Mission..._

Another word, another memory resurfaces. That sea of shadows that clouded your mind is beginning to clear. As the word resonates like before more memories are unearthed, but while the past word, _Alive, _revealed the harmonious echos of childhood and the early years in the military, this new word exposes much darker echos: the dissonance of warfare.

_Mission..._

Memories of conquest, war, and brutality. Brief flashes of burning villages, commanding soldiers to destroy crops, and watching as droves of enemy soldiers fell before you. Your mind closes in on a single memory. As your mind begins to take hold of this memory, you can almost feel your body shaking in the real world. This was no past you want to be apart of.

_Mission...?_

* * *

_The world around you comes into focus. It was night, and you find yourself standing in front of a large wooden building_

_You open your eyes, gazing upon the large building before you. Soft patter of rain falling on your hood. Passing a quick glance to the right and left you examine the city you find yourself in. It's a dirty, grimy city, with beggars strewn about, and the sounds of murder and other acts of sin fill the nauseating air. You look up to the sign om the building, reading: THE ANGRY SLATTERN, TAVERN AND INN. You open the large doors and enter the dimly lit tavern, getting the attention of the patrons and drunks as they all stare at you with cautious, perhaps even harmful, eyes. You've already know that someone is bound to be staring at you, eying your gear with hungry eyes._

_Not intimidated in the slightest, you remove your hood and step up to the bar. As the bartender looks at you with an unimpressed stare. "What are ya havin'?" he asks as he scrubs a mug. _

_You stare off into space not meeting the barkeep's eyes. "The King's drink." you reply, turning to look at the man with narrowed eyes._

_Th man's eyes widen as he nods and begins to pour a drink into a small cup. Out of the corner of your eye you can see him pull something from under the counter. You turn back to the man as he slides your drink forward. _

_You look down to find a folded note under the drink. You lift the glass and pocket the paper, nodding to the bartender as you do so. After placing the note in your pocket, you take a sip from the cup. _

"_Yer not from round these parts are you?" a voice to your left says. _

"_In a manner of speaking..." Not even bothering to turn your head; you had smelled his foul odor coming from a few feet away. _

"_Aye, yer clothes are a dead give away." he says signaling for the bartender to get him a drink. "So what brings you to the happy little city of Fairhaven?" _

"_That's really none of your concern." you tell him taking another sip. _

"_Aw come on you can tell ol' tom," He says taking a large swig from his mug._

_You figure this imbecile isn't going to leave until you say. "If you must know, I'm just passing through on my way to Arendelle." you say with a sigh._

_Tom sputters as you mention the famed kingdom. "Arendelle? You off to see the magical ice queen?"_

"_Now that is really none of your concern." you say, turning your head to glare at Tom. _

_Seeming to ignore your gaze, Tom flashes a drunken smile at you. "You know ,I heard she killed a lot of people, her sister included!" _

"_Is this conversation going somewhere?" you ask turning your look back to your drink. _

"_Well considering where yer going, I suppose not." Tom says moving from his spot to behind you. "I should probably apologize as well." _

_It's very faint but you can hear the sound of a small knife being unsheathed, followed by the sound of several chairs being pushed out._

"_You shouldn't be so loud..."You say, still staring at your drink as a smirk appears on your face. 'Things are about to get interesting.'_

_Tom rears his hand back, a stab aimed for your heart. You quickly dodge to the right and grab his hand. As he struggles against your grasp, you dish out a fierce blow to his face, blood instantly forming on his face. You move your hand to grab the knife in his hand, yanking it out and stabbing it through his gut. Tom lets out a cry of pain as you pull the knife out and slash at his throat. Another man from behind tom rushes forward a few feet, but he stops dead in his tracks as you throw Tom's knife right through his heart. You drop Tom's writhing corpse in time to catch an oncoming blow from a man charging at you with a bottle. You deliver a powerful right hook to his face and the bottle slips from his hand. As the man stumbles back, you catch the bottle before it hits the floor and smash it against his head. Before he can fall to the ground you grab his shoulder bringing him to you as you shove the broken end of the bottle into his gut. As his body stumbles back and crashes into a table, you turn to see two more men approaching. As one of them prepares a back hand, you catch his arm with both hands and proceed to use your palm to push against his elbow shattering his arm instantly. As he drops to his knees in pain you place both hands around his head and snap his neck like a twig. The final man appears more reluctant at first, but fueled with drunken rage he rushes at you anyway. With a bored expression, you lift your foot and smash it against his kneecap, breaking his leg just as he comes close. The man tumbles to the floor grabbing his knee and yelping in pain. The bored expression still present on your face, you stand over the man screaming in pain and place your foot on his throat._

"_P-p-Please! Have mercy!" the man struggles as he gasps for air. _

"_Sorry." you say with a sinister smile. You raise your foot and bring it down hard, crushing his windpipe with a sickening crack. _

_Looking around at the dead patrons, you find all those who had not attacked cowering in corners and under tables with fear. _

"_Huh, and here I expected Fairhaven to put up more of a fight." you say as you walk back to the counter. "And I didn't even have to draw my sword."_

_You lift your cup and finish its contents. You pull a few coins and drop them on the table, looking at the cowering bartender. "Sorry about the mess."_

_You approach the door glancing at the bodies one more time, you feel a smile creep its way to your face._

_As you exit the tavern you pull your hood up. Reaching into your pocket, you grab the note and use a nearby wall-lantern to read its contents:_

_(Y/N)_

_I trust that you have made it to Fairhaven._

_Arendelle is but a few days travel. Once you are in the city,_

_Find a man called Reinhardt, and tell him,"Red Snow"_

_He will see that you are given access to the castle._

_Be wary in Fairhaven (Y/N), the city is full of scum and_

_scoundrels. While I have no doubt of your abilities, take care to _

_not attract any attention to yourself. To maintain the secrecy of _

_your mission, destroy this letter as soon as you memorize_

_its contents._

_-U.K.S._

_You place the note in your pack and begin walking down the road in the direction of Arendelle a menacing smirk present on your face. _

_The world around you begins to fade away as the memory comes to an end. _

* * *

You awaken to find your hands trembling, sweat dripping down your face. As the sun shines through a window, you can tell that it's morning. As you sit up in the bed you think about the memory you just re-lived. A secret mission, a city called Fairhaven, crushing a man's neck as he begged for mercy. Visibly cringing every time that sickening crack that replays in your mind over and over again.

You feel disgusted at yourself. 'He was begging for his life, and I just...'

You can't even finish that thought. Sure, you had acted in self defense, but did they all really deserve to die? There were many times in that fight where you could have easily incapacitated your assailants without the need for bloodshed.

The most frightening aspect of the whole memory was just how easy it was to kill them... how you seemed to enjoy it. You felt as if you were looking through the eyes of someone else.

You lay back into the bed, staring at the ceiling. 'Who am I?'

You reluctantly begin to review the memory, skimming it for any more information. An image of you placing the note in your pack flashes in your mind.

You turn your head to look at your gear in the corner. The clothes from yesterday as well as your armor lay folded next to your sword on the chair. You look closely at your pack near foot of the chair. 'I'm not even sure what's in that thing...'

You sit up at the edge of your bed contemplating what must be inside. You reach over and grab the bag pulling to closer to you on the bed. Reluctantly, you open the top flap and begin to search its contents.

Rummaging into the bag you find a small bag trail rations, a pouch of coins and several maps of Arendelle and the surrounding wilderness, but no note. Delving further into the bag you find a water flask, a curved dagger, and a fire striker, all common things needed by travelers traversing the wilderness.

'Nothing about my past.'

Just as you prepare to give up hope, your hand grazes over a very interesting set of items. 'What the...?'

you reach in and pull out several vials labeled with skulls signifying poison, a set of five throwing knives, and a fold-able grappling hook with some rope. 'Poison? Throwing knives? What could I possibly use these for?'

Aside from this, there was nothing else in the main hold. Turning the bag over, you open a small pouch on the front. Inside is a folded note. Hope welling up inside, you unfold the paper. As you open it the bag in your hand tumbles to the floor. This was not the note given to you by the barkeep... it was a sketch of Elsa.

"W-what?" you say aloud, confusion clouding your thoughts. "E-Elsa?"

You look closely at the sketch. It wasn't perfect by any means, there were a few features off, but at first glance this was definitely a sketch of Elsa. You were hopelessly lost, trying to complete a puzzle without all the pieces. You stand up and set the paper down on your bed. 'I need answers...'

As you put on your undershirt, you glance down at the paper. 'and Elsa should know about this.'

You hear a knock at the door.

"Come in!" you call out.

The door opens, revealing none other than the queen of Arendelle, wearing a casual teal dress, her hair down in a french braid.

"Good morning," Elsa says with a smile, walking over to you after closing the door.

"Good morning," you reciprocate, meeting her halfway and leaning down to plant a tender kiss on her cheek. "Interesting clothing choice. No official queen business today?"

"Not until mid-afternoon; I have a meeting with the royal guard then. Other than that I'm free to do what ever." she says, taking your hands in hers. "Although I did not plan anything in particular. I hadn't expected last night to turn out the way it did."

"I'm sure we can come up with something." you say with a playful grin. "Speaking of last night, did you sleep well?"

"Better than most nights," Elsa says with a bright smile. "and you?"

Your face shifts into a troubled gaze. "Well..." you reply facing away from her.

She reaches her hand to turn your head back towards her, concern rising up in her eyes. "Hey, whats wrong?" she asks with worry in her voice.

You stare deeply into her eyes. "I had a bit of a bad dream."

"A nightmare?" she asks as she softly caresses you cheek.

You struggle to find the right words to say. The dream had seemed so real, yet you honestly felt as if it was an entirely different person's memory. "It was actually a... memory, or at least I think it was."

You move away from Elsa and sit at the edge of the bed. Elsa follows suit and rests her hand over your shoulder.

"I'm not sure I understand.., it was a memory?" Elsa asks, sounding just as confused as you.

"It felt as if I had lived it before. I had witnessed it with my own eyes." you say trying to control the confusion in your mind. "I just don't know what it means." you say looking down with a sullen expression.

"Tell me," You look up to find Elsa smiling warmly at you with a certain angelic quality to her. "you're not alone in this."

Despite Elsa's words, you still find yourself hesitating to tell her. Would she really accept you knowing your actions? How you killed a man in cold blood? How you couldn't stop smiling fiendishly as you did it?

"Please... let me in." Elsa says rubbing your shoulder lightly.

You think for a moment about how much this woman cared and just how much she meant to you. For the last few days you had become so close with this woman. You had to decide between hiding your past or risking your bond with Elsa.

You could never risk Elsa's trust, but would she still want to be with you after knowing what happened some time ago? "It's just that... I'm afraid of what you might find." you look away from her again.

"(Y/N)?" Elsa removes her hand from your shoulder and holds it out in front of you. "Do you trust me?"

You smile and take her hand, holding tightly. "Yes."

You calmly begin explaining your dream of the past, mustering any detail you can remember. The city of Fairhaven, receiving the note, and the ensuing bar fight. Of course, it was less of a fight and more of a slaughter. Elsa's eyes never left yours, and her hold on your hand only grew tighter. As you continue to explain, you stop and cringe as soon as you remember the man begging for his life. You struggle to explain.

"And I just... killed him. He was begging for his life, and I-" you find yourself unable to continue. Afraid of Elsa's response, you begin to loosen your grip on her hand. Elsa only holds tighter in response and pulls you in for a tight hug.

"It's okay, I'm here." she tells you, gently rubbing your back.

"I just don't see how I could have done that." you say as you wrap your arms around her, pulling her close.

"They attacked first, you had to defend yourself." Elsa states, trying to ease your mind. "It wasn't your fault."

"They may have attacked, but I was the one who enjoyed it..." your thoughts drift back the bodies you left on the floor; broken, bleeding, and reeking of alcohol. "How can you even trust me after that? I don't even think I could trust myself."

"Looking back on it, how do you feel about it now?" Elsa asks breaking the hug to look into your eyes.

"I feel... horrible. I never want to relive something like that again." you say, with a look of disgust aimed at yourself.

Elsa gives you a small smile. "Then that's all I need."

"But-" Elsa silences you with her lips. After some hesitation, you give in and begin to kiss her back, forgetting about your problems to enjoy Elsa's affection. Elsa pulls away a few moments later.

You gaze into Elsa's eyes, nothing but trust reflected off of her blue orbs.

"I realize that it may be hard but can you remember what happened after that." Elsa says trying to be as sensitive as possible.

"Elsa, if I was a part of a past that was like the memory I witnessed last night, then I don't want to remember any of it."

"(Y/N), you can't move on unless you learn to live with the past." Elsa begins to caress your hand. "I promise, no matter how dark it gets, I will be right here by your side lighting the way."

You can only stare at Elsa with a warm smile as Elsa reassures you. She was right, you weren't alone. Not anymore. "Okay."

Elsa smiles and rises from the bed pulling you up with her. "Come on, we can probably think easier after we get some food." Elsa says as she walks over to the door.

You smile at her and move to pull on your boots and vest leaving the coat and gloves behind.

You briskly make your way to Elsa and take her hand, closing the door behind you.

* * *

**Anyone catch the Aladdin reference? Either way, Thanks for Reading!**

**I wonder what's up with your past. Seems a little cryptic to me...**

**More Fluff and suspense to come!**

**Big thanks for the support and reviews! Your Feedback is really important to me!**

**Feel free to give any advice on how to make the story better, a friendly comment, or any suggestions you may have for me and the story!**

**Till next time, Bye everybody!**


	8. Homeland

**Hello Everybody, Welcome to another installment of 'Cold Heart, Warm Soul'**

**I just wanted to take the time ti say thanks for everyone's support, you mean the world to me!**

**So Feel Free to leave any comments, suggestions, Advice, or questions!**

**To be honest I'm actually considering changing the rating to T, simply because I don't think the content will be graphic enough to warrant the M rating. I did actually plan writing a Lemon, but I don't really have any experience in that aspect. While a love scene might not be in this story, I might write one (Or Several) as a one-shot spinoff when I get some more experience, So keep your hopes up!**

***On a side note: Someone (Don't know if you want me to drop your name) brought up an idea for giving the character (You) a companion. That's not a bad idea actually... What do you guys Think? Maybe one of the Extinct Dire Wolves? Or A silver Fox? No companion at all? Let me know in the reviews!* **

**I'm not sure what's going to happen, but thanks for reading anyways!**

**Disclaimer: 'Frozen' is not owned by me.**

Chapter 8: Homeland

* * *

As you and Elsa make your way to the dining hall, you grasp the blonde haired beauty's hand firmly as you silently move through the ornate hallways.

Despite having a the rough revelation of your darker memories you can't help but smile at the woman beside you. The amount of trust she places in you is really astounding. Your smile fades at this thought though. You are certain that you can absolutely trust Elsa with anything, but after what you saw last night... can you trust yourself?

"Hey, don't worry." Elsa says, giving your hand a light squeeze. "We'll figure this out, together."

"Right, together," You give Elsa a small smile. 'That's what I'm afraid of.'

You had decided to withhold certain bits of your dream, mainly the note containing the information about this man known as Reinhardt. You didn't want to escalate the situation out of care for your beautiful snow queen. It had been just a few months since her coronation and subsequently the freezing of Arendelle and the attempt on her and Anna's life. For this very reason you also felt that telling her about the sketch you found would make things even harder for her. Hopefully you could find a lead on this 'Reinhardt' person and get some answers.

Elsa smiles and leans into your shoulder. Blushing at the contact, you begin to slow your pace, hoping to spend a few more moments this close to Elsa.

"You know, this wasn't the first memory I had dreamed about." You say as the dining hall comes within view.

"Really?" She asks, looking up from your shoulder. "There were others?"

"Not exactly. It was only one and I'm not even sure who I was listening to. Maybe it-"

Your words are interrupted as the both of you approach the doors of the dining hall, hearing the sounds of voices coming from the other side.

"_But how would that work? You don't have a stomach..." _

You open the doors to find Olaf sitting in a chair, fork in hand with a small piece of pancake impaled on it. Turning to the sound of the door opening Olaf drops the fork and waves happily in your direction.

"Oh Good Morning guys!" Olaf yells out.

"Good morning Olaf," Elsa says with a smile.

"G'morning Olaf," you reply shortly after Elsa. Looking around at the table you can see Kristoff sitting across from Olaf with a plate of bacon and eggs as well as a glass of orange juice in front of him. He greets you with a smile before taking a forkful of eggs and chomping down on it.

"Morning, (Y/N)," He says after gulping down the eggs. As he spears a piece of bacon he looks at you and Elsa's interlocked fingers.

"I can see last night went well," He states, a knowing grin.

"Knock it off, Kristoff..." Elsa says with a faint blush. She releases your hand and takes a seat next to Olaf.

"Hey Elsa... can you make organs?" you hear Olaf ask.

"Ummm... Well.." Elsa begins.

Chuckling lightly at Olaf's question, you take a seat across from Elsa. You turn your head to face Kristoff with a puzzled look.

"Where's Sven?" you ask, noticing Kristoff's missing companion.

"Oh Sven? He's in the stables." Kristoff replies as he takes a sip from his glass. "Gerda said-"

"That I'll not be having any more reindeer tracks in this castle." you turn to see Gerda and a few servants walk in with several plates of freshly prepared breakfast, placing them on the table.

"Thanks Gerda." you say as she places the plates down.

She smiles and nods at you. "Will there be anything else milady?" Gerda says facing Elsa.

"Nothing for now, Thank you Gerda." Elsa says warmly.

Gerda and the rest of the servants bow slightly and exit the hall.

"Anna's not hungry?" you ask as you grab a fork and begin poke at a few strips of bacon.

Kristoff laughs and looks at you with an amused smile. "Anna isn't really a morning person."

You Swallow a few bites of bacon, giving Kristoff a confused look. "Really? Yesterday she seemed.. Lively."

"Well, yesterday was a special occasion." Kristoff says as he stands up, picking up his dishes.

"What happened yesterday? Oh, right!" You say, recalling your exciting tour of the city. "Thanks again guys." you say smiling at Olaf and Kristoff warmly.

"Aww anytime (Y/N)!" Olaf says as Kristoff simply smiles and nods at you.

"Well we should probably wake Anna up." Kristoff sighs walking towards the kitchen, gesturing for Olaf to follow. "Come on Olaf, Anna could use a Freez- I mean warm hug."

"Warm Hugs?" Olaf exclaims rushing over to leave the hall.

As Kristoff walks out, he turns back, giving you a subtle wink. "You two enjoy your breakfast... alone... together..."

"You can leave now." Elsa states with a blush.

Kristoff closes the door, laughing all the while.

You stifle a laugh and look across at Elsa whose face was still as red as an apple. 'She's so cute when she blushes. Must be why they tease her so much.'

Elsa matches your gaze and smiles before turning back to her plate. "So, what was it you were saying earlier, about another dream?"

"Yes, it actually happened the night you brought me to the castle." you say as you reach for your glass of juice. "I was looking at a council of some sort. There was a king, and some old councilor... Krum was the name.. I think."

"Hmm..." Elsa narrows her eyes in deep thought. "You said you were from the east right?"

"As far as I can remember yes." You say giving her a questioning look. "Do you have an idea?"

"Just a thought. There may be someone who can tell us more."

Elsa takes a piece of toast from a nearby plate and nibbles on it softly, akin to a squirrel or gerbil.

"What did you have in mind?" You say, grinning at Elsa's actions. 'That's just TOO adorable...'

"Well... I'm not sure if he does, but the royal archivist may know about the other monarchies to the east."

"Elsa!" You exclaim, catching her by surprise. "You're brilliant!"

"When you have to run a kingdom, you pick up a few things." Elsa says blushing lightly.

Elsa takes another nibble out of the toast. You only grin even wider at her.

"What?" she asks with a confused stare. "Is there something on my face?" Elsa quickly gabs a napkin and dabs her cheeks frantically.

"Do you think it's possible to die from blushing?" You say with a small laugh.

"Oh stop, I swear your as bad as Anna." Elsa replies, grinning back at you. "Keep that up and I might have to withhold showing my affection for you."

"You can't do that!" You say with a mischievous smirk and stand up proceeding to make your way over to Elsa.

"Queen remember? I can do anything I want." Elsa eyes you with a suggestive leer.

"Oh? Can the all-powerful Snow Queen stop me from doing this?" You slowly lean down to meet Elsa's lips with your own.

Elsa, fully aware of your intent, closes her eyes in anticipation as the space between your lips shortens and shortens...

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPP!" You quickly back away from each other, staring at the door.

"What was-?"

"KRISTOFF!" You hear loud feminine voice scream, followed by the sound of glass breaking.

You and Elsa look each other and begin to laugh, enjoying the sounds of Anna's retaliation on Kristoff.

* * *

Following breakfast, the walk to the royal archives was rather enjoyable. You had taken the longer way around to avoid Anna and her morning wrath. It had worked in your favor however seeing how you got to spend more time with your arm around Elsa's shoulders as she rested her head against your chest. You were moving at a moderate pace simply enjoying the company of one another, even going as far as getting 'lost' a few times by taking the wrong hallway. The both of you can't seem to stop smiling.

The doors to the royal archives were rather small opposed to the other doors in the castle, but were just as decorative and finely crafted. Your arm releases Elsa and she begins to adopt a more regal stance. You look down and straighten out your shirt and pants, trying to make yourself presentable.

As Elsa opens the doors, you are greeted to the sight of an elderly man sitting at a desk, scribbling away at a parchment. The man had long gray hair and a long, braided, gray beard to match. He was wearing a white and blue robe the royal crest displayed prominently on the front as well as a blue hat that resembled a Mitre, but the point was a tad shorter.

"Yes, what is it, I am very busy!" He exclaims, not looking up from his paper.

"Ehem..." Elsa says clearing her throat.

"I already told you! I am-" The old man looks up and freezes mid-sentence, the color draining from his face.

"O-oh! Y-your h-highness!" The man stutters as he stumbles out of his chair and quickly rushes in front of the queen to manage a bow. "My sincerest apologies milady, I didn't know it was you!"

"That's quite alright Tobias, just be sure to look before lashing out at someone."

"Yes of course!" Tobias looks up and between you and Elsa. "How may I be of service, your majesty?"

"My suitor," She says looking at you, eliciting a blush from your face. "Needs to learn a little about himself."

Elsa smirks at your blushing face that seems to say, 'You're not the only ones who can play this game.'

"Your suitor?" Tobias asks breaking your thoughts. "Wonderful news, I must archive this post haste!"

"Tobias." Elsa says a bit more sternly.

"Oh right, my apologies milady. Now what was it you were inquiring about?" Tobias says as he makes his way back to his desk.

"He is from one of the eastern kingdoms. We're trying to figure out which one."

"Well there are certainly a few to the east." Tobias strokes his beard and begins to read from a nearby ledger. "Afirewyn, Aravan, Umeros... Can you be more specific?"

"You said you participated in a few skirmishes the other night correct?" Elsa asks turning to you.

"Yes, just a few that I can remember." You tell her, recalling your talk with her the other night.

Elsa thinks for a moment before turning back to Tobias. "Did the kingdom receive any letters calling for aid in the past few years?"

Tobias ponders her question for a moment. "I believe so, if you will follow me please."

Tobias leads you to a large door near the back of the room. As he opens the door your mouth opens wide. You gasp at the sight of shelves upon shelves of books, scrolls, letters and anything else pertaining to Arendelle's history, filling the entire room up from wall to wall. It certainly was a historian's dream come true.

"Wait a moment. I shall return with some documents." Tobias instructs before moving through the shelves gathering letters and scrolls.

He returns a few moments later with a fair amount of documents and letters. "I believe this is everything pertaining to the other eastern kingdoms as well as any distress letters, all from the past three to seven years."

As Tobias lays the documents on a nearby table, you look over a few, not even sure where to start.

"Will you need my help reading these, your highness?" Tobias says after laying down all the letters.

"No, we can take it from here. Thank you Tobias." Elsa replies.

"Very well I will be in the main room should you require any more assistance." Tobias bows and leaves through the door.

You turn to Elsa as she looks over several documents. "This certainly is a lot of writing. I'm not even sure where to start..."

"I know where." Elsa says, her eyes focused on the papers before her.

"You do?" You step up behind Elsa looking over her shoulders as she reads some letters.

"Yes, you said you served in the kings army, and you also saw a king in your dream correct? No queen?"

"Yes, there was definitely a king giving the orders."

Elsa pushes a few letters to the side. "Those kingdoms are ruled by queens and empresses... Fairhaven is a few days travel from here, putting it in Afirewyn. Afirewyn is controlled by several families that have equal power over one another, so that nation can't possibly be your homeland."

Elsa reads over some more papers and pushes some more away. "You also participated in a few skirmishes against rebels?"

You think for a few moments before replying. "Yes it was a small insurrection."

"A _small_ insurrection..." Elsa says, her voice barely above a whisper. "Then a letter for aid wouldn't have been sent by the king... it would have been sent by..."

"The rebels." you finish, looking at Elsa with amazement in your eyes. Who knew that in addition to being stunningly beautiful, and an intelligent ruler, Elsa was also showing signs of a skilled detective. And of course she also had absolute control over ice and snow. If Elsa was a tyrant and Arendelle had a sizable army, she could quite possibly obliterate the other kingdoms.

"There were two rebellions in the eastern kingdoms, but we received only one letter requesting aid." Elsa says as she looks down at the table at one letter. "They were calling for assistance in overthrowing the Aravan monarchy. It matches... You're from,"

"Aravan... I remember" You remember now. You are from the kingdom of Aravan, raised in the capitol: Everon.

You look over to Elsa with admiration in your eyes. She had successfully deduced your homeland and managed to help you remember the name of the city you grew up in.

"No wonder I didn't have prior knowledge about this event. This letter was addressed to the previous monarchs... my parents." As Elsa says this, her head droops down at the thought of her parents.

In an attempt to You wrap your arms around her, hugging her close from behind. You place your chin into the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry..."

"That happened years ago." Elsa, still in your hold, turns her body around and throws her arms around your neck, hugging you close. "It's alright, what matters is that we found your home!"

'Home...' You separate from Elsa slightly and look into her eyes, before pulling her close into a searing kiss. As Elsa kisses you back, one thought passes your mind. 'It isn't home without you.'

* * *

After leaving the archives, Elsa had figured there was still a few hours before her meeting, so she led you to the gardens to spend more time with each other. You currently find yourself sitting against a tree with your arms around Elsa as leans back into your embrace. You had been discussing the revelation of old homeland and just what it means. Reading further into the history of Aravan, you had found out that the Kingdom had been in multiple conflicts following the rebellion; conflicts that you don't seem to remember. Given your skill in combat, it was safe to assume that you had served for those campaigns as well.

"Well, now that we've figured out where you're from, we just need to figure out why-" Elsa interrupts herself with a yawn, clearly tired from analyzing and deducing the large amount letters.

"You know, you still never told me how you did all that..." you reply, feeling a yawn coming on as well. You smile and gently stroke Elsa's beautiful blonde hair.

"Back when they were grooming me into a ruler they had placed a large amount emphasis on -_Yawn_\- analysis of documents." Elsa begin to slowly drift away into sleep. "The -_yawn_\- lessons were pretty... _zzzzzzz_"

You can only smile and place a small kiss on the snow queen's neck as you join her in sleep.

* * *

**Well everyone wanted more Elsa Fluff sooo... yeah! **

**Thanks again for taking the time to read this story and provide all the feed back and support!**

**Also what do you guys think about having a companion? I think a Dire Wolf Would Be Pretty Wizard given that they are Extinct...**

**Feel free to tell me in the comments, as well as any questions or suggestion you might have!**

**Until next time Bye!**


	9. New Developments

**I wanted to get this chapter out earlier, but school's been kicking the crap out of me lately. So sorry for the wait! Anyways, **

**Hello all, and welcome back!**

**Thanks to everyone for all of the constant support and reviews! **

**At the moment the companion subplot is still up in the air, but so far everyone in the reviews has liked or remained indifferent towards the idea so I'm trying to find the perfect way to implement it. Right now a dire wolf seems to be the popular pick so it just might be the companion of choice.**

**The idea for this was presented by StormCloud7395, so big thanks to you!**

**Got an idea or question? Feel free to drop a review my way! Any feedback at all is greatly appreciated!**

**On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I'm actually OK with the fact that I don't own 'Frozen'**

* * *

Chapter 9: New Developments

"_They're so cute like that!" _You hear a young woman's voice (clearly belonging to Anna) say talking barely above a whisper, breaking you out of your slumber. Keeping your eyes closed, you feel a light pressure on your body and your arms around something soft.

"_Do you think we can get a painting of this? They just look so peaceful together." _You hear a a male's voice that unmistakably belonged to Kristoff. Thinking about what they were talking about, you remember how you had fallen asleep in the garden beneath a tree with Elsa wrapped in your arms. You smile and gently tighten your arms around Elsa, holding her closer to you.

"_But look at Elsa! She Looks way happier than ever!" _A certain happy living-snowman says with enthusiasm. Perhaps a bit too loudly, as you begin to feel Elsa stir.

"Wha-...Olaf?" You hear her mumble, the effects of sleep still lingering in her tone.

"_Aw, Olaf! You woke Elsa up..." _Anna says slightly disappointed.

"_But isn't that what mister Kai told us to do?" _Olaf asks innocently.

"_Yeah... but... That was so adorable!" _

"_It might've been more adorable if (Y/N) wasn't already awake." _Kristoff says.

You smirk in the direction of Kristoff's voice as your eyes slowly open. Looking up you immediately see Anna and Olaf, staring at you with large grins on their faces.

"How'd you know?" You ask as you look over to Kristoff maintaining your arms around Elsa.

"Sven told me." He says gesturing to the reindeer behind him.

"Sven? I thought Gerda said you couldn't walk around the castle anymore." You say giving him a confused look.

Sven shrugs and flashes you a smile that says,

"He just had to see this." Kristoff says for him.

"See what?" You hear Elsa say as she finally comes to.

"Just the most adorable thing ever!" Anna exclaims, stars shinning in her eyes.

Elsa's eyes narrow at Anna before glancing at everyone gathered, an irritated glare appearing on her face.

"This was a private moment." she says, a hint of anger seeping into her voice. You feel Elsa's body drop in temperature slightly. You gently stroke her hair hoping to calm her down.

Anna notices this and grins at you.

"But the gardens aren't private silly!" Olaf says with an oblivious smile on his face.

Elsa looks at Olaf, his contagious happiness calming her down. As she sighs and smiles softly at the playful little snowman, you feel her warm up again. "Yes, I suppose they aren't."

Elsa looks back to Anna and Kristoff. "I don't suppose you had a good reason for ruining my nap?"

"Hey, don't look at us, that was Olaf. Oh and Kai said your meeting with the royal guard starts in half an hour." Anna says offering a hand to Elsa.

Sighing slightly, she frees herself from your grasp and takes Anna's hand. "Well I suppose it can't be helped."

"Nonsense! You're the queen! Just tell 'em to reschedule." Anna says pulling Elsa to her feet.

"I wouldn't be a very good queen if I just push aside my commitments." Elsa replies, her voice carrying a slight bit of disappointment.

Following the snow queen's actions you rise and brush your clothing off. "Well it was certainly enjoyable while it lasted."

You walk over to Sven and give him a scratch under his chin, as Olaf climbs on his back and begins to stare at the clouds.

"What a wonderful day!" he exclaims.

"Elsa, you have the biggest commitment in all of Arendelle, your love life!" Anna says with a melodramatic pose.

Elsa smiles and laughs softly at Anna's pose. "Well I don't think you'd want to fill in for me?"

Anna's skin pales in response to the mention of filling in for Elsa's queenly duties. " Uh N-Nope, queen stuff is all you sis."

Elsa giggles at Anna's response. "That's what I thought."

Chuckling a bit, you look over to Sven. "You know when Gerda sees you she's going to throw a fit."

"What? I'm sure Miss Gerda has nothing but love for-" Olaf's statement is interrupted by the sounds one angry Gerda, approaching from a doorway on the other side of the garden.

"MASTER KRISTOFF!" She shouts, glaring daggers at Sven and Kristoff.

"Whoops gotta run!" Kristoff hurriedly yells as he mounts Sven and Gallops away, trying to evade the angry servant.

"STOP WALKING SVEN IN THE CASTLE!" Gerda yells, sprinting after the retreating reindeer.

As Sven speeds off Olaf's head unfortunately, due to the rapid acceleration, falls off and lands next to a nearby bench with a soft 'plop'.

"Oh, wow. I just can't seem to get a-head today!" Olaf says with an abnormally large grin.

You all stare at him blankly for a few seconds, filling the air with an awkward silence.

"Oh man, nothing? Well that's okay!" Olaf says from the floor, still smiling wide.

Anna manages a giggle and goes to pick up Olaf's head. "Well I better make sure Gerda doesn't maim Sven and Kristoff too badly. Have fun talking to the guards! Bye (Y/N). Bye Elsa!"

"Actually could you prop me up on that bench? I wanna watch the clouds some more!" Olaf asks in Anna's hands.

"Sure thing Olaf," she says leaning placing him down on the bench. "I'll be sure to send your body this way when I get the chance."

"Thanks a million!" Olaf calls to Anna as she casually walks in the direction of Sven and Kristoff sped off to.

"I guess I shouldn't keep them waiting," Elsa says turning to you. "Would you mind walking me to the barracks?"

You turn to Elsa with a grin on your face, and move to take her hand in yours. "Anything for my Queen,"

Elsa blushes as you both make your way out of the gardens, but not before you both turn back to look at Olaf, who was looking at the clouds in awe. "Ooh! That one looks like a flower, and that one looks like a fish!"

"Um, are you going to be okay here Olaf?" You ask with a concerned look on your face.

"I'll be alright! You go ahead and do your important business!" Olaf says, not looking away from the clouds. "I'm pretty sure the rest of me is on its way."

"If you say so.. See ya later Olaf." You reply, turning away from him and leading Elsa to the halls.

As you move further and further from Olaf, you can faintly hear him say something.

"_Oh Hello Mr bird! Hi Mr bird's friends!" _

'I really hope those birds don't like carrots...'

* * *

As you and Elsa make your way to the barracks, you began to discuss potential reasons for why you were in Arendelle. While it had been enlightening learning your homeland, you had been disheartened by its tendency to favor war over diplomacy. The only clear memory you have of any conflict you served in was the small rebellion you had, with very little difficulty, put down. The other campaigns and battles were mere flashes in your mind. The thought of being involved in such a violent nation made you uneasy. War was essentially apart of who you are. It was a lifestyle that you, at least currently, find awful. It was one thing to fight in service of your nation or for the betterment of your people, but the battles you had read about (and probably participated in) seemed to only have one interest: Conquest. Elsa had envisioned it slightly differently than you. Elsa, being the kind woman she was, saw it as a soldier simply following orders, that you were justified as following your duty. In your mind, however, you saw it as a man who reveled in warfare. In your dream last night, you distinctly remembered enjoying the feeling of fighting off and killing those men. Even recalling back to the night you had protected Elsa, you cannot deny that you had enjoyed how easily you had killed five men. It was frightening just thinking about how much of a rush it was for you. You remember that sinister smile. It was sickening.

You clutch Elsa hand a bit harder as you walk through the hallways. "One councilor had the idea of a political envoy, the king dismissed the court and that's where I woke up."

"Hmm, Most nations typically send carrier pigeons or some other form of messenger for anticipation of high profile figures. I don't remember receiving any letter or note." Elsa says thinking over your words.

"Well, I could be just a traveler." You say shrugging your shoulders.

Elsa looks at you with an amused smile. "All the way here in Arendelle? What could you possibly be doing?"

"Oh I don't know. Meeting new faces, trying new foods..." Your voice trails off as you eye Elsa from head to toe and send a playful smirk her way. "Taking in the sights..."

Elsa blushes and releases your hand briefly to give you a gentle swat on the shoulder. "Flatterer."

"Only for you." you reply taking her hand again.

Elsa laughs and leans against you chest.

"So why exactly are you seeing the royal guard?" You ask, curious about her Queenly duties.

Elsa's expression turns into one of deep thought, perhaps even apprehension.

"Well about a week before we met in the forest, there was a convoy transporting a small number of criminals from one of the border towns. Disastrously, the small contingent of seven guards protecting the convoy were killed and the prisoners were subsequently set free. The guard's weapons were stolen as well."

You look at Elsa with a shocked expression. "That's pretty intense..."

"Tell me about it. There are several armed and dangerous men out in my kingdom. I've been sending patrols of guards into the forest to find any of the escaped convicts."

You remove your hand from hers and wrap your arm around her shoulders, holding her close.

Elsa sighs and stares off into space before continuing. "Right now, my number one priority is the safety of my people."

You think for a moment about the situation your beautiful snow queen has been placed in; who could have killed the guards and set the prisoners free?

"Do you have an idea on who could have freed the convicts?" You ask.

Elsa thinks for a moment, thinking hard about her answer. "It's just an idea, but the reports show that the four of the guards were killed by blunt force trauma. I have a feeling that our hammer-wielding friend Clarence was the one who freed them. But that still doesn't solve the missing criminals dilemma."

"Those other bandits... the five I killed. Could they have been the prisoners?" You ask, trying to be of some assistance.

"Perhaps some, but the prisoner manifest listed eight men in the convoy. Plus it's likely that Clarence didn't act alone. So there could be maybe three or more criminals still hiding in the Forrest."

Elsa's head leans down to rest on your shoulder. "Hopefully the guards have found the convicts, or at least some information."

You turn to plant a kiss on the top of her head. "Elsa, I can't imagine how hard this must be for you."

This situation must be difficult for anyone, but given Elsa's status as reigning monarch made it that much harder. As Queen she had the ultimate authority over any matters in Arendelle. Any decision she made could potentially effect the entire nation, but at the same time the people, even those who didn't agree with her coronation, saw her as the one in charge of protecting the land. Elsa's sensitivity in any issue like this could mean the difference in a peaceful ruler ship and a turbulent uprising. It must be absolutely harrowing.

You stop in the middle of the hall to lift Elsa's chin, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Your arms find their way around her waist.

Elsa wraps her arms around you, releasing her frustrations as she kisses you back

You break the kiss moments later to smile warmly at her.

"If there is anything I can do, please tell me." You say with a genuine sincerity in your words.

"Aside from just being with me," Elsa looks up at you with a devious smile. " Yes. There is, actually."

* * *

You both approach a large door leading to an outer portion of the castle. As you step through the doors you find yourself greeted to a large courtyard littered with training dummies, archery targets and various other pieces of training equipment. In the center of the yard, you can see a large gathering of men ranging from old and young, slim and built. Each of them sporting a dark green uniform and tall hat. In front of the crowd, there was a man wearing a much more intricate uniform with a layer of steel armor covering his torso. In lieu of a hat like the other guards, this man chose to leave his head open, showing his graying raven hair. As you and Elsa step into the courtyard the man turns to see you approach, before turning back to the gathered royal guard.

"ATTEN-SHUN" He calls out springing the guards into a salute, before following his men and saluting Elsa as well.

"At ease captain." Elsa replies.

The captain nods and gives his men an at ease before turning to face Elsa. "Good day milady."

"Hello captain. I trust you have good news for me?" Elsa says.

"Sadly no. We have scoured a good portion of the forest. There are still no signs of the missing prisoners."

The snow queen stares off, contemplating the possibilities.

"Do you think they passed into the bordering nations?" The captain asks, glancing over at you with a curious look.

Elsa thinks for a moment, before answering. "I had already sent word to the bordering nations, so we'll be the first to know should they find anything."

Elsa looks at the captain sternly. "Until we receive word, I want you to increase the number of guards scanning the rest of the Forrest as well as the number of men searching every town in the kingdom."

"As you wish milady." The captain says as he salutes. As he finishes his gesture he turns to you, the curious look still in his eyes. Elsa notices this and grins.

"Captain, I don't believe you had met my suitor." Sh says gesturing to you.

"Suitor? The same one from the Forrest?" He asks looking at you.

"The very same." Elsa says as you extend your hand out to the captain.

"(Y/N)," She says as the captain takes your hand in a firm handshake. "This is Captain Reinhardt."

Your grip loosens slightly as your eyes widen. 'This is Reinhardt? Things just became more complicated.'

You shake your stupor and grip his hand once more, a faux smile on your face. Elsa's smirk widens ans she prepares to introduce you.

"Captain Reinhardt, this is (Y/N). The new personal trainer for the royal guard."

* * *

**Well I hope things aren't getting too Crazy for everyone! **

**Things are escalating to the point of absolute Pandemonium! Well maybe not Pandemonium, but things are getting heated. **

**I was trying to capture more of Elsa as a competent ruler in this chapter, cause I don't really see that too often in stories. **

**Once again feel free to drop a review my way, or any questions, suggestions or constructive criticism!**

**Till, the next we meet! **

**P.S. It may or may not take some time for the next few chapters to be made. The school semester is almost over and the workload is getting pretty intense. Rest assured I am not willing to give up on this story! Patience is a virtue my friends! **


	10. An Inspiration to Us All

**Ugh... school is awful. But enough about my personal problems!**

**Welcome back everyone! **

**Thanks again so much for the reviews and feedback!**

**I'm really glad that everyone's enjoying this story so far! **

**I think I found a pretty good way to introduce a companion, but It's likely he/she wont make appearance for a few chapters... or will He/She? **

**Things are certainly going to get crazier, so stay tuned for all the action! Suspense! And the Romance!**

**Without further delay, I present chapter 10**

**Disclaimer: I think I'm just going to post the generic 'I don't Own (Frozen)' Disclaimer from now on. **

* * *

Chapter 10: An Inspiration to Us All

"I'm sorry my queen, but what was that? Personal trainer?" Reinhardt asks, clearly baffled at the notion. The captain releases your hand quickly and eyes you with disbelief.

Elsa smirks and glances toward you. "You heard me captain. This man will be in charge of teaching the guards a little about asymmetric warfare."

"B-but queen Elsa," The captain looks between you and Elsa still confused at the idea. "I assure you the standard training-"

"Is just that." Elsa interrupts adopting a more austere tone. "Standard. If your reports indicate anything it is that our guards will have trouble fighting against enemies that will use any edge they can afford."

The Queen takes a moment to look up to the sky, pondering about the lives of the deceased men protecting the convoy. Elsa had propositioned you in the halls on your way to the barracks. The idea of having you become a personal trainer to the guards was rather ingenious. Given the savagery of your past and brutal nature of your fighting style, you were pretty reluctant to teach the royal guards. Having more men fight like you was not an idea you were fond of. After some convincing from Elsa, however, you grew to accept and maybe even like the idea. For one it would allow you to earn an income during your stay in Arendelle, but it would also allow you to use your war-hardened mind and skills for something good. You could give these men a better chance of survival against men who have no code of honor. Granted, you weren't going to each them everything you know, after all you still had to maintain an advantage in a fight, but you could teach them enough to have an edge over men like Clarence and his goons. Additionally, with the revelation of Reinhardt, you could also use the access given to you to find out more about the mysterious Captain.

"Seven guardsmen were killed, captain. Guardsmen with families, friends, homes." Elsa looks away from the sky and towards you before she turns back to captain Reinhardt. "This is not up for debate. I want to minimize the casualties from encounters like the convoy."

Reinhardt looks back at the men gathered and turns towards you, still not convinced. "But he's just a commoner! With no formal training or-"

"Trust me captain, I am more than qualified for this job." You interrupt, a smirk of your own finding its way to your face.

Reinhardt shoots an unimpressed glare at you. "What are your credentials?"

You look away darting your eyes towards the sky, faking an expression of deep thought. "I think I may have fought a war or two. I'm not really sure."

You smile sarcastically at captain Reinhardt, who is visibly irritated at your response.

"Not really-?" The man turns to look at Elsa in protest. "He isn't even sure about his experience? My Queen, you cannot possibly think this man is able-"

"Would you like a demonstration, captain?" Elsa says cutting him off, casting a sly grin at you.

You frown slightly at Elsa's notion. As you glance between the captain and the guards, you feel a bit unnerved. A demonstration would probably mean fighting against one or several members of the guard. While discussing this in the halls you and Elsa hadn't anticipated Reinhardt to be so against the idea. You knew you were likely more than a match for anyone in the guard, probably even Reinhardt himself, but one bad move and you could seriously injure or kill any one of them. Worst case scenario you lose yourself in the heat of battle and mercilessly kill anyone standing before you.

"Uh, Elsa I'm not sure-"

"An Excellent idea, milady!" The captain says turning to you, eyes lighting up with an arrogant glint in them. "A demonstration of your ability, Mister (Y/N)."

The captain turns to face his men. "Lads! Clear a space! We're going to have a little tourney!"

As Reinhardt walks toward his men you quickly look towards Elsa, apprehension in your eyes. "Elsa, I'm not sure this is a good idea..."

She looks at you with a concerned look. "Is there something wrong? Did you not want to- I'm sorry."

Elsa casts her eyes downward, sorrow filling them. Elsa had seen your combat prowess firsthand back in the forest, but it was different then. Fighting bandits, whose only interest was profit and mischief, was different from fighting men who only pick up a sword as a job. These men had loved ones and families to care for. You sigh and gently lift Elsa's chin to look into her eyes gorgeous blue eyes. "It's not that I don't want to prove myself to the guards, I just-"

You pause, thinking about your battles in Fairhaven as well as the fight in the forest. Skimming over the brief flashes of your military service causes you to shudder.

"I just don't want lose control of myself." You tell her as you look away, fear apparent in your eyes.

Elsa takes hold of your hands and manages a small smile. "Then it's alright, you don't have to fight."

You take a small moment to think about how things would turn out if you refuse to demonstrate your skill. The mere thought of potentially hurting or killing a guard has your stomach upturned. Arendelle itself was a mostly peaceful nation with its only participation in conflicts consisting of sending supplies to its warring allies. The Arendelle army consisted of a few militias in several small towns and the royal guard acting as protectors. This unfortunately meant that any combatants produced in Arendelle were likely to be unprepared for any form of combat outside of the general discipline. While useful for quieting drunken miscreants and the occasional animal attack, guards with only basic instruction in the realm of warfare would not be enough to fend off professional killers or even an attack by an organized force; this of course being something that years of fighting have given you extensive experience. These guards would prove no challenge. You managed to kill five bandits in six seconds on pure instinct alone. What was a few guards with basic training? You think about how easy it could be to kill any one of them. On the other hand you find the thought of leaving good men defenseless against people like Clarence, even more sickening. These men needed an edge. Additionally if you walked away from this, you could lose your chance to investigate the captain. You decide to be selfish.

"I... I'll do it." You say, causing her to give you a surprised look.

"(Y/N), it's alright. You don't have to." Elsa says placing a hand on your cheek.

You reach up and hold Elsa's hand against your face, finding comfort in her touch. "If I don't prove myself, then these men might not survive long against people like Clarence. If I have to do this in order to help them, then so be it."

Elsa eyes you with a stern look. "Are you sure?"

'Not even in the slightest, but I can't turn away from these men, and I can't lose this lead on Reinhardt.' You think to yourself, before giving her a look of false reassurance. "I'm sure."

"Alright..." The snow queen says, giving you a disbelieving look.

"Elsa... if I start to get out of hand I need you to stop me. Can you promise me that?"

Elsa takes both of your hands and holds them tight, looking into your eyes with a fierce intensity. "It won't come to that."

"Mister (Y/N)!" You turn to see Reinhardt calling out to you. "Whenever you're ready!"

You look back to Elsa with a small smile. "I hope it won't."

You begin to make your way to the guards, loosening your grip on Elsa's hands. In a bold move, Elsa pulls you back towards her and captures you in a powerful lip-lock.

Elsa breaks the kiss to gaze at you with the same intensity from before. "I trust you. Please... Trust yourself."

You match Elsa's gaze, your eyes now showing a look of confidence rather than the look of fear from before. "Elsa I-"

"Mister (Y/N)?" Reinhardt calls out to you.

You give Elsa a confident smile and make your way over to the captain. 'Trust.'

Elsa smile back and moves slightly closer to the guards but still maintaining her distance. In a show of power, she prepares to sit down, forming a throne made of ice. As she settles down she forms a small pillar of ice that raises the throne a few meters, seeking to get a higher vantage point.

'I'm never going to get tired of seeing that...' you think to yourself.

As you approach the gathered men, Reinhardt looks at you unamused. "Awfully smitten with our Queen are you?"

You return the Captain's look with a devious smirk. "That, captain, is absolutely none of your business."

He simply grunts and gestures to his men. "All right gents!"

You turn to examine the guards. They had all spread out into a circle, clearing a large enough space for your 'demonstration.' You glance over to the guards, examining them carefully. As you pass over the en you look at their faces. You can see various expressions, ranging from cocky aggressiveness to passive coolness. Interestingly, the most common expression you can see is the look of jealousy and envy. No doubt the men had been looking while Elsa had been affirming her trust in you. It does bring you some pride and a smile to your face. Considering how stunningly beautiful and kind the snow queen was, it is fairly easy to see how any man can become jealous of your relationship. You must give the guards credit though, as you can find no man with even an ounce of fear on their faces. Perhaps they were genuine and saw you as an equal warrior.

Or perhaps they were underestimating you. Heavily.

"Queen Elsa's 'consort' " The captain's words bring the guards into an audible mumble, with a few chuckles being exchanged and sarcastic snorts filling the air.

"Listen up!" Reinhardt yells, getting the guards' attention. Looking around to ensure the guards are silent, Reinhardt clears his throat before beginning again. "As I was saying... This man seeks to teach the lot of you about this 'Asymmetric warfare' balderdash."

The guards shuffle around looking, at each other with confused stares and murmuring about 'Nonsensical gibberish...'.

"Unfortunately," He continues, silencing the guards. "I'm not sure this man is capable of teaching!"

The Guards all look at you, clearly unimpressed.

"Fortunately, however, our Queen suggested a demonstration of mister (Y/N)'s abilities. I say it's an excellent idea! What say you, lads?"

"Aye sir!" The guards chant in response. You continue to analyze the assembled men, expertly pointing out flaws, weaknesses in their demeanor, and the the largest, likely, strongest men as well as the slimmer, more agile guards. Instinct had its grasp on you as soon as Reinhardt started talking.

The captain faces you with a cocky grin. 'Keep smiling captain... I'm going to enjoy wiping that grin off your face.'

"Anders! You're up!" Reinhardt calls out to one man in particular. A fairly tall, lightly muscular man with sandy blonde hair tied into a pony tail tucked into his hat, steps into the clearing, stopping midway. He had a slight reluctant look to him, but stood firm at the center of the circle with a headstrong grin.

"Mister (Y/N) if you would step to the center please." The captain says turning to you while pointing to the middle of the circle.

"Gladly sir." you reply with an innocent smile. The guards clear a space for you to pass.

Making your way to the center, Reinhardt motions to a nearby guard. "Give him a sword."

You look back with a fierce, maybe even predatory, smirk. "That's quite alright. I won't need it."

The captain merely scoffs at this. "Have it your way then."

Reinhardt makes his way to to the center of the circle, stepping between you and Anders. "Gentlemen, I want a clean fight. No mortal injuries, no cheap tricks, and no killing your opponent."

You look over to Anders, who is eying you curiously. You had already figured him out. 'Relatively young, perhaps early twenties. Probably new. Confident, almost stupid look. He's definitely green. Easy.'

Your thoughts are interrupted by Reinhardt's voice. "At the Queen's command you may begin. Go easy on him Anders."

The captain lets out a small laugh and moves to stand next to Elsa's Newly constructed ice throne.

"At your word milady."

Elsa looks at you with a concerned look, questioning you choice to fight unarmed.

You give a confident nod to Elsa.

"Ready?" She says still worried for your safety. "Begin!"

You see Anders take a defensive stance. You can only smirk at him. He doesn't move, fearful at attacking an unarmed man. You admire his honor, but you were here to give a demonstration.

"You going to make a move or what?" You ask.

"I'm not accustomed to fighting defenseless people." Anders says.

You let a small laugh out. "Trust me, If anyone's defenseless, it's you. Now do me a favor and come at me."

Anders narrows his eyes and, like a headstrong youth, charges forward slashing at you with his sword. As he slashes downward, you dodge swiftly to the right. He moves to strike again and you step back evading his attack. As he lunges forward, you dodge his strike and grab at his sword, lifting it up and exposing his chest. With your free hand you deliver a palm strike to his chest, causing him to lose his grip on his sword. With your free hand again, you wrench his sword from his hand and give his arm a strong twist, flipping him on his back. As he struggles to get up you hold his sword against his throat.

"You lose." You tell him, as the guards around you gasp at how easily Anders went down. You toss Anders' sword into the air and catch it by the blade. You smile and offer the hilt to downed man, who takes it carefully.

"Word of advice," You say as you help Anders to his feet. "You shouldn't charge blindly at the enemy."

Anders gingerly nods and moves to take his place among the guards.

You look at Elsa, sitting upon her ice throne, a relieved look on her face.

You look down to face Reinhardt, whose smile has long since vanished. "Is that all captain?"

Reinhardt scoffs and nods at another guard. A larger man this time, standing at least a half a foot over you. He is much more muscular and built than Anders, along with having a heavier sword. You can already predict his mindset. 'He probably thinks his superior muscles and weight will be an advantage here. Still likely to try and rush into the fray... Give me five seconds.'

You look at Elsa and nod, signifying your readiness for the next match.

Elsa nods back worry returning to her face. "Ready? Begin!"

Just as you had predicted, the large man rushes forward, a powerful blow aimed directly at you. You quickly leap to the side. As you dodge his strike he swings his sword overhead and tries to bring it down on you, causing you to leap forward and roll, putting a your foe at a greater distance. As he turns around you ready a defensive stance. As rushes forward again, sword to his side rather than overhead. You leap to the side and duck low to sweep kick him into the ground. Unable to stop himself due to his shear size ant the weight of both him and his weapon, he runs right into your kick and right into the ground. Not letting him get the opportunity to move, you dash to him and place your foot on his neck, stopping him from moving.

"Five seconds." Is all you say smirking to yourself.

The guards all stand in silence, too stunned at your actions to move or say anything.

Reinhardt narrows his eyes, pondering your actions. Elsa eyes you with a slight worry. You look down and find the man below you struggling to breathe and gasping for air. Shocked at this you quickly remove your foot and step back a bit. A couple guards move to take the large man away. Your hands start to shake and you feel slightly uneasy. You shake it off as the captain, still not impressed, calls to three guards.

"Three of you against one of me? Seems a little unfair." You glance between the three guards, cautiously assessing the situation. "For you."

The unease from before gone, lost in the thrill of combat.

Unbeknownst to you, Elsa appears ready to call the match off, but would find her self unable to do so as Reinhardt interrupts her. "Begin!"

The guard closest to you drops an overhead swing down onto you, but you intercept and catch his strike with both hands. You send a powerful knee into his gut. As he starts coughing from the pain you place your foot behind his and kick back. The man tumbles to the ground and his sword is now yours. The other two guards stand by with blades raised in defense. You go on the offensive. You swing at the man on the left who parries your blow. You strike again and step forward, forcing him back a few steps. The other guard has become antsy and tries to swing at you. You quickly parry his blow and move to strike at the first guard again. He blocks your strike but cannot find his footing, so he stumble back some more. You take the opportunity to land a few more blows on the second guard. Pressing your assault, you block an overhead and force his sword up. You size the moment and crash your shoulder into him, staggering the man. You focus on the first guard again. You strike hard against his sword and force it to his side. You prepare for the killing blow and swiftly bring your sword closer and closer to his exposed neck. Just as you were about to chop an innocent man's head clean off, you felt something: Something cold. Before your blade connected, time seems to slow down and a certain snow queen makes her way into your mind. You stop your attack, a hair's breadth away from his neck. You smile innocently at the guard before using your free hand to give a strong hook you his jaw. As the first guard falls down unconscious, his sword goes flying into the air and lands into your palm. With two swords in hand, you spin around to block a blow from the other guard. You start striking repeatedly at the guard forcing him to block every slash, unable to recover from your onslaught. You see his breathing intensify and feel his sword weaken. You take your opportunity and use the blade in your right hand to strike his own blade hard enough so that his stance crumbles. While you do this you take the sword in your left and toss it in the air, catching it in a reverse grip. You impale the sword you hold in your left hand into the ground. With your right hand, you deliver a strong right hook across his face before grabbing his collar with your left hand and pull him down to smash his forehead against the hilt of the impaled sword, knocking him out instantly.

You look around at the guardsmen. What ever look of cockiness or coolness they had from before was replaced with fear and awe. Some even had looks of excitement, while others had looks of frustration. Establishing yourself as a damn good fighter had chased away any doubts the men may have had. You look at Elsa with a gratuitous smile. You remember the cold feeling you got during the match. You weren't sure if it had been Elsa who chilled the air, but one thing stands clear. What separates the man you are now, from the man you were in your past was Elsa herself. She made you a better person. You look over to Reinhardt, who appeared to be quite amused with how you handled yourself. You casually stroll over to him, the guards backing away quickly as you pass by. Elsa descends from her ice throne, evaporating it into thin air.

Elsa smiles softly at you as she steps forward. "Well done."

You look at the captain, mimicking his cocky smile from before. "Impressed?"

"Just enough." He says with a stoic expression. He turn to face the queen. "When will the new training begin, milady?"

Elsa simply looks at him. "I'm not the one you should be asking, captain."

The captain, hesitantly, turns to you not looking into your eyes. "When will you begin training the men, master (Y/N)?"

"Just (Y/N) is fine Reinhardt." You look over to the men. They gaze at you with a mixture of fright and anticipation. You walk up to the guardsmen with a small stride, projecting sheer confidence and leadership.

"Guardsmen of Arendelle!" You yell, addressing all of the guards present. "I understand that you may not trust me, but I have just showed you all what I am capable of. Regretfully, there are men in this world that fight just as fierce and just as deadly as I do. But some of these men however, will hold no quarter. They will show no mercy. They will show no fear. In combat with these men, you will likely lose and you will likely die."

The guards' looks become downcast and solemn. Reinhardt looks ready to interject, but you stop him before he begins.

"But I am here to rectify that! We will train, we will prepare, and we will fight together!"

The men look up, hope in their eyes.

"From now on we stand as one against the darkness! For your homes! For your families! For the kingdom of Arendelle!"

You pause to find the gathered guardsmen staring at you, growing more hopeful as your words reach the warriors in their hearts. You glance at Elsa, who looks at you with a proud smile.

"My name is (Y/N)," You say flashing a charismatic smile at the guards. "I look forward to working with you all. Training begins first thing tomorrow morning."

You turn away to leave the guards to think about your words, who have only one thing shining in their eyes: inspiration.

"That was beautiful, (Y/N)! Spoken like a true leader!" Elsa tells as she approaches you and takes your hands in hers.

"Well I was hoping for a more manly word, but I suppose beautiful works too." You tell Elsa, holding her hands tight.

"Yes, well said (Y/N)." Reinhardt says with an underlying sarcasm to his voice. "I'll have the men ready for you in the morning."

The captain turns to leave but is stopped by Queen Elsa. "Captain, we need to have a serious discussion about respecting royal guests."

Reinhardt looks at the queen and visibly pales, before bowing to the reining monarch. "Yes Milady. My apologies master (Y/N)."

Reinhardt excuses himself from your sight. The snow queen leads you back into the hallways of the castle.

* * *

As you both walk through the halls, Elsa rests her head against your shoulder. "I told you it wouldn't come to that."

"Come to what?" You ask, resting your own head atop hers.

"Me having to stop you." She replies.

"But you did stop me." you say, causing her to look up.

"I did? But when?"

"When I was about cleave that man's head off, only one thing stopped me. Thinking about you."

Elsa blushes and smiles at you. She moves closer and draws you in for a quick kiss.

As she breaks the kiss, she lets out a small giggle. "Well, you certainly have your work cut out for you."

"What? The training? It can't be that hard to make the men as swift as a coursing river." You lightly chuckle along with Elsa. "Now giving them the strength of a raging fire, that's a challenge."

Elsa laughs and pulls you in for a hug. "Come on, I believe the chefs have prepared lunch."

She looks up at you and kisses you passionately once more. As you move to deepen the kiss, the snow queen pushes you away.

"But first I need you to clean yourself up... You're all sweaty."

* * *

**Well, you have proven yourself to the guards of Arendelle... and maybe Reinhardt was still unimpressed... what a jerk. **

**Catch the blatantly obvious Mulan reference?**

**Anyways! Thanks a bunch for taking the time to read this story! I'm glad everyone's enjoying it!**

**Please feel free to leave any comments, questions, or suggestions in the reviews! **


	11. Prelude to Calamity

**Hello All Welcome back to the show!**

**Sorry if this took longer to get out, School is being a butt right now what with finals in two weeks. So once again I apologize for the wait! **

**Methinks the companion is nearing sooner than expected, The idea's been swimming around in my head for a few days now, and I believe that I have a good way of her implementation, so stick around for that! **

**I'm so glad everyone's liking the story and a big thanks for taking the time to read it! You Guys and Gals bring a smile to my face! **

**Very special thanks goes out to everyone who's reviewed and commented! You guys are fantastic!**

**Well I do suppose I've kept you all waiting long enough, On with the next chappy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Frozen'. See... told you I'd do it**

* * *

Chapter 11: Prelude to Calamity

You quickly raise your sword to block a downward strike. The metal clang of steel against steel echoes throughout the courtyard of the Arendelle guard barracks. Along with the sounds of your own blade, you can hear the fierce sounds of others fighting along side you. There is a battle happening. You see your various forces striking and parrying the enemy. A single soldier can turn the tide of war, and it appears that x-factor was you. You have taken down more foes than any one of your men and all in rapid succession. Yes, the mighty resonance of warfare brings a fire to your blood. You duck a hit and kick the attacker away, seamlessly transitioning to engage another assailant.

"Don't let them through!" You hear someone call out. "Don't give 'em an inch of ground!"

You smirk at this. You quickly make short work of your assailant, who finds himself on the floor in seconds. You look straight ahead to find your objective. Anders.

"You! Shall Not! Pass!" He yells, raising his sword to defend himself.

You only smile a predatory smile at him and look back at your forces, who are beginning to overwhelm Anders' defenders.

"Feeling a little too dramatic today, Anders?" You ask looking back to the blonde haired man.

Anders narrows his eyes. He waits for a moment examining the best way to attack. You allow him a few moments, before seizing the initiative. You lunge forward at his chest. He blocks your strike and delivers a quick one of his own, aimed at your head. You raise your arm, bracer blocking the strike and retaliating with a powerful strike. He parries and forces you back. You steady your arm and prepare for Anders' assault. The young blonde haired man charges you with a flurry of blows. You concentrate hard, expertly deflecting every blow. You use your bracer to block a blow coming from the left. As you send his sword back, you spin around and catch a fist aimed for your head. You use the hilt of your blade and punch at his chest. Before the strike connects, Anders kicks your chest and sends you back several feet.

"You've certainly improved, Anders." You say smiling amusedly at him.

Anders rushes forward and meets you in a blade lock.

"I learn from the best!" Anders smirks at you.

You grin and narrow your eyes. You push back hard and shoot him back several feet. You press your attack and deliver your own flurry of blows, throwing Anders off balance. Anders pulls a daring move and tries to counter your attack, stepping forward recklessly. His footing is off, you notice it immediately. You take your opportunity. Anders is on the ground in a matter of seconds. He grunts loudly as he falls to the floor. You casually step over the defeated man and raise your sword, appearing ready to plunge it down.

"You lose." You smile sinisterly and drive your sword straight through. Anders faces his fate like a true warrior and does not flinch despite knowing what is going to happen.

You drive your sword a straight through the ground beside Anders' head. You give a small laugh and offer a hand to the man. "Your footing was off."

Anders sighs and starts to laugh along with you, taking your hand and helping himself off the ground. "It's always the footing that gets me."

As you help Anders to his feet, you look around the Courtyard. Members of your forces and Anders' Defenders were laughing jovially and helping one an other up. Various calls of friendly encouragement and helpful phrases were being exchanged.

"You got me that time, but I'll have the next round!"

"Excellent fighting!"

"Could you show me how you did that?"

You smile at this. It had been almost three weeks since the initial day you began training and bonding with the guards. While reluctant at first, the men had grown accustomed to the challenging training regime and gradually began to think of you as a friend and mentor. You had taken the time to teach them some of your vast knowledge of combat and in return you had made quite a few friends in the Arendelle royal guard. Anders had especially taken to the new training and was the first to truly get to know you. In time, others had followed. In fact, they had just become so comfortable with you, that a few of them even stopped being jealous of your relationship with Elsa. Speaking of Elsa, your relationship couldn't be any better. While a lot of your time was preoccupied with training the guards, you spent every other moment of time with your beautiful snow queen. You can remember spending many of your free days resting your head on Elsa's lap, below a tree in the castle gardens, talking for hours. Occasionally, Elsa took the liberty of conjuring a light snowfall and you fondly remember having the most fun snowball fights with her along with Kristoff, Anna, Olaf, and Sven. And on days like that, you remember cuddling with Elsa in the snow just as the sun began to set. It was absolutely perfect. You were certain you were in love, but with bits of your past still lingering in the air, you have trouble saying it.

As the weeks passed by, you and Elsa had made little progress on your memories. Between training the guard and Elsa's duties as queen, you found little time to delve into the secrets of your past. The ominous nature of your memories bring you a certain unease. At your request, Elsa had refrained from sending a letter to Aravan. There were too many variables and even the slightest thought about your old homeland makes you feel uneasy. Reinhardt's investigation was proving to be difficult as well. Ever since you began training the guard, the man has stayed close to his secrets. You had tried several times to infiltrate his office and get a good look at his records, but ultimately were stopped by timely intervention by the guards seeking help or Elsa seeking to spend more time with you. It may not be easy, but you were undeterred. You needed these answers, and you needed to obtain them covertly. In truth, you only wished for the past to stay buried. Unfortunately, this cannot be.

"To be honest though," Anders says as you turn to face him, a smile finding its way to your face. "It wasn't really fair for you to fight as well."

You laugh and give him a pat on the shoulder. "Sorry mate, but I can't let you guys get all the action!"

Anders laughs along and sheathes his sword, before removing yours from the ground and handing it to you. Moments later the guards all assemble before you with waiting eyes.

"All right people!" You say, the guards giving you their full attention. "Superb job today! But there's always something to improve on. For the rest of the day, anyone not on duty should review the new maneuvers as well as begin individual spars with one another."

"You won't be joining us (Y/N)?" A young woman with a tan complexion asks from the crowd of guards. She had short brown hair and brown eyes, dressed in the standard guards uniform. Her young body was lean and toned, signifying years of labor.

This woman was only one among several new recruits to the royal guard. In an effort to help bolster the number of Guards around the castle, Elsa had abolished an old law that prevented women from joining the guard. While it had certainly was more work, it also meant that there were more guards at her disposal. This was also in part due to the fact that the missing criminals have yet to be found. The official search was called off recently. The added number of guards as well as the training you have given was the queen's new method of protection for Arendelle. If the prisoners did show their faces, the guards would be more than enough to handle it. Clarence was of no help either, opting to laugh maniacally rather then talk. It was a wonder why Reinhardt kept him alive at all.

"That is an excellent question, Tara." You say eying her with a sly grin. "If you must know, I have a lunch date with the queen, and everybody knows there is no denying the queen."

Several men (and a few of the women) begin to chuckle and groan sarcastically.

"Quit rubbin' it in!" One man calls out.

You laugh along and begin walking towards the castle. "Well lads, this is where I take my leave. Until tomorrow then!"

As you make your way to the door, a good number of guards file out and walk off into their assigned posts while the rest begin practicing and sparring with one another. Before you close the door, you steal one more glance at the sky. 'It's a beautiful day.'

* * *

Returning to your room, you walk into the washroom and draw a bath. After washing away the smell of sweat and dirt, you proceed to don the same outfit from your first date with Elsa. Placing your armor and sword on a nearby rack, you casually step into the halls and close the door behind you. You begin to make your way over to the dinning room, a large smile on your face.

Rounding the corner you stumble on a peculiar sight in front of the door to the dinning hall. Olaf was currently juggling his carrot nose, a small ball and... his own head. Anna all the while clapping and laughing in amusement. You softly laugh at this, getting the attention of Anna.

"(Y/N)! Good Afternoon!" Anna exclaims.

"Hi!" Olaf says trying to walk over to you. Due to the little snowman's head being apart of his act, he stumbles forward and his head goes flying. "Heads up!"

You hold out your arms and catch him in mid flight, his carrot nose landing perfectly in the center of his face.

"Nice catch!" he says smiling at you.

You smile back and help to place him back onto his body.

"Good afternoon Anna, Olaf!" You greet, adjusting Olaf's head to align with his body. "Kristoff and Sven still visiting the family?"

"Eeyup." Anna replies. "The trolls certainly miss them. Bulda especially."

"Don't you miss them?" You ask curiously.

Anna smiles at you warmly. "Every hour of every day."

She pauses for a moment to think quietly about the missing pair. Kristoff in particular.

"I love him dearly... But I also understand how important it is to have your family as well." she continues, thinking deeply about her sister.

Olaf moves to offer Anna a comforting hug. "There, there Anna."

As Anna hugs Olaf back, you think about her words. 'Family...'

"Well enough about me!" Anna exclaims, snapping you out of your thoughts. "Where are you going all dressed nicely?"

She eyes you with a knowing smile.

"Oh! I was just on my way to see your sister." You reply looking at the entrance to the hall. "We had a lunch date."

"Oh, how romantic!" Anna says clasping her hands together.

"Oh would you like me to serenade you both again?" Olaf asks with a happy grin.

"Uh that's quite alright Olaf." You say, recalling back to the last time Olaf tried to sing for you and Elsa. Olaf's intentions had been pure but the song selection hadn't been the best choice. For one thing the song itself was more suited for a boat ride and not a moonlit picnic. Plus, the song seemed like a small, red, worrisome crab should have been singing it rather than a happy,white, carefree snowman.

"Well, Okay (Y/N). My voice is here whenever you need it!" Olaf gives you a double thumbs up with his stick hands.

You smile at Olaf appreciating his offer. You grin at Anna before turning to the door.

"Wait!" Anna yells catching your attention. "Elsa isn't in there."

You stare at her confused. "Really? Then where-?"

"Oh, Elsa's in her room!" Olaf answers. "She was busy prettying herself for- Oh it was for you!"

he realizes with a large grin.

You blush at Olaf's words. "Oh she isn't ready? Then I guess I'll just wait-"

"Oh no you don't mister!" Anna interrupts, with a fierce stare. "You be a gentleman and go pick up your lady!"

Anna grabs your arm and begins leading you towards Elsa's room, Olaf closely following.

* * *

Anna leads you through the halls at a brisk pace. As you near Elsa's door you see Anna hold a finger to her mouth silencing Olaf. Her pace slows and she quietly leads you to Elsa's door.

As you move closer and closer you begin to hear the sound of singing, growing louder with every step.

_Let it go, Let it go_

_Can't hold me back anymore_

_Let it go, Let it go_

_Turn away and slam the door..._

The door to Elsa's chambers was slightly cracked open, allowing her song to be heard by anyone near. Anna stops at Elsa's door and silently pushes it open a bit more without alerting Elsa to her new found audience.

You walk over and gently lean against the open door frame, and smile wide as you listen to the most beautiful sound you have ever heard.

The gorgeous monarch was in a corner of the large room brushing her platinum blonde hair in front of a mirror. Dressed in her light-blue ice dress, she moves on to another verse.

Olaf stares on with stars in his eyes, admiring Elsa's melody.

As she sings you look over at Anna, a warm smile on your face.

Anna grins back and looks back lovingly at her sister.

"She's absolutely wonderful isn't she?" Anna whispers, turning to face you with a smile. "You're a lucky guy, (Y/N)."

You only look at her, a warm smile on your face. You look back at Elsa as she sets the brush down and begins to tie her hair into her signature french braid.

_Let it go, Let it go_

_I am one with the wind and sky_

_Let it go, Let it go_

_You'll never see me cry_

_Here I stand, And here I'll stay_

_Let the storm rage on..._

You look back at Anna who is gesturing Olaf to follow. "Come on, Olaf."

The little snowman nods and begins to follow Anna, before stopping and looking back at you. "Just remember! I'm ready to sing if you need me to!"

Olaf offers one last grin and turns to follow Anna.

You smile and lean back against the door frame, listening to Elsa's voice as her song comes to a climax.

_Here I stand  
_

_In the light of day  
_

_Let the storm rage on,  
_

_The cold never bothered me anyway_

As she finishes her song, you make your presence known and step into her room. "You have the most amazing voice, Elsa."

Elsa jumps at the sound of your voice. Turning to face you, she rises from her chair and walks over to meet you, a grin spread across her face. As she makes her way through the room, you can't help but think about how gorgeous she is. 'She looks so perfect.'

"You know, most people like to knock before entering a room." Elsa says putting her arms around you.

"Most people like to close the door." You respond, putting your own arms around her slender waist, inching your lips closer to hers.

"Point taken..." Elsa says, closing the distance between you and capturing your lips in a passionate kiss.

You deepen the kiss and hold her close to you. You hold the kiss for several moments, before breaking it to smile warmly at her.

"Did you write that yourself?" You ask.

"It just sort of came to me." She replies with a sheepish grin. "I first sang it a few months ago, on the top of the north mountain."

"You sang it on the spot?" You question, slightly disbelieving her. How could anyone come up with such a beautiful song instantaneously?

Elsa simply shrugs her shoulders. "What can I say? Years of pent up emotions and isolation provides ample inspiration."

Elsa removes her arms from around your neck and offers her hand to you.

"Shall we adjourn to the dinning hall?" She asks with mock regality.

Grinning back, you take her hand and intertwine our fingers together. "After you, milady."

Elsa grins and leads you out of her bedroom and into the hallways.

As you close the door behind you, you grip Elsa's hand firmly. The snow queen moves closer to rest her head on your shoulder.

"Hard day at work?" She asks.

"Just a little practice, nothing too serious." You lean your head against Elsa's. "How fares ruling a kingdom?"

"It's not as fun as the fairy tales make it out to be." Elsa sighs, staring off into the distance. "Awfully time consuming as well."

You can hear the frustration radiating off of her voice. "I just wish I had more free time for my family and friends and... us."

You turn and place a tender kiss on the top of Elsa's head. "Don't worry, I'm yours when ever you need me."

Elsa stops and turns to you, taking both of your hands and looking straight into your eyes. "Promise?"

You smile warmly and lean down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Of a lifetime." You say looking back at her.

Elsa smiles and pulls you in for a hug. "Thank you."

* * *

As you approach the dinning hall doors, Elsa smirks and pulls you past the doors and down the hall even further.

"Elsa?" you stare at her quizzically, wondering what she was leading you. "Where-?"

"I figured a change in scenery was in order." Elsa casts a sly grin at you.

Making your way through the castle, Elsa leads you to the gardens. She opens the door leading to the gardens, revealing a thin blanket of snow covering the entire yard. You glance at the sky to see a light snowfall gently coming from high in the clouds. In the center of the garden was a blanket large enough for two and a picnic basket lying atop of it.

"Elsa, did you do all of this?" You ask, your eyes still captivated by the scene before you.

"I had a little free time." Elsa replies, pulling you along to the blanket.

The monarch sits down on the blanket and gently pats the spot next to her, beckoning you to join her.

Smiling, you take your place by Elsa's side. Elsa opens the basket and produces two plates and hands one to you, before pulling some modest looking sandwiches from out of the basket and offering one to you.

"Thank you, milady." You say, taking a small bite out of it. As you chew on the sandwich, you see Elsa eying it cautiously.

"Does it taste alright?" she asks, biting her lip anxiously.

You stop to think about her actions. She seems nervous. Like she was being judged for something. It was just a simple sandwich, it's not as if the royal chefs went all out with this meal. Which was unusual considering that head chef Halvor never missed a chance to flaunt his cooking prowess.

You think hard for a moment about this. 'Did Elsa...?'

You smile warmly at her, hoping to ease her mind.

"It's perfect." You say as you begin to take another bite.

Elsa smiles back at you, relief washing over her. She moves to take bite out of her own sandwich.

"Elsa, did you make this?" You ask with a grin on your face.

Elsa swallows the food in her mouth and blushes at your question.

"I wanted to do something special." Elsa looks down sheepishly. "Is it too simple? Perhaps I should have had Halvor or Anna prepare-"

You silence Elsa by taking hold of her hand, causing her to look up into your eyes.

"Elsa," You smile warmly at your beautiful snow queen. "It's perfect."

Elsa's gaze softens as she smiles.

Shortly after finishing the sandwiches, you hand your plate to Elsa who stows it away in the basket.

Elsa reaches further into the basket and reveals a small bar of chocolate.

"Dessert?" She asks as she breaks the bar in half and hold one half out to you.

"Thank you," You say taking the half.

You look back and forth between the bar of chocolate and Elsa, an idea springing into your mind.

"Hey Elsa," You tell her as you break your own hunk of chocolate into smaller, bite-sized pieces. You hold one piece up and move it closer to Elsa.

Elsa looks down at your gesture and lets out a knowing giggle before closing her eyes and opening her mouth slightly. You laugh a little yourself and place the tiny bit of candy in her mouth and pull your hand back.

Elsa opens her eyes and smiles as she chews on the bit of chocolate. She moves to break off her own bar into smaller fragments before repeating the same gesture and holding it out to you.

"You're just a hopeless romantic aren't you?" She asks with a smile.

You simply smile and close your eyes, opening your mouth slightly.

You both spend the next few moments taking turns feeding each other bits of chocolate. As Elsa readies herself to be fed another piece, you get a clever idea. You set your chocolate down and stealthily move your lips towards Elsa's. You slowly lean in and kiss the top of Elsa's lips. Closing her mouth at the sudden contact, her body tenses in surprise. She quickly recovers and places a hand on your cheek to help as she deepens the kiss.

You both pull away moments later, out of breath. You grin at Elsa, nothing but love in your smile.

No words are exchanged as Elsa lifts a piece of chocolate and holds to closer to you, a sly smile on her face.

You close your eyes and open your mouth. What comes next was entirely unexpected. In place of the sweet confection comes a frigid ball of snow.

You stumble backwards and open your eyes in surprised. You see Elsa clutching another ball of snow, laughing loudly.

"Not nice!" You say, laughing along with her. You move your hand to some nearby snow and slyly begin to make a snowball of your own.

Before you can finish making it, Elsa notices you and hits you again with her ball.

"Hey! No fair!" You exclaim, shaking the snow out of you (H/C) hair.

"Oh and what are you going to do about it?" Elsa asks, casually tossing and catching another snowball with smirk on her face.

"Well, I may have to..." Your sentence remains unfinished as you suddenly lunge at Elsa, pinning her to the ground as you tickle her sides.

"Ha,ha,ha-stop! Ha,ha,ha!" Elsa moves to push your hands away, giggling loudly as you continue your assault.

You laugh along as she squirms around in your grasp.

Elsa some how manages to break free and quickly jumps to her feet, snowball in hand.

You rise as well and prepare to give chase.

"Sorry Elsa, but my pride demands retribution."

Elsa shoots a playful smirk your way and aims her snowball at you. "Come get me."

She releases her snowball and takes off. You allow the ball to hit you as you take off after her, bobbing and weaving through the snow filled gardens. You find the snow queen and yourself laughing and giggling as you play this game of cat and mouse. You catch up to her and wrap your arms around her waist, lifting her up and twirling her around.

"Whoa!" you call out, losing your balance.

You tumble to the ground, Elsa landing on top of you, still laughing in delight.

You both take a moment to catch your breath.

Elsa looks down at you with a smile, blushing from the position she found herself in. "Enough retribution for you?"

You softly chuckle. "For now."

You gently move a stray lock of hair away from her flushed face.

Elsa captures your hand and holds it against her cheek as she leans down for a kiss.

You place your free arm on her hip as you kiss her back. Feeling a little bold, Elsa opens her mouth slightly and licks your lower lip with the tip of her tongue, demanding entrance. You mentally smile and open your mouth allowing her to begin exploring it with her tongue. Your own tongue meets hers as you both begin to explore each others mouths in a heated make-out session. Elsa releases your hand from her cheek and places both her fore arms on either side of your head allowing her to lean further into the kiss. You remove your hand from her cheek and place both of your hands on her hips, rubbing them gently. You and Elsa had yet to make love with one another and it appears that event may be approaching fast.

As the kiss intensifies with every passing second, you hear the doors leading into the garden open and several sets of foot steps approaching. Elsa didn't seem to care however and continued to explore your mouth. 'I suppose I could enjoy this for a few more seconds...'

You thought is interrupted as a new voice speaks up.

"My Queen! There- Oh My!" The voice is startled at the scene before them.

Elsa hesitantly breaks the kiss and sighs in disappointment.

"Duty calls." she mumbles under her breath.

Elsa lifts herself off of you and proceeds to help pull you off the ground.

With an irritated look she turns to face the voice.

"My queen, I'm so sorry I thought that-" The young woman is interrupted as Elsa holds a hand up, silencing her.

"It's fine." Elsa states, her tone betraying her words.

As you brush the snow off of your pants, you look up to find three guards standing in front of you. One of them a young recruit.

"Tara?" you ask, causing the girl to shift her gaze towards you.

The woman looks between you and the queen, blushing madly as the image of your make out session replays in her mind.

"Was there something you wanted to say, guardsman?"

Tara turns back to the queen and bows slightly. "Captain Reinhardt sent me to inform you."

Elsa looks at her confusedly. "Inform me of what?"

"There are poachers in the nearby forest!"

* * *

**Yikes that took forever to write!**

**Well things certainly got pretty hot near the end there.**

**And poachers in Arendelle? I wonder what for? To maybe catch an extremely rare, thought to be extinct, dire wolf? Nah probably not!**

**Well I hope you all liked it! **

**School's over in two weeks and hopefully I can update more frequently during the summer!**

**Once again, thanks for reading! **

**Stay tuned for more excitement, romance, and action!**

**Till next time** , **Bye everybody!**

**P.S. Anyone catch the little mermaid reference?**


	12. Dark as the Midnight Sky

**Hey Guys!**

**Okay so I have a question to ask...**

**Would you all like to see a lemon in this story? Or would you rather have be a separate one-shot? Maybe none at all? I've actually been drafting it in conjunction with this chapter. Once again this is my first work, so by association this is also my first attempt at one of these scenes. Let me know in the comments! **

**With that outta of the way, Welcome back!**

**So glad you're enjoying the story so far! Companion's coming soon along with other crazy plot related junk, so stick around and feel free to drop me any comments, suggestions, or advice!**

**P.S. I think I'll keep the M rating.**

**I proudly present,**

* * *

Chapter 12: Dark as the Midnight Sky

"Poachers?" Elsa asks looking back at Tara with questioning eyes. "You're certain?"

"Yes my queen, In a great number as well." Tara responds, urgency in her voice. "Captain Reinhardt is there with several guards. He is trying to defuse the situation, but I doubt he will be able to."

Elsa turns to you, with a look of deep thought. "What do you think?"

You pause to asses the situation. Reinhardt wasn't the most diplomatic of men and any situation where he plays negotiator is likely to end badly. Reinhardt was a damned fool, but your mind drifted to the guards he had with him. The guards of Arendelle were good people and they lacked any firsthand experience. You were confident in their abilities, but you were uncertain about the captain's ability to lead. Perhaps you should intervene and take the matter into your own hands.

"Maybe I should go see what the commotion is." You say, looking back at Elsa.

"I suppose that is for the best." Elsa sighs sadly. "So much for our date..."

You take Elsa's hands and gaze into her gorgeous blue eyes. "We'll make up for it, I promise."

She pulls you closer to her and plants a small kiss on your lips.

"Be careful out there." She says looking at you with a concerned frown.

You nod and release her hands, turning to Tara. "Give me five minutes."

* * *

You follow Tara into the woods nearing Reinhardt's location. You had on a layer of steel plate armor covering your torso with a lone pauldron covering your left shoulder. Strapped to your thigh was a set of seven throwing knives and slightly above was your sword resting on your hip. In addition to that, you carried a small dagger in your boot. Tying the look together was a new white cloak, flowing in the wind like a cape. The Arendelle crest was emblazoned in the center just below the hood which you currently had up. Many of your trainees thought the added weaponry was a bit too excessive, but one can't be too prepared for these situations.

Moving swiftly through the forest, the crunch of freshly fallen leaves beneath your step fills the air. As Tara leads you onwards, you enter a large clearing. Tree stumps were all that remained of the foliage and the ground was littered with signs of struggle. You look over to the land to find blood stains across a few stumps as well as claw markings. You stop for a moment to kneel down and inspect something on the ground.

'A paw print. Wolf.' You think as you trace the print with a gloved hand. 'This is unusual...'

You take a closer look at the claw marking on the trees and on the ground. 'Wolves aren't...'

"(Y/N)! This way!" Tara calls out, beckoning you to follow.

Pushing your thoughts aside, you rise and begin to follow the Guard woman. As you catch up to Tara, you can't help but think of the paw print you saw, and how strange it appeared. Wolves were common in the land, and often hunted in packs. But as far as you can tell, there was only one set of prints back at the clearing. The unusual thing about that mark, however, was that it was twice the size of a normal wolf print.

You press on further into the woods. The sun was still high in the sky; more blood and wolf prints were revealed under its rays. Tara and the other guards' pace quicken, as the sound of yelling can be heard. Tara begins to slow as captain Reinhardt comes into view. The captain was standing with his sword in hand. Alongside him were two other guards making your force a total of seven including yourself. You look past Reinhardt and see a large number of men and women standing opposite of the guards, all equipped with swords and bows numbering about thirteen. You can see another clearing past the poachers. A large camp ground was set up. Several tents as well as large steel cages were strewn about. You can hear the sounds of fangs and claws slamming against steel, the helpless cries of birds as they struggle against bindings, and the sound of mothers calling out to their young. No matter what you may have done in the past you had always had a deep respect for animals and nature itself. As you listen to the pained cries of the captive animals, you clench your fists, anger welling up within you. Your blood begins to boil.

"Captain." You say stepping up the side of Reinhardt. "What's the situation?"

Reinhardt turns to acknowledge your presence. "Ah. (Y/N), I figured the queen would send you."

He turns back to look at the assortment of poachers, eying one man in particular. He was a medium sized man with broad shoulders and graying brown hair. Along the right side of his face was a large scar that went from his temple to his chin. He appeared to be the leader of this despicable gathering of assorted scum, seeing as he was the only one in full leather armor. In hands was a beautiful sword that sparkled in the sunlight, the hilt adorned with shining rubies and emeralds. He was looking the the captain with a frustrated leer.

"This ass," Reinhardt says gesturing to the man with his sword. "Won't throw down their arms and surrender."

'Typical Reinhardt. Thinking criminals will just bow down in the presence of authority.' You think as you look over to the poachers.

"Why would we? Even with your new arrivals, we still out number you all!" The lead poacher says.

"You will lay down your weapons and be taken into custody in the name of Queen Elsa!" The captain says, yelling at the man.

"To hell with you! And your fucking Queen!" He says.

At the mention of Elsa, you struggle to keep from attacking the man immediately.

You feel yourself reach for your sword, itching for the man to do something stupid. To give you a reason to hack his arms off.

"Do yo realize the prize been tracking?" He yells out in frustration. "The profit to be made would be enormous!"

"Why should we care? You're still trespassing on Arendelle land in an area without a permit! That is a violation of Arendelle law!" Reinhardt says. "In addition, hunting in this particular region is strictly prohibited!"

The leather-clad man ignores him and continues to rant on about this 'prize'. "A Wolf! Larger, deadlier, more fierce than any in all the world! To have beast such as that! Men will pay mountains of gold!"

'A wolf that size? That can't be...' You think back to the markings and prints you found along the way.

"It does not matter! If you will not willingly surrender, we will be forced to attack."

You quell your anger for a moment to think about Reinhardt's words. You glance over at the guards who had nervous looks on their faces. They had no experience. This would be their first real fight outside of the practice skirmishes. As much as it pains you to release these criminals, you put the safety of the guards above your growing hatred for these wretched men and women.

"Now captain," You say removing your hood to show your face. "Let me handle this. Perhaps we can avoid any bloodshed."

Reinhardt looks at you with an almost offended look. He appears ready to say something but looks over at his men and then over to Tara. She was trembling.

"Very well. Hopefully this sod will listen to you." Reinhardt replies, thinking about the safety of his guards.

You turn back to the man, putting aside any anger you had for a moment. "Listen, this is unfavorable both of us."

He looks at you with a curious stare.

"Clearly none of us wants an unnecessary fight." You say, attempting to fight your battle with reason rather than force.

The leader looks back at his men and nods in agreement. "Aye. So what do you propose?"

"Sheathe your weapons, pack up, and walk away." You say with a serious look. "We will not hunt you. We will not attack you. Release the captive animals and you are free to go."

Reinhardt steps forward and prepares to protest, but you raise a hand and give him a stern look.

The leader strokes his chin pondering your offer. He grins at you with a look that makes your stomach crawl.

"You drive a hard bargain lad, but fine; we will leave." You see him give a subtle gesture to some of his forces. Your fellow guards don't seem to notice this. You look past the leader and see several archers draw their bowstrings. His intentions are clear as day.

'So much for avoiding bloodshed...' You think as you move your hand closer to your set of throwing knives.

"That wolf would have been one hell of a catch, but I suppose it can't be helped. Pack it up boys!" The leader says, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He turns away and begins walking back to the camp.

Before he gives the signal to fire, you call out to him.

"You'd better tell your archers to make their first shot count."

The leader turns to you with an shocked expression.

"Because they won't get a second."

The man simply stares at you, eyes filled with a certain cockiness in them.

You grip several throwing knives in your hand, as you wait for the leader to make his move. The guards beside you are now fully aware of the situation and stand ready.

"FIRE!" He shouts as he readies his sword.

The archers release their bows and fire a small volley of arrows all aimed at you. You roll forward to evade the arrows and release your throwing knives as you spring up from he ground. The small blades fly through the air with deadly accuracy. Before the archers can nock another arrow, their bowstrings are cut, sliced by your daggers. The poachers charge forward and engage the Arendelle guards.

You draw your sword and leap into the fray. One woman lunges at you with a dagger aimed for your heart. You sidestep her and smash the hilt of your sword against her skull, sending her to the ground. Another poacher prepares to strike at your neck. You duck his swing and ram your shoulder into him sending him stumbling back against a tree. Before he can recover, you grab a throwing knife and launch it into his arm,pining it to the tree. You turn to the side to see a large man swing downwards with the intent to cleave you in half. You quickly raise your sword to block, but the power behind his blow forces you to one knee. As you kneel down and try to resist the large man's strength, you reach for the dagger in your boot. You pull it out and drive it down into his foot. The man yelps in pain and pulls his sword away from you. You remove the dagger and slash upwards a him, creating a huge gash across his gut. He flies into a rage and blindly swings at you. You parry and dodge his sword. He tries an overhead blow once more. You block and push upwards, sending his sword flying several feet behind him. As he turns around to retrieve it, you take your dagger and stab it straight through his thigh. The man falls to the ground clutching his wound, trying to stop the blood loss. You remove the dagger and throw it into another incoming assailant.

As he falls to the ground you look back at the other guards, before looking directly at the head poacher. "You should have walked away, mate."

The leader glances at you, practically frothing at you. "I will have that beast!"

The man charges at you with a flurry of blows. You parry each and prepare to retaliate. As the leader delivers strike after strike you hold firm, deflecting every blow, letting his rage consume him, waiting for the right moment to strike. He slips up and leaves his leg exposed. You dodge a blow and rush forward, slashing his leg as you go.

"AAHHH!" He cries, turning to face you.

With renewed anger he assaults you once more. You had already planned for this. You begin to step backwards, baiting him. You back up against a tree, putting your plan into motion. You parry a strike and punch him across the jaw. The man grows angrier as he prepares to strike again. You duck and spin away. In his blind rage, he embeds the sword into the tree. Before he can pull the sword out, your bring your blade down on his arm, severing it. His forearm drops to the ground as the man falls on his back, clutching his severed arm.

"AAHHH! BLOODY FUCK THAT HURTS!" The man cries, alerting his men.

They quickly throw down their weapons.

As the guards begin to arrest the remaining poachers, you look down at the bleeding man.

As he bleeds on the ground, he manages a pained smile. "I should've walked away..."

The leader's eyes flutter shut as he passes out from blood loss.

Sheathing your sword, you look around to see how the guard had handled the situation.

Reinhardt was standing, surveying the area for anymore stragglers. Four of the other guards remained unscratched, but still panting heavily from the attack. One guard's uniform was cut in several places, but otherwise was unharmed. You scan the battlefield for your new recruit, Tara.

You take a moment to walk around, looking for the young woman. You hear a sound coming from behind a tree. You make your way around to find Tara, slumped over a dead body, shuddering. You barely take a step towards her before she begins talking.

"I-I Killed someone..." Tara struggles to speak, visibly terrified at what she had done.

You kneel down next to her and place a comforting arm around her back.

At your warm touch, Tara looks over and meets your gaze with her own somber expression.

"How do you deal with it?" She asks, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

You pause to think of what to say. You can hardly remember your first kill. The rush of battle was too overwhelming. You find yourself thinking about how to respond, but can only find one answer.

"It's best not to think about it."

"But he could've, had a family or children." Tara says, eyes widening at your response.

"Yes," You say, as you gently begin to rub her back, hoping to calm her down. "But so could you. And he likely wouldn't have thought about it."

Tara shifts her eyes downwards, with sullen look.

"Tara..." She looks up to into your (E/C) eyes. "The fact that you thought about that, makes you a better person."

"It makes you better than me." You finish, removing your hand from her back and standing up.

Warfare was a lifestyle that you wished upon no one. It was easy for one side to kill the enemy without taking the time to think about their loved ones. At the same time one side can think too hard about their foe and lessen themselves on the battlefield. You can't risk sacrificing your humanity, but you can't risk being too human and become a hindrance to your comrades. Out on the battlefield only one thing mattered: survival. This was the life you lived. It is best not to think about it.

"The feeling will pass, Tara." You hold out a hand to pull her to her feet. "You just need to know when to pick yourself up."

Tara takes your hand and pulls herself up. You give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"You should head back and get some rest." You tell her, concern in your tone.

"No, it's fine." Tara responds as she begins walking in the direction of the poacher camp. "I'm going to help take care of the caged animals."

"Okay." As she begins to walk away you call out to her. "But if you aren't feeling well, I want you to head back. Understand?"

Tara nods and resumes her walk towards the camp.

"Well I must say mister (Y/N)," You turn your head to see Captain Reinhardt approaching you. "I may not have agreed with your training at first, one cannot deny the results."

The both of you look on as two guards begin to escort the surviving poachers back to the city.

"I believe I owe you an apology." Reinhardt says, turning to face you.

Still unsure of his motives, you give the captain a false smile. "That's quite alright captain."

"In any case." Reinhardt continues. "Perhaps you would like to join me for a drink later in my office?"

Your eyes widen slightly. The elusive captain Reinhardt offering you a drink? This could be the opportunity you need to obtain information on him. After the past few weeks of idleness, you decide to take the chance.

"Sounds good, captain." You respond looking down at the poacher Tara had killed. "I suppose I could use one after this mess."

"You and me both." Reinhardt begins to walk towards the castle. "Tonight then."

As Reinhardt disappears from view, you turn your head over to the camp site. The sounds of struggling animals have subsided, replaced with sounds of metal cages being swung open and chains falling to the ground. Birds take to the sky above the treetops. You begin to make your way over to the camp. Moving past the assortment of tents, you come across a guard opening a large cage. Inside it was a large grizzly bear, carefully darting her eyes between you and the other guard. She moves slowly out of the cage, growling and letting out a loud cry. You turn your head to the sound of chains rattling. Tara releases the neck clamps around two small bear cubs, no more than a few weeks old. The cubs rush over to the larger grizzly. She gently bites down and picks the both of them up, placing them on her back. You see Tara smiling as the mother slowly moves into the forest, the cubs glancing back towards you one more time.

Tara looks at you and smiles. Although still shaken by what she had experienced today, she could still find comfort in this one act of kindness.

You turn your attention to the other cages. Majority of the captive animals had been set free. The only remaining wildlife were several foxes, a couple deer and,interestingly, a raven with feathers white as snow. The raven turns to look you in the eyes as you approach. He stares at you blankly. No sound, no movement. You release the lock on his cage. As the door swings open, the raven looks at you once more and nods. He shoots out of the cage and into the sky, leaving a single white feather in his wake.

The feather falls down, you hold out your palm to catch it. You glance at the feather then back to the sky, the raven now completely gone from sight. The dark feathered ravens are commonly seen as ill omens, and can often mean death for whoever encounters them. But what if the raven was white?

You pocket the feather and move to free the foxes. As you reach the cages, a guard comes rushing out of the forest.

"(Y/N)! Come quick!" You turn your head to look at the guard.

"What's the problem?"

"There's something big caught in a net!" The man tells you. The other guard with you gets up and quickly rushes into the forest.

You and Tara pass a glance at each other before following the man into deep into the woods.

You follow the man, into the woods. You can hear snarling and growling in the distance. This growling sounded more powerful, more distinct than any growling you've heard, and you've heard Sven's stomach growl.

The growling grows louder as you the man leads on. The faint smell of blood fills the air as the man stops and points forward. You step ahead of him and slowly move toward the growling. You move past a tree and immediately gasp at the sight before you.

True to the poacher's word was an unusually large wolf suspended from a tree by a large net. The net itself was woven with a strong material, think enough to hold back a whale. You follow the rope to see it tied to the base of the tree. The beast kicked and clawed at its bindings, wincing eery now and then. As the wolf winces, you see a steady stream of blood dripping from its right foreleg. You squint and begin to see the feathers of an arrow protrude from one of the holes in the net.

You gesture over to the guardsmen.

"Quickly! Lower that rope!" You say pointing to the tree.

"(Y/N), are you sure?" Tara asks, still staring at the large wolf.

You look between her and the other two guardsmen and nod. "I'm sure."

Looking at each other cautiously, the two men walk over to the rope and begin to untie the knot. The men lower the wolf down carefully. You remove your cloak and place it on the ground. As the net reaches the ground, the wolf shakes it off, allowing you to get a better look at the beast. Definitely larger than any wolf you've ever seen. It stood up, its head easily reaching just above your waist. It had gray eyes that reflected in them the mind of a cunning hunter. Its fur was as dark as the midnight sky. In its leg were two arrows, causing it a great deal of pain.

The wolf growls and tries to take a step forward, but yelps in pain and retracts its leg.

You draw your sword and take a wary step towards it. It looks up at you and begins to growl lowly.

You kneel down a few meters away from it and place your sword on the ground. You unstrap your throwing knives and lay them down as well. Making sure it knows you were unarmed, you stand and take a few more steps. It snaps as you grow close, its growling intensifying. The guards around you hold their breath, preparing for the worst. You reach your hand out for an arrow. It shows its fangs and prepares to bite once more. She snaps at you again and you rear your hand back. You drop to one knee and look straight into its gray eyes, conveying nothing but bravery. The wolf's growling subsides slowly. You reach out and grasp at an arrow. The wolf closes its eyes, readying itself for the pain.

You exhale and quickly yank the arrow out from its leg. It roars in pain and the guards around you move to attack, but are stopped as you raise your hand. The wolf stares at you and quickly glances to the other arrow. You nod and grasp the last arrow. It closes its eyes once more. You quickly pull the last arrow out. This time, however, it softly yelps and winces instead of loudly crying out. It had measured the pain from the first arrow and knew what to expect. A good sign of intelligence.

With the final arrow out, it dashes back and begins to head further into the woods. It stops and turns to look you in your (E/C) eyes. You read her expression perfectly.

'Thank you.'

She turns and takes off, disappearing behind some trees.

You stand up and retrieve your weapons from the ground.

"Absolutely beautiful." You say aloud to yourself.

Tara moves to your side, looking at where the beast had been.

"That was amazing!" She exclaims. "How did you know it wouldn't attack you?"

You turn and give her a soft smile. "I didn't."

As Tara looks back at you with a shocked expression, you chuckle lightly and look back to where the wolf had been.

The other guards look on as well, admiring your sheer bravery.

"Do you think that's the last we'll see of him?" Tara asks.

"She was female." You say looking back at Tara, before glancing at the bloody arrows in your hand. "And I don't think that's the last we'll see of her."

You throw the arrows to the ground and call out to the other guards. "Come on then! There's still a few captive animals back at the camp."

You turn and make your way back to the camp site, Tara and the other guards following close.

Despite the disastrous encounter with the poachers this had been an interesting event. You helped free some helpless animals, and had an encounter with the oddest bird you had ever seen. But you had never imagined coming face to face with...

* * *

"A dire wolf?" Elsa asks from behind her desk, looking at your sitting form with disbelief. "That's impossible. That species went extinct decades ago."

After freeing the remaining animals, you had made your way to Elsa's study in order to tell her about what had happened. In fact you had just finished telling her about your encounter with the dark-furred dire wolf.

"Well," You say chuckling softly. "We do live in a world where a certain queen has absolute power over ice and snow."

Before Elsa can comment, you interrupt her thoughts.

"And not to mention one princess whose hair had magical healing powers, so I wouldn't rule out the impossible just yet."

Elsa sighs and giggles at your assertions. "I see your point."

Elsa stands up and makes her way to the front of her desk, leaning against the edge.

"All unusual events aside, the captain informed me of the guards' performance today. Your training methods are quite effective."

"Thank you," You say with a prideful smile. "The guards have the heart, but hopefully they can perform just as well without me being there."

Elsa gets up and eyes you with a suggestive smile. She makes her way to your chair and has a seat on your lap, resting her head against your chest. You grin and put your arms around her, pulling her closer.

"About that make up date?" She asks. "We still have the rest of the day and the night as well."

"Actually, we don't." Elsa looks up at you with questioning eyes. "Reinhardt invited me for drinks this evening."

The queen raises an eyebrow at the mention of the guard captain. "Captain Reinhardt asked you for drinks?"

"I know. I had a hard time believing it at first, but this does give me a chance to learn more about mister Reinhardt."

Elsa simply smiles at you and nods. "We'll have to reschedule that date then."

You smile warmly and plant and soft kiss on her lips. "How does this weekend sound?"

She smiles and rests her head against your chest once more. "I'll make sure my schedule is free."

You place a kiss on the top of her head, before sighing sadly. "Well I guess I should make my way to the barracks."

You try to stand up, but Elsa pushes you back against the chair, grinning suggestively at you.

"You're not going anywhere." She says as she traces a finger across your chest. "Evening isn't for a couple hours..."

"I see your point..." You echo Elsa's words as she pulls you close for an intense kiss.

* * *

After another intense make-out session with Elsa you had (Reluctantly ) made your way to the barracks. It was late now, your meeting with captain Reinhardt had been dragging on for about an hour and a half. The captain had a large portion of time talking about old war stories. As it happens, the captain was a war veteran, for which kingdom ,however, was completely a mystery. Any subtle attempt to ask him about where he was from or if he had any connection to Aravan was futile. You couldn't ask a straight question and risk drawing attention to yourself. If this was the correct Reinhardt from the letter, then exposing yourself as an old soldier of Aravan could accelerate this 'mission' you were given. This meeting is not going in your favor.

You stifle a yawn as the captain finishes his tale. "Then they ordered us to execute the remaining soldiers."

"Defenseless?" You ask.

"Aye, no means of defense. Just pure murder. I tell ya, (Y/N)... it's a cruel world we live in."

Reinhardt takes a swig from his bottle of brandy. "God could strike down every piece of scum on the planet, and there'd just be even more to replace them the next day."

You take a sip from your cup, pondering Reinhardt's words. There was an element of truth to them. The human capacity for cruelty was great. His words cause you to think back to your time as a soldier. Your eyes fall half shut as memories of battles come into mind. There seemed to be no hope of you ever being anyone else other than a killer. A dark past that only became darker as you thought about it.

"Where did all the hope go, (Y/N)?" Reinhardt asks.

'Hope?' The word echoes in your mind. 'I have hope... I Have Elsa...'

"In fact, that reminds me of another story-" The captain is interrupted by the sound of a guard entering the room.

"Pardon me," the man says looking at you before saluting Reinhardt. "Captain there's a prisoner that wants to speak with you."

The captain sighs and stands up from his chair. "If you'll excuse me (Y/N), this shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Help yourself to more brandy if you wish."

A few moments after the captain exits the room, you spring into action. You quickly make your way over to his desk, viewing the contents inside. You push aside guard reports, equipment checks, and few ledgers.

'There has to be something.'

You turn your attention to the cabinet next to the desk. You open the cabinet to find more bottles of brandy and a small folder containing nothing but... self portraits?

'Well I must admit... he is a pretty good artist.'

You look at the other cabinets and and shelves. Nothing. There was not enough ti for you do a thorough search. This night proved one of two things. That captain Reinhardt was exceptionally good at hiding things, or that the captain wasn't the Reinhardt from the letter.

You carefully rearrange the cabinets and shelves back into their original arrangements, before looking back at the desk and begin to put everything back in order. As you reach for a misplaced paper, your hand brushes against something unusual.

'Is that a button?'

You carefully push the button, revealing a secret compartment on the side of the desk. You rummage through and only find one small document. A letter.

You grab the letter and open it reading its contents.

_Reinhardt,_

_Or should I call you captain Reinhardt?_

_Anyways, I'm writing to inform you of an incoming envoy._

_I have sent this man to Arendelle to carry out a special_

_task. I have instructed him to say the following words_

_upon your meeting of him. The code phrase is 'Red Snow'._

_You are to help him succeed at his task in any way possible. Be sure _

_to hide this letter in a safe place, for his task is-_

You reading is interrupted by the sounds of voices approaching the door. You quickly close the letter and place it back into he compartment before closing it. You hastily rearrange the desk back into how it was before your investigation. The voices grow louder and louder. Sweat begins to form on your brow. You shut the desk and make your way back to your chair, barely managing to sit in it in time.

"Keep me informed with what that psychopath wants." The captain says to the guard as he enters the room. The guard nods and closes the door.

"Sorry about that- hey. What's the matter with you? You look like you ran a mile." Reinhardt says acknowledging the sweat on your face.

"I'm just a little hot is all." You say rising from your chair. "While this has been fun captain, I'm afraid that the brandy isn't sitting well."

"I can see that," The captain responds, chuckling.

You give a false laugh and proceed out the door, as the captain polishes off the remaining brandy.

* * *

You lay in your bed in deep thought about what you had learned. The captain was indeed the same Reinhardt from the letter in your memories. The day had been exhausting. Between spending time with Elsa, helping animals, and discovering the captain's involvement, you are completely tired out and beginning to feel sleep take hold of you.

'I suppose I should have seen that coming.'

Reinhardt's position was perfect. The Guard captain of Elsa's personal guardians would have perfect access to the castle as well as various resources at his disposal. Now that you had confirmed Reinhardt was involved, you just needed to know what exactly was the mission you were sent complete.

Your eyelids grow heavy. As sleep finally claims you, your mind begins to focus on one word the captain had mentioned: _Hope._

* * *

**Okay, that was quite a bit of stuff going on, right?**

**Did you see the companion? Rest assured, she will return in the foreseeable future!**

**Anyway, Thank you for reading!**

**Just two more finals to go and I'm FREE!**

**P.S. Did you have an idea for you and Elsa's make up date that you wanted me to add in? Leave a comment! :-)**

**Any suggestions, comments, or advice? Fee free to leave a review!**

**Till next time, bye!**


	13. A Blade in the Dark

**Hey, Hey! It's me again!**

**Super happy everyone's Liking the story! **

**Big thanks for everyone for taking the time to read, as well as review!**

**Now that school's pretty much over, I can hopefully update more often! **

**Okay, without further ado, I give you, **

* * *

Chapter 13: A Blade in the Dark

_Hope..._

A quality found in all. A simple ideal that gives meaning to lives, and a purpose to despair.

_Hope..._

The word spins and bounces in your head, freeing new memories from the depths. The blackness that once was an abyss of obscurity, is now becoming a crystal clear sea of definite truth. The pieces are falling in place. After this revelation, there is one more piece. One final key.

_Hope... _

As a new vision comes into view, your mind lingers on the word. What gives you hope? Hope for a better day? Hope for a chance to crush your enemies? Hope for a long and happy life?

_Elsa..._

* * *

_The world around you takes shape,trees on all sides of you as you walk under the dim light of the moon. You were in Arendelle, just a few days from the city. You had barely stopped for rest since leaving Fairhaven, and you currently found yourself trekking through the wilderness of Arendelle. In one hand was a torch, dimly lit and ready to go out at even the faintest sign of wind. With your hood raised over your head, you press onwards, hoping for something to relieve you of your boredom. _

_There is no sound coming from the trees, the night air lies still. The snapping of a twig catches your attention. There are voices; gruff and boisterous. You know the tone all too well. The guilty kind. The kind belonging to men of ill fortune. Men on the run. Perhaps your hopes were being answered. _

"_Over there!"_

"_I think I see a light!"_

"_Is it a fire?"_

"_Who cares? As long as we get outta this dark."_

_You turn to face the voices. You faintly make out figures moving behind the trees. You slow your pace and allow the figures to come close. You smirk dangerously._

_The shadows converge under the light of your torch. Eight men, dressed in prisoners' attire, broken shackles around a few of their feet. The moon as, the light of your dim torch reflects off of their weapons. Four men with swords, two with crossbows, two with daggers. A straight fight might be to reckless. Fortunately you knew how to fight dirty._

"_'ello, mate." One of them says to you, a cocky grin on his face. "Havin' a late night stroll are we?"_

"_Yes, actually." You respond with a tone that seemed a little too polite. "It is a lovely evening."_

_If the criminals were actually smart, they would attack now, rather than take the time to gloat or try futilely to intimidate you. You already had a plan and you knew exactly how this was going to go down. You suppose you can do Arendelle a service and remove this scum from the planet. Today's small collection of criminal's were tomorrow's gang of villainy and miscreants._

_The men chuckle and begin to circle you, eying up your equipment. "That it is friend. That's quite a sword you have. Mind telling us where you got it?"_

"_Oh, this old thing?" You say eyes still focused on the men surrounding you. "Standard issue. Not much to it, really."_

"_Standard issue? Fancy yourself a soldier boy?" _

_You smirk under your hood, eyes filled with a certain... Blood lust. _

"_In a manner of speaking." You reply, your eyes darting between the men, looking for the best way to attack._

"_So what's a soldier doing all the way out here?" a man asks from behind you. _

"_I'm on a mission to Arendelle actually. Top secret."_

"_Ain't much of a secret now, is it?"_

_You feel the men with crossbows take aim as they wait for their leader to give the orders. You knew it, you were completely surrounded, outnumbered against criminals who are armed with better gear._

_But no amount of gear can match a life of experience. _

"_I assure you its quite alright." You say, answering the man's question. "After all... none of you will live to speak of it."_

_The men just scoff and laugh at your suggestion. The lead convict steps up in front of you. _

"_Here's whats going to happen. You're going to give your valuables to me, then you're going to stand still, then we're going to kill you."_

_The men surrounding you laugh loudly. You smirk at their confidence, silently plotting and predicting every move they could possibly make. You chuckle lowly at yourself. In this forest, their numbers were meaningless, for you had one advantage over every single man present: The darkness. _

"_Tell me," You say to no one in particular. _

_The convicts stop laughing to hear you. The lead convict raises an eyebrow at you. _

"_Are any of you afraid of the dark?" _

_Before they answer you wave your hand to extinguish your torch and drop it to the ground, shrouding everyone in darkness. _

"_What the?!" The leader says. He reaches out to grab at you, but you're already gone. You dart from tree to tree, leaving nothing but a whisper in your place. _

_From behind a tree you begin to read the criminal's actions, the effects of fear slowly creeping up on them._

_First is confidence. _

"_Where'd he go!?" _

"_It doesn't matter! There's no way this guy can take all of us!"_

"_Yeah, this guy ain't so tough!" _

_You smirk at this. The convicts are giving away their positions. You listen carefully and hear two men standing close to each other. You make your move. _

_You creep up behind one man and grab hold of him in a lethal head lock. As he struggles in your grasp you wrench his sword out of his hands. The man beside him turns and swings blindly in your direction. You use the man in your grasp as a human shield, catching the blade with his chest. The man tries to cry out but you place your hand over his mouth and silence him. You toss his dying body to the ground before lunging at the second man. _

"_Wha-Arg!" He can't even speak a word as you shove the sword up through his jaw. _

_The other men hear his unfinished words and look over to the sound, but you've already vanished. _

_Anger comes next._

"_I'm gonna gut you like a fucking fish!" _

"_Where are you! Face us like a Man!"_

"_Fight me coward!"_

_A group of three stand a few meters apart. You can see the glint of their weapons in the dim moonlight. You dash out and reach around and pull a man's crossbow to his neck, strangling him with it. You take care to do it as silently as possible. You increase the pressure on his neck, placing your knee on his back and push his body forward. His windpipe shatters with a subtle crack. One of the other men hears this and turns to look at your general direction. _

"_He's over-Ack!"_

_He is unable to finish his words as you take the crossbow and fire into his neck. The man closest to him turns to check on his fellow criminal. With his back turned, you roll towards him and use the crossbow as a club. You drop the bow straight onto his head, hearing his skull crack._

_Then the panic begins to set in. _

_You move behind some trees. You quickly move from tree to tree, whispering low enough for them to hear you._

"_Five down..." _

_The remaining men look around, desperately trying to find you._

_You dash to another tree throwing them off balance. _

"_Three to go..."_

"_Quickly! Someone find the torch!"_

"_I don't want to die like this!"_

_The men scramble around for the torch. _

"_I've got it!"_

"_Hurry up and light-"_

_You silence the man by pulling a crossbow bolt out from his holster and stabbing him in the neck. You silently drop his body and move to find the leader, swinging his sword around blindly out of fear._

"_Stay back! S-s-Stay away from me!" You wait until his back is turned to you. You catch the shimmering of his sword in the moonlight. He swings the sword around, and you catch his arm. Before he can react, you kick against his kneecap and effectively break his leg. _

"_AAARRGG!" He cries out, stumbling to his remaining knee. You place your hands around his head. _

"_I got it!" The remaining man, manages to light the torch, illuminating the area with a dim orange glow. _

_The leader struggles against your grip as you smile at the remaining man innocently._

"_F-f-u!" The leader is unable to finish as you twist his neck, killing him instantly. _

_The next level is paralysis. _

_The last man finds himself unable to move. He glances around at the bodies of his former companions. Blood begins to form around the lifeless corpses who were just moments ago fighting an impossible battle against a shadow. The man trembles and shakes._

"_W-what are you!?" The man manages to say, still staring at the bodies. _

"_Me?" You ask, smiling at him with a sinister leer. "I'm just a blade in the dark."_

_The man stands, paralyzed with fear, unable to comprehend the carnage before him._

_You chuckle lightly at the remaining man. "This is the part where you run away, and I chase you down."_

_The last stage. Hysteria._

_The man drops the torch and takes off sprinting away. You smirk and begin to give chase. You lived for this, trained for it. There truly was nothing like the rush you get from battle. _

_The man runs, pushing past trees and foliage. You follow swiftly, sliding under branches and vaulting over shrubs. You chase the man until you reach the edge of a cliff. The man manages to stop himself before going over the edge. You slow your pace as well. Stopping to see the man panic and swing his sword at you. _

"_Stay away from me demon!"_

"_Demon? That's a new one." You say taking a step closer. "No point in delaying the inevitable. You have absolutely no hope of escape."_

"_Please just let me go!" The man pleads as he backs up closer to the edge. _

"_Sorry mate, but we both know that's not going to happen."_

"_Please! Just-" His words are cut off as the cliff rumbles. You mentally curse yourself. You had failed to look at the environment. The cliff that you and the man were standing on was unstable and appeared to be on the verge of a landslide. You immediately cease all movement and hold your hands out to stabilize yourself. You try to take a step backwards, but the rocky cliff rumbles in response._

"_What's happening!?" The frightened criminal says. _

_You snap your head up at the man. "Don't make any sudden moves!"_

_You inch yourself very carefully away from the edge. You can hear the underlying structure rumble and crack, unable to handle the new weight. You had a limited amount of time before it collapsed. _

_You try to move further away, but look back at the man who tries to take a step away from the edge._

"_NO!" _

_The man looks up, but finds himself stumbling down as the cliff base gives away. You fall down as well making the collapse happen even faster. The cliff comes down to a steep angle, causing the criminal to fall over the edge._

"_AAAAHHHH!" You hear his screams as he falls._

_You begin to slide down towards the edge. You frantically grab at anything to hold onto. As you're about fly off the edge, you mange to grab onto a small hole in the cliff. You calm down and assess the situation. You were barely holding on to a collapsing cliff. You look down to judge the distance of the fall. About fifty feet, enough to shatter bones, even potentially kill you. The criminal died on impact. You can make out his out-of-place neck. The cliff rumbles again. You look around to find some hope of survival. You see a large tree directly parallel from the cliff. If you kick off the cliff, you might be able to reach it. On the off chance you fail, the ensuing fall would likely kill or severely injure you. With no help for miles, any injury meant death with the proper means of care. You weigh your options. You take a chance to back eject onto a tree, risking death... Or try to pull yourself up and make your way up the now-steep cliff. The cliff rumbles again. You peek your head over the edge to see a large boulder sliding your way. _

_'Option one then...' _

_You bring your legs up and prepare to kick off the cliff. The boulder picks up speed as you prepare yourself for the jump. It moves closer and closer. Just as the boulder hits your position, you kick off the cliff and turn aiming for the nearby tree. The boulder falls down and the cliff stabilizes, no longer having to support the weight. As you move closer and closer to the tree, you hold your hands out and grab on to a nearby branch. You look over to the cliff, which is no longer rumbling. You sigh in relief and lift your self up the branch. As you raise yourself over the branch you hear it begin to snap._

_You let out an exasperated grumble. "It's always something isn't it?"_

_The branch snaps and sends you tumbling down the tree. You grab at the branches but cannot find a hold on them. You land gut first onto a branch a few meters below. Before you can recover, the branch breaks and send you down several meters. As you fall down, you roll around and find your self falling with your back to the ground. _

_As your body falls closer to the ground, you strike the back of your head hard against one of the branches close to the bottom._

"_UGH!"_

_You land on the ground with a painful thud. You begin to feel consciousness slip away from you. As the dark around your eyes grows, you can feel the memories within the depths of your mind fade into obscurity. _

_You awake several hours later in a daze. The morning sun has risen, casting its rays through the dense foliage of the trees. The back of your head throbs in pain. You reach a hand up to feel the bump, but wince as your hand grazes it. You slowly lean up and look at your surroundings. Beside you was a large tree with many broken branches directly above you. You slowly stand up. Several meters away lied a corpse. Broken neck by the look of it. Your eyes trace over the dead man and up the cliff. _

"_Where am I?" You ask yourself. A word comes to mind. A name. "Arendelle..."_

_A brief memory flashes before you. Of course! Queen Elsa and princess Anna were the sovereign rulers. Elsa had just been crowned a few months ago, directly following her little incident. You remember hearing tales of how she had frozen her kingdom and almost caused the death of her sister as well as her subjects._

_You gently lift your hood over your head and begin to slowly move through the forest, hoping to find some civilization, and perhaps more answers. _

_As you walk past the trees and bushes, your mind lingers on a single thought._

_'Elsa... Why does her name sound... important... familiar?'_

_The world around you fades as the memory comes to an end._

* * *

You awaken lying still in your bed, the events from yesterday's encounter with the poachers taking a considerable toll on you. You sit up in bed and instinctively reach a hand up to the back of your head, feeling the place where you had hit your head and locked away your memories. That seemed so long ago considering all that has happened since.

"So that's how I lost my memory." You aloud to yourself.

You ponder for a moment about this new development. This particular memory served as a connection, bridging the person you were before with the one you are now. One more piece of the puzzle, and you still feel incomplete. You still struggle to remember the task you were assigned to complete. The past few years in general were still hazy, but you find comfort knowing that you had directly solved Arendelle's missing convict problem.

You rise from the bed and walk over to the dresser and begin to put on a set of clothes. As you pull your shirt over your head, you think back to your fight with the escaped criminals. While the method was dirty and the execution was brutal, you can't help but think about how amazing it was to single-handedly take on eight armed men and in such an effective manner. Utilizing the shadows and the night sky to kill each opponent was utterly brilliant. You cast a dark smile as you remember each individual kill.

'That actually felt really good...' As the thought passes your mind, you try to shake it away.

'What am I thinking?' Your hands begin to tremble again as you relive the night one more time.

'No one deserves to die like that. Afraid. Helpless.' You clench your fists, still shaking at your brief resurgence of brutality and bloodlust.

You release your fist and turn your head to face the window, looking at the radiant morning sun.

'That's not who I am.' You smile as an image of your gorgeous snow queen comes to mind.

'Not anymore.'

* * *

After donning a set of comfortable clothes, you make your way to Elsa's room. Approaching her door, you give it a soft knock. "Elsa?"

"_Come in!" _She calls from behind the door.

You smile and open the door, revealing the monarch. Dressed in her black and teal dress, she finishes placing her hair in a bun shape.

"Good morning, (Y/N)." Elsa says turning to watch you enter through the door. She smiles at you, as she removes her crown from the jewelery box and places it on her head.

Most days Elsa was just barely waking up at this time. On most days you would wake up slightly earlier and make your way to her room. You would cuddle warmly with her in her bed, or escort her to the dinning hall for an early breakfast. The two of you would spend the first few moments of the day just being together, before you left to prepare for another day of work. Elsa running the kingdom, and you training its protectors. On days like this, however, you knew what it meant when Elsa was already dressed and ready for the day this early. The queen was only ever this ready when she was faced with a long day of work. This of course, meant that the queen was busy and would likely be busy the entire day.

Elsa closes the box and begins to walk towards you.

"Sleep well?" She asks, placing her arms around your neck.

You smile and place your own arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

"A bit actually." You smile down towards her. "I know how I lost my memory."

"Really?" Elsa widens her eyes as she dons an excited look.

You smile widely and nod.

"That's great!" Elsa pulls you in for a hug.

"Yep! I actually have even better news!" You say, hugging her back tightly.

Elsa breaks the hug and stares on with pure excitement. "Really? Tell me!"

You chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Remember those criminals running around Arendelle?"

"Yes...?" She eyes you with a quizzical stare.

You return her stare with a sheepish smile of your own. "I may have taken care of them."

Elsa eyes you with disbelief. "You did? When? Surely it wasn't last night!"

You grin and take Elsa's hands in your own. "I had another dream."

Elsa's expression softens as she gives you a knowing smile. "Tell me more."

You stare deeply into her eyes, seeing nothing but trust and support reflected in them.

"Well, After my little chat with the captain, I-"

Your words are interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. You turn to find Kai standing in the doorway, an embarrassed smile grazing his face.

"Excuse me your majesty, master (Y/N)." The large man looks to queen Elsa. "The diplomats from Afirewyn have arrived and are awaiting your presence."

"Very well Kai," Elsa responds with a sigh. "I will be in the council chambers in a few moments."

Kai bows and leaves the room.

Elsa looks at you with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, but these negotiations are very important."

"Negotiations?" ask, looking at her with questioning eyes. "Is there some sort of problem with Afirewyn?"

"Oh no! It's just a negotiation over trade routes. Nothing to be concerned about."

You smile warmly and plant a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Okay. Go on, you've got a nation to run!"

The monarch smiles and closes in on your lips.

"Another time," She says breaking the kiss before it becomes too heated. "I still want to hear about your dream."

Elsa gives your hands one last squeeze before releasing them, turning to leave the room. As she walks to the doorway, you cant help but notice how her dress hugs her figure. Perhaps not as much as some of her ice dresses, but definitely enough to cause a blush to appear on your face. Just as she nears the door, she turns to face you.

You look away, trying to hide your flushed face.

Elsa giggles at you and stifles a blush herself.

"Before, I forget." She says, still giggling at your bushing cheeks. "I want you to take the day off."

"But-" You prepare to protest, but Elsa beats you to it.

"Given the events of yesterday, you and the other guards deserve a little break." Elsa looks back at you with a bit of concern in her eyes. "That's an order straight from the queen, so... no buts!"

Your expression softens as you cast a small smile at Elsa. "Okay... No work."

"Good." She says, returning your smile with one of her own.

The snow queen glances at you one last time, before making her way out the door and to the council chambers.

"But what am I supposed to do all day?" You ask aloud, contemplating what to do with your newly acquired free time.

* * *

After informing Tara and the other guards of their free day, you find yourself aimlessly wandering around castle Arendelle. To be honest, not having to worry about training the guards was rather freeing... for about five minutes. You immediately feel the effects of boredom take hold of you. You attempted to take a nap back in your room, but find yourself unable to fall asleep. So here you are, making yet another pass of the Arendelle courtyard. It was roughly six o'clock when Elsa had left for the negotiations. It was now currently mid-morning. You had been walking around the castle for two and a half hours. Boredom truly was the bane of existence.

As you make your way to the bridge leading to the city, stop and stare out into the bright sky, thinking hard about your dream last night. You had learned of how lost your memories, and that you were highly adept at fighting in the dark; but you couldn't shake the feeling of killing those criminals in such a barbaric manner.

They were criminals... They deserved it! But who were you to decide that? Did it matter what they did? When you kill someone convicted of a crime does that justify the fact that you enjoyed doing it?

No. Sometimes, certain people needed to die. That was a fact of life. But no one should revel in the bloodshed. In the back of your mind, you still love the rush of battle. The feeling of crushing your enemies. While it may not be as prominent as it once was, there was no denying that it was still there.

Your thoughts are broken by the sound of a man and his reindeer approaching from behind you.

"(Y/N)!" Kristoff calls out, catching your attention.

You turn to see Kristoff and Sven casually walking up to you.

"Kristoff, Sven!" You smile and walk over to meet them.

Sven gallops over and gives you a playful lick.

"I missed you big guy!" You say laughing at Sven's antics.

You give the large reindeer a scratch on the top of his head as Kristoff steps towards you, chuckling lowly at his best friend.

"When did you guys get back?" You ask.

"Last night actually," Kristoff replies, pulling a carrot from out of a small satchel that hangs at his waist.

"Heard there was a commotion in the woods yesterday." Kristoff says as he takes a bite out of the carrot before offering the rest to Sven.

"It certainly as quite a bit of ruckus." You say thinking back to your encounter with the poachers. "Elsa gave me the day off because of it."

"Really? Was it that bad?"

Sven eyes you with a curious look.

"It wasn't bad in a sense, but it was pretty tiring." Your mind drifts back to the encounter with the dire wolf. "Boy, do I have a story to tell you guys."

"Well we'd certainly like to hear it." Kristoff says with a curious smile, Sven nodding along, interested in your tale.

You smile and begin to tell them about your confrontation with the hunters. Leaving the more gory details out of the story, you continue to mention releasing the captive animals as well as your encounter with a white raven. But the thing that really catches their attention was your mentioning of the dark furred dire wolf. Many legends of the fabled dire wolves were spread across the lands, but to many, that is all they were: legends and stories. The actual species of wolf had died out many years ago. To hear of an actual wolf living in the world today was nothing short of amazing.

"And then she took off into the forest." You say, finishing your story as Kristoff and Sven stare on with awe.

"An actual dire wolf?" Sven and Kristoff exchange a curious look. "No fooling?"

"If you don't believe me, ask any of the guards I was with. They can vouch for me." You reply, chuckling at their bafflement.

Sven looks with a grin that says,

"That is certainly is amazing!" Kristoff exclaims.

You laugh softly, looking at the pair. "So, what were you two doing before you decided to free me from my boredom?"

"Oh, we were just waiting for Anna and Olaf to get ready." As soon as he says this, the main doors of the castle open, revealing the strawberry-blonde princess and her snowy companion. They notice you and send an energetic wave your way.

"You going somewhere? A date?" You ask, waving back at the duo.

"Just going to the city for some things." Kristoff responds. "Hey seeing as you have some free time would you care to join us?"

You look between Sven and Kristoff with relief. "I was hoping you were going to say that. I've been going crazy trying to find something to do."

"Great!" Anna says, walking up to you. "The more, the merrier!"

Olaf rushes over to give Sven a big hug. "Good morning (Y/N), Good morning fuzzy buddy!"

Sven gives a playful snort before using his antlers to lift the snowman onto his back.

"Hello Olaf, Anna." You turn to see Anna greet Kristoff with a light peck on the lips.

The show of affection makes you turn your head to the castle, thinking about the gorgeous monarch within its walls.

You smile, thinking about how your boredom can't possibly compare to the snow queen's as she sits in a stuffy room listening to councilors bicker all day. Hopefully you could make her week brighter as you ponder an idea for your date.

Your smile turns into a small frown. 'The date... I have no idea what to do.'

"Come on (Y/N)!" Olaf calls out to you breaking your thoughts.

You turn to see the rest of your group slowly make their way over to the bridge. Olaf atop Sven's back, and Anna with Kristoff's arm wrapped tightly around her.

Anna turns her head to call over to you. "You coming?"

You smile and rush to catch up with them.

As you catch up with the rest of your party, Olaf grins at you. "Just like the day we first met!"

You smile at the little snowman, as you make your way across the bridge and into the city.

* * *

It was just a simple visit to the city. Anna needed to pick up a dress from Gordon and Kristoff was there looking for a new climbing axe. Not the most exciting trip, but it certainly beat spending an entire day aimlessly wandering around the castle. After procuring Anna's new dress and Kristoff's axe, you had settled down at a nearby ice cream parlor. As you sit outside at a table with your friends, your mind aches as you try to think of a perfect date to take Elsa on. You wanted to make this date really special, but had no idea of what to do. You look up from your bowl to see everyone enjoying their frozen dairy treats.

Sven was licking at a huge bowl of strawberry ice cream while Olaf eating a small cup of vanilla ice cream. Which was weird because he still didn't have a stomach.

'Maybe he just likes the taste.'

Oh wait. He didn't have taste buds either... Did he?

"I'm gonna get some more!" Olaf says picking his cup up and running inside the shop.

You smile and look over to see Anna and Kristoff feeding each other spoonfuls of ice cream. An idea comes to mind.

'Anna and Kristoff!' You smile and look over at the couple.

"Hey guys... can I ask you a question?"

The pair looks at you.

"Of course!" Anna says happily. Kristoff simply sets his spoon down and smiles at you.

"I have a date with Elsa this weekend and I want to make it really special."

"Aww, What'd you have in mind?" Anna asks, looking into your eyes with an inquisitive grin.

"That's the problem." You sigh, looking down into your half-finished bowl of ice cream. "I have no idea what to do."

Anna and Kristoff stare at one another, thinking about your predicament. Sven's eyes light up. Before he can suggest anything, Kristoff speaks up.

"Maybe a picnic?" Kristoff suggests.

"Nope, did that yesterday... before the whole 'poachers incident'."

He shrugs and looks to Anna for help.

"Ooh! I know that Elsa's always wanted to go to a circus! Take her to one of those!" Anna exclaims.

"Um, Anna... the date is the day after tomorrow, and I don't think we have enough time to track down a traveling circus and get them to perform for us."

Over on your side, you can see Sven desperately trying to get your attention. Before you can give him a chance to say something, Anna speaks up again.

"I know! A hot air balloon!"

You look back at with a surprised grin. "That's not a bad idea actually! Is there anyone in Arendelle that can do that for us?"

Anna's smile slowly turns into a frown as she slumps down into her chair. "Dang."

The three of you let out a sigh.

You look back over to Sven. "I don't suppose you have an idea pal?"

Sven's grin widens as he begins to make a series of gestures and sounds. You can read him almost as well as Kristoff can. As Sven elaborates on his idea, a smile of your own reaches your face.

"That's a great idea, Sven!" You say giving the reindeer a grateful pat on the head.

Sven gives a prideful smile before making a strange face at you.

Understanding his gesture, you look at Kristoff. "You get all of your dating ideas from Sven?"

"No!" Kristoff responds.

"Yes!" Olaf says appearing from under the table with a cup of vanilla ice cream in his hands, catching everyone off guard.

"I do not!" the blonde man retaliates, looking at the snowman with an irritated glare.

Sven looks at his best friend with a face that says: 'Name one.'

Kristoff strokes his chin, thinking of a date that he actually thought of.

"Well there was the boat ride-"

"Nope, Sven." Olaf says eating a spoonful of cream.

"What about the opera house?"

"Sven also."

"The sleigh ride?"

"That was actually Sven AND Elsa." Anna replies with a giggle.

Kristoff's head hits the table as he sighs in defeat. "I'm so horrible when it comes to dates."

Anna giggles and gently rubs Kristoff's back. "Definitely. But I still love you Kristoff."

The man sits up and looks at his princess with a loving smile.

You gently laugh at the Kristoff's inability to come up with a good date, before looking back at Sven with a thankful grin. "I owe you big time buddy!"

* * *

Later that evening, you find yourself walking towards your room, pondering the idea Sven gave you. You move through the halls stopping in front of the council chambers. You can still hear voices coming from inside. You focus your hearing and identify Elsa's voice.

"_Okay, do we have an accord?"_

The other members of the meeting burst into loud murmurs and unintelligible gibberish.

"_Silence!" _Elsa yells, quieting the room. _"Okay... Lets go back to the beginning. This is going to be a long night..."_

You feel a little sorry for the queen. She had been at this all day, and likely might still be at it by the time you awake in the morning. You would never be able to deal with the political crap the she puts up with on a daily basis. For a split second, you sympathize with Aravan's tendency for war over diplomacy.

"Goodnight Elsa," You whisper against the door, despite knowing she can't hear you.

You make your way to your room and prepare for sleep. As you lay in your bed, you grin thinking about the coming weekend. Sven had given you a marvelous idea, and you couldn't wait to spend time with Elsa.

With Elsa on your mind, you slowly drift to the land of unconsciousness, images of your beautiful snow queen filling your dreams.

* * *

**Okay that took forever! Extra long flashback in there!**

**Anyways, the big date's coming up next chapter! So stick around for that! **

**I've been getting a lot of Ice palace requests, but I'm sad to say that the ice palace, as well as marshmallow won't be apart of the dating scene.**

**BUT! I do have something planned involving the both of them. So look out in the future for that!**

**Feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, or advice!**

**Till next we meet!**

**P.S. anyone else going to see Gojira (Godzilla) this weekend?**


	14. A Night Out

**Hello all! So glad you stopped by for another chapter!**

**Okay, time to address some comments.**

**The love scene is more than likely going to happen, but maybe not as early as the make up date.**

**Thanks for all the suggestions for the date! I did actually settle on one in particular and I'll be sure to mention you at the end of the dating scene!**

**One more thing: I did actually draw a little bit of inspiration for the character from assassin's creed, mainly the outfit. I also threw in a little Corvo Attano (Dishonored), and Joshua Graham(Fallout New Vegas). **

**Well now that the boring bit is out of the way, I give you:**

* * *

Chapter 14: A Night Out

* * *

You smile as you watch the guards practice their drills and maneuvers. As the men and women before you strike and parry with absolute precision, perfectly in unison. Knowing the fact that the guards had made a huge amount of progress from what they were before you began instructing them, gives you a great deal of pride. However, the pride you feel now is not the reason for your smile. The vibrant smile nestled brightly on your face is one of sheer excitement. Tonight was your make up date with the queen, and you could barely contain your growing elation.

You pause to think about the idea Sven had given you the other day, marveling at its simplicity. No over the top festivities, not too much flair, and the perfect way to say 'I Love You.'

You blush at that thought. You think back to your time in Aravan. Even though a year or two continue to evade your mind, you can honestly say that there has never been a person who meant more to you than Elsa. War was no longer the reason you woke up in the morning, replaced with the gorgeous snow queen. Her stunning blue eyes, her sharp mind, her beautiful smile. You could spend hours staring at that smile. Truth be told, you had fallen in love with her some time ago, but found yourself dancing around the subject. When the thought of love passed your mind, your thoughts drifted to your past.

How could a woman as kind and caring as Elsa ever love the ruthless warlord that you once were?

The answer was simple, and you had only just realized it recently. Elsa didn't care about the person you used to be. She cared about the one you were now. The past was just that, the past. Even though bits of your mind were still blurry, one fact shined brighter than all the stars in the night sky: You were in love with Elsa the snow queen.

'There's that word again... Love.' You think to yourself, smiling as you watch the guards practice.

Love was a bit of an enigma to you. Having never actually experienced this kind of emotion before, the new feelings were a tad overwhelming. It made you nervous and excited at the same time.

"Something on your mind (Y/N)?"

You turn to see a young man with sandy-blonde hair approach.

"Just excited, Anders." You say smiling brightly at the man.

Anders looks at you with a confused expression. "Something interesting happening?"

You smile and turn back to look at the guards. "You can say that."

Anders casts a devious grin towards you. "Is it the queen?"

You smirk and continue to stare at the guards. Your affection was anything but subtle. By this time, everyone knew of your relationship with the queen. Some were jealous and others were happy for you. But to put it bluntly, you didn't care a single bit about what any one else thought.

"Come on Anders, back to work." You say grinning slyly at the man, as you make your way to join the guards in practice.

As the blonde haired man moves to follow, you cast a last glance at the castle.

'Just a few more hours.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Elsa perspective)

Meanwhile, in the castle council chambers...

The snow queen found herself upon her throne, staring wistfully out the nearby window. In front of her was the Afirewyn representatives. Two women with over the top wigs and dresses, two men with a certain 'snobbish' dialect, and a tall mustachioed man all sat at a table directly in front of her. On the table was several drafts and crumpled up parchments, each indicating a failed compromise. The Arendelle council members were all very clearly bored out of their minds. Even Kai, who served as the mediator, was struggling to resit the urge to pass out from boredom.

Elsa had been having the most dreadful last few days. The negotiations with Afirewyn were tedious and most times, she had felt like the diplomats would argue in circles. Even with her proficiency in negotiation, the diplomats would find another reason to argue. When a deal was finally settled on, the diplomats would just try to weasel more out of her kingdom. In short, Elsa was really beginning to hate Afirewyn. It had taken two days of nonstop arguing to finally come to an agreement.

Elsa took a moment to sigh, in exhaustion and frustration. Since the representatives arrived two days ago, she had barely anytime to see Anna, her friends, or her (H/C)-haired protector. Being queen of the land was incredibly taxing.

"Okay, have we finally reached an agreement?" Elsa asks with a tired sigh.

The rest of the Arendelle council looked on in anticipation at the diplomats.

A tall, raven haired, moustachioed man looks over a paper before turning to face the reigning monarch.

"I believe we have your majesty."

Elsa as well as the council all sigh in relief. The queen turns to her left, looking at Kai.

"Kai, begin drafting the final copy of the arrangements."

"At once your highness!" Kai's eyes light up at the thought of not having to deal with the snooty diplomats.

Elsa leans back into her throne, staring once again out the nearby window. Instead of the wistful stare from before, her eyes were filled with excitement. She had been worried about missing her date, and her chance to grow closer to a certain royal trainer with (E/C) eyes.

As Kai finishes the final draft, Elsa's mind drifted to her suitor.

'Just a few more hours.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Normal Perspective)

A few hours later, you find yourself unable to stop smiling as the remaining guards not on duty continued to spar with one another. The sun was just beginning to set and there was still about an hour or two of training. The day had been a long and tiring one, but the amount of excitement in your step kept you from ever frowning.

You gesture to Tara and Anders, beckoning them over to you. As they walk over to you, you can see that they were drenched in sweat and partially exhausted from the hard day of training.

"Excellent day as usual Tara, Anders." You tell them, pride in your eyes.

Of your trainees, Anders and Tara were the most promising. Anders showed a great amount of improvement and his skill,while still leagues away from you, surpassed the most of the other guards. Tara was still slightly shaken up from the encounter in the woods, but showed genuine talent in the ways of swordsmanship along with Anders. Tara was a master of efficiency. In group exercises Tara would usually take the lead, and her team would usually finish the assigned task with little to no difficulty in the most time efficient and effective way possible. Both of them showed great conviction. You were glad to call them your friends and comrades. You would willingly fight alongside them any day.

"Thanks (Y/N)!" Tara says, while her blonde companion simply nodded and grinned.

You give the pair a bright smile. "I need the both of you to do me a favor."

"What do you need, (Y/N)?" Anders asks, curiosity in his eyes.

"I'm needed elsewhere." You say giving them a warm smile.

Noticing your happy grin, Tara eyes you with a knowing smirk. "Off to see the queen now?"

"Like that isn't blatantly obvious, Tara." Anders answers for you, smirking along with the guard woman.

"Anyways," You say trying to change the subject. "I'm needed elsewhere and there's still a few hours left of training."

Anders and Tara look at each other, unsure of what your request could be.

You look at them both with a devious smile. "You two want to take the reins for me?"

"Really?" They ask in unison, their eyes lighting up with excitement.

You grin and nod at the pair. "Really. Of all the guards, you two have shown the most skill and are the most promising."

Tara blushes at the praise, while Anders smiles widely.

Taking their excitement as an affirmation, you turn and make your way back to the castle.

"We won't let you down!" Tara yells, as you walk away.

"You can count on us (Y/N)!" calls Anders.

"Don't work too hard guys." You call back, smiling all the while.

* * *

As you return to your room, you wash away the day and begin to assemble your wardrobe. After planning the date with your friends two days ago, you had made your way to Gordon's to acquire a new wardrobe, opting for lighter colors opposed to your standard black and dark blue. In place of your black coat was a light gray coat with white trimmings. Your cravat was a light shade of gray, and your dark blue vest was replaced with a white colored one. Beneath the upper layers of clothing was a white undershirt. Your pants were the same shade of gray as your coat, with a white sash instead of the blue.

Tying the look together was a pair of white gloves, accompanied by a pair of white boots. Looking dapper in your bright suit, you make your way to the foyer.

'By now, Anna should be done helping her get ready.' You think, glancing at a nearby clock.

Timing played a key role in the early stage. You had planned this with Sven and the others. You had planned down to the tiniest seconds. The stage was set, and the show was about to begin. Kristoff and Sven should be in place, while Anna and Olaf helped Elsa.

'Anna should be leading her down the steps in about... now.'

You turn to see Anna, arms linked with her sister, leading her down the stairs. Looking at the woman next to Anna, your jaw drops.

There she was in all her beauty. As Elsa was led down the steps by her sister, you take in all of her features. It appears you were not the only one with the idea to change outfits. Her light blue ice dress was now snow white with a strand of teal running down the sides. Along with the teal trimmings was a knee high slit that revealed part of her legs as she walked down the steps. Instead of tying her beautiful platinum blonde hair into a braid or bun, she wore it completely down. Around her shoulders was your old cloak, the same one you had draped over her when you first met.

As she comes closer to you, you can feel your cheeks light up. 'Beauty personified.'

Halfway down the steps, Anna releases Elsa and simply smiles as the queen makes her way to you. She smiles softly and takes the both of your hands in her own.

"Mister (Y/N)," Elsa says, a blush gracing her cheeks.

"Queen Elsa," You reply, staring deeply into her eyes.

She smiles and pulls you in for a small kiss.

You grin at her as she breaks the kiss. "You look absolutely stunning Elsa."

"Thank you." Elsa blushes and smirks back at you. "You look quite dashing as well, (Y/N)."

You simply smile as the both of you stare silently at one another, admiring each others presence, a tinge of pink spread across your cheeks.

"You two are just so adorable!"

The both of you turn to find Anna clasping her hands together, smiling brightly at the two of you.

You and Elsa share a laugh before you release her hands and offer your arm.

"Shall we, my queen?"

Elsa giggles and links her arm with yours. As you make your way out of the main door, you turn back to Anna with a thankful grin.

The young princess flashes a knowing smirk and winks at you before turning and making her way back towards Elsa's room.

As the two of you open the main doors and exit the castle, you are greeted to the sight of Kristoff standing by a white carriage wearing a fancy suit.

The blonde man waves over to you as he munches down on a carrot. Pulling the carriage along was none other than Sven, who was looking at the both of you with a large grin.

Elsa turns to you with a surprised smile. "Did you plan all of this?"

You smile and proceed to lead her to the carriage doors, winking over at Sven as you grow closer. "I had a little help."

"Ready to go?" Kristoff asks as he hold the door open for the both of you.

"Thanks again Kristoff, Sven."

Kristoff scratches uncomfortably at the collar of his fancy suit. "Don't mention it. Really. Don't."

When Sven elaborated on his idea the other day, he also had an idea that involved Kristoff and himself being the personal chauffeurs for the evening. Kristoff, being the mountain man he was, paled at the idea of being dressed in a fancy suit and driving a romantic couple around in a carriage all evening. Although he may have been exaggerating a tiny bit. After a few more bowls of ice cream, Kristoff managed to come around to the idea. In return however, you needed to assist him in harvesting ice from time to time.

"Ladies first," You say, offering her a hand.

"My, what a gentleman." She says, mimicking her words from your first date as she takes your hand for support and steps into the carriage.

After giving one last smile at Kristoff, you follow suit and take your seat next to Elsa.

The royal ice harvester (and temporary chauffeur) closes the door and takes a seat in the drivers position. With a sarcastic smile he turns back to look at the two of you.

"Where would the lovely couple like to go this evening?" He asks, as if he didn't already know where your destination was.

You smile at Elsa mischievously and clear your throat.

"Ah, yes. wouldst thou be a chap and kindly taketh me and mineth date to the most handsome eatery within the city walls post haste?" You say, doing your best impression of a snooty noble.

Elsa laughs at your impersonation while Kristoff stares at you with a blank face.

"Don't push it." He says, turning to face forward and talk to Sven. "Come on buddy, faster we get them there, the faster we can leave."

The large reindeer only huffs and begin to pull the carriage at a leisurely pace, allowing you to spend more time with Elsa. This was his idea after all.

* * *

As the carriage approaches the bridge, Elsa takes a moment to notice the sunset. It was nearly below the horizon, its rays reflecting across the evening sky, turning the sky into a sea of orange and red. You gently move your arm and place it around her shoulders as she continues to stare into the sky. She smiles and leans into your embrace, resting her head against your chest.

You lean down and place a small kiss on the top of her head. "How were the negotiations?"

The snow queen lets out an irritated sigh. "Absolutely awful. After the past few days, I am fairly convinced that people from Afirewyn are the most stubborn and unreasonable people on the planet."

You chuckle lightly. "What happened with the diplomats?"

"It's just that the people would never come to any consensus." Elsa says with a bit of frustration in her voice. "I would offer one solution, they would ask for another. My council would argue one point, the diplomats would just deny its validity."

Elsa's voice carries an irritated tone. Elsa had come to terms with her duties as queen almost as soon as she was crowned. Since accepting the responsibilities of being the sovereign ruler, she had done an exceptional job at maintaining order as well as leading the kingdom. She had a certain aptitude for diplomacy and reasoning. Elsa was very tolerant and understanding of both perspectives of an argument. With these representatives from Afirewyn, however, she found herself losing her patience quickly, and Elsa was a very patient woman.

"It was all just very frustrating." Elsa says trying to remain calm, her tone giving away how she really felt.

You gently lean your head down against hers. "Well, hopefully I can ease a little bit of that frustration tonight."

Elsa smiles and lets out a relieved sigh, nuzzling into the crook of your neck.

As Sven pulls the carriage closer to your destination, you take a brief moment to look at the city streets. The torches were dimly illuminating the street corners. A few guards wave over to you and bow as you pass them by, before returning to their evening patrol around the city. The normally crowded city was quiet with most of its denizens tuning in for the evening. A few citizens remained lingering around the streets, bowing as the carriage passed by. As you near your destination, you can see lanterns shining brightly on a sign.

_Cafè Eleganse _

A personal favorite, recommended by the princess herself. The building was just as intricate and ornate as some of the structures of castle Arendelle, but this restaurant had a certain '_je ne sais quoi' _to it. Despite its relatively strange reputation, this cafe was allegedly run by one of the finest chefs to ever some out of the southern lands. No one had ever seen his face, but according to Anna, the meals he prepared can rival that of head chef Halvor. The unique thing that made this particular restaurant appealing was the special flavor that couldn't be found anywhere else in the kingdom. You had already made the reservations and offered to pay in advance, but at the mention of the queen being your date the manager insisted the meal be gratis, seeing the queen's presence as an opportunity for publicity. You had also spoken the manager and arranged for the special table on the balcony. The rest of the guests would not be an issue. The place was fairly new, but would attract more patrons than any other restaurant in the city.

"Alright, easy Sven, we're here." Kristoff says, bringing the lovable reindeer to a halt. Kristoff dismounts his seat and proceeds to open your door.

"Thank you my good man." You say jokingly as you step out of the carriage before turning back to assist the queen.

The blonde man rolls his eyes and flashes a grin at you.

"Thank you Kristoff, Sven." Elsa says, smiling.

Kristoff manages an over-the-top bow.

"Always a pleasure to be in service of the queen." He says chuckling.

You and Elsa laugh along at his gesture. Kristoff closes the door and steps back up the the drivers seat.

You move over to give Sven a playful scratch on the head. "Thanks again Sven, I owe you one."

The large reindeer grins and nods back at you.

"Okay, come on Sven. We should head back." Kristoff says as Sven begins to pull away.

Kristoff gives you a knowing smile and waves as he pulls away. "You kids have fun now!"

As the pair moves farther and farther away, you reach down and take Elsa's hand.

You see Elsa, eying the building. She looked at it with a curious look. "You know, Anna told me about this place. She said it was 'The epitome of culinary excellence', but I've never actually eaten here."

"That makes two of us." You say chuckling slightly as you lead her into the restaurant.

* * *

**Would you be surprised if I told you that this chapter was actually twice as long?**

**Yep, I actually wrote much more for the dating scene, so much that I decided to split it into two chapters instead of one. **

**Before anyone comments on it. I do realize that the main hall of the castle didn't have a foyer or a staircase leading down, but I felt that implementing that scene made more sense and added a certain 'date' feel to it. **

**I'm still editing the other half of the dating scene, so stick around for that!**

**I have nice little ODR (Obligatory Disney Reference) in the next part, so be on the lookout!**

**Anyways, Feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, or advice!**

**Till next we meet!**


	15. Teach Me

**Welcome to part two of the make up date!**

**As I said in the previous chapter, this was actually written as one huge chapter, but I decided to split them up.**

**I have quite a large Disney reference in this scene. Trust me. You'll know it when you see it.**

**Okay, I present unto you,**

Chapter 15: Teach Me

* * *

As the two of you enter the establishment, you can see a small line of people waiting to be seated. In the distance you can hear the sounds of a string quartet filling the air with melodious sounds. The foyer was decorated with various paintings of food. Above you was a beautiful chandelier that sparkled like diamonds. The floors polished and looked clean enough to eat on. Past the foyer was a large amount of tables, every seat being occupied by someone. Many servers can be seen moving between the tables with trays of food and glasses of wine in hand. The feel of the restaurant certainly lived up to its name: Elegant.

You hold the door open and allow Elsa to enter. As she steps into the light of the chandelier, the line of waiting patrons turn their attention to the door.

"It's the queen,"

"Queen Elsa, Here? Oh I am so under dressed!"

"Don't just stand there, Bow!"

Word quickly spread around and you see everyone rise from their tables and bow. The music had stopped as the musicians found themselves rising to acknowledge the queen's presence.

The queen gives a small bow and speaks up to address her subjects. "Please, don't be distracted by my account. I'm just here to enjoy a nice evening out of the castle."

The guests simply look towards you before slowly turning back to what they were doing before Elsa's arrival. The music resumes and the servers go back to rushing between tables. The patrons would steal a glance towards you and Elsa, with many staring at your intertwined fingers. The men looking at you with envy, and women doing the same with Elsa. Despite this, the line to be seated was still incredibly long, and it almost appeared that you would have to be waiting all night.

Elsa smiles awkwardly and leans over, whispering to you. "This place is packed! Are we even going to be able to get a table?"

You smirk and whisper back to her. "Trust me, I've already handled it. Ah here she comes now!"

As soon as you say this, a slender woman with dark brown hair pushes her way past the crowd of people lined up. As she approaches you can make out a chef's uniform and her blue eyes.

"Excusez-moi, pardon!" She says as she makes her way over to you. She had a very... foreign accent. In fact, since you had spoken with her two days ago you had tried to figure out which nation she hailed from but found no answer.

" Bonjour! Your majesty, mister (Y/N)!" The woman gives a swift curtsey. "It iz quite an 'onor to 'ave ze queen and her suitor in our establishment. My name is Colette Tatou, I am ze manager here. Please follow me, your table iz ready for you!"

You turn to Elsa, releasing her hand and offer your arm to her. "See? Told you I took care of it."

Elsa grins and links arms with you, as you follow Colette through the line of people. "Well, maybe I should let you plan these dates more often."

You chuckle softly as the manager leads you through the restaurant. As you make your way through the restaurant, you cant help but notice the stares the patrons are giving you. Jealousy and admiration were all you saw. And you didn't care a single bit about what any of them thought.

* * *

Colette leads the two of you up a large staircase and to a set of doors. She smiles and pushes the doors open to reveal a balcony with a small candlelit table for two. The fresh air was nice and clean, while the view of the fjord and evening sky was simply breathtaking.

"(Y/N)... this is absolutely astonishing!"

As Elsa gasps at the beauty of the night, you move to pull her chair out for her.

"Elsa?" You say catching her attention.

She smiles and moves to take her seat. "How did you do all of this?"

"Like I said, I had a little help." You reply, chuckling as you push her in.

As you take your own seat, Colette appears and hand the both of you menus.

"'ere iz ze list of all we 'ave to offer. Your waiter will be wiz you shortly. If z'ere iz any z'ing more we can do for ze two of you, please feel free to ask!"

With that, Colette leaves the two of you alone to browse the menu.

You stare at the menu with a strange look. You had honestly never seen any food like this before. It was just as foreign as Colette's accent.

You look up to see Elsa staring at the menu, just as confused as you are.

"Uh... what are you getting?" she asks, with a confused giggle.

"I'm not even sure what any of this says." You respond, laughing along with her.

"This all just seems so foreign." Elsa looks down at the menu, trying to read its contents. "Escargot? Bouillabaisse? What exactly is Ratatouille?"

"That, your majesty, is one of Chef Remy's signature dishes."

You both turn to see a skinny-looking man with curly red hair approach your table with a couple of glasses and an unopened bottle of wine in hand. The man sets the glasses down in front of you and proceeds to uncork the bottle.

"Hello," He says, pouring the red liquid into the wine glasses. "I'm Linguini, and I will be your waiter for this evening."

The man finishes pouring Elsa's glass, and steps back to bow to the reigning monarch.

"Excuse me Linguini," Elsa says, turning to the man. "But can you help us?"

"Of course! Anything you need your majesty!"

"Would you mind explaining to us what is in these meals?"

The redhead chuckles and begins to explain the various entree choices. After a few moments of listening to him explain what the meals consisted of, you and Elsa both settled on a dish. You had decided to give the boeuf bourguignon (or beef burgundy) a try, whilst Elsa had ordered the soupe de poisson (fish soup).

"Excellent choices," Linguini says, retrieving the menus. "I will have your meals out and ready momentarily. Once again if there is anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."

Linguini bows once more and makes his way off of the balcony and towards the kitchen.

After making sure any prying ears were out of range, the queen looks over to you with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips. She reaches across the table to take the both of your hands.

"I believe you owe me a dream."

You smile softly and begin to tell her about the memory you had recently unlocked. You tell her every detail, absolute trust in your eyes. The criminals, fighting in the shadows, the cliff nearly collapsing, and finally, falling fifty feet down a tree, hitting and breaking almost every branch. You seemed a little downcast as you explain the brutal methods you used to kill the bandits, but take solace knowing that they couldn't hurt any more guards or citizens. Through out your story, you notice Elsa's eyes narrowing throughout certain parts, filled with deep thought. You were unsure of what she could be thinking of, but she did seem slightly relieved after hearing the bandits were all killed.

"I can remember wandering the wilderness for a few days, before finding you in the forest."

Elsa releases on of your hands and reaches over to feel the back of your head. As she feels the spot where you struck your head and lost your memories, you can see her smiling softly.

"You certainly had quite a rough night."

You laugh softly. "The pain was worth it."

Elsa looks at quizzically. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

"Because," You stare deeply into the snow queens eyes, clutching her hand tight. "If that never happened, then I might have never met you."

Elsa smiles warmly at you, love in her eyes.

"And I honestly can't imagine a world without you." You say, matching her smile.

With her hand still behind your head, Elsa pulls you across the table, meeting you half way for a gentle kiss.

As you part seconds later, she looks into your (E/C) eyes, her face turning a light shade of pink. "(Y/N), I lo-"

"Alrighty, we have the beef burgundy for mister (Y/N)."

The sound of Linguini's voice fills the air, interrupting Elsa before she could finish her sentence.

'Was she going to say the she loves...?'

The waiter places your meal in front of you, before turning to set Elsa's dish down as well.

"And the soupe de poisson for her highness. Is there anything else a can do for you two?"

Elsa smiles softly at the redhead. "Nothing for now, thank you Linguini."

You smile and nod at the man. "Thanks."

"If there is anything at all, please feel free to ask. Bon Appétit!" He says with a smile before leaving to attend the guests downstairs.

You look down at the meal before you. It certainly wasn't like any meal Halvor prepared. You look to see Elsa preparing to dip a spoon into the bowl.

"Well here goes." You say.

You pick up your knife and fork and cut a small piece of beef. As you raise the meat to your mouth, you hear Elsa speak up.

"Oh, my... This tastes amazing..." She quickly lowers her spoon for another gulp.

You smile curiously at her before biting down on the small piece of beef. You are taste buds are instantly met with a rush of flavors, blending together to form a masterpiece, a true work of art in food form. It was like taking a bite out of perfection.

"Oh wow, I cannot even begin to describe how marvelous this is."

You cut another small piece and hold out to our date. "You have go to try this."

She smiles and leans over to take a small bite.

"That is marvelous." she says, sighing in delight.

She reaches down and takes another spoonful, offering it to you. "Here, try mine."

Excited to see what new flavors encompassed Elsa's soup, you eagerly lean over and allow Elsa to feed you a spoonful of soup. Another meal, and another rush of flavor. Although the soup was quite different from the beef you had selected, it was just as tasty. The soup was slightly hot as it ran down your throat, but the flavor practically seared itself into your taste buds, practically cementing itself as one of the best soups you had ever eaten.

"I didn't think fish soup could taste that great..." You say, allowing the soup to run the rest of the way into your stomach.

"Anna was right, this food is 'the epitome of culinary excellence."

* * *

You spend the rest of your meal, enjoying every bite and spoonful. The two of you would casually comment on how great the food was, praising its taste, texture and even the very aroma. You would also take turns feeding each other bites and spoonful, reveling in the magnificence. Above all, however, you just simply enjoyed being close together, sharing a meal while overlooking the gorgeous night sky of Arendelle.

As the two of you finish your entrees, you hear two sets of footsteps approaching. The both of you turn to see Colette and Linguini walking over to you, rubbing their hand together nervously.

"Your majesty, Master (Y/N). How was ze meal?" Colette asks with a tense look in her eyes.

"That..." Elsa begins.

"Was..." You respond.

"Positively incredible!" You both say, matching each other in unison.

Linguini and Colette sigh, relieved that the esteemed queen Elsa and her consort found the meal to be amazing.

"We were actually completely unsure if the food was going to be good, but you blew our expectations clear out of the water." You say, looking between the pair in front of you. "We simply must meet the genius behind this cuisine."

Elsa looks towards you and then back to Colette and Linguini, nodding. "Yes, I would love to meet this 'Chef Remy'. Do you think he would mind coming up to greet us?"

Colette and Linguini exchange a nervous look.

"Our apologies madam, but Remy is preoccupied with ze 'other patrons." Colette responds, a sad look on her face.

"Besides, you wouldn't want to meet him anyways. He's really short and hairy." Linguini says.

Colette elbows him in the rib cage. "Ow!"

"Ah," Elsa says with slight disappointment in her voice. "I understand. Still, be sure to give him our finest regards."

"And, you can inform him that we will be returning in the near future." You say giving Elsa a warm smile.

"Très bon! I will inform 'im at once!" Colette says excitedly. " 'zank you for your patronage my queen, master (Y/N)!"

Linguini looks over to Colette and pulls her in for a small kiss, before breaking it after realizing he was still standing in front the queen and her suitor.

"My apologies, um is there anything else I can get for you this evening?"

You and Elsa exchange a smile before you turn back to Linguini. "Would you happen to have chocolate ice cream?"

* * *

You grin widely as you and Elsa make your way across the bridge leading back to the castle. Your arm was wrapped around the beautiful snow queen as she leaned into your embrace. Your eyes move to look at your old cloak. Elsa had insisted that you get a new one, rather than keep using the one currently draped over her shoulders. The cloak itself was not special in anyway and while it wasn't damaged in any significant manner, it still showed signs of age. You had wondered about why she chose to keep it, but as the weeks went on, you managed to figure out the answer.

As you move across the bridge you look down as Elsa rests her head on your shoulder.

"I still can't believe how delicious that ice cream was." You say, leaning your head against Elsa's.

"I know, I'm still surprised I've never eaten there before." Elsa, sighs happily.

You smile and kiss the top of her head. "Can I ask you something Elsa?"

"Anything." She responds, her head still resting on your shoulder.

"Why did you insist on keeping my old cloak?" You ask with a curious tone in your words.

"Well, I like to keep it as a reminder of the night we met." Elsa looks up from your shoulder. "Whenever I wear it, I feel like your arms are around me, keeping me safe."

"I know. I just wanted to hear you say it." You smile and pull Elsa closer to you. "I will always be here to protect you."

About halfway across the bridge, Elsa stops and puts her arms around you to pull you in for a passionate kiss. As she begins to explore your mouth, you can taste the chocolate on her tongue. Your hands wrap around her slender waist as you continue to fight explore every inch of the snow queen's mouth. Elsa moves her hands to your head and begins to run her fingers through your (H/C) hair. She moans as your hands slowly rub her hips. Seconds later she breaks the kiss, resting her forehead against yours.

"Thank you for tonight, (Y/N)."

You smile and gently peck her on the lips once more. "It's not over yet."

Elsa looks up at you, a curious smile on her face. "It isn't?"

You chuckle and take her hand in yours, quickly leading her down the bridge and to the castle. "Come on!"

* * *

You lead Elsa past the castle gate, the lights were dimmer than usual, allowing the stars to shine brightly down on the both of you.

"(Y/N)!" Elsa says, laughing as you pull her along. "What are we do-...?"

Elsa pauses and stares ahead. In the center of the courtyard, between the two fountains, was a lone pair of ice skates.

"(Y/N)?" Elsa asks as she slowly approaches the ice skates.

"When I was growing up at the orphanage, and even during my time in the army, I learned a lot of things."

You make your way over to the pair of skates, and remove your boots.

"Unfortunately, I never learned how to skate."

Elsa grins as she catches on to your meaning. "Really? I would imagine that being an important skill for a soldier to master. But fortunately for you, I just so happen to be adept at the art of ice skating."

You smile as she approaches you. "Elsa, will you teach me?"

Elsa waves her hand and instantly covers the courtyard with a layer of ice.

"Lesson one," she says as she creates a pair of literal ice skates for herself. "Glide and Pivot."

* * *

"Okay, okay, I think I got it." You say, struggling to maintain your balance. Elsa laughs as she circles you, gliding smoothly across the ice.

"Are you sure?" She asks, still laughing as you slip around trying to keep upright.

This particular idea sounded better in your head. You didn't think skating would be this difficult. It had only been thirty minutes and you found yourself tumbling into the frozen ground more times than you can count. Just when you thought you were getting the hang of it, you crashed straight into a fountain. Despite the pain, you couldn't help but laugh as Elsa tried once more to teach you the basics of ice skating. Elsa was laughing and smiling, and that was all that mattered to you.

"Okay glide and pivot..." You say to yourself.

You gently begin to propel yourself forward, making small movements, hoping not to fall again.

"Okay, so far so good."

You try to increase your speed.

"Elsa! I think I got-whoa!" You are unable to finish your sentence as you find yourself stumbling backwards.

Before you lose your balance completely, you are caught by a pair hand pushing against your back to help you stay on your feet rather than on your rear end.

"I got you!" Elsa says, giggling.

"Thanks!" You say as Elsa releases your back.

You begin to stumble around just as her hands leave you. "Oh no!"

You quickly reach out to Elsa and hug her tightly to stop yourself from falling again.

"Hahaha!" She laughs as you continue to hold her. "You're just as bad as Anna when she started skating!"

"Not funny!" You say, still unable to steady yourself.

Elsa's laughter subsides softly as she takes hold of your hand. "Here, move with me."

She begins to glide along the ice, guiding you as you grip her hand tightly. As you grow more accustomed to skating around the ice, your grip loosens slightly.

"See? It's easy!" Elsa says turning to look at you.

You look back, smiling at her.

"Okay I'm going to let go now." She says.

You exhale deeply and nod.

She slowly loosens her hand and slows down, allowing you to move ahead.

"Ha Ha! This is great!" You exclaim as you propel yourself swiftly through the ice.

"Fantastic!" Elsa calls out, racing to skate alongside you.

You smile as you and your lovely snow queen glide elegantly through the frozen courtyard. Once you managed to get past the initial stumbling and falling, this was actually pretty fun. It was quite the enlightening experience. Right now only one person mattered. While you were here with her, the rest of the world came to a stop. Wait... Stop!

You start to panic once you realize that Elsa never taught you how to stop. Well... you knew how to stop, it just usually wasn't as smooth as her, and it usually involved the ground. A lot.

"Elsa! How do I stop!?"

"Wait, calm down! Just put your-"

Its too late by the time she tries to tell you. You stumble forward and brace for another fall into the icy ground. Just before you hit the ground, an icy wind passes your head as the ground below you fills with soft snow. You fall face first into a delicate pile of snow.

You turn your self over, and rub the snow out of your hair. You laugh as Elsa skates up to you.

"Okay I think that might be enough skating for the evening." She says, laughing as you continue to shake the snow out of your hair.

"Hey, that wasn't my fault." You respond, smiling up at her. "You didn't teach me how to stop!"

She giggles and offers you a hand. With a devious smile, you pull her down into the snow.

"Hey!" She says, landing on top of you.

You let out a laugh as you wrap your arms around her.

The snow queen sighs and rests her body against yours, tired out from the nights activities. You stay silent for a few moments, quietly enjoying being together under the stars. A few moments later, Elsa looks up at you with a content smile.

"Tonight was perfect."

"Makes up for having to deal with those snooty ambassadors right?" You ask, giving her a soft smile.

"Definitely." Elsa replies as she inches herself closer to your lips.

You smile and capture her lips with your own.

'Now's your moment, (Y/N).' You think to yourself as you break the kiss.

You move a free hand up to stroke her soft platinum blonde hair, staring deeply into her eyes.

"I love you Elsa."

Elsa eyes light up as she smiles warmly at you. She already knew you loved her. She could feel it in your touch. She could see it in your eyes. She was just waiting for you to say it.

"I love you too (Y/N)."

You smile and pull her in for a kiss. There was no lust or yearning behind this kiss. Just pure love.

* * *

You make your way through the quiet castle, not a single sound being made. It was nearly midnight. Only a few guards patrolled the halls.

Elsa quietly leads you to her room, taking care not to wake any of the other inhabitants of the castle.

After changing into more comfortable attire, you find yourself smiling widely as Elsa rests against your bare chest. Dressed in a light blue nightgown, her hair ran freely down her shoulders. For this one moment, your world was at peace.

"What a perfect night." She says, sighing happily as she slowly begins to fall asleep in your arms. "I don't want it to end."

"That makes two of us."

You smile and gently rub her back, your mind lingering the last word she had spoken. _End..._

"Goodnight Elsa." You say, feeling sleep overtake you.

"Goodnight, my love..." Elsa responds, her voice drifting away as she succumbs to sleep. She had a smile on her face, knowing she was safe in your embrace.

As you hold Elsa close, your mind begins to focus in on one word. _End..._

* * *

**Okay and there you have part two of the dating scene!**

**Ratatouille anyone? The dinner was originally just another generic restaurant scene but I decided to give it a Disney spin!**

**A little heads up: Things are going to get intense with your final memory being unlocked, so please stick around to learn the final secret of your past.**

**Big thanks to 'Halifax' for the ice skating idea!**

**While I may have not used an idea for this date, You guys definitely had really great ones! So great that, I'm actually hanging on to a few of them for future dates and romance scenes, So keep a look out! **

**Any comments, questions, ideas? Drop a review my way!**

**Anyways, Till next we meet!**


	16. Past Sins

**Well... Here we are at the end...**

**Not really though. Just the end of of your memory issues! And perhaps the rise of some other issues...**

**Be warned... a ton of Back story about your old self in this chapter! **

**Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read this! Also a big thanks for all of the support and reviews! **

**I give you, **

Chapter 16: Past Sins

* * *

_End..._

This was it. The last piece of the puzzle. A final key that will unlock everything. Your childhood. Your time in the military. Your 'service' to the king.

_End..._

It was the final resonance. Once last echo that frees the visions and memories of the past. Flashes of war return. An embrace of the shadows. Memories of bloodshed, but not from the battlefield. The abyss that initially clouded your mind is now clear, an ocean of truth in its place.

_End...?_

* * *

_The worlds around you takes shape. You were in a study. The walls were adorned with intricate portraits, all of the same person. The one currently leading you further into the study. You had just been listening in on a council concerning the powers an abilities of one Queen Elsa of Arendelle. In fact they had just settled on a response: peace._

_You feel yourself smirk at the word. When the king meant peace he usually referred to his 'special' kind of peace. Either way, you were excited for anything concerning 'peace'. _

_The king stops at a nearby wine cabinet and pulls out a couple of glasses._

"_Peaceful resolution.. that's funny." The king speaks, filling the glasses with a fine wine. "We all know that there can be no peace in Aravan as long as someone like that witch is looming over our shoulders."_

_You chuckle and make your way to a chair in front of an ornate desk._

"_So the typical response then, my king?" You say, sitting down in the seat. _

_The king turns to look at you, a devilish smile upon his face. "Why (Y/N), you know me too well."_

_He makes his way to you and hands you a glass before moving around his desk to look at a few papers. _

"_Our little spy tells me that he has been rising through the ranks rather quickly in Arendelle's royal guard, Which should make your usual job much easier than previous assignments." _

"_Our spy?" You ask, taking a small sip of wine. _

"_Yes I sent him as soon as Elsa was crowned a few months ago. It always helps to keep tabs on the other nations."_

_He sips his glass before setting it down to retrieve a small sketch. "Here, he recently sent me a sketch of the queen."_

_You place your glass of wine on the desk and take hold of the sketch. You examine the picture carefully. She was beautiful, you had to admit, perhaps the most gorgeous you had seen in a long time. _

"_You have to admit, he is a pretty good artist." The king says sipping from his glass._

"_Does she really have to die, my liege?" You ask as you continue to gaze at the picture. _

_The king eyes you with a strange look. "Yes. As long as she lives, then my ruler ship will be constantly threatened. She could quite easily destroy my kingdom with those powers of hers."_

"_In order to ensure the safety of the kingdom, you must find Queen Elsa and bring her life to an end."_

"_Could she not be made into an ally?" You ask._

"_And what? We wait around until she realizes how the world works and murders the lot of us?" _

"_No," The king says before finishing his glass of wine. "I'm not taking the chance. Elsa dies."_

"_Such a shame to kill something so beautiful." You say, sighing slightly._

_He looks over to you with a questioning gaze. "Don't tell me that beneath that cold heart of yours, lies a warm soul."_

_You chuckle at his implication. "Not a chance, King Ulrich."_

_The brown haired man smiles. "Good. You leave for Arendelle immediately. Stop by Fairhaven and I'll reveal the identity of our little spy."_

_You smirk and finish the wine in your hand. "Off to Arendelle then."_

_You rise and begin making your way to leave King Ulrich's study, pocketing the sketch of queen Elsa. You feel slightly saddened that such a pretty face had to meet the end of your blade, but revel in your chance to kill another high profile target. Maybe this one would put up more of a fight than your other contracts. Your mission was clear._

_You must assassinate Elsa the snow queen._

_As you step down the bleak halls, the memory fades away._

* * *

"Gah!" You gasp, awaking with sweat dripping from your brow. Your arms were shaky and your stomach feels ready to empty its contents. You sit up and look around the room. The love of your life was resting quietly beside you, still in a deep sleep. As she snuggled into the blankets, you look at her sleeping form, horror dawning as you realize why you were sent to Arendelle.

You were sent to kill the woman you just fell in love with.

"N-no..." You whisper, still staring at the slumbering snow queen. "I-I was..."

You shudder at the mere thought of the memory. You tremble as all of your remaining years flood into your mind. With the rest of your memories no longer lost, your mind begins to relive every single moment from the last few years.

"An a-assassin?"

Your eyes drift over to Elsa's spot on the bed. She looked so peaceful resting there. You can hear her breathing as her chest rises and falls. You lean over and place a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I need to think."

You carefully rise and leave Elsa's room.

As you close the door behind you, you can almost make out the faint sound of Elsa calling to you in her sleep.

"_(Y/N)...?_"

* * *

You had made your way to your room to retrieve your sword and armor. You had carefully snuck your way out of the castle and were now running through the forest. You had to think. You needed to get away. You weren't sure how long you had been running, but you knew that it wouldn't be enough to escape the dark memories plaguing the back of your mind.

You were (Y/N) , one of the greatest fighters that had ever come out of Aravan. At the age of sixteen you had left the orphanage to sign up with the king's army. You spent the next two years training, learning the ways of warfare. For two years you lived a life of arresting drunks and collecting taxes on the kings behalf. That is, until the insurrection. You were eighteen when the rebellion began. Never seen combat, never knew what to expect. You can remember the first skirmish clearly. As you and your fellow troops cut down man after man a grin spread across your face. This was battle. This was war. You loved every second of it.

Following the short lived rebellion, Aravan entered into another war with a bordering nation. You were among the first to volunteer to be apart of the invasion force. As the war raged for a year and a half you remember honing your skills, turning combat into a deadly art. You were rising through the ranks, making a name for yourself. Battle after battle, you slaughtered anyone who stood in your way. To your allies, you were a beacon of victory. To your enemies, you were an agent of death. You were thought by both allies and enemies like to have been the child of the war god, the son of mars. After soundly defeating the opposing nation and taking a portion of their lands, you caught the attention of your superiors. Not long after you were given command of a small company of troops you had received word that the king and queen of Arendelle perished out at sea. You were twenty years old then.

You make your way through the trees, still deep in thought. As you push past the trees you glance down at your sword. Fighting was the last thing you wanted to do, but it was better to be safe when out in the wilderness of Arendelle. You slow your pace to catch your breath, narrowing your eyes as images of your past continue to appear in your mind.

The death of the king and queen was saddening but nevertheless, the armies of Aravan marched onwards. At the age of twenty one, Aravan set its sights on another kingdom. You were chosen to lead the first attack. Initially, you were quite successful. Taking fort after fort, leaving only destruction in your wake. But the more you fought, the more the enemy adapted to your tactics. After an impressive start, your forces quickly became overrun. Over half of the entire army was slain. You and your allies were fighting a losing battle. So like any good soldier, you adapted. Instead of a direct assault, you adopted a more covert approach. Utilizing a combination of stealth, deception, and sabotage, you infiltrated the enemy ranks and assassinated the generals one by one. The enemy was sent into disarray. In a few months, the monarchy surrendered.

You clench your fists in anger. You knew that you enjoyed fighting, but you had not anticipated being as ruthless as you really were. On the battlefield you only had one policy: No prisoners. Your methods and strategies were brutal and devastatingly effective. You can't believe how much you death and chaos you were directly responsible for.

You press forwards.

Although you had won the war, Aravan's army sustained heavy losses. The king had taken a liking to you. He had found your skill in battle to be most impressive and your aptitude for surreptitious executions to be the most useful skill you possessed. So you were removed from the army and served under King Ulrich as his personal assassin. For the next two years you carried out covert assassinations against anyone the king deemed a threat to his reign. No target was safe. No amount of security, manpower or hiding stopped you from reaching your mark.

You were now twenty three, just two years older than Elsa. You push past the trees and come face to face with the north mountain.

You didn't even bother to try and figure out how long you had been moving. You begin to make your way up the mountain, moving past the snow line. As the crunch of crushed snow echoes through the mountain range, you think about the mission you were sent on.

"It makes sense..." You say, thinking back to the letter you had received in Fairhaven. It all made sense. The sketch of Elsa was the very same that King Ulrich had given you. The poison and grappling hook were tools of the trade. Reinhardt's involvement. Your skill at fighting both against multiple assailants and in the shadows. Red snow.

"Red Snow..." You say as you continue to climb the large mountain. An appropriate code phrase. Red as in the color of blood, and snow to represent Elsa.

You stop climbing to turn around, gazing at the view. You can see the city and the castle. You slump to the ground thinking of everything that has happened in your life.

'Arendelle... Elsa.' You think as you look on.

While you may have been born in Aravan, your home as well as everything you hold dear is in Arendelle. Your friends, the guard, Elsa, all there. You already know that you could never harm Elsa let alone kill her. This mission would remain unfinished. But what you don't know is how Elsa will react when you tell her that you were sent to kill her.

Would she turn you away? Would she still love you? And what of Aravan?

"To hell with Aravan."

You sigh and begin to figure out how to tell the woman you love that you were her assassin.

_THUMP... THUMP..._

The sound of a large set of footsteps catches your attention. You jump to your feet and draw your sword. You assumed it was a grizzly or some other large beast, but these footsteps sounded more menacing and louder. You couldn't believe your eyes. A hulking snow monster make his way from behind a large stone structure. He glares daggers at you, ice spikes forming around his body.

"TRESPASSER!" He bellows, stepping closer and closer to you. "NO ONE ENTERS THE MOUNTAIN!"

"What in the-" You are unable to finish as the giant snow monster slams his fist into the ground and lets out a fierce roar.

You quickly dash forward, passing beneath him as he swings once more at you. The snowman, arms as sharp as swords, swings again with the intent to impale you. You duck and dodge his strikes, unable to find an opening. The snowman uses his powerful legs and stomps the ground in front of you, creating a small crater and sending you crashing against a nearby stone wall.

"Ugh!" You grunt loudly as you tumble to the ground. You get up shake the off the daze as you try to find your sword.

'Of course...' You think exasperatedly. Your sword was right in front the the snow behemoth.

You steady your breathing and begin to ready yourself, a plan already in mind.

The snowman roars once more and you immediately take off, sprinting for your blade. The ice man growls and takes a step, readying a a devastating blow. The world slows as you race to the sword. Timing is the difference between life and death.

The snowman brings his spiked fist down. You leap and roll grabbing your sword as the giant's fist connects with the ground behind you. Wasting no time, you turn and slash at his arm.

"RHAARH!" The monster staggers back, and at looks at his severed arm, and then back at you with an eyebrow raised.

You pause to catch your breath. 'He can't attack if he has no limbs to attack with.'

As you plan another way to take a limb off, your eyes widen as the large snow monster plunges his severed arm into the snow and quickly pulls it out revealing a newly formed ice arm.

The snowman smirks at you, almost laughing at your attempt.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

He charges again. You decide running is the best option at this point. Unfortunately, the ice man is preventing you from leaving down the mountain, so your only choice is to run up and hopefully find some way to defeat the large snow monster. You make your way further up the mountain, the ice man hot on your heels, effortlessly knocking over trees and pushing boulders aside.

"COME BACK HERE!" He roars as he chases you.

'This is insane!' You think, moving through the trees and rocks.

You make your way into a clearing, stopping dead in your tracks.

"Whoa..." You say, your jaw dropping as you look upon a huge crystal clear palace that looked to be made with ice.

"Elsa-?"

"RRRRAAAAHHHH!"

Your moment of awe is interrupted as the hulking snow giant crashes through, looking straight at you with malice in his eyes.

You stumble back wards, barely avoiding a bone crushing fist.

'Okay! I need a plan!' You dodge backwards.

_SMASH! _An icy fist smashes the spot you were in just moments ago.

First things first: assess the enemy. There was just one issue though. You didn't exactly have any experience fighting giant snowmen.

'Uh He's huge. Got really sharp icicles sticking out of him... He's huge...'

The large brute yanks a nearby boulder out of the ground and throws it at you.

You quickly leap and roll to the side to avoid the large piece of stone.

With the little time you had before he began his next attack, you look to the environment for an answer.

'Let's see, trees, ice palace, boulder...'

Your eyes move to the large boulder, a plan formulating in your head.

'I just need to get on his back!'

In a bold move you charge straight at the snowman.

He smashes the ground as you slide under him. Before he can turn around you throw your sword into his back.

"GRAAH!"

The snow man reaches behind with both arms and tries to pull the blade out. He retracts the spike on his back in order to better find the sword.

With him distracted you rush over and climb atop the large boulder. You wait for your moment.

'Wait... wait... Now!' You jump onto the ice man's back, using your sword as a hold.

"RAARGH!" The snowman tries to fling you off his back. "GET OFF!"

"W-whoa!" You exclaim, desperately trying to hold on.

You manage to get a firm grip on the giant and pull yourself up onto his shoulders. You raise your sword.

With a fierce cry, you plunge the blade right through his head.

The snowman stops moving.

You sigh in relief, believing the battle to be over.

The snowman lets out a huff as well and reaches up grabbing you in his large hand.

'What?!' You think as the monster picks you up and holds you close to his mouth.

"RRRAAAAAHHH!" He yells, sending a shivering coldness all around you. As he yells, you can see your sword sticking out from the back of his head, through his mouth like a tongue.

The monster lifts you up and throws you into the ground hard.

"Gaah!" You grunt as you hit the snowy ground.

There you were. No weapon, and no time to escape. You were going to die.

As if to add insult to injury, the snowman extends his icicle spikes even further as he prepares to impale you.

Yep, totally dead permanently forever.

"NOW," The snow man rears his spiked arm up, readying a death blow. "YOU DIE!"

You close your eyes, readying yourself for the impact.

He brings his fist down.

"MARSHMALLOW, STOP!"

You remain still, waiting for the blow. It never came.

You slowly open your eyes to find the snowman, now understood to be Marshmallow, pull his hand away. He slowly steps back and his ice spikes retract into his body. You turn to face the voice who had called out to marshmallow. It was Elsa, still clad in her light blue nightgown. The large snowman steps over your prone form and kneels in front of the ice queen.

"MAMA." He says, bowing to Elsa.

You can see Elsa pet the snow monster's cheek calmly. "It's okay, marshmallow. He's with me. A friend."

Marshmallow looks back at you, with a carefree smile that seemed to channel another living snowman you happened to know.

"FRIEND."

Elsa pats him on the head and makes her way over to you.

"Elsa I-"

"Not now." Elsa stares at you with a stern look, before looking at the ice palace.

"Marshmallow, Help me get him to the palace." She says looking at the giant snowman.

"YES MAMA."

The Snowman picks the both of you up and makes his way to the ice palace.

* * *

You find yourself laying down on bed made of ice, as Elsa places a chilled hand against some bruises from your one sided fight against marshmallow.

As Elsa pushes her hand against your bare chest, you do your best to avoid looking into her eyes. As you look away, your mind races trying to find a way to tell her about your mission.

Sensing your troubles, the snow queen gently strokes your cheek.

"(Y/N)," she says, turning your head to face her. "Talk to me. What were you doing out here all alone?"

"I..." You begin, still unsure of what to say to her. "Needed to think..."

"About what?"

You struggle to form the words. What could you possibly say? Maybe you should lie.

'No. I love her too much to do that.'

Maybe try to change the topic?

'That wouldn't work. I know Elsa. She won't just let this go.'

Then maybe you should just tell her.

"I...I know why I was sent to Arendelle." You say, looking away from her once more. "I... Was sent to-"

"Kill me." Elsa finishes for you. "I know."

You turn to look into her eyes. "You knew...?"

"I can see it in your look, The way you fight. During our date when you told me you knew how to fight in the darkness... like an assassin." Elsa moves to take your hands. "And I also did some more research on your homeland."

You remain silent as Elsa begins to explain.

"Your old king has a history of violent conquests. He's also been known to be extremely paranoid, often executing anyone who poses even a small threat to his rule."

"Given the nature of my powers, it would only make sense for him to send someone to end the threat."

You look away, as she continues. The snow queen firmly grasps your hands, no intention of letting them go.

"Someone like you."

You feel your stomach drop. So what now? Does she turn you into the guard? Does she let you walk away? It doesn't matter. You would rather die than harm a single hair on her.

"Do you hate me now?" You ask, eyes still averted.

Elsa's eyes widen before she narrows them towards you. "Hate you? Why? Because you were sent to assassinate me?"

"Uh... yeah?"

Elsa was taking this better than expected. You had anticipated her to be saddened, or maybe even angry. You look on with confusion as you try to figure out Elsa's reaction. The answer was simple.

"Let me correct myself. You weren't sent to kill me." Elsa smiles softly at you, her eyes reflecting her faith in you. "The person you used to be was."

You look at the snow queen, eyes laden with disbelief. "But how can you trust me?"

"I trust you," Elsa casts a stern, almost offended look at you. "Because I love you."

Your eyes soften as realization dawns on you.

"I thought I made that perfectly clear already."

"But I'm a murderer. The only thing in my life is killing. How could- " You try to speak but Elsa silences you by forming a dagger made of ice and putting it in your open hand.

"Elsa, what are you doing?" You ask unsure of her actions.

"If you really only cared about killing people... If I'm just a contract to you..." Elsa brings your arm and hold the dagger against her neck. "...then do it."

"N-No!" You stare at Elsa, shocked at her implication. You immediately release the dagger, dropping it to the ground. You move your hand and place it against her cheek. "I would rather die."

Elsa smiles warmly and hold your hand against her cheek. "Do you love me?"

"More than anything." You say as you smile back.

She smiles wider and pulls you in for a passionate kiss.

As you continue to kiss your beautiful snow queen, you hear a large ice giant sniffle.

You both break the kiss to look at marshmallow. The large snowman grins and cries a small stream of ice cubes.

"MAMA HAPPY."

You both look at each other, sharing a small laugh as the snowman tears up and claps.

"Now I know why you call him marshmallow," You say, still chuckling at the ice man. "He's a big softie!"

Elsa giggles and pulls you in for hug. "Reminds me of someone I know."

You chuckle and hold her close. As you hold her tight thought passes your mind.

"Elsa," You say, separating from her. "I need to tell you something."

The snow queen looks at you with questioning eyes. "What is it (Y/N)."

You take hold of her hands.

"Reinhardt is a traitor."

* * *

**Yet another chapter done and done!**

**Yep you were sent to kill Elsa... Though, I'm sure alot of people already called it... **

**Well I hope you all enjoyed the story! Bye forever!... Not really. **

**Lots more to come! So stick around!**

**Any advice, comments, ideas? Leave a review, and I'll see about Addressing them!**

**Okay, its super late so I'll see you all next time!**


	17. Confrontation

**Hello, Hello! Welcome back!**

**Okay, so lots of stuff going on here, And I do have some more things planned!**

**First and foremost, once the current arc is resolved, I had an idea for a vacation for the royal family + you. Think it could work?**

**My question is where would you like to go?**

**Corona (Tangled)?**

**Belle Terra (Italy)? **

**Some other place? (Preferably one that isn't across the sea...)**

**Let me know with a review!**

**Anyways, Thanks for taking the time to read, It makes me happy to see that everyone's liking the story! I didn't actually think anyone would like it at first... **

**Huge thanks to everyone who's stuck around since I first started writing this tale, way back in march!**

**For new friends, Be sure to stick around! I've still got more to come!**

**Okay, with all the tears out of the system, let's get rolling!**

* * *

Chapter 17: Contingency

You frown slightly as you lay in the ice bed. Elsa snuggles into your chest at you continue to explain the Reinhardt situation. You gently run your fingers through her beautiful hair, admiring how soft it was. Revealing Reinhardt's status as a spy was a shock to Elsa. She was initially skeptical of this information due to her kind nature, but she began to question the circumstances of Reinhardt's arrival and rapid acceleration through the guard ranks. Truth be told, Elsa hadn't paid much attention to the guard. She allowed the guard captain to handle matters pertaining to the guard. After thinking about Reinhardt's promotion to captain, she began to piece the puzzle together. Reinhardt's predecessor had resigned under mysterious conditions. The old captain seemed afraid when he presented his resignation, and hastily recommended Reinhardt for as a replacement. With no other suitable candidates for the captain position, Reinhardt was practically guaranteed the spot. Once you had pointed out his name specifically in a letter in addition to mentioning the note you had found in his office, Elsa realized the truth in your words.

"I wonder how many secrets the guard captain has discovered..." Elsa says, as she rests on your chest.

You frown and continue to softly play with Elsa's hair. "I'm not sure, but he was assigned to help me assassinate you. As long as he's still around, you won't be safe."

Elsa sighs and ponders a solution to this dilemma. "Technically he's still a citizen of Arendelle and as such he has rights."

"So we can't just arrest him om the spot?" You ask, looking for an easy way to resolve the issue.

"Unfortunately, no. As good as your word is, we still need evidence." Elsa sighs, thinking about various scenarios and outcomes.

Being the type of queen she was, barging into the captains office and arresting him is not a viable option. Elsa was a fair and just ruler. Taking someone into custody based on the testimony of one person would raise eyebrows as well as questions about her rulership. It would make her more like a tyrant. You doubt, you could infiltrate his office and acquire the letter that was sent to him. The man guarded his secrets closely, with several guard members saying the captain has an issue with insomnia. Waiting for him to fall asleep would probably cause him to get suspicious and he would likely try to flee on sight. There was a limited number of things you could do, and not enough time to do them.

"We need to try and force a confession." Elsa says, rising from her spot on the bed. She makes her way across the room and stares quietly out of a window. "Only problem being that I don't know how to do that without alerting him."

You sit up in the bed, feeling a chill in place of where Elsa used to be. You sit at the edge, eying Elsa as she continues to think. You stand and make your way to Elsa, hugging her from behind as you also try to think of an answer.

"The sun is going to rise soon." She says as she leans into your embrace. "We should get back to the castle."

"Yes, I suppose so." You reply, realizing the little time you had left in the palace.

Elsa's ice palace was absolutely beautiful and under the right circumstances, you would have loved to spend more time with her up here.

"You know," You say hoping to ease her mind slightly. "We have to come back here..."

She manages a small giggle. "Maybe after this is all over, we should have a grand ball here, celebrating our victory."

You chuckle softly, and rest your chin against her neck.

Your eyes narrow as you look out the window. The Reinhardt situation was going to constantly be on the back of your mind as you return to your duties. Of course it would be much easier to take him out in his sleep, but that would make you too much like your past self. You honestly wouldn't have much of a problem if he provoked the attack, but there didn't seem to be an easy way to do that. Unless...

As you hold the snow queen close, an idea comes to mind.

"Catch him in the act."

* * *

You smirk as you make your way through the halls of castle Arendelle. After bidding marshmallow farewell and a promise to come back again, you had returned to the castle just as the sun began to rise. With the remaining time back at the ice palace the two of you had come up with an ingenious plan to expose the guard captain. It was devious, safe, and above all, had no way of failing. If there was one thing the captain enjoyed it was his ego, a flaw that you could exploit and abuse. The key was to get him to believe that he came up with the idea. Another thing Reinhardt prided himself on was just that, his pride. He should have no trouble admitting his involvement if you tried to steal all the credit for it. A confession some eager witnesses would love to hear.

With some insistence from you, Elsa promptly returned to her bedroom for some much needed sleep. She had been awake with you for the past several hours, so it was only natural that she would be tired. Your stamina, on the other hand, is quite impressive, which means that you would be the one to set things in motion.

First thing on the list: acquiring the target.

You step out of the hall and into the yard of the Arendelle guard barracks. It was a rest day, which meant that there was no scheduled training today. You look around, noticing the lack of men and women around the barracks. You hear the clash of metal as you look around. Off to the side, you can see a pair of men sparing with each other. In another corner of the yard was a familiar looking blonde haired man, sharpening his sword. You smile with remembering how eager and excited he looked when you asked him to help train the guards yesterday. The blonde man doesn't seem to notice you, too distracted with maintaining the quality of his sword.

While majority of the royal guards were either on duty, or spending time away from the barracks, Reinhardt would undoubtedly be at his office. Many times prior to discovering his nature as a spy, you would notice Reinhardt spend most of his days sipping on brandy or drawing more portraits. The target was in reach, and only one thing mattered right now. As long as you can set up a plan to assassinate Elsa with him, everything should go smoothly.

You exhale deeply and approach the door to his office. If Reinhardt was from Aravan, then he no doubt has heard of your reputation. In order for this to be believable, you had to channel some of your old barbaric tendencies. It was fortunate that you had all of your old memories, there were more than enough examples of intimidation. Way more than you wanted.

You knock on the door, soliciting the captain's attention.

"Reinhardt!" You call, a false urgency in your voice.

You hear shuffling coming from the other side of the door. 'Sounds like he's trying to shove something in a cabinet...'

"Just a minute!" You hear the rushed voice of captain Reinhardt.

A moment later, the door opens revealing the captain in his guard uniform, his armor on the nearby rack.

"Mister (Y/N)!" He says, looking at you a sarcastic grin. "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here on an off day?"

"Tell me captain," You narrow your eyes and look around to make sure no one is within hearing distance. "Has Arendelle always had an issue with 'Red Snow'?"

Reinhardt's eyes widen, as he looks at at your face. He opens his door even further to usher you in.

"Get in here." He mumbles quietly.

You take a second to look at Reinhardt's desk as he locked the door. Various papers were strewn about, along with a half finished bottle of brandy. You also notice the distinct smell paint in the air.

The captain makes his way around his desk and pours some more of the half finished brandy into a glass.

"I should have figured it was you." He says before picking up the glass to sip on it. "Getting comfortable with the queen for month? Enjoy taking your sweet time?"

"Skip the bullshit Reinhardt." You say looking at him with an unimpressed expression. "You were assigned to assist me."

You reach into your pocket and pull out the sketch of Queen Elsa and toss it on his desk. "So I need assistance."

The man sets his glass down and looks at the drawing. "Ah, I remember sketching this."

"If I may ask," He says looking towards you. "What took you so long? Were you hoping for something from queen Elsa?"

"I was hoping for an easy fuck, but it seems I have lost my patience with her." As you speak these words, your stomach feels uneasy. Despite knowing it was a lie, referring to Elsa in such a manner made you absolutely disgusted with yourself. But you had to be convincing, otherwise Reinhardt may see through your ruse.

"You never really loved her did you?"

"No." You say, telling him the biggest lie of your life.

"You're one hell of an actor then, (Y/N)." He states.

'You have no idea...' You think, mentally smirking at your performance.

"Right then." Reinhardt reaches down and picks up the drawing, eying it closely. "So. What can a humble guard captain do for King Ulrich's lap dog?"

The captain sits down in his chair and places his sketch back on the table. "You already have access to the queen, much more than I could have provided. What else could the best warrior in Aravan possibly need?"

His voice drips with sarcasm.

"Your sarcasm doesn't amuse me captain." You sit down in a chair in front of him. "And what I need is a fitting way to kill her majesty."

Reinhardt looks at you with questioning eyes. "What's the problem with slitting her throat while she sleeps?"

You chuckle and shake your head at his suggestion. "Too easy. I want to witness the true power of the snow queen firsthand before I plunge my sword into her heart."

The captain looks at you with an eyebrow raised. "Just as bloodthirsty as you reputation makes you out to be."

It appears your ruse was working. The captain honestly looked convinced you were still the same person you used to be. Things were falling into place quite easily.

He leans his chair back and puts his feet up on the desk. "So what did you have in mind?"

"That's the thing," You say, sighing slightly. "I'm not exactly sure how to set this up."

"Hmmm..." Reinhardt, slowly strokes his chin as he thinks of an arrangement. "Well I know, the queen has another meeting with foreign ambassadors in a few days. Most meetings she stays after to finalize documents. By that time the ambassadors as well as the council members should be away for the evening, leaving her alone."

You sit up and look toward the spy. "The perfect time to strike."

"Exactly." He finishes, taking another sip from his glass. "The open council chambers should be wide enough for your battle."

"And the guards?"

"I can assign them posts that redirect them from the council chambers. They shouldn't be a problem." Reinhardt looks over at a set of keys hanging on the wall. "Perhaps I can also arrange for a distraction to buy us enough time to escape the city."

Reinhardt removes his feet from desk and looks at you with a cocky grin. "I expect you'll be able to handle the snow queen?"

"I'm not so sure." You stand and move to pick up the sketch of Elsa. "If the stories I've heard are true, then she should be my toughest fight yet."

The captain looks at you with feigned shock. "Is the almighty (Y/N) admitting his inferiority?"

'As confident as Ever.' You think as you eye him with a menacing stare.

"I am inferior to no one." You say raising your voice slightly, hoping to convey a more intimidating appearance.

"Elsa is just as dangerous as she is beautiful, so I cannot afford any mistakes." You look at Reinhardt with your own cocky smirk. "If that means I need to solicit help from the likes of you, then fine."

Reinhardt sighs and sets his glass down before picking up and drinking straight from the bottle. "I was looking forward to one last relaxing night in Arendelle, but I guess battling the snow queen could be more enjoyable."

"Good." You make your way to the door and unlock it before turning back to face the captain. "Oh and captain, one last thing."

He looks up from the bottle with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?"

You didn't want Reinhardt to get too eager to attack Elsa, so you had to make sure that he understood that he was just there as a contingency.

"If anyone is going to kill Elsa, it's going to be me understand? You are only there as back up. If I slip up and you get the kill, then I will personally ram my blade down your throat."

Reinhardt pales slightly at the tone of your voice, but nevertheless remains confident in his abilities. "Aye, your kill."

"Glad we had this little chat," You smile innocently and open the door to leave his office. "Good day captain!"

You shut his door, exhaling a deep breath as you drop your fake personality. 'That was almost too much for me.'

"(Y/N)!" A voice calls out to you.

You look over to see Anders, finished with his sword, approaching you with a smile.

"Anders!" You say greeting the man with a firm handshake. "How was your first time in charge?"

It was comforting speaking with someone else. You may have played the part a little too well during your discussion with captain Reinhardt. It felt more than relieving to be yourself again. You smile fondly at that. This was who you are. Not some ruthless warlord, or devious assassin. It brings your mind ease to know that you will never be that person again.

"It was surprisingly harder than we thought it would be." Anders looks on with a sheepish grin. "I don't know how you do it."

You smile and slowly begin walking towards the castle doors, Anders following to the side of you. "Years of practice, I'm afraid. Don't worry you'll get the hang of it eventually."

"Hopefully." Anders chuckles and nods. "Not sure I could do it without Tara helping me."

"Huh," You say, noticing the missing guardswoman. "She on duty right now or just away from the castle?"

"Patrolling the city as we speak, (Y/N). Probably bored out of her mind."

You pause to think about the pair of guards. These two were your most trusted friends within the guard, and would likely follow you instead of Reinhardt. This was important because you realized that you needed someone there to help apprehend Reinhardt when the time comes. Hopefully Anders and Tara would lend a hand during the confrontation.

"Listen, Anders." You say with a hushed voice. "I need you to do something."

The blonde looks at you with curiosity apparent on his face. "You're not going to ask me to take over again are you?"

"No... Well maybe in the future, but not right now." You shift your eyes to look at the Captains office, making sure the man wouldn't come out and hear your conversation. "In a few days, Captain Reinhardt is going to assign all of the guards away from the castle. Don't follow that order."

"What? Why?" Anders asks confusedly. "It's not everyday you ask to disobey the guard captain."

"Trust me, by the end of the day he won't be captain of anything."

"What do you mean?" Anders, says shocked at your words.

"I can explain more later when Tara arrives later, but for now I need you to trust me."

You extend your hand to the young man as a sign of trust.

"I'm not sure whats going on," He reaches out to grip your hand. "but, okay. I trust you. I still need some answers though."

"And you'll have them." You smile softly and nod towards Anders. "Tomorrow during training, I need both you and Tara alone. I can tell you more then."

You smile once more before turning to head back into the castle.

While still unsure of your meaning, Anders was trusting enough to let whatever you were planning to pan out. Hopefully Tara would be too.

* * *

You move through the castle grounds to seek out the next set of people needed for your plan: An audience.

'Shouldn't be too hard to find them,' You think as you near the Arendelle stables. 'If I know my friends, then they're going to be looking for me.'

Almost as if on cue, a brown blur tackles you from behind, knocking you to the ground. "Oof!"

Shortly after, a pretty strawberry-blonde comes racing up to your grounded form.

"(Y/N)!" Anna calls, looking on as Sven stands above you with eyes filled with anticipation.

You laugh as they begin to ask all sorts of questions.

"How was the date?" Anna says.

'Did it go as planned?' Sven gestures.

"Did you like the restaurant?"

'Ice skating work out?'

Amidst all of the questions and excited words, you smile as Kristoff and Olaf walk/skip up to you.

"Come on guys, let the man breathe!" Kristoff says with a grin.

The little snowman and blonde haired mountain man succeed in pulling the excited pair off of you.

After helping you to your feet, they look at you with expectant eyes. Even Kristoff, who usually disliked talk of everyone's love life, was curious to see how his friend's evening went.

"So how did it go?" Anna asks, eyes filled with anticipation.

Beside her Sven nods fervently.

"It was absolutely," You pause to grin at the look on their faces. "Perfect!"

"That's so sweet! I'm really happy for you both!" Anna says, clapping rapidly and bouncing happily. Sven's eyes light up with a proud smile.

"That restaurant was phenomenal! Thanks for the recommendation!" Despite all that had happened since your visit to Cafè Eleganse, you still couldn't believe how tasty the food was.

"Told you so! I bet you were weirded out at first, right?" Anna asks.

"We both were. That menu was impossible to read, but tasted divine regardless."

"Yep! Culinary Excellence! Even Kristoff liked the food!"

"Hey, I'm no fan of 'Fancy Food'," Kristoff says, shrugging sightly. "But that Chef Remy can make one delicious dish."

You look at Kristoff and with a Sven thankful smile. "Hey. Thanks again for last night guys. Couldn't have been more amazing!"

Sven eyes you with an expression that seemed to say,

"No problem, (Y/N)." Kristoff says for the both of them.

"Hey (Y/N),"

You look down to see Olaf with a questioning demeanor on his face.

"What is it Olaf?"

"Did you tell Elsa...?"

"Yes," You blush as you remember that particular conversation. "I told her I love her."

"Aww that is so sweet!"Anna exclaims, sighing dreamily as Olaf grins and gives a thumbs up.

"Isn't the greatest feeling in the world?" He asks with a wide grin.

"Yes." You smile warmly at him. "Greatest feeling in the world buddy."

It really was. With all of your years of life, nothing in the world made you feel as good as you did whenever you held Elsa's hand or planted a kiss on her lips. Love was a powerful thing. Scary at times even, but there was nowhere you would rather be.

As you smile towards the happy snowman, a thought crosses your mind.

"Oh and Olaf, your brother says hi."

"My bro-Marshmallow?" Olaf's eyes grow wide as his grin doubles in size. "Wow! That's nice of him! I've got to go make him a care basket! How's he doing up in the mountain? Is he still- Wait..."

"You went to the north mountain last night?" Anna asks for him.

Oh right. That happened last night.

"Uh... yeah?" You say, unsure of how to answer.

"Just what did you do last night?" Kristoff asks with a questioning gaze.

"It's a long story, and I would be more than happy to explain it to you, but first I need to know something." You cast a serious look the the group. "How good are you all at hide and seek?"

"Ooh! I love that game!" Olaf proclaims.

"Hide and seek?" Kristoff asks, confused at your question.

"Okay, not really so much seeking involved. Just hiding."

"Well Olaf can help you there. He cheats." Kristoff states.

"Hey! Nobody said I couldn't hide multiple body parts around the castle!"

"Why would we need to hide?" Anna asks.

"We need your help to root out a spy."

"A-a spy?" Anna asks with a surprised look on her face. "Here in the kingdom?"

"Yes, We figured it out last night and I pretty much confirmed it an hour ago. I know it sounds crazy but hear me out on this."

You let out a sigh as you begin to explain everything.

* * *

Later that evening, you lie awake in Elsa's room as she snuggles into your chest.

"Everyone's on board and aware of the situation. Reinhardt and I are set to kill you in a few days time."

Your friends had honestly taken the information really well. You had explained everything from your mission to Arendelle, to revealing the Guard captain's nature as a spy. It was a lot to process and Anna remained quiet through it all. When you mentioned your original assignment as her sister's assassin, her face lowered and concern welled up in her eyes. Of course any sister would be concerned if they had heard that particular bit of information. Her faith was reaffirmed when you told her of your time in the ice palace. How Elsa made you hold a dagger to her neck and made you decide. She began to smile afterward. You had explained your plan to reveal the traitorous captain Reinhardt, and how they would be critical to the plan as acting witnesses. You also gave an in depth explanation of Reinhardt's arrangements to kill the queen, so to prepare them properly. Kristoff would hide behind one set of curtains, while Anna would hide on the opposite side of the room. Olaf's (Totally cheating) hide and seek method can be used so he would be placed in a chair facing away from the captain. Unfortunately due to Sven's large size, he would have to sit this one out. When given the opportunity, you could inform Anders and Tara to patrol the door leading to the council chambers to ensure an easy arrest. The stage was set and the performance was ready to begin. Now it was a matter of waiting a few days for this to pan out.

"Good," Elsa says as she leans her head down to listen to your heartbeat. "But what happens when word reaches Aravan?"

You remain silent to think of an answer. What will happen? Will they treat it as an act of war and march their armies to the kingdom? Could you possibly show King Ulrich peaceful intent? No. He doesn't know the meaning of the word. His response would likely not be one of peace, but just how would anyone respond to the revelation of a spy? This would be grounds for war, but Arendelle lacks the necessary armies to retaliate.

"I Don't know." You respond, completely unsure of what would happen when news breaks of Reinhardt's arrest. "We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it."

"You know I'm not good at improvising." Elsa says, giggling slightly.

You chuckle softly along. "Fortunately I am."

Elsa lets out a yawn and allows her eyes to fall shut, falling asleep to the sound of your heart. "Goodnight (Y/N)."

Hopefully in a few days, you wouldn't need to improvise. Hopefully this plan could go off without a hitch and you could put this spy business behind you.

"Goodnight my queen."

You allow the gentle rising and falling of Elsa's chest to lull you into a deep slumber.

* * *

A few days had passed since your meeting with Reinhardt. The stage was set, time to put on a show. Last part of the plan was about to begin.

Clad in your armor and cloak, you briskly make your way through the halls. Reinhardt was already standing by the council chambers awaiting your arrival. The council members and the dignitaries were away, and the servants were preparing to retire for the evening. True to his word, there were no guards stationed near the council chambers. A quick look at the guard listings showed most guards were situated either in the city or on the outer most parts of the castle. Either way, No help would arrive in time. Anders and Tara agreed to arrive shortly after you began your 'attack' on the Snow Queen. You friends were in their position, ready for the show to start.

You quietly step up to the council chamber doors. Reinhardt was there, anxiously twiddling a coin between his fingers.

"Nice evening for an Assassination eh, (Y/N)?" The captain asks with a nervous grin.

"Not up to the task captain?" You ask, taking note of his nervousness.

If he puled out now, then the plan failed.

"I have no doubt the legendary (Y/N) would be able to secure as successful kill." He replies with a hint of sarcasm.

"Then why so nervous?"

"I have a feeling our escape won't go off as successfully."

You had to reassure him otherwise you would not be able to apprehend.

"It'll be quick. In and out before anyone notices." You say, a stern tone in your voice.

Seeing Reinhardt's uneasiness, you decide to try a bit of intimidation.

"Walk away from this now, and I kill you where you stand."

"I'm not walking away." Unfazed by your threat, Reinhardt sighs and flashes a cocky grin. He moves to open the door. "Let's get this over with."4

You don a false smirk as the captain opens the door.

As the room comes within view, you can see Elsa in the distance looking over some documents. Looking closer at Elsa you can see her faintly whispering to the chair in front of her. On either side of Elsa were two sets of curtains that seemed to have more of a bulge to them. Your friends were ready. Anders and Tara should be on their way.

Elsa looks up from her documents to see the two of you step closer to her. "(Y/N), Captain Reinhardt? What are you doing here at this hour?"

You look towards the captain as he nods.

"I'm sorry, my love but you have to die." You say, smiling devilishly at the ice queen as you draw your sword.

"I have-" Elsa gasps with faux realization as she looks at your blade. "You were sent to kill me weren't you?"

You laugh softly. "Nothing gets past you does it?"

"B-but I thought we... I loved you!" Elsa yells, anger rising in her eyes.

You nod slightly at Elsa. On cue, Elsa begins to swirl a visible flurry of ice and snow around herself. The room drops in temperature. You can see your breath in the air.

Elsa turns to Reinhardt. "Captain! Arrest this man immediately!"

Reinhardt looks smugly at the queen and draws his sword. "Terribly sorry milady."

Elsa steps back shocked at the armed guard captain. "C-captain?"

"What's wrong your majesty?" He asks, a smug smirk on his face. "Surprised that I'm a spy?"

Well, Reinhardt just admitted his involvement as a spy. Truthfully you thought it would take more goading, but his confidence that the two of you would be able to succeed just made it much easier.

"Hell, I'm surprised you didn't realize it sooner. Ever stop to wonder why old captain Espen left in sich a rush?"

"Captain Espen... that was you?" Elsa asks, still feigning shock.

"Hehehe. You'd be surprised what a little blackmail will get you."

Elsa narrows her eyes in anger and a small blizzard begins to swirl around the chambers.

"Do you," Elsa pauses to look you straight in the eyes, smirking widely. "Think that's enough for an arrest?"

The winds die down and the snow melts away. Reinhardt's eyes widen, as he looks between you and the queen. "Arrest?"

"I'm not sure, what do you think guys?" You call out to the curtains.

From behind the curtains on both sides of the room, emerge Kristoff and Anna, with large grins on their faces.

"More than enough." Kristoff states as he steps closer to you.

"Totally!" Anna exclaims as she moves to turn the chair to face the captain.

"Busted!" Olaf's head says from the chair.

The doors of the council chambers fling open as Anders and Tara make their way into the room. "We heard everything from the hall."

Reinhardt looks overwhelmed. He begins to back up against the wall close to a window. Your friends and allies surround the captain. This was a fight he was going to lose.

"Well played (Y/N)." Reinhardt sighs. "I should have known your love for the queen made you soft."

Tara steps forward.

"Thaddeus Reinhardt, you are under arrest for treason and espionage." Tara states, pulling her sword from her sheathe. Anders nods and follows.

"It's over captain." You say, looking towards the man.

Despite the insurmountable odds the man was faced with, he only chuckled and smirked at you.

"If I've learned anything from my years of experience is that you always have,"

You raise an eyebrow at the Reinhardt's statement.

"A contingency." Reinhardt finishes, ending with a crazed laughter.

Suddenly a woman bursts into the chambers.

"My queen, (Y/N)! The dungeons are empty!" The guardswoman states in a panicked voice.

"What? Why are they-?" You turn to face Reinhardt.

"What contingency?" You ask, stepping closer to the man.

"Remember that distraction I wanted to arrange?" Reinhardt only smirks as your eyes fill with fright.

Reinhardt hoped that the two of you could escape in the midst of the chaos caused by released prisoners.

"You don't have much time mister (Y/N)." Reinhardt chuckles and backs against the window. "As we speak all of the cutthroats and miscreants of the kingdom are making their way across the bridge."

The guard captain lets outs a laugh before he turns turns and leaps through the window and lands several meters below.

You race to the window to see Reinhardt begin to flee across the bridge.

"Damn it!" You say, turning to face the guardswoman at the door. "Rally the guards we need to act now!"

She hurriedly nods and rush out the door.

You turn to see Elsa standing still, paralyzed at the thought of criminals running amok in her city.

"Elsa," She looks at you, fear in her eyes.

You approach her and take her hands in yours. "Don't worry. I'm going to go out there and I'm going to stop this."

She can only nod, still frightened as to what armed men and women could be doing now that they were free from their shackles.

You smile warmly, hoping to reassure her. "Everything will be alright."

Her eyes widen as she smiles softly, remembering your first encounter in the forest. "Okay."

You smile and turn to face Anna and the others. "I'll be right back."

Anna nods and moves to hold her sister close. "It'll be alright Elsa."

You look at Kristoff. "Keep them safe."

"Will do. Now go. Your kingdom needs you."

You gesture for Anders and Tara. "Come on. We need to get to the city."

* * *

You rush across the bridge with the contingent of guards that were roaming the castle following close behind. You look into the city to find the guards stationed there already engaged in battle with the criminals. Your training had certainly paid off, as your trainees were holding their own against multiple assailants. You raise your sword and charge into the city.

With your assembled guards joining the fight, the convicts and inmates were attacking with reckless maneuvers. The first wave of prisoners put up a good fight, but went down with so much as a scratch of damage done to your forces. The night was far from over however. Arendelle was where all the criminals of the kingdom were tried so there would be more through out the city. As you pull your sword out of a man's chest another guard comes running up to you.

"(Y/N)! Sir!" He states, looking to be out of breath. "Captain Reinhardt was seen fleeing the city. He's got several prisoners with him!"

You narrow you eyes. You can't let Reinhardt get away. If he escapes, then Arendelle wouldn't be safe. But you can't chase the captain and lead your guards here at he same time. You needed to be in two places at once. You turn to see Anders slicing a man's chest while Tara calls more criminals out.

'Perfect.'

"Anders, Tara!" The pair approaches you quickly.

"At your command (Y/N)." Tara states, with her blonde companion nodding.

"I'm going after Captain Reinhardt, can the two of you take over from here?"

Anders nods while Tara looks more reluctant.

"I'm not sure..." Tara begins, remembering how she had killed someone.

"Tara please." You place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I need you right now. Your home needs you."

"Come on Tara, It'll be just like training!" Anders says, hoping to ease her. "I've got your back!"

The young guardswoman looks between you and Anders, before looking at you with fire in her eyes. "You can count on us (Y/N)!"

You smile and nod at her. "What are you waiting for? The guards need their leaders!"

Anders and Tara smirk and head off to follow the other guards through the city.

Tara looks back one more time to utter three words to you. "Good luck, Captain!"

The woman turns to follow Anders.

'Captain...'

You exhale and sprint towards the gates leading into the wilderness.

* * *

'Reinhardt can't have gotten too far.' You think as you trek past the trees. You managed to find a large grouping of footprints upon exiting the city. You need to move quickly before Reinhardt gets smart enough to have the group following him split up. The various sets of foot prints would making tracking him a wild goose chase. Fortunately the ex-captain looks to be using them as protection, but you were unsure of how long that would last.

You reach a small clearing to find a body, surrounded by several wolves. The beasts were picking and gnawing at the corpse. From what you can see, the body was wearing the same attire Arendelle prisoners were wear. The blood smelled fresh.

'Likely killed to attract the wolves. Probably to slow me down.'

The wolves turn to look at you snarling and growling lowly. They begin to circle you, predatory looks upon their faces.

This was bad. The longer you focus on the wolves the more time Reinhardt has to get away. You grip your sword and drop into a defensive stance.

'I don't have time for this!'

The wolf closest to you growls and prepares to strike.

Just as he leaps at you, a chilling, almost threatening howl fills the air.

You turn behind you to see a large wolf standing on a large stone structure, silhouetted against the moon.

The wolves slowly back away looking at the larger wolf with fear. The large wolf picks something with her mouth from beside her and leaps down from the rock between you and the other wolves.

'It's her.' You think as you remember the dire wolf you saved.

The dire wolf growls at the other wolves. They whimper lowly and back away before turning to run into the forest.

Once the other wolves were gone, the dark-furred dire wolf turns to you.

"I figured I'd see you again. What are you doing here?" You ask.

The large wolf shakes her head, and drops something at your feet.

You crouch down and pick the object up. It's one of the arrows you had pulled out of her.

You look back to the wolf as you read her expression. 'Returning the favor.'

She nods and gestures to the woods. 'The men you are after went that way.'

She looks back into your eyes and barks lightly. 'We had better move if we want to catch them.'

"We?" You reply, smiling at her implication.

'Yes.' She states. 'That is unless you don't want the help.'

You smile warmly at her. She can read your expression perfectly.

"Thank you."

She smirks and gestures you to follow. 'Let's get moving then.'

"Wait, Do you have a name?" You ask as she turns back to face you.

'A name?' She tilts her head for a moment before looking up at the moon and then back to you. 'Midnight.'

"Okay Midnight," You smirk at her and move to follow. "Let's go!"

* * *

**Okay that took way longer than I expected to. **

**Lots of action coming up, please stick around!**

**Also where you guys wanna go? **

**Let me know along with any suggestions comments, or advice? **

**Till next time! **


	18. Beneath the Aurora

**Hello All!**

**Welcome back to the story!**

**Okay, so it looks like Corona is the go-to kingdom according to everyone in the reviews. **

**And to clarify, Midnight is like Sven. She doesn't actually talk, she communicates with gestures and the occasional bark/howl. **

**Huge thanks for all the support! I'm super happy everyone's liking the story so far!**

**Remember, if you have any suggestions, comments, or advice, Please feel free to drop a review my way!**

**Now, Back to the action!**

* * *

Chapter 18: Beneath the Aurora

Midnight dashes briskly through the trees as you follow behind. You were keeping up with her rather well, but she was likely holding back just so you could maintain a good pace. Having Midnight with you was a great benefit. With her heightened senses and experience in tracking prey, finding and hunting down Reinhardt would be much easier than if you had went on your own.

She abruptly stops and lifts her nose into the air, inhaling a large gust of air. She reels her head back in distaste.

'Disgusting.' She gestures as you read her expression. 'The stench of cowardice. This way!'

She nods in one direction before taking off. You quickly follow so not to lose her.

It was strange how you could easily understand her. Sure you had enough practice with reading Sven, but when she communicated with you it felt more natural, almost empathic even.

As you follow her past the trees, a vibrant aurora shined brightly above you. The wilderness of Arendelle watched on as the two of you darted between the trees and any creature that dared crossed your path retreated away as you came close, frightened at the thought of Midnight's presence. You had been following Midnight for several minutes now, with no signs of slowing down. Occasionally you would stop so she could get a clean scent on the men, but as soon as she acquired it you took off sprinting. You can practically feel yourself closing in on the prisoners. You can't afford to lose Reinhardt or the escaped prisoners.

Your thoughts shift over to Arendelle. Hopefully the guards would have no trouble rounding up the remaining prisoners.

There quite a few of them, but with Anders and Tara working damage control, the royal guard should mop up quite well.

* * *

(Elsa Perspective)

The snow queen, accompanied by Anna and the others, moved cautiously across the bridge. The walk to the city was silent, grim looks upon everyone's faces. Anna was holding on to Kristoff tight while Sven carried a saddened Olaf on his back. In the distance, several building were ablaze. Men and women were running about, desperately trying to extinguish the fires. A small group of guards at the end of the bridge were escorting captured criminals to a holding area while other members of the guards were sweeping through the city. Several bodies of deceased criminals were piled near the holding area. The area in front of the bridge looked to be a staging area with two guards commanding the men and women around them.

Guardswoman Tara was barking at other guards and pointing at a nearby house which was currently flaming. "We need this fire out now!"

Elsa rushes up to the burning building and pulls her hands back before thrusting them forward to blanket the fire in with wind and ice, extinguishing it immediately.

She turns to address the two guards in charge.

"My Queen." Anders says as he bows slightly.

"Milady." Tara follows.

"What's the situation?" Elsa asks.

The young guardswoman steps forward. "A good amount of the convicts are dead or apprehended, but there still appears to be more throughout the city."

Elsa turns to look at the various buildings and shops. "And the civilians? How are we on casualties?"

Tara's expression turns a bit more optimistic. "Due to the guards stationed in the city at the start of the attack, I'm happy to say that civilian casualties are at a minimum, with majority of them being wounded in the crossfire."

Looking pleased with the response, Elsa looks to over the building she had extinguished. "Damages?"

"Primary damage to the city are fires. We're working hard to extinguish the flames but we can't search for the remaining convicts and fight the fire at the same time."

Elsa narrows her eyes before turning to Anders. "Call the guards off of fire control and assign them to the remaining prisoners, I'll handle the fires personally."

Anders looks with reluctance at the queen. The royal guards' primary duty was to protect the reigning monarch. Having Elsa here in the city was the equivalent of putting her on a battlefield. With armed men running about and fires spreading quickly, the logical thing to do was escort her back to the castle where it was safe.

"With all due respect my queen, you should return-"

"This is not a discussion, Anders." She says cutting him off. "The safety of my people is the most important thing right now, and I will not just sit around the castle and watch as my home burns."

Anders' eyes widen at the queen's boldness. Anna and the others look at each other, inspired by Elsa's willingness to put her own life at risk for her citizens. If there were any doubts about her kindness and concern for her people, then they would be extinguished by the end of the night along with the flames.

Elsa turns around to face Kristoff. "Take Anna and the others back to the castle."

"What?" Anna speaks up releasing herself from Kristoff's hold. "Elsa no! We can Help!"

"Anna, It's too dangerous."

Anna looks at her sister with pleading eyes. "Elsa, please! This is my home too!"

"Anna..." Elsa pauses to look between Anna and the others. Kristoff and Sven stood firm with determination in their eyes. Olaf, being a peace loving snowman, was more visibly saddened at the sight before him. Despite his sad face, he nodded at the snow queen. Clearly they weren't backing down. Anna was right. This was their home and they would do anything to help it. But she can't just have her little sister and her friends follow her around the city without protection.

Elsa looks at Anders and Tara. "Who's the best swordsman in the guard?"

Anders speaks up. "Behind (Y/N), that would be me."

The queen nods at him. "Follow us and keep my family safe."

"Elsa does that mean...?" Anna asks.

Elsa turns away from Anna and begins moving toward the burning buildings. She looks over her shoulder and to her family. "Come on. Our home needs us."

* * *

(Normal Perspective)

'Wait.' Midnight growls lowly, stopping in her tracks. 'I smell someone up ahead.'

You had been chasing the fleeing men with Midnight for good distance, but it looks like you had finally caught up to them. It was much quicker to catch up due to Midnight's assistance.

You halt abruptly and begin to listen closely. There were voices coming from a few meters ahead. It was hard to make out individual voices, but Reinhardt's was clearly not among them. Odds are he left the criminals there with the intent to kill you. You had caught up significantly to Reinhardt but battling the convicts would give him a slight lead. You needed to deal with them fast. Fortunately you had back up in the form of a highly intelligent and dangerous dire wolf.

You and your wolf companion approach silently to get a better listen.

"_Why are we even doing this? We should just bail! Screw the captain!"_

"_Do you realize how much money he promised? All of that for one man?"_

"_Is money worth freedom?" _

"_If you wanna leave, leave. Nobody needs you, Whelp!"_

"_Here out in the wilderness? Fuck that, I'll stay where it's safe."_

"_I don't even care about the money. I'm just itching to kill something right now!"_

The conversation disappears as the group of people erupt into a low murmur.

You look to Midnight who nods in the direction of the voices. 'I can hear six maybe seven voices.'

"Are you ready for a fight?" You whisper, looking into her gray eyes.

'More than you, probably.' You could swear she was smirking at you.

With dynamic grace, Midnight leaps through the tree line to let out a fierce howl. As you dash forward to join her, the group of waiting criminals look on at her with fear and awe. The very existence of Midnight was intimidating enough, but to be in her presence was a new level of fear entirely. It probably wouldn't stop them from attacking, but it was still comforting to know how fortunate you were not to have her as an enemy.

"Look at the size of that wolf!" One man calls out, gawking at the large wolf.

"Is that thing even real? This is a trick right?"

"I've never seen a wolf that large!"

While they avert their eyes to Midnight, you take a head count. Six armed men. Two with bows, one with an axe and the rest were wielding swords. Short work with Midnight here to help.

The wolf bared her fangs at the men with a low growl, eliciting hesitant towards eyes at the beast. You step ahead and draw your sword, preparing for combat.

"We can take 'em! It's just a man and his mutt." One man calls out, readying his sword.

Your companion growls louder. She didn't take insults very well.

"They're outnumbered! Easy fight!"

You can practically hear Midnight chuckling lowly at the men. 'Brave men, but stupid.'

You can see it on her face. That same savage smirk that you once bore in the heat of battle She was going to enjoy this.

Despite the bravery these men possessed, fear was still visibly etched onto their faces, illuminated by the aurora overhead. Locked in a standstill, you were waiting to see who made the first move. Midnight wanted a chance to fight, but she wasn't stupid. She was watching and waiting for a fault in their defense. A fault she could exploit. The criminals weren't dropping their guard, and you didn't have time for a standoff.

You strike first, leaping forward to engage the first man. He parries a strike as Midnight dashes to the side of you and knocks another would-be-attacker backwards, pouncing on him and tearing at him with her claws.

"AH! GET IT OFF OF M-" His screams are lost as you focus on the man in font of you.

Distracted by the dire wolf, the man in front of you lets his guard down. You slash twice at his chest before another man rushes at you. With his sword raised high, you reach out and grab at his neck. The man struggles for air and before he can swing his sword, you forcefully pull him and throw him to the ground behind you into the wait jaws of Midnight who silences him with one powerful bite to the throat.

_Swish! _You can hear the sound of two arrows slicing through the air as they try to find their marks. Midnight dodges swiftly while you duck. The archers fumble around for another arrow, giving you a limited window of opportunity. Midnight rushes forward and kicks off of the awe wielding felon and send him to the ground. Leaving you to finish him off, she moves to attack the archers.

"Hit the bloody wolf!" You hear as you plunge your sword into the prone man. You look up to see the remaining two men take aim at Midnight.

You narrow your eyes and dash at the men. An arrow flies from its bow and sails through the air.

Midnight closes in on her target.

The arrow makes it's mark before you can reach it's shooter.

Midnight cries out in pain as the arrow embeds itself in her hind leg. She bites through the injury and continues her assault. The man she's charging begins to panic and looses his arrow. His aim was off and he grazes her face, leaving a cut just across her eye. The wolf closes the distance and begins to shred and lacerate the helpless archer.

"I got the beast! I got I-ACK!" The shooter's words are cut off as you knee the man in the gut, anger in your attack. He doubles over in pain and exposes his quiver to you. You remove an arrow and shove it through the back of his neck.

As the man falls to the ground you look at the injured dire wolf.

"Midnight!" You call, rushing to her side, ignoring the brutalized and unrecognizable corpse at her paws.

The wolf drops the man's severed arm to the ground and looks at you with a pained face. Upon looking closer at her, you can see a very bloody cut running down her eye. The eye itself didn't appear to be damaged, but the gash would leave a permanent scar.

She turns her head to the protruding piece of wood. 'The arrow,'

You nod and grab hold of the foreign object, the wolf's warm blood dripping down steadily from the shaft. "Ready?"

'Do it.'

You exhale and yank the arrow out of her hind leg.

She slams her eyes shut and winces, muffling a cry as the arrow makes its way out of her.

You toss the arrow to the side and quickly look around for something to stop the blood loss.

Your eyes settle on the viciously mauled man in front of her. You've seen carnage. You remain calm and focused as you pick through his remains. You find an unbloodied (surprisingly) length of cloth on his body. You tear the piece off and begin to wrap it around the bleeding hole in Midnight's leg.

As you tighten the cloth, she flashes you a dangerous look.

"Don't look at me like that! We need to stop the bleeding." You respond, finishing your work with a tight knot.

'Is it done?' She asks.

"Yeah." You look at her with worry in your eyes. Despite your brief time together, you felt a strong connection with her. You couldn't risk her getting hurt again. "Thanks for your help, but you should leave. I can handle the remaining man myself."

You stand and try to leave, but she runs ahead of you and cuts your path off. 'Don't be a fool! You need me to track him. At this point he has a considerable lead.'

"Mid-"

'No. I have his scent, and we need to move.' She stares at you with a stern look. 'Now.'

You stop to look at her injury, and then back to her. She was right. Without Midnight, finding Reinhardt would be much more difficult. Maybe you couldn't stop her from going, but you could try and prevent her from getting hurt.

"Fine." You look at the path in front of you before turning back to Midnight. "But when we find him, stay out of the fight and let me handle him. Understand?"

She lets out a huff before turning to the path. 'No promises.'

Midnight takes off into the woods. Despite her stubbornness you truly admire her conviction. As you follow her, you notice she's moving at a slower pace than before. Still fast enough to catch up, but you can see the visible pain in her step. You needed to find and take out the ex-captain fast, so you could get your companion proper medical attention back in Arendelle.

* * *

(Elsa Perspective)

Back in Arendelle, the snow queen concentrates hard on her task. It was the last fire and it was quickly spiraling out of control. In any other blaze, she would simply blast the flames to oblivion and be done with it. In this instance, however, a little girl didn't manage to make it out of the before the fire started and was trapped at the top of the building. If she froze the entire building, she would extinguish the fire but risk harming the child. Elsa can hear her above the sound of the flames. The child was somewhere on the top floor, but she didn't know where. She needed to move fast before the fire consumed the entire building and the child with it.

The snow queen looks to the little girl's parents. They were sobbing and crying out to her. Telling her it will be okay. Elsa had first hand experience what life was like after losing parents, but couldn't imagine what they must feel if a child had been lost instead. This was something she was not willing to find out.

Elsa moves back several meters from the house before turning to face the inferno. She can hear the little girl crying for help. She holds her palms up pushes them forward, creating a staircase that led to the top floor. Elsa rushes up the stair case and into the blazing building.

"ELSA!"

The snow queen can hear her sister calling for her from outside the building. Pushing the sounds aside, Elsa sweeps the floor I attempt to find the little girl.

"Help me! -Cough- Somebody! Please! -cough-" The little girl's voice was muffled and sounded weak. Elsa tries to push past the smoke and flames. "Where are you!"

The queen tries to step forward through a doorway but a large pillar of fire blocks the path. She quickly fires a blast of icy wind and cools it down enough for her to pass.

"-Cough, cough- Hello!" Elsa calls again to try to find her. The smoke was making things hard for her. She was having a hard time breathing coupled with vision impairment.

"Who's there! Please help Me!"

Elsa moves to the sound of the voice. Out of the side of her eye, she can make out a tiny figure trembling and wheezing in the corner of the room. She rushes to the girl's side and tries to calm her down.

"Hey, it's okay I'm here!" Elsa kneels down and places a hand on her shoulder. "Your parents are waiting for you,"

The little girls looks up, surprised at her savior. "-Cough- Who? Queen Elsa!"

The snow queen nods and holds her arms out to the child. "Come on, -cough- Let's get you out of here."

Elsa's voice was calm, concentrating on the task at hand. The girl rushes into Elsa's open arms. "Thank you, Thank you!"

Elsa manages a small smile before picking up the girl and making her way back to the staircase. As she tries to push through the flames, the fire rise and begin to engulf her and the little girl.

The small child begins to panic and scream.

"It's okay, everything will be alright." Elsa says warmly, trying to calm her down. Elsa looks around the building. The fires were high and were growing closer and closer to her. She frees a hand and tries to blast some of the fire away. The flames were too intense and the ice was melting faster than it could cool. She was out of time.

'So this is it... the end.' Elsa thinks as the fire picks up. As the flames begin to consume them, visions pass through Elsa's mind. Her sister. Her friends. Her parents. A lifetime of isolation. Becoming queen. The Arendelle gardens. A white wedding gown. A newborn child with (E/C) eyes.

"I. Will. Not. Die. Tonight!"

Elsa thrusts a hand forward and shoots a torrent of ice and snow through the doorway, extinguishing the flames around her. Her power pulses outwards, covering the area in a deep freeze. Although unable to extinguish most of the flames, she definitely bought enough time to get the child and herself to safety. Before the flames can rise again, Elsa makes her way off of the building and down the staircase.

As she swiftly descends the stairs she an sees several things. Anna and her friends' tear stained faces with looks of relief, the little girl's parents crying tears of joy, and bystanders looking on in amazement. As she leaves the stairs she turns back to the burning build and holds out a hand, releasing all of her power and freezing the building to stop the fire. She turns as the parents of the little girl race to her. Elsa smiles and hands her back to her parents.

"My baby!" The mother calls out, taking her from Elsa's arms.

"Mommy!"

"Our little girl! We thought you were gone!" The father calls, moving to hug his wife and daughter.

"Queen Elsa saved me, daddy!"

The family looks over at Elsa. Her dress was singed in multiple places and there were small burns on parts of her body. The queen's face and skin was covered in soot and ash. But her smile couldn't be brighter.

"Thank you my queen!"

"How can we ever repay you?"

Elsa smiles softly and places a hand on top of the little girl's head. "Cherish your family. Never let it go."

Elsa smiles once more before making her way back to her friends. Anna races up to her sister.

"Anna I- SLAP." Elsa clutches her cheek, and looks at Anna.

Her face was stained with tears and her eyes were red and slightly puffed out. The strawberry blonde pulls her sister in for a tight hug.

"Don't you EVER scare me again!"

Elsa grins and hugs her back. "Okay, I promise I won't."

"Queen Elsa," A voice says, catching her attention.

She turns to see Anders and Tara approaching. Anna lets go of her sister, smiling at her before moving back to Kristoff and the others to further help any injured citizens.

"Status report?" Elsa asks, looking at the pair of guards.

Tara steps forward. "All fires in the city have been extinguished and civilian casualties are minimal at best."

"Good." Elsa looks at Anders, unable to shake the feeling that something or someone was missing. "And the convicts?"

"All criminals are accounted for and are either dead or in custody, with the exception of the ones that fled the city with Reinhardt."

"Fled the city with...?" Elsa's eyes widen as she realizes what was missing. "Where is (Y/N)?"

"He went after Reinhardt and the remaining criminals." Anders looks over to Tara. "He left the both of us in charge of- My queen?"

Anders looks around for the monarch, not realizing she had already taken off for the city gates. Kristoff and Sven overheard the exchange and were accompanying Elsa into the forest along with a pair of guards, leaving Anna and Olaf to help care for any wounded guards and citizens. As Elsa and her companions left the city, echoes of the snow queen's actions to save the city were sending ripples throughout it.

"Did you see what the queen did?"

"She helped save us!"

"Maybe she isn't a witch after all..."

Unbeknownst to Elsa, the people of Arendelle began to see her in a new light.

* * *

(Normal Perspective)

This was it. Midnight was closing in on the traitorous captain. She needed to stop every now and then, not to catch his scent, but to take a breather. The wound in her leg was making it difficult to give chase, and the scar on her eye was making it difficult to keep it open. You had considered getting her stop, but didn't even bother. She was too prideful. You can only hope that she stays out of the fight, but she was just as much a warrior as you were. And if she was anything like you, something tells you that she likely won't just sit around.

She stops again.

"Need a breather?" You ask, looking worried for her safety.

'No.' She nods up ahead to a clearing. 'He's just up ahead.'

You peer through the trees. The area was as wide as the yard at the barracks. No obstructions. Just an open field beneath the aurora. Sure enough there he was, resting on a fallen log. He didn't seem tired. He looked like he was waiting. For someone to meet him? Was he planning how to escape the country? Or maybe he was waiting for you.

Midnight tries to step forward, but winces at the pain in her leg.

'Damn! That stings...'

You lay a hand on her head. "Stay out of the battle. I'll handle this."

She appears ready to protest but backs down when you flash her a stern look. 'Fine.'

You give her a reassuring smile before turning face the open field. You breathe deeply and step into the clearing.

"Reinhardt!"

The ex-captain remains still, and sips from a flask. "Ah (Y/N). I thought you would've taken longer."

His eyes move over to the wolf at your side, eyes filled with genuine awe. "Wow... so that poacher really wasn't kidding."

He chuckles lightly. "Now I know how you got here so quickly."

Reinhardt seemed... unusually calm. The old war veteran takes another swig from his flask.

"It's over Reinhardt. You can't escape. Come quietly." You say, hoping he would surrender peacefully.

You knew it didn't really matter what you said. You knew his type. Reinhardt wasn't going anywhere. Neither were you.

"I know it's over and I have no intention of escaping." He asks, admiring the aurora in the night sky. "It's a beautiful night isn't it, (Y/N)?"

You honestly didn't understand why he was so calm.

"What are you playing at Reinhardt? You think playing nice will get you out of this mess?"

Midnight was growing antsy. 'Kill him and be done with it.'

The captain sighs and tosses his flask to the ground. "Let's face it (Y/N). Only one of us walks away from this."

The man draws his sword.

You draw yours.

Midnight backs away and stares on at the man before you. She didn't like standing by and watching, but she respected your request.

Truthfully, you knew nothing of the captain's skill. If any of his war stories were true, then he would be a challenging fight.

You narrow your eyes at him. He smirks in response.

You charge at Reinhardt and meet him in a deadly blade lock. The sound of steel against steel fills the night air.

* * *

(Elsa Perspective)

"Which way Sven?" Kristoff asks.

Sven looks around the area for any signs of presence. It was easy to tell if you had been doing this for years and Kristoff and Sven had been doing it longer. They had just left the city and were fast on the move. Since Sven lacked the enhanced sense of smell possessed by predators, he could only rely on keen vision and years of experience. The Reindeer inspects the scene before him.

As Kristoff and Sven work, Elsa paces the ground. The guards present remain vigilant and stand ready for any trouble that may arise.

She was worried. Her (H/C) haired lover had taken off as soon as the fighting began and has not returned since. She was scared that worst may have happened. Or that he had succeeded but was lying cold and wounded on the forest floor. In dire times, people will always assume the worst, and to assume the wort of someone you hold close to your heart was of all. Elsa was worried.

"Elsa," The woman turns to Kristoff. "We'll find him."

The blonde man gives her a warm smile.

Elsa smiles back, eyes still filled with worry. "I know we will."

Sven's ears perk up and his eyes dart into one direction. 'That way!'

Sven and Kristoff lead on as the rest turn to follow. The Snow Queen follows, trying not to assume the worst but failing miserably to do so.

* * *

(Normal Perspective)

You find yourself locked in a fierce battle with Reinhardt. As you parry and dodge each others' blows you had realized why he was so calm before, and why he was so confident that the two of you could slay the queen. Reinhardt truly was skilled just as skilled as his own stories made him out to be. The battle so far had been a stalemate. Every hit was blocked, every counter strike was parried. He pressed the assault, you dodged. You advance and he evaded. It was a mirror match with a slight edge toward Reinhardt. He certainly enjoyed using his mouth to his advantage.

"You know, I expected more from you (Y/N)." He says as you block another strike. "I'll admit you're pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the legends make you out to be."

You counter with another blow of your own. He deflects easily and retaliates.

"Maybe you're getting old."

Clang! Another strike rings throughout the field.

Reinhardt was trying to throw you off balance. You were barely twenty three. Age wasn't the issue.

"Or maybe you're out of practice..."

You duck a swing and move backwards.

Were you? The person you used to be might have handled this much faster with greater efficiency. No. you refuse to walk down that path again.

"Or maybe..." Reinhardt aims a strike at your head. Your footing was off.

"Gah!" You stumble backwards and bring your hand up to your cheek to feel a fresh cut running along side it. Reinhardt was getting to you. Here he had drawn first blood and you couldn't land so much as a scratch on him.

"You're too soft." He finishes.

With fire in your eyes, you charge once more. You slash at him, but he parries and sends your sword away. Reinhardt brings his blade down. You duck and move to the side. Reinhardt redirects his strike and tries to hit your side. You raise your sword to deflect the blow. You force his sword up and try to strike twice across his chest. He swiftly dodges both before locking your blades together. The both of you try to push back, struggling to gain control of the battle.

"You think killing me will change anything?" Reinhardt asks, still pushing against your sword.

You glare at the man as he continues to speak. You get ready to free your right hand.

"Once news of this reaches King Ulrich, the armies will march on Arendelle! It's only a matter -URG!"

You cut him off with a right hook to his face, smirking all the while. "You talk too much!"

Reinhardt stumbles back and spits a bit of blood onto the ground. He looks back and stares at you with malice in his eyes.

The man charges at you. You are forced into a defensive stance. Reinhardt attacks relentlessly, delivering blow after blow. You are forced back a few steps.

"Who do you think you are!?" A crushing blow forces your blade away. You try to recover but Reinhardt slams his knee into your gut, knocking the wind out of you. Reinhardt backs away as you double over in pain, clutching your gut. You struggle to stand.

Off in the distance Midnight moves to assist. As she steps forward, she stumbles and glances at her bandaged leg. The adrenaline that fueled her before was gone, replaced with worry and fear. If she tried to intervene now, she would only be a hindrance.

Midnight stares at your fallen form, still struggling to stand. 'Get up.'

You see Midnight look at you with worried eyes. You turn away and look up at Reinhardt.

"Wait. I can tell you exactly what you are." Reinhardt returns to his fallen flask and picks it up. "You try so hard to be something you're not..."

You look on as he takes a sip before looking down at you. "You try to be this noble warrior, a true paragon. But you know something? You're no better than me. Behind all that lies a heart of a ruthless killer. A murderer. Fighting is in your blood and you can't run away from that."

Reinhardt raises his flask to finish its contents.

You narrow your eyes and slowly stand. As you ponder his words, visions flash through your mind. The orphanage. The constant warfare. Killing from the shadows. Losing your memory. Meeting Elsa. Meeting Anna and your friends. Meeting Midnight. The Arendelle gardens. A black suit. A small child with ice blue eyes.

"You know what Reinhardt... You're right."

The captain tosses his empty flask o the ground and looks at you with an unimpressed stare.

"Fighting is in my blood. In my soul. I can't choose anything else."

You move to retrieve your sword.

"But I can choose what I fight for."

"And that," You raise your sword and get ready to charge. "Makes me a better man than you!"

Reinhardt shoots a glare your way. Midnight's ears perk up, impressed with your display of courage.

You smirk and charge into battle.

You block a strike and counter it with a blow of your own. Now it was your turn to play offense. You deliver a series of rapid strikes to the Ex-captain. You force him back several feet. You pull your blade back and lunge at his heart. He dodges to the side, but you spin around and catch him off guard. He barely had time to react to your strike, but managed to catch you in another blade lock. Reinhardt tries to knee your gut once more, but you stop it with your palm and force his foot back to the ground. Before he can attack again, you strike him across the face with the hilt of your sword. Reinhardt readies one final blow, a downward strike with all of his strength in it. You take your opportunity. You evade the strike and drag your sword across his side as you go. He cries out in pain. You spin around. Reinhardt's neck is exposed. You swing for it.

"Well played..." Reinhardt utters one final message before the sword connects. It was over. The spy's head rolls off his shoulders and tumbles to the ground below.

You breathe in heavily as the heat of battle leaves your body. That was your most difficult fight to date and quite frankly you were exhausted. You take a few steps away and allow your sword to fall to the ground. You manage a few more steps before dropping to your knees and falling to the ground below. You roll over on your back and sigh in relief.

You can hear Midnight limp her way over to you. You turn your head to see her grinning at you.

'Well fought.'

"Thanks." Your arms lie limp at your sides, too exhausted to move. You eyes move to look at her bandaged leg. The cloth was now soaked in blood. "We need to get that fixed up..."

'It'll be fine.' Midnight lays herself down next to you. 'Consider us even.'

The effects of fatigue begin to overcome the both of you. You try to stay awake. You can hear Midnight's breathing change. She was out cold. You needed to get her some help fast or she wouldn't live much longer. But you couldn't figure out how to do it. Midnight was much larger than an average wolf and even they weren't easy to carry around. You were out of ideas and running out of time.

The world was turning black.

"(Y/N)!"

'That voice... Can't be...'

"(Y/N)! I'm here!"

The darkness fades away as your lover rushes to your side.

"(Y/N)!" Elsa says, kneeling down at your side.

"Elsa..." You say, smiling up at her.

She holds a hand to your cheek. Her royal dress was singed in several places and there were burns on her body. Her face was covered in a light layer of ash and soot.

"Elsa, what were you...?" You find yourself unable to finish, signs of sleep filling your voice.

"Shh." Elsa says, taking your hands. "Rest now."

"Elsa..." You turn your head to face Midnight. "She needs help."

The snow queen looks at the large wolf, shock gracing her features. "Help?"

You manage a small nod. "Please."

The monarch looks cautiously at the dire wolf before giving you a small nod. "Okay."

"Elsa! Hey did you find- Whoa! That wolf is huge!" A new voice fills your ears.

"Kristoff?" You ask.

Elsa stands up and turns to face her companions. "Kristoff, Sven. Can the two of you carry this wolf back to the city?"

The voices fade away as exhaustion takes its toll and sleep takes you.

* * *

(? Perspective)

Far from the city of Arendelle in a small town, a lone man runs through the empty streets . He had been running ever since the breakout back at Castle Arendelle. He was a rather large man wearing a makeshift cloak over himself to hide the distinctive colors of an Arendelle prison uniform. He wasn't stupid.

'Vengeance can come later.' The man thought to himself. 'Right now I need a place to rest.'

He comes upon the local inn. As he opens the doors, the bartender turns to greet him.

"Hello there! Come on in!"

The large man steps into the light of the inn. The tables were all empty, the patrons asleep for the evening.

The large man walks up to the counter. "Any rooms available?"

The innkeeper looks sadly at the man. Sorry friend, all taken. But you're more than welcome to sit out here by the fire."

The large man sighs and pulls a stool out. The Innkeeper pulls a mug from behind the counter and fills it with a thick ale before offering it to the large man.

He looks up at the keeper.

"On the house, You look like you've been running for miles!"

The large man takes a big gulp. "You can say that again."

The keeper looks down at the sitting man. "So you just blowing through? On your way somewhere?"

The large man takes another swig before setting his mug down. "Corona."

"Corona? That's quite a ways away." The Innkeeper replies, surprised at his destination.

"I know. Know where a guy can get some supplies? Maybe a hammer?"

"Sure, there's a blacksmith right here in town. I'm sure he can set you up with what you need Mr...?"

"Clarence."

* * *

**And so ends the night of fire.**

**Reinhardt is dead And the crisis has been averted. For now...**

**Like hero mode Elsa?**

**Will Midnight make it? Hopefully... **

**What's Clarence up to?**

**Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and a huge thanks for taking the time to read it!**

**Any suggestions, advice, ideas? Leave me a review!**

**Till next time! **


	19. Aftermath

**First conflict resolved!**

**Feels... kinda good on my end! **

**Okay, moving on to more pressing meters... Vacation coming up! **

**Can't thank you enough for all the support and reads! **

**I assure the love scene will happen when it happens. **

**Don't worry! I'm still doing it, just give it some time.**

**On with Story!**

* * *

Chapter 19: Aftermath

Your body is aching all around. Memories flood your vision. A fierce battle between warriors, an attack on the city, and a wounded companion.

Your eyes slowly open. A familiar looking ceiling fills your vision. You were in your room resting from your battle in the forest. You turn your head to the open window. It was light out, mid morning if you had to guess. Your armor and weapons were on their respective racks, removed along with your clothing save your pair of pants. Overall the battle last night hadn't been fatal in the sort. You had only suffered several bruises and cuts across your body, but the amount of effort and stamina it took to kill someone just as skilled as you in the art of combat was incredibly taxing. Your muscles were on fire and cried for you to stay still. Ignoring your sore body, you sit up in bed. Looking around the room, your eyes come upon a sight that brings you a relieved sigh.

Midnight was resting in the corner of the room on a makeshift hospital bed. The bed itself look strained and ready to collapse if anymore weight were to be placed on it. To side of her was small table that contained a large amount of bloodied rags and gauze. Glancing closer at her, you can see her hind leg heavily bandaged, but otherwise looked unharmed. You can see her breathing steadily. It was calming to listen to her breathe in and out, knowing she made it through the night. Probably just as, if not more, tired than you were, but alive nonetheless. You move to the front of the bed to see her face. Her right eye was bandaged at an angle going downward, signifying the wound she had received last night. While the damage to her head was not as extensive as her hind leg, it was enough to leave a permanent scar. You can barely make out the wound through the wrapping around her head. She had a certain look to her, as if she was afraid of something. It was hard to believe that Midnight could be scared of anything.

'Must be a bad dream.' You gently move to scratch her head. She calms at your touch.

_'Click' _The sound of the door opening catches your attention.

You turn your head to see Gerda enter with a small tray of breakfast. "Oh! Master (Y/N), you're up already. Good morning."

"Good morning, Gerda." You say offering her a small smile.

"Hard to believe you're up considering what happened to the city last night." The faithful servant throws a set of worrisome eyes towards the slumbering beast, before moving to place the tray on your bed.

"The city..." You look up at Gerda with a worried face. "Gerda, are the people safe? Do you know how bad the damage was?"

She looks at you with sad eyes. "I don't rightly know, I'm afraid. I was here in the castle during the attack. You'll have to ask the queen."

"I see." You turn your head back to face Midnight. If you knew Elsa correctly, then she would be in her study, trying to figure a way to address her people about the calamity of last night. She probably hadn't slept since last night either.

You lay a gentle hand back on Midnight's head.

"You know I almost fainted when they brought her in here last the night, she awoke as soon as they started treating her wounds. Looked about ready to pounce on someone." Gerda says, stepping a little closer to you.

"I'm just glad someone was able to help her." You say, looking over her wounds again.

"She certainly scared half the castle," Gerda says. "But the queen made it perfectly clear to the doctors that she needed help."

You smile at Elsa's mention. 'I need to go see her.'

"I imagine the doctors had trouble fixing her up..." You say, not turning away from the dire wolf.

"Surprisingly," Gerda says with a happier tone. "The doctors had no trouble."

You turn to stare at the head servant with a raised eyebrow. "Really? I would have figured she would have been more resistant."

"Well, she was... At first." Gerda points to the area around the bed.

You aim your eyes towards the spots she was pointing to. Visible claw markings and shredded bedsheets littered the ground. Small splotches of dried blood were scattered across the floor and bed.

Fear filled your eyes as you look upon the blood stains. "Did she... hurt anyone?"

"Oh heavens no!" Gerda states, taken aback. "Once she understood what was happening, she settled down and allowed them to treat her. She fell asleep as soon as the bandages were on."

You sigh in relief as Gerda begins walking to the door. 'That's a relief.'

If Midnight had harmed anyone you knew exactly what the response would have been. Guards would have had to put her down. You smile, glad that it hadn't come to that ultimatum.

"Well, breakfast is on the bed and I'll inform Queen Elsa that you're awake."

You smile warmly at her. "Thank you, Gerda."

She returns your gesture and bows slightly before exiting the room.

A low growl causes you to look over to the sleeping wolf. Interestingly, the sound was coming fr her stomach rather than her throat.

Her eyes slowly open. They dart around the room quickly before settling on you.

"Good morning." You say, stepping closer.

She moves to stand and leave the bed but winces at the pain in her leg. 'What's so good about it?'

"Easy," You say reaching to stop her. "The stitches are still fresh."

She turns her head to look at her bandaged leg. 'It appears I have a weakness for arrows.'

Midnight moves to examine her surroundings. You know her eyes, you know her look. One of caution, reluctance and perhaps some curiosity. Of course this was to be expected. She was a stranger in every sense of the word, in a strange land no less. If you were in a similar position, you'd have your guard up as well. Of course she made it clear last night that she was only returning the favor. You were still unsure if she trusted you entirely. You were hoping that she did, because you honestly felt like you could trust her almost as much as you could trust Elsa.

'This is what society looks like.' With a raised eyebrow, she turns her free eye at you. 'Different from what I expected.'

You manage a small chuckle. "This place isn't exactly reflective of the whole of society."

'Still.' She turns to stare once more at her surroundings. 'I'm not used to walls... Or people.'

Her stomach growls again, louder than before. 'It appears I may have another weakness.'

You laugh a little and move to the tray of food on your bed. Your remove the tray cover and reveal it's assorted items. Three eggs prepared just the way you like them, a few strips of bacon, two slices of toast and a small plate of waffles coated with imported maple syrup. Granted it wouldn't mean much to a wolf Midnight's size, it would still be enough to tide her over for maybe an hour while you go and check on Elsa.

You carry the tray over to the hungry wolf.

'What's this?' She looks at you with a questioning gaze. 'Smells like...'

"Something to help with your weakness." You set the food down and remove one piece of toast to bite on it. "It was meant for me, but I'm not really hungry."

She eyes the eggs, staring on curiously. 'What exactly is this?'

'Not exactly a fitting meal.' She responds, looking at the tray. 'But I suppose it will do for now.'

You smile gently as you continue to bite on your toast, finishing it rather quickly. As Midnight pokes and prods at her meal, curious at the way these odd humans prepare food, you move to put on some suitable clothing. As you finish fastening your boots, Midnight looks up from her meal.

'Leaving me already? Here I was beginning to enjoy talking with you.'

"I need to go see someone." You smile softly at her and rise to leave the room. "And you need to stay here and rest. We can talk some more later."

'The person you're going to see, She has blue eyes doesn't she?'

"Yes, How did you know that?"

'She was here in the room last night. Smelled of fire and ash. Kept watch over you for a time.'

Midnight cocks her head once more. 'She's your mate isn't she?'

You laugh slightly. "As blunt as you could possibly define our relationship, yes."

You smile softly and open the door to leave. "I'll be right back."

The wolf shrugs and looks back to the spread of food. After a brief moment of reluctance, the large wolf takes a small, testing bite of eggs. 'Hmm Not bad.'

Midnight turns her attention to the small plate of waffles. A thin layer of sticky syrup coated the small stack. She takes a small whiff.

'Smells... sweet.'

She moves to take a bite. Her eyes widen, filled with pure joy.

'Oh my...'

* * *

You slowly make your way through the halls of Castle Arendelle, taking in the sights of servants moving through the halls. They did seem slightly more optimistic as they bowed once you passed, greeting you with a warm smile and a kindly "Good Morning". Odd, considering what had happened several hours ago. There was something else in their gazes... Relief by the look of it. The optimism brings a small smile to your face as you make your way to Elsa's study. You needed to make it a point to visit the barracks to see just how well the guards handled the situation.

'Or maybe I don't have to.' You think to yourself as you approach Elsa's study. Luck would have it that the pair of guards you wanted to see were just now exiting the study, bright eyes lighting up their faces.

As you grow closer, Anders notices you first.

"(Y/N)!" He calls, walking up to you, Tara following closely.

"Hello (Y/N)!" Tara follows.

"Anders, Tara," You say smiling at the both of them. "Looks like you two handled last night very well."

Tara immediately snaps into a more formal stance. "The guards performed at optimal levels and most threats to the local populace were handles with maximum efficiency. Nearly no casualties to the guard, sir."

Tara's transition into proper protocol was mildly unsettling. You had always been addressed and spoken to like a fellow warrior and companion, not this 'formal' nonsense. She was speaking to you like a superior officer rather then a friend. Actually, now that you think about it, the guards no longer had a superior officer. The Arendelle guard only answered to two people: The guard captain and the reigning monarch. With Reinhardt dead, you were the only other person aside from Elsa that the guards looked up to, Tara especially. It was only natural for someone like her to address you in such a manner. To be quite honest, you had enough formalities when you were in command back in your past life.

You look over to Anders with a raised eye brow. The blonde man simply chuckle as you look back at Tara.

"Easy Tara." You say, chuckling softly as you place a hand on the young woman's shoulders. "I'm not your boss... yet."

She laughs slightly, easing up from her tense pose just moments before. You smile warmly before narrowing your eyes. "Tara you said nearly no casualties. Does that mean...?"

Tara's eyes fall to the ground. "Three dead. Four injured. The bodies are being held in the castle morgue."

Anders' eyes appear darkened as well, looking far off, as if contemplating different outcomes to the night. Maybe there was something he could have done. Maybe he should have been quicker. What goes on in Anders' mind doesn't matter at this point. Even with your training, even as courageous as they were, they were still human. While the loss of several good people was disheartening, it was slightly uplifting knowing that they had minimized the impact and damages from what could have been a slaughter.

"Do you know who was lost?" You ask, hoping Tara would have names.

The young woman, eyes nearly tearing, pauses before speaking. "Mcgregor, Klaus, and Ingrid."

"I should go see them." You quietly say, referring to the guards that had died. It was even more saddening considering that you had actually taken the time to grow close to each member of the royal guard. These men and women were unlike the troops you commanded in Aravan. These were your friends and companions. You can remember sharing laughs and singing songs during hard days of training and occasionally sticking around afterward for a drink or two. They weren't just there to listen and follow orders, and they sure as hell weren't expendable resources. You needed to pay your respects.

A moment passes with nothing but silence to fill the void. After a few moments pass, you look to Tara.

"Did you get every escapee?" You ask hoping to hear good news to lighten the mood. You couldn't bring them back, but hopefully you could find solace hearing the news of the criminals.

"I checked the prisoner manifest." Tara says, her voice starting to resemble the formality it once had. "Looks like everyone is accounted for, but we still need to run the numbers again to see if we missed any."

"Good." You respond, optimism taking the place of sadness. "And damage to the city? How are the citizens?"

"Well," Anders begins, sadness starting to leave his voice. "No reported civilian casualties and Most of the damage was from fires that the escaped criminals started. The queen actually was the one who took care of every flame."

"Really..." You mind trails of to thoughts of last night. You remember Elsa arriving, dress singed and minor burns in certain places. Midnight had told you Elsa smelled of fire and ash.

'Eventful evening for everyone it seems.' You look past them and to Elsa's door. "I suppose it's safe to assume her highness is in there."

Anders and Tara step aside to let you pass. "Of course. We just finished giving her a detailed report on last night."

"Thanks guys," You smile softly at the pair and clap them both on the shoulder. "Now get some rest. You both had a pretty stressful evening. We can catch up more later."

While you had been battling criminals and an ex-guard captain in the forest, you were completely unaware of the battle being waged back at home. According to everything that's been revealed to you so far, Anders and Tara handled the situation phenomenally. But you wanted to hear the story personally. For now though, they looked like they needed sleep.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Anders replies, yawning as he walks towards the barracks. "My bunk is calling out to me."

Tara nods and moves to follow. "See you later (Y/N)."

As the retreating pair round the corner, you turn back and slowly open the door to Elsa's study.

Just as you had predicted. There she was sitting at her desk, scribbling away at some unseen parchment. She was tired. You can see it in her movements, the way her eyes fall downward and head drooping slightly, occasionally bouncing back up in an attempt to stave off sleep. You knew how she could get when like this. Most of the time the world around her didn't matter, focusing only on her task. Given the severity of last night's attack on the city, she was working herself to death. Elsa always took some convincing to drop what she was doing and take a break. Anna could usually do it by yanking the quill from her hands and forcing Elsa to chase her around the room until she gave in. Your preferred method of persuasion involved moving your head in between her eyes and her work, and placing a tender kiss on her lips. While Elsa did have a lot of fun chasing her sister around the room, your method got her to lighten up much faster.

Right now, you weren't sure if even that would work. Last night's events were the most intense and stressful ties of Elsa's short reign as Queen. Addressing something like this was entirely new and was probably frightening. Even now, Elsa was hard at work, not looking up as you step into the room.

"Good morning, love." You say making your presence known.

The snow queen remained still, entrapped in the duties of being the leader of an entire kingdom. "Good morning."

Her voice was tiresome and sounded drone-like.

"Elsa..."

She didn't respond, opting to continue scribbling away.

You sigh slightly at this and move closer to her desk. It didn't even seem like she knew who you were at the moment. You stop and try to ponder some way to break her out of her stupor.

'Maybe the old way is best.'

You place both hands on the front of her desk. Elsa remains focused on her paper. You place a hand on her cheek and slowly bring her gorgeous blue eyes up to yours.

"(Y/N), I'm in..." Elsa trails off as she gazes into your (E/C) eyes, enthralled by the sheer emotion radiating from them. "...the middle of..."

'Yep, old way is the best.' You smile softly and bring your lips closer to Elsa's meeting her in a passionate kiss. Elsa's hand releases the quill. The snow queen leans into the kiss and begins to run her fingers through your hair. You open your mouth slightly and press the tip of your tongue against her lip, asking for entrance. Elsa eagerly responds and allows your tongue to enter. As you explore Elsa's mouth once more, you put every ounce of passion you had into the kiss. After the night you had, something like this was long overdue. Moments later you separate, your tongue already missing the feeling of Elsa's.

"Hey." You say, breaking the kiss to smile at her.

"Thank you." She simply smiles and continues to softly stroke your hair, letting out her frustrations with a sigh. "I needed that."

"I could tell." You say, laughing lightly. Your vision moves over to Elsa's skin. Several small burns were scattered around her arms. You carefully trace your fingers across a small burn on her neck.

"Are you alright?"

"It's fine." Elsa pulls her hands away from your hair and covers the burn on her neck. "Really, it doesn't hurt at all."

"Elsa you could have been seriously hurt... or worse. I don't think I could live with that."

Elsa narrows her eyes, raising her voice slightly. "Well I wasn't going to sit around and do nothing, (Y/N)."

Elsa stares on with fire in her eyes. "If I hadn't done something, then the fires could have spiraled out of control."

The queen looks into your eyes, reflecting determination and hope. "What would you have done?"

You find yourself smiling at Elsa's words. She was the love of your life and her safety as well as the safety of your friends meant everything to you. But you honestly couldn't help but feel proud as she spoke with such a decided tone. There was something inspiring about a ruler who gets up and helps rather than watch from the comfort of the throne. Elsa truly was amazing and you could trust her to handle herself.

"Probably the same thing." You begin, smiling softly at her. "I understand, I'm just glad you're not hurt."

Elsa smiles at your comment and softly caresses your cheek. As she traces her thumb over your cheek, she takes notice of your own marks from last evening, eyes tracing over the cut Reinhardt had inflicted on your cheek. Concern fills her features. It was expected. Elsa had found you last night barely clinging to consciousness next to a dying wolf.

"What about you?" Elsa takes the both of your hands. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine really. Just a few cuts and bruises, nothing life threatening." You reply, eyes filling with a hint of regret. You personally were fine, which was more than you could say about the

The snow queen sees the look in your eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I..." You start, ind hesitating at the thought of your lost guardsmen. "...Lost some good people."

Your eyes fall downward, mimicking Anders from before. Maybe things would have been different. Maybe you should have predicted what Reinhardt would have done. No. That's impossible. No one could have predicted that. What if you hadn't pursued? More people would have died in the long run. The thought of what could have been perplexes you. Back in Aravan, you didn't care how many troops you lost. Just as long as the battle was won. Here, the idea of losing people you've grown close to was frightening, but it was a painful reality you had to come to terms with. It was odd, thinking about your past life. You have vivid memories of watching as your troops fall all around you. You can remember being angry, not for the loss of your soldiers, but angry at the fact that they couldn't live up to your standards. Actually caring for your forces put this into perspective.

Elsa sees your look, she knows those eyes. She places a hand on your shoulder. "(Y/N)... I'm sorry."

Elsa wasn't sure what to say, finding herself equally saddened at the news.

"It's okay. They knew the risks and dangers." This was the life you lived. The life that anyone who drew a sword lived. You just had to come to terms with it. "I can only hope to give them a good send off."

Elsa reaches across the desk and pulls you in for a firm hug. The queen separates from you slightly to place a chaste kiss on your forehead. You couldn't change what happened, but being right here with Elsa was enough to ease your mind for a moment.

"Thank you."

The snow queen smiles softly before moving away.

"How is your... um... friend? Is she alright?" Elsa asks, trying to change the topic.

"She's all bandaged up," You reply, thinking about the large wolf who was currently resting in your room. "But she'll make it. It was a good thing you came when you did. I don't think she would still be breathing if you hadn't."

"Good." Elsa breathes a relieved sigh and moves to glance down at the parchment she was scribbling on earlier. "That's one less thing I have to worry about."

You look at Elsa's writing curiously before making your way around Elsa's desk and lean against the back of Elsa's chair as she returns to sit in it. "How bad was the damage?"

"Not as bad as you may think." Elsa says focusing her attention on the paper. "Most of the damage was from fires, which I put out personally. Overall there are no crippling effects to the city."

You glance closer at Elsa's desk to notice various books and parchments from a time long before Elsa or even her parents were ruling. The wording was small and the print was archaic.

"Elsa, what are these books here?"

"I realized that we needed to be better prepared if something like last night were to ever happen again." Elsa's voice carried a hint of worry. "These are old books of Arendelle law back when it was a warring nation. Back when my ancestors fought for control of the lands."

"Elsa what do you mean? Warring nation? Are you...?" You already knew what Elsa had in mind.

"Yes." Elsa looks down at the paper she was writing. It was a formal declaration. "Arendelle needs its army again."

"Elsa are you sure about this?" Truthfully, it was a good idea. Elsa was kind and wise enough to know how to use her resources and stop herself and the whole of Arendelle from becoming power hungry. The perfect queen to command a passive nation.

"I've already made the decision. A proper military force would mean that more people would be readily available. Even soldiers who were not currently on duty would still have the training and knowledge to handle threats like a missing criminal or a wild animal attack." Elsa sighs once more, stress beginning to fill her voice. "I've just been trying to figure out a way to break this to the people."

That was a variable you couldn't predict. Elsa was a kind woman. One who certainly knew restraint. How would the citizens react to this? You were unsure. What you were sure of was that Elsa needed to take a break.

"Elsa," You say, placing a soft hand on her neck, carefully avoiding the burns. "I'm not sure how the people will react."

"But what ever happens I'm right behind you." You gently massage the back of her neck. She was incredibly tense. Her neck was stiff and felt like it desperately needed a pillow. She definitely needed a break.

You reach down and take both of Elsa's hands, pulling her up from her chair. "Come on."

"(Y/N), I need to work." Elsa says protesting your intentions, but standing as you pull her to her feet.

"Elsa you need to relax. You've clearly been awake all night. I know that this is important but you it's not going to do you any good to stay cooped up in this room."

"But-" the snow queen finds herself unable to speak, lips captured by your own.

"Come on," You say, giving her a playful grin. "Just for a bit?"

Elsa furrows her brow and looks at you, slight irritation in her eyes. She glances at your playful grin before exhaling a gust of air.

"Okay," Elsa replies, smiling along with you. "Where are we going?"

"Great!" You smile and lead her out of the study. "I think someone wants to meet you."

* * *

You lead Elsa back towards your room, listening on as she tells of her exploits from last night. It was inspiring to think Elsa would do something so courageous while most people would wait and hope that fate would swing in their favor. Elsa said it herself, she wasn't the type to wait for fate. She was a hero, just as much as the guards who rallied to the defense of her and her subjects. Not that she would ever admit it.

"I really thought that the flames would overtake the both of us." Elsa says, arm linked with yours. "Something kept me going. A single thought among others. I couldn't die. I couldn't let the child die, so I summoned my strength and blasted the fires back!"

"Wow..." You say as you latch on to her every word, captivated by her tale of bravery. What was truly inspiring was how excited she was in explaining it. Like she enjoyed being a hero.

"That's incredible Elsa!"

"It was nothing really." Elsa says giggling at the praise.

"No Really, You're a hero!"

The platinum blonde queen looks away blushing. "I'm just doing my job, (Y/N)."

You chuckle at her modesty. "I wouldn't be so sure Elsa. Most kings and queens would cower away in their palaces. Unless you quit being queen to join the fire brigade..."

"Believe me. If I did that, Anna would have a heart attack." Elsa moves her hand to her cheek. "Probably slap me even harder as well..."

"Wait a minute, Anna slapped you?" You ask with a raised brow.

"Mhmm. Right across the face. It did sting for a bit, but I can understand why she did it." Elsa smiles softly, thinking about how much Anna cared about her sister.

As you make your way to your room something crosses you mind.

"Hey Elsa, Remember when you said a single thought kept you going?"

"Umm... yes?" Elsa can feel the heat rushing up to her cheeks thinking back to last vision she had before extinguishing the fire.

"Mind if I know what it was?" You ask, a wide grin on your face.

"Um..." She drags on, face red and furiously looking for a way out of the question. "Oh, look! We're here!"

Elsa hurriedly makes her way, pulling you along to your room. After taking note of Elsa's red cheeks, you laugh slightly and move to open the door.

"Okay, don't let looks scare you, she's a lot more clever then than most animals."

You open the door and allow Elsa to enter. The two of you are greeted by a curious sight. There was Midnight, in all her glory, laying on the bed with plates of food licked absolutely clean. In fact from what you could see, the plate that had the waffles on it was chewed up even.

The wolf, licking her paws clean, looks up from the bed. 'Oh, guests.'

In the light of the sun, Midnight was actually quite fearsome and would intimidate any person to step into the room, despite the bandages. Fear was a common emotion Midnight would elicit, and the effects of it were radiating off of Elsa's body.

Elsa looks to you with an unsure stare. You smile warmly and gently grasp her hand in an act of reassurance. "Go on, she doesn't bite."

Elsa breathes deeply and moves closer to the bed.

As she does this, Midnight cocks her head to the side. 'Hm, The fire lady. You are stunning in the daylight.'

The large wolf turns to you. 'Your litter of young ones will be just as beautiful no doubt.'

Elsa adopts a confused expression and turns back to look at you.

"She says hello." You reply, blushing at Midnight's implication. 'Litter of young ones? It's a good thing Elsa didn't pick up on that.'

"Ah," Elsa turns back to the wolf, formally bowing. "Hello, my name is Elsa. It's nice to meet you."

Midnight's ears perk up. 'Elsa. A lovely name. My name is Midnight.'

Elsa looks confused, something you find odd. Elsa should have had enough time to grow accustomed to judging what an animal like Midnight was saying. She definitely had enough time to learn how to read Sven, but you couldn't understand why it was hard for her to read Midnight. But then again, Sven usually made blatantly obvious with his gestures. You decide to introduce Midnight to avoid the awkward silence.

"Elsa this is Midnight. The same wolf I freed from the hunters' net, and I probably wouldn't have been able to track Reinhardt without her help."

"Midnight," Elsa looks on at the injured wolf, adopting a more regal and queen-like voice. "I would like to formally thank you for your assistance last night, and sincerely apologize for the injuries you have sustained. If there was anything that you need or request I will do everything in power to see that it happens."

'No need for such formality. No thanks are necessary. I was simply returning the favor. The chance to fight was reward enough.'

Elsa looks to you, unsure of what the wolf was saying.

"She says, your welcome, but she doesn't really want a reward."

"Really? There isn't anything at all? I feel awful just thinking about what happened..." Elsa says, looking over Midnight's wounds.

"I feel the same way, but she isn't the type to put a price on something like this."

Elsa looks over to Midnight who looks back with decided eyes. 'It's fine. You sound... sleepy.'

"Are you abso -Yawn-" You can tell Elsa's sleepless night is catching up with her as she cuts herself off with a yawn. As excited as she was to meet the fabled dire wolf, Elsa had been awake all of yesterday and all through the night. Drowsiness as setting in.

"Elsa you should get some rest." You say, leading her to your bed.

"No, no It's okay. I just need to sit down for a moment."

Elsa yawns once more before settling down on your bed.

'How long do you think before she falls asleep?' Midnight asks.

"Give it a few seconds. Maybe a minute tops." You reply, chuckling.

"A minute? For what?" Elsa asks, stifling a yawn. "Oh, (Y/N) I didn't realize your bed was so comfortable."

The snow queen gently lays herself down, her head meeting the pillow it so desperately yearned for.

"Sweet dreams, Elsa." You say, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'm still awake..." Elsa protests, trying to stave off the inevitability of slumber. "I just -yawn- need to... rest my eyes for a moment...zzzz."

You look over to Midnight as she perks her ears up, listening to Elsa's breath. Midnight looks at the resting form of Elsa before turning to you. 'She's out.'

"Well, she has been up all night." You say, shrugging slightly.

You move to the edge of the bed and lean against the bedpost. The wolf looks up at you with questioning eyes.

'You said we would talk, correct? I have a question.'

"Ask away."

'What was that marvelous concoction?' She asks, looking down at the plate that once held the syrup covered waffles.

"What, the waffles?" You ask raising an eyebrow.

'Waf-fles? Interesting. If your mate absolutely has to repay me, then I find waffles to be a satisfactory... Along with the sticky brown liquid.' She says, bringing up a paw to lick it.

"You mean syrup?"

'Syrup... yes.'

"I'll be sure to ask a servant for another order when I'm able." You say, laughing slightly at Midnight's newly found affection for waffles with maple syrup.

"Okay I have a question. When your wounds are healed, what will you do?" You ask, slight sadness in your tone. You realized Midnight would want to return to the wild. She had only helped in an effort to repay you for saving her that one day, and now that the favor was returned, she didn't really have a reason to stay other than for her wounds. You felt something when you charged in to battle with her last night. Like a natural connection between the two of you. It was easier for you to communicate with her, and in a lot of ways she was like you. Brave, showed great conviction, and just as determined as she was deadly. It would be sad to see her go, but you couldn't help it. If she wanted to leave, then there was nothing keeping her.

'Oh.' She looks at you with sad eyes. 'I suppose I go back to the forest for my life of solitude.'

There was something in those eyes, something in the way she looked. Like she was afraid of being alone.

"Don't you have a pack?"

Midnight snarls at the mention of the word. 'When I was born, I was the weakest of my mother's litter. I was small and frail, needing more than my siblings. The other, older, members as well as my brothers and sisters saw that I needed the most attention. My father, the alpha, only saw me as a weakness, an embarrassment. He failed to believe that something as weak as me could have ever been his spawn. A hindrance to the the pack. I was the omega. Not even a chance to grow and I was already the pariah.'

Your eyes widen as Midnight tells her story. Hard to believe that the wolf before was calling herself the weakest of her family, the runt. You listen on as Midnight continues.

'It was little time before the my pack stopped caring. I was still small and weak when it happened.'

"When what happened?" You ask.

'When my father and pack members abandoned me.' Midnight's free eyes narrows as she relives the memory.

"What about your mother? Didn't she care?" You honestly knew nothing of how wolves, especially dire wolves, functioned in the wild, but surely a mother wouldn't stop loving their child.

'My mother was a damned sheep!' Midnight looks angry, growling, ready to attack something. She calms herself to continue. 'She blindly followed my father's command because he was the alpha. I watched as she turned away from me to follow my father. My mother means nothing to me.'

Midnight looks sadly to the ground. 'I tried desperately to find them. I didn't understand what was happening. I tried until the sun fell behind the mountains. I was exhausted and lonely, crying for my mother, for my siblings, but none would answer.'

Her eyes once again fill with anger. 'At first I was confused. Scared. I cried deep into the night. When the moon was high in the sky, at the Midnight hour, something changed within me. I felt rage. Angry at my father, angry at the pack, and angry at the world. So I got up.'

Midnight's story was sad, to be abandoned by her only family. Left to die by her parents. You never knew a parent's love, and it seems neither has she.

"What did you do?"

'I did what any creature would do. I ran. I hunted. I survived. As the years went on, so did I.'

The dire wolf's expression grows fierce and powerful. 'I vowed that I would grow stronger. Become faster. I promised that would find my pack and assert myself as alpha. I would make them pay for what they did. My father would die and I would rule! During those years of isolation, I only had my rage to keep me going. And with that anger driving me, I grew larger. I became more deadly I was feared by any creature to dare tread on my territory! I was no longer the omega.'

"Did you ever find your pack?"

Her eyes drop once more. 'No. I started searching for them some time ago, but never could find them. I gave up on the search eventually. Until I met your kind I wandered the wilderness, only fending for myself. I didn't know companionship. Until I met you.'

You realize what she was afraid of, being alone. She only knew loneliness. Until she met you.

"Midnight... do you want to stay here with me?"

The wolf tilts her head, hope apparent in her face. 'Here with you?'

"Sure, we could be like a pack ourselves." You say, smiling at her.

Midnight looks offended. 'I am no one's omega! Never again.'

Of course. Pack mentality meant that one of you had to be alpha. With only two members, someone was bound to be omega. In fact the whole idea of having a 'pack' seemed offensive to her. You ponder for another solution, smiling as one comes to mind.

"Fine, we won't be a pack." The wolf's look fills with sadness. She likely thought you were going back on your offer for her to stay, and she would rather spend the rest of her days as a lone wolf opposed to competing with you for top spot.

"We can be something else." You speak up, catching her attention. "We can be partners."

'Partners?'

"Yes, equals. I don't order you and you don't have to be alone anymore." You step up to the wolf and hold your hand out, giving her a warm smile. "What do you say?"

She looks down at your hand and then back to you. Midnight ponders your suggestion.

She raises her large paw and places it in your hand, managing a grin. 'Partners.'

_Knock Knock! _The sound of someone at the door causes you to look away.

"Come in," You say trying not to wake the sleeping Elsa.

The door opens to reveal your friends.

"Whoa... You weren't kidding Kristoff... she's huge..." Anna states, looking at the large wolf.

'Is she calling me fat?'

You chuckle lightly as Olaf makes his way into the room.

"Oh wow! New friend!" He says excitedly.

You wave your arms to catch Olaf's attention.

"Olaf, shhh. Not too loud." You say pointing to a sleeping Elsa.

"Oh!" Olaf quickly covers his mouth. "Sorry."

Anna glances at her sleeping sister as she cuddles your blanket. "Wait... did the two of you... you know?"

"What? No! She's just taking a nap. We haven't done anything like that, yet."

"Oh... huh... really? I figured you would have by now."

"Ugh... Everyone says that... It'll happen when it happens..."

You smile softly at your friends. "Elsa tells me you all helped quite a bit last night. Great job guys."

"Well we did what we can, Elsa was a real hero though." Anna says, eyes moving to Elsa's sleeping form.

Sven finally pushes his way into the room and stares at Midnight with a face filled with fear.

Sven slowly moves behind Kristoff. Wolves had a fierce reputation within the animal kingdom, and to see one as big as Midnight was quite intimidating. Even now, all of your friends (Minus Olaf) looked very cautiously at the large wolf.

'Who are these people?' Midnight looks on curiously.

You smile and gesture to Midnight. "Guys, this is Midnight. She's a friend."

You move closer to your friends and prepare to introduce them.

"Midnight, This is Anna,"

"Um, Hello!" Anna says with a grin.

"Kristoff,"

"Hey," The blonde man says, still staring in awe.

"Olaf,"

"Hey!" The young snowman rushes over to Midnight for a hug.

Resisting the urge to bite down on the little snowman, she looks at him quizzically. 'What are you exactly?'

"Aw I like you too!" Olaf responds, unaware of Midnight's actual thoughts. The wolf directs her attention to the last member of the group.

"And Sven." You finish, pointing to the reindeer.

'My, Sven you look good...' Midnight eyes him with a predatory leer. 'Good enough to eat.'

Sven blushes and moves even more behind Kristoff, practically shaking. Sven was no coward, but it's not like seeing a dire wolf was a normal occurrence.

"Easy, Midnight. Sven's not on the menu."

The dark-furred wolf, shrugs and sends a smirk Sven's way.

"Well, come on don't be shy." You smile softly and let your friends get closer to Midnight. "She doesn't bite."

With some slight reluctance, they step a little bit closer.

You smile as your friends begin to (Or at least try to) get acquainted with the castle's newest resident.

* * *

**Just a little Midnight back story for everyone's enjoyment.**

**Okay, not much else to say except, Thanks for reading! **

**Vacation chapter(s) coming up real soon! So stick around!**

**Okay, till next time! Bye!**


	20. The Invitation

**New Chapter Everyone! (Relatively Speaking)**

**So happy you all stuck around!**

**Can't thank you enough for all the support, but thanks anyway!**

**Well, I'm really anxious to get this out for you guys, so please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 20: The Invitation

You quietly stand as Elsa paces the entrance to the balcony overlooking the courtyard. It had been two days since the attack on the city and the death of the traitorous captain Reinhardt. The city had been recovering from attack and its citizens have yet to hear word from their queen. That was about to change however, as Elsa had requested every citizen in the city to attend her declaration. She was going to announce the reformation of Arendelle's armies. This was still an unknown variable. Arendelle was a peaceful nation, and its citizens weren't accustomed to the idea of having a full blown army. As tough as it was for Elsa to ask, it was necessary. They needed a proper defense. Of course Elsa only had defense in mind. She would never use her army as an invasion force. It just wasn't in her to endanger the lives of her people for some mindless conquest. Elsa's only intention was peace, you understood that. But would the people understand?

Elsa continued to pace around. She looked about as nervous as she would be on her wedding day.

You feel your cheeks heat up at the thought.

Okay, bad example. But still, she looked edgy. Deciding to do something, you make your way over to her and take her hands, bringing her to a stop.

"Elsa, just calm down. What's the worse that could happen?"

"What if they don't want to form an army? What if the people overthrow me, put my head on a chopping block and-"

"Whoa, that's a bit extreme isn't it?"

"It's a possibility..." Elsa mumbles, voice stressed from her pending declaration.

"Elsa it will be fine. You already cleared it with the council. I'm sure the people will also see reason. They might not like it at first, but they certainly won't have a major uproar."

"But what if they do?" Elsa asks as she looks down, mind still filled with anxiety.

You look at her with assured eyes. "Then I'll be here to protect you."

Elsa looks into your (E/C) eyes, spirit uplifted slightly by your promise. "I... I'm sorry, it's just I've never done this sort of declaration before."

You nod softly. "You'll be fine, love."

"Okay." The snow queen breathes deeply and pulls you in for a hug. "I can do this."

You only smile and hold her close. Elsa separates from you and places a hand on your cheek, stroking it softly. The snow queen pulls you in for a gentle kiss. As you move to deepen it, the sounds of footsteps break you out of your moment, causing Elsa's look to adopt a pouting expression.

"Well, I didn't know lips were a good cure for nerves." Anna says, walking up to the two of you with Kristoff's arm draped over her shoulders.

"It depends on the person, really." You say, smirking at the pair while Elsa's pout transitions into an irritated stare.

"Another private moment ruined." Elsa says, sighing softly. She wasn't mad at Anna and Kristoff. It wasn't really their fault. Anna was the princess and as such was required to stand by Elsa during events like this. So they were already on their way over to the doors, so It wasn't as if they planned to intrude on the two of you... plus the hallway wasn't exactly like your bedroom. Anyone could have walked in on that kiss.

"Sorry sis, Duty calls." Anna says with apologetic eyes.

Elsa sighs once more and moves to hug her sister. "Let's hope it goes well, Anna."

You look at Kristoff. Opposed to your formal attire, he was wearing casual everyday clothes.

"Not joining us on the balcony, Kristoff?"

"Nope, I'm not really good with speeches. And I don't think I could handle the crowd."

"I see." You reply. It was understandable for why Kristoff didn't want to be up there with Elsa and Anna. You actually had to be up there due to your status as acting guard captain. It wasn't official, but you had talked it over with Elsa yesterday. There was no one better for the job. The guards already serving trusted you, looked up to you even. It was only natural that you took the job. The guards' approval was unanimous and unchallenged. To be honest, the position you were given felt right.

"Still, you did help out quite a bit during the attack, so it wouldn't be too awkward." You say, smirking at the blonde.

"True, but it starts in a few minutes and I don't exactly look the part." Kristoff smiles softly as another man enters from the opposite side of the hall.

Kai steps closer to you all, before bowing to Elsa and Anna. "Queen Elsa, Princess Anna."

"Are the people ready, Kai?" Elsa asks.

The large man nods. "It's time, your highness."

Elsa exhales deeply one more time and turns to face the door. You and Anna take your positions at her side with you giving her hand one more gentle squeeze.

"You'll do great, love."

The snow queen grips your hand and smiles at you, before turning to Kai and nodding. "Okay."

The large man nods back and moves to open the doors.

It was sunset outside, the sun illuminating the sky with flashes of red and orange. On either side of the door were a pair of trumpeters standing ready to play a fanfare at the given moment. The crowd was massive. The entire courtyard was filled, people against each other shoulder to shoulder, eagerly awaiting the queen's announcement. The bridge was even full of people trying to squeeze their way in. Kristoff was right. This was absolutely intimidating. The whole of the city watching one spot. All eyes on Elsa. Sure you could handle a smaller crowd, but this? You would rather be on the battlefield than speak in front of so many people. You wonder how Elsa could do this.

Your mind thinks over to Midnight, and how lucky she was that she didn't have to be here. Her wounds were still fresh and she opted to stay your room and rest some more. Not that she'd actually be getting any rest seeing how Olaf and Sven stayed with her for company. You envy your friends as you look down and at the crowd.

The trumpets play a glorious fanfare as Kai moves to the edge of the balcony.

Kai steps forward and speaks up, loudly announcing the queen's presence.

"Attention fair citizens of Arendelle!"

The crowd hushes and focuses in on the balcony.

"It is with great honor that I present to you Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

The trumpets begin again as the three of you step closer to the edge. As Elsa nears the edge, the people bow and lower their heads. Th trumpet fanfare ends and the pair exclude themselves from the balcony. Kai, after bowing, takes a step back and allows Elsa to address the people.

"Good people of Arendelle!"

The crowd pick their heads up and hone their ears on Elsa.

"We have overcome a terrible hardship. Two nights ago, the captain of my royal guard was discovered to be a spy."

Shock spreads across the crowd, unaware of the captain's true loyalty.

"Upon confrontation, the traitorous captain attempted flee the city by causing a prison break. If not for the valiant effort of the royal guard, the losses would have been much, much more devastating."

Elsa sneaks a quick glance at you, before turning back to face the expectant crowd.

"I know many of you were injured, many of you lost your homes and businesses. Some of you even loved ones."

Elsa's eyes darken as her mind shifts to the people lost in the conflict.

"But I swear upon my life, that such a tragedy will never happen again!"

"I realize now that the royal guard will not always be there. The kingdom is vast and while they are indeed great warriors, they are still only human. I realize that we must stand together against the darkness."

Elsa's face fills with worry. How would they react? You weren't sure, but at this point Elsa knew there was no turning back. This was happening.

Quelling her worries, the queen speaks again. "That is why I, reluctantly, announce the official reformation of the Arendelle army."

The crowd gasps and erupts into a murmur, exchanging looks of shock and worry.

Elsa gazes at the people below, fear quickly growing in her eyes. You own eyes begin to show signs of worry. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Anna takes her sister's hand in hopes of providing some support. You maintain focus on the people below. They didn't look hostile, just unsettled.

"Before," Elsa raises her voice again to silence the crowd. The people below look hush and look up the the monarch.

"Anyone protests," Elsa continues. "I want you to understand that my only reasoning for this declaration is the safety of the kingdom. Defense is the only objective should the army reform. No conquest. No war."

The crowd looks at each other, whispering, muttering doubts and concerns.

"I can see that you all are unsure." The crowd silences once more, all eyes on the queen.

Elsa herself looks doubtful. The citizens of Arendelle appeared skeptical of her announcement. The snow queen hangs her head lower as she speaks again. "If you have any protests or concerns... you are more than welcome to voice them."

At first there was silence. No one moved. No one spoke. It was eerie. Given the amount of people that remained still. Your stomach was in knots as you wait silently for the people to respond. You look closer at the people below. There was something else in their faces. They weren't angry or even bothered by the news. It look... as if there was bravery in their eyes. Inspiration.

"My queen!" A man calls out from the crowd. Elsa looks up to see him standing up tall, eyes with pride. "I volunteer!"

Elsa's mouth goes slightly agape. Suddenly another voice echoes throughout the castle grounds.

"I volunteer!" A young woman speaks up.

"Sign us up!" A trio of siblings raises their voices to join in.

All around, various citizens of Arendelle speak and lift their hands to the sky, shouting words of loyalty and courage.

You couldn't believe your eyes. Anna was smiling widely at them. Elsa's eyes looked teary and ready to cry, moved by her citizens.

"I stand with you, Queen Elsa!" Another voice.

The crowd was I an uproar, not of spite or anger, but of support. Support for their queen. You look over to see Elsa, smiling brightly at her people. The perfect queen for the people to rally behind. One who was not afraid of leading the charge. The future of Arendelle looked bright. Almost as bright as the smile lighting up the snow queen's face.

* * *

"Um, Captain... I'm not really sure. Should we really be using lethal arrows?" A young guardsman asks, reluctance on his face. The young man was holding a bow, arrow nocked and aimed straight at a dark-furred beast. You were in the royal guard barracks, It was nearing the end of the day and you were just about ready to turn in for the evening.

Your cloak ripples slightly as the cool winds of fall gently blow through the yard. You were offered the standard captain's armor but considering the training you were doing with Midnight, you decided the bulky armor wasn't a good enough compliment to your fighting style.

You chuckle softly at the guard. "What do you think, Midnight?"

The wolf cocks her head and looks at the worried guardsman with a raised eyebrow. 'I think he should just release the damned arrow already.'

It was early-October. Three weeks had passed since Elsa's declaration and you couldn't be any busier. Elsa had sent word to the various towns and cities all around the kingdom. More and more volunteers arrived, crying out fierce loyalty to the queen and the kingdom. In addition to influx of people willing to enlist, you also had to deal with overseeing the construction of a separate fortification just outside the city, one that could house Arendelle's rapidly growing army. Of course it wasn't as bad as it seemed. The various builders and construction workers from across the kingdom, rallied by their support of Queen Elsa, poured an enormous amount of effort into its construction. The fort was nearing completion and was actually already being used to train new army recruits. You, the newly appointed guard captain, was initially spearheading the training of the new recruits. It was admittedly more difficult to do so seeing as they lacked the royal guards' prior experience. But fortunately your guards were experienced enough so that they could assist. Your new lieutenants, Anders and Tara, maximized the speed and efficiency of the new recruits. While not as skilled as the royal guard, they would be able to handle themselves spectacularly. The kingdom of Arendelle was operating at maximum efficiency.

You sigh, thinking about how little time you got to spend with your love and your friends. Elsa herself had been busy on the political aspect of things, while your friends were caught up in their individual responsibilities. Truthfully, you all desperately needed a vacation. Anna and Olaf had taken the opportunity to volunteer any help to the citizens of Arendelle. Kristoff and Sven aided in rebuilding of buildings and construction of the fortifications. In addition to the recruits, you also had to worry about your individual training. After the battle with Reinhardt, you needed a reassessment of your skills. Sparring with Midnight and her heightened traits really gave you a run for your money. As a result, your reaction time was quicker. Her intelligent mind meant she could almost match you in terms of tactical ability, which of course meant your combat awareness and mental capacity increased as you adapted. Midnight's speed was often utilized as well, forcing you to transition away from your original method of fighting. Your new style of fighting seemed like a deadly combination of brute force and elegant swiftness. This was another reason you chose to forgo the bulky captain armor; It was too restrictive. It was difficult to battle a beast as deadly as Midnight, and most of your spars ended in a draw.

Speaking of Midnight...

The wolf stares down the guard, ready for what came next.

"Don't miss." You tell the guard as you look on amusedly at your wolf friend.

"Okay (Y/N)..." He responds, still unsure of his action.

The guard, pushing his nervousness aside, focuses on his target.

_Swish! _The arrow flies and cuts through the air, growing closer and closer to Midnight. The nearby guards look on, fearing for the wolf's safety. The arrow comes dangerously close to her skull.

In one swift movement, Midnight turns her head to avoid the collision before biting down hard as she catches the arrow in mid-flight. With the arrow gripped firmly in her powerful jaws, she bites down and snaps it in half before dropping the shattered arrow to the ground.

The wolf strides up to you. 'Easy... Although I don't really care for the taste of wood and splinters.'

"No one said you had to take a bite of the arrow, just catch it." You say, giving her a playful smirk.

'Yeah... But it wouldn't look as intimidating.'

You laugh softly as a guard makes his way over from the sidelines.

"I cannot believe you taught one of the most dangerous things in the kingdom how to catch arrows." Anders says jokingly as he looks at Midnight. "That is without a doubt the most frightening thing I have ever seen."

You share a laugh as Midnight raises an eyebrow. Upon recovering from her injuries, she made it a point to overcome her weakness. When she was alone in the wild, weakness was something she could not afford. So she made it a habit to overcome an weakness that should arise. Being struck and mortally injured only served as an identification of another weakness. So you taught her how to catch arrows.

Your laughter subsides as you turn back to Anders. "How goes the training?"

"Two battalions stand ready with another two progressing quickly. Tara's really putting them through the wringer."

Your eyes light up, slightly astonished at the progress. "Two battalions? Already?"

"You look surprised, (Y/N). The people are eager to learn and are highly devoted." Anders states.

"Well, That's certainly much quicker than I thought." You let out an exhausted sigh.

"Perhaps maybe I can finally take a break..."

"With all due respect, captain. You look like you need it." Anders replies with a small laugh.

Anders gives a quick salute before leaving for the bunkhouse.

You look to Midnight, eyes tired and mind drained. You hear a low growl.

"You hungry?" You ask as you begin to make your way to the castle doors.

'Starving.' The wolf moves to follow you. 'I could eat a horse... Or Reindeer.'

"Midnight! Sven's not-"

'On the menu. I know. It was just an expression.' She smirks and stifles a laugh.

With Midnight's inclusion to the family, you still found it odd how easily you communicated with her. Everyone managed to grow close enough with her to understand and speak back, but for you it felt second nature. Perhaps it was some sort of empathic bond between warriors. Or maybe you could talk to wolves. But you were probably just thinking too hard on it.

'Come, Let's see if you can convince the head chef to make me waffles.' Midnight grins, walking through the door.

"I keep telling you, that's a breakfast food..." You say closing the door behind you.

'Your point?'

"It's Dinner."

'And?'

You were under the impression that Midnight was addicted to waffles.

* * *

After securing a plate of waffles for Midnight (Much to chef Halvor's annoyance), you proceed to wash away the sweat and dirt from today's training. Despite spending your nights with Elsa in her bedroom, you still kept your armor and other gear with Midnight in your old room. It was more appropriate to call it her room seeing as she slept in your bed.

After putting on some comfortable attire, you move to leave the room. As you approach the door, you look to see Midnight licking her paws and lounging on the bed, tired from a long day of catching arrows.

'You know,' The wolf looks up from her paws and toward you. 'Anders was right. You look awful.'

"Gee, thanks for that." You reply sarcastically, rolling your eyes at her bluntness.

'You're quite welcome.' She send a smirk your way, before concern finds its way to her eyes. 'But in all seriousness, don't work yourself to death. And maybe you could convince Elsa to do the same.'

"I'll be sure to let her know."

The wolf nods and lets out a yawn.

You smile softly and move to exit the room. "See you in the morning."

'Even Midnight can see it.' You think as you make your way to the snow queen's room, sighing as you go.

You open the doors to Elsa's bed chambers. It was deathly quiet. The blinds were shut and no light was coming from the wall lanterns. Elsa's bed was still made. No sign of the queen in sight.

'The study.'

You shut the door and make for the study. Truthfully, it wasn't even that late. The sun literally just went down below the horizon half an hour ago, however, since her recent increase in workload, Elsa found herself more tired than ever. Many nights you would happen upon Elsa, fast asleep in her bed, completely wiped out from the day's work. But it seems tonight would be one of the rare occasions that Elsa wouldn't be passed out by the time you got to her.

The doors to the study were racked open a tiny bit. You push the door open to find Elsa sitting at her desk with several papers in hand. She looks up as you crack the door open. Her eyes look tired and worn, but she still manages a smile.

"Hello captain." She says in mock fashion.

You grin and step into the room, shutting the door behind you. "Hello, your majesty."

Elsa sets her papers down and rises from her chair, moving around her desk to sit at the edge. She was wearing a more casual set of ice-blue clothes opposed to her standard royal, a button up blouse on top of a teal skirt that reached just below her knee. Not exactly too formal yet not overly casual. Given her attire, she was pent up in this room the entire day. She certainly looked like about as tired as you were.

"So what brings my esteemed captain of the guard here this evening?"

"I was just in the neighborhood and decided to drop by," You respond, stepping closer to the queen.

You step up to the desk and place your hands on her waist, grinning mischievously at her. "I'm not intruding on anything am I?"

The platinum blonde grins back and throws her arms around your neck. "Not at all, in fact I think we are overdue for a visit."

You lean forward and press your lips against the snow queen's. It was a gentle kiss. Simple, yet unbelievably satisfying. With everyone being so busy, moments like this were hard to come by. Constantly pushing aside your emotions for your duties meant that all of that raw passion, both yours and Elsa's, was welling up behind a dam.

You break your kiss to stare lovingly into her eyes. "You look tired, Elsa."

"Ha! You don't look very lively yourself, (Y/N)." Elsa replies with a giggle. The snow queen pulls you closer for a hug, resting her head on your shoulder.

You smile and look past her to her desk. "What's that?"

"The papers?" Elsa asks, head still on your shoulder. "Just a few reports from the local businesses. It looks like everything is back to full capacity."

"That's great!" You say, eying the papers. You notice one letter in particular out of the corner of your eye. "Is that from Afirewyn?"

She removes her head from your shoulder to sneak a glance pack at the paper. "Oh that? Yes. Apparently the people there aren't as stuck up and snooty. That's just a letter informing us that the nation is donating some supplies and resources."

"Really?" You ask eyes widening with surprise. "That seems very uncharacteristic for them."

"It is. They allegedly thought my reforming of the kingdom's army was entertaining and offered some assistance."

You raise an eye brow. "Entertainment? They just wanted a show?"

"So it would seem."

Elsa moves her head back to your shoulder and sighs.

"Are you alright?" You ask.

"I'm fine, (Y/N)." Elsa lets out a small huff. "Just feeling a little overwhelmed."

Your gaze softens as you move a hand up to Elsa's hair, gently stroking it. "I know how you feel, love."

"You know... It's kinda funny actually." Elsa says from your shoulder.

"What is?"

"After the Reinhardt incident, I thought I would have more time to spend with you and everyone else. Now that it's over, I hardly see anyone at all."

You stay silent for a moment, realizing the truth in Elsa's words. Your duties were important, but right now only one thing mattered.

"Elsa."

She moves from your shoulder, meeting your eyes.

You gently lay a hand on her cheek and begin to caress it softly with your thumb. "We can enjoy what little we have now..."

You stare deeply into her blue eyes. Her gaze was mesmerizing. Her very touch captivated you. Everything about her drove you crazy with desire. You wanted this, wanted her so badly...

But you could wait. Because she was worth it.

"Then let's..."

Elsa smirks at you seductively.

And then the dam broke.

**(Warning. Veering into the more explicit content. Reader discretion is advised.) **

Elsa pulls you in and crashes her lips against yours. Your mind was racing, but you didn't care. Your hands found themselves holding your lover tight, unwilling to let her go, not that she wanted to leave. The blonde snow queen's own hand was pulling you deeper into the kiss as it ran itself through your (H/C) hair. Your tongues were locked in a fierce battle for dominance.

Your hands decided to roam as they made their way down Elsa's lithe waist and to her firm backside, giving it a gentle squeeze as they go.

Elsa parts from your lips to moan in pleasure. "Mmm!"

The sound she makes sets you on fire. Your hands move to her thighs as Elsa wraps her arms around your neck, once again forcing her tongue into your mouth. You lift her up and sit her down on the desk, knocking papers and parchments to the ground below.

You move away from Elsa's mouth and direct your attention to another area. Missing the feeling of your tongue, she opens her mouth to protest, only to find herself speechless as you softly nibble and kiss her neck.

"Ah!"

You smirk as you gently make your way down Elsa's smooth neck. As she moans out in pleasure, she takes your hands and moves them up to the top button of her blouse. You instinctively begin unfastening her buttons as you continue to nibble at her neck. The queen grabs at your cheek and pulls you up to claim your mouth. You can feel the heat coming off of her body, the sensation of dueling tongues and excitement filling her senses.

You were no stranger to the wonders of sex. You can faintly remember having it from time to time between wars. But Elsa's inexperience really showed as she kept moving forward. Her kisses were lust filled and sloppy. While you admire her tenacity, you can feel slight hesitation coming off of her.

You stop to realize something upon reaching the middle button of her top, you hesitate and pull your lips back.

"Elsa-" She halts your words, stealing a kiss.

"Wait, the-" You try again, only to stopped by Elsa's eager,maybe too eager tongue.

"Mmph..What is it?" She asks through the kiss.

"The door." You manage, lips still pressed against her's.

She moves her head to look at the door before giving you an amused smile. Elsa raises her hand and unleashes a blast of ice, freezing the handle.

Elsa wraps her arms around your neck once more, resting her forehead on yours as she smirks. "Better?"

"Much." As Elsa pulls you in for another kiss, you continue your path down Elsa's Blouse.

You reach the final button and unfasten it, allowing the shirt to slide down her shoulders and to the desk below. You part lips and move your head back to admire the woman before you. The last piece of clothing on Elsa's upper body was a white lace bra. She was blushing as your eyes admired every inch of her body.

"Wow... Elsa... You're gorgeous..."

Her blush turns an even darker shade of red. "F-flatterer..."

There it was. Elsa's shyness showed as her chest was almost entirely exposed to you. Despite her obvious shyness, you could still see the want in her eyes.

You smile softly as Elsa turns her head away from you.

You smile warmly and reach your hand up, turning her head to face you again. "I mean it. You're absolutely beautiful."

She gazes into your (E/C) eyes lovingly. You softly kiss her and allow your hands to explore her slender frame.

"Mmm..." Elsa moans as your skilled palms massage and caress her smooth skin.

Tracing their way up, stopping at the clasp that held it up.

You kiss at Elsa's neck again and release the bra's hold on her breasts.

"MmmH!" Elsa exclaims as you begin to gently massage her freshly exposed chest.

Every fiber of her being was on fire, ignited by your embrace. You could feel the heat radiating off of her body. You trail your way down her neck, leaving kisses as your lips reach their destination.

"(Y/N)- Ah!" Elsa bites down on her lower lip as you lean closer to her chest and plant several kisses on both breasts. You reach around and place one hand on the small of her back to offer her support, as your free hand teases and fondles her bosom. Elsa places a hand in your hair and holds you closer to her chest.

Realizing what she wanted, you softly kiss her hard nipple before opening your mouth to give it a testing lick.

"Oh that feels-Mhhm!" The topless monarch can only moan in ecstasy as your tongue traces and plays with her breast. Her moans would only grow louder as the sensation of your moist tongue continued to lick and suck her nipple.

A Loud knock on the door freezes you in your place.

And as soon as it came, the mood was gone.

"_Queen Elsa?"_ It was the royal adviser, Kai. _"I have something of the utmost importance!"_

Elsa let out an irritated sigh. She knew Kai. If what he said was important then there was a good chance he wouldn't leave.

"(Y/N)..."

"I know." You lean forward to plant a tender kiss in the center of her chest above her heart, before moving up to steal one more heated kiss.

"Another time." You say, breaking the kiss.

**(Explicit content over... Damn it Kai!)**

You sigh and stand back to allow Elsa to leave the desk.

As Kai continued to knock on the door, Elsa hastily moved to put her bra and shirt on. You quickly follow, patting yourself down to hide the slightly disheveled look. Elsa smooths out her dress and walks over to the door. You follow closely wondering what could possibly be so important.

"Okay I think-Oh!" Elsa looks up at you surprise on her face.

"What is it?" You ask eyes widening.

"Your hair!"

Elsa did love playing with your hair, and she made that more apparent several moments ago. Given what the two of you were doing, it was fitting that your hair was unruly and messy.

"Here let me," Elsa says, coming closer to rearrange your hair.

She quickly runs her fingers through it, attempting to return it to it's original look.

"Okay..." She states, finishing her work. "There!"

Elsa removes her hands and pauses to check your appearance.

You move your hand up to push a stray lock of hair away from her face.

"_Milady?"_ Kai calls from the other side of the door, catching your attention.

Elsa breathes out and grabs the handle, melting the ice away with a single thought.

"Yes Kai?" Elsa asks, a faint annoyance I her tone.

The large man looks between you and the queen with an apologetic frown.

"Terribly sorry if I was disturbing anything My queen, Master (Y/N). But a ship arrived this evening, carrying a message for your eyes only."

Kai produces a letter from his coat, handing it to Elsa.

The queen takes the letter, examining the writing on the front.

_To Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle_

"Do you know who sent it?" Elsa asks.

Kai shakes his head. "I'm afraid not milady, But the ship it came from was particularly interesting."

Elsa looks at Kai quizzically. "How so?"

"The ship hails from Corona."

Your eyes widen at the name.

"Corona?" You ask, curiosity gracing your features. "Why would Corona send a letter here?"

Corona was a curious place. Everyone across the land knew the story of how the daughter of the king and queen was kidnapped as an infant by Mother Gothel, a true witch. Of how she spent years locked away in a tower. Hidden from the world around her. That is until a daring, dashing man by the name of Flynn Rider single-handedly rescued the fair princess, vanquishing the evil witch and freeing her from captivity... Or at least that's what you've heard. Seems a little exaggerated maybe?

Of course it was still odd to receive a letter. Corona was at the least five days travel by ship. What reason could they have for sending a message?

Elsa, deep thought on her features, makes her way to her desk. You and Kai follow, eagerly waiting for Elsa to read its contents.

"Hmm..." Elsa reads over the letter, narrowing her eyes as she skims certain parts.

The snow queen looks up from her letter and to Kai. "Wake my sister and the others. They need to hear this."

* * *

"Ellsssaaaa!" Anna whines walking into the study, Kristoff and Sven following behind. "I was in the middle of a fantastic dream!"

You look up from the chair you were sitting in to see the trio walk in, drowsy and quite annoyed at Elsa's summons.

Elsa looks up from skimming the letter to see her sister, hair a mess and wearing only her loose fitting pajamas.

Likewise, Kristoff an Sven looked equally tired. Likely from working earlier in the day. Olaf happily skips in moments later with as much energy as he always had.

"Hey Guys! Its a wonderful evening isn't it?"

You smile at his enthusiasm. You could always count on the little snowman to brighten the mood.

Olaf looks around, scanning the room for the missing member of your happy little family.

"Hey (Y/N), where's Midnight? She's apart of the family too right?"

You contemplated waking her to hear this, but you remember how grouchy she was interrupted in mid-slumber. Dealing with an Angry Anna or Kristoff was one thing, but an angered Dire wolf? Not something you wanted to do.

"I, Uh, forgot to wake her."

"Aw that's okay, I can do it for you!" Olaf takes off out the door and into the hallway.

"Wait Olaf!" You call to him, but he was already out of hearing distance. You were scared to see what Midnight would do. But then again, Olaf can't actually feel pain, so It might not be as bad. Yeah... He'll be fine. Plus, Midnight should hear this also.

Kristoff rubs his eyes, yawning slightly before turning to Elsa. "What's this about Elsa?"

"I'm sorry for waking everyone, but I needed you to hear this."

The snow queen clears her throat before looking down at the letter.

"Kai informed me that a ship recently docked and was carrying a message. As it turns out, the ship in question as well as the letter was from-"

"zzzzZzzzzZzz..."

You look to see Anna, snoring softly as she leans against Sven for support.

"Anna, wake up!" Elsa half-yells.

"Mmf... I don't wanna..." Anna mumbles into Sven's fur.

Elsa lets out a grumble before aiming her hand at Anna's back side. A small blast of snow hits its target.

"EEEPP! I'm up! I'm up!" Anna turns around furiously rubbing her rear, trying to warm it. "Jeeze sis..."

Elsa turns to look at Kristoff and Sven, readying her powers again.

You can't help but stifle a laugh, as Kristoff and Sven jolt themselves awake not wanting to be blasted like the strawberry-blonde woman.

"We're good! We're awake!" They both wave their arms around to prove it.

Elsa smiles before looking back down at the letter.

"Ehem. Like I was saying... The ship and Letter were sent from Corona."

"Corona?" Anna asks as she stretches her arms out, fully awake thanks to Elsa. "As in Princess Rapunzel?"

Elsa turns to her sister and nods. "The very same."

"Wait a minute," You say, looking between the two sisters. "You know the Princess?"

"Yep, and her husband too." Anna answers. "They were here for Elsa's coronation, Although we didn't get to speak much because of..."

Anna glances at her sister who in turn flashes a regretful look. "You know."

"Oh." You say, thinking of her words.

"Anyways," Elsa states, shaking off her look of remorse. "The Kingdom of Corona is having a fall celebration. Major dignitaries from across the lands have received invitations,"

Elsa folds the letter down and holds it up so that everyone in the room can see. "This is ours. King Everick and Queen Natalie even sent a personal ship to take us all there. It's docked in the Fjord right now."

Anna's eyes light up, a bright smile on her face. "We were invited to Corona?"

"Yes, but-"

"Oh! Wow! This is so exciting!" Anna springs from her spot and grabs Kristoff's hands and begins to twirl him around in a circle.

"Whoa, Hey! Anna calm down!" Kristoff says laughing along.

"Calm Down? How can I!? The first time ever in a foreign land?"

She releases Kristoff and moves over to Sven and holds her hand up, as if gazing at a far off spectacle. "Think about the sights!"

"Anna-" Elsa tries to speak, but finds herself unable to.

"The people!" Anna says striking a pose.

"Anna, I don't-" Elsa tries again.

"The foods!" She says, licking her lips. "We need to start packing!"

The bubbly girl runs to the door.

"Anna wait!" Elsa calls, finally getting through.

The young woman turns to find Elsa staring at her with a stern look.

"What is it Elsa?"

"I don't think we should go."

"What? Why?" Anna asks with a questioning gaze.

Kristoff and Sven exchange looks, thinking about Elsa's words.

"Go where?" The chipper voice of Olaf asks as he entered the room. Or rather Midnight enters the room, carrying Olaf's head in her jaws. Olaf's body stumbles in shortly after. Midnight spits Olaf's head back onto his shoulders. Yeah, he was fine.

'What's going on?' Midnight gestures. She did look agitated, but still curious as to what was happening.

"We were discussing a trip to Corona." You tell her.

"Corona!?" Olaf gasps grins widely. "Where's that?"

You chuckle at Olaf's expression a Anna speaks up. "It's a foreign kingdom to the south of here that Elsa apparently doesn't want to visit. Why don't you think we should go?"

Elsa sighs and crosses her arms. "Anna, We're just to busy. I think that Arendelle needs us more than we need a vacation."

"Elsa the kingdom is doing fine! Better than ever even!"

"Honestly, Elsa, Anna's right." Kristoff adds, looking between them. "It's been three weeks since the attack, and everything is back to normal. The fort's nearly done, all of the damaged property has been restored... I was actually thinking about what to do when it was over because it pretty much already is."

Elsa knew of this. The builders as well as Kristoff had been giving her frequent updates on the status of the construction and restoration progress, and she had to admit they really got the job done and then some. Couldn't really argue with their results.

"Yes, but the people-"

"Are happy, Elsa! Olaf and I visited several districts to offer help and everyone there seemed fine, closer even. Isn't that right Olaf?"

"Yup! They were so nice and friendly!" Olaf responds with a happy smile.

Elsa also had to admit the fact that since her actions on the night of the attack, the people rallied behind her, looking to her as a beacon of inspiration. They pushed aside petty differences in support of their queen and country. Elsa herself had recently visited the city only to find a great deal of enthusiasm, emanating from the people. Anna was right. Arendelle as a kingdom was closer than ever.

Elsa stops to think of another possible reason not to go.

The queen turns to you. "What do you think we should do, (Y/N)?"

Anna looks to you with hopeful eyes, while Kristoff and Sven look on expectantly.

Olaf was just smiling along, while Midnight stifled a yawn. She already knew what you were going to say.

"I think we..." You say, looking between everyone gathered. "Should go."

"Yes! See Even (Y/N) wants to go!" Anna exclaims, clasping her hands together.

"Really?" Elsa asks. "Why do you think so?"

"Well, for starters, Anders has informed me that two battalions of troops are ready to begin duties patrolling the kingdom with even more becoming available as time goes on. The royal guardsmen are some of the best warriors in the kingdom and let's be honest... We could really use the break."

You glance around at everyone in the room. "Elsa, we've been working non-stop for weeks. At this rate, we'll die from exhaustion. Well everyone except Olaf."

"Hello!"

"Anyways, My point is that Arendelle will be fine if we take some time to enjoy life for a while."

Elsa looks at you before looking at her sister, whose eyes did their best to imitate a sad puppy.

Anna grabs Olaf and Sven who follow her puppy dog routine. You turn your head to Kristoff half-expecting him to follow suit.

"No." He says with a blank expression.

Midnight yawns and licks her lips. 'I wonder If it's too late for a plate of waffles...'

You shake your head at her and turn to face Elsa, smiling softly.

The blonde haired woman let's out a sigh, giving in to the overwhelming cuteness of (Almost) everyone in the room.

"Pack your things. We leave at the end of the week."

"YES!" Anna cheers and runs up to Elsa wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Anna releases her sister and grabs Kristoff and Sven, pushing them out of the room. "Come on! We must pack! Oh, What do I bring?"

"Anna, hey stop shoving!" You hear Kristoff say from outside the room.

"Wait I wanna help!" Olaf yells, following after them, leaving only you, Elsa, and Midnight in the room.

Midnight smirks and turns to look at you. 'Is it too late for-'

"No waffles."

She lets out a huff and turns to leave. 'I'm going back to bed.'

You chuckle softly as she leaves the room, before looking at Elsa.

"You know Anna's going to be up all night now, right?"

"Yeah I figured -Yawn-" Elsa closes her eyes and stretches out her muscles.

You smile warmly at the snow queen. "Come on, your majesty. Let's go to bed."

You make your way over and in one swift movement, pick her up bridal style.

"(Y/N)!" She yells, startled by her rapid displacement.

Elsa giggles as you carry her out of the room to your shared bedchambers, shortly dozing off in your arms before even reaching the bed.

* * *

(Elsewhere)

"Unbelievable! My own Assassin turned against me!" King Ulrich slams his fist on the table in his study, angered by this shocking turn of events. "He even killed one of my best soldiers!"

Word had finally reached Aravan. Thaddeus Reinhardt, Spy for the kingdom of Aravan, was dead and the king's personal assassin was now a traitor. The angry king looks up at a frail looking man in his late forties. This was the King's royal adviser, the one who brought the news of (Y/N)'s defection. The man was scared, in fear of the king's wrath.

"He thinks he can do this to me and get away with it?" The king reaches down and takes a long swig from his wine bottle.

"How soon can the army be ready?" He asks, staring at the shivering man.

"T-the army, my king? B-but we are still recovering from the last war-"

"How. Soon."

"W-we c-can be a-at Arendelle's doorstep early D-December."

"Good. It won't matter when we get there. Arendelle is a scrawny passive country. There should be no trouble invading and taking over."

The King sits down in his desk and reaches for the bottle. "Leave me."

The frightened man bows and hurriedly rushes out of the room.

"Arendelle will fall." The king mumbles to himself, malice in his eyes. "I Will have Queen Elsa's head... Along with my traitorous assassin."

* * *

**And scene! Sorry if this took too long! I've been super busy doing other things! I'm actually drafting another story (one-shot) in conjunction with this one. I won't say much, but It's still Elsa X Reader, and may or may not have something to do with the Magic Kingdom.**

**Anyways... I tried my hand at writing a mini-lemon, just to test the waters and get a little more insight to writing them. Actual Lemon will be more than that, trust me.**

**On a side note, I couldn't find the names for the king and queen of Corona, so I used the names of the actors that portrayed the characters in the TV show 'Once Upon a Time', Everick Golding and Natalie von Rotsburg. **

**Anyways, thank you so much for reading And a big thanks to everyone who's been following the story so far! You guys make me happy! Here... have a smiley face (^_^)(:-D)**

**So as always, Please feel free to leave me any comments, suggestions or advice in the reviews!**

**Till next time! **


	21. Through Calm Seas

**Boats. **

**Just... Boats**

**So! Welcome back to another installment of 'Cold Heart, Warm Soul' **

**Glad you stopped by! Can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to read this story! **

**Makes me all teary and stuff...**

**ODR in this chapter!**

**Anyways, I Present unto you:**

Chapter 21: Through Calm Seas

You slowly open your eyes as the early morning sun shines through the window, illuminating the room with a low light. Feeling a familiar weight on your chest, you look down to see Elsa sleeping peacefully in your embrace. It was still early, the sun not fully over the horizon. You look down at the sleeping queen, mind drifting to last night's events. You and the royal family were setting sail for Corona in just a few days. It was interesting to note that you honestly had never been to Corona before. Back when you assassinated people for king Ulrich, you were often sent to bordering nations and beyond. You surprisingly knew a lot about other places, but you had no idea what to expect from Corona. Aside from the stories you've heard, Corona was just another strange place.

'Huh. What should I pack?' You think to yourself.

As soon as the thought passes your mind, you feel Elsa begin to stir from her sleep.

She blinks a few times, attempting to chase away the remnants of sleep. You smile as she moves her head up to look at you.

"Good morning," You say, voice slightly above a whisper.

"Good morning, (Y/N)." Elsa yawns and sets her head down back on your chest, resting her neck but eyes still open. "What time is it?"

You glance at the window, taking note of the light that shined through it. "Hmm, if I had to guess... It's about six or seven o'clock."

It was later than the both of you usually woke up, but not by much. With the amount of work the two of you were doing, it was understandable that you would sometimes awaken later than usual. But the sleeping habit was already lock in your head, so you were pretty much programmed to wake up early.

"Sleep well?" You ask, moving your eyes down to look at Elsa.

"A bit, actually." Elsa lets out a small sigh. "I'm still a bit nervous about leaving the kingdom."

You smile and softly begin to rub Elsa's back hoping to soothe her worries.

"It'll be fine, Elsa. Arendelle can handle a week or two without it's queen, Just like I'm sure you could definitely handle sometime away from your duties."

You remember seeing the excitement on Anna's face when Elsa said they were going. "Besides, After spending your whole life in the Arendelle, aren't you a tiny bit curious about seeing someplace new?"

"Well," Elsa arches her neck back up to look at you. "I will admit it is a bit exciting."

"And," You say, grinning towards her. "I'm pretty sure we can make some time for ourselves during our little trip."

"Now that," Elsa begins, eyes giving off a seductive leer. "Is something I'm definitely looking forward to..."

You smirk and lean down to plant a tender kiss on her lips.

Elsa leans heard back down on your chest, wanting to listen to the sound of your heartbeat for a few more moments. You remain silent, the both of you simply enjoying each others company.

"I wonder how much sleep Anna got last night.." You say, breaking the silence as your thoughts drift over to the bubbly princess.

"I hope she got at least some sleep..." Elsa replies.

* * *

"Sleep? How could I?!" Anna exclaims as she rummages through her closet, flinging one article of clothing after another out of it. "I've been up all night! I'm just so excited!"

After a few more moments alone with Elsa, you unfortunately had to leave the comfort of each others presence. You weren't exactly on vacation yet, you still had duties to attend to here in Arendelle. Before leaving to fulfill those duties, the two of you decided to check on Anna. Needles to say, she didn't sleep at all. As the two of you walk further into the room, you can see Anna's bed completely hidden away by a monstrous pile of clothing and assorted accessories. Various dresses, shirts, and undergarments were carelessly strewn about on the floor as the princess continued to debate with herself on what to bring.

"Um, Anna... you have plenty of time to pack." Elsa says, eyes widening at the amount of clothes Anna was flinging around the room.

"Hmm... This dress? No. Or maybe this one? Yes?" Anna continues as she inspects a pair of dresses, not listening to her sister.

Elsa crosses her arms and moves closer to her sister. "Anna are you even listening to me?"

"Elsa! Which of these dresses do I take?" Anna says, holding two dresses out for Elsa to see.

Elsa raises an eyebrow before closing her eyes to sigh in slight annoyance that Anna didn't hear a word she said. "The one on the left."

"Thanks!"

You laugh softly as Anna pesters Elsa about clothes some more. You inspect the room looking for any sign of your other friends. Your ears pick up on the subtle breathing coming from the other side of the bed. You make your way around the bed to investigate the noise.

"Yup. Just as I expected." Kristoff and Sven were passed out on the floor, snoring lightly. You kneel down and snap a couple times to try and rouse them from their sleep.

"Guys? It's morning."

Sven snorts loudly in response, sill in a deep sleep.

"Right..." You stand back up and allow the pair to remain in a state of blissful unconsciousness. You pass a small glance at the duo below you. 'Hmm... Where's Olaf?'

"Okay... How bout this one?" You hear Anna speak up. You turn around to look at Anna and Elsa, but find your vision obscured by the obscenely huge pile of clothes in the center of the bed.

'How would anyone even find time to wear all of this?' You think as you look on at the mountain of clothes.

You see a subtle rumbling coming from the pile. You cautiously approach the pile as it continues to move and shake.

"Um, Anna-?" Just as you speak the peak of the clothes mountain explodes outwards!

"Whoa!" You say, as the flying garments catch you and Elsa off guard, whilst Anna remains sifting through some more stuff.

"Hey! Good morning (Y/N), Elsa! I couldn't hear you guys under all of these clothes!" The little snowman clambers out of the pile and proceeds to sit at the edge of Anna's bed.

"Olaf? How long have you been under there?" Elsa asks as she stares at him.

"Huh... I'm not sure." Olaf says after thinking a bit. He looks at Elsa and smiles widely "But that sure is a lot of clothes right?"

"That's an understatement." You mumble, still unable to believe the amount.

Olaf turns to look at the clothes still on the bed. "How are going to fit all of this on the ship?"

Elsa's eyes widen as she turns to look at her sister. "Anna are you packing all of this?"

"Mhmm!" Anna calls, finally looking up.

Elsa shakes her head and giggles at her sister. "Anna you're not going to need all of this."

"Yes I will! I need the perfect wardrobe for the festival!"

Elsa moves closer to the pile and grabs two dresses. "Anna, these are the exact same dresses. Why would you need to bring two?"

"They're not the same! That one has a blue sash while the other one doesn't have a sash at all."

"Um couldn't you just take the sash off and put it on the other?" You ask, poking a hole in Anna's logic.

"Yeah well you could do that, but- I- well..." Anna stutters trying to find a reason to take both.

Realizing the errors in her packing method she lets out a huff. "Okay, maybe I did go a little overboard..."

"A little?" Elsa asks, laughing softly.

"Okay... Maybe a lot... I'm just having trouble deciding. I'm not exactly sure what clothing would look good over in Corona." Anna says, standing up to sit at the edge of the bed next to Olaf.

"I'm sure you would look beautiful in whatever you wear." Elsa says, putting a hand on Anna's shoulder.

Anna raises her eyebrow and giggles. "That's such a 'Dad' thing to say!"

Elsa smiles and laughs along with her sister. "I know, right?"

As the two siblings continue to laugh and joke with each other, you can't help but smile at the sisterly affection. It was refreshing to see Elsa and Anna act this way. It had been a while since the two could just enjoy being sisters and hopefully they, as well as everyone else, could spend more time with each other during your stay in Corona.

"Okay, since I'm obviously not a good decision maker when it comes to clothes," Anna begins as her laughter subsides. "What would you take, sis?"

Elsa places a hand on her chin and examines the pile closely. "Hmm... For starters, I would take-"

_Knock Knock_

The sound of someone at the open door catches your attention.

"Excuse me your highness," Kai says, stepping into the room. "But we really must begin preparations for your departure."

Of course Elsa was needed. After all, she had to ensure Arendelle would run smoothly in her absence. Luckily it shouldn't take as long as her usual work day, considering that Arendelle was in the best state it had ever been in.

Elsa nods and turns back to Anna. "Leave this pile of clothes here, I'll come back later and we can pack together. Okay?"

Anna smiles and gives her sister a brief hug. "Okay, Elsa. They'll be here waiting for you!"

The snow queen smiles and hugs her back before, turning to approach you.

"Duty calls," She smiles softly and wraps her arms around you to plant a chaste kiss on your lips.

"Have a nice day your majesty," You tell her as you break the kiss.

"You too, captain." She laughs softly and moves to follow Kai out of the room.

"So cute!" You turn to see Anna grinning at you.

You smile back for turning to look at Anna's pile of clothes, which Olaf was able to roll himself off of like a small hill. " But seriously, that's a lot of clothes..."

* * *

'Remind me again, When are we leaving for this... celebration?' Midnight follows as the two of you make your way to the barracks.

After leaving Anna and Olaf to their business, you woke Midnight and had a short breakfast. Midnight was curious as to what these festivals were for, since she never experienced them. You can remember never been much for parties or celebrations when ever they occurred in Aravan, despite their rare occurrence, but you did actually attend a few, so you had a little experience concerning festivities like this.

"In a few days." You reply as you open the door to the barracks.

'Right and what exactly happens at these things?'

Upon seeing your entrance the available guards begin to group in the center of the yard, waiting for instructions from the guard captain.

"Well there's parties, contests, and feasts to name a few things." You reply as you make your way across the yard.

Midnight cocks her head in curiosity. 'Really? All of that?'

You nod towards her. "All that and then some."

'But why?' Her eyes reflect her curious thoughts.

"Why what?" You ask stopping to look her in the eyes.

'Why do so much for something as trivial as the ending of the fall season?'

You stop to ponder her question. Why did places and people do this? More than anything it was a symbol of a community and a bond between the people within it. To celebrate and exemplify some of the best aspects of humanity. Given your past, the concept of brotherhood and bonds didn't exist. Not even among comrades on the battlefield. The negative aspects of humanity made up your past, and Midnight never had an example of brotherhood to draw from. The whole concept was strange to the both of you, but you've been around people you care about to know at least one important reason celebrations like this existed.

"One reason humans like to do this sort of thing," You begin, patting her on the head and smiling softly. "Is to just have a good time."

'Just for fun?' Midnight looks at you questioningly.

You nod. "Pretty much."

The wolf smirks at you before turning to move in front of the guards. 'Very well. We'll see how entertaining this will be.'

You smile and shake your head as you step up beside her to face the gathered guards with Anders and Tara stepping up your side. What with the army being trained by members of your guard, you knew that majority of their time would be put into supervising the new recruits. Of course they still had other duties like patrolling the castle and city, and a some had off days, but they would always be ready bright and early to receive orders and instruction.

"G'Morning Captain, Midnight." Anders says as he stretches his arms.

"Lovely morning isn't it, eh (Y/N)?" Tara asks as she greets you and Midnight.

"Certainly is, Tara." You say smiling at her. "What makes it even better is that I have some news for all of you."

"News?" Anders asks.

"Yes. Something happened last night that I think you'll find very interesting." You say, grinning at the pair.

"Did you finally get intimate with the queen?" Anders asks, eyebrows raised.

"Yes- I mean No!" You pause to think of the validity in that statement. "Well... almost- Wait That's none of your business!"

"Almost?" Tara asks, blushing at the thought.

"Anyways..." You say changing the topic. "Midnight and I, along with the royal family are heading to Corona in a few days."

"You're leaving to Corona?" Tara asks.

"Yes, A person request from King Everick and Queen Natalie. They want our attendance at their 'End of Fall' festival."

"This a diplomatic mission?" Tara asks.

"You could call it that, but" You look over to meet Tara's questioning gaze. "It's really more of a vacation."

"Well that's good, (Y/N) you could use a break from all this." Anders says, smiling at you, before looking at Tara with a playful grin. "Wait since you're leaving..."

Anders and Tara look between each other, eyes lighting up with excitement, before turning to look between you and Midnight.

"Does that mean...?" Tara begins.

"Yes, The two of you are in charge while I'm gone."

The two nod at each other and give each other a loud hi-five. "Sweet!"

"But!" You say, interrupting their moment with a smirk on your face. "Since I'm still here..."

The young pair of guards turn to look at you.

"We've still got some work to do."

* * *

"What's the score now?" You ask, slightly out of breath as Midnight stands in front of you, panting softly.

'Two on both sides. One more round?' Midnight smirks and falls into a defensive stance.

"You know it!" You smirk back and raise your sword, cloak billowing behind you in the wind.

After informing the royal guardsmen of your trip to Corona in a few days you assigned them their respective duties around the castle and city. You had also listened to a report from Tara about the Arendelle army and were pleased to learn that they were progressing wonderfully. With all of your formal duties handled, you and Midnight decided to have a quick little spar with one another, but it quickly escalated into long and drawn out series of matches, each more close and intense than the last. Currently, according to Midnight, the score was tied.

Off on the sidelines, Anders and Tara were currently watching along with several other guards who were off duty. When ever you and Midnight fought, it was always a grand spectacle to observe. A battle between two of the deadliest things in the Kingdom was truly a sight to see.

"Who you think will take this one?" Anders asks, arms crossed entrapped in witnessing the battle before him.

"Hmm, Not sure. (Y/N) Looks pretty worn out. But Midnight Took a pretty tough blow that last round. My Money's on (Y/N)."

Anders says nothing as he focuses on the battle about to begin.

You smirk and wait for the wolf to make her move. Midnight breaks her defensive stance and lunges at you. Your eyes narrow as you duck her attack as she leaps over you. She lands and swiftly turns to swipe at your chest. You roll away from the swing and bring your sword up to try and strike her. She dodges swiftly and already prepares another assault. Sure you had become faster, but she was still faster. As your blade misses her, she stands on er hind legs and prepares to bring her claws down on you. You take your opportunity and try a vertical swing for her exposed chest. She sees this and redirects her attack to your arm, pushing you downward on to one knee. She moves quickly and tries to claw at your neck. You raise an arm to catch her paw and use all of your strength to push her off you.

As the large wolf stumbles backwards, you stand and regain your footing.

You look at Midnight with a playful grin. You can see Midnight enjoying herself as well, judging by the smile she had on. You ready your blade once more and charge straight at her.

The battle continues for several moments, the both of you matching each other blow for blow in both speed and power. The nearby guards are practically shaking. It could go either way as it stands.

Midnight lunges at you. You turn to avoid the blow and rear your fist to striker her across the jaw. She pulls her head back and bites down on your arm, holding you by the bracer, not willing to try and bite through the metal armor and further into your arm. She turns her head to the side to send you forward a bit before preparing a pounce. You turn and jump backwards leaving her head exposed. You plunge your sword down, ready to pull back if necessary. Against any other combatant this would be an easy kill, but Midnight was no ordinary fighter. She ducks and pulls her head back to dodge your blow. As you turn to engage her once more, she tackles you to the ground.

"It's over, I win." As Midnight pins you to the ground, You hold your sword at her throat. One move of the arm and she would be dead.

'Did you now?' Midnight smirks down at you, before darting her eyes downwards toward your torso. You look down at your body. One of her claws was against your gut, ready to plunge it in at anytime. You both had killing blows secured on the other.

You chuckle softly. "Draw?"

She smiles and moves herself off of you. 'Draw.'

You laugh a bit more and stand on your feet. It was definitely a productive day here at the barracks.

* * *

You hum softly to yourself as you make your way through the castle. After cleaning yourself up from your spars with your wolf companion, the two of you took it upon yourselves to roam the castle for your friends. You could have spent the time packing your things, but truthfully there wasn't mush to pack. Unlike Anna's vast assortment of clothing, you had a more modest wardrobe and as such didn't really need to stress over what you were bringing.

Midnight was following along, not exactly having as much fun as she was back at the barracks, but she didn't feel like taking a nap either, so she decided to follow you around the castle. As it were Elsa wasn't not in the council chambers or her study. She did say she would help Anna pack as soon as she was done making the necessary arrangements to the kingdom.

The two of you make your way to Anna's room. The door was slightly open. As you near the open door, voices can be heard from inside the room.

"But Elsa! What if-" Anna whines.

"Anna..." Elsa replies.

"Okay fine! Then what about this?"

"Ooh... I actually like that one, go ahead and take it."

You pass a glance at Midnight who just shrugs in response.

"Oh, wow..." You mumble as the two of you enter the room. The mountainous pile of clothes that once encompassed the bed was considerably smaller. You could actually make out the bedsheets and pillows. Elsa and Anna were standing by the closet with several articles of clothing scattered around them. They continue to look down at the clothing, failing to notice your presence.

"I can see packing is going well." You say as you step further into the room, catching their attention.

"(Y/N), Midnight! Hey!" Anna greets with a smile, looking up from her assorted clothing.

Elsa grins and moves closer to you to place a tender kiss in your lips, not wanting to put too much passion into it in front of Midnight and her sister. "Hey you."

Elsa turns to the large wolf in the room. "Hello Midnight!"

'Hello Elsa.' She smiles and nods at the pair before sitting herself down beside the bed.

You scan the room for the remainder of your friends.

"Where are the guys at?" You ask, unable to find any trace of Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf.

"Oh Kristoff and Sven went to visit their family to tell them about the trip." Anna replies before turning back to the closet

"Ah." You look over to Elsa. "We should probably go tell Marshmallow too."

"Way ahead of you. Olaf went into the city to get things to make him a care basket." Elsa smiles softly, looking back at you. "Inform the guardsmen about our trip?"

You nod. "Yep, as of right now, everything is in order on my end. How goes the politics?"

Elsa lets out a sigh and runs a hand through her platinum blonde locks, smiling softly. "Might have been a little reluctance from the council at first and there's still a few things to handle but otherwise we should be fine to leave."

"A little reluctance?" You ask, noticing Elsa's slightly frustrated voice.

"Yes. At first the council didn't think it was a good idea for me to leave the kingdom, but they changed their minds after I mentioned that it would be a great way to improve our relationships with the other leaders. So they're on board as well."

Elsa smiles and sits down beside you on the bed. "Now we just have to finish packing."

"Speaking of packing..." Anna speaks up, getting your attention as she holds out a shirt. "What do you think? Keep or leave?"

Knowing Anna, she would be asking this question for every piece of clothing she had. You and Elsa share sigh. This might take a while.

* * *

The Arendelle docks were pleasant today. The sun was shining, the horizon was clear, and there were no clouds in sight. Today was the day of your departure for Corona. Elsa had announced her departure for Corona to the kingdom yesterday. After a slightly tearful goodbye from Marshmallow, you all find yourselves at the Arendelle approaching the ship that would carry you to the southern land. Olaf was currently riding on Sven's back with Anna and Kristoff closely behind. Elsa was walking beside you, arms linked and resting her head on your shoulder as you moved. Midnight was trailing behind the group, eying the waters cautiously. Accompanying you to the ship were your most trusted guardsmen, Anders and Tara, as well as Kai.

The people of Arendelle, just as the council, had been slightly unnerved at the Queen's departure, but nevertheless agreed that Elsa earned a rest from serving the kingdom. As you made your way through the city, people would assemble in the streets and wish all of you well on your journey. Even Linguini and Colette took some time to wish you all safe travels. Not just for the royal family, but for you as well. Once past the initial skepticism of your relationship with the queen, as well as learning of your actions in helping Arendelle, they saw you only had Arendelle's interests at heart and knew you were right for the queen. Although there were still a few jealous eyes in the crowd.

The ship that Corona had sent was located at the end of the docks. In the distance you couldn't make much of it out, but it easily dwarfed all other ships around it. The Corona flag stood proudly displayed above the crows nest for all to see. Elsa visited the ship to discuss some matters with the captain and could certainly say that the ship was much more grandiose up close.

"Whoa..." Anna says as all of you approach the ship.

"This thing is humongous!" You hear Olaf say from the top of Sven's back.

True to Elsa's word, the ship was more grand up close. The sails extended high into the sky, colored in purple with a vibrant golden sun displayed in the middle. She was over two hundred feet across and looked like she could easily hold more than what all of you were bringing. The ship looked like a re-purposed warship and from what you could see, She didn't appear to have any weapons on the sides like other ships you've seen. Intricately Carved into the side of the ship were bold letters.

_Argent Twilight_

A large gangway extended from the deck. A middle-aged looking man in a Corona officers uniform and two crewmen in standard cadet uniforms stood next to the walkway, smiling as you all approach. The older man had graying brown hair and matching eyes. His eyes reflected great skill that belonged to a man who spent a lifetime at sea. The raging sea storms and vastness of the ocean left him with a tremendous amount of experience, Experience etched into his face in the form of wrinkles.

Their eyes pass over to Midnight, widening as they go. Elsa had informed them of who would be attending the festival, but even after being told about Midnight, her appearance was still enough to frighten even the hardiest of men and women.

The men shake off the shock and adopt a more formal look as Elsa approaches.

Elsa releases her arm from yours and moves to greet the man. "Hello Captain Altman. Is everything ready?"

"Good day, Your highness." He replies with a slight bow. "We're ready to sail whenever you're ready."

"Thank you." Elsa replies.

The man turns to the crewmen beside him. "Take care of their baggage, lads."

"Aye cap'n." They respond and move to retrieve the luggage and carry it up to the ship.

The older man bows again to Elsa. "If you'll excuse me ma'am. I must prepare the ship for departure."

He nods toward you before turning and proceeding up the gangway onto the deck.

Anna and Olaf race up excitedly to the walkway. "This is so amazing! Come on Olaf!"

"Okay!" Olaf says as the two run up the gangway, eager to explore the ship.

Sven and Kristoff slowly approach, eyes wide with awe.

"Well... I'm impressed." Kristoff says as he approaches the walkway.

Sven only nods and proceeds to follow Kristoff up.

Kai approaches the queen, a proud smile on his face.

As Elsa discusses some final matters with her royal adviser, you look over to Midnight. She was standing cautiously by the walkway, eyes narrowed and looking defensive.

"Something wrong?" You ask.

She nearly jumps at your voice when you speak to her. 'Water? You expect us to travel across water in...'

She nods her head towards the ship. 'This thing?'

"Well, yes. What did you think we would walk there?" You ask with a chuckle.

'I would prefer that to this.'

"Oh come on! It's not that bad." You raise an eyebrow and shoot a playful smirk at her. "You're not scared are you?"

'Ha! Me scared? Surely you must be joking.'

In the middle of her thoughts, an empty barrel falls from the top of the deck and lands in the water below.

_Splash!_

A bit of water jumps and hits the Wolf causing her to jump away, yelping at the contact. 'Eeep!'

"Whoops! My Bad!" You look up to find Olaf waving down with an apologetic smile.

'Olaf!' Midnight's eyes showed slight anger, as you chuckle at her startled state.

"Oh, not scared right?" You ask, still chuckling.

'That's not funny! And forget it! I'm not setting foot on this deathtrap!'

"It'll be fine! I promise, nothing will happen to you." You tell her as you softy set a hand on her head, smiling warmly.

The large wolf narrows her eyes at you. 'If this thing sinks, I get to bite your arms off before we die.'

You smile and nod. "Fair enough."

The large wolf very cautiously turns to the gangway. 'Okay... I can do this...'

She carefully places a paw onto the walkway. Midnight peeks her had over the edge and into the water, before retracting her paw. It wasn't a far drop from the waterline, but it seemed she was more scared of the water than the fall.

"The Key is not looking down!" You say, calling out to her.

She flashes you a sarcastic glare. 'No really? I never would have thought of that!'

She shakes her head and turns back to the walkway, planting a firm step onto it. Slowly but surely , she begins to ascend the walkway at a snail's pace.

As your companion makes her way up the walkway, you turn your head to see Anders and Tara approach.

"Well, (Y/N). I guess this is goodbye." Anders says, grinning at you.

"For now." You reply, smiling back. You look between the two. "Sure you both can handle it?"

"I think we'll manage." Tara says, smiling at you.

You turn your head to see Elsa give Kai a quick hug, before she turns to you and nods.

"Time to go." You tell the two guardsmen.

Anders nods and holds out a hand. "Have fun, Captain. You've certainly earned it."

"Will do." You respond grasping his hand and giving it a firm shake.

You look at Tara and gently grasp her shoulder. "Don't burn the place down."

Tara laughs and smirks at you.

"No promises!" she jokes.

You flash the pair one more smile before walking up to Elsa.

"Ready to leave?" She asks, smiling at you.

"After you," You say, gesturing to the gangway.

Upon making your way onto the deck you see various crewmen and dashing across the deck, making sure everything was ship shape. Captain Altman was currently at the helm supervising the sailors. The main deck of the ship was spacious and roomy. Anna and Olaf were off at the fore end of the ship, staring into the waters, practically dripping excitement, with Kristoff and Sven admiring the ship's wood work. Midnight was... well... in a corner. She narrows her eyes at the sailors who pass her by. The crewmen themselves didn't even wish to agitate her, and quickly ran past her to do their jobs.

The captain notices the two of you on the deck. "Ah! Your majesty! Captain (Y/N)!"

The man gestures for you to come up the helm.

Elsa takes your hand and leads you up the steps to the helm.

The Captain Altman smiles and nods at the two of you. "Let's be off shall we?"

Elsa smiles and nods. "At your word."

The man looks at his crew. "Weigh Anchor! Bring us to Full sail!"

The crewmen scuttle and move to follow the captain's order. Anna and Olaf dash to the side of the ship to wave bye to the city. The sails raise and immediately catch the wind.

As the ship begins to move, you can see Midnight in her corner dart her eyes around, unnerved at the motion.

Captain Altman grasps the helm and steers the ship out of the docks. You were off to Corona.

"This is Amazing! Look at the ocean! That horizon! It's fantastic!" You hear Anna from across the deck. She's definitely enjoying the voyage.

Elsa turns around to look at the shrinking city of Arendelle. You smile softly and move closer to her, wrapping an arm around her. Elsa leans her head down on your shoulder. As the ship sails her way out of the fjord, the Captain Altman inhales a gust of sea air.

"We have a strong wind blowing us right where we need to go!"

"This is magnificent vessel, Captain." You say, admiring the large ship. "She's a frigate, am I right?"

"Good eye, mister (Y/N). She's an old warship re-purposed for civilian transport. Even used to hunt pirates many years before I earned my sea legs."

The captain smiles and pats the wheel softly. "Aye, she may not be as young as she used to be, but she's as still solid steel. Should have us in Corona in three maybe four days tops."

You raise an eyebrow at this. You knew that the trip to Corona would usually take at the least five days. A ship this size making the trip in three days? Simply unheard of!

"I'm sorry did you say three to four days?" You ask, releasing your hold on Elsa to face the older man.

Elsa smiles at your curiosity.

"Aye, Surprised are you?"

"Yes actually. How can a ship this size make the trip that quickly?"

The captain chuckles at your question. "Now that is an excellent question. As you pointed out this is an old warship. Since being changed into a transport ship, the weapons have been removed and the ammunition storage has been reworked into VIP living space. With no cannons or shot on board, it makes for a much lighter ship."

"Interesting." Elsa interjects, impressed with the idea. "And you said the ammunition storage was converted into VIP rooms?"

"Yes, in fact..." The captain looks out across the deck to find someone. "Thomas!"

A few seconds later, a slim gangly boy in his late teens runs up to the helm, giving captain Altman a salute. "Yes Captain?"

"Do me a favor and show our esteemed guests their living space, will you?"

"Oh! Yes sir!" The slim boy. "This way your majesty."

The cabin boy gestures down the steps. Elsa smiles at you and moves to follow him. You nod towards Captain Altman and follow Elsa.

Across the deck, Anna and your friends were taking in the majesty that was the open water.

"Hey Guys! We're going to see the rooms, You want to come?" You call out to them.

"We're good!" Anna replies.

"Yup! We'll be in later!" Olaf adds.

You smile and shrug before looking at Midnight. "Did you-?"

'Yes!' Midnight gets up and rushes in to walk next to Elsa, not wanting to be on the deck any longer.

After climbing down the staircase the young man leads you to the living deck. Compared to the grand exterior of the ship, the living space was more simple. Wall lanterns brightly illuminated the hall that led to the rooms. Despite not as flashy as the outside, the walls were still intricate in their design. The hall was quite spacious.

"Okay here we are..." Thomas says as he approaches a door at the end of the hall. "Your room, milady."

The young man opens the door to reveal a simple room. It was small but given that you were on a ship made it understandable. The bed large enough for two and looked like it was made from the finest material. The room was actually quite pleasant, albeit a bit small. A wide porthole allowed the golden sun to light up the room.

"Lovely." Elsa says.

Thomas grins and gestures towards you. "And Mister (Y/N), your room is-"

"Actually," You say, stopping him. "I would like to share this room with queen Elsa, if you don't mind."

The young man looks surprised. "Oh! Um, well I don't think I could fit another bed in there but I could tr-"

"That won't be necessary, but thanks anyway."

"I don't understand, how will you...?" Thomas looks between you and Elsa, who gives him a knowing smile. "Oh! I see... My apologies, I didn't know you were together. By all means,"

He smiles and gestures to Elsa's room.

"Thank you, Thomas." Elsa says.

The young man nods before looking across the hall to another room, a puzzled look on his face. "Hmm... Now what do we do with this empty room?"

"I know someone who needs it." You speak up, getting his attention.

You turn your head to look behind you at Midnight, who was struggling to stay up as the ship rocked back and forth. She looks up at you.

'I hate the ocean.'

* * *

The day passed rather quickly and night was soon falling over the waters. The sky was clear and as such, captain Altman insisted on continuing through the night. Anna and the rest of your friends promptly fell asleep, tired from a day of fun on the main deck of the ship. After settling in, Elsa went above deck to enjoy the sights with Anna and the others, while you chose to stay below and Keep Midnight company. But it was getting late and you needed some sleep.

"I'm going to head to my room now. Are you going to okay?" You ask as you open Midnight's door leading to the hallway.

'Probably not, but I'll manage.' Midnight cautiously watches the port hole, sending a hateful glare at the ocean.

"Well, if anything happens, I'm across the hall."

She nods at you. 'Noted. Now go on, hopefully I can dream about being on land again.'

"Goodnight." You smile warmly before closing the door.

Taking a few steps across the hall, you open the door to find Elsa climbing into the bed.

She looks up and smiles at you. "How is she?"

"She'll be fine, I think." You say, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind you.

You walk across the room to the window and look out at the sea. The moonlight reflected off the waters and gently shined through your window. The sea was a mysterious place. At a moments notice it could change from a calm and serene place, to an unforgiving and treacherous domain. Not to mention what lies in the fathoms below. Midnight was right to be afraid. Truthfully you were slightly scared as well. The oceans were just as unpredictable as they were beautiful.

"Ahem..." You hear Elsa say.

You turn to find the queen smirking at you. "If it's not too much to ask, I'd like my favorite pillow to join me right now."

You chuckle softly and make your way to the bed. "Is that all I am? A pillow?"

"No... you're also a really great kisser." She grins and moves to the side for you to slide under the covers.

"I knew there was a reason you kept me around for so long." You softy laugh as Elsa snuggles up to you, resting her head on your chest.

You smile as you hold Elsa close. "So, your majesty, How does it feel?"

She grins and raises an eyebrow. "How does what feel?"

"Your first time traveling abroad. Excited? Nervous?"

Elsa giggles slightly. "Honestly, I feel like I should be afraid after what happened to my parents, but I can't help but feel free. After spending years and years in one place, the thought of being out here on the ocean, on my way to a foreign land seems thrilling."

"I know what you mean. Most of my memories of visiting foreign places aren't exactly pleasant, so I'm happy that this is turning out to be different than what I'm used to."

"You and me both." Elsa sighs in content as she rests against you.

You remain silent, listening to the waves as the press against the ship. It was nice and calming, as you lay still, holding Elsa close in the moonlight. It was enough to lull you both to sleep in a matter of minutes.

Quite an uneventful few days out at sea, at least for you. Between watching over Midnight to make sure she doesn't go crazy, and chatting with some of the crewmen, you didn't really have much to do. But you did have quite a bit of fun playing pirates with Olaf, even if he did almost fall off the ship a few times. And it was always entertaining to discus philosophy and ideas with Sven and Kristoff but other than that, there wasn't much else to do.

* * *

It was now the morning of the third day at sea and the ship was nearing Corona. You were already in Corona waters, now it was only a matter of time. You find yourself asleep in bed when the sound of singing fills your ears and stirs you from your sleep.

_Now we are ready to sail for the Horn, _One man sings.

_Weigh hey, roll and go! _The others join in.

_Our boots and our clothes, boys, are all in the pawn,_

_To be rollicking randy dandy-O!_

You open your eyes. The morning sun was shining through the window. The crew was singing together above you on the main deck. You feel around the bed and find that Elsa was missing, likely gone topside to take in the morning air. You stretch your arms and leave the bed, opening the door and begin to make your way to the main deck.

Upon reaching the deck, you hear Captain Altman call to you from the helm. "Morning, mister (Y/N)!"

"Good morning captain! Are we almost there?"

"That we are, my friend. Shouldn't be too long now!"

You smile and look around at the ship, as the crew continued to sing.

_Come breast the bars, bullies, heave her away,_

_Weigh hey, roll and go! ._

_Soon well be rolling her down through the Bay,_

_To be rollicking randy dandy-O!_

"I still can't believe she made the trip this quickly."

Two men beside you overhear you and chuckle at your amazement.

The larger of the two men, speaks up. "Amazing right? The Argent Twilight is one of the finest ships in all the world."

The slimmer man smiles at this. "No other ship in her class can match her speed."

Out of nowhere a man wearing a bandana with beads and other objects in his hair appears.

"I've heard of one, supposed to be very fast, nigh uncatchable: The Black Pearl."

The larger man scoffs at him. "Well, there's no real ship as can match the Twilight, Mr. Smith."

The slim man turns to the larger one. "The Black Pearl is a real ship."

"No it's not."

"Yes it Is! I've seen it."

"You've seen a ship with black sails that's crewed by the damned, and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out?" The large one asks with a disbelieving tone.

"No... But I have seen a ship with black sails..."

As the two men continue to bicker and argue, you look around to find that 'Mister smith' has disappeared from view.

'Where did he...?' You look around some more hoping to find this mysterious man, only to find your eyes settling on some one else.

Elsa stood at the fore end of the ship, arms crossed and in deep thought.

You leave the bickering men and move up behind her, wrapping your arms around her hips and placing your chin on her shoulder. "Hey."

"Good morning," She replies, turning her head to plant a kiss on you lips.

"Something on your mind, love?" You ask.

"Just thinking about Corona. No doubt people will have heard of me and what happened back in Arendelle."

Elsa sighs and leans into your hold. "I just hope It doesn't turn out like the first time I revealed myself to a nation."

It makes sense that Elsa was concerned. She had just recently began to be looked up to in her own kingdom, but in a far off land, even as one as close as Corona, the only thing she had to her name were legends and stories from other people. But you knew Elsa. You knew that she could inspire the best on people. If anyone had doubts about her, you knew she would have no trouble changing their minds, even if she didn't realize she was doing it.

"Elsa, I'm sure the people will love you." You smile warmly and chuckle slightly. "Maybe not as much as me or Anna, but pretty close..."

Elsa giggles at your response. "You really think so?"

"I kn-"

"Avast lads! Land ho!" Captain Altman, exclaims from his spot at the helm. He was looking through a spyglass at something in the distance. It was far off, perhaps an hour more of sailing, but you and Elsa can make out a land mass.

"Welcome to Corona!"

* * *

**Okay, I had to throw in some pirates of the Caribbean reference. So you know...**

**Also, to answer a few questions, Elsa's relationship is only known to people in Arendelle, so mayhaps a few admirers will be in for a surprise...**

**Anyways, Thanks for your time and I really hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

**More vacation things happening up next! So stick around! **

**As Always, feel free to leave any suggestions, criticisms or comments!**


	22. A Whole New World

**Welcome to Corona everyone!**

**Glad everyone's enjoying the story!**

**Anyways, thanks for all your likes and taking the time to read the story! **

**Okay, On with the story!**

**Also I've just written the first chapter to a modern super hero story titled: 'Against the Darkness'**

**It's still Elsa X (M)Reader format, with slight inspiration from 'Arrow', 'The Flash', as well as the D.C. Universe in general! Be sure to check it out if you dig superheroes!**

* * *

**Okay... now on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 22: A Whole New World

The Argent Twilight pulls in to the docks of Corona. You and the others were absolutely ecstatic about disembarking and getting to see the city. So excited that you all prepared your things and you were ready to leave as soon as the ship was anchored in. Word had been sent as the ship approached as there was a Corona official and several servants waiting for you on the docks, as well as a small welcoming crowd of citizens, eager to see the snow queen. Anna and Olaf didn't really care, they were too busy admiring the majesty of Corona. Sven and Kristoff were chuckling along at the pair's enthusiasm. Elsa gripped your hand, ready to face this whole new world.

"Wow you can see the castle from here! It's Ginormous!" Anna speaks out.

The castle was indeed huge. Elsa and Anna's was quite large, but this one atop the hill completely dwarfed it.

"Hey, (Y/N) where's Midnight?" Kristoff asks, curious as to why the wolf didn't wish to see the sights.

The wolf in question never left the comfort of her room for the entire voyage, preferring to stay as far away from the view of the ocean as possible. She even had you block the porthole in her room to make sure she couldn't see it.

"Hang on I'll go get her." You say releasing Elsa's hand to go below deck.

You approach the door to the Dire wolf's room. "Midnight, you okay in there?"

No answer. You open the door slowly. Midnight was under the covers, shaking from the voyage. Of course given her size, the blanket only covered hear head and upper body, leaving her hind legs exposed. She didn't care, as long as she couldn't see the sea.

"Um Midnight?"

'What...' She growls lowly, anger apparent in the rumble.

"We're not on the open ocean any-" You never get to finish as she darts out of bed and up the stairs to the main deck, nearly knocking you down in her haste.

'Screw the ocean!' She barks happily as she ascends the staircase.

You laugh and move to follow her upstairs.

As soon as Midnight makes it to the top deck, you and everyone else descend the gangway, with Midnight appearing more eager to leave the ship than anyone else. With Elsa leading the group, you all come off the Argent Twilight and take your first steps in Corona.

"Your highness," A Corona official says as he bows. He was a very slim man who looked to be in his mid-forties. He had a very thin mustache and wide-rimmed spectacles. "On behalf of the royal family I would like to Welcome you to- dear lord what is that!?"

You turn to see what the man was looking at. Once you were all off the walkway, Midnight pushed through everyone and began kissing the ground.

'Sweet, sweet, sturdy ground! I love you almost as much as waffles!' She looked as if the ground was the greatest thing in the world.

"It's a monster! Guards!" The official yells, startling the crowd around the ship.

Midnight looks up, cocking her head to the side. 'Monster?'

Several nearby guards race up, weapons in hand. Your eyes widen and you put yourself between the guards and your friend. "Wait, Wait! Stop! She's not a monster! She's not going to hurt anyone! She's with us!"

Elsa's eyes widen, ready to intervene. Anna and Olaf pass a glance at each other, fearing for Midnight. Kristoff and Sven look ready to step in as well.

The Corona guards look cautiously at the wolf. The Corona official looks at Elsa.

"Is this true, your majesty? Is it-?"

"She," Elsa says cutting him off. "Is a member of my party and a close friend."

"Oh! My apologies!" The man gestures for the guards to return to their posts. "The carrier bird that was sent informing us of who was attending mentioned a wolf but we assumed it was... um... smaller."

'Is he calling me fat?'

Elsa nods at the man. "It's quite alright, I assure you she won't be a threat to anyone."

The rest of your friends sigh in relief at the sign of the guards moving away. They still had a cautious gaze directed at Midnight, but nevertheless backed down.

"If you say so, milady." The official nods and turns to look at your group. "If you will please follow me, the castle is just a short walk away." The man passes a nervous glance at Midnight, who tries to smile at him.

The crowd around you remains silent in awe and fear of the large wolf. Elsa and the others turn to follow the man to the castle, while you look back and walk close to Midnight.

'What? Is it rude to kiss the ground here?' She had a confused expression on her face.

You chuckle and lay a hand on her head, giving it a scratch. "Come on, let's get going."

* * *

The walk to the castle was spectacular. The streets of the city were beautiful. The buildings and structures were lined with red, orange and yellow streamers, the colors of fall. You can hear Anna and Olaf gushing over how pretty it all was. Up ahead Elsa was preoccupied with greeting people who had heard of her story. Citizens would smile and bow. Elsa would reply with a kind smile and nod of her head. Many admired her beauty and many more admired her kindness.

"Is that the queen? She's so pretty!" A little girl says.

"Look at that reindeer! He's so adorable!"

"Hello, Princess Anna!" A young boy says with a slight bow.

"I wonder If queen Elsa is single, I mean there isn't a king, right?" One man mumbles out.

That last line bugged you slightly. Part of you wanted to dash up to Elsa and capture her lips, wrap your arms around her, or hug her close. Anything to show she was taken. But you knew it would be wiser to stay back and walk with Midnight to ensure she doesn't get provoked into attacking anyone. You trusted her to have enough self-control not to do that, but it made her feel better knowing her best friend and partner was by her side.

You listen closely as more admirers look at your group.

"Is that a snowman? How is that possible?"

"Magic, duh!"

"That blonde haired guy is pretty cute."

The people only had adoration and fondness for all of you as you passed them.

At least, up until they caught a glimpse of Midnight. The looks of Admiration changed into ones of fear and unease.

Midnight looks around at the faces of the people.

"W-what is that?"

"I-is t-that a wolf?"

"I've never seen one that size before..."

"I'm scared!"

The wolf looks up at you. 'Everyone around me is afraid. Don't they realize that if I wanted them dead, they would dead already?'

"We're not back in Arendelle where everyone is used to seeing you walk around with me. In fact, I'm pretty sure a lot of people here thought your species went extinct years ago."

'I realize that, I just...' Midnight lets out a sigh. 'If this how people will react, then I might as well stay on the ship... provided it stays in one place.'

"You're not going anywhere." You reach out and give her head a scratch. "We just need to find a way to show them you're not a bloodthirsty beast from straight out of their nightmares."

A pair of parents usher their children inside a building as you pass by.

'And how do we do that?'

"I'm sure we'll think of something." You answer, unsure of just what to do. But how could you even be sure? Midnight really was frightening to anyone. Especially given the fact that you were in a foreign land. Even the people back home in Arendelle were slightly intimidated by her presence, despite knowing she wasn't hostile. This was an issue because you really wanted her to have fun and enjoy herself as well during your stay in Corona. With fearful eyes and watchful stares, fun wasn't something that came to mind. The fact that Midnight even cared about how these people made her feel emotionally proved she was more than a mindless beast.

Midnight adopts a more saddened set of eyes as you walk to the castle. She had a heart and soul just like the rest of you.

"Excuse me... umm, Queen Elsa?" You turn your head to the front of the group to see a little girl approach the blonde queen. Elsa stopped to acknowledge her.

"Hello, what can I do for you sweetie?" Elsa says, smiling warmly at the little girl.

"Um I was wondering... can we see the magic?" The girl asks shyly.

"I'm very sorry little one," The Corona official speaks up. "But we really must be going-"

Elsa laughs softly, silencing the man. "It's alright, this won't take more than a minute."

Elsa turns back to the girl. "Hmm, you want to see some magic?"

"Oh yes please!" The girl nods excitedly.

"Watch this," Elsa holds a hand out chilling the air around it. Citizens gather closely to witness Elsa's power. A small burst of snow pulses from her hand as she begins to swirl it around.

"Cool!" The crowd around looks on, eyes wide and full of wonder.

"Wow!" the little girl says, amazed by the display.

"Wait for it." Kristoff says, smiling at the girl, while Sven and Olaf look at each other with knowing grins.

"Wait?" she asks curiously. "For what?"

"The best part!" Anna exclaims, nodding towards her sister.

The little girl looks back just in time to see Elsa hold out her other hand, bringing the two close together, snow and wind swirling around them. She closes her palms together and looks up at the sky. "Don't blink!"

Elsa thrusts her hands upwards, shooting a jet of ice and snow into the air! She waves her hands around as the snowflakes and ice come together directly above her, forming a huge crystal clear snowflake in the sky. The crowd 'oohs' and 'aahs' at the sight, while Elsa smiles and brings her hand down in front of her. She snaps her fingers and the snowflake bursts outwards, creating a small snowfall all around the area.

The people around clap and cheer as the snow falls around their shoulders.

"That was amazing!"

"Wow! That was so cool!"

Elsa smiles warmly before patting the little girl on the shoulder, slightly blushing from all of the admiration she was receiving. You and Midnight, despite her welcome, couldn't help but smile at Elsa and her admirers.

* * *

The Castle comes into view. Just as the Argent Twilight had been when you first saw it, you truly could not grasp its size until you were directly in front of it.

"Oh... my..." Olaf gasps as he stares up at it. The rest of you could only nod your heads in agreement.

"Elsa we just got beat in the 'most elaborate castle category'..." Anna announces jokingly.

The queen giggles at her sister's jest. "It's not a contest Anna... but yes. We totally got one upped."

"Right this way, your majesty! You arrived right on time! The opening ceremony is tonight, and you simply must be present!" The official gestures up the steps leading to the main entrance. "The king and queen are so excited to finally see you!"

"King Everick and Queen Natalie are meeting us in person?" Elsa asks as the lot of you make your way up the steps.

"But of course! Your attendance, Queen Elsa, was highly looked forward to! More so than any other guest!"

"Really?" Elsa asks, eyes filling with thought.

"Most definitely!" The man says as you reach the top of the steps. "Ah here we are!"

You reach the top of the steps and widen your eyes at the castle's courtyard. It was larger than Arendelle's and was decorated in accordance with the colors of fall, much like the city below. Twin curved staircases led up to a raised area like a grand stage overlooking the yard. Servants and workers were quickly dashing across the yard, setting up more decorations and preparing the courtyard for some sort of event. From the staircase you can see a pair of figures, a man and woman, descending the right most staircase, arms linked and wearing attire that was fit for a king and queen. The gentleman had brown hair and a matching brown beard. His blue eyes and the wrinkles around them reflected the years of grief and sadness that was replaced with joy and happiness several years ago. In addition to his royal apparel he sported a golden crown. The woman at his side had a matching golden crown that accented her long brown hair. Her eyes were a green hue and had the same look of past sadness and current joy that the man had. They were both smiling brightly at Elsa and the rest of you. The others didn't notice it, but you saw something else in their eyes. It was brief, merely a flash before it was gone. You saw a tinge of sadness and regret as they looked at Elsa and Anna.

You see Elsa and Anna step forward in a true formal fashion.

The Corona official steps forward and bows just as they reach the bottom step. "King Everick And Queen Natalie, May I present to you,"

The official turns around and gestures a hand to your group. "Her majesty Queen Elsa and the royal family of Arendelle."

You all bow to show your respect.

"Why are we bowing?" You hear Olaf whisper.

"Because that's the king and queen..." Kristoff replies, head still down.

"Really, like Elsa? Neat!"

You chuckle at the snowman as you all lift your heads. The King and Queen look over your party.

"Welcome to Corona, all of you!" He says, with a happy tone. Queen Natalie smiles warmly before looking at Elsa and Anna with her husband.

"Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, It is good to finally see you again after all these years."

Elsa and Anna exchange a confused look.

"I'm sorry, did you say...?" Anna begins.

"See us again?" Elsa asks.

"Of course, you probably don't remember, but we visited Arendelle many, many years ago." The King chuckles slightly and pats Elsa on the shoulder. "You were only a little girl and Anna wasn't old enough to speak."

"Huh... Well that certainly was a while ago!" Anna states with a slight giggle.

"Hmm baby Anna... Wonder what that looked like." You hear Kristoff say under his breath.

"Oh my," Queen Natalie steps forward and lays a soft hand on Elsa's shoulder. "You look just like your mother..."

You see it again in Queen Natalie's smile. That flash of sadness.

"I..." Elsa blushes and smiles at her. "Thank you."

The king chuckles before turning to the rest of your party to look you all over. "Now who do we have here?"

Elsa smiles and turns to introduce all of you, starting with you and Midnight. "Everick, Natalie this (Y/N) and Midnight."

"Ah, The esteemed captain of the royal guard." The Everick extends his and outwards, smiling at you."And, if we read Elsa's letter correctly, her consort. You're quite the lucky man (Y/N)."

"I've been getting that a lot." You chuckle, returning the gesture as you grip his hand, shaking it softly. "It's an honor to meet you sir."

"Quite the strapping young man, aren't you?" You hear Queen Natalie say as she approaches, smiling at you. "The other suitors will be disappointed to find out that the lovely Queen Elsa is already taken."

"Other suitors?" You ask confusedly.

"Of course," Natalie continues. "The legends of Elsa power are only matched by legends of her beauty. Once the people received word she would be attending the festival, many nobles and other men flocked to Corona, hoping to win Elsa's hand."

"I see..." You continue, thinking about this new information.

"From what we see now and what Elsa told us in her letter, I wouldn't worry, (Y/N). She spoke very highly of you."

"Of course," You say, smiling at Elsa, who offers you a sheepish grin. "Nothing to worry about!"

You can feel the jealousy kick in. 'More suitors?'

"You should meet our guard captain. I'm sure you and Maximus will get along just fine!" Everick warmly claps your shoulder, before looking around. "Now who was this Midnight, again?"

"Her," Elsa says, gesturing to the large wolf.

"Who- oh! She's much larger up close."

"Hello Midnight," Midnight tilts her head as the King steps closer and places a hand on her head. "Welcome to Corona."

'You're not afraid like the others?' Midnight stares questioningly at him, while the queen smiles with her husband, not an ounce of fear on their faces.

The Kings simply smiles and gives her head a gentle rub. "No, I can see it in your look. Fierce and powerful, yet tame at the same time."

"Wait you can understand her?" You ask, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Trust me, we've had enough practice over the past three years." Queen Natalie says with a slight laughter. "I hope you enjoy your time here in Corona, Miss Midnight."

Midnight looks up at you, a smile present on her face. 'I like them.'

The King and Queen move back to be introduced to everyone else.

Anna steps forward, pushing Kristoff and Sven up to the King and Queen.

"Your majesties, This is Kristoff Bjorgman and Sven. Kristoff and Sven are the royal ice harvesters."

The King smiles and shakes Kristoff's hand while the Queen Gives Sven a gentle scratch behind his ears.

"Hello your highness." Kristoff says as he shakes the kings hand.

'Hello!' Sven gestures, smiling happily at the two monarchs.

"Anna's suitor as well, am I correct?" Everick asks, with a knowing smile.

Kristoff nods and looks at Anna. "Huh, Elsa mention that in her letter?"

"Yes, but we had actually heard about the two of you from the tales about Arendelle. How you two aided Princess Anna in her quest to save summer."

'Really? We're famous, buddy!' Sven smiles and nudges the blonde man.

"It was nothing really," Kristoff says with a humble grin.

Ana moves to introduce the last of your party.

"And Last but definitely not least, This is-"

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I like Warm hugs!" The little snowman waves his arms, grinning widely at Everick and Natalie.

"Aren't you just adorable!" Queen Natalie says, kneeling down to look into Olaf's eyes. "My daughter will absolutely love you!"

At the mention of the Queen's daughter, Anna speaks up. "Now that you mention it, your majesty, where is Rapunzel and Eugene? I've been dying to talk to them ever since we arrived!"

"Getting themselves ready for the opening ceremonies tonight." King Everick, smiles and moves to link arms with Queen Natalie. "I know my daughter and son-in-law are extremely excited to speak to you once again, but it may have to wait until this evening. Rapunzel insisted that she make everything perfect for your arrival."

"Speaking of Opening ceremonies my king," The official that led you to the palace speaks up. "You must begin preparations for tonight, as well."

"Of course," Everick replies before turning to face Elsa. "Queen Elsa, your rooms are waiting in the castle. Please make yourselves at home!"

Elsa smiles and bows as the King and Queen of Corona turn to leave in order to prepare for tonight's festivities.

The Corona Official turns to face you all. "If you'll follow me everyone, your rooms are right this way!"

As you and Everyone else follows the small man into the castle, you step closer to Elsa and intertwine your fingers together.

Midnight shaking her head and stifling a laugh at your action as she follows you into the castle. 'Someone doesn't like the thought of Elsa having,'

* * *

"More suitors?" You ask as you sit against the edge of the bed in your shared room with Elsa. "They were joking right?"

"I wouldn't be so sure, (Y/N)." Elsa giggles as she places her remaining pieces of clothing into a dresser. "I did hear quite a few handsome admirers in the city today profess their love for me and wish for my hand in marriage."

"You did?" You ask, surprised at her response.

Elsa giggles even more as she closes the dresser. "Of course not."

"Not funny..." You mumble as Elsa makes her way over to you.

After given a small tour of the living space, the Corona official led everyone to their own rooms. The Entirety of the Royal family were provided with rooms a great amount of elegance and beauty in their design. The bedchambers were slightly larger than Elsa's own bedroom back at Arendelle, with the walls and bedsheets having a distinct purple and golden color to them. The room even included a balcony that allowed for a grand view of the city and the ocean. It was quite lavish.

Anna and Kristoff shared a room directly across the hall with Olaf, Sven, and Midnight bunking further down the hall. You had all just finished unpacking and were just about ready to head down to the courtyard to learn more about the opening ceremonies. What bugged you was finding out that there will be many looking to claim Elsa's favor at the ceremony as well the entire festival.

"Whew that's a relief..." You say, responding to Elsa's answer.

She laughs and steps closer until she's standing in front of you. "Aww, that's cute."

"Cute?" You ask, raising an eyebrow at her. "What's cute?"

"You! Being jealous of course!"

"I'm not jealous!" You reply, blushing at Elsa's implication.

"Yes you are! Look you're blushing!"

You feel the heat rise up in your cheeks. "It's not out of jealousy! I'm just a little unsettled is all..."

"Unsettled? What for?"

"Well I don't exactly find the fact that I may have to fight for your love very settling..."

"You're not fighting for my love, (Y/N)," The Snow Queen smiles and takes your hands into her own. "Because you already won my heart some time ago."

Your gaze softens as you hold Elsa's hands tight, smiling at her response.

Elsa gives your hands a gentle squeeze before attempting to pull them away, but she never gets the chance. Before she can step away, you pull her back closer to you, meeting her in a passionate kiss. As you explore each others' mouths with your tongues, Elsa places her hands on your shoulders, pushing you down onto the bed with her lying on top of you.

Elsa breaks the kiss moments later, and smiles down at you. "I love you."

"I love you too, Elsa."

Elsa plants a peck on your lips before moving off of you.

"Come on Let's go see how everyone else is settling in." She says, moving towards the doorway.

You smile and sit up on the bed. While Elsa may have alleviated some of your concerns, you couldn't help but still feel slightly unnerved thinking about her long list of admirers.

"You coming, (Y/N)?" Elsa asks as she stands in the doorway.

You smile and stand approaching Elsa to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

Across the hall in Anna's room you find Kristoff assembling his formal attire for the ceremony.

"Oh, hey guys." Kristoff says, noticing your entrance.

"Hey/Hello," You both greet, stepping into the room.

"You both settled in and everything?" The mountain man asks, smiling as he sets his clothing down on the bed.

"Yes, just finished a few minutes ago." Elsa replies, looking around the room.

"Hey, Kristoff, where's Anna-"

"Elsa! Is that you?" The voice of Anna comes from the adjacent bathroom. "Can you come in here? I don't know what to wear for the party tonight!"

Elsa sighs and walks into the bathroom. "Anna it's not a party..."

"It might as well be! Hey close the door!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down." Elsa giggles and shuts the door behind her.

You turn your head to face Kristoff who rummages through a bag, slightly frustrated. "I don't know why we have to dress so formal for these things. I mean would you rather look nice of be comfortable?"

"Ha! The trick is to be a combination of both." You reply leaning against the bedpost.

The blonde man rummages further into the bag. "Huh... I could have sworn my neck-thing was in here... Hey can you hand me that bag?"

Kristoff points to a small bag on the bed.

"Neck-thing?" You ask, chuckling softly as you reach for the bag. "I think it's called a cravat."

"Right... Cravat... I knew that."

As you pull the bag off of the bed, you see a small box fall out. Small enough to hold a ring.

'What in the...?' You think as you look at the small box. "Kristoff... is that what I think it is?"

"What- hey! You're not supposed to see that!" Kristoff drops what he is doing and grabs the box from the bed.

"Is that an engagement ring?" You ask , smirking at the man.

"Keep your voice down!" He says, looking at the bathroom door.

No... it's..." He mumbles turning his head back to you, holding the box in his hands. "Definitely not that..."

"Kristoff, we're friends. You can trust me." You say reassuring the mountain man.

He passes a glance at the door before exhaling deeply. "Okay, yes. I plan on asking Anna to marry me."

"Hey, that's great!" You say, happy for the man.

"Not so loud!" He responds not wanting to alert the women in the next room.

"Oh, right sorry." You smile and lean against the bedpost once more. "You sure about this? Marriage is kind of a big deal."

"Never been more sure in my life. Remember when me and Sven went to visit the trolls just before we left? I didn't just go to say goodbye. I went for-"

"Advice." You speak, finishing his sentence for him. "Anna's absolutely the one right?"

Kristoff nods and looks at the bathroom door, thinking about the strawberry-blonde princess."

"I feel complete whenever she's around. I love her so much."

"Ugh," You say jokingly, feigning disgust. "When did you get so sappy?"

Kristoff chuckles before crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at you. "You know, the same can be said about you and a certain snow queen..."

"Okay... I'll give you that one." You blush slightly and laugh along with him. "Have you given any thought to how and when?"

"Not yet but I may get an idea once the festival starts."

"Well, I'm happy for you Kristoff. Anna couldn't ask for a better man." You say, smiling at your friend.

"Thanks (Y/N), it means a-"

The sound of the main door opening breaks Kristoff out of his thoughts. In comes Sven, Midnight and Olaf, with the reindeer and snowman boasting large grins.

"Hey guys! Ready to have a good time?" Olaf exclaims, waving at you two.

Sven's grin widens. 'Who's ready to party!?'

Midnight just stares rolling her eyes at the duo. 'Children... I swear if we weren't friends...'

Sven looks between you and Kristoff, eyes widening. '(Y/N) find the ring?'

"Uh... yeah."

'Ugh.' Sven sighs. 'See, you should have let me carry it!'

"For the record it was an accident." You say, chuckling at him.

* * *

The sun was setting in Corona, and the courtyard was lit up with radiant colors of the sunset. Many people gathered in the courtyard, awaiting the King and Queen to officially announce the start of the festival. Mostly nobles and people of other high positions made up the crowd. The King and Queen would first announce the beginning of the festival at the castle as a show of respect and honor for the visiting dignitaries. Shortly after, the royal family would personally walk down to the town square and announce it to the entire city. Many people, eager to begin the celebration, mingled and talked with one another. A group of musicians were playing in one corner, next to a small spread of food. The Royal family of Corona were nowhere to be seen, likely still in the castle, waiting to begin the opening ceremony.

You and your friends entered the courtyard and needless to say, Anna was bouncing with excitement.

"Oh my! Look at all these people! I wonder where those two are from?" Anna says, gesturing to a couple with a darker skin tone than most of the other nobles and people. Didn't even appear o be from the same region as Arendelle's and Corona.

"No Kidding." You say, eying the guests, Midnight looking nervous at your side.

"Well I think-" Elsa begins only to be interrupted by her sister.

"-Gasp-! Elsa look at the food table! Coronan chocolate! We have to see what it tastes like!"

Anna grabs Elsa's wrist and pulls her to the dessert table. "Anna wait- hey slow down!"

"Wait! I wanna try some!" Olaf says, running off with the girls.

You chuckle as the tree of them make their way to the table, people looking at Olaf with curiosity and bewilderment.

You turn to see Kristoff scratching at his cravat. "I hate this thing. Can we get this started so I can take this off?"

'Wimp.' Sven smirks.

"Oh, come on! You're not even wearing this thing. You don't know how it feels!"

Sven chuckles and rolls his eyes.

You grin and turn away to look at the crowd. "Well guys, let's go meet some people."

The nobles of Corona as well as the traveling dignitaries seemed nice enough unlike the snooty nobles sported by Afirewyn, even if a bit weary of Midnight's presence. Sven was a hit the ladies, as they would crowd around and ask Kristoff to stroke his fur. While some people were in fear of the wolf among them, some saw Midnight and looked genuinely impressed and in awe. Not very many, but enough so that your friend was slightly more comfortable here in the courtyard rather than on the walk from the city.

With Sven and Kristoff being occupied by the many women who wish to touch Sven's fur, you and Midnight continued to walk around, curious to meet the men and women in the courtyard.

'So many strange faces... the nobles here are more eccentric than-'

"Oof!" You say as you bump into someone.

"Watch out, buddy!"

"Oh my apologies, I didn't see where I was going." You say, looking at the couple you just bumped into. It was the pair of darker-skinned dignitaries from before. The man had on a set of white clothes with a cape hanging behind him. His hair was black and flowed down to the nape of his neck. The woman beside him, which you were assuming was his wife, had black hair as well that was long and tied into a pony tail. She was wearing a similar set of white clothes that slightly exposed her midriff along with a matching cape like her husband's own.

"Hey it's totally fine, No harm done right?" The man says, smiling softly at you.

You grin back as he turns to your companion. "Whoa! A dire wolf? I thought they went extinct years ago!"

The man kneels down to look her in the eyes. "Man! The northern countries just get cooler and cooler!"

"Um honey?" The woman says to her gushing husband.

"Yes? Oh Right! Sorry!" The man stands up and offers a hand to you. "Hey! I'm Aladdin, Nice to meet you."

You shake his hand firmly, smiling at him as he turns to the woman beside him.

"And this is my wife, Jasmine."

The woman extends a hand, smiling warmly at you. "A pleasure to meet you mister..."

"(Y/N), and this is my friend, Midnight." You say, shaking her hand.

"Midnight? Even her name is cool!" Aladdin says, smiling at the wolf. "Rajah would be impressed..."

"Rajah?" You ask, exchanging a confused glance with Midnight.

"Jasmine's tiger. He's over there by the dessert table." Aladdin says, pointing to the table.

Sure enough, you and Midnight look over to see a large muscular Tiger by the dessert table, eating what looks like a strawberry cake. The people around him looked scared to approach, but it's not like Rajah cared what they did anyway, choosing to remain content with his slice of cake.

"Huh, would you look at that." You say, looking at the tiger before looking back at Aladdin and Jasmine.

'It seems I'm not the only exotic creature here...' Midnight looks on amusedly at the tiger.

"So If I may ask, where are you from?" You ask curious about the foreign couple. "You two certainly don't like you're from around here."

"Way down south. Little place called Agrabah. Lots of sand." Aladdin replies.

"Not exactly on the same continent, you see." Jasmine finishes, with a slight smile.

"Wow, I didn't know The King and Queen had connections that far... How long was the trip?"

"Not as long as you may think." Jasmine says with a clever smirk.

"But how...?"

"A blue friend of mine did it." Aladdin says, chuckling at you.

" A blue friend?" You say, laughing slightly.

"So where are you two from mister (Y/N)?" Aladdin asks, changing the subject.

"We're actually with the queen of Arendelle."

"Arendelle?" Jasmine asks, eyes widening. "Didn't something happen there?"

"Oh you mean the great thaw or Elsa's ice powers?"

"Ice powers? No way-" Aladdin's words gets cut off by the sound of castle doors opening. The Coronan Royal family was about to begin the festival. The Official that led you all to your rooms had explained how the opening ceremony would be performed. First the royal family would invite the esteemed guests and dignitaries from other nations up to be recognized. Anna and Elsa would be among those called up. After acknowledgment and welcoming of the guests, The King will formally announce the beginning of the festival before making their way onto the city and doing the same down below.

"Whoops, that's our cue." Aladdin says, turning to Jasmine.

"I know, well it was nice meeting you (Y/N)! And you too Midnight!"

"Likewise, maybe we'll see each other during the festival!"

'The pleasure was ours.' Midnight smiles at the pair.

"Definitely!" Aladdin says with a smile, before taking Jasmine's hand. "See you around (Y/N), Midnight!"

As the two make their way up the staircase, you turn your head to see Elsa, Anna, Olaf approach, with them another young couple.

"(Y/N)! Midnight! hey!" Anna calls, smiling at you.

'Aren't we popular?' Midnight, shrugs and waits for them to approach.

"Hey Anna, Olaf." You greet, looking at the young woman. You pass your gaze over to Elsa. "Hello, love. You three having fun?"

"Yes! This is great!" Olaf exclaims with a happy smile. "You've got to try the chocolate!"

"Yes actually! It's so nice to see and meet all of these different people!" Anna replies happily.

"In fact," Elsa continues. "We have two here that would like to meet you and... Uh where's Kristoff and Sven?"

"They're uh..." You look to a corner of the yard to find Sven blushing and grinning at the ladies and people around him, while Kristoff fidgets with his 'neck-thing'. "Occupied at the moment."

"Ah, Well I suppose we'll acquaint them later, but for now..." Elsa turns and motions the young couple forward to meet you and Midnight. Much like the King and Queen, they passed a quick glance at Midnight before smiling at her softly. The man had dark brown hair and a matching goatee. He sported a light purple vest and a white undershirt on top of his tan pair of pants. The woman next to him wore a Long light purple dress with golden trimmings on the sides. Her hair was brown and cut short. Her eyes were a light shade of green.

"(Y/N), Midnight this is princess Rapunzel,"

"Hello!" The woman says, smiling brightly at you.

You grin back and nod as Elsa gestures to the man beside her.

"And her husband-" Elsa pauses to allow the man to pick up from her statement.

"The dashing and devilishly handsome Flynn Rider at your service! It is a pleasure to meet you and your friend." The man states with a short bow and unparalleled charisma.

Rapunzel giggles and gently swats him on the shoulder. "Oh Knock it off Eugene!"

You exchange an amused glance with Midnight, before looking back at the man. "Eugene?"

"Yeah, yeah... Eugene works too... Not as cool sounding, though..." The Man known as Eugene chuckles softly.

You smile and move to shake his hand. "Hey Flynn or Eugene..."

"Oh wow She's so cute!" Rapunzel exclaims before kneeling down pet Midnight's head.

'Cute? I'm not cute!' Midnight eyes her with a strange look as Rapunzel pets her. '...Thank you though.'

"Aww well I think you're cute!" Rapunzel says, eliciting a shy look from Midnight.

You laugh a bit as Midnight blushes. "How is it you all can understand her so easily?"

"Experience! Isn't that right Pascal?"She asks, looking at her shoulder.

Elsa and Anna exchange a knowing grin, while you and Midnight look at Rapunzel confusedly.

"Um... Pascal? Who's-"

Just as those words leave your mouth a small figure on her dress changes color, revealing itself to be a green chameleon smiling between you and Midnight.

"Oh! You're Pascal! Wow didn't see you there!"

The Chameleon smiles and winks in your direction.

"So that's why you can read animals so well." You say, just as Rapunzel stands up to face you.

"Yup! Locked in a tower all those years, I would have gone crazy with out him!"

"You kinda are crazy. Ow-!" Flynn says causing his wife to swat him again.

You laugh at the couple's antics before you realize something.

"You two are part of the royal family, right? Shouldn't you be up there with the king and queen right now?"

Eugene looks up to the stage before looking back at you. "Nah, we've got maybe three four minutes to burn."

"There you are!" the official that had led you to your rooms and met you at the docks rushes up, gesturing to Rapunzel and Eugene as well as Elsa and Anna. "You're supposed to be up there with the king and queen right now!"

Eugene sighs and stares with a blank expression. "We'll be right back..."

Rapunzel giggles softly and turns to follow her husband. Anna nods and moves to follow, patting Olaf on the head as she goes. "Save me some chocolate!"

"Gotcha!"

Elsa smiles warmly at you. "This'll just take a second."

You nod as she turns to leave. As she does this you hear voices, particularly men's voices, from around you.

"That's Elsa? She's absolutely beautiful!"

"I think I'll ask her to be my date for the ball."

"Dream on! By the end of the Festival, Queen Elsa will be all mine!"

That last one tore it. 'She's taken.'

Before Elsa steps away from you, you quickly take hold of her wrist. "Elsa wait!"

"Yes, (Y/N)? What-" She lets out a startled gasp as you pull close to you, capturing her lips in a heated Kiss. Elsa blushes at the contact but she quickly gets over it and begins to passionately kiss back. The crowd around you gasps and whispers as Elsa finds herself trapped in your embrace, moving her soft hands to the side of your face to deepen the kiss. As you continue to kiss her, you hear voices once more.

"That guy is kissing her! And Is she Kissing back?"

"Aw man... I knew she was too good to not be taken by someone..."

"Damn... that lucky bastard."

You break the kiss and smile at Elsa's blushing face. Normally, you two didn't really enjoy flaunting your relationship in public, but in this case you didn't really care.

"(Y/N), what was that for?" Elsa asks, blushing at you.

You smile warmly and look to the staircase before turning back to her. "Shouldn't you be up there?"

Elsa smiles and move to go up the steps, briefly turning to give you a knowing smirk. From the top of the steps, you can see Flynn giving you a wide grin and a double thumbs up. Rapunzel pushes him further up the steps, before flashing you her own thumbs up.

To the side of you, Midnight looks impressed by your assertion. 'Way to show these chumps your mate is taken.'

"That's what I was aiming for." You say grinning at the wolf.

The men and women around you continue to whisper and gossip, but fall silent once they hear the king speak up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! It is with great honor that I welcome all of our esteemed guests, from both near and far, to our end of fall celebration!"

As the king continues, you hear Olaf from the side of you. "Hey! I can't see!"

Given Olaf's short stature, he couldn't see over the crowd of people.

Midnight places her head under him and lifts him up, allowing the little snow man to see the King and everyone else up there with him. 'Better?'

"Very Much! Thanks!" Olaf pats Midnight and looks back up to the stage. King Everick begins to call out and Acknowledge the row of people up there with him.

About half-way through the names, Kristoff and Sven approach.

"Nice display earlier, (Y/N)." Kristoff says, looking up towards the people.

"Thanks. You both enjoy your time with the nobles?"

"I know Sven did." Kristoff replies, looking at his best friend.

'Ladies can't resist the fuzzy coat.' Sven gestures with a grin.

You chuckle at him just as King Everick reaches the last few people in the row. The couple from earlier catches your attention.

"Prince Aladdin and Princess Jasmine of Agrabah!" The foreign couple smiles and waves as the crowd cheers and claps.

"And Last but not least," Your eyes follow the King as he reaches the last two people. "The newly crowned, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

You smile and softly clap your hands at them.

"Yay! Hey guys!" Olaf announces happily, waving at the two women.

"With that," King Everick turns away from the people and looks down at the crowd who in turn look back with anticipation.

"Let the Celebrations Begin!"

* * *

**There was a reason this chapter was called 'A Whole New World'...**

**I do realize that Frozen and Aladdin may have taken place in separate tie periods, but so did ratatouille...**

**And I just really wanted Aladdin and Jasmine to make an appearance.**

**I'm sorry if this took long, but I was having trouble getting the correct characterization for all the various people and animals introduced in this chapter.**

**That being said... **

**Like jealous reader?**

**I promise (Y/N) won't be the only one to feel the pang of jealousy! Mayhaps Jealous!Elsa?**

**And Kristoff popping the question? I wonder how that's going to turn out...**

**We'll just have to Wait and see!**

**That being said...**

**Opening Ceremonies done!**

**Now for the Festival itself! Have any ideas for events or things you wanted to see? Let me Know in the reviews!**

**Also as a reminder, I wrote the first chapter to a superhero story featuring (Y/N) and Elsa! Be sure to check that out!**

**As always, Feel free to leave any suggestions, comments or advice!**

**Till next time! Bye!**


	23. Trouble Brewing

**Hello there! Thanks for stopping by!**

**Once again thanks for all the support and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Without further delay I present,**

* * *

Chapter 23: Trouble Brewing

You narrow your eyes at the white stallion standing in front of you, never blinking or flinching so not to allow him to secure the victory. Midnight was also by your side, looking between you and the horse expectantly. The stallion in question was a truly formidable foe. Fiercely determined, courageous, and showed great dedication to any task he set his mind to. He was worthy of his title and worthy enough for you do battle with in this ferocious contest that the two of you were taking part in. You stare on at him and remain silent, watching his every move to ensure he doesn't gain the upper hand.

Off to the side in the castle's courtyard, Kristoff, Flynn, Sven, Olaf, Pascal and Rapunzel were all watching your exchange from a safe distance. Rapunzel and her husband knew how competitive the stallion was when it came to winning, whilst Sven and your own friends knew that you, along with Midnight, were the same way when it came to contests such as this.

"Soo... Remind me again how this works..." Kristoff asks, still looking at you and the horse.

"Well it's simple. The first one to b-" Eugene begins as he points towards you, only to be cut off by a confused mountain man.

"Not that, I mean the horse... he controls the entire guard?"

"Yep!" Rapunzel answers happily. "He's much more effective than he looks. Pretty strict when it comes to his job too."

"Huh... and everyone can understand him?"

"Well not everyone in the kingdom but pretty much everyone who has to be around him for extended periods of time..."

"Ah." Kristoff finishes, watching the two competitors in front of him. "Still weird though..."

"Weirder than having a living snow man, a reindeer, and a dire wolf waking around the castle?" Eugene asks with a smirk.

"Okay you got me there."

After a fun night of taking part in various festivities during the opening of the festival, you all had found yourselves exhausted and immediately fell asleep as soon as you returned to your rooms. The night had been filled with all manner of games, dancing, and delicious foods made by the citizens of Corona. Elsa and Anna had many fans approach to admire the fabled snow queen and the one who thawed the frozen heart with an act of true love. Olaf as well had been a huge hit with the townspeople, seeing as they marveled at his creation and enjoyed his joyous personality. As for Sven and Kristoff, well they loved sampling the vast amount of foods that the kingdom had to offer. You had a pleasant time chatting and learning more about Agrabah from Aladdin and Jasmine. Midnight had a... less enjoyable time than the rest of you. While she did have a nice conversation with Rajah, she didn't relish the looks of fear and intimidation that she elicited from the crowds of people. Well into the night, while majority of the city was still celebrating, you all had made your way back to the castle for some much needed rest. It was now the following morning and Rapunzel along with Eugene wanted to take you all to see some more of the festivities and vendors set up in the city. Contrary to the night time festivities, the daytime activities were allegedly more lively and upbeat considering the time of day. Before embarking down to the city, however, Anna and Elsa were asked to go see the king and queen personally. For what, you were unsure, but you had guessed it had something to do with the sad looks that they had given her yesterday when you met them.

So while you all waited for the queen and princess of Arendelle, the princess of Corona decided to take you to meet the guard captain: Maximus. Needless to say you were surprised at the fact that he was a horse. Perhaps the most intelligent one you've ever seen, but still a horse. It certainly was odd, but now you knew what the king and queen meant when they said they had a lot of practice.

As you stare still at the stallion, your thoughts briefly drift to Elsa and Anna back in the castle, but shift back towards Maximus once you hear his breathing intensify.

'Not letting him win this round...'

* * *

(Back in the castle with Elsa and Anna, Their perspective)

Elsa and her sister slowly make their way through the elaborate walls of the castle.

"What do you think this is about, sis?" Anna asks as she strides through the hall arm linked with Elsa's.

"Not sure, Anna... not sure." Elsa replies, her detective mind already sifting through possibilities and scenarios. Elsa had failed to notice the looks of sadness coming from the king and queen yesterday, and was now trying to figure out just what they could possibly want to discuss with them.

"Well the guys who told us about it made it sound pretty serious... think we're in trouble?" Anna asks with a slight worried tone.

"We're not in trouble Anna..." Elsa giggles and firmly grasps her sister's arm. "...At least I think we aren't."

"You think?" Anna asks, a bit more worried at her sister's assertion.

"I don't know what we could've done to incur the anger and wrath of Corona, we've only been here for one day."

Anna sighs a slightly relieved sigh at Elsa's reasoning. "At any rate, I hope we aren't in trouble, I really want to see the city again!"

"You and me both." Elsa states as they approach the throne room.

The guards at the door push them open to reveal the king of Corona pacing back and forth nervously, while queen Natalie twiddles her thumbs together. Both looked anxious. As the doors swing open, the pair looks up and towards the siblings.

"Ah! Queen Elsa, Princess Anna! Good morning!" King Everick greets, a pleasant smile on his face. Natalie's eyes soften as she casts a warm smile at Elsa and Anna.

"G'Morning!" Anna greets, bowing her head a bit.

"Good morning, your majesties." Elsa smiles, looking at the both of them.

"Please no need for such formalities, your highness." The king says.

"Very well, Everick, but only if you do the same." Elsa replies, passing a grin at her sister.

"As you wish, Elsa." Everick smiles warmly at the pair.

"So Elsa, Anna. Did you enjoy the festivities last night?" Natalie asks, stepping close to stand by her husband.

"Oh, it was wonderful!" Anna exclaim, grinning widely. "The people, the events, everything was fantastic!"

"Most definitely, I didn't know so many had heard about us." Elsa states, looking at her sister and giggling slightly. "It was a tad bit overwhelming at first but we had a lot of fun last night."

Everick smiles at the younger monarch. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that."

"And I think you'll both be happy to know that there is much more in store in the coming days." Natalie says, smiling along with Everick.

"We can't wait!" Anna half-yells, clasping her palms together, clearly excited for the day.

Elsa nods and smiles warmly at the couple.

The four share a brief laugh before being engulfed in an awkward silence.

"Um, is that all you wanted to talk about?" Anna asks, confusedly.

The king and queen pass a nervous glance at each other.

"Umm Yes!" Everick says in a rushed manner. "That's it, definitely nothing else to talk about! Please enjoy your stay and have a wonderful-"

"Dear," Natalie says taking hold of hand to calm him down, before turning back to face Elsa and Anna. "Give us one moment please."

Natalie takes Everick to the side and begins to whisper to him. Elsa only manages to listen in on a few key words.

"_I can't... Tell them..."_

"_Parents are... Fault."_

"_But what if... Wedding..."_

Elsa narrows her eyes as she begins to piece the words together.

"What do you think that's about, Elsa?" Anna whispers, still looking at Everick and Natalie. "I mean the king looked like he was rushing to get us out of here..."

"Everick seemed nervous didn't he?" Elsa whispers back, still trying to fill in the blanks in the monarchs' words. "I think I may have an idea about what they're going to say..."

"Really? Tell me!"

"I don't think I have to, Anna. Here they come." Elsa nods her head to the approaching king and queen.

"I apologize for my demeanor earlier, it's just that," Everick begins, looking down at the ground with a saddened expression. "This is difficult for us to say."

Everick looks to his wife for support, who in turn gives him a soft smile and hold his hand tighter.

Elsa gives a strange look to the pair. "Say what exactly?"

Natalie looks a bit saddened before continuing for Everick. "Did your mother and father ever tell you the reason they left on that trip three years ago?"

"I-uh... no they didn't actually." Anna replies, eyes looking downcast at the mention of her parents.

"Mother mentioned a wedding to me, but didn't say much more than that." Elsa states, putting the puzzle together in her mind.

Everick exhales deeply before continuing. "Several years ago, My daughter had her wedding to Eugene here in the castle. We were so overjoyed for the occasion, we sent wedding invitations to pretty much all of our closest friends and allies. Among our closest allies were..."

"Our parents." Elsa finishes, looking saddened along with her sister.

"So the wedding that they left for," Anna begins, looking up at the two. "It was for Rapunzel and Eugene?"

"Yes," Natalie replies, matching her husband's look. "We had Sent their letter and invitation first. A carrier pigeon arrived shortly after with their response. The letter we received made them sound so excited."

Natalie manages a small smile before her look turns into a more solemn expression.

"Said they would be leave Arendelle as soon as they could." Everick finishes with a sad smile.

Elsa and Anna look at each other before allowing Everick to continue.

"We received word a few days after the wedding, that the ship carrying them fell victim to a rogue wave in the midst of a storm. We didn't want to upset Rapunzel and Eugene just after their special day, so we didn't tell them."

"Your parents are gone and it was because we sent that letter." Natalie's eyes look to be on the verge of tears. "We're so sorry."

"If we hadn't sent that letter, then they would still be here. Alive and well." Everick gives a depressed sigh. "If I had known what would have happened during the journey... things may have been different."

Everick and Natalie look down with a morose set of eyes, nothing but silence from the young princess and queen echoing around the large room.

"But you couldn't have known."

The couple look up to find Anna smiling softly at them, eyes slightly teary at the memories of her parents.

"No one could have. I don't blame you." Anna smiles warmly, wiping away the tears in her eyes. "I can't blame you! And I'm sure my parents wouldn't have wanted me to hold it over the two of you. Please don't be sad! After all there is a celebration happening just outside the castle!"

"Anna, we-" Natalie begins.

Anna laughs slightly and steps up to the two, wrapping her arms around both for a gentle hug. "Even though it does hurt a little to just find out after all these years, I'm glad you both told us!"

Everick and Natalie have no words. Only smiles and tears as they hug Anna back. Anna could always see the good in everything. It was in her nature. Anna could never hate or loathe anyone or thing. Always made it a habit to be happy whenever she could and that forgiveness, even for something beyond anyone's control, was common for her.

Anna releases the hug to turn around to face Elsa. The blonde haired snow queen remained silent as this new information cycles over and over through her mind. How does one react to that revelation? Especially given that her parents were just an important factor in her life. As kind as Elsa was, she just didn't know how to react to finding out that the reason their parents died out at sea was because the people standing in front of her had sent that letter.

"Elsa? Did you maybe want to say something?" Anna asks, offering a smile to her sister.

Elsa looks up between her fellow monarchs and her sibling.

"Do you know what the last words that dad said to me were, before they left and never came back?" Elsa replies, smiling sadly at them. "He told me that I'd be fine."

Everick and Natalie shift their gazes downward once more, while Anna's smile falls into a worried frown.

"I suppose that he was right... in a sense." Elsa continues as she turns to look out a window, directly at the sea, thinking about her life and everything that has happened since her parents died. "My life turned out just fine, fantastic even. I'm the queen of a nation. I have the most amazing friends, a wonderful lover, and the best sister on the entire planet."

Elsa turns around once more to face them."But I can't help but feel..."

Elsa pauses as she tries to get a hold on her emotions. "Angry... sad... I don't know what to feel or how to react. I-I don't blame you. It was never your fault. I realize that, but I just- I just... Don't know!"

Elsa raises her voice before calming down, teary-eyed and confused about what she was feeling.

Anna steps closer to her sister. "Elsa-"

"It's okay. I-I'm fine, I just need some air..." Elsa states as she turns to leave the throne room.

"Elsa!" Anna turns to face the king and queen just as the doors to the throne room shut behind the retreating snow queen. "Just give her some time, I'm sure she'll come around soon."

Everick looks downcast at the ground, fully understanding Elsa's confusion and sorrow. Natalie stood with tears freely flowing down her cheeks, feeling guilty at their involvement concerning the death of their parents. Anna tries to give them a reassuring hug before quickly leaving the throne room to catch up to her sister.

Out side the throne room Elsa was moving down the halls at a steady pace, her mind swimming with thoughts and emotions. On one hand she was glad she finally found out the reason her parents left. On the other she was angry that they even sent the letter in the first place. What if they hadn't? Would her life still be the same? Would it be better? Worse? She didn't know, and she hated all of the what-ifs that brought this into perspective.

"Elsa! Hey wait up!" Anna exclaims as she rushes up to her. "Elsa please!"

Elsa turns to face her sister, eyes teary, yet not full of sadness.

"Anna, I..." Elsa can't find the words to express her feelings. "I..."

"It's okay, Elsa." Anna gives Elsa a small smile and moves to wrap her arms around her sister's shoulders, pulling her in for a comforting hug. "I'm here."

"I just don't know what to think about all of this, Anna!" Elsa hugs back tightly, finding peace in the warmth of Anna's embrace. "I don't want to blame them, but I feel like I can't do anything else but that!"

"Elsa, I'm sure that if we just go back and talk it over with-"

"No." Elsa replies with a stern voice, arms still holding her close.

"Elsa..." Anna begins as she pulls away from the hug to meet her sister's eyes.

"I'm fine Anna. I just need a little time... I need to get my mind off of this... Let's just try to have a little fun today, please?"

"Okay, Elsa." The strawberry-blonde princess only smiles and takes Elsa's hands. "And don't forget, I'm here for you. And so is everyone else."

The snow queen smiles softly and hugs her sister once more. "Thank you, sis."

(Back outside the castle Normal perspective)

"How long have those two been going at it?" Eugene asks, yawning slightly as he watches you and Maximus battle yet another round against one another.

"Hmm. I lost count at five rounds." Rapunzel replies, leaning against him.

"Really? I thought it was six?" Kristoff adds.

'However many rounds it has been, it can't be good for their health...' Sven sighs and watches on.

To the side of them Pascal rests on top of Olaf's head, building a miniature snowman on top of the snowman...

"Haha! That tickles!" Olaf laughs as the little chameleon rolls around the snow on top of Olaf's head.

Midnight looked ready to fall asleep as well, considering that she had been the referee for all of your matches with Maximus. As fun as it had been to watch the first couple of times the large wolf would much rather take part in the action as opposed to watching like the others.

You all had been waiting for Elsa and Anna for about fifteen minutes and it appeared only you and Maximus were having a somewhat enjoyable time with each other. The brave stallion showed great skill and was a true force to be reckoned.

You narrow your eyes at the horse. This round had been the toughest yet. The white stallion raises an eyebrow at you, smirking as you try to sustain your position. You will power was fading quickly. Your eyes were watery and could not take much more. You clench your fists, trying to hold on just a little while longer. Maximus was unflinching, unwavering. A stone wall of sheer willpower. Of the many rounds you had played, Maximus had won the majority of them. Given your slight tendency to be stubborn about these things, you just kept challenging him over and over to try and redeem some of your losses. The horse smirks even more as you feel your vision blur and fade away.

'I can't lose!' You think as your mind becomes fuzzy. 'I-I can't!'

The stallion chuckles and looks at you with a look that seems to say,

'It's over.' Midnight sighs as she sees your pained face.

'Nooo!' You think, vision slipping. You fall to one knee as your eyes fall shut. You open your pained eyes and glance up to see the stallion standing above you a triumphant grin nestled firmly on his face, as the morning sun reflects off of his mane, giving him the appearance of a god. You marvel at his appearance and turn your head away from his confident visage. He had beaten you a total number of seven times. It was not possible!

"Aren't they being a little dramatic?" You hear Kristoff ask from the sidelines as you struggle to stand. "I mean it was just a staring contest..."

"I don't know, Kristoff. They can can get pretty intense sometimes..." Eugene replies with a small grin.

You hear Sven sigh a bit as he looks back at the castle. 'I wonder how long Elsa and Anna are going to be in there?'

"I know buddy. I hope they come out soon, we still haven't eaten breakfast yet..." Kristoff replies looking down at his rumbling stomach. "Oh shut up will you?"

'He's right you know...' Midnight chuckles slightly as she turns back to your defeated form. 'It was just a staring contest.'

"No fair!" You say, standing up to look the stallion in the eyes. "The wind was totally blowing me in the face!"

Maximus neighs and laughs at your argument.

"I am not a sore loser!"

The horse raises an eyebrow.

"Okay, well... that time didn't count!"

The stallion sticks his tongue out at you before letting out another laugh.

"Oh so that's how it's gonna be, eh? Fine! Arm wrestle! Right here, right now!"

Maximus smirks and drops to the ground extending his hoof.

Just before you do the same, Midnight taps you on the shoulder with a paw as she looks towards the staircases. 'I don't think you have enough time. Elsa and Anna are here.'

You look away from Maximus at the approaching queen and princess. You turn back to the horse and give a playful smile.

"Well my friend, looks like we'll have to reschedule our little contest."

Maximus rises from his spot on the ground and holds out a hoof.

You chuckle and give it a shake. "Sounds good. I'll be sure to bring the thunder next time."

Maximus grins and turns to look at the approaching women.

As Elsa approaches, you notice something off about her step. Elsa was adept at concealing her emotions, but you knew her well enough to know when something was wrong. As she smiles at you and the others, you notice it falter slightly before returning back. Her smile wasn't at all fake, however. This was a genuine smile that showed she really wanted to have a good time with everyone, but behind it was a sad frown of confusion. Perhaps no one else but Anna noticed, seeing as she was holding on to Elsa's arm to give her comfort. But as far as you know, there was something bothering your lover.

"Hey look they're here!" Olaf exclaims rising from his spot to wave at Anna and Elsa. "Good morning guys!"

The rest of your party grins and moves to greet the pair, Rapunzel making it to them before anyone else.

"So how was your talk with my parents? They didn't embarrass me did they?" Rapunzel asks, skipping up to the two.

Elsa smiles warmly and places a hand on her shoulder. "Not at all. The talk was quite..."

Elsa pauses to find the right words. Despite that it was their wedding that her parents had left for, she didn't have any ill-will towards Rapunzel or Eugene. This still didn't make it any less awkward as she tried to find the right words to describe her meeting with the king and queen.

"Enlightening actually! Right Elsa?" Anna says, nudging her sister with a smile.

"Right..." Elsa mumbles with a feigned expression of happiness. "Enlightening."

"Well I'm glad!" Rapunzel clasps her hands together, smiling at the two.

As the rest of your friends make their way to greet the queen and princess Anna looks over to Maximus with a curious set of eyes. "Well hello! Who are you?"

Rapunzel smiles and gestures to the large horse as you and Midnight smile along with him.

"Elsa, Anna this is Maximus. A very close friend and the head of the royal guard."

The horse bows his head and smiles at the two. Anna and Elsa exchange a look of confusion.

"Really? You're captain of the Corona royal guard?" Elsa asks, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Hey, He's actually quite the fearsome warrior once you get to know him." You respond, vouching for Maximus' skill and wit.

Elsa looks between you and Maximus, offering a small smile. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to get to know him, Right Anna?"

"Yep!"

"Be careful. He can be a bit of a jerk sometimes..." Eugene says, as the rest of the group steps up.

The horse looks at Eugene with a menacing glare.

"Oh come on you know I'm kidding Max! Right?" Eugene asks as he nervously holds his hands up.

Maximus shakes his head before grinning widely and grabbing Eugene in a headlock.

"Ow Ow! Watch the neck!"

As you and your friends laugh and giggle at the horse and Eugene, a Corona guard approaches Maximus from the side.

"Pardon me your er-Majesties, but I have some information for Captain Maximus."

Hearing his name being called, Maximus releases Eugene and steps closer to the guardsman.

As soon as he steps close enough, the guard whispers something into the stallion's ear, causing Maximus to raise his eyes in surprise.

Maximus gives a disappointed sigh before looking at Rapunzel with an apologetic frown.

"Aww, You're not coming to breakfast with us? Why?"

Maximus shakes his head and looks toward the castle doors.

"That's okay I guess... But you're going to the ball tonight! No excuses, Max!"

The brunette princess smiles and scratches the animal captain behind his ears.

Te Coronan guard captain grins and turns to the rest of the group, bowing his head slightly before turning and walking back to the castle.

"Goodbye Maximus, you'll be sorely missed, my friend!" Eugene calls in a sarcastic manner.

The horse turns and sticks his tongue out at the raven-haired man before returning to the castle.

"Well since everyone's here, Who's ready for breakfast?" Eugene asks as he turns to face the city.

"Oh now your talking. Sven and I are starving!" Kristoff replies with Sven nodding along as they begin to follow Eugene and Rapunzel out to the city.

"Yay! Coronan breakfast!" Olaf skips along with Pascal becoming slightly irritated on the top of his head, as Olaf's skipping caused the mini snowman on top of the snowman to fall over.

"Great! We know the best spot in the entire city." Rapunzel adds as you, Elsa, Anna, and Midnight trial behind at a slower pace.

Elsa giggles softly as she approaches you. "Any reason your eyes are so teary, (Y/N)?"

"Oh, well I was just having a few staring contests with Maximus." You say, rubbing the back f your head as you grin at the platinum blonde. "It was nothing really, I totally beat-"

'He lost. Many times.' Midnight interjects with a blank face.

You turn your head to glare at her, eyes twitching. "Thanks for that..."

'Honesty can get you far in life.' Midnight smirks at you.

"Hey are you guys coming?" Eugene calls back to you, already well away from where you four were standing. "This place serves the best waffles in the city!"

The dire wolf's ears perk up, a joyous grin plastered on her face. 'Waffles?'

She rises up from her spot and quickly dashes over to the rest of the group.

You chuckle softly before turning back to Elsa. "Speaking of honesty... why are your eyes so teary?"

She widens in response as Anna casts a nervous look between the two of you.

"I... I don't want to talk about it right now, (Y/N). Can we just try to enjoy ourselves today?"

Before you can answer or question further, Elsa walks past you, intent on catching up with the rest of the group, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.

"Elsa..." You say, knowing she was well out of hearing.

"She just needs some time to think, (Y/N)."

You turn your head to see Anna step up. "Anna, what happened in there?"

"Our meeting with Rapunzel's parents wasn't the most happy meetings we've ever attended, and Elsa took the information a little, um, badly. But it's not really my place to say what happened." Anna smiles and pats your shoulder. "Don't worry! I know she'll tell you eventually, just give her a little time, okay? Don't try to press the subject."

You look over to the group in the distance. "Okay. I understand."

"Thanks." Anna claps your shoulder and begins to walk to catch up with the others. "Now come on! I'm so hungry I could eat a reindeer!"

You hear a loud grunt as Anna steps further and further away.

"I'm just kidding Sven!"

You stare off in the distance, mind pondering what could have happened in the throne room the Rapunzel's parents. You shake your head and try to push the lingering thoughts out of your mind as you move to catch up with the others.

"Hey," You say, catching up to Elsa to wrap an arm around her.

Elsa sighs and looks away, but finds herself leaning into your touch. "(Y/N), please don't ask me about what happened."

"I wasn't going to." You reply, grinning at the snow queen.

Elsa turns back to look into your eyes, smiling as you walk along with your friends. "Thank you."

You smile warmly as the beautiful snow queen leans her head against your shoulder, mind still full of thoughts and confusion, but at ease for just this moment.

* * *

Breakfast went as well as anyone could imagine. Midnight ate over two dozen waffles. Kristoff and Sven were subtly discussing a certain matter concerning a small ring. Rapunzel and Anna were enjoying each others' bubbly personality as well as talking about the various stalls and vendors during your visit to the city. Elsa was nibbling away at a small piece of toast in that same cute way that she always did. Eugene was smiling and telling an exaggerated adventure of his, while Olaf and Pascal listened with large grins. Pascal had already heard this story, but he just liked seeing Olaf smile. You were sitting by Elsa, thoughts drifting to what could have happened in the throne room. Anna had told you not to press the matter, but you couldn't help but remain a trifle curious as to what occurred. Elsa had seemed fine throughout breakfast, aside from a few times where her smile faltered. She really did want to have fun, but the thoughts that linger in the back of her mind made it difficult.

Another matter that brought your mind unease was the awful stares Midnight was getting from everyone in the restaurant. Midnight said she didn't care, but just like Elsa, you could see her real feelings in her eyes. Sure it had only been a short time you were in Corona, but you still wanted to find a way to make her feel more welcomed than she currently was.

"What are you thinking about?" Elsa asks as she takes your hand.

You chuckle and look towards Midnight, not wanting to reveal that you were also pondering Elsa's dilemma. "I've been trying to figure out a way to improve Midnight's relations with everybody, but so far it hasn't been easy."

"Well, She is quite the fearsome beast..." Elsa says, giggling slightly as she watches the wolf lick her plate and paws clean. "I don't see how anyone could manage that without difficulty."

You run your free hand through your hair as you try to come up with a solution.

"Well what about-"

"(Y/N)? (Y/N) is that you?" You hear an excited voice approach from the side of you.

You turn your head to see a stunning woman eagerly walk up to you.

"Oh wow..." Eugene states, eyes going wide at her appearance. "That woman is quite the stunner..."

"A-hem..." Rapunzel speaks with a raised eyebrow.

"She's totally got nothing on you honey!" Eugene replies nervously.

Rapunzel shakes her head and giggles at his response as the woman approaches the table.

She had wavy, cherry red hair that ran freely down her shoulders. Her eyes were a light blue to contrast. Her lithe frame was covered in a yellow dress. Her face was perfectly rounded and blemish free. True to Eugene's words, she was absolutely stunning and you just happen to know this woman.

"Isabella? No way! I haven't seen you in ages!" Your eyes light up as you stand up, releasing Elsa's hand to hug the beautiful redhead.

The rest of your group eye her curiously, with one person in particular frowning at her appearance.

"Um, Hello there!" Anna waves across the table with a friendly smile. "You know (Y/N)?"

"But of course!" Isabella releases the hug and casts a smile at your friends, clearly looking past the frowning snow queen. "I know him well!"

She turns and casts a seductive leer at you. "I know him _very_ well."

You blush slightly as she purrs her words.

"Um, (Y/N). Mind introducing us?" Kristoff asks, looking a tad bit skeptical of Isabella.

"Um, everyone." You say, turning to face everyone at the table. "This is Isabella. She was-"

"His old lover. Pleased to meet all of you."

Isabella casts a confident smirk at Elsa. "Especially you, your highness."

Elsa narrows her eyes at the woman, fire welling up from within as a single thought crosses her mind.

'Oh, Hell no.'

* * *

**And cut! **

**Hey guys! I hope you liked the chapter! **

**Sorry if it's a bit less than usual, but I wanted to put something out before I leave.**

**I'm gonna be gone for a few days on a camping trip, which means no internet. (Sad Face)**

**Just wanted to let you all know ahead of time! Anyways, I tried to add in some comedic elements, but I just couldn't pass up on the potential sub-plot of Everick and Natalie's involvement with Elsa and Anna's parents.**

**Also, since everyone is speculating that the lemon will happen REAL soon, then you are 100% right to assume that! **

**Okay, so it's pretty late now and I have to finish packing, so see you all next time!**


	24. Fear and Doubt

**I see I got the reaction I was looking for with Isabella's introduction... Trust me when I say true love will prevail, but It's always a little fun to add some drama to the mix, right? Everyone wanted jealous Elsa, right? This was the most effective way to do it. By effective I mean -Plot will lead to something more between (Y/N) and Elsa-**

**Anyways, these next few chapters will prove to be my most difficult challenge yet... Sorry in advance if it takes longer than usual. I'm having trouble developing more and more ideas, while ideas for my superhero story remains fresh in my mind, so updates for that may or may not come quicker. I'm still going to try and get a new chapter out every week, but I apologize if I'm unable to do so... Thanks for your patience! **

**Official junk out of the way! On with breakfast!**

Chapter 24: Fear and Doubt

"And last but not least, this is Elsa." As Anna finished introducing everyone in your group, Isabella smiled and greeted everyone with perhaps too nice a greeting. Elsa was sitting quietly, unamused and looking quite bothered at this new woman.

You can see Elsa's frown, feel her staring daggers at Isabella, but still managing to give a small smile when the red-haired woman looked her way, and quickly returning to her look of subtle annoyance.

"Hello, your majesty! It's wonderful to meet the woman (Y/N)'s so smitten with." You can faintly hear the obvious sarcasm in her voice. The others didn't seem to notice, but you knew Isabella. When your memories were restored the night you discovered your occupation as an assassin, your forgotten experiences with the redhead came rushing back as well.

"Oh please! The pleasure's all mine." Elsa replies, matching Isabella's inflection.

The tensions between Elsa and Isabella was intense. Truthfully, Elsa normally wouldn't have a problem with her or anyone without getting to know them firsthand. But one word she had said made Elsa's mind irritated and stressed. _Lover._

An awkward silence filled the air as your current lover and ex-lover were staring each other down.

"So just how do you two know each other?" Kristoff asks breaking the silence between the two women who were smiling false smiles at one another.

"Oh, we certainly go a ways back, don't we (Y/N)?"

"You could say that..."

"Hmm... I'm sensing a story here..." Eugene replies, stroking his chin.

Olaf gasps. "Story? Come on let's hear it (Y/N)!"

You look between everyone at the table nervously. "Well... it's certainly an long one..."

You pass a look to Elsa. "And a story I'm sure, not everyone wants to hear..."

Elsa looks away from her and up to you with a loving smile. "Oh, no it's fine really. I'm actually quite curious."

She looks away from you and back to Isabella. There was something else in her look though. Something fierce.

"Um... Okay. Not sure how to start..."

"The beginning would be nice." Rapunzel says with a small laugh.

"Well for starters..." You turn to look at Isabella and offer a sheepish grin. "Isabella and I actually grew up in the same orphanage for a few years."

Elsa as well as everyone else at the table raise their eyebrows in surprise. Sven widens his mouth allowing a chewed carrot fall out.

"Really? Isabella is that true?" Anna asks with surprised look.

"Yes, actually." The woman nods and gives looks towards you. "Couple of brats back then, weren't we?"

You chuckle softly. "We did have our moments."

"We weren't exactly the closest friends growing up, but we did manage to have a bit of fun together when we were able." Isabella giggles as she speaks up again. "You all really should have seen (Y/N) when he was a child! Too cute!"

Your friends, minus Elsa, give a small laugh, thinking about what they could have seen.

You feel your cheeks light up a the memory. "I'm not cute!"

Elsa notices your blushing face and narrows her eyes.

"Well you're not cute now..." Isabella adopts a more seductive looking smirk. "Now you're a total hot-"

"A-hem..." Elsa speaks, interrupting Isabella's words. "The story?"

"Oh right!" You speak, smiling as the blush recedes from your cheeks.

Isabella gives a brief stare at the snow queen, who in turn smirks confidently back.

"Well, I remember around the time I turned eight... or was it nine?" You stroke your chin pondering the details of the event. Sure your memories had been restored, but this happened years ago so some of the details were a little hazy.

"Anyways," Isabella giggles as she continues the story. "Around that time, a noble family from in the city stopped by the orphanage looking to adopt a child."

"Everyone knows I wasn't picked..." You say, chuckling lightly.

Everyone shifts their gazes to the red-haired woman.

"Lucky me, I was the one that was picked that day." Isabella smiles. "Packed up what little, and when I say little I mean very little, I had and was out the door before anyone knew it."

"Wow... so this is the first time you've seen each other since then?" Anna asks with a curious tone.

"Oh no, actually!" Isabella says with a smile. "After my new family took me away from Aravan, I spent the next few years living in a noble house in a bordering nation. When word reached us about the rebels attacking, my adoptive father had us move back so he could enlist as a troop."

"And," You cut in, continuing from where she left off. "That's when Isabella found out I was a soldier. Her adoptive father was in my company in fact."

"Huh, small world after all isn't it?" Eugene adds, amused at the turn of events.

"You'd be surprised." You chuckle and continue. "After the rebellion, I had a little downtime after the fighting and I decided to have look at the old orphanage to see how it was doing. Isabella..."

"Had the same idea." Isabella finishes, smiling at you. "We started spending a bit more time together after that. We went for a drink one evening, one thing led to another and we were together."

"Whoa... together as in...?" Rapunzel asks, trailing off as she looks between the two of you.

"Romantically? Yes." You finish, blushing lightly.

You can feel the room drop in temperature.

"Huh... did it just get colder in here?" Kristoff asks as he stifles a shiver.

All eyes, except Isabella's, turn to Elsa who was holding a frozen fork from her breakfast.

"Nope, feels perfectly fine right Olaf?" Anna replies with a worried smile, trying to draw the attention away from her sister.

"Yup! Don't feel a thing!" He replies with a happy smile.

The little chameleon on top of Olaf's head jumps from the snowman to the nearby reindeer and buries himself in his fur to stave off the chilly air that filled the room.

Elsa exhales softly before looking up at the redhead. "Please continue..."

Truthfully, Elsa didn't want to hear much more. She had a feeling that she knew where this story would end up, but she couldn't help but maintain her curious disposition.

"Oh with pleasure, your highness..." Isabella replies with another suggestive grin.

"Before (Y/N) and my father were shipped off to fight in another war, we spent hours and hours together. Going on dates. Having all sorts of fun. Getting into the same mischief we did as kids..."

"But unfortunately... I was called away again." You say, cutting in to prevent her from going into further detail about your dates. "When the fighting was over again I became more interested in war rather than romantic pursuits..."

"But that didn't really stop us from trying it again, did it (Y/N)?"

You struggle to speak another word. You've been trying to steer the conversation in a way that wouldn't get Elsa riled up and out for blood, but Isabella was clever fox. She seemed liked she wanted Elsa to get bothered. What could you do? Isabella was bound to admit it if you didn't, and truthfully this was becoming more and more difficult to avoid.

"Well, we certainly tried..."

Isabella giggles. "You know, whenever he wasn't on the battlefield, (Y/N) was a perfect gentleman in every sense of the word. The most charming man any woman could ask for..."

You blush once more as she and Elsa look at you.

"I had my moments..." You say, scratching the back of your head.

"Unfortunately, with (Y/N)'s constant focus on wartime affairs we ended up splitting apart. Of course I loved him dearly, and he very much loved me..."

Elsa shrinks further into her chair, unnerved at Isabella's words. You had loved another woman. Of course this was all in the past and in reality Isabella had only been a memory up until this moment in time. If the question was if you still loved Isabella in the same way you love Elsa or even the way you did when you were a soldier in the army, then the answer would be no. Admittedly you did care for Isabella but the only woman you had ever felt more happy with was currently sitting in her chair doubting herself as a lover.

"Even when we were drifting apart, he always did try to make sure I was happy." Isabella smiles at you while Elsa's eyes lower. Isabella completely controlled the conversation at this point. Everyone at the table was captured by the story, that they didn't notice the snow queen's expression.

"My quite the hopeless romantic aren't you (Y/N)?" Rapunzel asks, jokingly.

You can remember Elsa saying those exact same words.

"After Aravan went to war yet again..." She rolls her eyes at the mention of your old country's war tendencies. "(Y/N) went with the rest of the army. By then our relationship was already rocky."

Elsa silently breathes a slightly relieved sigh. "That's unfortunate."

"Oh yes it was very unfortunate. Didn't realize what I lost till he was gone. I tried to see if he wanted to try 'us' one more time once the war was over, but he was always off doing some errands for the king. Haven't seen him since."

She looks straight into your eyes. "Until now that is."

You smile back sheepishly, carefully avoiding the glaring snow queen.

"Oh wow! So you're here for the festival, Isabella?" Rapunzel asks.

The woman nods with a smile, before looking back at you. "Truthfully, I didn't expect to be seeing you again (Y/N)! Nice to see you in such pleasant company. How have you been? So much has happened since we last saw each other."

You shift a set of eyes to Elsa. "That's an understatement."

"In any case, are you free today? I would love to..." Isabella puts on a suggestive leer. "...Catch up."

You can see Elsa give an angry stare at the redhead.

"Um," Anna speaks up nervously. "I'm Really sorry Isabella but we all have a very busy day today right guys?"

Rapunzel catches Anna's eye and quickly understands what she meant. "Oh! Of course! Super busy! Right honey?"

"Well I wouldn't call it busy, I mean we're just walking around town..." Eugene stops as Rapunzel gives him an intense look before darting her eyes between you and Elsa. "I mean, yes! Got a lot of er- royal stuff to do."

You give them a thankful look before turning to face Isabella with an apologetic smile. "Terribly sorry."

"Aw, that's okay maybe you can save me a dance at the ball tonight?" Isabella replies, looking at you with a genuine smile.

"Uh, we'll see..."

"Okay, well I'll see you around then (Y/N)!" The woman gives you a tight hug before placing a gentle kiss on your cheek.

Elsa glares harder at the woman, resisting the urge to freeze her solid in a block of ice.

Before you can say or do anything, Isabella turns to the rest of the table. "It was nice meeting you all."

Just as she leaves the table, she looks back with a smirk at Elsa, before moving further away.

"Well... that was a bit intense." Kristoff states, visibly relieved at Isabella's retreating form.

"You can say that again." You reply as you move closer to Elsa. "Elsa..."

The blonde snow queen smiles softly up at you. "Yes?"

"She didn't bother you too much did she?"

"I- N-no! Of course not!" Elsa hesitates. Of course it bothered her. Perhaps even more so than when the other suitors were speaking about Elsa the other day. She had wanted so badly to show Isabella that you were off the market, but found herself unable to do anything. Isabella's story and actions achieved their intended purpose. Elsa was doubting herself.

"Elsa..."

"It's fine. Really." Elsa replies with a stern voice.

Anna gently grasps Elsa's hand from across the table. "Hey why don't we get out and see the town? You know, get your mind off of things."

"Sounds like a great plan," Rapunzel says, standing up from her chair. "Come on, the town square is full of things to do!"

"See? You said it yourself, Elsa: have fun today!"

Elsa sighs and looks toward Anna with a small smile. "Okay."

"Great!" Anna exclaims as she rises from her seat, pulling Kristoff up with her. "Let's go!"

Eugene chuckles lightly and stands next to his wife, taking her hand.

You smile softly and offer a hand to the still sitting snow queen. "Shall we?"

Elsa smiles softly before shaking her head. "You all go ahead I'll be out in a minute. I kinda have to unfreeze the silver ware..."

You widen your eyes and look down at the table. Sure enough, all of Elsa's spoons and forks were frozen solid and slightly bent. "Oh wow... Didn't bother you much huh?"

Elsa sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Maybe just a little..."

You frown slightly and look up, noticing everyone making their way out of the restaurant.

"Go on, I'll be out in a minute." Elsa states with a warm smile.

You manage a sign as well before moving closer to the door. "Don't be too long, okay?"

"I won't be." She smiles back as you exit the restaurant.

You open the door to find all of your friends looking at you.

"Um, (Y/N)?" Anna begins, looking past you and back into the restaurant.

"Hey, where's Elsa?" Olaf finishes, with an innocent grin.

"She'll be out in a minute or two."

Rapunzel and Eugene opt to look away, choosing not to intrude as Kristoff and Anna approach you. Pascal, now out of Sven's fur and back on Olaf's head, looks back at the Reindeer.

'We should probably stay out of it...' Sven gestures.

The little chameleon nods as Olaf admires the scenery. It was still early and as such the sun was just barely approaching the noon sky. But since the festival was currently happening all around the city so people were out and about doing just that: celebrating.

"Oh, hey Sven look at that, let's go see what over there!" Olaf states, pointing to a nearby vendor.

The furry Reindeer nods as the snowman climbs atop his back.

Once the reindeer made his way out of hearing rang with the chameleon and snowman on his back, you turn watch as Anna and Kristoff move toward you with a questioning set of eyes.

"Hey! (Y/N), so Isabella was, um..." Anna begins as she gives you a nervous smile.

"Interesting." Kristoff finishes for her, just as nervous. "Listen (Y/N), you're our friend and all, but Do you um..."

"Have any sort of feelings for... You know...?" Anna finishes.

You shake your head and look between the two of them. "Guys, come on. Things were different back then... I still care for her, I mean we both grew up in the same orphanage, but do I love her the same way I do Elsa or even like I used to? Of course not."

Kristoff and Anna exchange a relieved look. "Whew... That's reassuring."

You smile at the two of them and look back to the building Elsa was currently still in. "I just hope Elsa realizes that too."

"You and me both (Y/N)... She's definitely got a lot on her mind right now." Anna replies as she steps a bit closer.

"About your meeting with the king and queen earlier?"

The strawberry-blonde nods.

"Can you maybe tell me...?"

"Sorry, (Y/N)." She replies, shaking her head.

You chuckle slightly and turn away back towards the restaurant. "Yeah, I figured you would have said that."

She pats you on the shoulder before walking back to Kristoff and taking his hand.

The couple walk over to Rapunzel and Eugene.

"So what do you guys want to do first?" Rapunzel asks, trying to distract the couple from the impending drama. "I can see Olaf and Sven found the candy stand..."

"Ooh! Candy?" Anna exclaims, eyes lighting up.

"Uh, didn't we just eat breakfast?" Kristoff asks.

"Two words." Anna states as she stares at him intensely. "Coronan. Chocolate."

As the four of them decide what to do for the day, your companion casually walks up beside you.

-Belch!- She looks up with a satisfied grin.

"I see someone enjoyed their waffles." You say.

'Indeed I did. That Eugene or Flynn or whatever his name is, has excellent taste.'

You manage a chuckle. "I'm glad someone enjoyed breakfast."

'Right...' Midnight steps closer and eyes you with a raised brow. 'You do realize she's definitely bothered by that red-haired woman right?'

"Yeah I figured she would be..."

(Back inside the restaurant- Elsa perspective)

The snow queen sighs softly to herself. 'His ex? Here? Can't be just a coincidence.'

The beautiful platinum blonde looks sadly towards the frozen silverware on the table. 'Control. Have to keep control.'

Elsa waves a hand over the table. The ice surrounding the forks and spoons clear away, moving into the palm of her hand. Elsa found the intricate movements of the ice around her fingertips to be extremely calming. Ironic, considering that she had once thought her powers to cause her nothing but stress and tragedy, but now found herself relieving a little bit of the stress that had recently befallen her. The ice swirls around her palm before she closes it, evaporating the ice completely.

Elsa sighs as she looks at her closed palm.

"That's quite an amazing power you have your highness..."

Elsa looks up to see one of the primary sources of her stress standing over her, smirking confidently.

"What do you want Isabella? I seem to recall my sister telling you we were busy."

The red head calmly pulls out the chair beside Elsa and takes a seat. "If you're so busy, then why are you sitting here while your friends, family, and love of your life are all outside?"

"I-I..." Elsa struggles to find her words.

"The way I see it..." The redhead giggles softly. "You're not worthy."

Elsa glares, feeling the coldness of her powers spread throughout her body.

"What do you want...?" Elsa asks, anger in her voice, fists clenched tightly.

"What I want... hmm that's an easy one." Isabella responds, unafraid of Elsa's show of power. "I want (Y/N) back."

The snow queen narrows her eyes. She knew exactly what the woman wanted. She could practically feel it her presence.

"Why? After all these years, why now?"

Isabella giggles once more. "Shortly after I ended things with him, I realized just how badly I missed and needed him."

"You were the one to end it?" Elsa asks.

"Biggest mistake of my life. You see Elsa, may I call you Elsa?" Isabella grins wider. "(Y/N) was everything I wanted. Chivalrous, caring, and a perfect gentleman... Not to mention powerful... You've seen the way he fights haven't you?"

Elsa remains silent as she listens Isabella.

"The way he moves... his strength... doesn't it turn you on?" The red head practically purrs.

Despite feeling nothing but anger and doubt, Elsa couldn't help but think of all the times she had seen (Y/N) in action, and she couldn't help but agree with just how much it made her hot and bothered.

"Of course once he found his love of war, we began drifting away. So I ended it." Isabella continues, leaning further into her chair. "Those brief moments we shared together were some of the best of my life. And surely they must have been for him too. My father told me that once I ended things, (Y/N) became much more deadly and reckless on the battlefield. He clearly must have been torn up."

Elsa's head falls slightly.

"It's nothing personal Elsa, I mean after all, we both want the same thing right? (Y/N)'s happiness." Isabella grins and stands up from her chair. "If you really wanted that, then you should realize that he would be happier with me."

The snow queen looks up and into the redhead's eyes, her own widening. 'I-is that true?'

"You should know Elsa, I'm willing to fight for him."

Isabella smirks and bows her head. "I'll see you at the ball tonight, your highness..."

As the woman turns and walks away, Elsa lowers her head once more. 'He would be happier...?'

Elsa wasn't sure what to think about that. The way Isabella made it seem, (Y/N) really was happy when they were together, back before Elsa had even entered the picture. And even then... If (Y/N) hadn't left for war, or Isabella hadn't ended things, would Elsa even know (Y/N)?

Elsa knew in her mind that (Y/N) absolutely was the one she loved, and (Y/N)'s happiness was very important and something she wanted badly...

'But would he really be more happy with her?'

Elsa sighs and stands up from her seat at the empty table. Between this and hearing Everick and Natalie's revelation... Elsa just didn't wan to deal with any of it.

The snow queen sighs sadly and makes her way out of the building.

(Outside- Normal perspective)

You turn your head as you hear the doors open.

"Oh, there you are love! What took you?" You ask with a curious smile.

Elsa manages a smile back before stepping closer. "I... had to use the restroom."

Your smile slowly shifts into a slight frown. "Elsa, is something the matter?"

You heard her hesitate slightly in her response. Something was bugging her and you really wanted to help, but you couldn't very well do that if she didn't want to tell you what was bothering her.

"I-it's fine (Y/N)." She hesitates again. "I'm fine... What did I miss?"

She hides her saddened expression behind a false smile.

You frown a bit before turning your head over to look at the candy stall, choosing to answer Elsa's question.

"Well, Olaf and Sven found the candy vendor, and Anna wanted to get some chocolate..."

"Really? Didn't we just eat?"

"That's what Kristoff and Eugene said." You chuckle lightly.

Elsa exhales and giggles a genuine giggle as she thinks about her sister. "She's going to overdose on sugar pretty soon."

"Kristoff did try to stop her from buying the store but it looks like he failed." You trail off as you seen Anna approach carrying a large bag filled to the brim with all manner of assorted candies Kristoff in tow carrying a smaller yet full bag of candy.

"Elsa! Hey! Glad you decided to come out here! It's a beautiful day!"

Elsa glances down at the bags. "Anna, what is all of that?"

Anna looks down before looking back up with a grin. "Oh, this? Just a little something to snack on throughout the day!"

"A little?" Elsa asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup! Didn't want to go too crazy, you know? So I just got this."

"Anna..."

"Relax sis! I'm just joking! I'm not seriously going to eat all of this in one day!" Anna smiles a confident smirk. "I mean I could... but I won't."

As Elsa and her sister share a laugh you look at Kristoff's bag and then back at the blonde man. "You too?"

"Okay, I know what you're thinking, but that salesman is one tricky guy..."

You shake your head as you smile at the man. "Right..."

"Hey guys over here!" The voice of the princess of Corona calls from across the way.

You turn to look as Anna waves back. "We'll be there in a jiffy!"

Anna turns back and looks at you and her sister. "Come on! We've got plenty of things to see and do!"

"Okay, okay I'm coming." Elsa replies with a smile.

You match the snow queen's grin as you nod towards the princess.

Anna smiles back and gestures towards Kristoff. "Come on, let's go!"

The blonde man laughs softly as Anna drags him back to the others. "Hey hey! No need to pull!"

As the pair move away from the you and Elsa, you turn to face the snow queen. "Elsa, listen about-"

You stop mid-sentence as you look over at her.

The snow queen looked deep in thought. Partially saddened, yet partially contemplative. She notices you looking and snaps back to her false smile.

"Elsa..." You say, concern in your eyes

The woman drops her fake smile, lets out a huff as she steps slightly past you. "(Y/N), please. I have so much going on in my mind right now, and frankly I would just like to make it all go away."

"And I want to help you do that," You step closer and take her hands in yours. "But I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong."

The snow queen looks up, deeply into your eyes. "Trust me (Y/N) I will, just give me some time..."

You feel Elsa's hands slip out from your own as she walks past and toward the others, mind still flooded with thoughts. Prodding and poking at her constantly would likely only serve as another way to increase her stress, definitely something you didn't want. You knew Elsa would come around and realized that you had to be patient, but you just couldn't help but feel sad seeing her so troubled when this was a time for fun and happiness.

You run a hand through your hair before making your way toward the others.

* * *

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The day went on mostly successfully. That is if you don't count Elsa's occasional transitions back into contemplative thoughts, or the glares of fear and anxiety that Midnight constantly received. Other than that... everyone was having a great time. You all had spent the day admiring and enjoying all the city had to offer. The various booths and vendors were much different than the ones that were scattered around at night, and they were indeed much more lively. Even though her mind was obviously still moving a million miles and hour, Elsa actually did seem to be distracted and having fun for a breif amount of time. Corona's festival really did have a way of cheering people up even if it was only for a few brief minutes at a time. And the only one who wasn't having even a tiny bit of fun was your dark-furred companion.

Midnight tried a more friendly disposition, but found it difficult to keep up. The wolf can be friendly hen she wanted to, but in reality she was more accustomed to a cynical and realistic outlook on things which naturally meant she wouldn't be able to keep up an over-friendly personality like Olaf.

Even then, the issue with Elsa also brought your mind unease as you continue to think about what could be bothering her. Surely Isabella hadn't said too much back at the restaurant. All she really did really was explain how the two of you knew each other... right? This was all becoming a bit too stressful for you.

Now you find yourself, leaning against a low wall that reached up to your lower back. Indulging both Anna and Rapunzel's bouncy personalities and energy was tiring and it was good to stop for a moment to catch your breath.

"Well, what a day huh?" Eugene says as he and Kristoff approach you. "And to think we've still got a ball to attend."

"It's okay if I wear something casual, right?" Kristoff asks, uncomfortably scratching his neck.

"Trust me buddy, I've been trying to get away with casual clothing at these things for three years now and I don't think that's happening anytime soon..."

"Ugh... Gonna be a fun evening I know it." The blonde man states sarcastically.

You manage a small chuckle. "I don't think it'll be that bad, Kristoff."

"Heh, I wouldn't be so sure (Y/N)... Isn't your red-haired ex going to be there?'

"Ah, now that will cause some problems for sure." Eugene adds.

"More problems... just what I need." You mumble as you notice Midnight step up, looks of fear all around as she passes by.

'One problem at a time...' You think to yourself as Midnight approaches you.

The wolf had an annoyed look to her, coupled with a hint of disappointment. 'It's no use. I'm headed back.'

"Really? Midnight..."

'Look around you. Fear is all these people have for me.'

You glance around at the citizens of Corona who cautiously make their way around the large wolf, frightened by hear appearance. What few curious children there were, were stopped by concerned parents.

"Oh." You state, noticing the people's looks.

'I do not find this enjoyable,' You companion huffs and turns away from you. 'And unless anyone has some idea of gaining people's trust, then I see no point in being here.'

"Ooh! I have an idea!" Olaf states, popping up from behind the low wall you were leaning against.

"Whoa! Olaf? Where'd you come from?" You asks as you all turn to look at the snowman with slightly surprised faces.

"Oh, I was just playing hide and seek with Pascal! I figured no one would find me behind this here wall! Pretty smart huh?" Olaf grins widely at you.

"Um, you realize Pascal is a chameleon right?" Eugene states with a raised eye brow.

"Pascal's a chameleon? Neat!" Olaf says with an even wider smile.

"Uh.. never mind."

"So what was this idea you had Olaf?" You ask, Midnight also look at the snowman curiously.

The little snow man leans up and whispers something in your ear.

"Oh... huh. I see." You mumble as he continues to whisper. "Well, I know she won't like it but it might just work."

'What? What might work?' Midnight gestures with a pair of questioning eyes.

Olaf leans over to Eugene and whispers to him him as well. "Oh! Now that would definitely be something to see! I'll go get my wife and everyone else!"

'What? See what?' Midnight appears to be desperate for an answer as Eugene walks off to retrieve the rest of your group.

Olaf smiles and hops down from the wall skipping over to Midnight to whisper his plan.

The wolf's eyes widen. 'No.'

"Aw come on Midnight, it might be the only way." You say, walking closer to her.

Olaf gives her a pleading expression, while you just smirk. If she really wanted acceptance, she'd cave eventually.

'Absolutely not. I am not doing-'

* * *

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'I can't believe I'm doing this.' Midnight sulks as Rapunzel leads a little boy closer to the wolf.

"Okay, now don't be shy she doesn't bite I promise!" Rapunzel says with a comforting smile.

"O-okay... are you sure princess?" The boy asks.

"One hundred percent!" Rapunzel smiles.

As she moves the boy closer you look down and chuckle at the wolf.

'This isn't funny!' Midnight glares at you. 'I'm a vicious warrior who can bring down more soldiers and bandits than most of the men and women who are even worthy of holding a sword! Not some circus ride for the little children whose only interest is entertainment!'

"Oh, come on Midnight. No one's going to chain you to a pole and turn you into a carnival attraction. We're just asking you do it for a little bit."

Midnight only growls lowly. As per Olaf's suggestion, Midnight was currently awaiting for the little boy Rapunzel was leading to make his way on her back. Olaf really had a good idea to be honest. To put it simply, Midnight would just give very brief little rides to the various boys and girls around the town square. You honestly didn't know what the appeal was, but kids always enjoyed rides on horses, ponies, even Sven was commonly asked if children could ride on his back. Olaf simply mentioned the idea because he liked riding around on Sven and Midnight's backs whenever he could, but his idea was actually genius in its own right. While indeed providing the kids with some semblance of fun, it also offered a chance for the parents and other citizens to understand that Midnight wasn't hostile. The wolf herself would definitely be annoyed and grumpy to no end, but honestly, you didn't see another way for her to gain acceptance and trust.

"Come on Midnight, just for a little? Just enough to get you on the people's good side." You say.

She growls a bit lower. 'Fine, but only because Rapunzel is leading me.'

"Atta girl!" You smile and look up as Rapunzel leads the little boy onto Midnight's back. "Ready to go?"

The brunette princess nods with a happy grin. "All set! I can take it from here!"

You smile softly and give your companion a smile. "Try to have fun, okay?"

She raises an eyebrow. "You're joking, Aren't you?"

"Okay, that was just bad wording. Sorry... just... don't try to look like you want to kill someone okay?"

'I always look like I want to kill someone.' She stares at you blankly.

"Oh, don't be such a pessimist!" Rapunzel states with a grin. "I'm right here okay?'

Midnight sighs softly. 'Let's get this over with...'

Rapunzel pets her head and gestures to the little boy. "Okay, now we're going to go slow okay? Ready?"

The small boy looks at Midnight cautiously before nodding. "O-okay."

Rapunzel grins and looks back at Midnight. "Okay, follow me." As Rapunzel leads Midnight and the boy through town square, you see people from all sides gather around to watch the event. The boy's parents were scared completely out of their minds, but they trusted their princess. It was good that Eugene had gotten Rapunzel when Olaf mentioned his idea, mainly because the citizens of Corona absolutely loved and admired their princess. Rapunzel was quite famous and nearly everyone knew her. It would have been nearly impossible to convince anyone to ride on Midnight's back otherwise.

You and the rest of your friends watch on as Rapunzel leads Midnight around the square.

"Oh, boy that is just the most paradoxical thing ever..." Kristoff states with a grin.

"What is?" you ask with a grin matching the blonde man's.

"That one of the scariest creatures in the land is giving a piggy-back ride. It's almost too sweet."

"I know! Right Elsa?" Anna exclaims as she clasps her hands at the sight.

The snow queen in question manages a giggle. "That's something you don't see everyday.

'Oh I'm never letting her live this one down!' Sven grins widely as Olaf rests on his back.

"Uh, I'd let her live it down, pal..." You say, chuckling lightly.

'Uh why?'

"Because she still has fangs... and claws... and incredible strength..."

'Uh, right... never mind then.'

You smile softly and lean back against the wall. You do feel for your Wolf companion, but truth be told, this was pretty entertaining. There were still a million thoughts going through both you and Elsa's mind, but for this moment, you could just enjoy the sight of Midnight walking through the square with a child on her back.

As you all watch Rapunzel and Midnight stop so a different child can have a turn you notice two things. The little boy didn't look scared anymore, and that more and more people were staring to look at the wolf in a different light. There were still many, many frightened and fearful people, but at least she was getting somewhere.

The sound of a very familiar voice comes from the side of you. Not quite in good hearing range but enough for you to make out what it was saying.

"_What do you mean you won't help me?" _A gruff sounding man states.

'I know that voice...' You think as you concentrate on the voice to hear more of what they were saying.

"_I'm sorry, but we don't do that sort of shady business anymore." _Another man's voice says.

"_Yeah, we've been clean ever since we got outta the clink last year." _This new voice was similar to the latter's voice. It sounded like they were related.

"_Are you serious? Jasper?" _The gruff man asks, desperately.

"_No." _The man known as Jasper replies.

"_Horace?" _The gruff man asks again.

"_What my brother said. No can do." _The man called Horace states, sounding just as serious as his brother.

"_But you two are Jasper and Horace Stabbington! How can you turn down a fellow bandit?" _

"_'Cause we ain't bandits anymore, Clarence." _

'Clarence! I thought that voice was familiar!' You think.

A month ago when you were officially instated as guard captain, your second in commands, Anders and Tara, had given the official report of the night of the attack. Every criminal was either dead or apprehended. The guards were sure not to miss any one person. Every criminal except for one. The report mentioned no name and you and the other guards didn't have time to identify every body, what with the training of the army. Looks like you found your missing criminal.

You slowly leave the wall and cautiously begin to make your way over to the nearby shop from where the voices were coming from.

"Hey, (Y/N) where you going? Don't you wanna see anymore of this?" Kristoff asks, noticing you leaving.

"I have some royal guard business to attend to. Won't be long I promise."

"Guard business? On vacation? Well okay, hurry back I guess."

The mention of 'guard business' catches Elsa's attention. She looks over to you, but finds that you've already disappeared into the crowds of people.

'Guard business?' She thinks, a questioning set of eyes appearing on her face.

"_I don't believe this!" _You hear Clarence say as you silently approach, using the crowds of people to mask your movements. _"The infamous Stabbington brothers, reduced to a couple of pathetic beer salesman!"_

"_Keep it down! You're scaring away our customers!"_

You look up at the building.

_Stabbington Bros. Fine Liquors_

It was smaller than most buildings but had a small eating area set up just outside of the building. A few customers were still sitting around enjoying their beers, trying not listen in on Clarence's words, but the tables around the trio were empty, mugs and glasses forgotten as their owners were scared off by the large man.

You stealthily make your way around to the corner of the building, back against it as you listen in.

"_Hey! I'll have you know our alcohol is some of the best in the city!" _Horace replies, taking offense to Clarence's comment.

"_We make at least five thousand gold in half a year alone!" _Jasper adds.

"_I don't care- wait five thousand? That's pretty good actually- that's not the point! Are you going to help me or not?" _

"_Sorry Clarence, you'd better get here before the guards arrive."_

"_What? You snitched me out to the guards?" _Clarence responds, anger clear in his voice.

"_We told you, we're law abiding citizens now!"_

"_Okay, you two are getting it when I get back!"_ The large man turns to leave around the side of the building.

You smirk to yourself as you make your way from around the corner, catching the man off guard.

"What the-?" he begins, stopping as he sees your face.

"Leaving so soon Clarence?" You smirk.

"Heh... fancy meeting you ere pretty boy." Clarence says as he shakes off his initial surprise, replacing it with idiotic bravery. "You know as much as I'd love to smash your face in with my fist, I'm afraid I've got somewhere to be, so if you don't mind."

The man tries to step to your side, but you match his movement and block him from going forward.

"You're a wanted man Clarence. And I'm taking you in."

The big man lets out a laugh. "Oh yeah, you and what army?"

You laugh lightly and fold your arms. "I don't need an army to take you down... but if you want one, you should look behind you."

The man turns around to find a small contingent of guards approaching from down the street. "Stop right there, criminal scum!"

Clarence turns back to you. "Oh. That army."

"So what's it going to be Clarence? Easy or hard?"

The large man sighs. "Okay, you got me... lemme just..."

As he moves to place his hands on his head he quickly reaches down and grabs the small table infront of him, throwing it to the ground to obstruct your path, before taking off down the center street.

"Hey! Get back here!" You leap over the downed table and give chase. 'Huh... for a big guy, he's pretty fast.'

The Corona guards quickly run forward and try to catch up, but find themselves unable to in their armor. "Stop that man!"

Midnight's ears perk up as one of the guards calls out, sniffing the air as she catches your scent. She turns her head to Rapunzel. 'Trouble.'

The wolf reaches her head backwards and grabs the child on her back with her powerful jaws by the shirt collar, setting him down before dashing to catch up.

Clarence was a dirty player. As you continued to chase him down the lane, he constantly knocked down innocent people and kicked down stands in an attempt to slow you down. He was also surprising quick for a large man.

You leap over fallen citizens and sidestep the carts in your way. "Sorry! Coming through!"

'Not something I wanted to be doing while on vacation!' You think as Midnight races up.

'Finally! Some action! Who are we after?' Midnight smirks as she runs up to you, ducking and jumping over citizens and carts following in your movement.

"He's an escapee from Arendelle, the one we lost a month ago!"

'Good... I've wanted an excuse to sink my fangs into something. I'll go around and cut him off!'

"Got it!" You say as the wolf stops and turns down another street.

The wolf takes off as you continue your pursuit. A few moments later Clarence comes to a stop. Blocking his path were a row of guards, blocking his way back was you. Nowhere to run. The crowd of people in the street back away, scared at the scene happening before them.

In an act of desperation, he turns and grabs a nearby child and hold her up with an arm around her neck. He pulls a dagger from the holster on his boot.

You and the guards immediately stop your advance.

"Nobody move! Or this brat gets a blade to the neck!"

The little girls screams and drops her stuffed bear to the ground. There were many people in the crowd, it was a festival after all, you couldn't determine who her parents were as you scan the crowd. Nobody dared to approach him, fearing for the child's safety. The people erupt into loud murmurs and gasps.

"Everyone shut up! Shut up or I spill all her blood across this street!"

Everyone around hushes.

You hold you hands up and cautiously inch yourself closer. "Now listen Clarence, that little girl didn't do anything to you. Just let her go."

"What you think I'm stupid? Right now, precious here, is the only thing between me and all of you. Quite frankly, pretty boy, you're in spot to make demands."

As You inch yourself closer, you see him step back quickly, backing up against the wooden door of a nearby store.

"Ah, ah, ah not one inch closer!"

You stop moving. There's no telling what he would do. Clarence is a damn menace and highly unpredictable.

The large man looks over to the group of guards. "Drop your weapons! Now!"

The guards exchange a look before complying with his demand.

"Good, now that that's settled... here's what's gonna happen. You're all going to clear a way, then I'm going to casually stroll down to the wharf and catch a ship outta here. Any one tries anything, or if I even see any one so much as scream for help, the girl gets it."

You narrow your eyes as you try to find a solution. What could you do, though? Here he had a hostage and leverage over all of you. You know Clarence would kill that girl with no remorse. Even if he did get taken down after wards, he'd be perfectly fine knowing he managed to ruin everyone's day.

Then the answer came to you in the form of low growling.

You smirk and begin to chuckle lightly.

"What's so funny, pretty boy?" He asks, taking a small step closer to you, but back still facing the door.

You shake your head and look right into the man's eyes.

"There's one thing you didn't account for Clarence... She has your scent."

"What the fu-" The large man never gets to finish.

CRASH! The door behind Clarence breaks open as Midnight bursts through!

"Wha-?!" The man drops the little girl as he spins around swinging the knife in the wolf's direction, but he was too slow. As the girl scurries away, Midnight clamps down on his forearm, causing him to drop the blade. Using the rest of her body, she pushes the man to the ground landing on top of him, jaws wrapped around his arm and paw pushing down on his body.

"Arg! Get it off, Get it-AAHHG!" Clarence screams out in pain as Midnight clamps down and pulls hard, dislocating his arm from its socket, and her powerful jaws all but snapping his forearm. The people around Midnight cringe and shudder at Midnight's actions.

You quickly approach and rest a hand on her back, as much as you wanted to see her rip the man's arm off, Midnight was scaring everyone around her. "Hey, hey easy, Its over."

Midnight, the arm still firm in her grip, looks downwards. Clarence has long since passed out from the pain going through his arm and the sheer sight of a large wolf biting down hard on his arm. Feeling no remorse for her actions, yet saddened that they once again seemed to put her in a bad light with the people, she releases his arm. Everyone around was stunned at her fear apparent on their faces. She takes one step and the people back away several feet. Whenever she turned her head, startled citizens would back up as well, or look away entirely.

Realizing just how badly she had frightened everyone with her actions, the wolf sighs sadly and begins to take some steps forward. She stops and notices something on the ground. After tilting her head and giving it a sniff, she picks up the object and grips it firmly in her mouth. It was the girl's stuffed bear.

Midnight turns to face the child, taking s few steps towards her. The girls parents pull her away towards them. The wolf's ears droop as she continues to the little girl. Despite the obvious fear on her face, she looks on as Midnight moves closer and closer. The girls parents begin to pull the girl away some more, but the girl squirmed out of their grasp and began to slowly approach the wolf.

Midnight lifts her head, the bear still in her mouth, to look into the girl's eyes with her own gray orbs. She moves her head forward, gesturing for the girl to take the toy.

The child extends a shaky hand out. Midnight gently places it in her tiny palm. Once free from the wolf's jaw, the girl hugs the bear close and rushes back to her parents, still frightened by the wolf.

Not expecting much in the ways of thanks, Midnight turns to the castle and slowly begins to make her way there.

You remain silent as your friend's head droops lower. Normally you would be there to comfort anyone of your friends, but you had a feeling that you wouldn't be needing it.

"Um... E-excuse m-me!" You hear a child call, her voice directed at Midnight.

The wolf stops and turns to look back to girl she saved.

The child cautiously steps closer, despite her family telling her not to. Midnight tilts her head slightly, Curious as to what she was doing.

The child rushes up and puts her arms around the wolf, catching her in a tight hug. The crowd around you gasps and hold their breath as they wait for Midnight's reaction, who was just as stunned as they were to be honest. Slowly, she leans her head downwards, gently placing her head atop the child's as she hugs back.

You smile and begin to clap, hoping to inspire the crowd to join in. Sure enough more and more people did. Clapping and cheering along, even as the guards came to carry Clarence away. You didn't see fear on anyone's faces this time when you looked around the crowd again. What you saw was recognition. Recognition that Midnight was more than just a beast.

* * *

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh, come on! You sure you don't want to go?" You ask Midnight as she lounged on her bed with a satisfied and content smile.

'Hmm, No I don't really care for parties.'

"But you're a hero now. The people love to see a good public appearance by one of those."

After what happened in the city, Midnight was showered with praise and acknowledgment. Once your friends had finally made their way over to cheer for her, Midnight's public reputation sky-rocketed up. In fact, up until about an hour ago, you all were still in the city, letting the large wolf bask in the glory. You all returned to the castle in order to prepare for the ball. The ball Midnight apparently didn't wish to attend.

'Meh, despite that, I'm not much of a party person. But give my regards to everyone if you wish.'

The wolf smiles and yawns. Must have been exhausting when she had crowds of people lining up to praise and thank her.

'And I don't think I'd want to be there for the impending drama that's about to happen... That red-haired woman will be attending, correct?'

"Ugh, I forgot about that, what with all the things that happened today."

'Right, either way, I don't think I'll be attending.'

"Well, if you change your mind, we'll all be downstairs." You reply, giving her a gentle scratch on the head.

'Noted.' Midnight yawns some more, before setting her head down on a pillow. 'What a day...'

"Tell me about it." You smile as you head out of her room and down towards yours, closing her door as you leave.

'One problem down...' You think as you approach your room. Opening the door you find Elsa sitting on her bed, smoothing out her royal dress, mind running rampant with emotion and thoughts. Elsa did have fun and was definitely distracted from her problems for a few brief moments. But now that she was here alone with just her thoughts, her problems were resurfacing at a very quick rate.

You smile and knock on the door.

_Knock, knock _

The snow queen turns her head and smiles softly as you enter.

"Oh, I didn't see you there, (Y/N)." Elsa stands and steps a bit closer. "How's the big hero doing?"

"Well she isn't attending, but she's never really been one for parties anyway, so I guess it's understandable."

"Ah, and what of our missing criminal?"

"Maximus ensures that he's locked up tight in the castle dungeons, but you'll have to talk with the king and queen about what happens to him."

At the mention of Everick and Natalie her eyes shift into a more somber expression.

You frown and gently place a hand on her shoulder. "Something on your mind?"

She looks up into your (E/C) eyes. "I-its just that... I..."

Elsa looks downwards before sighing. She really needed to get this off her chest. "Remember when I told you how my parents died?"

"Yes...?" You say, curiously as you wonder what she could be talking about.

Elsa begins to explain Everick and Natalie's revelation. You can hear her voice shake as she mentions her parents, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Now you realize why it was so hard for her to talk about this. Her parents were always a sensitive topic for her. And to learn that she was in the kingdom they were headed to when they died at sea was almost heartbreaking.

"And I just don't know what to do..." Elsa says sitting down on the bed with a huff.

You breathe out and take a seat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. Elsa leans her head down and rests on your shoulder. What could you say? You've never had to deal with the death of people so influential like parents, or any family for that matter. You exhale and begin to speak.

"Listen... Elsa. I can't really tell you what to do... or how to feel... or even why your emotions are doing this to you..."

You pause as the snow queen sighs and droops her head lower before you begin to speak again. "What I can tell you is that... life is a little too short to hold anything over anyone."

Elsa looks up into your eyes as you continue. "I'm sure the king and queen didn't want anything to happen to your parents, but it's ultimately up to you to forgive them or not. Even if you don't, there's still one thing you can always count on."

"What's that?"

You smile warmly and raise your hand to stroke her check softly. "That no matter what you do, I, Anna, and everyone else will be here by your side."

Elsa eyes widen as she smiles up at you. "(Y/N)... I-"

You never let her finish as you steal a kiss from her, silencing her voice. You continue to caress her cheek softly as she turns her body to wrap an arm around your neck.

"Feel better?" You ask, breaking the kiss a few moments later.

"Much." Elsa replies with a relieved grin.

"I'm glad." You smile and release your hold on the queen, standing up and walking over to the restroom. "I'm going to gather my clothes for tonight, okay?"

Elsa smiles and nods at you. "Might want to hurry, (Y/N). The ball begins in about an hour."

"I wont be long." You smile and shut the door.

Outside the bathroom Elsa frowns. 'Can I forgive them? Anna could...'

As the snow queen thinks over (Y/N)'s words, her mind passes to the thought of Everick and Natalie, smiling softly. 'So I guess I can too.'

'One problem down I suppose...' Elsa thinks, her smile moving to a frown once again, mind shifting to the thought of Isabella. 'One problem to go.'

Elsa moves her hand up to her lips, feeling them as she thinks hard about just what (Y/N) meant to her. '(Y/N) loves me. I know that much. He had feelings for her at one point as well. But which of us would make him more happy?' As kind as Elsa was, she only thought of how to make others happy rather than choosing to make herself happy. It really was her weakness. Elsa never really thought much of it to put herself above anyone else. '(Y/N)...'

What if she let him go back? What would happen then? No. That is not an option. She can't imagine a single day without (Y/N), just like she couldn't imagine her life without her sister.

For once in her life, Elsa decided to be selfish. 'I'm not losing you.'

"_You should know Elsa, I'm willing to fight for him."_

'Oh you want a fight?' Elsa down at her black and teal royal dress. She smirks and flurries her power around her, covering her body in a layer of ice and transforming her dress into her beautiful ice dress. After glancing down to admire her work and make sure it was absolutely perfect, she reaches a hand up and runs her hand through her platinum blonde locks and traces it down her french braid. Elsa smirks, a fire in her soul and determination in her eyes.

"I'm willing to give you a war."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Longest chapter EVER! **

**I once again apologize if it took too long! I've never written a jealous character before!**

**Also, before anyone asks, I resolved the Clarence sub plot like this simply because I didn't feel it was going anywhere with my original plan. See, Clarence was supposed to be involved in a MUCH, MUCH darker plot line. The story didn't shift towards that plot, so I decided to use him to help Midnight's dilemma. **

**I also read that people want to see Dominant/Possessive Elsa. That's going to happen, but I wanted to take a little time to showcase a more vulnerable and unsure Elsa. Of course she wouldn't just take this sitting down, so join me for the next chapter titled,**

**Chapter 25: Elsa goes to WAR!**

**okay... that's not really the title. But Elsa's definitely going to clash with Isabella in a true Red vs Blue fashion. **

**The next chapter may come a bit slower than even this one. That's because next chapter has something everyone's been waiting for. Be sure to tune near the end for a VERY special scene... (Hint: May contain explicit material) **

**I have no experiences with writing these sort of intimate proceedings, so I apologize if it's not up to par. **

**I also wanted to thank BearNotGrylls (Awesome name BTW) for the Midnight piggy-back ride idea! **

**Anyways, These chapters have become increasingly more difficult to write and I've been really busy lately, but you guys and gals are important to me too and I'll try to update as soon as I can! **

**You guys and Gals are the best!**

**Okay, so as always, feel free to leave any ideas, suggestions, or comments in my review box!**

**Till next time!**


	25. Fire and Ice

**Okay, now this took some serious time to write... I'm super sorry it took forever. **

**It's not just that I've never written some of the content found in this chapter, but it's also that I've recently been struggling to put more and more ideas out onto the page. Every chapter seems to increase in length, and I've been stressin' out trying to incorporate and come up with new ideas. Frankly, I've never had to deal with writers block before and damn is it annoying. The main issue for the block was that I originally had a point for point plan for how the story would turn out from start to finish, but since beginning this story a few months back, it has veered into all sorts of different directions from what it originally meant to be, which was a much MUCH darker story. I also lost my inspirational spark for a while, and thanks to you guys, I managed to find it again! You guys and gals are the best! I really hope I can maintain my writer's spark, because it's getting difficult to keep up...**

**Once again, I offer my sincerest apologies that it took so long. **

**Now without further stalling, let's get right into it!**

**(P.S. There's some explicit content coming up near the end of this chappy, so reader discretion is advised!)**

**(P.P.S. The lemon was 5+ pages in my word document... yikes!)**

**Okay now I present: **

Chapter 25: Fire and Ice

With a questioning set of eyes, you step out of your adjacent bathroom and into your shared bedroom.

"Hey, Elsa have you seen my gloves- Whoa..." You trail off as you examine Elsa's new appearance.

In place of her traditional royal black and teal dress, was her absolutely gorgeous, blue ice dress. Instead of her bun, was her iconic braid with her bangs wisped back. You've seen this look before, but for some reason you never get tired of seeing her like this. And there was a certain look in her eye that really reddened your cheeks. She was eying you like a lioness eyes her prey.

Overall, you found Elsa's demeanor to be extremely arousing. Coupled with her look, it was almost enough to send you over the edge.

"W-wow Elsa, Wardrobe change?" You ask, face stained red.

Elsa slyly smirks as she approaches you and takes your hands.

As she holds them tight, you feel a rush of cold cover them. You look down to find a pair of white ice-gloves covering your once bare hands.

The snow queen only smirks at you. "These gloves?"

You grin and raise an eyebrow at her as she holds your hands. "Elsa, what-?"

You find yourself silenced as Elsa pulls on your hands to catch you in a searing kiss.

Suppressing your initial surprise, you gently close your eyes and begin to kiss the lovely monarch back.

Much to your dismay, Elsa breaks the kiss moments later to look into your (E/C) eyes, a feisty grin on her face. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"I-I um..." You fumble around for some words, surprised at Elsa's sudden boldness. Contrary to how she was feeling earlier, Elsa was coming off as much more daring in her advances. Wonder what got into her?

"W-what brought this on?" You ask with a flushed face, still surprised at Elsa's behavior.

Elsa removes one of her hands from yours and gently moves it up to your cheek. "Just reaffirming something for myself."

You raise an eyebrow as she gently strokes your cheek. "Reaffirm something?"

Elsa smiles warmly. "I just realized how important someone is to me."

Behind her warm smile was a look of fierce determination. "And how I'm not willing to lose him so easily..."

You narrow your eyes quizzically at her. "Elsa, are you-?"

"Come on, the ball begins in half an hour." Elsa interrupts as she pulls you along towards the door of your shared bedroom, leaving you to ponder.

You weren't sure what exactly came over Elsa, but so far you were actually enjoying her new-found boldness. It was odd seeing Elsa act this way, but her sudden burst of confidence was very exciting to say the least. You ponder in your mind as to what could have made Elsa adopt this particular attitude. Surely what you said about Everick and Natalie couldn't have been the sole contributor to her disposition. Was it maybe...?

You push your thoughts aside for a moment to hold the door open for her, grinning slyly towards her. "After you, Milady."

"My, what a gentleman." Elsa replies, mimicking her words from your first date.

"I try," You smile fondly.

As the beautiful snow queen exits the room, you notice something that puts certain thoughts into your head. As she exits the room ahead of you, you see her putting a little more sway in her hips. She just seemed to channel her inner seductress this evening. 'I-is she trying to kill me with excessive sexiness?'

As you continue to blush and try to push any sort of provocative thoughts out of your mind, Elsa turns her head and smirks seductively at you.

You gulp and fidget with your shirt collar, releasing a small amount of heat. 'Yep. Definitely trying to kill me.'

You exhale and quickly close the door to your room before proceeding to step up to the fiery ice queen.

Elsa only grins and raises an eyebrow at you. "Are you feeling well, (Y/N)? You look a little hot..."

You can feel her passion in the sound of her voice. Her very tone sent shivers down your spine as all manner of thoughts of your gorgeous snow queen cross your mind. You find yourself blushing once more as Elsa continues to grin, amused by your own sudden burst of bashfulness. Elsa was succeeding in turning you into a quivering mess.

Recovering from your moment of stupor, you grin back and offer your arm to her. "Feeling right as rain, my queen."

Elsa smiles and takes your arm. "Let's not keep everyone waiting, shall we?"

As the snow queen holds onto your arm firmly, you begin to make your way to the ball room. The halls of the castle were surprisingly empty. Save for the few guards patrolling the walkways, not another person was in sight. No servants moving about, and none of your other friends were around as well. Even the few other visiting nobles, that were also staying in halls close to your rooms, weren't around.

A thought crosses your mind as you head down the dimly lit halls.

"Everyone else already at the ballroom?" You ask, looking behind and ahead of you to see no one else around.

"Yes," Elsa nods. "Anna wanted to get there early to see everyone come in."

As you and Elsa move further down the halls, the platinum-blonde leans moves closer and leans her head down to rest on your shoulder.

"You know, it's actually pretty heartless."You say, grinning to yourself as you move your head to rest gently on Elsa's.

"What is?"

"Going to this ball."

"Really?" Elsa smirks to herself. "How so?"

"Doesn't seem a little cruel for the most beautiful woman in the kingdom to show up in front of all the various people that are so desperately vying for your hand, in fact, even for the tiniest hint of attention, only for them to sadly realize that at the end of the night," You begin, smirking wider as you think of all of the would-be suitors that you had seen and heard on your first day in the kingdom.

You stop for a moment to turn and take Elsa's hands, staring into her eyes lovingly. "I'm the only one that gets to have you..."

Elsa looks up, smiling suggestively as you hold her hands tightly. Now it was your time to return the favor. You smirk and let go of her hands, moving yours slowly to her sides, tracing them lightly before gently resting them on her hips.

Elsa's cheeks light up a faint shade of red as you begin to move your lips closer to hers.

"I-it is a bit mean isn't it...?" Elsa breathes out as her eyelids fall half shut, anticipating a passionate lip lock.

You smirk just before you reach her lips, changing your course and leaning down to place a kiss on her neck.

"Hey!-oh." Elsa begins to pout at your sudden change of direction, but finds herself smiling as you plant a series of kisses along her neck.

You trail up the side of her face, stopping near her ear, grinning as you begin to whisper. "So mean in fact, I think we should skip the ball and have our own date out on the town... you know, just to spare those poor souls who can only dream of being with you..."

Elsa smiles and moves her hands to your shoulders to push you away slightly before looking up and placing a tender kiss on your lips.

"As much as I would love to (Y/N), there are some things I have to take care of at the ball." Elsa begins as she places a gentle hand on the side of your face.

"Take care of? Like?" You ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, for one thing,I need to square away things with the king and queen."

'And I have a claim to stake...' Elsa thinks, tracing a thumb across your cheek as she looks deeper into your (E/C) eyes.

"Fair point," You reply, face lighting up with a smile at the mention of the King and Queen.

In truth, you had actually hoped to avoid the ball and by association avoid Isabella in order to spare Elsa anymore frustration. In actuality, you really did still care for the redhead. Considering your past, Isabella was one of the few good things you could remember from your old life in Aravan. Mayhaps not as much as you cared for Elsa, but there was still a spark lingering in your warm soul. Elsa seemed more at ease and confident since your talk back in the room, which led you to believe that just maybe, Isabella wouldn't prove to be much trouble for her this evening. And with the way Elsa mentioned that she needed to 'square things' away with Everick and Natalie, it seemed as if Elsa was willing to try forgiveness. That thought gave you a content feeling, knowing Elsa's issues with the king and queen might be resolved tonight. Elsa's excitable demeanor tonight felt practically contagious as you found yourself smiling widely along with the platinum-blonde.

You nod and step a bit to the side, offering your arm once more to the queen of Arendelle. " I think we've kept everyone waiting enough."

Elsa smiles and takes your arm as you begin to lead her down to the ballroom, leaning her head down onto its rightful place on your shoulder.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The ballroom of the castle was filled up with various nobility from all around the kingdom. The ballroom itself was quite large, with enough space to fit many of the faces you had seen during the opening ceremony, with room to spare. Of course you couldn't really put a name to anyone aside from the few people you had taken the time to meet, namely Aladdin and Jasmine. The walls on either side of the room were lined with tables of the finest food and desserts. In the center of the ballroom was a large clearing that many people were using to dance in. Beyond the dance floor was another table decorated accordingly with the colors of fall. At this table, you could clearly see Everick and Natalie chatting away with a few other well-dressed people, passing each other a nervous look. A harmonious string quartet rested near the end of one of the food tables. The players were playing a beautiful minuet, never missing a beat and never losing the precious balance between each others' sound. As the dancers move elegantly to the sounds of the quartet, you see many other people simply enjoying pleasant conversation with one another.

Off to the side, chatting with Eugene and Rapunzel, was Kristoff and Anna. Olaf and Sven were off to the side, sitting right in front of the string quartet, listening to their delightful sound. You couldn't see Pascal from where you were, but it was safe to assume that the little chameleon was around somewhere. Maximus was also present among the various guests. The stallion was finding pleasure in a small bowl of punch resting at his hooves, casting a vigilant eye up at the guests every once and a while to ensure no trouble makers were present and causing a ruckus.

No one appeared to have noticed you and your date, seeing as the two of you had yet to enter the room through the large entryway. You actually felt a tad nervous at entering the ball, simply because there was no telling how the other people will react to seeing the stunning snow queen on your arm. Since most of the nobles in the room are ones who saw you kiss Elsa, it was safe to say jealousy levels would be high tonight. Although it did fill you with slight pride, seeing as you were the one to escort her to the festivities.

You turn to Elsa and offer a smile. She looked ready to take on the world. "Ready?"

Elsa smiles back and nods her head. "Let's go."

You nod back and lead Elsa into the light of the ballroom. As the two of you make your way through the crowds of people, you can see many a face turn to acknowledge your presence with looks of awe and envy.

"-gasp- Is that Queen Elsa?"

"She's absolutely gorgeous!"

You find yourself grinning as you pass the onlookers. Elsa herself was slightly more shy at all of the attention she was receiving, but nevertheless smirked and grinned once she remembered who she was holding to, both figuratively and literally.

"That dress is magnificent!"

"Wow... to be with a woman as beautiful as her..."

Just as you predicted. All eyes on Elsa, admiring her beauty. Many men held eyes of envy as they lay their eyes on Elsa's arm as it was wrapped around yours. While Elsa herself was drawing the most attention, you were even receiving looks from the blushing faces of the various women and such around the room. Even some of the women in the room pouted as they saw your content smile as you continued further into the room with Elsa.

"You look quite lovely tonight, your majesty." A young man says, bowing as the two of you pass.

Elsa smiles and nods to the young man.

"Well, we're definitely drawing a crowd, your highness." You lean over and whisper to Elsa.

"Seems like it, Captain (Y/N)..." Elsa leans over whispering back.

As you turn your head to offer a friendly smile to a small group of young women, they blush and giggle to you.

You feel Elsa tighten her hold on your arm, but still maintaining her regal charm and grace.

You and Elsa proceed to nod and smile as the people look on. More blushing faces and more jealous eyes awaited as you stepped ever closer to your friends. It was perfectly understandable why the jealousy was prevalent. Honestly, what kind of guy wouldn't get flushed and bothered in her presence?

"Hey, guys! Glad to see you could make it!" Eugene states as you approach, eyes not filled with even a hint of jealousy or envy.

'Oh right, the kind of guy that already has someone to love.' You think as you see Eugene with his arm around Rapunzel.

"Wouldn't miss it." You grin at the raven-haired man.

Anna smiles widely and steps closer to her sister. "Hey Sis! Why the sudden change in clothing?"

Elsa smiles back as Kristoff and Anna move closer. "I just felt that the other dress wasn't fit for a party like this."

"Well You look great!" Anna exclaims, clasping her hands together before glancing at you. "You too (Y/N)!"

"Everyone else certainly seems to think so too." Kristoff states, glancing around at the people still looking toward you and Elsa, whispering along with one another as they continue to admire Elsa's beauty and stare with envious eyes at you.

"So it would seem." You say, chuckling lightly.

Rapunzel giggles and looks between you and Elsa. "So, what do you think?"

You raise an eyebrow. "Think? Of the ball you mean?"

Rapunzel smiles and nods her head.

You laugh slightly and glance around at the ballroom. The people had looked away from you and Elsa to resume what they were doing prior to your entrance. The party seemed to return to normal, save for the occasional glance back to Elsa by some of the would-have-been suitors.

"Everything looks great, Rapunzel." You say with a smile on your face. "I can honestly say that I've never seen this many nobles all in one place before."

"You and me both, (Y/N)." Kristoff says as he glances at the crowd along with you.

"Oh, you should all see the lantern festival next year!" Rapunzel laughs a bit before turning to look at Elsa and Anna. "I know you'll all love it!"

Anna's eyes light up as she glances over to her sister. "Another festival? Elsa can we...?"

Anna trails off as she glances nervously over to the table where the king and queen were seated.

"Oh, right um... I guess... -er we don't have to go..." Anna trails off as she looks away.

Elsa raises an amused eyebrow before reaching out to lay a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder with a playful smile. "I think we can find the time somewhere, Anna."

Anna's eyes widen once more as she looks at Elsa. "Really? Does that mean you forgave Everick and Natalie?"

Elsa giggles before looking at the table where the monarchs were sitting. "There was nothing to forgive in the first place, but yes I aim to tell them by the end of the night."

You glance over to the main table where the king and queen were seated. After quelling their impressed looks from Elsa's appearance, they both exchanged a nervous glance between one another as they shift their views towards the snow queen. You had a feeling Everick and Natalie wouldn't be so nervous by the end of the night.

"So... you're all coming back?" Rapunzel asks with an excited set of eyes.

Elsa smiles at the brunette and nods slightly. "If you'll have us, that is."

You and Kristoff exchange a smile with Eugene as Anna pulls Elsa in for a quick hug as Rapunzel claps excitedly.

"Yay! Another vacation!" Olaf Exclaims as he pops out from behind Anna and hugs the two sisters.

"Wh-what? Olaf where did you come from?" Eugene asks as everyone else looks on with a surprised face.

"Oh I've been here the whole time!"

"B-but weren't you just over there with Sven...?" Eugene looks over to the reindeer in the room only to find Sven looking around the room with a panicked face, just as surprised at Olaf's sudden disappearance.

"Er- Never mind, I guess..."

"Oh that reminds me! I should go tell Sven the good news!" Olaf exclaims as he releases Anna and Elsa to run over to Sven.

As everyone watches the Snowman run off, Elsa turns to you. "And that reminds me... I should go over to the King and Queen."

You smile and nod softly. "Go ahead, I'll be right here."

Elsa smiles and nods to everyone else, before turning to leave.

As Elsa walks away, you turn your attention over to the remainder of the group.

"So, (Y/N)," Kristoff speaks as he turns over to you with a friendly smile. "Elsa seems a bit more happy tonight."

You smile warmly as you look at Elsa make her way through the crowd, a pleasant smile resting on her face.

"Yes, she certainly seems like it, doesn't she?"

"Would a certain guard captain have anything to do with that?" Anna asks with a grin.

"Well... I wouldn't say it was just me." You say, turning your smile towards Anna.

The strawberry-blonde grins and nods knowingly towards you before glancing around at the room. "Huh... where's the chocolate?"

You shake your head and chuckle at the woman as Rapunzel steps closer. "Oh Come on, Let me show you!"

Anna giggles and takes the brunette's hand. "What are we waiting for?"

Rapunzel giggles back and begins to lead Anna past the crowd and to the dessert table on the other side of the room.

As the pair walk off to locate table of food that would soon no longer exist thanks to Anna's appetite, you chuckle and turn over to the other men with you.

You notice Kristoff stare at Anna's retreating form with a look of bashful contemplation.

You smirk and give him a knowing pat on the shoulder. "So Kristoff, did you -er..." You hesitate slightly as you glance at Eugene, trying to keep Kristoff's ring a secret. "Figure out what you're doing with that little black box?"

"Oh you mean his proposal to Anna?" The raven-haired man says as he raises an eyebrow.

You widen your eyes. "Um... how did you...?"

"Oh, right." Kristoff looks between you and Eugene. "I told Eugene about the ring."

"Ah I see. Didn't you want as little people to know as possible?" You ask.

"True, but Eugene happens to know all of the ins and outs of the festival, so I figured; who better to help me set everything up other than the prince consort of Corona?"

"We've actually been cooking up something all day that everyone will definitely have fun with." Eugene interjects as he clasps the blonde man on the shoulder. "Trust me, it's really sappy. Just like Kristoff wanted."

"Hey! I didn't say sappy. I said it had to be really romantic and special..."

"Uh that's kinda the same thing buddy..." You say with a slight laugh before eying the two of them with questioning eyes. "Think you guys could let me in on the plan?"

Kristoff chuckles. "Sorry (Y/N), but that would ruin the surprise."

"Aw come on! I won't tell, I promise! Eugene? Help a friend out?"

Eugene shakes his head as he smiles. "As tempting as it is to tell you now, I'm going to have to say no."

"Not even a little?" You ask, curious as to what they were planning.

"Nope/Sorry." Kristoff and Eugene say, sticking firmly to their refusal to reveal even the tiniest details of their 'marvelous proposal' idea.

"Fine then..." You sigh and shrug slightly, realizing that you weren't getting anything out of them.

"But even if you won't tell me," You smile over to Kristoff. "I'm glad you got your little ring problem sorted out."

"Thanks," Kristoff says with a chuckle.

"Speaking of problems, (Y/N)," Eugene begins as he takes a quick look around the room to see the guests. "Have you seen your old flame anywhere?"

"Now that you mention it..." Your eyes widen as you continue. What with Elsa's burst of confidence and essentially stunning everyone else in the room, you had almost forgotten about Isabella's attendance. "No I haven't actually."

You narrow your eyes and ponder where Isabella could be.

"Huh. I'm surprised she isn't here yet..."

You fail to notice both Kristoff and Eugene's eyes widen as their gazes look to the entryway. "Um (Y/N)..."

"I mean back when we were together, she never missed an opportunity to make a grand entrance."

"(Y/N) look-" Eugene's words fall on deaf ears as you continue to think.

All around you, the crowd falls silent. You can almost feel a presence slowly stepping up to you.

"Maybe she just didn't want to come after all? Wait no that just-"

"Hello (Y/N)," A familiar feminine voice says from behind you.

Your eyes widen as you slowly turn around to meet the eyes of the woman that once held your heart. "Hello Isabella."

Isabella smiles softly and approaches you with a curious set of eyes. Eyes that held years of wanting and yearning. Eyes full of seductive intent. "You know we didn't get to catch up much today..."

You glance around to the sides to search for Eugene and Kristoff, but sadly they had bailed the moment Isabella began to make her way there. 'Thanks guys...'

You give her a smile. 'Nothing wrong in catching up with an old friend, right?'

(Royal Table-Elsa Perspective- few minutes prior)

"I- er how are you this evening your majesty?" Everick begins as he and Natalie exchange a look.

Elsa shakes her head with a warm smile planted firmly on her face. "I thought we agreed on no formalities... Everick."

The two monarchs glance at each other, surprised at Elsa's friendly tone. "As you wish Que-um Elsa."

Natalie and Everick reach for each others hands, cast a wary glance over at Elsa. "Listen Elsa, about your parents..."

"We're so sorr-" Natalie begins but finds herself silenced as the platinum blonde raises her hand.

Elsa smiles and holds a hand up to stop them from speaking. "You two have nothing to be sorry for."

"B-" Everick begins.

"Please, let me finish." Elsa interrupts with a polite smile.

The king and queen look between each other before moving their eyes to Elsa, listening intently to her words.

"First and foremost, I would like to apologize for how I had stormed out earlier. It's just that my parents are a very emotional topic for me. You see for most of my life, my parents were the only constant people that I ever interacted with. Because of my powers, I couldn't be around anyone else without risk of hurting them. Not even my sister."

Elsa adopts a more somber gaze as she remembers years of being cut off from her sister and the rest of the world.

"But my parents were always there for me. Trying to help me with my powers. Always giving me support and love... Once they were gone... I felt like a lost child. Now after everything that has happened to me since then, I can say that perhaps some of their decisions weren't the best they had ever made, but they were still my mother and father. And I know that they loved Anna and I, more than anything."

Elsa sees the king and queen of Corona shift their eyes downwards.

"And I also know that Anna is right." The snow queen reaches across the narrow table and gently rests her hands on theirs. Everick and Natalie look up, surprised to see Elsa's display of affection. "Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted me to hold this over the two of you."

Elsa gives them a warm smile as she continues, complete sincerity in her tone. "What happened to my parents was tragic, yes. But I realize now, that what happened was never your fault. And it wasn't their fault for leaving either. There are just some things in life that you can't predict or control."

Everick and Natalie stare at the snow queen with wide eyes, taken aback by Elsa's kindness.

"Everick, Natalie... What happened to my parents wasn't your fault. And I promise I won't blame you..." Elsa continues to smile as she tightens the hold on their hands. "As long as you promise to stop blaming yourselves."

Everick and Natalie cast stunned looks between themselves, baffled by Elsa's kind words. It was true. The king and queen of Arendelle were good friends to both Everick and Natalie. Once the two of them died out at sea, the monarchs of Corona couldn't feel anything else but guilt over the loss of their friends. And now, three years later, the daughter of the two people they felt responsible for, was standing before them. Offering a chance for them to let it go.

Natalie brings a hand up to her face, wiping away stray droplets from her eyes. Everick follows suit as he glances at Elsa, still letting Elsa's words go through his mind. The king and queen smile softly at the platinum-blonde.

Elsa smiles at them. "Can you promise me that?"

Everick and Natalie, tears freely flowing now, move to take each others' hands, all the while smiling at Elsa warmly. "We promise... Elsa."

The snow queen smiles and reaches across the table to try and hug the two of them. Despite the table's interference, Elsa and her fellow monarchs manage to share a heartfelt hug. The king and queen couldn't be smiling any brighter as three years worth of guilt and pain faded away from their faces.

A few moments later, Elsa releases the two, smiling softly. "Wipe those tears away... It's a celebration after all isn't it?"

Everick and Natalie look at each other and chuckle slightly. "But of course, Elsa."

The three monarchs exchange a small laugh.

"And how are you enjoying the celebration Elsa?" Natalie asks as she wipes her remaining tears away.

"To be honest, it is quite wonderful." Elsa glances around admiring the decor adorning the walls of the ballroom. "I've never had this much..."

Elsa trails off as she notices something out of the corner of her eye. The snow queen narrows her eyes.

"Isabella."

In the distance, back where Elsa had left (Y/N) to speak with the king and queen, the redhead was standing near him and was what appeared to be giggling.

In a sharp contrast to Elsa's ice-blue dress, Isabella's was flame red that perfectly highlighted her curves. Her hair cascaded like a waterfall of red as it ran down her shoulders. Light blue eyes accented her smooth face as onlookers watched and admired like they had Elsa earlier. If it was a contest between beauty, then Isabella and Elsa were the two women who definitely stole the show.

It was clear that the various people thought so also, seeing as every one else was just as stupefied as they had been when Elsa had entered the scene with (Y/N).

Elsa exhales and turns her attention back to Everick and Natalie. Gone was the kind and humble Elsa from a few moments ago, replaced by an woman of pure passion. "If you'll excuse me, I have a little issue to take care of."

Everick and Natalie give each other a strange look as Elsa walks away from the table.

Elsa cuts through the crowd like a knife through butter and makes her way over to (Y/N). She narrows her eyes, determination within them, at the redhead. Elsa was never more sure of how she felt for (Y/N), than she was in this moment right now. And she knew that by the end of the night, (Y/N) would be with the one who truly made him happy. Whether it would be Elsa or Isabella, she was unsure. (Y/N)'s happiness is what really mattered to her. If it was to be Isabella then so be it. But Elsa was not going to give him up with out putting up a fight.

The platinum-blonde snow queen briskly moved through the crowds, focusing her attention the standing pair. As Elsa grows closer and closer, she begins to hear the voices of both (Y/N) and Isabella through the crowd.

"I really _really _missed you (Y/N)... all those years apart... did you miss me at all?"

"To tell you the truth Isabella... I've actually had some memory issues a couple months back. Even now, some of the details are a bit hazy... but I can honestly say that you were one of the better bits of my time in Aravan."

"Aw, you flatterer!" Isabella reaches a hand up to his cheek as she giggles at him.

(Y/N) only smiles awkwardly as Isabella's smooth palm moved closer and closer, not sue of what to do.

"Oh, hello Isabella!" Elsa smirks as she quickly moves to (Y/N)'s side, wrapping an arm around his. Isabella's eyes widen as she pulls her hand back before offering the snow queen a subtle glare.

"I must say, you look quite lovely tonight." Elsa says with underlying sarcasm in her voice.

"Why thank you, your majesty!" Isabella replies, mimicking the sarcasm in Elsa's voice."I can see you're looking quite stunning as well."

The two women glare at each other, like two cheetahs vying for the same catch. Their eyes lock as the people around them slowly back away and move to other parts of the room to mingle and indulge in the various foods. Isabella's red dress twinkled and shined like a flame in the dark. Elsa's blue dress sparkled like the icy winds of the mountains. The two women almost seemed to radiate their emotions onto the ballroom floor.

The snow queen merely smirks at the red head. "So how are you this evening, Miss Isabella?"

"Oh please, your highness! Just Isabella is fine." The redhead smirks back. "And I'm doing just fine! I was doing even better a few moments ago..."

Isabella gives Elsa a friendly smile. Elsa matches with a grin of her own. (Y/N) simply stood there, unaware of the hidden daggers that Isabella and Elsa were currently exchanging behind their ruse of a false armistice.

"So, what are we discussing over here?" Elsa asks with perhaps too innocent a smile.

"Oh, if you must know," Isabella gives a false smile to the snow queen. "We were just discussing..."

The red head glances at (Y/N), grinning happily. "Some old memories from the past, in fact I believe we were in the middle of a conversation... not exactly kind or queenly of you to intrude."

"Aw, my apologies..." Elsa manages a fake gasp as she brings her hand up cover her mouth in mock surprise. "But I do tend to make it a habit to be a part of my lover's life... past and present."

Isabella smirks. "Really? So is the future open game then?"

Elsa glares fiercely at the redhead.

"Okay..." (Y/N) says, looking between the two nervously. "Erm... how about I get us all something to drink?"

Isabella and Elsa continue to glare at each other, seemingly paying no mind to (Y/N) and choosing to focus all their attention on themselves.

"That would be absolutely lovely (Y/N)." Elsa says, eyes never moving from Isabella's as she continues to stare intensely at the redhead.

"Sounds, heavenly." Isabella says, matching Elsa's glare perfectly.

(Y/N) shifts his eyes in between the two women before freeing himself from Elsa's hold to cautiously make his way to the drink table.

"Please don't kill each other..." He mumbles to himself as he walks away.

As (Y/N) moves through the crowd, Elsa grins as she and Isabella narrow their eyes at each other.

"You're very persistent Isabella, I'll give you that... In another world, I feel we could have been friends..."

"Hmm, I was getting the same impression. I must say, Elsa I didn't think you would show up."

Elsa raises her eyebrow. "What gave you that idea?"

Isabella chuckles. "Oh I don't know... I figured that a woman who let fear so blindly control her life wouldn't have the moxie to stand up for what she wants..."

Elsa's eyes widen.

"Oh yes, I've heard the stories of how that same fear was what caused you to lose control in the first place."

"I-I'm not afraid anymore." Elsa hesitates slightly as she speaks.

Isabella smiles innocently at her. "Oh yes you are, I can see it in your eyes. Hear it in your voice... You're afraid you're going to lose him."

Elsa offers no words, and despite telling herself otherwise she was afraid of losing someone who meant so much to her.

"Trust me Elsa... by the end of the night, only one of us will walk away with (Y/N)'s heart."

Elsa stares at the ground silently as (Y/N) slowly makes his way from across the room, drinks in hand. She was right. Elsa was afraid.

The snow queen exhales deeply and looks back up into Isabella's eyes, a confident smirk replacing her look of fear.

Fear was something she couldn't afford right now.

"Interesting thought, Isabella. Mind holding it for a moment?"

Isabella raises an eyebrow just as (Y/N) approaches.

"Getting along, ladies?" (Y/N) approaches with two small glasses.

"Just fine, (Y/N)." Elsa replies as she takes a glass from his hand. "I think we're becoming best friends even!"

"Most definitely, I find Elsa's trepidation to be most amusing, cute even." Isabella adds as she takes the other glass.

"And I absolutely find Isabella's supercilious nature to be especially charming." Elsa smirks back, catching Isabella's insult and retaliating with one of her own as she sips on her beverage.

"Interesting word choice coming from someone who fancies herself in a position of affluence, elevated above the common folk." Isabella replies as she takes a small sip as well.

"Oh, that's right! Opulence is an excellent show of character!" Elsa says with a sarcastic grin. "But if this was a contest of power, remind me again how many nations you rule?"

"At least I can relate better with (Y/N)!" Isabella picks up her volume, causing nearby guests to look on in surprise at the two women.

"Relate better? As I recall, you ended it with him due to varying interests!" Elsa matches her volume, eyes filled with passion. More guests join the spectating crowd.

"And I admit that it was a mistake, unlike a certain queen who can't even admit what she's afraid of!"

"Who says I'm not admitting-?!" Elsa stops mid-sentence as (Y/N) grabs hold of her hand.

"Um, Elsa, Isabella... people are staring." (Y/N) says, passing a nervous glance around the room.

Isabella and Elsa look around, finding the crowds of people around them indeed staring at the heated battle of words. Even across the room, the rest of Elsa and (Y/N)'s friends and family were munching on hors d'oeuvres and sipping on punch and wine as they watched. The string quartet could care less about this quarrel and stuck to their guns as they continued to play, filling the silent air with more harmonious sounds.

Elsa and Isabella smile nervously at the rest of the guests. "Um... sorry everyone, please go back to what you were doing."

Isabella smiles sheepishly and nods along. Slowly the guests returned to what they were doing, but they would sneak a glance in as the women in red and blue dresses turn their attention back to one another.

"Okay, listen I think this is getting a little out of hand." (Y/N) says, stepping between the warring women. "Let's just calm down, Okay? Maybe have a polite conversation, a dance or two-"

"Great Idea!" Elsa exclaims as she quickly downs her drink and sets the glass on a nearby table. "That sounds like just what I need right now."

Elsa firmly grasps (Y/N)'s hand and pulls him along to the dance floor. "Be right back, Isabella. Feel free to leave if you grow bored."

The fiery redhead narrows her eyes, smirking slightly to herself. 'Good on you, Elsa...'

The redhead quickly finishes her drink and sets the empty glass next to Elsa's.

(Normal Perspective)

Elsa pulls you into the floor, where the other dancers were moving elegantly to a waltz. Unsure of what just happened, you give in as Elsa wraps her arms around you and begins moving to the sounds of the string quartet.

As the couple moves in step with the other dancers, you takes the time to look at Elsa with questioning eyes.

"Elsa, I thought Isabella didn't bother you much." you ask as you twirls the monarch around in time with the song.

"She doesn't. I was just... just feeling a bit possessive tonight."

You chuckle slightly. "I can see that."

You and Elsa move swiftly to the music, careful to avoid the other dancers.

"(Y/N) I'm sorry I just-" Elsa pauses as you spin her around, turning your back for brief moment. But that moment was all Isabella needed.

The feisty redhead moves in and bumps into Elsa, pushing her from your grasp before you can turn around to realize what she did. The snow queen stumbles away from you. Before she can reclaim you, Elsa finds herself cut off by an large number of dancers.

The snow queen narrows her eyes as she begins to frantically look for another way to reach you.

You spin back around, body still moving to the melody, coming face to face with Isabella rather than Elsa.

"Wha- Isabella?" You ask, confused as you glance around to look for your previous partner. "Where's-"

Isabella cuts you off as she takes the lead and begins following the movements of the other dancers, pulling you along before you can even process what just happened.

"She had to step out for a moment." Isabella smirks as you awkwardly follow her steps as you continue the waltz.

"But-"

"Shh... Just dance." Isabella passes a playful grin your way. "You owe me one anyway, remember?"

"I guess...?" You reply, darting your eyes to find Elsa but to no avail.

You play along, moving with Isabella just as swiftly as you had with Elsa earlier, perhaps even more smooth and graceful. Truthfully, this wasn't your first dance with the red-haired woman. Years ago, you had learned how to waltz with Isabella being your teacher. Back then you couldn't have cared less about learning to dance, but nevertheless you learned anyway, Isabella being a persistent woman.

Your bodies move on pure instinct now as you ponder your thoughts about what was happening. Before you can think, the redhead distracts you from your thoughts.

"Just like old times...right?"

"I, uh... yeah. Like old times..." You mumble, finding it difficult to concentrate.

"So, (Y/N) Tell me, what's it like being with Elsa?"

"It's great, fantastic actually." You state, wondering what Isabella was playing at.

"Really? Have you two done..." Isabella gives you a suggestive leer, bringing a blush to your face. "_It_ yet?"

"Well," You pause to twirl her around in sync with the song. "Um. Not really I suppose. I mean we came close, but..."

"Aw, that's a shame." Isabella smirks again as you glide and step across the floor with the other couples. "I have very, _very _fond memories of us in the bedroom. She doesn't know what she's missing on."

You blush lightly as those intimate nights resurface in your mind, causing you to miss a step.

"Whoa-!" You say, stumbling slightly before quickly regaining your balance. "Sorry..."

"It's quite alright (Y/N)," Isabella giggles slightly. "Listen (Y/N) why don't we head up to your room and I can show-Ah!"

Isabella stops as an icy wind passes around the two of you before hitting the Spot the redhead was standing on to cover it in a layer of thin ice. Isabella steps on the ice and loses her balance, slipping out of your grasp and away from you.

Your eyes widen once more, as you are once more pulled away before you can react. You turn to see Elsa smirking devilishly at you, pulling you along into another portion of the waltz to continue from where Isabella left off.

"Elsa? What's going on?" You ask, confused and dizzy but still keeping your pace with the song.

"Shh... Just dance." Elsa smirks, mimicking the red-haired woman's words.

Off to the side, Isabella stands from her spot on the floor, glaring fiercely at the monarch. 'It's not over yet...'

Isabella stands up and moves closer to the two of you. Members of the crowd see what's happening and dance away from you and Elsa, knowing just what was going to happen. For the next few moments, more and more dancers clear away from the three of you, as Isabella and Elsa constantly switch places. The redhead would push Elsa away only for the snow queen to retaliate with a shove of her own or a frigid blast to throw her off balance. As the dance went on and on, you felt as if the two women were playing an aggressive game of tug-of-war, with you being the unfortunate rope. It wasn't long before a large space was cleared with onlookers, including all of your friends and the royal family, looking on in amusement. Soon the entire room was watching with anticipation. The string quartet had picked up the tempo, moving faster and faster. You found yourself being pulled and spun both women. Surprisingly, the way you all were moving in time with the musicians actually made it look like some elaborate dance for three.

"He!" Isabella grabs you and spins you around to try and avoid Elsa's grasp, but the snow queen proved to quick.

"Is!" Elsa continues, using her powers to push the redhead away and spins you towards her.

Isabella and Elsa grab you at the same time and try to spin you away from the other. "H-Hey!"

You spiral out of both of their grasps, stumbling away from the two of them.

"Mine!" The both of them cry out, hands locking together, staring menacingly at one another.

You shake your head, chasing away the confusion as you look on at the two women. Unbeknownst

to them, the music had stopped. There were no other dancers on the floor. The room was silent as the women glared at each other with hateful stares. Even the musicians proved to be distracted by the sight. Elsa and Isabella only payed mind o the other woman, deadly stares locked in place.

You look around the room nervously before slowly approaching the women. "Elsa, Isabella... Look around."

The two women blink and cast gazes around the room, feeling the blood rush to their cheeks as they see everyone in the ballroom staring intently at the scene. Realizing just how far they took it, Elsa and Isabella drop each others' hands and turn to face you.

"(Y/N), this has gone far enough."

"I agree. You need to choose. Right here and now."

You widen your eyes, darting them between the snow queen and your old flame. Was this question to be answered any other way? It wasn't even a contest anymore. You sigh softly and turn your attention to the red-haired woman. She was smiling softly at you. The same smile you can remember from years ago. You still really cared for her.

"Isabella..." You begin, only to be cutoff as the woman claps and cheers in delight. The crowd around you gasps and murmurs while Elsa looks sadly to the ground, feeling tears about to form, but accepting your decision. Your friends and many of the people drop their jaws to the ground, surprised and visibly saddened with your words. Before the crowd can escalate things and further, you speak up again.

"Wait! Let me finish!" You call out, catching the attention of everyone in the room once more. The murmurs and whispering of the crowd ceases, as Elsa looks up from the ground, visible tears on her face.

Making sure the crowd was quiet, you exhale and slowly approach the redhead who has since adopted a startled look.

"Isabella... what we had in Aravan all those years was special. Your love meant so much to me then. You were one of the only good things I could remember about my past."

Isabella grins at you, preparing to speak, but is interrupted by your words.

"But that's just it... That was the past."

Isabella's grin falls into a worried frown.

"So much has happened since then. I've changed. I've grown." You pause to glance over at Elsa, smiling warmly at her before turning back to Isabella. "That part of my life is over Isabella..."

The redhead widens her eyes, looking between you and Elsa. "Wh-what are you saying?"

"What I'm saying," You exhale deeply and look into her eyes. "Is that I choose Elsa."

Elsa's eyes light up as she hears your words. The crowd around you erupts into murmurs and whispers. Off to the side, you see your friends breath a relieved sigh.

"B-but (Y/N) I thought we had something special together!" Isabella says in a pleading voice.

"We did Isabella. Some time ago. In a way we still do... There's always going to be a part of me that will care about you, but my feelings for Elsa are just much stronger. I have a life now... A life I don't want to give away... Listen, Isabella please don't-"

"Save It! I don't want to hear whatever it is you're going to say!" Isabella narrows her eyes at you, anger visible within them. "We would have been perfect together! But instead you choose her?"

Isabella looks at Elsa with dark stare, visibly distraught at the turn of events.

"You know, what?" Isabella says, frustration clear in her voice with a hint of sarcasm dripping in her words. "I hope you two are very happy together!"

Isabella shakes her head and turns around and prepares to leave the ballroom. Deciding to establish one more fact, Isabella turns back around and looks at Elsa. "Oh, sure you may have him now, your highness, but you know what you will never be to him?"

Elsa narrows her eyes as Isabella smirks a wicked smirk. "His first."

With a grin plastered on her face, Isabella turns around, and storms out of the ballroom. The crowd remained silent as Isabella makes her way out of the castle.

'His first...' Elsa ponders the redhead's words. Something deep within her sparked to life.

The snow queen smiles wide, the realization dawning upon her. Elsa won. With much renewed energy, Elsa casually walks up to you, a large smile spread across her face.

"Elsa I-" You try to speak some words, but Elsa silences you by grabbing your shirt collar.

The snow queen pulls you down to eye level, staring at you like a lioness stares at her hard won prey. "You. Are. Mine."

The queen pulls on your collar, closing the space between your lips and securing her claim with a passionate kiss.

All around you, the crowds start clapping and cheering, happy for the snow queen's victory. You you continue to kiss Elsa, you can hear your friends cheer louder than anyone else.

"Yay! Way to go Elsa!" Olaf cheers.

"Great job sis!" Anna cheers as well.

With the crowd hollering and whistling loudly, Elsa breaks the kiss, staring into your (E/C) eyes as she holds your hands in hers.

"(Y/N)... Isabella said I could never be your first..."

"Elsa don't listen to her, she was just-"

Elsa shakes her head. "Let me finish. I can never be your first. I understand that..."

Elsa grips your hands tighter, blushing lightly as she prepares to utter her next few words. "But I want you to be mine."

You widen your eyes. Did Elsa just say that?

"Elsa, are you serious?" You ask eyes still wide.

Elsa nods softly, a seductive smile on her face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Venturing into mature territory! Reader discretion is heavily advised!)

After letting Elsa bask the praise of her triumph over Isabella for an hour or two, You and Elsa managed to leave the ball early, headed in the direction of your shared room.

Elsa guides you to the room with a seductive smile. You eagerly follow with your own grin spread across your face.

Elsa opens the lavish door and pulls you inside, quickly locking the door behind her. As she turns around, you capture her lips in a passionate kiss. You gently push her against the door, the flames of yearning all but burning you up. Elsa throws her arms around you and kisses back forcefully. You can practically feel her desire as she explores every inch of your mouth with her tongue. Your hands find their way to her slender hips and begin to rub them softly. You break the kiss and move your mouth to her neck, nibbling on it. Elsa moans in pleasure and runs her fingers through your (H/C) hair.

"Mhhm..." Elsa moans into your kiss.

As she moans in excitement, she slides your coat off of your shoulders and begins to unfasten the buttons on your vest. You follow Elsa's actions and remove your gloves, dropping them to the floor next to your vest and coat.

After doing away with the vest she waves her hand, causing her ice dress to fall around her ankles before throwing them across your neck once more to kiss you passionately. You place your hands on her hips, gently caressing her soft skin. Elsa grips your neck and lifts one leg to wrap it around your waist.

Catching on to her intent, you slowly move your hands down to her thighs, and lift her other leg up and around your waist, supporting her weight as you begin to carry her over to the bed. Your tongues continue to meet and explore as you gently set her down on the bed. Elsa releases her legs from your waist as you move your hands down to unfasten the remaining buttons on your shirt. As Elsa runs her nimble fingers through your (H/C) locks, you reach the last button and let your shirt fall to the ground to expose your bare chest. You shift your body back to fully admire Elsa's half-naked form, the light of the moon shining through the windows to give you a faint light. You can barely make out Elsa's flushed face as you eye her body from head to toe. A white lace bra and matching panties was all the clothing that remained on the snow queen's body.

"You are absolutely beautiful, my love..." You say, grinning as she blushes in the moonlight.

"Flatterer." The snow queen smirks up at you, gesturing you closer with her finger. "I know a few ways you could flatter me even more..."

You chuckle lovingly and move yourself over Elsa's body, leaning down to capture her lips. The snow queen leans up slightly and guides one of your free hands to the clasp holding her bra up. You fumble around with the clasp as Elsa moves her hands back to your neck. You manage to unhook the bra and toss off of the bed, lips still locked with Elsa's.

Elsa shivers, not at the air her chest was now exposed to, but rather excitement for what was to come.

The woman under you lays herself back down, pulling you along. You break the kiss and move your attention down towards Elsa's uncovered breasts.

Elsa begins to gently tug at your (H/C) hair, her face showing signs of pleasure as you begin to fondle and play with her breasts.

"(Y/N)..." Elsa moans your name as you lick and suck at her nipple, a free hand playing with the breast next to it.

You grin to yourself as you hear Elsa moan your name. For her first time, Elsa was being very eager and excitable. You can feel the heat radiating off of her body as you caress her smooth skin.

"Awfully excited, love?" You say, looking up from her chest.

Elsa looks into your eyes with a slight pout. "(Y/N), please..."

You grin and move back up her body and plant a kiss on her lips. "As you wish, milady..."

Elsa blushes as you move down her body toward her lace panties, trailing kisses as you go, placing one on each tit.

Elsa shudders as you reach your destination. You can see Elsa's wet juices seeping through the fabric.

You take hold of the waistband and slowly pull the unwanted garment off of her body, giving you a full view of Elsa's dripping sex. You find yourself unable to look away, as your manhood throbs and aches from the confines of your pants.

"Wow Elsa... you're so wet already," You say, voice barely above a whisper.

"I-I can't help it," Elsa begins, blushing a deeper shade of red. "I've wanted this for so long..."

"Well, I promise I won't disappoint you." You smile warmly before moving your head down to her thigh.  
You run your tongue up along her thigh in the direction of her soaking pussy, eliciting a shudder from the platinum-blonde.

"(Y/N), please-ah!" Elsa finds her words cut off as you lean forward and give her entrance a long lick, the tip of your tongue barely penetrating into her.

You intensify your motions, repeatedly licking up and down her womanhood, enjoying the very taste of Elsa's juices.

"Mhmm..." The snow queen moans grow louder and louder as you continue to run the tip of your tongue across the surface of her womanhood. "Oh... my..."

The snow queen reaches a hand up, biting at her knuckle, mind going blank from the stimulation.

You lean back and look up at her with a teasing pair of eyes. "You were saying?"

Elsa, eyes still closed, manages a whisper, trying to regain her composure which has long since abandoned her. "More, please... give me more..."

"As you wish, Milady." You smirk one more, repeating your words.

You rest a hand on her thigh, lightly stroking it as you move closer to her pussy once more. You lean forward and give her clit brief flick with your tongue, causing the platinum-blonde to arch her back in pleasure.

"Ah!" She cries out once more as you continue to lick and suck at her sensitive clit, your free hand finding its way to her opening just below your tongue. Wanting to enjoy the sound of your lover cry out in pleasure once more, you insert a finger into her waiting pussy and begin to rub her inner walls.

"(Y-Y/N)..." Elsa moans loudly, her free hand rubbing and teasing her nipples. You absolutely _love_ when she moans your name in pleasure. Hell, it was one of the most satisfying sounds you had ever heard and you just couldn't imagine how satisfying it would be when you made her scream it.

You insert another finger and begin to thrust in and out of her with them, all the while licking at her clit. Elsa's body rocked back and forth, shuddering as waves of pleasure envelop her body.

"Mmmhhhh... (Y/N), don't stop... I'm almost-" Elsa moans more in ecstasy, enjoying the feeling of your fingers and tongue.

You move your hand and tongue more quickly, feeling her orgasm quickly approaching.

"(Y/N), I-AH!" Elsa cuts herself off as she cums, crying out loudly, her body unable to take more of the sensations. The monarch arches her back as the wave of euphoria pulses and washes over her entire body.

As Elsa comes off of her cloud, you take the time lick away and lap up her release, finding yourself growing addicted to the snow queen's taste.

"Mmh...!" Elsa whimpers slightly, being a tad sensitive.

As you finish licking away Elsa's release, you pull away and stand up to look at the weakened snow queen.

Elsa finally open her eyes and looks into yours. Summoning her strength, she slowly sits up at the edge of the bed.

"(Y/N), that was-Mmph!" You cut her off by locking your lips with hers, effectively giving her a taste of herself as it still lingered on your tongue.

You break the kiss a few seconds later, staring lovingly into her eyes. "It's not over yet, love."

Elsa's eyes widen before adopting a more seductive grin, directed toward the waistband of your pants. The snow queen blushes at the bulge holding back your fully erect manhood.

Elsa looks up at you with a playful grin. "Come here..."

You oblige Elsa's request and move closer to her, matching her playful yet captivating stare with one of your own.

Once close enough, Elsa pulls you in for another heated kiss. Your hands find their way to her breasts once more, beginning to fondle and caress them while you and Elsa wrestle with each others' tongues.

Elsa's own hands move to the waist of your pants, unfastening the buttons and belt at a quick pace. It wasn't long before your pants as well as undergarments were both on the ground, forgotten much like Elsa's discarded clothing.

The platinum-blonde breaks the kiss to stare down at your throbbing erection, eyes widening in excitement. You feel a blush coming on as Elsa continues to look. In a bold move out of curiosity, Elsa reaches down hesitantly to take your member into her hand.

"Oh, Elsa..." You moan slightly as Elsa begins to lightly stroke up and down your shaft. Her hand was unskilled and you could plainly tell this was her first time interacting with such a body part. Nevertheless, Elsa persevered and continued to rub up and down in a rhythmic motion.

Elsa, being the kind and benevolent ruler she was, always knew when her subjects deserved compensation for their efforts. You were no exception. After pleasing Elsa earlier with your skilled tongue and fingers, she felt it was only right to return the favor. Despite being in unfamiliar territory, the snow queen was determined to make you feel just as good as she did several moments ago.

But you felt she worked enough for one evening.

"(Y/N), here let me..." Elsa looks back up to you before, attempting to leave the bed to rest on her knees. Key word: attempt.

You chuckle slightly and gently push her back down on the bed before she can come off of it.

Elsa raises and eyebrow as she looks up at you. "(Y/N)?"

You chuckle lightly and climb onto the bed, crawling over until you were just above Elsa.

"Not tonight, Elsa..." You smile warmly. "Tonight it's about you..."

Before Elsa can protest, you lean down and kiss her once more, positioning your member at her slit, tip barely touching. Succumbing to her desires, Elsa kisses back to match your intensity.

You hear Elsa moan into your kiss as you gently rub it up and down her slit before pushing a little more in, resisting the urge to moan back as her pussy surrounds your cock with a warm sensation. You continue pushing your dick further inside of her, feeling her tight walls around it. It was a good thing Elsa was still incredibly wet despite her orgasm earlier.

You reach Elsa's barrier and break the kiss to stare into her blue orbs, concern filling yours. "Elsa listen, this might-"

"I know..." Elsa responds, looking back into your eyes lovingly as she acknowledges what was about to happen. "Just do it... make me yours!"

You exhale softly and lean down to kiss her in an attempt to distract her from the impending pain. You push your member past her wall, claiming her virginity. Elsa pulls away hard from your kiss, wincing in pain as she bites down on her lower lip.

"Ah!" She cries as she continues to bite down. You feel her nails digging into your back slightly.

"Elsa are you-"

"Y-yes I'm fine!" Elsa breathes out, pain prevalent in the sound of her voice. "J-just let me adjust for a moment..."

You exhale and allow Elsa to adjust to the new feeling. The snow queen breathes in an out for a few moments, allowing the pain to subside. The queen turns her head to look at you, nodding slightly. "Okay..."

You nod back and begin to push in slowly, filling her womanhood as much as you possibly can before pulling out and pushing back in.

"Mmmhhmmm..." Elsa moans out, her pain being gradually replaced with more and more pleasure as you increase your pace.

"(Y/N)... Ah!" Elsa begins to moan your name before gasping loudly as you move your lips to her neck, nibbling and kissing it gently while you increase your thrusts. As you put more and more force into your thrusts, Elsa digs her nails into your back. You feel your lover buck her hips, wanting to help bring herself to another powerful orgasm.

"E-Elsa!" You yell Elsa's name, reveling in the feeling of her reciprocate your thrusts. "This feels so good!"

With Elsa matching your thrusts with thrusts of her own, you begin to increase your tempo, moving faster and faster with every push.

"Ah! Ah! Yes!" Elsa cries, her pain long gone, now filled with absolute joy and bliss. "Faster (Y/N)!"

You didn't need Elsa's shouts of pleasure to tell you pick up your pace, but just hearing her scream louder and louder with each passing moment was almost enough to bring you to your own orgasm.

"(Y-Y/N)! I-I'm about-" You hear Elsa shout louder, feeling her climax approaching. "Ah!"

"I'm close too," You manage, feeling your own ejaculation quickly approaching. "Lets cum together!"

"Ah! Ah! Oh yes! Ah!" Elsa's screams and moans in ecstasy are her only response. "(Y-/N) I'm-!"

You feel Elsa's walls tighten around your manhood as she climaxes, coating it with a layer of her own juices. "(Y/N)!"

Elsa screams your name once more, the sound of it sending you over the top as you release your load, filling her up with your hot seed.

After the two of you spend a few moments enjoying the wave of pleasure that coursed throughout your bodies, Elsa's womanhood loosens its grip and you pull your sensitive cock out, still coated in Elsa's fluids. Small amounts of your semen dripped out of her opening, mixing together with Elsa's own release.

You breath out heavily, taking in deep breaths as you roll off of the snow queen and collapse to the side of her. Elsa matches your breathing, finding herself exhausted from her first time.

(Explicit content over!)

You turn your head, looking at the monarch with heavy eyes. Truthfully, after catching your breath, you could have gone some more rounds with her, each likely to have been more pleasurable than the last, but Elsa lacked the huge amount of stamina that years of warfare has given you. So you decided to stop there for Elsa's sake.

Speaking of Elsa; the snow queen had a look of absolute bliss on her face as she turns her body over to face you.

You smile softly and open your arms, coaxing the queen into your embrace. "Come here, love..."

Elsa grins and moves into your waiting arms, snuggling her naked body against yours. As Elsa lies against your bare chest, she can hear your heartbeat begin to slow to its normal pace.

You hear Elsa's breathing begin to slow as well.

Smiling, you reach over and pull the covers over the two of you before wrapping your arms around her, holding her close as you gently stroke her back and hair.

"So, how was your first time?" You ask, smiling warmly as you look up at the ceiling.

"It was absolutely, unequivocally, unbelievably amazing..." Elsa responds as she traces circles on your chest with a finger. "This was the best night ever."

You laugh lightly, continuing to gently stroke her hair. "I'm glad I could make it special for you."

"We have to do that again, (Y/N)..." Elsa sighs, feeling sleep preparing to take her.

You chuckle lightly once more. "Oh, we're definitely doing that again..."

You hear Elsa giggle softly.

Your eyelids grow more and more heavy. You see Elsa pickup her head to stare lovingly into your eyes. The queen musters whatever strength she had left and pulls herself up towards you to kiss you softly.

The snow queen sets her head down back onto your bare chest, listening as the steady rhythm of your heartbeat lulls her ever closer to sleep.

"I love you so much, Elsa."

"I Love you too (Y/N)."

You smile as you hold the love of your life close. You slowly close your eyes and allow sleep to take you, knowing full well that you wouldn't be dreaming tonight, because the real world with Elsa in your arms was far better than anything you could ever dream of.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Okay, now THAT was my longest chapter ever!**

**I really hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I really hope my first true lemon was enjoyable too! **

**If everyone liked It, I may have enough in me to do one more for this story!**

**Now onto another serious matter... KIDS! Interesting dialogue coming up for that particular topic.**

**Like I said before, I really want to thank everyone for all of you constant support! **

**And I'm sorry for taking so long, please accept my sincerest apologies.**

**A big shout out to my buddy PandAmber3, she really helped out in developing ideas and going over lot of the content in this chapter. **

**Okay, I'm officially spent...**

**As always, any ideas, comments, advice? Feel free to leave a review!**

**Til next time, bye!**


	26. Clash

**Okay, here we go! **

**Glad to see a lot of people actually enjoyed the lemon scene! And I can see a lot of you guys are concerned about Elsa becoming pregnant too quickly, But thanks to the realm of fiction, I don't actually have to write her becoming pregnant until everyone feels it's time. So don't worry about actual kids showing up this quickly, but 'tis an interesting conversation to have right? **

**Once again thanks for taking the time to give this story a read, I'm actually quite surprised it's still going! **

**Huge thanks for all the support!**

**Anyways, on with Story!**

Chapter 26: Clash

The morning rays of the sun pierce the windows and shine down on you. As the light hits your eyes, you slowly stir from your slumber. You feel the familiar warmth of a certain snow queen pressed tightly against your chest, holding on to you like a child holds tightly onto their teddy bear, never wanting to let go. You glance downward to see Elsa's sleeping form snuggling into your chest, a content smile planted firmly on her face. A smile of your own finds its way to your face as you begin to lightly stroke and massage Elsa's bare back.

"Mhmm..." Elsa moans softly in her sleep at your touch.

As you lay there and allow Elsa to sleep, visions of last night come to mind. A blush forces its way onto your face as you remember making love to your gorgeous snow queen. Last night had been absolutely incredible. Just experiencing it with her felt like no other feeling in the world. Hearing Elsa moan and cry your name in pleasure was a sound you enjoyed to no end and a sound you so desperately wanted to hear again. Even tasting her once more was something you found yourself thinking about. From beneath the covers, you can feel a stirring in your loins as the memories of last night pass through your mind.

You try to push the thoughts away, opting to hold Elsa's body close and think instead about how your life turned out. From a lowly orphan, to a brutal warlord and deadly assassin. From stumbling on the queen in the midnight snow, to protector of her kingdom and all its inhabitants. You were happy. More so than you ever were on the battlefield. You had the love of the most gorgeous and kind woman you had ever met. You had friends. You were even willing to go so far as to call them your family. Your best friend and partner was one of the deadliest beasts in all the land and someone you could trust with your life. Gone was the man who reveled in bloodshed. And you couldn't be any happier.

Your thoughts loom on another topic. Your content smile dips into a slight frown. You glance downwards, eyes settling on the top of her head. You remember one specific detail about last night.

'A-am I ready to be a parent?'

You've honestly never had to think about this before. Of all the various times you had sex, last night was the first time you had even risked the chance of pregnancy. In the past, you played it safe and made a fervent attempt to avoid the chances of impregnating your partner, but last night you didn't even consider doing that with Elsa. Back then, a child wasn't something you didn't want. You knew the stigma of growing up without a father or mother. Given your life as a soldier, you could have been killed anytime and you didn't want to leave a child to go through that. But when you think about last night, you realized that there was nothing holding you back this time. For all you know, Elsa could have become pregnant with your child.

'M-my child...'

The thought made you nervous. Regardless if Elsa was pregnant or not, you know that you would love your son or daughter with all your heart, but what really made you feel queasy was the entire idea of raising and caring for a kid. Now that was something you really were afraid of. It was something you had no experience with.

You cease massaging Elsa's back and stare up at the ceiling, feeling nervous. You sigh softly, removing your hand from her back to run it through your hair.

"Mmm... Who told you to stop, Captain?" Elsa says as she stirs from her slumber, slightly irked that you stopped massaging her back.

You chuckle and remove your hand from your hair to begin stroking her back again. "My apologies, your highness."

"That's much better," Elsa giggles slightly, snuggling into your chest some more. "Good morning, (Y/N)."

"Good morning, Love." You reply, with a warm smile. "Sleep well?"

Elsa looks up from your chest, raising an amused eyebrow. "Do you really need to ask?"

"I'll take that as a yes." You reply with a slight laugh.

Elsa grins and sets her head back down, blushing as memories of last night come to mind. "(Y/N), Last night was..."

Elsa pauses trying to find the words, finding herself unable to do so. "I can't even describe how amazing it was."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Elsa sighs contently as she begins to trace circles on your chest. "That's a bit of an understatement."

"Really now? How much did you enjoy last night?"

Elsa smirks to herself before moving her head up to glance at you. "Enough to warrant a repeat performance, maybe?"

"R-right," You hesitate slightly, your mind drifting back to your earlier thoughts. "Well, I'd be happy to oblige, your highness."

Elsa frowns slightly and places a gentle hand just above your heart. "(Y/N)? Is there something wrong?"

"It's nothing really." You say, offering a shaky smile to her.

"(Y/N)..." Elsa gives you a concerned look.

"I-uh," You trail off, looking for an excuse but know in the back of your mind that Elsa saw through you. "It's just really..."

Elsa raises an unamused eyebrow.

You sigh and give in to her gaze. "I-I'm just a little unsure of something is all."

Elsa moves a hand to the side of your face, gently caressing the side of it as she continues to look into your eyes. "What's on your mind?"

You look away from her gaze and up at the ceiling. "Elsa are we... ready to have a child?"

The snow queen's eyes widen at the implication. "Oh..."

You maintain your gaze towards the ceiling. "Sorry if I kinda killed the mood, but we weren't exactly the safest last night."

Elsa blushes as she remembers the night before, moving a free hand to feel her abdomen. "I know what you mean..."

Elsa lowers her eyes, contemplating the events of last night and what it would mean if Elsa was with child. "You, know there's a good chance that I didn't become pregnant last night."

"But what if you did?" You ask, looking down from the intricate ceiling.

You pause, thinking about just how good a father you would make. You found it odd thinking of yourself in that manner. You had honestly never thought about how well you would be as a father. At the most you never even thought you would make a good one. Now that the possibility was very real, you just weren't sure how to react.

"Elsa, I know you'd be great mother," You pause to glance down at your beautiful queen. You knew in your mind that Elsa would make a fantastic mother. She was far too kind and gentle to be otherwise. The one person you were really doubting was yourself. "But I just don't know if I could be a dad to anyone, really. I just don't think I'm ready for this kind of responsibility."

Elsa looks away for a moment, blushing as you mention her capacity for motherhood. You spend the next few moments in silence as Elsa thinks over your words.

"I'm flattered that you think I'd make a good mother," The platinum-blonde looks back up at you, smiling shyly. "But, I understand where you're coming from."

You move to look up once again at the ceiling, but find yourself unable as Elsa guides your vision back down to her with a hand.

"But say I was pregnant," Elsa says, looking deep in your eyes. "Would that change anything between us?"

"I know for a fact that it would change a lot of things." You chuckle softly, blushing as a mental image of a diamond ring comes to your mind. "But one thing I know that will never change is how much I love you."

Elsa's eyes widen before filling themselves with nothing but absolute love.

"And if we were going to have a kid..." You gently bring your hand to the side of her face caressing it tenderly. "Then I guess I'd have to love him or her just as much."

Elsa blushes, almost teary-eyed at the sincerity in your voice. The snow queen raises a hand, holding your palm in place against the side of her face, finding bliss in the warmness of your touch.

"It's just that I don't even know how to be father." You continue, smiling softly as you trace your thumb across her cheek. "Didn't exactly have the best example... Or any example really."

"(Y/N), I personally think you would make a great father," Elsa grasps your hand, pulling it away from her face and closer to her heart as she smiles warmly. "But I agree with you."

You raise an eyebrow at her opinion of your fatherly qualities.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for parenthood either." Elsa says softly, looking away from your eyes and towards your hand that she was holding above her heart. "Maybe we should attempt to be a tad more safe whenever we start to get a little..."

"You know," Elsa looks back up to you, blushing a shade of red, yet giving off a slightly seductive smile. "Intimate. Just to avoid pregnancy."

"But what if you are preg-"

Elsa leans up and silences you with a gentle peck on the lips.

"Then I suppose we'll just have to improvise." Elsa says with a bright smile.

As your lover smiles at you, you can feel how much love and trust she was pouring into it. If there was anything you knew about Elsa, it was that she wasn't a fan of coming up with things on the spot. You knew in her mind that she was nervous about her potentially conceiving a child. The very possibility was startling and more than enough to provide her with anxious thoughts and feelings. Yet here she was, smiling as bright as her sister, ready to face whatever happens.

It was nerve-wracking to think about children this early, but even if you were to be a father, Elsa would be there as well. You knew nothing could change how you felt about the platinum-blonde, And if she was brave enough to put on a strong face, then you suppose you could brave enough too.

"You know, Elsa," You begin, freeing your hands and wrapping them around her back and pulling her against your chest, holding her naked body close. "I thought you weren't good at improvising..."

Elsa giggles slightly and leans up, moving her lips closer to yours. "Luckily I have a fantastic lover who just so happens to be good at that."

Elsa smiles seductively at you, lips almost completely over yours. "Among various _other _things he happens to be good at..."

"Elsa wait, I thought-Mmph!"

Elsa presses her lips to yours, cutting off your words with a passionate kiss. The monarch breaks it seconds later, pressing her forehead against yours.

"Elsa," You begin, casting a reluctant look at her. "I thought we agreed on playing safe?"

With the covers still over the two of you, Elsa smirks and climbs over you. She places her forearms on either side of your head to dissuade any means of escape. Not that you actually wanted to leave in the first place.

"Playing it safe doesn't mean to go completely without." Elsa grins wider before kissing you firmly one more time. "And after what we did together last night, I'm never going completely without..."

'Oh wow! She's rather forceful...' You think as Elsa leans in once again to capture your lips.

With the snow queen's arms on either side of you, she leans further into the kiss. And despite your reluctance to go further and potentially risk another chance of pregnancy, you just couldn't resist those lips of hers. You were quickly getting aroused, but that was bound to happen, considering you naked in bed with the most gorgeous woman in the world, with her on top and kissing you like there was no tomorrow. As the queen explores your mouth, your hands find themselves moving down her sides before coming to a stop on her rear end.

Elsa breaks the kiss and smirks down at you, blushing lightly. "I never got to return the favor last night, (Y/N)."

"Elsa, you really don't have-mmph!" Elsa cuts you off again. Looks like she wasn't taking no for an answer.

"I wasn't asking." Elsa replies, separating from your lips moments later.

Elsa leans forward and kisses you once more.

'Well, no sense in arguing with her now...' You think as you give in.

While you continue to battle with Elsa's tongue, the platinum-blonde moves a hand from the side of your head to under the covers, between your bodies. Your lover inches her palm closer and closer to your man-

_Knock Knock! _A loud knocking at the door causes the two of you to separate quickly from one another, startled at the new voice.

"_Hello? Elsa, (Y/N)? Are you guys up? It's already mid-morning."_ The sound of Kristoff's voice comes from the other side of the door.

"_Hey sis, (Y/N)! Come on you lovebirds! There's more stuff to do!" _Anna yells from behind the door.

"Uh, we'll be out in just a minute!" You call out, face a light tinge of red.

To the side of you Elsa was visibly annoyed at the interruption, but also had a relieved expression, happy that she locked the door last night to save the two of you from exposing yourselves to your friends and family.

"_Okay, don't take too long though! Everyone else had breakfast already!" _Anna calls back.

You and Elsa exchange a look.

"How long were we asleep?" Elsa whispers.

You shrug and give a confused pair of eyes. "Not sure."

You both look back at the door, listening for the sounds of your friends. After hearing nobody at the door, You turn back to Elsa.

"Killed the mood?"

"Another time I suppose." Elsa sighs before stretching her muscles and pulling the covers off of her.

"Whoa..." Elsa mumbles to herself as she wobbles off the bed, realizing how sore she was.

"You alright, love?" You say, prepared to climb out of bed and assist your sore lover.

"Oh yes, just a bit tender. Don't worry, (Y/N)." Elsa replies, smiling softly at you.

"If you say so," You say, slight concern still apparent on your face. "But I'm here if you need me."

Elsa smiles before turning to the dresser, showing off her body as she does so.

'Such a captivating sight.' You think to yourself as you stare at Elsa as she slowly makes her way toward the dresser to pick out an outfit.

While you continue to look on at Elsa's exposed form, the snow queen catches your look as she turns around to raise an amused eyebrow.

"It's impolite to stare (Y/N)." Elsa says, making no effort to conceal herself from you.

"I'm not staring..." You begin, smirking slyly at the queen. "I'm just marveling at the work of art that is your body. Nothing wrong with that is there?"

"(Y/N)..." Elsa replies as she glances at a nearby wall clock.

You chuckle and put on your best pout. "Can't I enjoy the sight for just a few more minutes?"

Elsa manages a small laugh as she pulls out a pair of your undergarments, tossing them gently at your head.

"Hey!" You say with a laugh as you pull the piece of cloth off of you.

With the obstructing article gone, you see Elsa making her way into the bathroom, stopping only giggle lightly at you. "Get ready (Y/N), apparently everyone's been waiting for us."

"Aw, ruin all my fun." You say jokingly as you push the covers off of you.

Elsa grins and shakes her head softly before turning and closing the bathroom door.

You move to sit at the edge of the bed to stretch your own muscles, hearing a satisfying pop emanating from your spine and arms.

'Let's see what the day has to offer.' You think, smiling to yourself as you look out the window and towards the shining sun in the mid-morning sky.

As you make your way off the bed, another sight catches your eye. You and Elsa's discarded clothing scattered along the floor. You sigh as you glance down at her pair of lace panties.

"We should probably pick these up before the maids get here."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After getting yourselves ready for the day, you and Elsa exit the room to be greeted by Kristoff, Anna, and Midnight.

You currently had you arm around Elsa holding her close. Not only as a sign of affection, but also to give Elsa a little support.

"'Bout time you two!"Anna exclaims. "Come on, everyone else is downstairs in the foyer!"

You and Elsa look at each other with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I guess the ball took a lot more out of us than we thought." You say, smiling shyly.

Kristoff raises a curious eyebrow at your and Elsa's demeanor, while Midnight simply shakes her head slightly.

"Well regardless, you're here now so let's get a move on!" Anna says with a cheerful smile, grabbing onto Kristoff as she steps ahead and begins to lead you down the hall to the grand staircase.

As you follow the couple down the hallway, your companion moves to the side of you, eying Elsa with a teasing pair of eyes. 'You have a strong set of lungs, Elsa.'

"Strong set of lungs?" Elsa asks the wolf, unsure of what she had meant. "What do you mean?"

You close your eyes in embarrassment, heat rising up in your cheeks as you realize exactly what your best friend meant. You lean over close to Elsa's ear, whispering softly.

Elsa's eyes widen, surprised as she came realize the meaning in Midnight's gestures.

"You mean she heard us last night?" Elsa whispers back, careful not to allow her sister and Kristoff to hear.

You nod softly before looking at the large wolf. "I guess I forgot that she stayed in her room."

Of course Midnight's room was actually a few doors down from where you and Elsa were staying, but not by much. With the sounds you and Elsa made coupled with her acute sense of hearing, it was no doubt that she heard you two going at it.

'Indeed you did. I could practically smell your libido from down the hall as well.' Midnight visibly snickers at your flushed faces. 'You two owe me for disturbing my sleep with your behavior.'

Elsa leans into your shoulder, hiding her embarrassed face from the wolf.

"Uh, Midnight... You wouldn't mind keeping last night to yourself would you?" You whisper as you hold Elsa close.

'Relax. I won't say a word.' The wolf glances at the two of you, an irritated glare on her face. 'Provided you warn me of your next night of passion.'

You rub the back of your head sheepishly. "Right, Will do."

'Good.' Midnight turns her head and continues to follow Kristoff and Anna down the hallways.

You sigh and shake your head in a bashful manner. "I can't believe I forgot she was there..."

Elsa leans in a tad closer, face still flushed. "I'm just glad it was only Midnight."

'Oh and one more thing.' The wolf turns her head back to the two of you. 'You may also want to practice being a bit more quiet. The guards at the end of the hall may or may not have heard that last scream of yours, Elsa.'

The snow queen blushes bright red as she quivers in embarrassment, burying her face into the crook of your neck.

"Hey, I'm sure Midnight's just teasing us..." You say, trying to ease some of Elsa's embarrassment. "Right Midnight?"

Midnight smiles innocently before turning her head away and calmly proceeding forward to walk next to Kristoff and Anna, leaving you to comfort the flushed snow queen.

You stifle your own blush as you ponder Midnight's words. You don't really recall running across any guards while you and Elsa had returned to the room. But then again, you weren't really paying attention at the time, choosing only to focus on the goddess known as Elsa. The very possibility of someone else listening in on the two of you was a tad disturbing. Given Midnight's well trained senses, she could have easily heard guards patrolling the end of the hallway. So her word was good... or was it?

You look upwards to the wolf just in time to catch her giving you a mischievous grin before turning her head away.

You narrow your eyes and chuckle lightly to yourself.

There was still doubt in the back of your mind as to the actual presence of guards at the end of the hall. There was no doubting that it was a possibility, but there was also no doubting that Midnight could have just been using that as a way to get you back for the piggy-back idea in the town square the other day. Midnight was incredibly clever, and you knew that you would likely be pestering her all day to see if there was any truth in her words. And she would love every second of withholding that information.

You lean down and plant a comforting kiss on top of the monarch's head. "You okay?"

Elsa looks up, a shy smile gracing her lips. "Honestly? I'm probably more embarrassed than I've ever been in my life."

Elsa snuggles into the crook of you neck once more. "But I don't regret a single thing."

You chuckle and lean down slightly to kiss the top of her head.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Good morning (Y/N), Elsa!" Olaf grins wide as you approach the remaining members of your party.

Hanging about closest to the staircase was Pascal, Olaf, and Sven. Pascal was currently resting on top of Olaf, who was resting on top of Sven. Eugene and Rapunzel were silently speaking to one another, with Rapunzel squealing occasionally as Eugene quickly calming her down when he saw Kristoff and Anna approach. The brunette princess quickly calmed but couldn't contain the look of absolute excitement on her face. Perhaps what gave her unusually animated demeanor was the happy bouncing she did whenever Anna stepped a tad closer.

Olaf climbs off Sven's back, skipping a bit closer to you and Elsa.

"You guys missed quite a bit of fun time at the party last night! And you slept through breakfast, too!"

You and Elsa smile shyly. "Well we were pretty tired, right (Y/N)?"

"Oh, yes! Pretty drained... from the party... it was definitely the party."

Elsa smiles softly shaking her head a she steps away from you, slowly making her way over to the little snowman.

"Good morning Olaf." Elsa says, hoping to change the topic.

You smile warmly at your friends just as Rapunzel and Eugene walk closer to you.

Eugene gives you a knowing smirk. "I know it definitely was _a_ party somewhere..."

You smile nervously, sneaking a small look who was over by Sven and out of hearing range. 'Great... did he stumble on us too?'

Rapunzel gives her husband a slightly confused look. "There was another party? How come we weren't invited?"

"Um, I think it was a bit of a private party, dear." Eugene chuckles softly.

Rapunzel pouts slightly. "Still... I mean we usually get invited to everything."

Eugene sighs with slight exasperation. "Um... Hey look! There's Anna! You should probably go talk to her about that thing."

"Oh right!" The brunette's eyes light up brighter than the sun.

Rapunzel turns her body and happily skips over to her fellow princess. "Hey Anna, I've got something to ask you!"

With Rapunzel out of hearing range, you move your eyes back to Eugene. "What gave it away?"

Eugene grins and claps you on the shoulder. "Your smiles. People don't usually grin that wide unless a very _special_ event just happened."

"That much of a tell?"

"Actually, what really gave it away was your leaving the party early last night. Seriously, who walks away from all the praise and applause?" Eugene asks, referring to the hefty amounts of people who offered congratulations and compliments to the triumphant queen. "I know I wouldn't walk away from my fans."

You chuckle sarcastically. "You're the clear-cut picture of modesty."

"Ha! I don't even know the meaning of the word!" Eugene smiles. "But in all seriousness, (Y/N)."

The raven haired man looks over to his wife, chatting away excitedly with Anna.

"I've been a participant in this 'game of love' for a few years now, so I know a few of the signs." Eugene chuckles softly, before looking at Elsa. "Plus, Elsa's walking a bit slower than normal. That kinda makes it a bit obvious."

"Right. I should have figured that would stand out." You laugh a bit and shake your head. "So what were you and Rapunzel chatting about? Whatever it was has got her more bouncy than usual, and that's saying something."

Eugene raises an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh come on! Another secret?"

"Sorry (Y/N)." Kristoff says walking up to the two of you. "But Rapunzel's helping out with our little plan."

You turn to face the blonde man. "She's in on it too?"

Kristoff and Eugene exchange a look. "Yep. Couldn't be done if she wasn't involved."

You shake your head, frustrated at the things you didn't know. "You know you guys are going to kill me with anticipation."

Kristoff puts on an impish smile. "Don't die on us yet, (Y/N). You're going to miss the surprise!"

You chuckle lightly and shake your head at the two. "I hope it's worth this 'secret shenanigans' you're all up to."

"I think you'll like it (Y/N), besides, It might give you an idea for 'your turn' with Elsa sometime in the future." The raven-haired man sends you a sly wink.

You stifle a blush continue to laugh. "I'll keep that in mind then."

Eugene laughs heartily along with you, placing a friendly arm around your back, pushing you and Kristoff to the large castle doors with the rest of your group following close behind. "Come on fellas! Today's events are about as manly as they get!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As you and your friends approach the destination, you hear the sounds of cheering and hollering growing louder and louder. The prince consort of Corona leads you to a large open field. Vendors and tents of all kinds lined in rows upon rows, each offering a different service to the various spectators were scattered throughout the field. A little past the vendors and stands was a true sight to see. In a large open area, fenced off from the rest of the field was what really gave it away. Armored warriors clashing against one another in chivalrous combat. Archers sending arrows slicing through the air and striking targets with absolute precision. Knights upon horseback charging down the lane, lances at the ready, slamming into the other until one was unhorsed.

You feel a smile begin form as you look on at the competitors. 'A tourney.'

Eugene laughs lightly at your expression before looking around. "Looks like the in-laws already got the contests started."

"Wow!" Anna exclaims, skipping happily alongside Olaf. "I've never been to a tournament like this before! This is so exciting!"

Olaf nods rapidly before taking hold of Anna's hand. "Anna look over there!"

The snowman points over to the stables where the war horses were being kept. Anna and Olaf quickly dash over, hoping to get a good look at the horses used for the various jousting contests.

"How do they get so much energy?" Eugene asks with a slight laugh.

Rapunzel moves closer to her husband, giggles at the pair's antics. "Must be the sugar."

"They certainly get a lot of it." Kristoff chuckles as he and Sven move after the pair, with Pascal lazing about atop Sven's head.

As the three of them head off after Anna and Olaf, Elsa slowly makes her way to you. Noticing the slight limp in her step, you wrap an arm firmly around her waist and pull her close to you, resting your hand on her hip. The snow queen smiles warmly and leans into your hold.

"You alright, love?" You ask.

"Never better." Elsa grins wider. "Just need to go a bit slowly, but I've never been happier."

You return her smile and gently begin leading her through the field. Midnight's eyes light up at her surroundings. The bouts of conflict and clanging of steel against steel really lit a fire in her heart. After a rocky start here in Corona, Midnight relished the fact that she may actually see some combat. Sure nearly ripping a man's arm off in the defense of a little girl was entertaining for a small while, but Midnight was genuinely excited for whatever the tourney had in store. Plus her mood significantly improved due to all the looks of respect and admiration she was receiving instead of fright

The princess and prince consort of Corona lead you further down the rows of tents and vendors to a humongous set of stands, one particular set directly in the middle that was a bit smaller and enclosed from the other spectators, yet roomy enough so that the royal family and several other guests could be seated. Portions to the side of the royal seating area were reserved for the visiting dignitaries. You could pick out Aladdin and Jasmine sitting higher up, whistling and cheering as the competitors battled and raced. Aside from that, citizens gathered and almost completely took up the entirety of the seats. Mixed cries of cheers and boos spring out from the stands as the people rooted for their selected competitor.

Rapunzel leads you up and into the royal seating, where Everick and Natalie stand to greet you.

"Ah, (Y/N), Elsa!" Everick greets with a smile, before glancing at Midnight. "Hello again, miss Midnight."

The wolf nods, smiling pleasantly at the two.

"Good morning," Natalie matches her husband, grinning as you approach. "We missed the two of you at breakfast."

"Good morning," Elsa smiles and nods to them. "Don't worry we had something on the way over."

You bow your head slightly, greeting the pair.

Looking past you, Everick turns to his daughter and son-in-law. "Everyone else off in the field?"

"Yep. Which reminds me," Rapunzel begins as she exchanges a knowing grin with Eugene before turning back to her parents. "If you'll excuse us, we need to go find Anna and Kristoff."

"Oh?" Everick begins, catching the mischievous glint in Rapunzel's eyes. "Pray tell what for?"

The brunette princess giggles as she takes Eugene's hand. "Bye dad, bye mom!"

Before the two monarchs of Corona can question further, Rapunzel quickly pulls Eugene and herself out and into the field in search of Kristoff and Anna.

Everick shakes his head, chuckling along with his wife at their daughter. Laughter subsiding, the king looks back to you and Elsa.

"Please! Come have a seat." He says, gesturing to a few empty chairs next to his and Natalie's seats.

"Thank you." Elsa says, as she moves to take a seat. Content with standing up, you move stand behind Elsa's chair to gently massage her neck with your hand. Midnight strides up past the seats in order to try to get as close as she can to the contests.

"So, what do you two think of the tournament?" Natalie asks she and Everick take their seats.

"Much like the rest of the festival," You begin, glancing out at the warriors on the field. "It looks absolutely spectacular."

You shift your eyes over to Midnight. "I know she's enjoying it."

'What can I say?' Midnight looks back at the king and queen with a fierce grin. 'I do enjoy a good fight.'

Midnight turns her head back to the action.

"While it is glorious no doubt," Elsa says, eyes moving to the king and queen. " I must say, it does seem a bit archaic."

"But of course." Natalie says with a slight laugh. "The fall tournament has been a Corona tradition ever since the kingdom was established many years ago."

As these words leave the queen's lips you look down at the field. In an open space, two fully armored fighters meet in a powerful blade lock. Despite the bulky full plate slowing them down, you notice the two maintaining their momentum and meeting blades fluidly and powerfully.

"Of course some changes were made to the tourney in order to keep with the times." Everick finishes as you continue to watch.

At this point one of the warriors manages to obtain the upper hand over his opponent, striking him and sending him back. As he tries to regain his ground, the warrior with superior footing knocks the blade out from his hands and sends him to the ground with one strike to his feet. The man on the ground tries to reach for his sword, but is stopped by a blade pressed to his neck. The official judging the match declares the winner and the crowd bursts into a roar. The victorious man raises his sword and arms high, basking in the roaring crowd. To the side of you the monarchs all clap lightly at the man's triumph.

"Changes? Such as?" Elsa asks, moving her eyes away from the victor and back to the king and queen.

"Well," Everick begins as he continues to lightly clap. "Initially only knights in service of the king and queen were allowed to participate, they being the only ones able to maintain a good fight."

Everick ceases his clapping and turns to look Elsa in the eye. "With knighthood becoming more of a formality rather than a necessity over the many years, my predecessors saw it fit to allow anyone with martial skill to enter and participate. Of course you are still required to wear the traditional knight armor, but now you don't actually have to be knighted to compete."

"Interesting..." You say thinking about knighthood. "So anyone can compete?"

"Of course." Everick looking at you. "Provided they have some knowledge of combat."

You smile and turn back to the space. The previous two contestants having since moved from the field, you see two newcomers step up and prepare for battle. Looking closely at them, you see them entering the field bearing banners of allegiance. Adorning their heavy armor were family crests and marks of lineage. All in all you could see there was no clear banner that looked alike which showed just how diverse the competitors were opposed to the mandatory knighthood that once was.

As you continue to gently massage Elsa's neck, you smile and look down at her. "You should bring knights back."

Your lover looks up at you with a pair of amused eyes. "Really? Why?"

"I think it may be Eugene's influence," You start, chuckling softly. "But don't you think 'Ser (Y/N) of Arendelle' has a certain ring to it?"

"Well I did bring back the army, so I wouldn't rule anything out..." Elsa giggles, shaking her head softly. "Ser (Y/N)."

You smile lovingly and turn your head back to the match that just got underway.

Midnight tilts her head at the competitors before glancing back at the King and Queen. 'Is it alright if I get a bit of a closer view?'

Everick smiles warmly. "By all means!"

The wolf's eyes light up as she stands and prepares to make her way down to the field. 'Thank you.'

"I think I'm going to head down as well," You say as you look back down at Elsa. "After all I am a bit curious."

"Okay," Elsa says, gently taking your hand and giving it a firm squeeze. "Have fun."

Before you move to follow Midnight out, Elsa softly tugs on your hand and pulls you down for a tender kiss.

A moment later, you break the kiss and smile warmly at Elsa before you turn your head to the monarchs of Corona.

Your majesties." You say, bowing your head a bit before looking back at Elsa. "Be right back."

As you step out to follow Midnight, you hear the king of Corona chuckle lightly to himself. "To be young and in love."

"Remind you of anyone, dear?" Natalie laughs along.

Everick smiles before taking hold of her hand. "Quite a few people actually."

You smile to yourself and follow Midnight out and onto the field.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As you and your companion walk past the barrier and into the contest field, you see many warriors and contestants concentrate hard on their tasks. Many a man was seen polishing their blades and weapons, ensuring to be as eye catching as they possibly can. Few men assembled their bulky armor, readying themselves for the next match or event. Many of them nod and smile as the two of you pass out, of respect. You also found many a jealous eye directed at you, but thankfully, Elsa's actions had cemented in their minds that the queen only had eyes for you and you alone. Quite a large number of warriors, archers, and horsemen gathered in the prep areas. Truly there wouldn't be this great a number if the knighthood restriction was still in place. In addition to the competitors, various booths and stalls were set up that orred many services to the combatants. Ranging from food vendors to weapon smiths, the contest area was almost as fanciful as the public vendors and stands past the fence.

As you and Midnight look on with impressed gazes at the gathered combatants and competitors, you give Midnight an inquiring look. "Were there really guards at the end of the hall?"

'Maybe...' Midnight turns her head and stares at you with an innocent smile. 'Maybe not. I was drowsy after all due to listening in on your display of affection for one another.'

"And Once again, I apologize." You reply, casually walking beside her.

'Apology accepted...' The wolf chuckles lightly. 'But I still don't find myself able to remember if I heard any guards or not.'

You sigh exasperatedly, shaking your head at her. "Can't you just tell me?"

'What and ruin the fun?' Midnight comes to a halt and turns her body to face you. 'Besides, What's my incentive for telling you? I'm actually having quite a bit of fun teasing the two of you.'

"Well you are my best friend..."

'And as true as that may be, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't exploit this for a laugh?'

"Um... a good one, maybe?"

The wolf smiles and turns away, walking further into the field. 'Nice try but I think I'm having too much fun right now.'

'Maybe if there was something more entertaining to do...' She looks back at you with a playful glint in her eye.

You smirk as you step a bit closer to her. "What did you have in mind?"

'Well, I was thinking that we should enter the tour-oh wow...' Midnight's eyes slowly fall shut as she interrupt herself to sniff the air.

You raise a curious eyebrow. "What is it?"

'I smell... meat... turkey I think.' Midnight turns away from you and rushes off to follow the scent at an excited pace. 'I'll be right back!'

"Hey wait what about...!" You call, stopping as she was already a ways away. You chuckle as you see her stop at a booth not to far away, tracing the smell to its destination.

'Well I guess I'll just wait-' Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud grunt and a cry of pain.

You turn your head to the source of the sound finding it coming from a nearby practice field. Finding yourself curious, you approach to witness a large burly man clashing swords with another in fierce combat. The fight was clearly one sided, in favor of the larger man. You fold your arms, noticing the bigger man manhandle and utterly beat the smaller man. The smaller man was by no means a scrawny weakling, but he might as well have been considering how badly he was beat. A few moments later the smaller man was on the ground and writhing in pain as the larger one towered over with a cocky grin on his face.

"Ha Ha! Once again I prove my supremacy!" The large man says, planting a firm foot atop the downed man and looking around at the other nearby warriors. "Who else wishes to step up and face me?"

You look around and see many others back away, not wanting to trifle with him. 'Huh, a little too prideful, I think.'

"Ha! Cowards all of you!" The man says with an intimidating laugh.

"Nice form." You say, catching the man's attention.

"As if anyone expected anything less!" The man grins with a cocky smile.

You unfold your arms, looking at him with an unamused stare. His long black hair was tied back into a ponytail with a red band. He was undoubtedly muscular and actually looked a bit too muscled. He was taller than you, but not by much. An inch or two at most. On his back was a quiver full of arrows. Leather gloves protected his hands. From what you could gather he was pretty confident in himself. A little too confident.

'There's a word for this kind of guy...' You think to yourself as you try to find the perfect word to describe him.

"Wait a minute," He says, placing a hand on his chin to ponder your identity. "I think I know you from somewhere..."

"Do you now?" You reply.

"Of course! You're that (Y/N) fellow that came with Queen Elsa!"

"Huh, I didn't realize I was that well known."

"You? Well known?" The man gives a hearty, almost mocking laugh. "Ha Ha Ha! You're not well known, but the queen is, and that makes you almost important enough to talk to me!"

'Important enough?' You think. 'Wow this guy has some ego... still trying to figure out that word.'

"But lucky for you, I've actually been meaning to speak with you." The man says as he claps your shoulder hard. "Great job by the way."

"For what?" You say with a confused glare. You really just didn't like this guy.

"For managing to secure a beast like that as a prize pet!" He looks past you and off in the distance at Midnight.

"Her?" You ask, glancing at the wolf who was biting into a large leg of turkey. "A prize pet?"

"It looks like a great catch worthy of someone of my caliber!"

"She's not a prize." You irritably mumble under your breath.

"In fact it's so worthy that I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" You ask, raising a confused eyebrow.

The black haired man laughs once more, and walks past you to look directly at your companion. Eyeing her with a predatory smirk. "I'm willing to offer you a handsome, almost as handsome as me, amount of gold for that beast."

"I'm sorry, what?" You ask, narrowing your eyes at the man, feeling unease at his words.

Midnight was your friend and companion. To hear her being talked about like she was a piece of meat to be bartered for, was disturbing. In fact this guy in general was disturbing. He had an Ego border-lining a god complex. It appeared as if he had all the charisma of Eugene in, perhaps, the most negative way possible. Eugene's special brand of charisma was charming and witty, whereas this man was arrogant and conceited. How can anyone be so incredibly chauvinistic towards oneself?

"Sorry to say, but she's not for sale. And even-"

The man interrupts you, shaking his head in a disappointed manner. "No, no, no I don't think you understand me."

He looks at you with a deathly stare, looking straight into your eyes. "The legends of the dire wolf are great. It's ferocity is only matched by its wit and cunning. That makes your wolf the best, and don't I deserve the best?"

The man, still glaring at you manages a sarcastic grin. "I want your wolf. And I always get what I want. So name your price."

You glare back, the irritation and anger clear in your voice. "And just who do you think you are?"

"Who am I?" The man's eyes light up, a conceited smile on his face. "Why I'm glad you asked!"

The black-haired man smirks and pulls out a whistle, giving it a blow. Suddenly men from all around quickly gather around the man and begin to hum along in near perfect harmony with each other. All of them were looking at the large man with eyes of wonder; like they were in the presence of the greatest person in the entire history of the world.

Looking at all the men, you furrow your brow. "What in the...?"

The large black-haired man only smirks as man with an accordion comes out from seemingly nowhere and begins to play a subtle tune to match with the humming men. Quickly after, a short Short guy with black hair, black eyes,and a large pink nose shambles out of the assortment of other men. The top of his head barely reached up to the large man's abdomen. Like all the other men, he looked to the large man with big eyes filled with devotion.

The short man quickly rushes up to the large man who proceeds to kick the shorter man in the rear and causing him to land right at your feet with a loud thud. Despite the visible pain in his face, you could also see he still looked up and admired the larger man.

"Hey are you-?" Before you can ask if he's alright, the short man stands up, inhales a large gust of air and begins to sing.

"_Listen up close you inferior boy, and I'll tell you all about this man!"_

"_This man among men who brings everyone joy! The man we all know as Bastian!" _

(Rhyme Bastian with Gaston, if you didn't catch the reference already...)

The short little man and the others pause as 'Bastian' strikes a cocky pose, admiring himself with a mirror he pulled from his pocket.

"Uh... what the hell was-?" You try to say.

"_Nooooo...!" _All the men join in and harmonize with one another, cutting your words off.

"_Oooone's...!"_

"_Tough as Bastian, not as rough as Bastian!" _The short man sings.

"_Who can hunt any beast in the world, is Bastian!" _The other men follow.

"_He's the man who the women are serenadiiiiing!" _The little man sings once more.

"_My what a guy that Bastian!" _They all come together around Bastian and hold their hands out toward him as if they were presenting a king to his people.

You furrow your eyebrows, confused and slack jawed at their singing. As the song progressed, onward more and more men joined in and added to the strange and slightly disturbing ensemble. The other men as well as Bastian begin to dance around and sing in a merry and yet surprisingly well choreographed fashion. Confused as ever, you shake you head just as Bastian himself begins to sing, with more people stopping and looking directly at him and his choir of people.

"_And I find it completely alarming, that you're all not quite great as me!"_

"_He's so very handsome and charming!" _The smaller man ads_._

"_I'm the man every man wishes to beeeee!" _Bastian finishes with another pose.

Shaking your head once again, you slowly and steadily begin to step backwards, wanting only to get away from the singing and dancing men. All around you, more and more people gather around to see the display.

"_No one's bright as Bastian!" _The men sing.

"_Has great Might as Bastian!" _Bastian flexes his muscles and poses.

"_Who knocks out your lights as he fights is Bastian!"_

"_Because he is the guy that we all admire!" _

"_My what a guy... Bastian!"_The men and Bastian continue to sing and dance loudly, but you've since stopped listening and just wanted to get the heck out of there.

With Bastian and his bumbling choir of idiots distracted by their own song and too busy to notice you walking off moments ago, you make your way over to Midnight who was biting down savagely into a smoked turkey leg.

Midnight looks up from the hunk of meat, past you and over to the still-singing group of men. 'What was that about?'

You turn away and back to Bastian off in the distance, leaning against the table Midnight was sitting by. "I'm not too sure. I think he was introducing himself or something long those lines."

'With a song?' Midnight scoffs and looks over at Bastian with an unamused stare. 'And a simple, 'hello my name is' wouldn't suffice?'

"I guess it's not good enough for 'The man among men.'" You reply with a sarcastic smirk.

Midnight shakes her head and looks back at you. 'That man is a dick.'

"Ah! That's the word I was looking for." You chuckle lightly, turning away from Bastian and back to your companion.

Midnight smirks to herself as she bites down and takes a huge chunk of meat out of the turkey leg, chewing on it with a blissful expression as she savors each bite. 'This tastes wonderful!"

"That good? You've had turkey legs before..." You ask, watching as she bites down and rips another hunk of meat from the bone.

'I know, but there's something different about this one. The meat just falls off the bone perfectly!' Midnight pauses to swallow before looking up at you with a tilt of her head. 'Care for a bite?'

"Uh," You look down at the slobber-covered, half eaten, leg of meat held in her paws. "I think I'll get my own, but thanks for the offer."

Midnight shrugs and looks back down at the food. 'You really should. In fact if you're going now, would you mind getting me another?'

"Another One?" You ask.

'Trust me the rest of this won't be here much longer.' Midnight glances at the now almost completely bare leg of meat.

"Right, I probably should have figured." You laugh a little as you reach a hand down and give her head a soft rub.

You step away from the table and turn your head to look several feet away at the man running the turkey leg stall.

"I suppose I am a bit hungry. After all that-" You pause as the sound of cheers and clapping coming from where Bastian was prominently showing off his supposed 'Superiority'.

Apparently they had all finished their unexpected performance judging from the small crowd's applause. While the other members of the musical troupe bowed and waved at the clapping, Bastian blinks his eyes several times as if looking for someone. The large man turns his head around, eyes filling with anger as he tries to locate this person, you mot likely. After all, you were the one (Regretfully) to essentially ask for an introduction.

"Looks like they stopped singing." You say as you watch Bastian look around angrily,

pushing aside several innocent bystanders in his search.

'Thankfully.' Midnight gestures with a slight annoyance in her look as she licks at her paws, the bare bone lying bellow absolutely picked clean.

You continue to glance at Bastian who, from what you could see, was livid at your sudden departure from his vie for attention. Seconds later, Bastian manages to spot you through the all the crowd. Locking eyes for a brief moment, the raven-haired man sneers angrily at you as he begins to stomp toward you and Midnight, pushing more people to the ground as he goes. To the side of him, the little man who started the singing follows quickly, looking to back up Bastian.

'Wow. He looks pissed.' Midnight raises an eyebrow as the man approaches.

"How dare you walk away from me, you miserable whelp!" Bastian yells in your face as he approaches, causing the people around you to look over.

"Listen buddy, If you're going to introduce yourself just keep it simple." You say, snickering lightly to yourself at Bastian's ridiculous and over-the-top attempt at an introduction. "You don't need the whole song and dance... in your case, literally the whole song and dance."

Bastian glares harder at you. "Do you have any idea who you're messing with?"

"Hmm... Considering I bailed halfway through your little musical number," You reply, placing a hand on your chin mockingly. "I'd say... No. I have no clue who you are."

As Bastian fumes, you hear Midnight giggle softly to herself. In all honesty, the whole idea of using a song wasn't that bad. In fact it seemed like a lot of fun. What really killed it was Bastian's chauvinism and his overwhelming amount of arrogance. Bastian's performance, while admittedly impressive, only painted himself as an arrogant jerk.

"Hey! You can't talk to Bastian like that!" The shorter man says from the side of Bastian, waving a fist at you.

In a short burst of stupidity, the short man moves to kick you hard in the shin. The little man is stopped by a low, menacing, dangerous growling. 'Step. Away. Now.'

Midnight steps up to the side of you, baring her fangs at the short man. She didn't take lightly to anyone even thinking of harming her friends, let alone her best friend.

"Yikes!" The little man yelps and retracts his foot, scurrying back and cowering behind the larger man. "Save me Bastian!"

"Quiet LeFou!" Bastian yells, giving him a swat to the head before looking back at you. "I will not stand for this!"

With everyone around as witness, Bastian reels back and spits down at your boots.

"Ugh!" You say, pulling your foot back only to find the spit already on your feet.

The crowd around you gasps as Bastian smirks wickedly to himself. You clench your fists tight, fully prepared to break this man's jaw... as well as several other bones in his body. To the side of you Midnight was growling louder than ever. From the way he was smirking, he wanted a fight. He wanted another chance to show off to everyone in the crowd. You knew exactly how these things worked. Bastian was challenging you.

"You and me," The large man points over to the field. "On that field!"

'Be the better man... be the better man.' You think, hoping to convince yourself to rise above the petty instigation of this arrogant prick.

"You know, as much as I'd love to shatter that jaw of yours," You say, loosening your fists and allowing the anger in your eyes to temporarily subside. "I'm on a little bit of a vacation and I'm afraid I have better things to do."

You turn your head away and to the growing dire wolf at your side. "Come on. We should get back to Elsa."

Choosing not to stoop as low as Bastian, you turn to walk away. Midnight gives the pair a quick growl before turning to walk away from them. The gathered spectators step aside as you and Midnight pass, not wanting to stand in the way of either you or your companion. To the side of you Midnight continues to growl. 'We should have torn those two apart!'

"Easy Midnight." You say, giving her a warm smile. "We just got you in the good graces of the people. We don't want to-"

Your words are interrupted by a loud and boisterous laugh. "Did you see that LeFou? What an absolute coward!"

"Yeah what a bunch couple of losers! Wimps!"

You stop in place as Bastian and LeFou continue to taunt and ridicule you. Many of the surrounding contestants held you in high regards and decidedly didn't join in on the taunting. But of course all of the men that took part in the spontaneous musical cue followed suit in hurling all manner of jeers and insults at you and Midnight.

"Too much of a pathetic weakling to face me on the field of combat!" Bastian taunts loudly as the other men in his gang laugh loudly along with him.

Ignoring the sound of their jeers as they deride you and your companion, you turn your head to the side and give Midnight a contemplative look. "What do you think?"

The wolf gives you a playful yet savage-looking grin. 'Sic 'em boy.'

You manage your own confident grin, scratching her on the head. You turn your head over to the side to an armor vendor, an old weapon smith holding a dagger in one hand and a polishing rag in the other. The man himself was watching the men ridicule you, casting a shameful look at Bastian and his cronies before catching your eyes.

You give the man a friendly smile. "Mind if I borrow that dagger?"

Off in the distance, the short LeFou laughs and cackles like a hyena. "Right Bastian? What a wimpy little boy and his flea-ridden mutt! They ain't got a shot against you Bastian! They're nothing but hacks! Wannabees! Chickens! Stupid-"

"_Fwoosh-Slice!" _

"Ahh!" LeFou jumps up yelping as the dagger you had in your hands slices through the air and flies right past the man. LeFou frantically pats himself down looking for any sign of blood or cut. A moment later the he sighs in relief before laughing loudly again. "Ha you missed me!"

"Did I?" You call back to him, stifling a chuckle of your own.

"Huh?" LeFou looks down and widens his eyes. "What the!?"

Lefou looks down only to find the belt holding up trousers cut, allowing his pants to fall around his knees and reveal his underwear to everyone there. At first the contestants around gasped as they had failed to notice your accuracy with a throwing a knife, but they begin to laugh and point at the little man as he frantically pulls his pants up. You weren't too far off from the two but still managing to hit the side of his belt was pretty impressive. But then again LeFou, despite his short size, was a pretty easy target. "That's not funny!"

Beside him Bastion widens his eyes as you and Midnight step closer, confident smirks displayed proudly on your faces.

"All right Mr. Baston..." You say, purposely saying his name wrong to rile him up.

Bastian glares daggers at you, anger and rage building behind his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected you to answer in such a manner. The man looks between you and Midnight with a combination of nervousness and pure rage.

You smirk and give your knuckles a loud crack.

"I accept your challenge."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Okay, I think I'm getting back into the swing of things! I know this chapter seems to have come a slow pace and I'm sorry about that! But don't worry I'm still going to finish! Mark my words! That being said, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please feel free to stick around for the next few, as we finally deal with this obvious Gaston Parody, Kristoff's proposal, and final scenes here in Corona!**

**I've also been given a whole slew of ideas and suggestions, so big thank you for everyone's ideas and thoughts! If I decide to use any, I'll be sure to formally give you guys/gals a shout out! **

**That being said, I would like to thank LordMayo97 and Halifax for the tournament/joust ideas as well as a potential idea for including Belle and or Adam into the story! Not sure if I can make it work, but I'm willing to give it a try!**

**If any of you actually mentioned a tournament of sorts in earlier chapters, please let me know so I can give you a shout out! **

**Okay, so that's all for now! **

**As Always, feel free to leave any ideas, suggestions or advice in the review box! And thanks again for reading!**

**Til Next We Meet!**


	27. The First Of Three

**HUZZAH! **

**The new chapter is here!**

**And you thought I was gone didn't you? **

**I wanna thank you so much for sticking around!**

**You are the best ever!**

**After this chapter there will very likely only be 1-2 more left in Corona, then after that we're headed back to Arendelle for some serious stuff!**

**But until then, I believe someone deserves an ass-kicking, don't you agree? **

**Please enjoy! **

**P.S. I think I might have figured out why this has become so difficult for me now... **

_**(cough) video games (cough)**_**  
**

**But I'm here now, so I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 27: The First of Three

"Hows' it fit, milord?" An old armorer asks as he steps away from you.

You look down at the bulky set of knight's armor that currently adorned your body. It was a set of steel armor that fully covered you from head to toe. No coloration stood out, and it seemed not as thick as some of the other armor you had seen today or in the past. But still It was much more armor than you were accustomed to wearing, and a lot heavier too. Your movements felt more restricted. You could certainly fight in this bulky full plate, but you would not be at your best.

"Uh, It's a little heavy..." You say, moving an armored hand around to truly get a feel for the weight.

Truthfully you didn't mind the weight, in fact you were strong enough to move around in it without too much trouble. The only issue was that you were much more familiarized to lighter, more flexible gear. Given your fighting style was based around brutal yet fluid movements, the stiff and heavy armor would put you at a large disadvantage against an opponent who likely had more experience with fighting in full armor.

"Do you have anything lighter, maybe?" You ask, looking up at the armorer with hopeful eyes.

"Lighter?" The man responds with wide eyes. "That's as light as they come milord."

You tilt a head and look down at the plating. "This is the lightest?"

"I'm afraid so." The man says as he closes the chest from which he procured your set steel plate. "Any lighter than that and, you'd might as well not be wearing any armor at all."

You look up and to the man once more as he turns around. "Is that an option?"

The blacksmith looks away from you, shaking his head and making his way out of the preparation tent you were currently in.

As the old man leaves the tent, you look away from the exit and to the side of you. Your gray-eyed companion was resting on the ground, looking at you with an amused stare.

"Do you think King Everick would let me fight without this on?" You ask, giving her a sheepish smile.

Midnight laughs slightly as she shakes her head. 'I think the king would require you to wear it only out of fear for your safety.'

After accepting Bastian's challenge (and exchanging a few very profound insults) word quickly spread across the tournament field, and eventually to the city. Before you had a chance to return to Elsa back in the booth, you and Midnight were whisked away by a large crowd of people who had been hoping for someone to come along and put the chauvinistic brute in his place. Many of the people offered praise and food (which Midnight gladly accepted), and the old blacksmith that lent you the dagger led you to the preparation area in order to be introduced to the heavy full plate you were required to wear in order to even participate. This special challenge had yet to even be finalized by the king and queen themselves, but you were just too caught up in all the praise and the thought of beating Bastian into the ground. You knew Elsa wouldn't be too happy at the unnecessary danger that would come with the challenge, but you really hoped that once she'd seen Bastian, she'd come to the realization tat he needs to be taught a lesson.

'But let's be honest...' The large wolf rises from her spot on the ground, stepping closer to you. 'Fighting without this bulky crap would be too much of an advantage for you.'

Midnight smiles, looking at your armor as she does so. 'It helps make it an even fight.'

You sigh and hold up your arm, inspecting the gauntlet. "I'm all for an even fight, but I think this levels the playing field so much, that _I'm_ the one at a disadvantage."

'Come now, I don't think you'll be too far off.' Midnight gestures, eyes meeting yours in a look of confidence. 'Besides... the worst that could possibly happen is-'

Midnight stops herself, turning her attention to the tent opening. 'Heads up, your mate is coming.'

You move your eyes over to the tent opening. True to Midnight's word, your platinum blonde lover makes her way into the tent, a look of worried irritation clear as day on her face.

"(Y/N)..." Elsa asks, crossing her arms as she looks at you with a stern look. "What are you doing?"

"I..." You nervously exchange a glance with Midnight before looking back at her. "Uh..."

Elsa continues to look at you, her expectant gaze beating down on you as if it had the force of a million war drums. You didn't really know what to say. At this point it was impossible for her to not know what you were doing. Hell, you were standing before her in a suit of steel armor that only knights would be seen wearing.

Midnight intentionally perks her ears up, her head darting around in multiple direction as she fake-looks around for something. 'Oh is that Sven calling me? I'd better go see what he wants!'

Before you or Elsa can call her out on her obvious lie, you companion darts out of the tent at breakneck speed. It was very clear that she didn't want to be there for the impending conversation Elsa was going to have with you.

You shake your head as you watch your best friend dash off. You look back up into your lover's eyes, succumbing to her piercing stare.

"Okay you got me," You sigh, as you turn your head away from her. "I kinda agreed to have a duel of sorts..."

Elsa sighs as she shakes her head at you. The platinum blonde moves closer to you, arms still folded in a concerned manner. "I know what you're doing, what I meant to say was: Why are you doing it?"

"I... I..." You pause to come up with an answer. Why were you doing this? You really didn't understand what compelled you to accept Bastian's challenge. Was it because of the way he saw Midnight as a mere trophy? Mayhap it was sheer honor driving you. Or maybe you just really, _Really,_wanted to smash this guy into the ground until he either learned humility or was nothing more than a bloody pulp on your heel.

Okay... maybe not that far, but you still wanted to pound the crap out of him.

"I'm not sure why..." You look back up at her only to find her looking away from you, staring off into the side of the tent.

"I guess I just got caught up in the glory of the tournament." You continue, head drooping downwards.

As you look down at the dirt below, you feel a warm hand rest itself on your cheek, guiding your head up to lock eyes with its owner.

You gaze into Elsa's beautiful blue eyes as she looks at your own (E/C) eyes.

"(Y/N), this vacation was a chance for us to relax peacefully..." Elsa removes her hand from your cheek as she continues to look at you, eyes full of worry. "I just don't know how much I can relax with you out on that field."

The Snow Queen turns her body away, revealing her back to you.

You soften your stare and step a bit closer to your platinum-blonde lover.

"Elsa..." You begin, reaching a hand out to her shoulder.

Elsa doesn't react, opting to continue facing away from you.

You raise an eyebrow and remove your armored hand from her shoulder and place both hands gently on her waist. You really wanted to wrap your arms around her and pull her close to you, but found that idea may not be too good an idea with your cumbersome armor on. Despite this, you feel Elsa relax into your hold.

"I'll be fine." You continue, hoping to reassure her with the warmth in your voice. "You know that, right?"

Elsa turns her body around to face you, your hands still planted firmly on her waist. Elsa glances over you, moving a hand across the set of armor you were currently wearing.

"Hey," You say, looking at her with pure confidence. "This wouldn't be my first duel,"

You remove a hand from her slender waist, placing it under her chin in order to lift her head. As you lift her head up, you look into those gorgeous blue eyes and smile your warmest smile at her.

"And It's very likely that it's not going to be my last."

Elsa reaches up and grasps your hand from under her chin, pulling it down but nevertheless holding on to it firmly.

Elsa looks up at you, raising an unconvinced eyebrow. "That's not exactly reassuring..."

You chuckle as you lightly grip her hand. "Are you suggesting that I can't handle myself?"

"While I have the utmost confidence in your abilities," Elsa says with a sigh. "I was just hoping for an activity that didn't involve my consort battling it out on a field."

It wasn't that Elsa didn't trust your skill in battle. On the contrary, Elsa knew more than anyone how well you would perform out on the tournament field. It was really a matter of wanting to spend more time with you, a feat not entirely obtainable with you out on the field.

"This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation after all..." Elsa finishes.

"Well to be honest," You say, chuckling softly. "We haven't exactly had the most peaceful or relaxing encounters ever since we arrived here."

Your thoughts move over to the Isabella fiasco as well as Midnight's initial dilemma with acceptance.

"That..." Elsa begins, looking up at you with a furrowed brow. "Kinda furthers the point."

Elsa smiles softly as she reaches down and grabs your other hand from her waist and holds it tight.

"I had hoped that with all that out of the way," She begins as she softly holds your armored hands in her own. "We could try to just enjoy ourselves. Actually have a relaxing moment together."

You feel your head begin to droop slightly. You understood where Elsa was coming from. Prior to taking this little excursion to Corona, you along with the rest of the royal family had barely seen each other due to all of the time you spent working on bettering the kingdom. Above anyone else, Elsa was the busiest out of everyone. So busy in fact, that you had only really seen her at night when you happily held her tired body in your arms as she slumbered.

Elsa was by no means a 'clingy' lover, but she did see this trip as a chance to spend much more time with you and the rest of her loved ones before the inevitability of returning to her queenly duties. So far, there had been so much going on, so much running through Elsa's head, that you couldn't really take it slow and just relax. Elsa was hoping for a relaxing day but here she was having to worry about your safety while you clash against another person out on the battlefield.

Elsa was absolutely certain that you could handle yourself. If anyone had confidence in you, it was her.

But she still didn't like to see you, or any of her loved ones, being put in harm's way.

"I...I..." You say, trying to justify yourself.

You droop your head lower upon realizing how much Elsa wanted to relax with you, but now can't sue to your participation in Bastian's little challenge.

"You're right..." You say, sighing softly. " I shouldn't have accepted this ridiculous contest."

Elsa tilts her head slightly as you continue.

"I guess I just got caught up in the moment." You lift your drooping head up to match Elsa's gaze.

Elsa looks back at you, smiling softly. "It's fine (Y/N)."

The monarch leans her head down, resting her head against the cool steel of your metal breast plate.

You smile contently as you remove your hands from hers and wrap them around her body for a light hug. You would have held her a bit more tighter, but the bulky hunk of steel you had on was getting in the way.

You pause for a moment, the both of you choosing to remain silent as you enjoy the moment.

"So I take it you're going to pull out of the duel?" Elsa asks, head still resting against your chest.

You smile happily. "Oh no, I'm still totally going through with it."

You feel Elsa tense up as she pushes herself out of the hug, looking into your eyes irritatedly. "(Y/N)!"

Despite Elsa's obvious annoyance at your refusal to withdraw from the contest, you find her expression to be unbelievably cute and couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"I'm sorry Elsa," You say, smiling all the while at the pout on her face. "And I promise I'll make it up to you with whatever and whenever you want..."

You pause to allow your laugh to subside. "But this is something I HAVE to do."

Elsa raises an irked eyebrow. "Something you _Have _to do?"

You nod. "Seriously. You should really see this guy I'm dueling."

You look downward to your hand and begin counting off on your fingers. "He's a chauvinistic, egocentric, self-centered, narcissistic jerk-face who really needs a desperate lesson in humility."

The snow queen folds her arms, annoyance turning to disbelief. "Really? Doesn't that seem a little much? I mean no single person alive could be that awful."

"You'd be surprised at how accurate those statements are." You reply.

Elsa continues to look at you, face still filled with disbelief.

Sensing this, you sigh and shake your head. "Besides... I'm pretty sure this is the kind of guy who wouldn't really accept me dropping out of the battle."

"I'm sure we can solve this with a little diplomacy." Elsa says, unfolding her arms and steps towards the opening in the tent.

"Something I specialize in." She finishes, turning her head to you and smirking.

You step a tad closer to her, giving her a skeptical look. "If you can pull it off, then by all means."

You were fairly certain that Bastian was unable to be reasoned with. Even for someone as adept at negotiation as Elsa, Bastian just seemed unbelievably unreasonable. But if she managed to convince him to drop this petty challenge, then that meant more time with Elsa and the rest of your friends. But if she didn't then you could still enjoy beating the living crap out of Bastian and humiliating him in front of the royal families of Corona, Arendelle, and pretty much everyone in the audience. Either way it was a win for you.

"Great!" Elsa says enthusiastically as she turns her head back to the tent flap. "Now where is this 'Jerk-face'?

You step closer and lift the tent flap, nodding your head directly across the way. "He's just across from me."

Elsa smiles and steps through, looking across at Bastian's tent. It was wide open, giving everyone around an open view of himself. He was surrounded by various members of his musical troupe. They busy at work polishing and shining his obscenely fanciful armor. Bastian himself wasn't contributing at all to the work and only chose to sit in a large chair with a mirror in hand as he styled his hairdo.

"Make sure you shine it up nice, boys!" Elsa hears his boisterous voice from across the way. "I've got to look my best if I plan on humiliating that worthless nobody!"

You can practically feel Elsa's body temperature drop as she listens to his insults.

A young boy dashes up to the large man with a mug of liquid, handing it to the man. "Here's your ale, Mr. Bastian!"

"It's about damn time!" Bastian swipes the mug away from his hand and lifts it up to his mouth.

The man takes a swig. He stops drinking from the mug, a look of disgust on his face. He spits the liquid out and all over the boy who had brought it to him. The boy reels back as he is drenched.

"You call this Ale!?" Bastian yells as he berates the young lad.

"I-I-" The boy stutters.

Bastian empties the rest of the mug's contents on the ground before tossing it at the boy's feet.

"Bring me something better! Now!"

"Y-yes sir!" The young man stutters as he grabs the cup and runs off.

Bastian smirks to himself as he picks up his mirror and begins on his hair once again.

LeFou walks up, Bastian's gauntlet in hand as he presents it to him. "Got you're gauntlet all nice and shined up for you!"

Bastian raises an eyebrow as he takes the gauntlet and inspects it thoroughly. Bastian narrows his eyes.

"There's a smudge on the inside of it, LeFou."

"Well I figured that people wouldn't really see the inside of it so I-Ack!" LeFou tumbles to the ground in pain as Bastian strikes him with the gauntlet.

"Not good enough! Do it again! Correctly this time you nitwit." Bastian tosses the metal glove down at him.

LeFou rapidly nods his head up and down, running back into the tent to pointlessly polish the inside of the gauntlet.

Bastian gives off a cocky laugh. As the brutish man continues to laugh, he turns his head in the direction of your tent. His eye catches your platinum-blonde snow queen. He looks on, giving her a suggestive leer. Bastian gives his best smirk at her, raising his eyebrows up and down In a grossly flirtatious manner.

Elsa cringes, face full of disgust. You see her back a bit into your tent, vision still locked on the muscular man.

To make matters even more awkward, Bastian sends a wink to her and blowing a kiss her way.

Elsa shivers in disgust as she turns around and heads inside the tent before she could catch another of Bastian's gross attempts at flirting with her.

Elsa shakes away the disgusted feeling, looking up at you with changed eyes.

"On second thought (Y/N)..." Elsa says, giving you an innocent smile as she changes her mood about the situation. "I agree with you. He absolutely needs an attitude adjustment."

You raise an eyebrow, smirking at the queen. "So you're not totally mad about this whole ordeal?"

Elsa steps closer, gently resting her hand on your cheek as she smiles happily.

"Oh I'm absolutely livid."

"Ah..." You say, giving a slightly confused look at her oddly happy tone of voice.

"But it's not all bad though..." Elsa says as she summons a suggestive smirk to her face as she traces your cheek lightly with her thumb. Her eyelids lower as she looks at you seductively. "After all,"

You feel your body heat up from beneath your armor as light red finds its way unto your face.

Elsa pushes herself against you, reaching both hands behind your neck. "You did say you'd make it up to me with _whatever_ I wanted."

You smile devilishly as you place your arms on her waist once more. "Oh I guess I did, didn't I?"

"Of course you did." Elsa grins, running her fingers through your hair. "Now you can begin 'making it right', by shutting up and kissing me. I need to cleanse my mind of that arrogant jerk-face..."

You grin widely and pull her closer to you. " As you command, my queen."

Elsa matches your grin and leans up to plant her lips on yours...

Only to find the bulky full plate getting in the way and making it rather uncomfortable.

"Seriously?" Elsa says, pulling back to give the armor a menacing glare.

You sheepishly rub the back of your head. "Uh... sorry, love."

Giving you an even more irritated stare, Elsa decides to pull you down toward her level instead of leaning herself up.

Elsa locks her eyes with yours before leaning in and planting a gentle kiss on your lips.

"You'd better win this thing fast (Y/N)." Elsa smirks at you. "The faster you finish, the faster I can get you out of this armor..."

You smirk as your armored hands begin to slowly rub her hips. "Yes Ma'am."

"Good." Elsa replies closing her eyes to lean in for another kiss.

You smile and close your own eyes, waiting for her to close the distance.

You feel your beautiful snow queen move out of your embrace, leaving you as well as your lips wanting. You open your eyes to find Elsa several steps away, opening the tent flap to walk out.

She turns her head to you, sending a wink your way. "Good Luck, Ser (Y/N)."

With that, Elsa lowers the flap and walks away from the tent towards the royal seating.

You blink a few times to realize what happened. You stare vacantly at the spot where Elsa had been, stifling a blush as you thought of how Elsa would want to 'celebrate' victory.

"That insatiable minx..." You say aloud to yourself, a smirk finding its way to your face.

'I need to win this quickly!'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Wait, what do you mean I need a horse?" You ask as you stare at the match referee.

"Well you need a horse to joust, milord." The official says.

You find yourself in the center of the field, right in front of the audience. The King and Queen of Corona along with Elsa and the rest of your friends were in the royal seating area looking on curiously as you continue to talk to the official. Bastian was several feet away from you, atop his own steed and dressed in lavish armor. Bastian only smirks as he holds his lance.

"A joust?" You ask, turning your head to Bastian. "I don't remember agreeing to a joust."

"Ah, ah, ah." Bastian says, waving his finger as he smiles fiendishly. "See, you agreed to the challenge, And the challenge consists of three of the main tourney events."

"The First of which," Bastian smirks as you realize what you had gotten into. "Is a joust."

You didn't know how to joust. Most of the time you were on horseback during the wars, you simply strode by and slashed at the helpless soldiers below. You never had to lance people to death before (Due to finding the tactic to be inferior and easy to avoid), so you really had no idea what you were doing. Not that Bastian would play by them, but you didn't really know the rules to competitive jousting either.

"I don't really know how to-" You begin only to be interrupted by the brutish man.

"What? You can't joust? Then by all means forfeit the challenge and prove to me that I'm the better man!"

"-Joust..." You continue, ignoring Bastian's comments and speaking directly to the referee with a curious grin on your face. "But hey! I'm willing to give anything a try."

The official nods his head as you turn yours to Bastian.

"And the only thing I'm proving today..." You chuckle lightly in a mocking manner. "Is how much of an arrogant prick you are."

You narrow your eyes, a friendly smirk still on your face. "And how many times I'm going to have to knock you flat on your ass till you figure it out yourself."

Bastian narrows his eyes, offering you a strained smile.

Bastian may have been smiling at you so not to embarrass himself in front of everyone in the audience, but deep inside you knew he was fuming.

You look over to the Official. "Mind giving me a few minutes? I need to find a horse."

The ref nods his head and bows toward you. "Of course Milord."

You turn your head to Bastian who glares menacingly at you. You smirk and turn away to look for a noble steed to ride on.

You take a few steps away from the battlefield only to find your path blocked by a glorious golden mane. A mane that glistened in the light of the sun, that gave its owner the appearance of a god. This mane belonged to none other than Captain Maximus.

"Maximus? What are you doing down here?" You ask him, a playful smile on your face. You reach up and give his mane a stroke. "I figured you'd be up at the castle handling some guard business."

Maximus shakes his head, glancing over at the stands toward the royal booth before turning his head back at you.

"Oh you heard about this mess?"

The stallion nods his head before giving you a smile.

"Really?" You ask, eyes lighting up. "You'd be willing to help me with this?"

Maximus nods happily before looking over to Bastian, anger in his eyes.

"Oh he did what?" You ask as you move your eyes back to Bastian. "That's insane!"

Maximus stomps his hoof to the ground, narrowing his eyes at you.

"I see... Well then, We'll just have to knock the son of a bitch down a few pegs then!"

Maximus grins widely and raises a hoof. You smirk and raise your own fist, lightly bumping it together with his hoof.

"Thanks Maximus."

Maximus smirks, nodding his head to the saddle currently on his back. Before you proceed to climb atop your fellow guard captain, you take a moment to think about how you would handle this joust that you had no experience in. Maybe Maximus could help?

Even though you personally hadn't jousted before you knew how to ride a horse... And you knew how to stab a person... Putting them together just seemed to save time.

'It shouldn't be too hard right? After a lance is just a really big stick!'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey... Is that (Y/N)? Talking with Maximus?" Eugene asks as he sits in his seat.

"Looks like it." Rapunzel answers as she also casts a questioning look towards the field. " I thought he didn't like going to these things."

"Well... maybe he was just waiting for the right rider." Everick says, turning his head over to look at his daughter and son in law before glancing at (Y/N)'s opponent. "Or just a good enough excuse to get into a fight."

To the side of the Corona royal family, Anna smiles as she looks down to the field, slightly giddy as she watches (Y/N) converse with Maximus.

Rapunzel looks at the strawberry-blonde with an odd smile. "What's got you all excited, Anna?"

"It's just this whole thing (Y/N)'s competing in!" Anna grins widely. "I mean the tourney itself is cool and all, but now I actually have someone to root for!"

Anna quickly turns her attention to the field, leaning over and placing her hands up to her mouth. "GO (Y/N)!"

Pascal jumps up from Rapunzel's shoulder at Anna's sudden outburst. After giving an annoyed look at the strawberry-blonde princess he settles down and curls into a ball on Rapunzel's shoulder, returning to sleep as he camouflages to match the color.

"I hope he's as good you all say he is." Eugene adds as he stares at (Y/N)'s opponent. "From what I've heard, his opponent is pretty relentless."

"Aww Don't worry Eugene! (Y/N) is the best ever!" Olaf speaks up bouncing in down in happiness.

As the people around the Snowman chuckle and giggle at Olaf's Midnight takes the opportunity to let a sigh out of her powerful lungs. 'I just hope Kristoff and Sven return quickly with another leg of meat...'

The Wolf looks down at a turkey leg resting at her paw. Only a few bites remained of it and she had even taken to chewing on the bone in order to save the meat. 'All of this pre-match anxiety is making me a tad hungrier than usual.'

Elsa looks at Midnight before looking back down at (Y/N), watching as he climbs atop Maximus and trot over to his starting position. She was conflicted about how she should feel about this mess. One part of her was irked that (Y/N) wasn't up there simply relaxing as they witnessed the fights. With him down on the field, she would actually be worrying a bit more than she was expecting to when she started the day. Even if (Y/N) was the best warrior in Arendelle, she really had no idea about how skilled Bastian was. Without knowledge of Bastian's skills, she risked the possibility of him being more than a match for (Y/N). While Elsa seriously doubted that Bastian was as skilled as her lover, her calculating mind kept pointing to the worst-case scenario.

Even with this in the back of her mind she actually really wanted (Y/N) to knock Bastian down a few pegs. Elsa was not a harsh and cruel person, but even she knew that Bastian deserved what he got. True to (Y/N)'s word, the man was an arrogant, self-centered jerk who needed a lesson in humility.

No matter what she thought though, she knew she had to be supportive. Even if she was more irritated than concerned, she put on a bright smile as she looks down at (Y/N).

Besides... She was really looking forward to how (Y/N) would make it up to her... Preferably later in the evening... behind locked doors.

"Hey Elsa... Are you blushing?" Anna asks as she looks at her sister.

"Erm... no... I'm just excited is all..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

You stare down Bastian from across the field as you ready your lance. Your Helm was placed firmly on your head and your mind focused. Maximus was equally focused, eyes calculating and precise...

After taking a brief moment to explain the rules of the contest, the referee had asked you to head to the starting positions. It was actually quite simple: First man to knock the other off of his mount wins the round. The winner of the challenge was the best two out of three. If no one was knocked off, then the round restarts until someone is. Quite frankly, though, you didn't care for the rules too much. You just wanted to do well enough to hold your own. Perhaps even enough to do some damage to Bastian.

Even with the helm on your head, you managed to turn your head over to look at the seating area. Eugene was looking at Maximus with a curious eye. Rapunzel and Anna were silent, looking down at the field as they waited for the event to begin. Kristoff and Sven were nowhere to be found, but you did remember seeing them walk from the food vendors, so odds are they were just getting back to the booth. Olaf was busy being Olaf as he was pointing and admiring nearly everything in view. You couldn't really see Pascal, due to his small size, but you knew he was up there... maybe. Everick and Natalie were sharing the same of silence and curiosity that Rapunzel had on. Anna and Elsa didn't seem too nervous. After all, they had witnessed firsthand what you were capable of. Rapunzel and the rest of her family however had no idea to expect. Midnight was smirking to herself, chomping down on something at her paws. From the mix of anxiousness and content on her face, it was probably another turkey leg. You knew she had wanted to be here on the field right next to you, but for the sake of her not turning Lefou or Bastian into a pile of bloody bits, she decided to stay up there. The one who caught your eye was the fair snow queen. She had a look of absolute faith in you. Her supportive smile brought an even brighter grin to your face, and although no one could see it from under your helm, you could swear you were smiling brighter than the sun.

You nod up at her and turn your head to Bastian, lifting your lance and holding it in the ready position you. As per the standard rules for jousting tourneys throughout the land, the lances were wooden. Full metal lances would turn this 'game' into more of a duel to the death. But unlike traditional contest lances, these lances were incredibly thick and were not designed to break. There was no doubt that getting hit with one of these was going to be painful... Even with the armor you had on.

You could almost feel Bastian smirk under his helm as he readies his own lance.

The crowd falls silent... save for the sound of one happy snowman

"_Hey, Why'd it get real quiet? Ooh! Are we all playing a game?"_

"_Olaf! Shhh! (Y/N)'s about to compete!" _The unmistakeable voice of Anna is heard above the sound of a silent crowd.

"_Ohhhh Okay! Sorry! My bad everyone!" _Olaf replies before settling down.

With the pleasant Olaf quieted down, you turn your attention back to Bastian.

Maximus turns his bead to you, so you can read his expression.

"I'm not nervous!" You reply, voice slightly muffled by the helm. "I've just never done this sort of thing before, so I'm not sure what to expect... Aside from trying not to get impaled."

Maximus shakes his head, giving you a sarcastic neigh.

"Well I'm not sure if that was supposed to help..." You reply raising an eyebrow under your helmet. "But thanks I guess?"

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen!" The referee calls out, catching your attention as you snap your head up to look at him. "This is a special challenge between Guard Captain (Y/N) hailing from the kingdom of Arendelle!"

The ref motions his hand over to you as the crowds begin to cheer and clap, the loudest of said clapping and cheering emanating from a certain royal seating area.

"And Bastian the beast hunter!"

'Not even going to reveal the place he comes from?' You think as you watch Bastian wave to the crowd, clearly stroking his ego as he does so. 'Must be some poor provincial town that's clearly not good enough for him. And what kind of title is 'The Beast hunter?''

The crowd erupts in a mixture of boos and cheers. It seemed odd to you that Bastian would even get anything resembling a cheer or clap considering how he treated people. But you supposed there would be some supporters for the brutish man.

"While I am sure most of you are eager to see the rest of the events today, but this challenge was a special request from captain (Y/N) himself!"

"Rest assured, there will be plenty of time afterward to witness the remaining events and matches." The official continues as he looks at the audience.

The man gives a brief bow before turning his head to you and alternating his gaze over to Bastian. "Now then... There will be no striking of the opponent's mount. No Blows aimed for the head or legs. The first man to unhorse the other wins the round. Best two rounds out of three. Do you both agree to the terms?"

You give a short nod, eyes not moving from your opponent. Bastian follows suit, nodding as he matches your gaze.

"Very well." the ref responds stepping a few feet back from the barrier that divided the field. "On your marks..."

You feel the sweat dripping off your brow from under the helmet.

"Ready yourselves..."

The crowd was deathly quiet, almost to the point where you could hear your own heartbeat. You turn your head up to the audience, giving Elsa and your friends one more look of confidence before turning your attention back to the joust.

"Begin!" The Ref shouts, signaling you to take off.

Maximus begins to charge down the lane moving at a steady speed as you move closer and closer to your target. You come within an inch of each other, your skipping a beat. You thrust your lance forward, intending to land a blow on Bastian's shoulder. You barely nick his shoulder, but Bastian manages to land a powerful hit on yours.

"Gah!" You exclaim loudly as you pass Bastian. You reach an arm up to feel the spot on the armor where you were struck.

The crowd gives a loud cheer coupled with a few boos and hisses as Maximus finishes making is way down to the other side of track with a very prominent set of boos coming from a certain pair of princesses.

As you reach the end of the lane in order to ready for another pass, Maximus looks back at you, concern present on his face.

"I'm Fine!" You reply, glancing down at the spot where Bastian's lance struck. "Just gotta be more careful..."

Maximus gives a brief nod before turning his attention to the horseman at the end of the lane. You can almost hear Bastian's egotistical boast he was preparing just for landing a hit on you.

'It's not over yet.' You think as you turn your head to the official.

The man looks at you with a questioning gaze.

You nod your head, signaling that you were ready for another pass.

The man looks over at Bastian.

"Get on with it!" The man yells, irritatedly clutching his lance.

The official shakes his head before raising his arm. "Ready?"

You narrow your eyes, mentally preparing yourself to make another pass at Bastian.

"Begin!"

Maximus sprints forward gaining momentum with each passing second. Bastian follows suit, his black warhorse picking up more and more speed. You come close, lance ready, mind in focus. You thrust your lance forward, once again only managing to nick his shoulder barely. Bastian on the other hand, has a clear shot at your shoulder once more. At this point it was unavoidable.

_Wham! _The lance crashes against your shoulder, striking you with more force than last time.

"Gah!" You yell feeling the pain in your shoulder.

Maximus rushes past the other horseman and to the end of the track.

Maximus once again turns his head to look back at you with a worried expression.

"Okay, that last pass actually hurt a bit..." You reply staring at him through your helm. "But I'm still good to go!"

"Ready?" The official asks once more. "Begin!"

The horse shakes away his concerns and quickly rushes down the lane growing closer and closer to your target.

You squint your eyes, mind trying to ready your body as you anticipate an impact. You look across at Bastian, eyes studying his movements. You widen your eyes in realization. His body was posed in a much more aggressive manner than the last two passes. His lance was held firm in his hand as he fully intended to impale you on it. As you analyze his actions and movements, you unfortunately neglect to ready yourself properly for the impact. You hastily bring up your lance as Bastian charges, only mere inches away from you. After realizing that you had no time left to react, you shift your body to the side and hope that he misses his mark. Bastian did indeed miss his mark, but he was aiming for your chest that time and as such, he managed to land a devastating blow to your shoulder.

_Wham! _"GAH!" You yell out, feeling yourself being forced backwards as your lance falls from your hand, unable to make even a small hit on the other rider.

Since you had no real time to react, you frantically make a grab for Maximus' reigns but you found that couldn't maintain your hold and were unable to do anything but fall down to the ground below.

_Thud! _"Arg!" You say as you fall onto your back.

The crowd gives a fierce cry, clearly more interested in the fact that someone had just been unhorsed.

"The first round goes to Bastian!" You hear the official state as you begin to pick yourself up from the ground.

The crowd cheers loudly once more as Bastian struts up and down his lane, waving his hand at the crowd.

Finding it growing a tad hot under your helm, you reach up and quickly pull it off to breathe in the cool outside air.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't hurt you too badly did I?" Bastian asks sarcastically with a look of mock concern.

You glare up at him as you lift yourself to your feet, feeling the heavy knight armor giving a bit of resistance.

Bastian gives a cocky chuckle, moving away from you and toward the end of the lane, eager for the next round.

Maximus shoots the passing Bastian a glare as he quickly makes his way back over to you, offering a hoof to help you to your feet.

The stallion looks over you, trying to spot any injury.

You reach up and take his hoof and use it to help pull yourself up.

"I'm Fine, Maximus. Really." You tell him calmly as you reach down for your helmet. Now you understood the importance of armor in this particular contest. Without the heavy armor protecting you, there was no doubt that the last pass would have shattered your shoulder. But then again you had anticipated just one on one combat and had no intention of jousting, so you really didn't know what to expect.

You look over at Bastian, narrowing your eyes as you place your helm over your head. You weren't sure if you could come up with a plan for this challenge, but you knew one thing: in the next round, Bastian would be the one to fall. You were going to make sure of that.

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Up in the audience, Queen Elsa bites her lower lip nervously as she watches (Y/N) mount Maximus and stride to his position on the lane.

"Youch! That looked like it hurt!" Olaf says as he watches (Y/N) get ready for the next round.

"That s_ounded _like it hurt..." Kristoff adds as he sits beside Anna, gently giving her hand a squeeze as he waits for the next round to start.

As the rest of the royal families of both Arendelle and Corona begin to mumble and comment lowly about the round, Elsa looks on nervously. She couldn't help but cringe slightly when she looked over at (Y/N) and at the very visible dent on his armor.

Much like her (H/C)-haired lover, she hadn't anticipated a joust. She was only expecting a duel between the two; something she knew (Y/N) would be very effective in, even if he was a bit out of his element. She mentally scolded herself for not assessing the situation more thoroughly like her conditioned mind had told her to.

As the competitors ready themselves for the next round, Elsa looks over at Midnight. The wolf in question looked concerned for her partner. Midnight glares at the field. As much as she loved the rush of combat, she also didn't take too kindly to just watching idly as her best friend was tossed around.

Elsa frowns slightly and moves her hand over to Midnight's head, giving it a gentle scratch of reassurance.

Elsa smiles softly as she feels Midnight loosen up a bit at her touch.

The large wolf turns her head over to the platinum-blonde. 'Thank you.'

Elsa continues to smile warmly at her. As Midnight and Elsa turn their heads back to the field, a thought crosses the queen's mind.

'Come on (Y/N)... Show him what you're made of!'

_Wham! _The sound rings throughout the field as you and Bastian graze each others' armor once more.

You both pass one another and come to a stop at the end of the lane.

You exhale deeply, shaking off the lingering pain from being struck by Bastian's lance one more.

'This time for sure... he's going down!' You think as you await for the referee to give his signal.

It was well into the second round of the joust.

The second round was well underway, with you successfully completing two passes at each other.

You had thought for a moment about how to go about the situation. This entire time you had only scratched Bastian's armor. You had yet to land a prominent blow like Bastian had multiple times.

But the difference between now and the last round was that you had a plan.

Maximus had noticed a few things from the last round. Whenever you attempted to strike Bastian you never really had a clear target. At best, you would just attempt to hit whatever was closest and hoped that it would be enough to knock him off. Maximus had discovered that you needed a good image of what you were intending to strike.

"Begin!" The referee announces.

The white stallion takes off, charging down the lane at a fixed pace to match Bastian's horse.

As Maximus grew closer and closer to Bastian, you had a clear line of view for what you were intending to hit. A powerful blow to his shoulder would definitely be enough to knock him off his high horse. You had almost got him in the last pass, but now you had figured out just what you needed to do.

Your heart races and the world slows to a snails pace as you ready yourself.

Bastian lifts his lance, aimed at your shoulder.

You move your lance to the side, intent on striking him in the chest and bracing for the inevitable impact.

Bastian's lance connects first, landing a blow to your shoulder. You grit your teeth but manage to hold on to Maximus' reigns. You thrust forward as Bastian moves exactly how you had anticipated.

The brute moves his body to the side hoping to avoid the collision. Your lance makes its mark as you feel it connect with his shoulder.

'Now!'

You forcefully slam into Bastian's shoulder!

"Wha-Agh!" Bastian yelps as he is knocked off of his horse and onto the dirt. _Thud! _

You hear the crowd cheer loudly for you as Maximus makes his way to the end of the lane.

You grin from under your helmet as Maximus comes to a stop.

"WOOHOO! GO (Y/N)!" Yells the twin voices of Anna and Rapunzel above all else in the crowd.

You turn your head up toward the crowd, smiling from under your helmet. You reach a hand up and proceed to wave up at the them all. Particularly at a platinum-blonde monarch.

You feel your heart warm itself as you see Elsa refrain from clapping for a brief moment to reach a hand up and blow you a kiss.

You moment of glory comes to a halt as you hear a boisterous voice suddenly interrupt.

"Get away!" Bastian yells at his cronies as they try to help him up, shoving their hands away harshly. "I can get up myself!"

Bastian, struggling ever so slightly, lifts himself up. "This isn't over! Not by a long shot!"

You feel him glare at you from under his helm.

The man turns away, shoving his lackeys aside angrily as he proceeds to mount his horse.

From beneath you, Maximus turns his head, an annoyed look in his eye.

"Yeah," You begin, nodding your head in agreement. "I'm getting pretty sick of his poor attitude as well."

As you and Maximus make your way to your position on the field, the stallion beneath you gives you sly look.

"An idea?" You ask, understanding his look. "What did you have in mind?"

Maximus gives a short neigh as he comes to a stop at the end of the lane.

"Um wouldn't that hurt me just as much if he actually landed a hit?"

Maximus only smirks.

"Don't get hit? That's terrible advice!" You exclaim, protesting his idea.

You can feel the white stallion chuckle to himself as he readies for the next and final round of the joust. You shake your head, knowing full well that the horse would go through with it anyway.

"You're crazy Max..." Your eyes shift slightly, turning from a look of obvious reluctance to one of mad determination. "Let's do it."

"The third and final round will commence!" The official proclaims with a loud shout. "The score is one-to-one! Are the challengers ready?"

You nod softly, ready for battle. Bastian Follows, never taking his eyes off you.

"Begin!"

Max shoots down the lane, increasing his momentum even more than before. Where in the previous runs Maximus would trot down, matching the opposing horse in speed. But now, Maximus pulled all of the stops. He accelerated much quicker than his previous passes.

Bastian not wanting to be shown up, spurs his horse on to match Your speed.

'Well he took the bait,' You think to yourself. 'Now all I have to do is just not get hit...'

The moment of confrontation approaches more rapidly, the crowd on the edge of their seats as they continue to look on with excitement.

Maximus and Bastian's horse come close, the both of your lances at the ready as you prepare to make your moves.

Bastian moves first, as expected, attempting to show you up and strike first. While he was an egotistical jerk, you had to give him credit for his determination.

Maximus had already seen Bastian's play before hand and instinctively began to move slightly to the side in hopes of letting you avoid the full blow. You follow suit and lean slightly to the side to try and dodge whatever damage you can while simultaneously bring your lance up and ready to strike.

You find yourself unable to completely avoid the strike.

The large man hits the side of you, just below your arm. You feel your body begin to falter under the power of the blow. You grit your teeth as you hold on to the reigns. There was no doubt in your mind that had this blow hit you square in the chest or shoulder instead of grazing your side, you definitely would have been thrown clean off Maximus. Perhaps even had a cracked rib if he struck you in the right place. Fortunately, however, Bastian was just as predictable as he was conceited.

Now it was your move.

Seizing the opportunity, you reach outwards a bit more just so Bastian runs himself into the weapon.

"ARGH!" You hear Bastian yell loudly as the lance connects with its target, landing straight in his chest. Using all of Maximus' momentum as well as Bastian's, you throw all of your strength into the strike as you thrust the lance forward.

You can practically feel the wind being knocked out of him.

_CRK..CRK.._You hear your wooden lance begin to crack under the amount of force it was exerting and the resistance it was meeting. _CRACKK!_

Your lance shatters and splinters into oblivion as Bastian is thrown several feet back and off of his horse.

"ERGG!" The man yells loudly as he lands on the ground with a thud.

You can hear the deafening sound of the crowd as they roar for you, nearly everyone jumping up as they cheer and clap loudly.

Truthfully, you hadn't really noticed much due to the fact that you were still in awe that you had managed to shatter your lance with that last pass.

As Maximus comes to a stop, you glance down at the shattered lance in your palm. You smirk to yourself, turning your attention to the crowd. You give one more glance at the broken lance before looking back up.

You raise your fist, shattered remains of the lance still in hand, in fierce triumph.

You pass your eyes across the enormous gathering of people. You can see Aladdin and Jasmine giving incredibly loud cheers as they clap along, but perhaps nowhere near as loudly or as excitedly as Anna, Elsa and the rest of your friends and family that were in the royal seats.

You toss the broken piece of wood in your hands to the ground before reaching up and removing your helm with one hand and raising it up.

You smile as bright as the sun as you pass your gaze over to Elsa and everyone else. You stifle a small chuckle as Midnight's prideful look falter for a brief moment, giving her a very brief likeness of Anna or Olaf. She quickly shakes it away and composes herself, offering only a proud smile to you.

Elsa really caught your eye however, as you could plainly see that she was jumping and cheering excitedly in her seat, much like her strawberry-blonde sister. This time you couldn't help but laugh a bit at her motions.

"The winner of the final round as well as the first challenge...!" The referee begins, gesturing toward you and Maximus. "(Y/N) of Aren-!"

"NO!" Comes the very obnoxious voice of the defeated Bastian.

The crowd hushes as they look away from you and over to the brute.

"There is NO way hell this pathetic mongrel could beat ME!" Bastian removes his helmet and tosses it to the ground as he steps closer to the the referee. "I want a do-over!"

The crowd begins to whisper and gasp slightly at his childish outburst.

The ref looks slightly nervous as he takes a small step backwards. "I'm sorry sir.. but-"

Bastian fumes as he prepares to reach for the smaller man's neck, grabbing his collar. You widen your eyes, preparing to dismount Maximus in order to stop the sore loser from hurting the innocent referee.

If the jackass wanted to turn this little scene into an all out brawl, then you were fully prepared to meet him halfway. And fully prepared to deliver a much needed ass-kicking.

Fortunately, you didn't have to.

"BASTIAN! That is quite enough!" The booming sound of King Everick's voice echoes across the field. Everick stood up from his seat, an aura of powerful authority radiating off him as he addresses Bastian.

The citizens of Corona quickly silence themselves at the sound of their king's voice. Everyone across the entire field stopped what they were doing at the sound of Everick's voice. Even as far as the training field where the other competitors were readying themselves for their respective events.

"But your majesty!" Bastian begins as he looks up nervously at the king. "I-"

"I said enough!" The king interrupts sternly, wanting none of Bastian's bullshit.

The man quickly shuts himself up, not wanting to incur the wrath Corona's king.

The king clears his throat before speaking up. "Now If you want to be a sore loser about your match-up, that's fine. Childish, but fine. But assaulting and threatening an innocent man, let alone a royal official, is a serious offense!"

Bastian looks prepared to interrupt with some annoying quip, but refrains from doing so.

"An Offense worthy of expulsion from the tournament as well as any that follow. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"Yes your majesty." Bastian responds, slumping his head slightly.

"Good. If I ever hear of you doing something this brash again, I will have you removed from the tournament grounds. Do I make myself clear?"

"But my rematch-!"

"Is not going to happen!" Everick argues back, clearly fed up with the brash man.

Bastian looks over at you, anger in his eyes. "But he-!"

"Beat you. End of Story." The king states, ignoring the man's words. "If you have a problem with that, then you are more than welcome to leave and forfeit the rest of the challenges."

Bastian turns his attention back to the king, glaring angrily. You can't help but take notice of the smug look upon the monarchs face.

Bastian gives a slight, sarcastic bow to the king before turning his attention over to you.

"This isn't over. Not by a long shot."

The brutish man turns away, storming off to prepare for the next challenge. You smirk to yourself as he walks away from you. Sure, maybe it only took a king to get Bastian to shut his mouth, but it was undeniably satisfying to watch him walk away, an obvious blow to his ego clearly apparent in his step.

As the man walks away, the king of Corona clears his throat once more to address the crowd.

"As the official was saying before he was so rudely interrupted," The king gives you a warm smirk. "The winner of this challenge is (Y/N) of-"

King Everick pauses for a moment as you see Elsa rest a hand on his shoulder before mumbling something to him.

Everick gives a hearty chuckle before turning away from the snow queen and over to you.

You raise a curious eyebrow, wondering what she could have told him.

"The winner of this challenge is Ser (Y/N) of Arendelle!"

The crowd erupts into a loud, thunderous applause. You could only smile wider and raise your fist up again. As you listen to the crowd cheer, you give Elsa a glance.

The snow queen gives you a sly wink as she claps loudly with the rest of the crowd.

'Ser (Y/N) huh?' You smile widely at the _Ser _placed in front of your name. 'That sounded pretty damn cool.'

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Hey all! Glad to see you again!**

**That took me so long to write... and I sincerely apologize for taking such a long-ass time, but hey some things can't be helped.**

**So I originally intended for this scene to only consist of a one on one duel, like the Reinhardt fight, but I decided... Screw it. Full tourney events for all!**

**So that's all for now, but be sure to stick around! More to come soon!**

**As always, huge thanks for reading and if you have any form of suggestions, ideas, or advice please leave me a review!**

**Till next time! Bye everyone!**


	28. Outmatched

**OK, so bad news everyone...**

**It is with a heavy heart that I must announce this to all of my loyal, amazing, and wonderful readers. This is extremely difficult for me to write, and I sincerely hope you all understand where I'm coming from... **

**It is with great sadness that I announce that I will most definitely be continuing this story. This chapter is not and will never be the last chapter of this story. There are more adventures to be had and more chapters to be written. **

**HA! I almost got you didn't I? I'm willing to bet that a few of you had to read that beginning part twice didn't you?**

**Come on! Who said I was done with this? I certainly didn't!**

**Behold and rejoice! I bear the gift of a new chapter!**

**So Glad you all came back for another exciting installment!**

**It's Kinda sad really... Our time in Corona is almost at its end...**

**But hey that means more serious stuff back in Arendelle!**

**And Who knows? Maybe Another visit will happen eventually...**

**Anyways, on with this!**

Chapter 28: Outmatched

"The Archery Challenge between Ser (Y/N) and Bastian will begin in just a short while! Please feel free to return to your seats!" The Official loudly proclaims, yelling from his place in front of the audience stands. Quite a loud voice, considering that you managed to hear it from all the way in your preparation tent.

You give a sigh of relief as you put the last of the cumbersome armor on its rack. It had taken quite a few bumps and scratches in the joust, but it was still in excellent shape. It was slightly relieving that you didn't need to wear the armor for the next challenge. The metal suit would only serve to hinder an archer's ability to draw the bowstring, so it was good that you didn't need to have it on. Even if you didn't really fancy the thought of fighting inside of it, you were kinda feeling the armor grow on you a bit. You were especially glad to have worn it for the joust. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to learn the ways of fighting in heavy armor.

You thoughts shift to the next contest.

You really weren't the best archer in the world. To even say you were an excellent one would be a lie. Hell, you were better at dodging arrows than you were at shooting them. But you did know how to shoot, so at least you had a shot at winning, hopefully. In the back of your mind however, you knew that it was just wishful thinking on your part.

'Hmm... Given his self proclaimed title of 'the beast hunter', he definitely would have some experience in archery... how much though...?' You shake your head, playing several scenarios of the archery contest in your mind. 'I need to be on my best if I even want a shot at winn-'

"(Y/N)!"

You turn your eyes to the tent flap, recognizing the voice of the woman you had fallen for.

Elsa rushes into the tent, a huge grin on her face and skip in her step. Your eyes light up, highlighting the huge smile that suddenly appeared on your face.

"Elsa, Hey-whoa!" You're interrupted in mid-statement as her majesty leaps forward and wraps her slender arms around you for a tight hug.

"Well!" You give a small laugh as you wrap your own arms around her and pull her closer (if it were anymore possible). "Someone's happy for me!"

Elsa giggles slightly before releasing her grip slightly, moving just a little bit away from you in order to look up into your eyes.

"That was absolutely amazing," She says happily as she regains her composure. "You were just incredible out there (Y/N)!"

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint!" You reply, giving a sheepish smile. "But I can't really take all the credit. I had a great partner."

"Well, I'll be sure to thank Maximus once this is all over." Elsa says, smiling brightly at you. As she gazes up into your eyes, something catches her attention. Her gaze moves over to the full plate resting on its rack. You see her eyes graze over the various dents and scratches.

Elsa turns her head back to you, eyes suddenly filled with worry. "Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"Hmm? Oh no, I'm just fin-hey!"

Before you can fully answer, Elsa removes her hands from around your back and begins to feel you over.

You stifle a blush as she continues to pat you down, trying to see if she can find any injuries.

"Elsa! I'm okay!" You say as she continues to runs her hands on you. "The armor took most of the damage, There's really nothing to worry about!"

"Still," Elsa pauses her invasion of your personal space to look at you. "I'd like to check just to be sure."

You raise an eyebrow before letting out a small huff. "Okay go ahead."

"Splendid." She replies with a grin.

Elsa reaches down and grabs at the lower hem of your shirt and begins to pull it off you.

Surprised at her sudden actions you blush brightly, yet make no move to stop her. "Elsa wait! Isn't this a bit much? I mean what if someone walks in?"

"It'll only take a second now stop squirming!" Elsa resumes her actions and proceeds to lift the shirt off of your body.

As your shirt comes close to being just halfway off your body, you hear the unmistakable sound of the tent flap moving away for people to enter.

"Hey (Y/N)! You were-WHOA!" Anna interrupts herself as she goes wide-eyed.

Elsa jumps at the sound of her voice, yet finds her hands still lingering on your body.

'Oh boy...'

There you were your shirt half-off your body, Elsa's hands feeling various spots on your torso, and a small collection of your friends and family that consisted of Kristoff, Sven, Midnight and Olaf.

Oh boy indeed.

"Um..." You begin, wondering what the correct words you should say.

Elsa wasn't much help either considering that she was still frozen in place.

To the side of Anna, Kristoff and Sven look away quickly, even going so far to back slightly away from the entrance but still maintained a place next to Anna. Olaf, just a oblivious as ever glances back and forth between you, Elsa, and Anna with an innocent smile on his face, clearly not understanding the implications of this scene. Midnight raises an eyebrow, taking in the silence before shaking her head and snickering to herself.

"Ooh la la... What's going on in here?" Anna asks with a mischievous smirk forming on her previously shocked face.

"Uh, looks like your sister was feeling up the guard captain-" Kristoff begins, before stopping as Elsa speaks up.

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" Elsa says, pulling her hands away from your bare chest finally. You follow her rapid movements and pull your shirt back down and brushing it slightly.

"Mhmm... Right..." Anna says, giving her sister a look. "You sure it was nothing sis? Cause From what it looks like you were-"

"Just checking on (Y/N) to make sure he was okay!" Elsa states crossing her arms and blushing furiously as she looks away from her sister.

"No really that's all that was happening!" You say, following Elsa's attempt to explain things, holding your arms up in a defensive manner.

Anna giggles and moves to nudge Kristoff. "Really? You sure you don't want us to come back later,"

Anna looks away from the blonde haired man and over to her sister. "So you could uh... 'Play nurse'?"

"Come back later?' Olaf asks, looking up at Anna with slight confusion on his face, "Why would we come back-"

"Yes-I mean No- I mean...!" Elsa blurts out, stuttering as she looks back and forth between her sister and yourself.

The color that was staining your lover's cheeks was a bright and revealing red. Your friends in the opening of the tent were doing one of two things: laughing or smiling with unbridled innocence. Hell, even you didn't want to say anything just because Elsa's demeanor was so damn adorable.

Noticing how badly she was letting her equanimity falter, she understandably closes her eyes and lets out a frustrated sigh. Elsa slowly inhales a large gust of air, regaining her queenly composure that she had built up over years of being groomed into the ruler she was today. "Okay... What I meant to say was: By all means, please stay."

"Whatever you say sis!" Anna only giggles louder as she takes another step into the tent as she wiggles her eyebrows at you and her sister. "But if you need us to leave, just say so!"

Elsa gives another sigh as the members of your party enter the tent, laughter still very subtly plaguing their steps.

"But all joking aside, You were awesome out there (Y/N)!" Anna states excitedly as she looks at you.

You give a small laugh and smile brightly. "It was nothing, really. Just got lucky."

"What? no way (Y/N)! You were amazing!" Olaf interrupts as he hops up and down happily.

Kristoff nods his head, a notable smile directed right at you. "Pretty impressive stuff out there (Y/N)."

"Thanks!" You reply with a modest chuckle. "Not bad for my first joust huh?"

'Wait a minute? You've never jousted before?' Sven gestures with a questioning set of eyes.

You give a laugh. "Nope! Didn't really see a point given the circumstances at the time."

'Then that makes it especially impressive.' Midnight interjects, stepping forward and setting herself down on the ground.

"Think you can pull off another win?" Kristoff asks.

"Well..." You begin, only to find Midnight already preparing to answer for you.

'It'll be hard.' Midnight gestures as she looks up at you. 'Given what I know about your archery talents, the next event might prove troubling for you.'

"Aw Midnight! Don't be such a downer!" Anna says giving her a pout.

Midnight only sighs slightly as she shakes her head. 'I'm not a downer. I'm just realistic.'

You shake your head and move to put a hand on Midnight's head, giving it a pat. "Midnight has a point. Archery's not my strong suit, and this might be a bit tricky to win."

Tricky was right. You were much better at throwing knives, simply because you were used to hitting targets at much closer ranges. The poachers back in Arendelle's forest weren't even as far away as the target was now. You really only poured all your focus into swordplay, with only minor training with a bow. With a good shield and knowledge of the battlefield, you could close the distance rather easily against archers. That's not to say you were a terrible archer, its just that you weren't exceptional at it either.

Olaf tilts his head to the side. "You can do it (Y/N)! You just gotta try your hardest!"

"That's right!" Anna adds. "And even if you are gonna have a tough time, we'll be cheering you on all the way!"

You feel touched as you glance around the tent. Everyone showing their absolute faith in you. Even the cynical Midnight was smiling brightly... for a brief second, then she just was content with a confident smirk. Elsa takes a step closer to you, blush having since died down.

"Win or lose (Y/N), we're still here for you."

You give your family the warmest smile you could muster. It really meant a lot to you that they all had so much faith in you. And even though you were certain that they wouldn't care if you lost or won, you knew that you had to win this. Not for yourself, but rather for them.

Elsa moves closer, arms spread as they demand a loving embrace. You allow your eyelids to lower slowly as you move to wrap your arms around her. You could practically hear the squeal Anna was prepared to give as she watched you prepare to hug her sister.

Just as your arms were moving around her, you hear the unmistakable sound of the official entering the tent.

"Excuse me Ser (Y/N)-oh!" He stops himself as he looks on at all of the gathered people in your tent. He clearly hadn't been expecting anyone but yourself. The man freezes for a moment as you and Elsa move your arms down, hug averted by the untimely interruption by the referee.

"My apologies everyone, your highness," He says as he looks over at the queen of Arendelle, bowing a bit before glancing at you. "We're ready for you Ser (Y/N)."

The official gives another brief bow before turning and exiting.

You friends give you a smile as they prepare to follow the official's example and head out of the tent.

"Go get 'em, (Y/N)!" Olaf says, running up to you and giving your legs a tight hug.

You pat him lightly on the head as Sven steps closer. 'You got this in the bag (Y/N)!'

"Thanks Sven! I'll be sure to put up a good show for you!"

Sven nods and lowers his head down and allows Olaf to clamber up on to his head, holding on to his antlers. "I'll be sure to cheer extra loud (Y/N)!" Olaf gives a final statement as Sven proceeds to walk out of the tent.

Kristoff Approaches next, raising an eyebrow. "Ser (Y/N)?"

"Pretty cool, right?"

Kristoff raises his hand up. You catch his meaning and move to clasp it firmly.

"If you say so (Y/N), Good luck!"

You nod and release the blonde man's palm. Kristoff nods with a grin before moving to leave the tent.

"I personally think Ser (Y/N) Sounds awesome!" Anna was among the last to leave the tent, approaching you with possibly the widest smile of all. Sh reaches down and grabs one of your hands and holds it with both of hers. "We'll be rooting for ya, (Y/N)!"

"And I'll be listening." Your eyes light up as you give her hands just a small squeeze as she holds them.

"Good luck, (Y/N)!" Anna releases your hand, gives you one more rousing smile of support and makes her way out of the tent and into the waiting arms of Kristoff.

As the rest of your friends walk away from the tent and back to the seating ares, you pass a look over to whoever remained in your company. Now only three remained in the tent.

Midnight tilts her head slightly before standing herself up, as she watches you turn your attention to Elsa. Midnight shakes her head a bit and steps toward the flap. 'Let me give you two a moment.'

"Thanks Midnight." You say giving her a thankful smile as she walks out.

With your companion out of the tent, you look at the queen of Arendelle, grinning softly. "Any words of encouragement?"

Elsa's gaze softens a bit. She moves to take both your hands in hers. "I forgot to tell you something at the beginning of the contest,"

You clutch her hands tightly. "Yes?"

Elsa matches your warm smile with one of her own. "Listen (Y/N), Whatever happens, win or lose, I'll still lov-mmph!"

You give a very gentle tug on her hands and pull her toward you, silencing her voice with your lips. Almost instantly shaking herself out of her surprise at your sudden display of affection, Elsa kisses back, matching intensity.

"Love you too, Elsa." You say gazing lovingly into her eyes.

Elsa giggles lightly as she holds your hands. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

From outside the preparation tent you begin to hear the hurried footsteps of many a person passing by the tent. Signs of an eager crowd hurrying back to their spots in the stands. You look back at your platinum-blonde queen.

"I should probably go." You give her a light chuckle as you release her hands. "Wouldn't want to be disqualified for not showing up on time, now would I?"

Elsa smiles and makes her way to the entrance with you following closely. As the two of you leave the tent, Elsa turns around one more time to lean upwards and plant a gentle kiss on your cheek, not wanting to show too much to the hurrying crowd of people around you.

"Good luck, (Y/N)."

The two of you share a smile before Elsa turns away and begins to walk back to her seat. You turn your head to the side and prepare to walk to your own spot on the field, but find yourself stopped by a peculiar sight... For the normal person that is.

"Midnight?" You say, addressing your best friend as she sat down next to your preparation tent.

The wolf perks her ears up and turns to look at you. 'Ah good. Come on. We don't want to be late for the archery contest. '

Midnight stands from her sitting position and begins walking over to the starting area.

You furrow your brow and quickly move alongside her. "So I take it you're not going back up to the stands?"

'Not a chance.' Midnight stops for a moment to look at you with a clever smirk. 'Besides, the best seats are right up front!'

You shake your head, a smile still on your face. "You know, I'm not sure if you can be up in that area with me."

'Let's see if they can stop me.' Midnight gestures.

"Midnight..."

'Relax! I'm not going to hurt anyone.' Midnight tries her best to give you a reassuring smile, but it only served to give you more cautious of her behavior. The dark-furred wolf was more than intelligent enough to do something in front of a whole collection of people, not to mention the various armed and dangerous contest participants, but one thing that trumped her intelligence was her loyalty. You were her first and best friend. She would fight tooth and nail for you, and you would definitely do the same. You knew her well enough to realize why she was down here. She didn't like watching you being tossed around in the last competition, and was likely only looking to help you should you need it.

'It's just going to be difficult to remove me...'  
You give a small sigh before smiling and resting a hand on her head and giving her a scratch behind the ears. "I'm still pretty sure you can't really be down there, Midnight."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I um, I'm not sure that your wolf can be down here Ser (Y/N)..." The official states, looking at Midnight with slightly intimidated eyes. Sure Midnight had gained a good reputation after she had succeeded in taking Clarence Down, but she was still something that could be quite frightening up close.

You and Midnight stand in front of the stands along with your competitor, Bastian and his punching bag LeFou. The field was setup and ready for an archery shootout. Gone was the line that the horses charged down during the joust. In its place were two areas set up; one for you, one for Bastian. There was a quiver filled with arrows on a stand and a bow resting next to it, waiting in the shooting area for each competitor. About thirty meters from the shooting area was one standard archery target. The rings around it were colored white, black, blue, red and yellow. Each ring signified a certain distance from the center, with yellow being perfect in the middle. Fairly simple setup, paying humble tribute to the archaic traditions of the tourney.

"If you want to try and move her then be my guest." You reply holding your hand towards the wolf in question.

The man looks over at Midnight. The large wolf gives a smile and a wave of her paw. Granted Midnight was trying to be as friendly as possible, but her smiles was still fearsome looking due to her rather large fangs. But you supposed it was a good thing you helped her reputation, because the official looked more confused than he did frightened. The man looks up at the stands, eyes trained on the king of Corona.

King Everick simply nods his head, signifying his allowance of Midnight's presence.

The official turns back to you. "Very well, just be sure she doesn't interfere with the contest."

"Thank you, Don't worry She'll be on her best behavior." You nod your head, smiling at the man before turning your head to Midnight. "Won't you Midnight?"

'Of course.' She gestures, although it only serves to make the man more uneasy rather than reassured.

The Official bows to both you and your companion before leaving you both to formally announce the start of the contest.

Midnight looks at you, smirking. 'See, I told you everything would be fine.'

You chuckle lightly. "Just be sure to thank the king for even letting you stay here with me."

Midnight raises an eyebrow and turns her head to the stands. As she locks eyes with Everick, the king smiles and nods his approval.

Midnight turns back to you. 'So it wasn't my smile?'

"Afraid not." You reply giving her a sheepish smile. "But hey I wouldn't worry too much about-"

"Of course only a mutt like you would be able to have a conversation with an animal." You hear the cocky sound of Bastian's voice as he steps toward you. Midnight gives a low growl as he approaches.

LeFou trailed behind him a tad slowly, eyes wary as he watched Midnight.

'One thing I know for sure... my companion is way better than his.' You think as you give a pitiful look at the cowardly man.

You then turn your attention to Bastian "Should really watch what you say Bastian. She's awfully perceptive and doesn't take too kindly to insults."

The man lets out a mocking laugh. "I highly doubt that a simple animal could possibly understand me, but I'll humor you."

Bastian looks over at Midnight, smirking at her. "I'm... going... to beat... your master... into the ground."

Bastian speaks slowly as if talking to a child. Midnight growls louder at the man.

"Easy Midnight..." You say, hoping to calm her down.

It apparently works, as she lowers her volume. That is until Bastian begins speaking again.

"You'd better keep your pet on a short leash." The man smirks wider, shifting his gaze from you to Midnight. "Else someone might have to put it down."

You narrow your eyes as Midnight once again begins to growl loudly. LeFou shudders in fear behind the larger man. You weren't exactly sure if it was stupidity or courage that caused Bastian to not show any signs of fear for the Dire Wolf currently staring him down. A respectable trait even if it was stupidity, but you could only think of how much you were getting really sick of this bullshit.

"Is that a threat?" You ask, doing nothing to silence your companion's intense growl.

"Oh It's more than a-"

"Will the competitors please step up to the Shooting area!" You and Bastian turn your heads to see the Official, standing in the space between you and Bastian's areas. The archery contest was ready to begin.

Bastian gives you one more cocksure grin before tuning away and stepping toward his position, LeFou following closely.

You turn and give Midnight a look.

'Can I please rip his head off?' She asks, looking at you with a half-pleading look.

"As tempting as that sounds," You sigh and follow Bastian's actions and move to your respective area. "I'm still pretty sure it's against the law here."

Your best friend gives a small sigh, looking at Bastian and LeFou, pure malice in her eyes. 'Damn it.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

You stand ready, bow in hand and target in sight. Your opponent gives a bored yawn as he awaits for the official's signal to start.

The man looks between the two of you. "Gentlemen!" He says loudly so that the audience may hear the rules of the competition.

"Thirty meters away is one target! For this challenge, you will each fire one shot per round! Depending on where the arrow lands will determine the amount of points the shooter will receive! Should your arrow strike the perfect center of the target, you will immediately be awarded five points! The man with the most points at the end of the shootout wins the challenge!"

The official lowers his tone as he glances at you and Bastian. "Are you ready to begin?"

You nod your head, ready to begin.

Bastian simply yawns. "Get on with it!"

The ref shakes his head. "Very well."

He turns to look up at the crowd. "Ser (Y/N) will have the first shot!"

The crowd lets out aloud cheer as you turn around and give a smile and wave up toward them. More specifically at the royal seating area. You eye Elsa giving you a proud smile along with your closest friends and loved ones waving down at you. You look away from the stands and over at Midnight.

The wolf nods. 'Aim true.'

You smirk and turn around to face the target. You reach for an arrow and nock it. The crowd hushes as you prepare your shot. You draw the string back and exhale deeply.

_Schhwaff! _The arrow flies from the bow and sails to the target.

_Thunk! _It lands just barely out side the red ring.

The crowd claps loudly for you. Not exactly an optimal shot but fairly well for someone who isn't a professional archer. But of course you didn't actually hit the red ring which meant that the shot was only worth two points no matter how close it was. .

"Ha! Nice shot, Mutt." You hear Bastian say sarcastically as he steps up to the line. "Now let a man show you how it's done!

The man snaps his fingers expectantly. "LeFou! My arrow!"

Almost immediately, LeFou rushes up and pulls an arrow from the quiver.

'The quiver is only and arm's length away... did you really need it brought to you?' You think, shaking your head at the two of them.

"Here ya go Bastian!" The little man says, grinning like a hyena as he hand the "Knock 'em Dead!"

"Oh I intend to LeFou..." Bastian grabs the arrow and nocks it. As he draws the bowstring back, he turns his head to you. He smirks widely and releases the arrow, all the while smirking at you.

_Schhwaff-Thunk! _The arrow strikes the target. Just barely further in than yours!

The crowd claps, albeit a bit quietly. After Bastian's rather unsportsmanlike performance at the joust, the crowd was reluctant to cheer for him. Sure his cronies were very vocal in their approval, but they were a bit of an anomaly opposed to the rest of the spectators.

Bastian's shot was just barely within the blue ring. A shot worth three points.

Bastian gives a hearty laugh. "Ha!"

The official turns his head and nods at the scorekeeper. The keeper quickly places a huge number three under Bastian's name along with a large number two under yours.

You give a sharp glare to Bastian before turning and reaching for another arrow. Maybe Bastian did manage to take the first round. But just barely. You still had a shot at winning.

You pull the string back, narrowing your eyes at the target. You take a few breaths in and out, steadying your aim as you prepare to shoot.

"Any day now..." Bastian says, as he looks away with a boring expression.

You grit your teeth, trying to block out Bastian's voice.

_Schhwaff-Thunk! _The Arrow lands in the target, halfway within the red ring, much better than your last shot! And worth more points too!

You grin as the crowd once again claps loud for you.

"Not bad, not bad..." Bastian smirks and raises an eyebrow. "For an amateur."

LeFou hands the man another arrow who quickly takes it and nocks it without any hesitation.

_Schhwaff-Thunk! _The arrow embeds itself in the target. Once again just a bit further in than yours. You lost yet another round.

"Damn!" You say aloud.

"Like I said!" Bastian gives you a grin. "Amateur."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Schhwaff-Thunk! _Bastian sinks another arrow into the target, just barely ahead of (Y/N)'s.

"Ooh... This looks kinda rough." Anna says as she watches the scorekeeper place more giant numbers under Bastian and (Y/N).

Elsa remains silent, her analytical eyes focused on Bastian, watching his every movement.

"It's still pretty early, Anna. (Y/N) could still win this." Eugene leans forward in his chair, looking down at the field. "He's only down by one point."

"Well, I mean the guy only barely beat (Y/N) by a few centimeters!" Rapunzel states, clearly optimistic for (Y/N), and showing a considerable amount of faith in him. "From up here it's actually kinda hard to tell! (Y/N) still has a pretty good chance, right?"

Elsa wasn't certain. As much as she tried to believe that (Y/N) could win this challenge, she was feeling unsure about what the outcome would be. There was something odd with Bastian's shots. Each one was unbelievably close to (Y/N)'s. As Rapunzel had stated earlier, they were so close that she couldn't determine accurately who had the closer arrow until it was announced. The way Bastian fired also raised a few flags. It was almost like he wasn't trying...

"Oh no..." Elsa mumbles, realizing the situation (Y/N) was currently faced with.

"What's the matter sis?" Anna asks, picking up on Elsa's vocalization.

Elsa looks away from the field and turns to face her sister. "Oh nothing! I was just disappointed that Bastian won another round..."

Anna offers a sympathetic smile and places a hand on the Platinum-blonde's shoulder. "Don't worry Elsa. (Y/N)'s gonna pull through! I know he is!"

Elsa smiles softly at her sister. As Elsa smiles, she mentally cursed her investigative mind that was instilled in her since childhood. Her mindset forced her to think logically and rationally. To examine every piece of evidence and information at her disposal. From what she had observed on the field, Bastian wasn't even trying to outperform (Y/N) and yet he was winning every single round. Things didn't look like they were in her lover's favor. Her heart believed in (Y/N) more than ever, but her mind already knew what the outcome of this challenge would be.

"Come on (Y/N)," Elsa says aloud to herself, ignoring her mind's conclusions and choosing to let her feelings take the reigns. She had to be supportive no matter what. "You can do it."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"There's no way I can do this..." You mumble to yourself as you watch yet another number being placed under Bastian's name.

The score was twelve to fourteen. This was the final shot of the challenge and you had no idea how you were going to prevail. You and Bastian had both been getting equally closer to the center, yet Bastian always maintained the lead on you. A perfect shot was worth seven points, and anywhere else on the center ring was only worth four. The only way to guarantee victory was to land an arrow dead center of the target. There was only enough space on the target for one competitor to land a perfect shot. If you succeeded then there was no way Bastian could win. Even if he landed a shot as close as possible to the center, it was only worth four points, putting him at eighteen, just one below your nineteen... If you could land such a Shot.

"A perfect shot... how am I going to pull that off?" You mumble.

Hell, you really had no idea what you were dealing with when this challenge started, and you realized how much of a disadvantage you were at after the third shot. All of Bastian's arrows were just ahead of yours by a hair's breadth. The monumental dick was toying with you. Bastian was a hunter! Of course he'd probably spent a good majority of his life using a bow!

'As if he didn't already have an enormous ego.' You think to yourself as you reach for another arrow. the way the score was going, there was no way you could win an archery contest against someone who was far superior at firing a bow and arrow. But you weren't one for giving up.

"Well... now or never." You sigh silently, and try to focus on the target. You needed this shot to be perfect, so you needed to muster all your concentration.

"Any day now whelp!" Bastian's voice fills your eardrums. "No sense in delaying my victory."

You narrow your eyes even more as Bastian begins to speak again.

"Come on loser!" LeFou adds, laughing loudly along with Bastian. "The champ is waiting!"

Midnight begins growling at the sound of his voice, growing angrier and angrier by the second.

"Bastian is gonna kick the -eep!" LeFou jumps back as Midnight snaps at him. Granted she was several feet away from him and nowhere near threatening range, but she was intimidating enough to get him to shut his mouth.

You try to block the sound around you as you prepare your shot.

"Don't be a little baby LeFou!" Bastian says, smirking from his position on the field. "His Pet won't do anything to you."

You could practically hear Midnight raising her eyebrow, clearly unamused with Bastian's assertion.

'Is that a challenge?' Midnight growls.

Bastian, completely ignoring Midnight's menacing snarls, continues to taunt and goad you, trying to throw off your shot.

"Because it's just like its master, "

"Will you just Shut..." You mumble lowly as you angrily pull the bowstring even more back garnering even more force behind your shot. This was really getting on your nerves.

"A weak, pathetic, spineless, no-"

"UP!" You yell, releasing the arrow from the bow, watching it slice through the air with unparalleled speed and power.

_Thunk!..._

The arrow lands in the center of the target, A perfect shot!

"Heh... ha!" You let a laugh of disbelief. "Yes!"

You actually landed a perfect shot! You weren't sure if it was you sheer determination to win the contest or the pure rage you felt from all the taunting of Bastian. The crowd claps louder and louder as they watch the scorekeeper place a large number nineteen below your name. You can hear Elsa and the others cheering exponentially louder than anyone else as far as you could hear. Or maybe your ears were simply decided to only hear them. Either way, you secured a victory!

You give Midnight a look.

'Well done!' She smiles brightly for you, showing off her fangs.

"Better Luck next time, Mate." You say to Bastian, giving him a grin.

That shot ensured victory. There was no way that he could make follow up shot to get more points that could swing it in his favor. Perhaps he should have actually aimed to make better shots rather than try to gloat and show off his prowess. You knew for a fact that he could have made those shots but yet he decided to be an unbelievable jackass in his attempts to out shoot you. Another Prime example of pride before the fall.

"Well Color me impressed..." Bastian looks on at your shot, giving a whistle. "That's not a bad shot at all."

"Is that a compliment I'm hearing?"

"Ha! In your wildest dreams perhaps." Bastian laughs a loud, mocking laugh at you. "But of course a nobody like yourself could only achieve such a shot in your dreams."

He glances once more at the arrow in the target. "You're no archer. You're just a lucky son of a bitch."

"Heh, I'd probably be more offended but I never actually knew my mother, so moot insult I'm afraid." You turn your gaze to the arrow embedded in the center of the target. "Regardless if it was luck or skill, I believe I win this little bout."

"HAHAHA!" The man lets out a loud laugh as those words leave you mouth. "Is that what you believe?"

He turns to his lackey, giving him a rough nudge. "Hear that LeFou? He actually thinks that it's over!"

LeFou joins Bastian in loud boisterous laughter. You turn your head to your own best friend, giving her a questioning look.

The wolf only raises an eyebrow, not sure why the man and his henchman were laughing so loudly. 'I have no idea what the hell that dick is on about.'

You look away from your companion and back at Bastian. The crowd has since been silent as they all look down towards Bastian, many of them just as confused as you were. His followers in the crowd were silent, not sure if their boss had gone mad or had actually found a way to win. Even LeFou, as he laughed loudly along, was doing so confused. Even Bastian's closest follower wasn't sure why he was up in stitches.

"Y-yeah the idiot has no idea what's coming to him right Bast-Ouch!" LeFou cries out as Bastian gives LeFou rather forceful pat on the back, sending him into the ground. "Oof!"

Bastian only continues to laugh loudly.

"Did you really think I'd let you win that easily?" Bastian shakes his head, laughing all the while like a madman. "Oh that's rich!"

Bastian allows his laughter to subside slightly as he turns away from you to face the target, eyes settling on the arrow perfectly in the center. "Such a hilarious thought! Especially coming from such a pathetic..."

The large man pauses, raising a hand to his chin to think. "Hmm... What's that word that I called you earlier? A Novice? Beginner?"

He snaps his fingers, beckoning LeFou for another arrow. The short little man stumbles to his feet and rushes to the quiver, pulling an arrow out and handing it to Bastian.

'He's not really going to try to shoot is he?' Midnight widens hers eyes, surprised that the man would really try to outdo your shot. 'He'd have to split the arrow in half...'

You give her a look. "But that's such a small target... you really think he can-"

"Oh now I remember!" Bastian cuts you off as he turns his head, giving you a devilish grin. He looks back at the target, narrowing his eyes at the center, straight at your arrow. The crowd awaits with bated breath. You move to look at them. All their attention was on Bastian. After his sudden bout of uncontrollable laughter, it was hard to not stare at him. Many looked on in disbelief, clearly figuring out the he needed to hit an incredibly small target.

_Schwaff! _Bastian looses the arrow, sending it flying across the field and to the target.

_Crk! _Bastian's arrow makes its mark, effortlessly splitting your arrow in half! He actually did it. He actually did more than split it in half! The power behind Bastian's shot absolutely destroyed yours! The remnants of your once proud arrow, splintered all across the ground, shattered by Bastian's shot. It was in that moment that you realized that you really never had a chance at winning this contest.

"Amateur." Bastian finishes, giving you a smug look as the crowd, the officials, even Bastian's cohorts remained silent, stunned at the true perfect shot.

"A-Alright! Go Bastian!" LeFou begins clapping and cheering, voiced still laced with stunned excitement as he still couldn't believe he made such a shot. "You're the greatest archer on the whole wide world!"

LeFou's cheering sparked something in the crowd. Starting with Bastian's followers, more and more joined in with LeFou as they cheered and clapped for Bastian. You weren't sure if it was because he won the challenge, or just excitement for the shot that he made, but either way you were just as equally impressed. Despite the fact that Bastian was as despicable as he was skilled, you had to admit that he made one magnificent shot. Even King Everick was begrudgingly clapping for such a shot.

Bastian begins to wave and flex his muscles at the crowd, basking in the glory. "That's right! I am the champion!"

He tosses his bow to the side as he raises both arms into the air in triumph.

"May I have your attention please!"The crowd's cheering begins to die down as the Official steps up and in between the two of you. "The final score, Ser (Y/N): nineteen points! Bastian: Twenty one! The winner is Bastian!"

The crowd lets another cheer out as Bastian bows and waves up at them. "Ha ha!"

The official begins to speak up once more. "The final challenge will begin immediately! Chivalrous Combat!"

The cheers loud once more, excited for the impending battle. As the crowd rages on, the official turns to you. "Gentlemen, you have ten minutes to prepare yourselves for battle."

The man gives a humble bow before turning and walking away to allow you and Bastian to prepare.

The large man chuckles sinisterly as he looks at you, stepping closer. "I was hoping it would get this far. I'm going to enjoy reducing you to a bloody mess!"

Bastian turns to LeFou. "Come LeFou!"

The man walks past you, forcefully bumping into your shoulder to push you aside. LeFou sticks his tongue out at you, making a silly face to mock you and Midnight before quickly running up to follow Bastian.

"Oh one more thing..." Bastian turns around to address you once more. "At least try to give me a good fight before you go down."

The arrogant man flashes another smirk before turning away and leaving for his tent to prepare himself.

As the two of them walk away, you hear the unmistakable sound of a dire wolf's growl. You look at Midnight, fire in your eyes. The wolf ceases her growls and looks back at you, nodding her head. You shift your eyes up to the seating area, looking at Elsa who offers a comforting smile to you.

You turn you gaze back to Bastian and LeFou as they walk away.

"I'll give you more than that." You clench your fist, trembling in excitement for your duel. You can feel the essence and spirit of the warrior you had forged yourself into arising from the depths of your soul. That arrogant ass was going down. "You can count on it."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Heyyo! That's that! **

**Before anyone says anything, yes I realize that this chapter is actually kinda short opposed to the previous chapters, but I have one reason for that:**

**I have no idea how to make an archery contest seem exciting. **

** I must have rewritten this scene over a dozen times. The first incarnation of the challenge featured two parts. Shooting at a stationary target and then shooting at moving targets. That ended up being a complicated mess of a scene that didn't pan out well. The second iteration involved shooting from horseback, but that dragged on with no real conclusion or transition into the duel. To be honest, when this idea of an tournament was first suggested to me, I was going to just gloss over the archery contest with a single sentence. But hey! I actually wrote it so there ya go!**

**But yeah I'm more a sword and shield kind of guy...**

**Anyways big thanks everyone for reading and sticking by for so long! **

**Any suggestion or ideas? Leave a review!**

**Hope you all have a rocking Spring break!**

**Till next time! See ya!**


	29. Triumph

"_**The difference in winning and losing is most often… Not Quitting."**_

_** -**_**Walt Disney**

**I'm not done yet.**

Chapter: Triumph

'You think you're ready?'

"I'm pretty sure I can take him." You reply to Midnight's question as you strap the final piece of the hefty metal suit on.

It was five minutes to show time and you had just finished donning your knight's armor. Midnight was in the corner of the tent, inspecting every inch of armor with a critical eye. The large wolf was unsure if the metal plates had sustained too much damage from the joust. There were several large dents along the upper torso and shoulder area, symbols of a hard fought battle. There was even one significantly larger dent right on your shoulder that dug into it. You knew that would prove troublesome during the fight. For one it was a bloody pain to deal with as it pressed into your skin, and two it even further restricted your movements. That was something you weren't looking forward to.

"After all, fighting is the one thing I'm good at."

'Of course, but are you sure you're ready? You're walking straight into a one-sided fight.' She gestures as she rises from her spot in the corner. 'You fight more like an assassin than a bruiser, and the key to that style is speed. If you could have worn some lighter armor then you could secure the kill much quicker and more effectively as well.'

The wolf steps toward you and places her large paw on your thigh, pressing down slightly on the metal armor. Even with the slight pressure from her paw, you were fighting against it to keep your balance.

'With this full plate on, you would be moving slower and thus be less efficient out on the field.'

You narrow your eyes and glance downward at armor. Midnight was right. There was a huge difference from the joust to a duel. For the joust you didn't need to move as freely, with Maximus being the one controlling your linear movement and you only had to move very minimally. With the duel that was rapidly approaching, you had complete control over your movements but you knew for a fact that the amount of slowing you would experience would be more than enough to turn the tide in Bastian's favor.

'And with that jackass being as huge as a barge, he's likely had training in full armor.' She continues. 'You're going to have to work nearly twice as hard to match him blow for blow. Do you even have a plan?'

"Well before you decided to bum me out with accurate facts, I thought I could just wing it." You joke, laughing slightly before giving her a serious look. "But now that you bring it up, it's looking less and less in my favor..."

You find yourself wishing more and more that there were no requirements regarding armor. You already saw what Bastian's armor looked like. From memory, you already saw multiple ways you could've won if you didn't have to wear full armor and it would have been much easier to avoid being hit when you were moving faster than him. The ability to dodge and counter was so crucial to your method of fighting and at least one of those elements was going to be severely hampered during your fight.

"If I just had a little more time to get a feel for the full plate then maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

'There's no doubt in my mind that you of all people could adapt to the situation with enough time but for right now, dwelling on 'what ifs' isn't doing you any good.'

You give a sigh and look away from the gauntlet and over to Midnight. "You're right. But as it stands, I don't have too many options right now other than just winging it."

'You'll think of something.' Midnight eases her paw and moves it away from the suit before looking up and into your eyes, a proud and reassuring smile on her face. 'If anyone can do it, it's you.'

You smile warmly and gently lay your armored hand on her head. "Thanks Mid."

You softly begin to scratch behind her ears with your hand, reaching a certain spot that you knew she enjoyed. Midnight allows her precious guard to slip as she begins to wag her tail in a rapid motion. It was such a simple gesture that meant so much to the both of you. Midnight was, if anything, a warrior. She wouldn't allow herself to be seen as some common house pup that enjoyed getting scratched behind its ears. Because of the way she grew in the wild, it was weak to display such an act and she was far too prideful for that. Whenever Anna or Olaf scratched her, Midnight greatly appreciated it, yet she would never enthusiastically wag her tail like she was doing now. That was reserved specifically for the precious moments between a man and his best friend.

There was a bond between the two of you that could never be severed. Midnight was a warrior, yes, but as much as she was that, she was your best friend and she needed just as much love and care as anyone else.

Even if she wouldn't freely admit it in public.

'You're wel- oh that's nice...' She grins blissfully as you continue to scratch.

"You're such a puppy sometimes, Midnight." You say with a slight chuckle.

Midnight only continues to smile widely as she lets out a small series of low barks.

'If you tell anyone about this I'm going to maul you in your sleep.'

"Not a word."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"With Ser (Y/N) the winner of the joust and Bastian the winner of the archery shootout we now come to our final event of the challenge!" The official yells loudly as he gathers the attention of the crowd.

You look across the field at your opponent. Bastian stood tall as he glared at you, more than eager for the match to begin. The crowd was deathly silent as they awaited the battle to begin.

The archery targets and shooting areas had been relocated and a large circle drawn in the dirt where they once were to symbolize the arena of battle. Midnight was several paces away from the arena but still looked on. You could tell from her face that her tactical mind was analyzing Bastian, looking for any vulnerabilities in his armor or faults in his stance. If there was any advantage to be had, you knew she was going to find it.

You gaze up at the crowd. You could see Elsa and the others on the edge of their seats. From the looks they were giving, you knew that they really wanted to come down after your loss to reassure you, but the amount of time given to you to prepare didn't allow for it. You understood why though and weren't bothered at all by it. To tell the truth you could only focus on one thing: finding a way to beat the arrogant asshole standing before you.

"Chivalrous Combat!" The official yells out.

The crowd responds with a deafening cheer. You could easily tell that this was a fight they'd been itching to see all day. You glance up at the stands to find your family and friends all clapping and cheering louder than ever, all with the utmost confidence in your abilities.

"GO (Y/N)!" Come the twin voices of Anna and Rapunzel.

"YOU CAN DO IT!" Olaf yells at the top of his lungs, not wanting to be left out of all the cheering. The little snowman was leaning forward on the railing, trying to project his voice out more clearly. He was leaning forward so much that his head nearly fell off of his body and onto some people below were it not for the quick save from Eugene practically throwing himself off to catch the little guy.

You manage a soft chuckle at his antics. He always had some way to bring a smile to everyone's face.

"Now, first man to secure an otherwise fatal blow onto the other is the winner of the event and will be named victor of the challenge. Are the two of you ready to commence? " The referee states as he glances between you and Bastian.

You give him a swift nod as Bastian does the same.

"Very well, Good luck gentlemen and May the best man win!" The Ref takes a few steps backwards and out of the arena.

"Oh I intend to..." Bastian remarks as he sends a sneer your way.

"Tough talk from someone who's about to get his ass kicked." You retort with a cocky smirk.

The man growls, angrily showing his teeth. "Let's see you talk after I shatter your jaw!"

The larger man places his helm upon his head. He looks across the field over at LeFou standing on the sidelines, giving a whistle from under his helmet. The short man nods fervently and hurls Bastian's sword to its owner.

Bastian holds his arm out, catching it with ease. He proceeds to lift his shield up and gives the sword a swing or two to get a feel for the blade.

You pass one more glance up at the crowd, looking to your friends and family for strength. You breathe in deeply before turning back to your opponent, placing your helm on your head and pulling your sword and shield up in a ready position.

'Ready as I can be...'

"Are the combatants ready for battle?" The official asks loudly so to gather the crowd's attention. But something told you that their eyes fully fixed on the arena.

You hold your shield and sword up defensively, preparing yourself for anything. "Ready!"

"Rah!" Bastian grunts loudly and pumps his sword into the air, eliciting a cheer from LeFou.

"Yeah go get 'em Bastian! He's dead meat!"

The official nods his head. "Begin!"

Without pause Bastian charges forward quickly, showing almost no hindrance from his steel armor. You widen your eyes and hold the shield up to block his strike.

_Klang! _The sword slams down hard onto your shield. Before you can even retaliate. You feel the blade slam down once again on your shield.

You maintain your grasp and try to swing at him with your sword. He raises his own shield, deflecting the strike effortlessly. You try for another swing but Bastian was already moving and blocks with his sword, sending yours another way and prepares for another devastating blow.

'Damn!' You think as you brace your shield for another impact.

The sword beats down on your shield, forcing you to grit your teeth as you try to withstand the blow. Bastian reels his sword back, as he tries to slam down again, but you manage to sidestep underneath his arm and appear on the other side of him, you quickly spin around and try to swing your sword at him. You've performed this move many times when you were an assassin and whilst sparring with the Arendelle royal guard. Your blade should have connected before Bastian could react to it. Should have.

The large man, without missing a beat, brings his sword and catches your strike before following up with a devastating shield bash to your exposed chest plate.

_Wham! _You are sent stumbling backwards as you feel the wind being knocked out of you. You quickly try to recover from the bash and stop yourself from moving backwards, planting your feet firmly into the ground. You look up only to find Bastian already bearing down on you.

'He's moving so quick in that armor!' You think as you block a downward swing from Bastian.

You push up and force the blade away and try to swing for Bastian's head, but found yourself stopped in mid-swing by Bastian's sword who had since managed to recover. He was definitely moving quicker than you. Of course he was. Bastian likely had training in heavy armor before. It was why he was having such an easy time. You were having to work extra hard just to keep up. You were actually managing it just fine, but you knew that fatigue would settle in if this fight turned into a prolonged battle.

Bastian presses his advantage and begins a flurry of blows!

_Cling! _You block a strike, then another!

_Clang! _You raise your shield and narrowly deflect a blow to your head. You force the shield up and push the sword away in order to strike downwards with an overhead swing. Bastian catches it with his shield before it connects and forces it away from him. Before you can recover, the burly man bashes your shield with his own, intending to throw your footing off. You slam back your shield, effectively neutralizing his attack. But there was no time to worry about that as Bastian was already attacking you once more.

You raise your sword and deflect the blow! The man follows up with a series of strikes that you begin to block with both sword and shield. Bastian wasn't letting you catch up. You needed absolute focus. Sure most of the moves and counter attacks that you performed were basically instinct for you, but in your armor, you were moving slower than you were used to, so it was crucial that you try to maintain your pace and tempo to keep successfully defending against his attacks.

_Swish! _Bastian steps backward to dodge a slash at his chest and retaliates with a slash of his own.

You raise your shield up and stop the strike. You see an opportunity arise. You quickly use your sword and stab underneath your shield as it continues to stop Bastian's sword.

You lunge with the sword. Bastian raises his shield up and uses the bottom of it to slam down into the sword before it can hit him. Sensing his own opportunity, Bastian tries to once again to bash you with the shield.

_Slam! _You match the slam and find yourself shield locked with the man, pushing back with all your might. You attempt to use your sword arm to help push back against his force but you quickly throw away that idea in order to save yourself from another strike from Bastian. As you catch his sword, Bastian continues to press with his shield, preventing you from moving it. Both your sword and shield were currently locked with Bastian.

Your heel digs into the ground as you try with all your might to push him back and away but can't seem to budge.

You begin to grit your teeth, struggling to maintain your balance. You could almost feel Bastian smirking menacingly at you from under his helm. This was a bad situation. At this rate, the brute would force you to the ground and would most definitely secure the win. You couldn't allow it.

You desperately look around for an answer. Out the corner of your eye you see her. Midnight looks on intensely.

'Side Step! His armor is just as heavy as yours!'

You widen your eyes, realizing what she had in mind. Bastian's armor was still heavy armor and if you could manage to step away, then momentum should be able to throw him off balance and open an opportunity for you to strike.

As you struggle to withstand the blade lock you were in, you take in a deep breath and prepare to move. You push forward and immediately step to the side, allowing Bastian to pass right by you.

The man stumbles forward, completely caught off guard. You quickly spin around and drop your blade, intent of hitting the back of his leg to send him to the ground.

But Bastian was already ahead of you and your sword wasn't moving nearly as fast as you wanted to. The larger man moves his leg away from your sword, turning himself around and delivering a powerful knee to your head as you were hunched over.

_Clang! _His knee connects with your helm and sends your head along with the rest of your body back.

"Oohh..." you hear the collective sound of the audience as they react to the painful blow you just received.

"Gah!" You cry out as you flounder backwards, head dizzy and vision filled with stars. You were stumbling about, trying to regain your footing, trying to fight the daze.

"Ugh..." You say a moment later, shaking away majority of the dizziness but still find your head throbbing. You glance up at your opponent as you breathe heavily under your helmet.

Instead of following up with another attack, Bastian takes his time to gloat at you.

"Such a disappointment! I really would have thought you'd have put up a better fight!" The man chuckles lowly as he gives his sword a few swings, moving it around just to mock you. "But then again, I guess I shouldn't expect much from a pathetic nobody."

You narrow your eyes, anger filling your vision. You raise your shield and sword, readying yourself for battle. "Shut up and fight."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ow! Hey not so hard!" Anna yells as she pulls her hand away from Elsa's.

The platinum-blonde queen looks to her sister, surprised that she had been squeezing her hand a tad too hard as she watched (Y/N)'s fight.

"Oh! I'm sorry Anna!" She begins, stress clear in her voice. "But this challenge really has me on edge right now."

Anna glances at her sister, a comforting smile placed firmly on her face. "Elsa, calm down, everything's gonna be fine."

Elsa turns away from her, looking back down just to watch (Y/N) narrowly avoid a strike only to be met with a shield to his chest. Elsa winces as she watches her guard captain stumble back once more.

"Are you certain, Anna?" Elsa narrows her eyes in concern as she watches (Y/N) bring his shield up defensively. She had already determined the source of (Y/N)'s disadvantage: His armor. Back in Arendelle, Elsa could barely find the time to watch (Y/N) practice with Midnight and the guards, but whenever she could she was there. Then, (Y/N) moved much faster and more fluid than he was now. She could see it in his movements. His body was desperately trying to perform the moves and strikes he was accustomed to but was just too slow to make them happen. (Y/N) needed to find a way to catch up or else Bastian would always have an advantage over him. "(Y/N)..."

Elsa's eyes widen with slight surprise as she feels a familiar hand grip hers gently. The older sibling turns to Anna.

"Elsa? You love (Y/N) right?" Anna asks, a serious look upon her.

The older woman blushes softly, taken slightly aback by her sister's query, yet not hesitating in her response. "Of Course I do!"

"Then you know he's going to be fine right?"

"I..." Elsa hesitates. Her rational mind took hold of her again like it had during the archery shootout, causing thoughts off defeat and loss to fill her mind once more.

The woman glances down near the battle, watching her lover parry and block blow after blow unable to gain the advantage. She watched as he continued to fight. She pictured the many times when she had watched him practice and hone his skills back at the Arendelle barracks. She took joy whenever his eyes met hers during battle. She could see his confidence, his willingness to fight onwards. As she watched him struggle to maintain his ground against Bastian. Despite his wearing of a helmet, she could feel the unbridled determination in his eyes underneath the helm.

He wasn't giving up... and neither should she.

"I know... he's going to be more than fine." Elsa smiles widely at Anna, a confident look in her eyes as she mirrors (Y/N)'s courage. "He's going to win."

"Ha! Damn straight!" Anna grins brightly as she pumps a fist in the air.

"Anna! Language..." Elsa scolds slightly, remembering that they were sitting among the royal family of Corona and that they had always been taught to mind their manners as well as language.

"Whoops! My bad, sis..."

Elsa shakes her head smiling as she turns to watch the rest of the fight.

"Damn straight indeed..." Elsa repeats under her breath to avoid the other spectators from hearing her.

'You can do this (Y/N). I believe in you!'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'This isn't good!' You think, ducking a swing.

The match had been going on for roughly thirty minutes now and you had made no progress towards beating him or at the very least gaining ground on him. So far you had to use your energy just to sustain yourself against his strikes and bashes. Key word: Had. You were nearly out of stamina and you could hardly breathe in your armor. Under normal circumstances you could be in battle for hours, but the suit even the shield was pulling the stamina out of you. Fatigue was beginning to set in and largely due to the fact that it was difficult to get oxygen in your lungs because of the armor. Things were not going your way.

"Yah!" Bastian yells out as he swings down on you hard.

You quickly move backwards, nearly tripping as you go. "Gah..."

The blade barely misses you as you go. Wasting no time, you put your shield up to block yet another blow. Bastian just wouldn't let up from his assault. You struggle to maintain your footing as you stumble back slightly. You couldn't even get a swing in.

'Damn!' You think as you try to come up with some sort of retaliation, yet find yourself unable to concentrate as Bastian's blade beats down like a thunderstorm.

_Wham!_ Another blow across your shield forces you back once more before you can press an assault.

You grit your teeth. It was actually quite astounding. Here you were, a veteran warrior, even called a legend by few back in Aravan, and you couldn't even fight back due to this crippling disability of being over encumbered by a set of armor.

In all honesty, Bastian's attacks and movements were basic, amateurish even. You learned more complicated maneuvers, attacks and movements during your time as a soldier and assassin. The royal guardsmen under your command knew far more moves than Bastian did. You could block and parry against far tougher foes and in greater numbers. Many battles, you could bob and weave around the enemy forces, simultaneously fighting back and pushing an assault, but you had one advantage over those opponents: Mobility. Bastian was a far cry from some of your more challenging opponents like Reinhardt who fought with a similar style to you, but you were struggling against Bastian because your body was too restricted to effectively counter attack.

_Swish! _You step back, dodging another strike that you had seen coming several moves before.

Bastian may have been a good archer, a good hunter even, but he was by no means a warrior. His strikes and steps were undeniably predictable, and there were several spots on his armor you could've exploited if the intention was to kill him outright. The issue was that you weren't trying to kill him (even though you desperately wanted to) and even if you were, you weren't fast enough to make your strikes. This really should have been an easy win, considering how simple and predictable he was, yet you were quickly drawing more and more air, trying to supply your aching body with oxygen to rejuvenate yourself but the helm was even restricting that from you.

_Slam! _A powerful overhand swing slams into your shield as you raise it up.

You feel the fatigue force your shield down from the power of his blow. You struggle to push the blade back but are stopped by Bastian's foot slamming into your abdomen with a staggering kick, unable to lift your shield fast enough to stop it.

"Arg!" You grunt as you stumble back even more.

Bastian proceeds to swing his blade at you again, following up his kick form before.

You block with your shield and try to retaliate with a swing of your sword.

_Clang!_ The large man easily deflects it away.

You attempt to follow up with another attack, but your arm was just too slow.

Before you could even move to strike Bastian slams into you hard with his shield!

You stumble backwards, your footing all but lost.

Bastian strikes fiercely, your shield barely able to withstand the blow.

You try to regain your footing but are stopped dead in your tracks as you see Bastian pull his sword back and slam the hilt straight into your face!

"Urgh!" You grunt loudly.

You stumble back even more, nearly falling into the dirt, but Bastian didn't stop there.

You could almost feel him grinning like a madman as he slammed the hilt once more, this time punching it into your helmet with bone shattering force.

You topple backwards, the force of his punch knocking you up and back. You helmet flies off and lands in the ground several feet behind you.

The crowd lets out a loud gasp as you fall to the ground, your shield and sword falling feebly to your side.

"Argh!" You land on the ground with a loud thud, back to the ground and helm several feet away.

You breathe in heavily. 'Damn… it's over.'

Bastian steps backwards, laughing to himself as he swings around his blade in a showboating manner. Choosing not to secure the winning blow right then and there, Bastian simply laughs as he mocks you.

"I know I didn't expect you to put up much of a fight but this is just pathetic!"

He reaches up and removes his helmet, tossing it to the side. He wanted to make sure you could see his boisterous grin.

You lie still on the ground wondering why he didn't just end the fight there. According to the rules, the battle didn't end until either you or Bastian secured a fatal blow on the other, and despite being on the ground as helpless as a turtle turned over on its shell, the match still wasn't over.

"Get Up 'Ser (Y/N)'! Get up so I can put you down again!" He boasts louder as you remain silent upon the ground.

He really was so conceited that he wasn't willing to win then and there. He was going to try and milk it for as long as possible just to spite you. You narrow your eyes at the sky, breathing in and out, taking in as much air as possible.

You hear a howl fill the air. You turn your head to the side to see the origin of it.

Midnight locks her eyes with yours. The gives you look, one of fierce determination. 'It's not over.'

Midnight passes her glance at Bastian who was currently flexing his muscles as he waited for you to get up. She growls lowly at him before turning her head to you.

'He wants you to get up. So get up.' Midnight gestures, her pose becoming more aggressive.

You remain still, unsure of what to do. You close your eyes for a brief moment. You really wanted to continue. To carry on the fight and at least try to win. But even if you tried, you were still at a huge disadvantage. Despite how hard you wanted to try, another part of you wanted to end it then and there. Just give up and call-

Another howl fills the air, breaking your thoughts.

You open your eyes, Midnight staring you down intensely.

'You are not giving up!' Midnight looks over to your helmet that laid several feet away before turning back to you. 'Just… breathe.'

Your eyes widen. You could breathe! Without the helmet, you could actually take in more air. You narrow your eyebrows.

She was right.

You were not about to go down like this.

You close your eyes and breathe in again, slower this time. You feel the air enter your lungs. You can feel your blood drink in every drop. You feel your body begin to rejuvenate itself, powered by your will to fight. An urge to win.

You had not come this far into the battle to lose here! You have felt armies tremble on the battlefield as you cleaved your way through entire battalions of soldiers! You were a force, an undying blight to your enemies! You were a shadow whose blade never failed to reach its target! You were Arendelle's guardian, and you were not going to be bested by some amateur fool who thought he could take you down!

Despite whatever you might have thought before, you realize now, that when it comes to war you didn't like to lose.

No. You were not losing today.

You open your eyes, ready for battle. Ready for victory.

You lift yourself off of the ground.

"Perfect!" Bastian smirks. "Another opportunity to put you in your place, whelp!"

You narrow your eyes, a fire roaring behind them.

"You should have finished it when you had your chance." You give your sword a taunting swing. "Your overconfidence just cost you a victory."

Bastian simply scoffs. "I'm not sure where you got this energy, but let's see you act so tough after I shatter your spine!"

You smirk at him. "Go ahead and try."

You muster yourself for battle. Your body was only slightly invigorated from the air you were breathing and you could still feel the fatigue pulling you down, but you were strong enough to ignore it. Strong enough to fight through. Strong enough to win.

Bastian glares, pulling his sword up. "Yagh!"

He charges you, sword up and ready to strike. You ready yourself, anticipating his attack. You see it coming a mile away. You raise your sword, blocking his downward swing while simultaneously lifting your shield and deflect his follow up strike. He quickly tries to tackle you down with a shoulder charge but you had already anticipated and moved away, causing him to stumble forward.

As he stumbles about you lift your sword and shield in a defensive stance. You had an opportunity to press an assault but decided to defend instead.

You smirk to yourself as you defend against another flurry of attacks from a recovered Bastian.

You had figured out the key to victory. Bastian may have had experience in moving in heavy armor but he was no swordsman and his attacks were predictable. After thinking about your performance earlier in the fight, you had realized that you were so distracted with trying to attack that you had failed to see that your defense was your attack.

Bastian attempts yet another downward slash.

"Same old moves? I was under the impression we were fighting not dancing!" You say as you block again with your shield smirking as you do so.

Bastian roars angrily at you. "You pathetic whelp! I'm going to tear your head off!"

He swings down again, pouring his frustration in to it. You smile and sidestep the blow. He was getting frustrated and he was too blind to see that it was his frustration that would be one reason he was going to lose.

Bastian's predictability meant that as long as you kept your defense up Bastian couldn't do much to you. You were indeed slower than he was but if you had moved just before he began to move then you could catch his strike before he could completely perform it. You had to effectively move before Bastian could even think about making his next move just to counter the disadvantage you had from the armor. Not exactly difficult because, as you had examined before, Bastian was just too easy to predict.

You smile wider and wider as the driving force of your will to win pushes you further and further to victory. You understood the flow of battle better than he did.

"This is cute! I remember the first time I held a sword…" You taunt once more with a laugh. "Feels exciting doesn't it?"

"Yaah!" Bastian yells out as he swings again and again as you block and sidestep his strikes. "Shut your damn mouth you swine!"

Bastian unleashes a flurry of blows against your shield. You shudder as they connect, all but breaking your guard. His anger was fueling his attacks, making them more powerful and devastating. It's exactly what you were counting on.

"Erg!" You grunt as you deflect a blow to the side with your sword. "That all you got? It feels like I'm fighting a child!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

You grit your teeth as you block yet another powerful strike. He was getting angrier and angrier and his attacks reflected every aspect of it. It was actually getting difficult to keep up your guard due to the fatigue that was slowly catching up to you and you couldn't just ignore it forever. But fortunately, it looked like you wouldn't need to for much longer.

Bastian was swinging much more fervently and sloppily due to his rising temper. Despite it looking like you were holding your own, you could feel the invigoration dying down. You had to act quickly and you knew just how to do it. As you block and duck several blows, you sneak a glance at Bastian's shield arm. Bastian was so intent on cleaving you in two, that he neglected his shield. He was so bent on attacking you over and over that if you acted quickly enough, you had the perfect opportunity to break through and mount an assault of your own.

'Wait for it…' You think.

"You stupid…!" Bastian grunts as he swings again.

"Little…!" You block another blow intended for your helmetless head.

"Worthless…!" You step back and avoid a shield bash.

"Nobody!" Bastian lifts his sword up and brings it down hard.

'Now!' You think before using all of your strength to leap backwards to dodge the strike.

Bastian's sword slams into the ground, getting slightly stuck in the dirt!

'Now or never!' You think as you quickly slam your shoulder into his chest!

"Gah!" Bastian cries as he stumbles backwards.

You press your assault as you hack and slash at him. You were still much slower in your attacks than he was, but Bastian was already at a critical disadvantage with his fail blow from moments ago and couldn't defend properly, too caught off guard from your move.

You strike twice, Bastian barely blocking them both. He steps backwards being pushed away and losing ground.

You strike once more as he tries to raise his shield. He manages to block but you could feel his shield arm falter. You had the advantage and you were not going to lose it now! Before he can begin to think about counter attacking, you begin to attack again and again, repeatedly striking his sword and slamming your shield against him when he tried to block. You could feel the adrenaline pumping throughout your body! You completely forgot about the fatigue and weight of the armor and were sustained solely on your desire to win. You could feel the rush of true combat coursing through your veins!

You were alive. And it felt damn good.

You swing downwards as he barely blocks it, totally caught off guard by this sudden burst energy you had pulled from within.

You fiercely deliver a flurry of blows which Bastian manages to counter but just barely.

You swing your sword downwards twice and sunder him further.

"W-wait!" He states as he back up further away from you trying to regain his ground.

You see him trying to back up, but you were having none of that. You grip your shield and rush forward, charging him down and closing the distance.

_Wham!_ You slam hard into his shield yet he was still standing.

You grit your teeth in anger and proceed to hammer away at his defenses. It became almost rhythmic. You pour on as much damage as you could with repeated blows and strikes against his blade. He could barely keep up but was still holding his own. Although he no longer had the advantage, Bastian was still putting up a decent fight.

Bastian tries to raise his shield to block but you instinctively crash your shield into it before he can, forcing his shield arm to wobble and prevent him from trying it again. Not satisfied with denying his guard you shield slam him again and again hoping to get him to drop his shield all the while keeping up with your sword attacks in the other arm.

_Clang! Clang! _The sound of your blade overpowering Bastian's own fills the air. The audience was deathly silent. After watching you get your ass handed to you for majority of the fight, they now saw the fire in your eyes and power in your strikes. They were at the edge of their seats waiting to see if you could end it then and there, or if Bastian could get the upper hand once more.

You weren't even going to give him the chance.

You strike over and over again, the intensity increasing in every blow.

Bastian was becoming more and more weakened from your strikes. He clearly had no idea how to react or counter such a vicious assault.

Getting absolutely fed up with his defense, you decide to make a critical move.

You narrow your eyes as you raise your sword high and bring it down.

_Clang! _Bastian blocks it just in the nick of time, but was unable to stop you from attacking your real target: his shield.

You step forward and charge straight into it, using all the weight of your armor to increase your momentum and power.

_Wham! _You slam your shield directly into his.

"Agh!" He yells out.

To add insult to injury, you repeatedly slam into even more with your shield, further shattering his defense.

You lash out, the fires of war ignited within you.

Bastian was all but defeated. One final play to secure victory.

You lift your shield and slam into his twice, your sword blocking another poor attempt at retaliation from Bastian.

You forcefully push against his blade with all your might and force it away! Seizing the opportunity, you release your shield and toss it to the side! You quickly latch your now free hand to the top of his shield and begin to wrench it away!

Bastian grunts loudly as he tries desperately to hold on to it.

As you continue to pull it away, you raise your sword hand and bash his face with two punches!

You then pull the shield a bit further away from him but find his hand still gripping it tightly.

In a desperate act Bastian tries to swing his sword once more, but you were already ahead and raise your sword to deflect it away!

Before he can even try again, you use the hilt of your sword and slam it down on his wrist hold the shield, successfully freeing it from his grasp!

You smirk as you raise your sword and strike twice, Bastian being forced to block it with his sword, giving you enough time to prepare to finish the fight. You quickly plant your sword into the dirt before he can recover, needing the use of both your arms.

As Bastian fumbles about trying to regain his footing, you grip the top his shield with both hands and spin around, using the full weight and momentum of the armor to your advantage.

"YAH!" You yell as you use the shield as a bludgeon and slam into his side with all your strength.

"GAGH!" He yells as his body spins around, back facing you from the power of the blow!

You quickly toss Bastian's shield at his ankles, finally toppling him over like a house of cards!

"GAH!" He yells as he lands at your feet with a thunderous thud!

You reach to the side and free your sword from the dirt before placing a sturdy foot on his shoulder, stopping him from moving.

You grip your sword with both hands, lifting it and ready to plunge it into his exposed neck!

Bastian looks up, seeing the malice in your eyes, a look of pure fear and terror welling up in his own.

You glare angrily before plunging the sword down, the blade growing closer and closer to his neck!

Before it can pierce his skin, you remember who you are, and stop your strike with only centimeters between him and steel.

The audience was deathly silent.

Bastian's eyes were solely focused on the blade, nervous sweat pouring down his face. He directs his gaze up at you.

You let out a series of huffs, body completely exhausted from battle.

"It's over." You say in between pants. "You lose."

The referee, who had been too stunned from the battle, shakes off his stupor before stepping closer, first looking at Bastian and then to you.

"I-it's over! Ser (Y/N) has secured a killing blow! The winner is Ser (Y/N) of Arendelle!"

The crowd remained silent, too amazed at what had transpired before their eyes. From the edge of defeat, you managed to win, despite a severe disadvantage. Throughout the entire fight it had seemed that you would definitely fall to Bastian's blade. The man even had a perfect opportunity to finish you off at one point but decided to stroke his ego a bit more by prolonging the fight, a weakness that ultimately brought about his downfall. You really should have thanked him, without his painfully annoying ego, you wouldn't have had the opportunity to pull an underdog victory.

A loud cheer and fit of clapping cuts through the silence of the crowd. "YES! GO (Y/N)!"

Surprisingly you turn you head up the crowd to see the normally calm and reserved snow queen standing up, even going as far as hopping up and down out of sheer excitement as she applauds loudly, a look of pride and relief on her face.

Elsa's applause catches fire in the audience as everyone around her rises up, joining their voices with hers.

"WHOO HOO! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" Comes the voice of Olaf from atop Sven who was also smiling ear to ear.

"YES! YOU ROCK (Y/N)! WHOO!" Anna exclaims, clapping louder and louder along with everyone else.

You catch a glimpse of Kristoff giving you a smirk and supportive nod of his head.

Everick and Natalie nod their heads softly, adding their own applause. The crowd joins in, a thunderous applause and cheering erupting from the crowds of people. As the people cheer louder and louder, Midnight emits another loud triumphant howl.

You grin to yourself before looking back down at the ground at your defeated opponent. You give him a cocky smirk, the same kind of smirk that Bastian himself gave you earlier as he was boasting. You force the sword down into the dirt next to his head.

The man flinches as it goes into the ground. He was no warrior.

The official quickly steps closer to you. "I hereby declare Ser (Y/N) of Arendelle the victor!"

You grin widely before clenching your fist and raising it high above your head in triumph!

The crowd roars in approval!

The official holds out his arm, further presenting you to the crowd before stepping away to allow you to bask in the glory of victory.

You glance at the royal seating area in time to see Elsa blow you a kiss. Rapunzel and Eugene both offer excited grins and applause, with Eugene giving a loud whistle of support.

As the applause begins to die ever so slowly, you look ahead to find your best friend making her way over to you.

'Well fought!' She gestures with a smirk.

You smirk back and lay a hand upon her head, giving her a playful scratch. "Couldn't have done it without you."

The large wolf raises an eyebrow as she smirks. 'Of course you couldn't. You're completely lost without me.'

You shake your head. "Way to be modest, Midnight."

You remove your hand and take a step forward, anxious to finally remove the full plate and free your body from its restriction. As you step, your body shudders and you quickly grab onto Midnight for support.

Her ears perk up as she turns to look at you, concern in her eyes. 'Are you-?'

"I'm fine!" You reply as you regain your footing. "I'm fine, I just really need to get out of this armor… and probably take a nap. A really long nap…"

You were absolutely drained from that fight. It was as if you were lifting a weight and that weight was all over your body. It was one thing to just lift weights to help build muscle, but another entirely to be forced to fight and make such rapid movements with it on. You may not have been drained mentally, but physically, you were exhausted.

Midnight lets out a sigh of relief. 'Good. You really had me worried for a moment.'

You give her a reassuring smile before moving in the direction of your tent. No doubt your friends were going to be there to congratulate your win and you at least wanted to be out of your armor for it.

Midnight trails along behind you, following closely.

The defeated Bastian remains still on the ground, eyes wide and stunned that he lost. He looks up at the sky.

LeFou approaches, a sad look on his face. "Aw don't feel down boss! There's always next year! Maybe you could get a rematch!"

Bastian stares blankly at the sky, ignoring the shorter man's words. "I lost."

"I know, I know! But it was nothing I tell ya! That guy just got lucky! It was just a fluke that he beat you!"

"He beat me." Bastian echoes, voice sounding distant and contemplative.

"Listen Bastian, you can't get too down about it… I mean you can't win 'em all right?"

Bastian's eyes flare up in anger deep from within them.

"Even YOU have to lose-Ack!"

"NO!" Bastian yells as he reaches up to grab LeFou's collar. "I NEVER lose!"

Bastian shoves the smaller man away and moves to get on his feet. The large man glares angrily as he looks around. His eyes settle on a bow and set of arrows on a nearby rack.

You continue on your path back to the tent, body too drained to pay attention to the commotion behind you.

"_Whoa Whoa, You can't just shoot-!" _The Sound LeFou is cut off abruptly.

"_Never tell me what I can and can't do! Now out of my way!" _Bastian says loudly as the sound of LeFou being shoved away fills the air.

'Shoot?!' Midnight thinks as she hears the voices.

Midnight's perk up as she hears the sound of tension building from a bowstring.

She turns her head to find Bastian aiming an arrow directly at her best friend's head. 'No!'

Bastian, full malice in his eyes releases the arrow, cutting through the air as it flies.

Midnight narrows her eyes and moves to intercept. She throws herself in between the arrow and its target, fangs out and ready! She leaps forward and catches the arrow in her jaw just before it hits! She rolls to the side, regaining her ground and snapping the arrow in half instantly.

You turn your head, now fully aware of the situation, eyes wide at what had just occurred. "What the…?"

Midnight stares down the shooter, eyes full of absolute RAGE and ANIMOSITY, all directed at one person.

The crowd gasps, appalled at Bastian's action.

You find yourself going wide-eyed, not expecting him to be so bold as to attempt murder in front of so many people. Your vision goes over to Midnight who had ceased her menacing growls. You were more surprised that she didn't just flat out charge Bastian down and ripped him to shreds then and there. If you knew Midnight, you knew that she wouldn't hesitate to do it.

You turn to look at the shooter, now understanding why Midnight didn't attack. She couldn't.

Bastian was almost completely frozen in a block of ice and unable to move. His head was uncovered to allow him to breathe, but he was completely immobilized and was not going anywhere. You glance up at the audience.

The snow queen was on her feet, hand extended outwards and aimed directly at Bastian. There was still a small amount of snow swirling around her palm, symbolizing she was more than ready to unleash another torrent. Elsa stares Bastian down, a burning fury behind them. You were actually unable to tell who looked more dangerous: Elsa or Midnight.

Elsa narrows her eyes, the snow beginning to swirl more violently around her hand. She could end his life right now if she wanted to, and she definitely looked like she wanted to. All it would take is wave of her hand.

As Elsa glares at Bastian with the all intensity of a winter storm, she tenses up as she feels a warm hand upon her shoulder. She glances at the owner, finding King Everick trying to calm her. Elsa turns back to Bastian, the growing storm in her palm not showing any signs of slowing of dissipating.

"Your highness…" Everick begins.

Elsa doesn't react, choosing only to remain focused on her target.

"Elsa." He says, pouring every ounce of sincerity into his voice. "Please."

Elsa remains still, body tense and unresponsive. She moves her eyes around, looking first at you, then to Midnight, then to the others beside her. She moves her eyes back to Bastian, who himself was clearly shuddering with fear under the layer of ice.

A moment passes.

Elsa closes her eyes and exhales deeply, lowering her hand, melting away some of the ice on Bastian's body. Not all of it, however, leaving a thick layer on his arms to prevent him from taking action. Elsa shoots one more furious glare before turning away and walking past everyone else to leave the seating area.

As you watch Elsa leave, you hear Everick speak up, his voice contained yet clearly filled with disappointment and anger.

"This is a new low for you Bastian." Everick raises his hand and watches as several royal guardsmen quickly approach and hold on to Bastian, further impeding his movement. Maximus makes his presence known by striding up to Bastian and keeping a close eye on him. He then moves his head to look up at the king, waiting for orders.

"Maximus has informed me that you've been exceptionally rude and cruel to many people in the past, but I had never anticipated you to act in such a manner! Your poor attitude is one thing, but to attempt murder on a foreign dignitary who happens to be close the reigning monarch of said nation?! Unacceptable!"

He looks down at Maximus. "Lock him up. I'll deal with him after the tourney."

Maximus nods his head before glancing at his guardsmen and giving a nod. The men proceed to lift Bastian up, armor and all and begin to drag him away.

"N-no! I should have won! Me!" Bastian yells as he is dragged, mind finally caught up to the situation he was in. "I am the true champion! Get your hands off of me!"

The man looks over to you. "YOU! OF COURSE YOU'D RELY ON YOUR BITCH TO SAVE YOU! THIS ISN'T OVER!"

You clench your fist. You didn't know if he was referring to Midnight or Elsa, but it didn't make you any less enraged at his words. He continues shout and yell all manner of expletives aimed at you. You shake your head and move over to Midnight who was still glaring menacingly.

"Hey." You say, resting a comforting hand on her. "It's over, Mid."

The wolf doesn't move for a moment, but does cease her growls for a moment.

Another moment passes before she begins to move again, turning her body away and beginning to move in the direction of the tent letting out a huff as she goes.

As you watch her go, you turn to look at the shrinking form of Bastian as he is dragged off by Maximus and his guard.

You shake your head and turn away, following Midnight to your tent.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'That pathetic piece of trash!' Midnight growls loudly as she rests on your bed. 'That scum deserves much more than imprisonment.'

"Easy Midnight…" You say, attempting to calm her down.

The wolf only turns her head away from you, huffing slightly. 'I still think he deserved at least another beating...'

After recuperating from your bout with Bastian, you had decided to adjourn to your room for some much needed rest. You friends had all followed you in order to properly congratulate your victory, and to check on you as well. Everick had even showed to formally apologize for the actions of one of his citizens. Having seen the horrors of war and conquest first hand, you had waved Bastian's attempted murder off, choosing not to dwell on the subject and even asking the others not to think too much of it for their sake. Although extremely hesitant to resist talking about it, they had reluctantly agreed to let it go for now. After much praise was had, Anna took the liberty of suggesting a celebrating at the tourney grounds, where a feast was being prepared for all the tourney participants and esteemed royal guests. It was a touching gesture, but partying was honestly the last thing on your mind and urged them to go on ahead without you. Now only Midnight and Elsa were with you in your room.

"And to think… I could have ended him right then and there." Elsa adds, her voice wavering slightly as she folds her arms, rubbing them slightly. "It would have been easy."

You frown a bit as you see her. She was clearly distraught over her reaction to the situation earlier in the day. It had been the first time since her coronation day where she actively used her powers to hurt someone. Even though it was against someone as vile as Bastian, she still absolutely hated using her powers to harm.

Midnight, sensing her turmoil, lifts herself off the bed and steps a bit closer to Elsa. 'You know… as much as I think that worthless scum deserved it, it was good that you didn't.'

Midnight sighs a bit, clearly not enjoying the sight of Elsa's self-doubt. 'If it had been me in the same position, I know I would have just killed him. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for Elsa.'

"I… Thank you, Midnight." Elsa replies, laying a warm hand upon Midnight and lightly stroking her fur.

Midnight gives a nod before turning to look at you. 'If you need anything, I'm heading down to the tourney grounds to find the others.'

"Really? I thought you weren't much of a party animal." You say with a joking grin as you watch her make her way to the door.

'I'm not. I can't stand parties.' Midnight shakes her head before looking downwards a bit. 'But the party is where all the food is.'

You chuckle lightly as you move over to the door. "Don't have too much fun, Mid."

The wolf rolls her eyes as she smiles at you before turning away and stepping out the door, stomach rumbling up a storm. Even though the party didn't actually start for another hour or so, you knew she was going to try her hand at scoring some food before then.

You close the door and turn around to see Elsa standing on the balcony overlooking the city. The tournament had ended nearly two hours ago and the sun was just beginning to go down. You pause for a moment to take in the sight of Elsa, back facing you as she overlooks the city below with the sunset washing over her in a beautiful display of red and orange. The sight was breathtaking.

You make your way behind her and lean against the doorframe as she remains looking out at the sunset. "Something on you mind?"

Elsa doesn't move, choosing to remain still as she rubs her arms.

Frowning, you step away from the doorframe and move closer to her, wrapping your arms around her waist and hugging her close to you. "Elsa, talk to me."

You feel Elsa's body loosen up as she leans into your hold.

"I almost lost it today..." She says finally, sighing as she does.

"Lost it?"

"Control. I almost… Almost…" Elsa doesn't finish, knowing that you were aware of what she was referring to. You could feel her body's temperature drop slightly as you held her.

"And the worst part about it, is that I don't… I don't know…" Elsa trials off, not wanting to finish her statement.

"Don't know what?" You ask.

"I don't know what is worse. The fact that I did it in the first place or the fact that there was a part of me that wanted so desperately to go farther…"

Elsa's temperature dips even more. "To end his life right there."

"Elsa-" You begin, only to be cut off.

"I was just so mad! So angry that he tried to kill you! That he tried…" Elsa pauses, looking down slightly. "To take you away from me."

Elsa frees herself from your hold and moves to the balcony, leaning on it. "Does that make me a bad person? Does it make me weak?"

You move close to her. "No it doesn't."

You gently place your hands on her shoulders and turn her to face you. "Elsa you are the most kind and amazing woman I've ever met. You were protecting someone, not attacking blindly because you wanted to. You are not a bad person."

Elsa looks down again, guilt in her eyes. "But I wanted-"

"Hey," You say placing a finger under her chin and softly lifting her chin up to meet her eyes. "When it comes to the people you care about, emotions can become complicated. All these things begin to flash in your mind; all the memories and dreams take hold of you and your body just reacts to what it's feeling."

You remove your finger from under her chin, smiling at her with as much warmth as possible. "The only things that mattered was that you didn't do something you'd regret and you were still just protecting someone you cared about."

Elsa blinks thinking over your words. She begins to smile softly, matching your warmth. "I… Thank you (Y/N). I needed to hear that."

You grin and pull her in for a hug. As she rests against your chest, listening to her heartbeat, you decide to give her a reminder of just why she was so strong.

"Anyone can destroy… It takes a truly great person, a truly strong one to protect."

Elsa moves back slightly, arms still around you, yet still space on between. She removes one hand and places it behind your neck, pulling you down for a kiss. You eagerly meet her lips.

You break away a moment later, with Elsa sighing happily as she leans back against your chest.

The two of you remain still as the rays of the Corona sunset washes over you.

"Are we ever going to get a normal vacation?" Elsa asks.

"Ha!" You reply chuckling as you do. "One of these days, we're going to the beach, just the two of us."

"I'd love that." Elsa giggles.

"You know… I think the party at the grounds is about to start if you wanted to head down."

You personally were going to try and rest to regain some of your strength, but that didn't mean Elsa had to miss out on the festivities.

"If it's alright with you, I think I'd like to stay here." She replies as she releases herself from your grasp, moving over to the bed. She reaches up and waves her hand to allow her dress to fall off. Clad in just her bra and panties, she looks back to you with a playful smile on her face.

Blushing slightly you step a bit closer, a grin of your own finding its way to your face. "You know, I'm still pretty beat from earlier but if you want me to start 'Making it up' to you, I'd be more-"

Elsa shakes her head before she suddenly leans up and steals another passionate kiss.

"That's sweet (Y/N), but as you said before," She begins, pulling away and moving to sit in the bed. "You need your rest."

You give her a slight pout before moving to the bed.

Elsa giggles as she pushes you away just before you can make it.

"Hey!" You say chuckling and wondering what she was playing at.

"Not in those clothes. They look uncomfortable."

You playfully roll your eyes.

After carefully removing your clothing so that just your undergarments remained, you gladly slip under the covers with Elsa.

"That's much better." She says, snuggling against you.

You could feel the warmth of her body as you hold her close. You smile softly as you begin to stroke her back, massaging her slightly.

"Goodnight Elsa."

You patiently wait for an answer but find Elsa already fast asleep, calmed by the rhythmic beating of your heart.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Gonna keep this short and sweet so I can get this out to you fast as possible. **

**I'm super sorry for the delay, and I'm definitely trying to get better, so please bear with me. **

**Like I said before. I'm not done yet. **

**With that outa the way…**

**Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with me so far!**

**Til next time everyone, bye!**


	30. Chasing the Horizon

**Another chapter? This soon?! And you didn't even have to wait three months this time!**

**Warning: The following chapter contains graphic material. **

**On another note, the 'Explicit' material in the chapter may seem a bit Out of Character, but it's really just me taking a shot at trying something a bit different. That being said: Please enjoy! **

**I know I had a blast writing it!**

**P.S. Has anyone seen Brother Bear?**

Chapter 30: Chasing the Horizon

"I'm not totally sure what happened to the king of thieves after the wedding but if I know my dad at all, he's definitely having fun somewhere out in the world." Aladdin says with a proud grin as he finishes his story. "I just hope he and Iago aren't getting into _too_ much trouble."

It was the final day all of you were in Corona. Ever since you had defeated Bastian in chivalrous combat, Elsa had finally got her wish of a normal vacation. You had spent the last few days simply enjoying the rest of Corona's fall festival. No outrageous challenges, no devious ex to interfere, and no more terrifying looks directed at your best friend. In honor of concluding the festivities, there was a grand city-wide party. The entire city was laughing and dancing until the dawn. While the citizens of Corona celebrated with joy, the royal guests were offered a much more peaceful celebration in the castle courtyard. The whole courtyard was filled with candlelit tables and various servants and waiters were pleasantly serving all those in attendance. The whole scene looked like a fancy restaurant under the moonlight. Although many dignitaries were actually out in the town partying with the Corona citizens, there were also many that decided to attend the final dinner at the castle. Among them were the prince and Princess of Agrabah: Aladdin and Jasmine. Despite the noise of the city partying in the distance, it was a rather peaceful event and a perfect way to end your stay in Corona.  
Off in the distance was the king and queen, laughing merrily along as they joke and talk with many other guests. Sitting at your dinner table was a trio of couples all sharing stories and adventures. The princess and prince consort of Corona, the prince and princess of Agrabah, and the fabled snow queen and her captain.

Anna was more inclined to join the loud celebrations amongst the other citizens along with Kristoff, Olaf Sven, and Pascal, but promised they'd all make it back to the courtyard to spend more time with everyone else before the night was over. Midnight, as anyone would expect of her, was in her room sleeping off a massive food coma she had gained from the past few days of festivities, but also promised to make it down later in the evening.

You smile widely as Aladdin finishes his story, with Elsa sitting beside you, leaning against you as you hold her close with an arm around her shoulders. "Wow. Never a dull moment in your lives is there?"

Jasmine laughs playfully. "I know once in a blue moon we do get to relax."

Beside you, Elsa manages a curious grin as well as she turns to Aladdin. "And you've come to terms with his former… profession?"

Aladdin and Jasmine give each other a knowing smile before Aladdin turns to answer. "To be honest… while I know that he's changed for the better, I still can't help but be a little angry with him. I mean he left me and my mother alone, and when she died I had no one. So there is a little bit of a stigma there."

Aladdin pauses briefly, contemplating what he was going to say. "Despite all of that though, he is my father after all and I still care about him. He might not have been there at first but when it really mattered…"

The man glances at his wife, taking her hand. "He was there for me, and that is all I ever wanted."

"That's a really lovely way to think of it, Aladdin." Elsa says with a smile.

Eugene and Rapunzel smile brightly as well, with Eugene leaning forward just a bit. "That is quite the tale though! The Hand of Midas! Why didn't I think to steal that?"

You chuckle lightly at Eugene as he ponders what he could have done with the hand.

Rapunzel giggles as well before adopting a more curious look. "Wait so I'm still a little curious about one thing."

Aladdin turns to look at her. "What's that?"

"What ever happened to the rest of the thieves? You know the ones that weren't on the island."

Jasmine and Aladdin exchange an odd look with one another.

"You know…" Jasmine begins, turning to face Rapunzel. "We never really thought about that."

"I imagine without a leader, there would be no reason or order. I suppose they might've found a new one but something tells me that's not the case. So who knows? Maybe they're still around, maybe they're not. I guess there's no real way to tell."

"The hand of Midas though…" Eugene interjects, mind still dwelling on the mystical hand and what he could have done before he had met Rapunzel. "Do you think it might still be there? On the ship?"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel nudges her husband.

"What?" He say with a sheepish grin. "I'm just curious!"

"Ha!" Aladdin lets out a chuckle. "If I had to guess, sure! It could still be there, but I'm not sure how anyone could get to the bottom of the sea to pull it out."

"I dunno, I can hold my breath for a pretty long time…" He says, rubbing his chin and pondering a way to retrieve the hand.

"Eugene!"

You all share a laugh as Rapunzel playfully swats her husband's shoulder.

"Sorry! It's my inner thief talking!" He adds in between laughs.

You all let your laughs die down as you enjoy each other's company.

"You know, I've actually been meaning to ask you about that." You say, turning your head over to Rapunzel and Eugene. "You said the two of you met after Eugene tried to steal your crown…"

"Ha! You mean after I successfully stole the crown!" He replies with a proud smile. "Oh boy, that was an eventful week!"

"Yep! That's how it all started." Rapunzel finishes, smiling along with her husband. "What did you wanna ask (Y/N)?"

"Well, I've only heard stories about the whole thing and I was wondering if you could maybe tell us what really happened."

To the side of you, your lover's eyes light up as she smiles.

"I must say, I am pretty curious myself." Elsa says.

"Oh you all want to hear about that whole thing, do you?" Eugene asks.

"Sure!" Aladdin chimes in, a genuine look of curiosity on his face. "From what you've said so far, it all sounds really interesting!"

Rapunzel and Eugene exchange a look, wondering if they should tell the story or not.

Rapunzel smiles and looks over to her husband. "You want to tell this one, Hun?"

Eugene raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You love telling this story!"

The brunette woman smiles softly. "True, but you tell it better."

Eugene grins and leans down to plant a tender kiss on her cheek. The man turns to face you, looking around at all those seated at the table. "Okay. So, this is the story of how I died. But don't worry, this is actually a fun story, and the truth is, it isn't even mine. This is the story of a girl named Rapunzel, and it starts with the sun. Now, once upon a time a single drop of sun grew a magic golden flower…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Really? Your hair can glow?" Jasmine asks, looking at Rapunzel with a surprised expression.

"Hey, I was just as surprised as you are." Eugene chimes in as he recalls the event.

"Well it used to before I cut it." She replies with a grin.

You were about halfway through Rapunzel's tale, and you couldn't be more hooked on the story. Rapunzel and Eugene's story was unbelievably captivating and both you and Elsa along with Aladdin and Jasmine were eagerly waiting for her to continue. It was one thing to hear the story from other people who themselves only heard it from someone else, but it was another thing entirely to hear it first hand from one of the people who had actually went through the whole ordeal. It was a surprisingly charming story full of wit and humor, but you might have attributed that to Rapunzel's own natural charm and grace resonating throughout her words.

"It used to be a sort of golden blonde as well, but it doesn't look like that anymore now that it isn't magical."

"Ah I see." Jasmine replies. "Do you ever miss having it, though?"

"Well, I had grown up with it for so long, I did feel a bit sad after I cut it. It was like losing a part of me that I honestly never thought I'd be without since I always had it. I didn't even know brown was my actual hair color! But I'm glad I did, because if I hadn't…" Rapunzel pauses, looking at her husband and softly taking his hand and exchanging a look with everyone else. "Well, we'll get to that part a bit later!"

"So anyways," Rapunzel begins, trying to recall her place in the story. "After using my hair to light the way for us, we escaped the cave only to find ourselves taking refuge in the forest nearby. At this point we…"

As the brunette princess continues her tale, you look to her side to find her husband's eyes suddenly go wide as if he had realized something. The man look to Rapunzel and gently taps her shoulder, getting her attention.

The young princess stop and looks at him. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes, we have-" Eugene is about to continue, but stops himself as he looks around at the guests seated at the table. He quickly leans in and begins to whisper in her ear to not to allow everyone else to hear the conversation.

You didn't really make out what he was saying but you were sure you heard the name Kristoff mentioned one or twice. That's when you yourself had realized something. Tonight was the last night in Corona. If Kristoff was going to propose, then this night is the last night he'd get the chance.

'So that's what this is about…' You think as a smile finds its way onto your face.

"Oh that's right!" Rapunzel says loudly as her husband finishes his statement.

The woman rises from her seat with an ecstatic grin and practically bouncing with joy as she pulls her husband out of his chair as well. The younger woman looks at you all with a sly grin. "I almost forgot! We have to go take care of something really, really important!"

"Hmm…" You begin, having a feeling you knew exactly what she was referring to. "What are you taking care of?"

"Don't you worry one bit (Y/N)!" Eugene answers with a knowing smirk. "You'll find out soon enough!"

"Remember where we left off," Rapunzel gives a courteous bow. "I promise we'll pick up when we get back!"

Eugene gives a nod before turning to lead Rapunzel away from the table and back to the castle.

"Huh, that was weird…" Aladdin speaks up as he watches them walk off and out of sight. "Anyone know what that was about?"

You send a smile in the direction they had walked off. "I might have a few ideas."

"Well I guess while we're waiting for them to get back, we'll hit up the buffet table again." Aladdin says as he and Jasmine stand up from the table.

"Did you want us to bring you back anything?" Jasmine asks, looking at you and Elsa.

"I'm good, thanks." You reply.

"Your highness?" Jasmine asks, looking at your lover.

"None for me, but I appreciate the offer." Elsa says, with a polite smile and shake of her head.

The Prince and Princess give a smile before turning and making their way over to the buffet table, no doubt eager to sample more of the fine cuisine prepared by the chefs of Corona.

"You have some ideas?" The platinum-blonde woman beside you says as she turns to look at you.

"Well, just one idea actually," You pause your statement to reach for your glass of champagne, lifting it to take a small sip before setting it down again. "But let's just see what they've got in store shall we?"

Elsa looks at you, raising an eyebrow. "You make it sound as if they had already been planning something…"

"Oh they've definitely been planning something all week, but beyond that they wouldn't tell me anything."

"What about this idea of yours?" She asks.

You simply send a smile her way, chuckling to yourself. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we're going to find out soon anyways."

"You're not going to tell me?"

You shake your head slightly. "If I told you, you'd probably just figure out what the whole thing is about! Where's the fun in that?"

Elsa narrows her eyes at you before shifting them to another, entirely different set of eyes.

"Please? Pretty Please, (Y/N)?" She asks trying her best to channel her sister's best pouty puppy dog face. Elsa herself can be pretty damn adorable whenever she wanted to be, but there was this certain power she had in her demeanor that made things like her puppy dog impression less effective. Of course Anna would have been able to pull it off easily, but this was just another thing that separated the two of them personality-wise. Elsa was just too strong a woman for the puppy eyes to work, but it really was unbelievably cute whenever she tried. Now, if she had DEMANDED you to do so, not only would it have been difficult to resist, but it would have also been a powerful turn-on. It was definitely one of Elsa's most attractive qualities and it always drew a bush to your face whenever you saw her deomonstrate her queenly authority and power. You wondered just what it would be like if she demonstrated that control and power in the bedroom…

You blush slightly at the thought before pushing them away for a moment to answer her. "You're just the cutest thing ever, aren't you?"

Elsa frowns. "You're not going to tell me are you?"

You chuckle before turning to plant a kiss on the top of her head before giving her a playful laugh. "Afraid Not."

Elsa drops her pout and sighs. "Worth a try."

The two of you remain silent for a few moments before Elsa decides to speak up once again. "Considering that this is our final night here, I do have one thing I want to ask."

You sit quietly, awaiting her question.

"Did you have a good time?" She asks.

"To be honest," You begin as the event of the entire week flash through our mind briefly. "I'd say I had an amazing time here. All the food, the events and festivities, everything was just spectacular! And to tell you the truth… besides the whole 'trying to kill me' thing, I actually did enjoy fighting against Bastian during the tournament. So yes! Overall, I had an amazing time."

You look into Elsa's eyes. "What about you?"

Elsa smiles, turning her head to meet your eyes. "You know, the whole beginning of this trip was undeniably rough. I came into it thinking it would have been a bad idea and the first couple of days made it me believe it was true. What with Isabela's sad attempt to steal you away, and the incident at the tournament. I really did think that this whole trip was nothing but trouble and was even thinking of just leaving the kingdom early. But the past few days has been absolutely phenomenal. It was good that we did this, (Y/N). I'm happy that we even got the chance to in the first place."

"I'm glad we did too, love." You say with a wide grin. A suggestive smirk finds its way to your face. You still had something to do for Elsa. Something you know she's wanted ever since the tourney had ended.

You smirk and lean to whisper in her ear, your breath brushing against it, tickling her ever so slightly.

"You know Elsa… I still have to 'Make it up' to you."

You can feel her blush bright as you speak, but nevertheless return your suggestive grin with one of her own. After experiencing the pleasure of it all after the ball, she was looking forward to the next time the two of you could have another night of passion and was actually wondering if there was anything else the two of you could try.

"T-that you do captain," She replies, stammering slightly, not expecting you to bring it up so suddenly. "D-did you have something in mind?"

You glance to your left and right, making sure none of the other guests sitting in the courtyard were looking at you. While the two of you didn't like flaunting your relationship publicly, but if you were teasing her incognito, then you were sure no one would mind, would they? You knew Elsa wouldn't mind at all.

You smirk and continue to whisper in her ear, moving a hand underneath the table and begin to very gently begin to trace a hand along her thigh.

She shivers at your touch, closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip as you do so, her mind filling itself with all sorts of vivid images. You make sure to be as discreet as possible so not to draw attention to yourselves. Elsa manages to do the same, desperately resisting the urge to gasp as you continue to tease her.

"Well your majesty, we still have a little time-" You stop as your ears pick up the unmistakable sound of a prince and princess approaching.

You quickly remove your hand from her thigh, causing a noticeable pout to form on her face. You give her a playful smile and lean in to plant a gentle kiss on her lips before Aladdin and Jasmine arrive.

"Hold on to that thought! We'll definitely come back to it later…"

"Hey guys, have you tried this cake?" Aladdin asks, setting his plate of cake down before turning to pull Jasmine's chair out for her.

"Can't say I have. Is it good?" You ask as Aladdin sits down.

"It's great! Almost too good!"

You give a chuckle as you watch the man dig excitedly into his cake. "It certainly looks like it."

Elsa, having shaken off her brightly reddened cheeks, turns to look at Jasmine. "Quite the appetite he has."

Jasmine giggles. "I think it's more the fact that after tonight, he won't get any more Corona delicacies."

Aladdin takes a big gulp, swallowing his cake before turning to look at Elsa. "Ha! Guilty as charged!"

You all share a laugh as Aladdin and Jasmine resume enjoying their Corona desserts.

"So (Y/N)…" Aladdin speaks up as he finishes another bite of cake. "Before we left for the table, you said you knew where Rapunzel and Eugene went?"

"Well not exactly, I just had a little bit of an idea."

"Really? What do you think they're doing?"

You smirk as something catches the corner of your eye. You turn your head to the upper platform of the courtyard, a knowing smile on your face. "Oh I think we're all about to find out right now…"

As you look on at the platform, the others sitting at your table turn their gaze up to see where you were looking.

Taking the platform and getting all eyes on the courtyard on them was none other than Anna, Kristoff, Eugene, and Rapunzel. In Kristoff's hand was his trusty lute. Rapunzel and Anna step up closer to the edge of the platform to overlook everyone in the courtyard. Nearly all eyes were on the quartet, and deathly silent as well. They both had matching smiles and unbridled confidence in their visage.

"(Y/N)…" Elsa whispers as she watches her sister up on stage. "What's going on?"

You grin and pull her closer to you. "Looks I was right about my idea."

"Your idea?"

"Shh…" You gently whisper, looking up as you do. "I think they're about to start."

"Ooh! Has the show started?" A familiar voice rings in your ears. "We're not late are we?"

You and Elsa both turn your head to the side to see Olaf, Sven and Pascal approach. The little snowman was trailing behind Sven at a quick pace with Pascal hanging out on one of Sven's antlers.

"The show?" Elsa asks, looking at Olaf with a curious face. "They're preforming a show?"

'Yep! They told us to be back here in the courtyard before it started.' Sven gestures. 'Although they didn't tell us what kind of show it was…'

The reindeer moves to the side of the table and sets himself down while Olaf climbs over and sits down on one of the newly empty chairs at your table. "Think it's a song? I hope it's a song!"

You move your mouth to say something but stop as you hear the princess of Corona speak up from the stage as she addresses the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! First off, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for attending our final banquet and especially thank you all for attending our fall celebration! With that said, it is after all the final night-"

These words cause quite a number of guests to moan and sigh in sadness, not wanting to leave the celebrations.

"I know, I know. It's a total bummer but it had to end sometime, right?" Rapunzel says with a slightly saddened smile. "But to help close the festivities, all of us up here on stage would like to offer you all a very special treat tonight!"

The young woman looks over at Anna then to Kristoff and her husband. "You see we've all been planning something very special for the past few days…"

Her gaze lingers on Kristoff for just a little bit longer before she turns back to the crowd.

"And we'd love to share it with you all in honor of the waning hours of the festival! So without further pause, please enjoy!"

The brunette princess smiles happily before turning to Anna and the others up on the platform, sending a few mumbles to one another as they prepare to show everyone just what was in store. You see Anna and Eugene send a few thumbs up to everyone else before taking their positions on the stage.

Rapunzel and Anna were standing side by side whilst Eugene stood a few steps behind them and Kristoff was to the side, lute in hand and ready to play.

You can feel Elsa shake with anticipation, curious to what Anna along with everyone else has in store.

As the quartet on stage finishes their preparations, a low bark causes you to look to your side.

'Am I too late?' You turn your head to see Midnight casually, if a bit drowsily, stepping closer to you.

"Not at all, they're just about to start." You reply with a grin.

'Ah good. Anna told me she had something planned but I didn't think it would be something like this.' She says, setting herself down next to your chair. 'This should be interesting.'

You reach out and give her a playful scratch before turning back to look at the stage. "No kidding."

Back on stage, Rapunzel nods her head over at Kristoff. The blonde man gives her a thumbs up and begins to strum away on his lute, playing a soft and gentle series of notes. It was very smooth and pleasant, with each note being played with perfect precision.

As he continues to play, Anna steps forward.

_The window is open, so's that door_

_I didn't think they did that anymore, _

_At last I see the shining light of day…_

As soon as she finishes her verse, Rapunzel steps up and begins to sing.

_All those days watching from the windows_

_All those years outside looking in_

_All that time never even knowing_

_Just how blind I've been_

At the apex of her verse Anna steps closer again, her voice joining Rapunzel's with Eugene adding as well as Kristoff continues to strum, a nervous look on his face as he looks over at Anna.

_And for the first time in forever… I see the light!_

_For the first time in forever … It's like the fog has lifted!_

_And it's warm and real and bright! _

_We'll be dancing through the night!_

_All at once, for the first time in forever…_

_All I see is you…_

As the four of them continue to sing, you manage to pass a glance at Elsa. She was smiling brighter than the sun as she watched her sister perform on the stage, pride and happiness on her face. You reach your free hand down and take hold of one of hers. The platinum-blonde queen continues to smile wide as she holds it tight. You move your eyes over to your friends to find them all equally captivated by the music. Olaf looked about ready to burst with joy while Sven looked over at his best friend with a look of confidence. Sven knew what Kristoff as going to do and he was more than ready for him to ask his question. Pascal looked ready to fall asleep, completely soothed by the music filling the air. It was just so peaceful and heartwarming. Midnight was not an emotional wolf, or rather she just didn't like showing it off to others, but even she couldn't help but smirk as she watched them sing.

Off in the distance, Everick and Natalie beam with pride as they watch their daughter and son in law sing upon the stage. You turn back to witness the apex of their song as they sing.

_And at last I see the light! _

_But it's only for today… _

_And at last I see the light! _

_I'll never be afraid! _

The music begins to slow and decrescendo as they near the final verses of their song. As theydo so, you can see Anna look around to glance at Kristoff, love in her eyes.

_Cause for the first time in forever… Everything is different…_

_Now that I'm with you._

Kristoff sends her a loving smile back as gradually slows and slows his notes until finally ending it altogether with a harmonious chord.

As they finish their song, the whole crowd of people rise out of their seats and begin to applause and cheer louder and louder. Everyone at your table was already up on their feet, cheering louder than anyone in the yard, except maybe the king and queen of Corona themselves. Elsa was smiling proudly as she watched her sister bow in gratitude for all the applause.

"Yay! That was incredible! Encore, Encore!" Olaf yells as he hops up and down in his seat.

Aladdin brings a hand up to his mouth and lets out a loud whistle.

The four on stage smile brightly as they bow to the applauding crowd.

You see Kristoff set his lute down, a nervous look on his face as he eyes Anna as she bows again. The man steps forward slowly as the cheers begin to die down, the attention being drawn to the blonde man.

"Um… hey everyone! Oh wow how does Elsa do this?" Kristoff mumbles nervously as he looks out at the crowd. "In addition to the song you all just heard, I also have something special planned that I have to do tonight."

You reach down and grasp Elsa's hand, not sure how she'd react to Kristoff's 'special' thing he needed to do tonight.

Rapunzel and Eugene give each other a knowing smile before stepping back a few steps to give all the attention to Kristoff and Anna.

The strawberry-blonde princess was just as confused as everyone as she watch Kristoff move closer to her. "K-Kristoff? What's going on?"

The blonde man merely smiles before reaching down and taking both her hands in his. "Listen Anna… I just really need to get something off my chest right now…"

"Oh my god…! Are you breaking up with me?"

"What? N-no! God no!" Kristoff says quickly to reassure her.

"Just let me finish okay?" He asks with a slight sigh in his voice.

The younger woman nods her head, still unsure of what was going on.

"Listen Anna, I…" Kristoff pauses, unsure of how to continue. "Where do I even begin?"

"You know, back when I was a little kid, when it was just me and Sven against the world, I never thought my life would turn out the way it is right now. I'm glad I was wrong, because everything turned out absolutely amazing. I can remember when we first met and you had told me that you were going to marry a guy you had met only hours before. I thought to myself: 'Wow this woman is crazy'. And let's be honest, I wasn't totally wrong on that one."

The crowd lets out a subtle laugh as Anna playfully shoves him back a bit, tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she senses the sincerity in his voice. Kristoff chuckles before taking her hands once again.

"But in all seriousness… I'm actually glad that relationship didn't work out, because if it did then I wouldn't know what to do anymore. When I'm with you, I just feel incredible and complete. I never imagined that I'd ever meet someone as beautiful, amazing, caring, optimistic, loving, selfless, bubbly and kind as you. But now that I have met you, I can't possibly imagine life without you."

The blonde man grins as he watches Anna, tears now flowing freely, let go of his hands to bring hers up to over her mouth, resisting the urge to cry loudly her mind already assuming Kristoff's intent.

"Now with that being said, I already talked it over with my folks and they're totally cool with my decision. Let me make it official…" Kristoff says as he reaches down into his pocket. He narrows his eyes as he removes his hand and pats down the other pockets on his person, clearly not finding what he needed to find. "Now where did I put… Oh!"

He grins and looks out at the crowd, waving his hand over at Olaf and Sven. Olaf smiles and waves back enthusiastically.

"Hi!" Olaf yells with a happy smile. Sven glances at Olaf and nudges him with a hoof.

"Oh that's right!" He exclaims. He reaches up and brushes off a tuft of snow on his head to reveal Kristoff's ring box. He grins and pulls the box out of his head, smiling widely as he tosses it over to Sven. The reindeer gives it a gentle swat with his hoof. The ring box goes flying through the air and lands into Kristoff's open palm.

The blonde man smiles widely, waving at the two. "Thanks guys!"

He turns his attention to Anna, eyes filled with nothing but love. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is…"

He takes a step back and leans drops down to one knee, opening the box to reveal a beautiful silver ring and presenting it to her.

"Anna, will you marry me?"

The people around remain deathly silent, anticipating the princess' response. Anna, with tears of joy streaming down her face, reaches down and grabs him by the collar, lifting him off of his knees and on his feet.

"You're such a sappy guy, Kristoff!" She says playfully as she continues to cry happily.

"So is that a yes?" He asks with a smile.

"What do you think?" Anna shakes her head at him before pulling him down to passionately lock lips with him.

Kristoff, slightly taken aback by her response, wraps his arms around her waist as he deepens their kiss.

The crowd erupts into a thunderous applause, all happy for the newly engaged couple. You join in the applause, with Elsa doing the same albeit a bit more softly. To the side of you Olaf begins to sob tears of joy. Sven gives the pair a wide grin followed by a tear or two of his own, clearly happy for his best friend.

The pair breaks away from their kiss to smile out at the crowd, waving as the cheering continues. Kristoff and Anna turn their attention to the reigning monarch of Arendelle, Anna giving her an excited look while the blonde man gives a look that seems like he was asking permission. Elsa, at first gives him an unamused stare before softening her gaze and giving him a small smile as well as a slight nod of approval.

The pair on stage grin wider as Elsa nods, turning to one another and meeting in a loving hug.

"That was sooooo beautiful!" Olaf says loudly as he weeps. "I need a hug!"

He turns around looking for the closest thing he can wrap his little wooden arms around. His eyes settle on Midnight.

The wolf in question sees the look in his eye and begins to slowly back away. 'No, no, no, no, no!'

Olaf quickly rushes her down and wraps his arms around her as much as he can.

'I-uh-Olaf-please stop-' The Dire Wolf tries to get away but succumbs to the hug, sighing as she does so. 'Just… Just let it out.'

You chuckle as you watch the display, before turning back to look at the pair on stage. You really were happy for the two of them, and it really made you curious as to how the actual wedding would turn out. A thought crosses your mind.

You blush as you reach for Elsa's hand. The snow queen, eyes not leaving her sister on stage, grips your hand firmly as she waves.

You couldn't be happier for them, and from the look of it, neither could they.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So when's the wedding you two?" Asks Aladdin as he looks over at Anna and Kristoff.

"And we are getting invitations right?" Jasmine adds as she looks at them.

Anna and Kristoff give each other a look.

"Well," Kristoff begins as he looks at the prince and princess. "We'd probably have to arrange it with Elsa to find a perfect day, so I'm not really sure when the day is."

"But I promise as soon as we get a definite date we'll let the two of you know!" Anna adds with a grin.

"Sounds like a plan!" Aladdin finishes, settling down in his chair.

It had been nearly a half-hour since Anna and Kristoff's engagement. After many, many congratulations from the other guests, the two had managed to make their way to your table and was met with warm feelings all around. Olaf had still been crying happily for the two and gave them both big hugs. Kristoff and Sven had shared a very heartfelt hug as did Elsa and Anna. The snow queen was actually a tad irked that she now had to arrange a perfect day for her little sister's wedding once they had returned to Arendelle, but was nevertheless supportive of Anna and her decision. All in all it was a very touching display that would forever be remembered as magnificent way to end your stay in Corona.

Midnight, having been awoken from her slumber, refused to return to sleep and, after congratulating Anna and Kristoff, decided to go see what the fuss was down in the city. Olaf was anxious to find Anna and Kristoff an engagement gift and offered to accompany Midnight as well. Sven also decided head down after realizing it really was the final night and wanted one more chance at enjoying his time in the city.

You look across the table to see Kristoff's arm wrapped around an elated Anna as she leaned into his neck, her engagement ring proudly on display on her finger.

"I gotta hand it to you Kristoff, not exactly how I would have done it, but it really was magical." You say as you look across the table at him.

"Oh? And how would you have done it, (Y/N)?" He asks, looking between you and Elsa.

Your eyes go wide as Elsa begins to blush brightly at his question.

"I-uh- well you see…." You stammer rubbing the back of your head as you struggle to find an answer.

The other table occupants laugh and giggle lightly as you find yourself unable to answer.

You glance at Elsa but find her equally unable to respond as she tries to stop her cheeks from getting any redder.

"I, uh, I'll get back to you on that one…"

"Aww I'm just so happy for the two of you!" Rapunzel exclaims, clasping her hands together. "It reminds me so much of my engagement! Oh I hope the wedding is just as magical!"

"Oh speaking of that! Don't you have a story to finish telling?" Aladdin asks, turning to Rapunzel and Eugene.

"Oh that's right! Um where were we again?" Rapunzel asks, looking at Eugene.

"Hmm… Wasn't it the part where everyone sang in the bar?" He asks.

"Oh wait now I remember!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well I'm happy to say, after years and years of asking… I finally said yes."

"Eugene!"

"Okay, okay. I asked her."

"And we're living happily ever after!"

"Yes we are." Eugene smiles warmly, as he hold Rapunzel's hand tight.

"Aww… That was amazing!" Anna exclaims, clapping her hands together. "Such a lovely story!"

"Thank you kindly!" Eugene says with a chuckle.

"Hard to believe that all happened just a few years ago." Kristoff adds. "And her parents were totally okay with you trying to steal her crown at the beginning?"

"Successfully stole her crown!" Eugene states. "And well, I did give it back didn't I?"

You shake your head as the members at your table laugh playfully.

As the laughter subsides, Aladdin turns his attention to Kristoff. "Alright, your turn pal!"

"Wait what?" He asks, looking at the prince with a set of wide eyes.

"You heard me! Tell us about how you and Anna met!"

"Oh well that's actually quite a long story, I'm sure you all don't want to hear-"

"Aw, come on Kristoff!" Eugene adds, eager to hear the tale as well. "It is only fair, after all we told you about our tangled mess of a story!"

"You know this one really was more of a 'sisterly bond' kinda story so if anyone should tell it, it's Anna and Elsa." He replies, trying to find a way out of speaking.

"I don't mind telling it!" Anna speaks, sitting upright in her chair. "I'd love to tell it actually!"

Anna looks over at her sister. "Come on sis! You wanna tell it with me? It is our story after all!"

Elsa smiles at her sister, shaking her head as she does so. "I'd love to, but I think we're going to turn in for the evening."

You raise an eyebrow. "We are?"

Elsa turns to you, giving you a sly wink as she does so.

"Oh! Right! It is getting kinda late isn't it?" You say, catching her intentions.

"You sure sis? We've still got a bit of time before the night is up!"

"I'm sure," She responds as she rises from her seat. "But please go ahead and tell it without me."

You follow Elsa's lead and stand up with her. "It's been real fun everyone, see you all in the morning!"

"Well ok, goodnight then you two!" Rapunzel says as Eugene nods his head. Aladdin gives a wave as Jasmine sends a smile your way.

"Goodnight!" Kristoff smiles.

"Goodnight Elsa, G'Night (Y/N)!" Anna adds with her own wide smile.

"Goodnight! And congrats again you two!" You say, looking at both Kristoff and Anna.

You and Elsa begin to walk away from the table, eager to return to the bedroom.

"You sure you want to do this Elsa? I mean, you did just watch your sister get proposed to about forty five minutes ago."

"Believe me, she, Kristoff and I are going to have a talk about the wedding when we get back to Arendelle, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy our last night here. If anything, I'm feeling more romantic after that display. Besides, you do owe me after all (Y/N)…"

You smile and grip her hand tightly. "That I do."

As the two of you walk away, you can hear Anna speaking up above the crowd.

"_Okay so this is the story of… wait what should I call it?"_

"_Call what?" _Jasmine asks.

"_The story! I mean every story should have a name right?" _

"_Oh, how about: 'The Snow Queen'?" _You hear Kristoff suggest.

"_No way! That kinda makes it sound like my sister is the villain!"_

"_What about… 'Frozen'?" _Rapunzel adds.

"_Frozen? That's perfect!"_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(Explicit content ahead. Discretion Is Advised.) **

Elsa forcefully pushes through your door and into the room, fully capturing your lips with her own. Her hands moved along your back, holding you close. Your own hands were wrapped tightly around her waist with one even going slightly lower and resting on her backside. As your tongues battle for dominance, she takes several steps forward, pushing you closer and closer to the bed. Without even thinking about it, she frees a hand and slams the door shut before continuing to kiss you relentlessly. Her hands reach up and begin to remove your vest and shirt nearly tearing term as she does so. She manages to free them from your person and toss them to the floor.

'Wow, she's being really forceful right now…' You think as Elsa pushes you closer to the bed.

You finally make it to the bed, stumbling back on it as she pushes you down. Elsa's hands moved to your bare chest, pushing you down and preventing you from moving up. So instead of trying to get up, you in turn pull her down to you. She gasps into your mouth as you continue to kiss her. You break your lip-lock moments later to move to her exposed neck, planting gentle kisses along it as well as her collarbone. You hear her gasp lowly as you begin to nibble lightly on her neck.

"Ahh…" She moans as your hands begin to rub and massage her back coupled with your nibbles.

You reach up and attempt to remove her dress, eagerly wanting to get much more intimate with Elsa's body.

You reach a hand up but are stopped by the snow queen taking hold of it before you can begin to remove her dress.

"(Y/N) wait…" She moans, barely breathing the words out.

You acknowledge her request and move your hand back to her waist and your lips away from her neck. "Something the matter, Elsa?"

She looks down at you, smiling as she sees your concerned face. "Nothing's wrong, I was just wondering…"

She pauses her words, looking away and blushing redder.

You raise an eyebrow, curious as to what could be on her mind. "What about?"

"Well…" She begins again, turning her head back to face you. "Since it is our last night here in Corona, and we might not get much time to be intimate back home, I was wondering if we could… maybe try something tonight?"

You widen your eyes a bit as you look up at her, mind lingering on what your lover wanted to try tonight.

You grin widely and move a hand to cup her cheek. "What'd you have in mind?"

She smiles excitedly, leaning down to whisper in your ear.

Your eyes widen and a blush finds its way to your cheeks. And to think, you had just been fantasizing about it earlier today!

You smirk and lean up to plant a passionate kiss on her lips before breaking away. "I'm yours to command my queen."

Taking your response as a yes, Elsa gives you an ecstatic smile before lifting herself off of you and rolling over to the side to allow you to leave the bed. You follow her lead and move off of the bed, stepping a few steps away. You smile as you turn to face her, eagerly awaiting her orders.

Elsa sits on the bed, looking you over carefully like she was a predator. For a brief moment, her flirtatious grin falters and she glances at you, as if asking permission with her eyes.

You offer her a reassuring smile, indicating you wanted her to proceed. "Go ahead, milady."

Her eyes light up as she smiles brightly. She quickly goes back to her seductive grin.

"Now then. Who are you?" She asks, powerful confidence flowing through her voice.

"I am but a humble servant of the queen." You reply with a smirk.

"What is your duty?" She asks.

"To ensure that her majesty is happy and thoroughly pleased."

"Good." Elsa smirks at you and lifts a hand, holding her finger out and gesturing you to come closer.

"Kiss me." She commands with queenly authority resonating in her voice.

You nod your head and step closer to the snow queen, leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on her lips.

You begin to pull back but Elsa stops you by quickly reaching behind your neck to stop you from moving back. "Now, Now. You can do much better than that can't you?"

Before you even get a chance to reply, she pulls you in for another kiss, this time taking the initiative and parting your lips with her tongue. You reply in kind, using a hand to cup her cheek as you continue to make out intensely with her.

'T-this is something else…' You think to yourself as you feel your throbbing erection desperately trying to force its way out of your pants.

Elsa breaks the kiss moments later to stare into your eyes. "Better."

The woman gently pushes you away before spinning herself on the bed so that she was sitting with back to you.

"While I do adore this dress, I feel that it's getting in the way. Take it off for me." She orders, turning her head to look at you from over her shoulder.

You step forward and set your hands on her waist, softly gripping her dress. You begin to lift it off of her shoulders, making sure to massage her sides as you pull it off.

"Mmm…" A muffled moan escapes her lips.

You slip Elsa out of her dress and toss it off to the side.

"That's much better." Elsa says as she turns around on the bed to face you once more. Kicking off her heels, she looks downward at the stay-up stockings she had on.

She looks at you once more before lifting a leg up to allow you access. "These next."

You give a swift nod and step closer, gripping the top of the stocking and begin to pull down. As you slowly pull them down, you move down ward to plant a kiss on her inner thigh.

"Mm… Not so hasty, (Y/N)…." Elsa says as she bites her lip as she watches you plant a few more kisses along it. "I don't recall asking you to do that."

You lean your head back as you fully remove the stocking and toss it aside. "My apologies your highness. It won't happen again."

The queen raises an eyebrow before lifting her other leg up. You quickly comply with your queen's orders and remove the other stocking, trying hard not to leave another trail of kisses down this thigh as well.

You get an idea to test the limits of her control and if she's willing to go farther. You remove her stocking, but before she can set her leg down, you hold it in place and lean down to plant several kisses along the inner thigh before giving it a playful lick.

"Ah!" She gasps as your tongue connects with her bare flesh. "(Y-Y/N)! I thought I made it clear for you to not be so hasty…"

You smirk and stand back up to let her lower her leg. "I'm sorry your majesty, but I just couldn't resist."

Elsa raises an eyebrow, as she grins flirtatiously at you. "I specifically told you not to go rather and you disobeyed my order."

Elsa shakes her head. "Disobedience demands punishment."

'Punishment? She's not going to beat me is she?' You think, unsure if your pride was willing to let her take it that far.

"Step back a bit and place your hands behind your back." She commands sternly.

You follow her orders to the letter, stepping backwards and holding your hands behind your back.

Elsa smirks as she begins to enact her punishment. "You are not allowed to move your arms or adjust your pants. If you can resist the urge to do so, then I may just have to reward you."

You raise an eyebrow, curious as to what she was talking about. Then you see her begin to slowly rub her breasts, moaning softly as she does so. She closes her eyes, her hands moving a tad faster. The bulge in your pants wanted to so desperately free itself but couldn't and you couldn't do anything to stop it either.

"Mmm…. That's nice…" She moans louder as she fondles and plays with her breasts.

Your mouth goes wide, as you watch her play with herself.

You begin to sweat slightly as she removes a hand from her chest and slowly drags it across her body, going lower and lower. Her fingers stop just at the edge of her panties. She opens her eyes and smirks as she watches you remain standing.

You try to look away to prevent yourself from succumbing to the madness of not being able to touch your lover, let alone yourself.

"(Y/N)!" She calls out, a hint of false anger in her voice. "Look. At. Me."

You slowly turn your head back to her just in time to see her slip her hand beneath her panties, her fingers finding their way to her clit.

"Mmm…. Oh god, that feels so…" She doesn't finish her sentence, mind too focused on pleasing herself.

You watch helplessly as she rubs her clit from under her panties. A small amount of drool begins to from out the corner of your mouth. It was pure torture. Where did Elsa pull this from!?

"Ahh!" She gasps as she inserts a finger into her pussy and begins to slowly but steadily pump it in and out. "Ooohhh….."

Her hand on her breasts begin to move quicker and quicker, feeling the pleasure coursing through her veins as her hand beneath her panties begins to increase its pace, increasing more and more with every passing second.

You bite your lip as you watch her hands move around her breasts and womanhood. Your mind races as you see her gasp and moan at her own touch. You could see that her panties were absolutely soaked.

It went on for several minutes. Minutes that felt like an eternity. You could tell from her cries and moans of pleasure that she had brought herself close to an orgasm but barely stopped before she could reach it. She was also testing her control over herself as well.

The snow queen pants, drawing her breaths in and out deeply as she stops herself from going any farther. She pulls her hand out of her panties and holds it up to inspect it. She raises an eyebrow as she continues to breathe heavily. She looks on curiously at her hand which was just as wet as her panties were. She leans forward a bit, and hesitantly moves to suck on the tip of her finger, curious as to how she tasted. She removes her finger, and gives it an odd look as if she was surprised at the flavor.

It was driving you crazy just how much it was turning you on. Listening to her voice as she moaned out. It took a tremendous amount of willpower to stop yourself from tearing away your pants and rushing over to take her then and there.

"Hmm…" She moves her hand away and looks up at you, giving you a sultry grin before licking her lips. "Very impressive, (Y/N). I was almost sure you were going to try something. Keep doing as you're told and I may just have to reward you."

She turns around on the bed again, to face her back to you. "As with the dress, remove the bra."

"As you wish milady." You reply, stepping forward and reaching don for the clasp of her bra. You unhook it and move to toss it aside. Before you can step away from her, she reaches behind her and grabs hold of your wrist, guiding your hand around and onto one of her breasts.

"You know what to do." She states, as she releases your wrist to let you act on your own. You smirk to yourself, relieved that you could do more than just watch. You reach your other hand around and begin to softly play with her tits, gently kneading them and massaging them. As you touch and fondle her breasts, Elsa reaches a hand behind her to run her fingers through your hair.

"Oh god, (Y/N). Yes… just like that…" She moans out.

Your gorgeous queen, gently pulls your head down into the crook of her neck. Understanding her message, you begin to softly nibble and lick away at her exposed neck, drawing another muffled moan of pleasure as she bites her lip. As you assault her neck with kisses, your hand finds its way to one of her hard nipples, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Ooohh… Yes." She mumbles, enjoying the sensation of her nipples being played with.

She reaches her hand up again to pull your head away from her neck, only to turn her own towards you and capturing your lips in a passionate kiss. As your tongues intertwine with one another, you continue to play with her breasts and nipples. You feel her moan deeply into mouth as you continue to kiss her.

"T-that's very good, (Y/N)." She barely gasps out as she pulls away from your lips, her queenly façade almost crumbling. You could tell that she really wanted nothing more than to go all the way and slide her dripping sex down your shaft over and over until she screamed your name in pleasure, but was not letting herself succumb to her desires, wanting to see how far she could go without breaking character.

"Such a good job demands a reward, don't you think?" She asks, turning her body around to face you, giving you a perfect view of her breasts and dampened panties.

"Thank you, my queen, but you don't-Mmph!" She cuts your words off with another kiss, cupping your cheek as she pulls away.

"I wasn't asking." She states with a fierce look in her eyes, her powerful demeanor returning to her. "Now take your pants off and lie on the bed. Now."

She moves back to allow you to move to the center of the bed to lie down, before folding her arms.

You gulp, feeling your cock burning as her words and voice turned you on even more if it were at all possible. You can feel it throb and ache from underneath your pants and underwear. The way she demanded it just sparked a raging fire in you and you just couldn't stop thinking about she was going to do to you. You couldn't even think of disobeying her as you were too damn aroused by Elsa's powerful presence.

"I won't tell you again, (Y/N)." She states, looking at you with an irritated glare.

You nod your head fervently, and proceed to remove your pants and tossing them off the side of the bed, leaving your underwear on. You make your way to the center of the bed and lie down, awaiting Elsa's 'reward'.

"Good boy…" She says, eyeing your pelvis like a hawk. You could see her lick her lips as she looks up and down your almost naked body, eyes stopping at your throbbing dick from underneath your underwear. "Now then…"

She begins to crawl on her hands and knees, inching her way to your crotch, savoring every passing second. Elsa reaches for the waistline of your undergarments and begins to slowly pull it down. You could only watch, unable to speak or move, your mind too captivated by the sight of Elsa pulling your underwear off of your body and dropping them off the side of the bed, fully exposing your manhood to her.

Elsa authoritative demeanor falls slightly as she looks at it hesitantly, eyes going wide. Much like your first time, she pauses her actions, contemplating what she should do. From the look on her face, she was unsure of how to go about pleasing it. She really wanted to do her best to please you, but she didn't know how considering she hasn't interacted with one before.

Sensing her inner turmoil, you break character. "Listen Elsa, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

The woman looks up at you, breaking her character as well. "I want to, (Y/N). I want to make you feel as good as you make me. Please, let me do this…"

You give her an unsure look but nod your head, giving her permission to proceed. Elsa smiles warmly at you before turning her attention to your manhood. She slowly reaches out and gently take hold of it, and begins to move her hand up and down very slowly as if testing the waters.

"Oh… Elsa…" You moan as your cock finally enjoys some manner of stimulation. "T-that's nice."

Elsa gives a relieved grin as she hears your moans of ecstasy. She begins to move slightly faster, gripping a tad more firmly. You watch her massage your dick, unable to look away from her. Elsa moves her head closer to the tip, sticking her tongue out as she does so. As she massages and strokes your shaft, she leans forward and gives your tip a gentle lick. You let out another moan, the sensitive nerves in your penis sending another wave of pleasure rushing through you. Elsa, hearing the amount of gratification she was giving you, smirks triumphantly to herself before giving it another lick, then another and another until deciding to pause her strokes on your shaft to fit the whole tip into her mouth in a quick fashion, swirling her tongue around it as she does.

"Ahh! Oh God, Elsa t-that feels so good!" You moan loudly.

Elsa pulls her mouth away from your penis, returning to her character as she gives you a smirk.

"I'm glad you're enjoying your reward. I know I am…" She says with a sultry grin, her hand returning to rubbing it up and down as she speaks. "But I wonder who enjoys it more?"

She looks back down at it, getting an idea to go even further. She removes her hand from your dick and places her tongue at the base of your shaft and slowly dragging it up and down. You grunt loudly at her actions, feeing more and more pleasure with every stroke of her tongue. She licks it up and down, over and over as one of her hands moves under her damp panties, her womanhood desperately seeking pleasure as well.

She gives the underside of your penis one more long, drawn out lick before surrounding your tip once again with her entire mouth.

"Aaaahhhh…" You groan loudly before grunting even louder as she then tries to take more of your dick into her mouth. "Oh damn, Elsa!"

Taking your very loud grunts and groans as approval, she begins to fit more into her mouth. As she does, she herself moans as her hand stimulates her pussy. The vibrations of her moan reverberates through your cock, nearly sending you over the edge. You manage to maintain your control as she pulls her head slightly off your manhood only to bob back down on it. While Elsa wanted to do her best to please you, she also knew her limits, not wanting to risk choking on it and only stopping just before your tip reached the back of her throat. But she didn't need to go that far to pleasure you.

She bobs up and down on your dick, moving quicker and quicker as her hand pleasuring her cunt moved quicker as well. At this point, you her moaning and groaning louder and louder she pushed you closer and closer to climax.

Elsa finds herself growing more and more aroused as she hears your moans. Deciding her hand wasn't enough, Elsa pulls away from your manhood to reach down and remove her panties and throwing them to a corner of the room angrily. You glance at her wondering if there was anything wrong but look up to see her reposition herself and moving her wet pussy just over your head in a sixty-nine position.

"Make me cum!" She commands, now fully wanting to experience the pleasure of an orgasm. You quickly reach your hands up and grip her thighs, pulling her pussy closer to your mouth. You aggressively begin to assault her wet cunt with your tongue, licking it up and down before plunging your tongue in and out of her, faster and faster.

"A-ah! Oh yes just like that." She arches her back, her pussy experiencing more than just fingers. She leans back down onto your dick, taking it into her mouth again whilst simultaneously stroking it with her hand. You both set to work, pleasuring one another with your mouths and hands. You pull your tongue out of her and begin to lick away at her clit and replacing it with your fingers. You move your fingers faster and faster, trying to bring your lover closer and closer to the climax she so desperately wanted.

Elsa was also busy at work, but found herself slipping closer and closer, moaning as she sucked and licked your cock. In the end, it was Elsa who succumbed to the pleasure, pulling away from your dick to sit upright, her back arching as she begins to cry out, screaming as she reaches her orgasm.

"OH YES, YES, YES! DON'T YOU DARE STOP! MAKE ME CUM!" She screams loudly before exploding out in a powerful orgasm. Waves of pleasure and ecstasy wash over her entire body as she rides out her orgasm. The sound of her screams alone was almost enough to push over the edge into your own orgasm.

The woman collapses, falling forward with her head landing on your thigh panting heavily, completely out of breath. As she recovers from her orgasm, she passes a glance at your throbbing dick. She needed to return the favor. She leans back up, firmly grabbing on to your dick and gets back to work pleasuring it. As she once again begins bobbing her head up and down on it, you lap up all of Elsa's release, finding her to be as delicious as she had been your first night together. Moments later you bite your lip as you feel your release coming.

"ELSA!" You scream the snow queen's name as you cum straight into her waiting mouth. The sudden release of your cum catches her off guard as it fills her mouth. She quickly pulls off of your dick as a final strand of semen shoots out, the rest having been caught in her mouth. She gulps down the seed in her mouth, taking a moment to swallow it all. After affirming she had gotten it all, she rolls off of you, and rests on her knees, looking down at you.

"So (pant) did you (pant) enjoy your reward?" She says in between her pants, out of breath but not out of energy.

"It was magnificent, my queen." You say, slightly out of breath as well but managing to breathe in less than your lover.

"Good." She says, looking at you with a catlike grin. "I hope you still have some left in you, servant. Because I have one more task for you…"

The snow queen grins and moves to crawl in front of you on her hands and knees. Her ass was now facing you, giving a full view of her still-soaked womanhood. She turns her head to look at you, a commanding smirk on her face.

"Make me cum, one more time."

You blink a few times, before narrowing your eyes, a predatory grin on your face. "As you command, my queen."

You move close to her, positioning your member at her slit, repeating your motion during your first night by gently and slowly sliding your tip against it.

"Do. Not. Tease me." She says irritatedly.

'Wow,' You think, making note of Elsa's behavior. 'I can't tell if she's still playing a part or just really wants it that bad… Probably both.'

Wasting no time and not wanting to disappoint your snow goddess, push your manhood inside her, surrounding it with her warmth. Your cock was effectively lubed with both Elsa's saliva and juices, making it much easier to slide in this time around.

"Oh yes… that's it…" She lets out an appreciative moan as she feels the presence of your member inside her. You slowly push it inside further and further until eventually pushing it all the way in. You grunt loudly in pleasure, feeling her warm depths completely cover your penis. Not wanting to incur Elsa's wrath, you begin to rock your hips and thrust in and out of her, causing her to let out a muffled cry with every push. You can hear her whimper slightly in ecstasy with each powerful thrust of your hips.

"Y-yes… Oh God Yes!" She all but screams out as you thrust into her more and more.

You pump in and out, ever so slightly increasing your pace with each move.

"(Y-Y/N)!" She stutters, mind overcome with the sensations of being filled up by your cock. "F-faster!"

You comply with her orders and begin to thrust faster and harder into her. You continue to fuck her senseless as you thrust faster and deeper. An idea springs to your mind. You slow your thrusts, eventually coming to a halt.

"(Y/N)?" Elsa asks, her commanding voice now gone and replaced with one of concern, thinking why you had stopped. "Is something-ah!"

Elsa gasps as you cut her off by taking hold of her waist and turning her on her side, lifting one of her legs up and over your shoulder. Now you were in control. Before she could even react to the new position you found yourselves in, you immediately begin to trust once again, not bothering with going at a slower pace and going faster and faster than before. With this new position, Elsa begins to scream and cry out in pleasure even more, her orgasm drawing nearer with each thrust.

"Ah, Ah! Yes, yes please! Faster, Faster!" She screams, now fully lost in the moment.

You savor every scream, every cry, and every moan your lover lets out. You increase your pace, wanting to hear Elsa moan and scream in pleasure. You were coming close to your climax, and begin to think about pulling out to avoid coating her womb in your thick white semen. You needed to learn how to better control your orgasms, to make things easier for the both of you in the future.

"(Y-Y/N)!" She barely gasps out, mind too captured by the intense pleasure she was feeling. "I-I'M CUMM-!"

She never finishes her statement as her walls clamp down on your member, another orgasm erupting from within her.

"(Y/N)!" She screams your name in ecstasy.

You grit your teeth as you, almost painfully, pull out of her just as your own orgasm hits. "ELSA!"

You cum hard, covering her breasts, abdomen, and neck with thick strands of semen. You stumble back, landing on a pillow. Elsa lies still, panting heavily as she eventually recovers from the shock of having such a powerful climax.

Breathing in deeply and rapidly, she turns to lie on her back, glancing downwards at her semen-covered breasts. She raises a weak hand, dragging her finger across her tits to gather some of your cum, shivering as she traces her sensitive skin. She raises the finger up and suckles on it, completely cleaning it of any cum, having become slightly addicted to the taste of you.

**(Explicit Content Over)**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After licking as much as she could off of herself, the Snow Queen rolls over and grabs your shirt to wipe the remainder. The two of you lie in bed, now completely drained of your energy. Elsa was still breathing in heavily, her bare chest rising and falling as a fast pace. You were also breathing in quickly, also out of air from the passionate lovemaking that had just occurred.

"Well… That was something else…" You barely breathe out as you stare at the ceiling.

Elsa turns to her side, holding her head up with her hand as her elbow digs into the bed. She rests a hand on her abdomen as she looks at you with a content and loving smile. "Something as in…?"

You chuckle and turn your head to look her in her perfect blue orbs. "It was absolutely amazing."

"Well, I'm glad you loved it as much as I did." Elsa giggles.

"Every moment with you, intimate or not, is amazing…" You add. "But to be honest, this was especially amazing because I've actually fantasized about you taking control like that…"

"I know," Elsa lets out another giggle. "It's why I wanted to try it tonight."

"Wait you knew about it? But how…?"

Elsa smiles, leaning over to plant a gentle peck on your lips before returning to holding her head up. "Sometimes you mumble in your sleep."

"I-I do?" You ask, completely unaware of your sleeping habits.

"Don't worry (Y/N). You only do it when you're having very _vivid _dreams."

You blush slightly. There were a good number of dreams in which you and Elsa were doing some _very_ suggestive things and if Elsa was telling the truth about you mumbling in your sleep then you wondered just how much she had heard.

"I uh… I'll try to get better at that?"

Elsa smiles seductively at you. "Oh no don't worry about it (Y/N). You've actually given me some interesting ideas for next time we're alone (Y/N)."

You blush but smile back as you raise an eyebrow. "What kind of ideas?"

Elsa giggles as she shakes her head. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Elsa sends one last smirk your way before rolling over to let her back face you. She scoots back and nuzzles her back into your chest. You wrap your arms around her waist and hold her close. As you lie together in bed, you lean forward just a bit to plant a tender kiss on the back of her neck.

"You know between Anna's engagement and what we just did together, I'd say this was a perfect way to end our time here in Corona."

Elsa lets out a happy and tired sigh. "I'd have to agree…"

Elsa yawns, feeling herself slip more and more into blissful sleep.

You bury your face in her platinum-blonde locks and drift away into sleep yourself. "Goodnight, love."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Now you promise that you'll write whenever you can?" Rapunzel asks Anna with some tears in her eyes. "And you better let us know as soon as you settle on a wedding day, understand?"

"Don't worry! I promise you'll be among the first people we invite!" Anna replies, going teary eyed as well.

It was saddening really. You all had grown so close to the royal family of Corona that it was almost too painful to leave.

Your entire family was at the Corona docks, all but ready to board the Argent Twilight and set sail for home: Arendelle.

Accompanying you at the docks was the King and Queen, princess and prince consort of Corona. To the side you see Elsa calmly saying her goodbyes with Everick and Natalie. You were glad that Elsa managed to make peace with her fellow monarchs and from the way Queen Natalie was crying tears as she hugged Elsa goodbye, they were just as happy they had made peace with their past.

You turn your head and look over at Kristoff and Eugene.

"Well my good man you've got a lot of work ahead of you!" Eugene states, patting the larger blonde man on his shoulder.

"Wait what do you mean by that?" Kristoff asks.

"You're engaged now buddy! You've gotta get a nice suit, find a best man, get a great band, and not to mention plan the honeymoon!"

Kristoff blushes brightly at the mention of the honeymoon. "A-are you sure I have to worry about that now? I mean we don't even know when we're having the thing!"

Eugene shakes his head lightly. "Trust me, I know from experience that waiting for the last minute is a TERRIBLE Idea. Better get it outta the way now and not deal with it later."

"Right, well I'll be sure to write to you should I ever need some advice." Kristoff holds out his hand. "Thanks a million, Eugene. I couldn't have done it without you."

Eugene smirks and takes his hand, gripping it firmly. "Don't mention it, Kristoff. I gotta say it was a blast having you all here."

As the two friends say goodbye you look around to see Olaf already on the ship, all the way near the top on in the crow's nest. The little guy was waving goodbye to everything in sight. The people, the birds, the buildings, the trees. Olaf had already gave each member of the royal family big warm hugs (even Aladdin, Jasmine, and Rajah when they had left several hours earlier) and couldn't bring himself to stay on the dock or else he might've spent the entire day running around the city hugging everything good bye. But it did look like he was having fun up in the crow's nest however.

Sven stifles a sniffle as he makes his way onto the ship, clearly not wanting to leave the beautiful lands of Corona. Pascal himself was sniffling as he watched Sven board the ship, his normally green skin being colored dark blue to show how sad he was at everyone's departure.

As everyone ways their final goodbyes and begin boarding the ship home, you can make out Midnight in the distance standing next to Maximus. The dire wolf was nearly the same size he was, but looked shorter due to lacking the longer neck horses had. Midnight glares at him, looking unusually more irritable than normal. She darts her eyes back forth, making sure no one was looking at her. She then quickly, turns back to Maximus to give him a lick on the side of his face. You could swear, Maximus' white coat was tinted red from a blush. Midnight shoots him a deadly glare before turning away and quickly running to the ship.

You raise an eyebrow as she approaches you. "So Midnight… you and Max huh?"

She glares angrily at you. 'Don't you dare tell anyone about what you saw!'

You raise your hands defensively. "Okay, okay! I promise! But I was just wondering..."

'Don't say it!' Midnight glances around to ensure everyone else was on the ship. 'I might have gotten into some trouble last night… Don't overreact, it was nothing serious. But the guard captain agreed to let it slide, so I felt like I owed him something.'

"Got into some trouble? What did you do?" You ask, wondering how much mischief she could've caused last night.

Midnight gives a very long and tired sigh, turning away from you and stepping on the gangway to make her way on the Twilight. 'It's a long story…'

You shake your head and follow her up. With everyone aboard, Captain Altman gives a whistle to rile up his crew. "Alright lads! Weigh anchor! Full sail! Set course for Arendelle!"

The crewmen scatter around the deck, moving quickly to get the ship moving. The glorious sail of Corona unfurls and catches the wind, propelling the ship forward at a steady pace.

"Bye! Don't forget to write! We'll miss you!" Rapunzel calls from the dock, running after the ship and stopping before she would've run off the deck and into the water.

The royal family waves goodbye, their figures growing farther apart from the ship. Your own friends and family all race to the aft-end of the ship, minus Olaf who was still in the crow's nest, and wave goodbye.

Elsa smirks, an idea forming in her head. She moves closer to the edge, gathering her power into her hands. Before Corona was too far away, the Snow Queen rushes her hands forward three times, each time shooting a huge torrent of snow into the air. The sky fills with millions of snowflakes as Elsa begins to wave her hands around swirling the snow to create intricate patterns and rhythms in the sky. You could see various people pointing at the sky, captivated by the flowing ice. Elsa concentrates and focuses the snowflakes into three gigantic, crystal clear snowflakes. The snowflakes shine brightly in the Corona sun, reflecting the glorious rays and bathing the city in the vibrant colors of the sun. Elsa gives one more wave goodbye, before clapping her hands together, causing the snowflakes to burst once again to create a huge snowfall that blanketed the entire city, giving Corona one more day of fun in the snow as a parting gift.

You smile warmly and step off the deck and move to the bow of the ship, staring into the glorious horizon. You feel a familiar presence step by your side. Midnight follows your eyes and looks to the horizon.

'You know what… I think I can do it.' Midnight gestures, looking at the sea with a fierce look. 'I can overcome my fear of the oce-!'

A strong wind blows into the sails and rocks the boat, causing her to lose her balance. The large wolf practically jumps away in fright and makes a sprint towards the stairs leading below deck.

'Screw you Triton, you asshole!'

You let out a loud laugh, watching as she nearly breaks the door down trying to get below deck. You shake your head before turning to look at the horizon once more.

Moments later another familiar presence makes herself known as she steps up to lean against your shoulder.

You smile and wrap an arm around Elsa's waist. You both remain silent, choosing only enjoy each other's presence as the Argent Twilight chases after the horizon.

Elsa begins to hum a tune to herself before finally singing a verse, her voice barely above a whisper so that only you can hear her sing.

_Tell everybody I'm on my way_

_And I just can't wait to be home_

_With the sun beating down yes I'm on my way_

_And nothing but good times to show…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Alright, I threw in a Brother Bear reference at the very end there! **

**Well that was a damn long chapter to write and it feels sad to leave Corona, but hey! It'll feel pretty good to be home right?**

**Well anyways, thanks for all the support and reads! **

**I look forward to seeing you all again in the next chapter!**

**Any suggestions, advice, or ideas? You know what to do! leave a review! Hey that rhymed...**

**Till next time! Bye!**


	31. Dark Skies

**Do not go gentle into that good night,**

**Old age should burn and rave at close of day;**

**Rage, rage against the dying of the light.**

**-Dylan Thomas**

**This genre may be dwindling, but I REFUSE to be the one it dies with!**

**Just to ensure you all that I am FAR from being finished, I'll just list a little preview of things that MAY be coming in the future:**

**Elsa adopting more queenly duties: Like judging a criminal**

**The origin of Elsa's abilities**

**Dark Elsa**

**The wedding (Which wedding though?)**

**Potential Princess and Prince**

**More Disney Characters appearing**

**Nurse! Elsa **

**Any other ideas you all send me!**

**While I do have a central plot I'm trying to stick to, I want to make it clear that you do hold some influence over the story as well. Many of these and some of the earlier things were actually reader ideas that were given to me. **

**Thanks a million!**

**Things will be moving much faster from this point onwards. As a result, some chapters might be a bit shorter than previous ones, but this is just to get to much more convoluted plot lines that I'm sure everyone's going to have some fun with. There is a lot of plot stuff near the end so be prepared!**

**This is also done in an effort to accelerate the speed at which updates come. **

**I also opened up the PM box to allow you all more interaction aside from just reviews, which by the way I strongly encourage you to use if you're enjoying the story. **

**Thank you for understanding. Please Enjoy the Chapter.**

Chapter 31: Dark Skies

You open your eyes slowly, feeling the light of the morning sun warm them. You blink several times to adjust your eyes to the light. Your vision clears up to reveal Elsa in all her queenly glory as she straightens the crown atop her head. The monarch was dressed in all her royal attire, ready to resume her duties as the sovereign ruler of Arendelle.

You give a slight yawn, leaning up and causing the covers to fall off your bare chest.

Elsa turns her head, after catching your movement in the corner of her mirror. "Good morning, (Y/N)."

"Good morning." You reply in turn with a smile.

You stretch your neck out, hearing it pop in several places.

After another few days out at sea aboard the Twilight, you had all successfully made it back to Arendelle in one piece. The way back was a tad bumpy as some considerably strong headwinds pushed against the bow of the ship for a good portion of the journey. What was supposed to be a three-day voyage, ended up being nearly twelve hours more than the initial trip to Corona. You had arrived in the dead of night, and as such, your disembarking from the ship was met with little fanfare. Kai and Gerda had been up waiting all day and night for the ship. Anders and Tara would have been there as well, but they had turned in and went back to the barracks once the sun had set. You could almost have made out the looks of relief on Kai and Gerda's faces as the ship pulled into the fjord. The Argent Twilight remained at the Arendelle docks and would depart for Corona a few days later. After spending an hour or two to get settled back in, which admittedly was still a work in progress, you all promptly retired to your bed chambers for a few hours of sleep before the sun had risen over Arendelle.

"Back to business already?" You ask as you watch Elsa step a tad closer to the bed. "I was looking forward to sleeping in with you for an extra day or two…"

The woman smiles softly at you, shaking her head. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but ruling a nation does require a great deal of effort and time. Plus, I really need to get caught up on what's been happening in my kingdom while we were away."

You sigh slightly before smiling at her. "Well I guess it can't be helped then…"

You remove the covers from your body and roll over to lift yourself off the bed, your back facing the queen. You lift your arms, stretching them out to get the blood flowing once again. As you stretch your arms out, you feel another pair snake around your waist. You grin, moving your hands down to lightly trace Elsa's as she hugs you from behind. You feel her rest her head against your back, her breath lightly grazing your skin.

"You know how much I want to just stay in bed with you (Y/N)…"

You chuckle lightly and turn your body to face her, wrapping your arms around her but leaving enough space so that you may look into her gorgeous blue eyes. "Is it too early to ask for another vacation?"

Elsa giggles as she rolls her eyes at you. "Probably… but I'll tell you what. I promise that I'll make more time for us and everyone else. Sound good?"

You smile, rubbing her back ever so slightly. "I'll hold you to that, your highness."

Elsa matches your grin, allowing her eyelids to droop just a bit as she moves her arms to your neck to pull you down for a much more passionate kiss. As you deepen the kiss with your lover, you slide your hand down her back and giving her backside a gentle squeeze.

"Mmm!" Elsa moans loudly into the kiss, surprised by your suddenness but doesn't break it.

You smirk as you continue to kiss her, dragging your hand up her thigh.

Moments later she pulls away a look of surprise on her face. "(Y/N)!"

"Just giving you something to think about throughout the day." You say, smirking at her.

She looks at your with playful irritation in her eyes. "Now that's going to be the only thing I'm thinking about. You realize that I'm going to be highly distracted now, right?"

"How busy could you possibly be today, love?" You ask with a slight chuckle.

"Um, Very? First I have to hear reports from every council member, then I need to have Kai inform me about what's been happening around the castle and if there have been any issues with the staff, then I need to speak with Halvor about lunch as well as dinner, then I need to discuss any proposed laws that have come up in my absence, and not to mention breaking the news of Anna's engagement to-"

You silence her before she goes on with a gentle finger on her lips. You gaze lovingly into her eyes, amazed at her commitment to her kingdom and her people. This was the first day back from the trip and here she was in full queen mode, ready to lead her people into prosperity.

You chuckle lightly before nodding your head to the door. "Go on then. You've got a nation to lead."

Elsa smiles before leaning up to plant an innocent peck on your lips. "I'll see you for dinner, okay?"

You nod your head, understanding that she really would be in the council chambers for the entire day up until dinner that evening. Despite not being the one in charge of an entire nation, you understood just how much work it really entails.

Elsa gives you a reassuring grin before she removes her arms from around you and turns to walk over to the door, eager to see how Arendelle fared during the trip to Corona.

As she walks away from you, you turn over to the window and take a small step closer to it.

Just before you could take another step, you feel a frigid ball of snow connect with your own backside.

"Ah!" You say nearly jumping at the feeling of the cold snow. If you weren't awake before, you definitely were now.

You turn your head to the door to see the snow queen sending a smirk your way, a few snowflakes floating around her hand. "Just giving you something to think about, (Y/N)."

You raise an eyebrow as you match her devilish grin. 'Oh I'm getting her back later…'

Elsa lowers her hand, blushing as she looks over your body. "Ahem, you might want to get dressed as well (Y/N). The guards need their captain."

You and Elsa share one more smile before the platinum-blonde ruler turns and proceeds out the door, making her way to the council chambers.

You turn your head back to the window and watch as the sun rises over the city.

'It does feel good to be back.'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After getting dressed and readying yourself for the day, you made your way over to Midnight's room to procure your sword and armor as well as the wolf in question. Having experienced the unbelievably cumbersome feeling wearing a steel full plate, your mind was relieved at the feeling of your signature gear. Your sword felt light and graceful in your hand, almost like a friend who was eager to see you once again. Midnight eagerly hopped off her bed as you stepped into the room, her mind lingering on just what the guard and troops had been doing.

'How do you think the guards have fared in our absence?' Midnight asks, as the two of you step out of the room and walk through the halls.

"Well, I'm sure they did take it easy for a bit but I know Anders and Tara wouldn't let me down."

'Let's hope so. Otherwise, we may be in for some trouble…"

You raise an eyebrow and look at her. "What makes you say that?"

'Well look at it this way. Should Elsa's kingdom be threatened by any nation that has some form of sizable army or military presence and the troops aren't ready, then the results could be crippling. Catastrophic even. I have no doubt that the guards you and I personally trained are ready, but the other soldiers? I hope Tara really 'put them through the wringer' as Anders had said, otherwise… I'd rather not think about it.'

"You don't really think we're going to be attacked, do you?"

Midnight ceases her walking, turning her head to look out a nearby window. 'It's hard for me to describe, but we wolves have this sort of primal instinct within us. I'm not sure if it's present in all species but I know that my kind can feel when something, good or bad, is set to happen. It may just be me being pessimistic but I can almost sense something on the horizon and I'm unsure whether it's good or bad… But that could be my stomach influencing with my thoughts.'

You hear a low rumble come from the wolf's stomach.

You chuckle lightly. "Well, we're just going to see for ourselves if they're ready or not, won't we?"

Midnight turns her head back to you, her look of unsure apprehension turning into a small grin. 'That we will.'

You smile widely at her before turning your head back down the hall. "But before that, what do you say to a plate or two of waffles?"

Midnight's eyes light up, as she begins walking toward the private dining hall. 'You always know what to say to lighten the mood don't you?'

"I wouldn't say that…" You chuckle as you begin to follow her down the hall. "To be honest, I'm just as hungry as you are."

Upon reaching the hall, you push the door open to reveal a reindeer, a snowman, and the castle's newly engaged couple.

Olaf, mouthful of pancakes, waves over at you and Midnight. Sven looks at you with a drowsy smile before going back to leaning his head down on the table, obviously still tired.

Midnight rushes forward, taking her seat next to Sven and eagerly pulls a plate toward her. The servants knew Midnight's appetite so well, that they had already prepared a few plates stacked high with waffles just for her and set them out before she had entered.

"Oh! Good morning (Y/N), Midnight!" Anna says with a happy smile.

Kristoff smiles as well, giving a slight wave as you enter after your companion.

Midnight only manages a quick nod of her head before going back to her meal.

You pull out a chair directly across from Anna and Kristoff, grinning as you sit down. "Good morning everyone. Wow, Anna I surprised you're up this early."

"Ugh, I know it's a bummer right? I wanted to sleep in a bit more, but Elsa said we needed to be ready for whenever she decided to announce our… well, you know."

She reaches down and takes Kristoff's hand, holding it tight, giving him a fond smile.

"I still can't believe you two are getting married." You say, smiling at the both of them. "Did the two of you have a month or day in mind?"

"To be honest," The blonde man answers. "I actually hadn't given it that much thought, but a summer wedding sounds nice."

"Oh that'd be sweet! How about in June? No July! Or maybe May? Wait is that a summer month or spring month?" Anna rambles as she thinks of the various days for the wedding.

As Anna rambles on, Kristoff gives you a sheepish smile. "We'll get back to you on that one, 'Kay?"

"Well that was delicious!" Olaf says happily as he sets his empty plate down and pushing back his chair and walking over to rouse Sven from his sleep. "See you later everyone! Hope you all have a fantastic day!"

"Where are you off to this early, Olaf?" You ask.

"Sven and I are going up to Elsa's palace to see my dear brother Marshmallow! I picked up a few gifts for him over in Corona and I'm just dying to give them to him!"

"Ah I see, well tell him we said hi."

"Will (erg!) Do (Erg!) (Y/N)!" Olaf says as he struggles to push Sven to wake him from his sleep but find his little stick arms lacking the strength to move the 400 pound reindeer who was practically knocked out on the table. "Come on Sven! Get up Lazy-bones!"

The reindeer, having grown used to sleeping in over in Corona, Refuses to move and gives a lazy grunt as Olaf tries to push him.

'Five more minutes….zzzzz'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"(Y/N)!" A guardsman calls your as you and Midnight step into the barracks.

"Glad to see you back boss!"

"Welcome home captain!"

More and more of the royal guards quickly make their way over to you, excited to see you after so long.

"Good to see you Midnight!" More guards approach the two of you with smiles on their faces.

"Have any fun in Corona?" One woman asks the wolf as she approaches.

'Corona was indeed lovely,' Midnight smiles and nods her head. 'But it's damn good to be home.'

"Alright lads ease up! I'm sure the captain and Midnight have plenty of tales to share with us but you're not going to hear them all crowded around them like that!" You hear the unmistakable voice of Anders as he approaches you.

You give a wide grin and reach out to clasp his hand in a powerful shake with the both of you clasping your forearms.

"It's good to see you again Captain (Y/N)." Anders says with a smile.

"Likewise Anders. I hope you and Tara didn't have too much fun without us." You reply.

The blonde man turns over to Midnight to give her a grin as well. "Nice to see you again Midnight. Hope you didn't lose your touch and go soft on us after being out of it for two weeks."

'Ha! Not on your life!' Midnight responds with a fierce grin.

"Good to hear. Spar later?" Anders asks.

Midnight smirks wider. 'If you think you can handle it.'

You smile at the two before moving to rest a hand on the blonde man's shoulder. "So what have we missed? Are the soldiers doing alright?"

Anders nods his head. "Well I've been keeping the guard up with the standard moves and maneuvers in addition to running some drills and practice skirmishes. So far, the royal guardsmen are doing rather well if I do say so myself."

"Excellent. And the troops?"

"Tara has the full logistics for you on the bulk of the forces but I can tell you that we mobilized one battalion of troops. Apart from that, you're going to have to ask Tara."

"Hmm, where is everyone's favorite guardswoman?" You ask, glancing around after noticing her absence from the rest of the guard.

"She needed to pick up the reports from Fort Agdar."

You tilt your head slightly. "Fort Agdar?"

"Oh that's right! You were away in Corona when we finished the fort just outside the city. Well, Kai and the council thought it might be a good idea to name it after Her Majesty's father in honor of him. Of course the queen is more than welcome to change it if she wishes, but something tells me she wouldn't mind the name at all."

"The fort is done? Damn, that was fast." You turn your head over to Midnight. "We're going to need to take a tour as soon as possible, won't we?"

"And I'd be more than happy to show you around (Y/N), but wouldn't you like to see these reports first?"

You turn your head to the door to see Tara enter, an excited grin on her face as she approaches with a stack of papers in her hand.

"Tara! It's good to see you!" You firmly clasp her shoulder as she steps up to you.

"It's great to see you too, (Y/N)! And you as well Midnight!" She smiles wide at the wolf.

You release her shoulder and take notice of the papers in her hand. "Please don't tell me I'm going to have to read all that…"

"Sorry (Y/N), but these are all the detailed documents about the troops, fort provisions and construction blueprints, and potential soldier deployments across the kingdom." She replies, handing you the documents.

You flip through the stack, briefly grazing over the some of the information. "These are quite detailed. Can you give me an idea of where the current battalion is deployed?"

"We've got one full battalion, about five-hundred strong, deployed to the borders of the kingdom and have been patrolling the border as well as the towns and cities along it. The second wave of soldiers are being outfitted right now and we should have them out in the field by tomorrow."

You narrow your eyes before handing the papers to a nearby guard. "Put those on the desk in the office. I'll review them in full later with Queen Elsa."

The man nods and moves to take the documents to your office as you look back at Tara. "Tell the troops at the border to stay vigilant. If something happens there, I want to know about it immediately."

"Yes sir." Tara responds with a salute, sensing the seriousness in your voice. "Are… we expecting trouble, captain?"

You pause briefly to pass a glance to Midnight. The wolf returns your expression with an unsure frown.

"Just a precaution." You say looking back at the young woman. "On the off chance something does happen, we don't want to be caught off guard now do we?"

"No sir," Tara answers with a shake of her head.

You soften your gaze and clap her shoulder gently one more before you look around at the royal guards. "Now I'm sure you're all curious about our time in Corona, but before we all share a drink and a story or two,"

You and Midnight give them all fiery grins as you set a hand on your sword hilt.

"Midnight and I are pretty curious…"

Your companion narrows her eyes, her stance becoming more aggressive.

'Can you all put up a fight?'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Council/Throne Room- Elsa Perspective)

"And the merchant quarter?" Elsa asks as she looks over several papers that the council had presented to her as she sits on her throne.

Elsa's day was going surprisingly well. The council and Kai did a superb job of running the nation while she was away. Every report was simplified and straight to the point, so as to ease the work Elsa would have to do to catch up. The Arendelle council was extremely happy to see their queen once more, and were excited to see Elsa back with less stress in her eyes. There was still a hefty amount of work to be done, but the queen was glad that it wasn't as much as she thought it would be. And she really did have to attribute her positive outlook about resuming her duties to her time in Corona. It really did her good to spend some time away from the throne.

"We're happy to say that all repairs have been made and every shop is back to capacity." A councilman answers, standing up from his seat.

"Excellent." Elsa smiles. "Now on to other business. Where do we stand on the army?"

"Guardsmen Anders and Tara are informing the Guard Captain as we speak. He should have the full report for you later in the day, but we can say that soldiers have been mobilized and the construction of Fort Agdar has been completed. We have sent the workers to other parts of the kingdom to begin constructing the other planned forts we had discussed prior to your trip."

Elsa raises an eyebrow at the mention of her father's name. "Fort Agdar?"

"Oh yes! Well we had finished the fort during your absence and decided to honor your father's memory by naming at after him. But if you don't like the name you are more than wel-"

"No!" Elsa interrupts, smiling softly at the memory of her father. "It's a lovely name. It stays."

The councilman smiles back, nodding before returning to his seat.

Elsa holds out the papers in her hand. Kai moves to take them and set them aside.

"Well, that is marvelous news everyone. You all have done a wonderful job of leading in my stead. I know my father and mother would be proud to see the nation in such capable hands."

Elsa smiles genuinely at her council, meeting everyone's eyes across the room. "Now before we move on to any new proposals that have developed during my leave, I have some news that I'm sure you all are going to be very excited to hear."

Elsa turn her head over to Kai, nodding her head. The large man gives a very short bow before stepping past the throne and moving to the end of the room. He opens the large door to allow two figures to enter.

Anna and Kristoff step through the door, hand in hand. The members of the council all smile and bow their heads as they approach.

"Hey everyone! Great to see you all again!" Anna exclaims, waving and smiling at the members present in the room.

Kristoff manages a smile, still reluctant to have all eyes on him and Anna, but keeps his pace.

Elsa grins as the two of them approach her throne. "Princess Anna."

The strawberry-blonde smiles wide and gives a playful curtsey while Kristoff manages a slight bow.

"Your Highness." They greet in unison.

Elsa giggles at their playful formality. "I understand you have something to share with the court, princess?"

"That I do your majesty!"

The princess turns around to face the council. "Noble members of the court, first thank you all for taking the time to hear us today. I know Kristoff and I greatly appreciate it! And speaking of Kristoff and I…"

The young woman reaches down and takes his hand. "I'm so happy to say that Kristoff and I… are getting married!"

At the mention of that word the council bursts into loud applause and excited yammering.

"Oh my, that's wonderful news!" One woman practically yells, jumping up and clapping.

"Can we see the ring?"

"We need to start planning right away!"

Sure there were a few members who remained indifferent to the whole scene but a good majority were quite happy and surprised with the engagement.

As the council pesters and swarms around the Princess and her fiancé, Elsa giggles as she raises a hand.

"Alright, Alright!" She speaks up, using her queenly authority to silence the room. "I'm sure you're all eager to help the blushing bride–to-be with her special day but you're not going to get anywhere crowded around her like that."

Elsa turns her head over to Kai as she sets herself down in her throne. "Kai, arrange some time for us to plan Anna and Kristoff's wedding."

"At once, your majesty."

Elsa turns her head back to see the council disperse and return to their appropriate seats, still smiling widely at the revelation of Anna's engagement.

The queen looks to Kristoff. "The day is young, Kristoff. You should tell your parents she said yes."

Kristoff's eyes widen as he remembers his adoptive family. "Oh wow, I nearly forgot with all this excitement. Thanks for the reminder."

"Your welcome. I'll see the two of you for dinner, okay?"

"You got it sis!" Anna replies with her fiancé nodding his head.

Anna and Elsa share one more smile before she and Kristoff turn to leave the room.

"Now… then." Elsa speaks, getting the attention of the council. "Back to business…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Arendelle Barracks- Normal Perspective)

The sun was setting over the barracks. You, Midnight, and a good number of guardsmen and women that weren't on patrol were sitting around a makeshift bonfire on the sparring grounds. After a very thorough assessment of the guards' skills you decided that the tour of fort Agdar could wait until tomorrow, as you were eager to hear about the exploits of your friends and fellow warriors. You were impressed that the guards managed to keep up their training regimen despite your absence. While they didn't learn anything new in the past weeks, they had nearly every move and maneuver you had taught them down to an instinct. Their reaction times had slightly improved and their teamwork was better than it had ever been. You an Midnight were genuinely impressed.

For the last few hours, you had all sat around and traded stories with each other. While Corona was a lovely place and you wouldn't mind a return trip in the future, it felt heartwarming to be back amongst the men and women you had grown close to.

Laughter and merriment filled the air as Midnight finishes telling them all about the trouble she had gotten into on the final night in Corona.

"Wait a minute, so let me get this straight…" Anders says between laughs. "You ran into Bastian's gang, started a bar fight, and stole all of their pants in the middle of the chaos?"

"And the guard captain let you off with a warning?" Tara finishes, looking at Midnight, amazed the wolf didn't do more than just steal their clothes.

'Yes, now can we please not talk about it anymore? Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.'

Midnight delivers a series of embarrassed barks, remembering how she had thanked Maximus with a lick to his face.

"Wait, so did you kiss Max before or after you got in trouble?"

Midnight's cheeks grow hot, as she turns to look away from them, sheer embarrassment on her face.

You and the guards share a hearty laugh as Midnight turns to look away from them. "I hate you all, sometimes.'

Your chuckle subsides as you lift yourself off of the ground. "Well lads, it has been fun catching up, but I think Midnight and I are needed in the dining hall."

You pat your stomach after hearing a slight rumble come from your gut.

"If you say so, (Y/N), but we are going to tour the fort tomorrow correct?" Tara asks as she herself rises to her feet.

"Yes indeed. You and Anders meet me first thing in the morning, understand?"

Tara gives you a formal salute while Anders gives you a nod from his spot on the ground.

"We'll be there."

You give them a nod before looking at your companion. "Hungry, Mid?"

Midnight simply stands up and begins moving to the entry way to the castle. 'You have no idea.'

You chuckle and look at the rest of the guards sitting around the fire. "Have a good night everyone. Oh and don't forget to put out that fire when you're done."

The guards utter their good byes as you begin to make your way to the castle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Elsa's Bed chambers-an hour after dinner)

After your first dinner back in Arendelle after being away, you and Elsa retired to your shared room to prepare for bed. You were sitting on the bed in nothing but your undergarments, awaiting Elsa to finish reading some of the documents you had received from Tara earlier in the day. You forgot to bring the documents to her attention after your full day of spars against the rest of the guardsmen and decided to give her a few papers with full summaries written on them. Not every single paper Tara had provided but just enough so that Elsa was fully up to speed on the military aspects of her kingdom.

"Hmm… the second battalion is heading out tomorrow correct?" Elsa asks as she sets her papers down on a nearby end table.

"Yep. They'll be ready to move out at your command. They still lack a proper destination, though."

Elsa steps away from her wardrobe and moves closer to the bed, clad in a thin nightgown that barely reached her mid-thigh. You could see her bra and panties through the white fabric. "Have them stationed with the workers building the other forts. While a threat on the horizon might seem unlikely for now, those people need to be protected."

Just before she reaches the bed she waves her hand and sends a small gust of wind to extinguish a nearby candle.

You smile as she approaches you. "As you say, your majesty."

You reach out and take hold of her hands, gently pulling them to you.

"Will you be joining us tomorrow for a tour of the fort? I'm sure the troops would love to hear some words of inspiration from their queen."

Elsa smiles as she pushes you down on the bed and crawls on top of you. "I think I can set aside the time."

Elsa leans down to plant a kiss on your lips. You release her hands and move to hold her waist. She lowers herself further until her body was pressed against yours. She wraps her arms around your neck as you hold her. You free one hand and use it to move the bed covers over the two of you.

Elsa snuggles into your neck as you begin to rub her back slowly.

"'Night Elsa."

"Goodnight (Y/N)."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Dead of Night- Elsa Perspective)

Elsa tosses and turns in her sleep, her forehead beginning to sweat as she shivers against (Y/N)'s body.

"N-no…" She mumbles, her voice sounding if she had been wounded or like she was in a great deal of pain.

She begins to breathe in rapidly, her chest rising and falling at an alarming rate. "I-I'm sorry…"

The snow queen's mind floods with images from all portions of her life. Nearly killing her little sister, over a decade of isolation, freezing her entire kingdom, watching helplessly as Anna froze solid, meeting (Y/N) in the snow, Reinhardt's betrayal, the reason her parents died at sea, Isabella's taunts, Bastian's attempt on (Y/N)'s life. Every single negative thing that had happened in her life flashed before her eyes. These cold memories caused a wellspring of emotions to rise from within her.

The emotions in her mind were all destructive forces of the mind. Feelings that began to form a vision. A nightmare.

Fear, sadness, regret, doubt, rage…

No Joy.

No love.

No Hope.

Only cold, bitter, sorrow.

_Elsa's eyes snap open. _

_She finds herself looking at the sky. It was dark and overcast, the sun's rays unable to pierce the clouds. She could almost smell the think scent of blood in the air. She blinks several times, not fully understanding where she was or what she was doing. She can feel the snow underneath her as she lied on the ground, eyes still aimed at the darkened sky. She hears the snow crush as she moves to sit up._

"_W-where?" Elsa begins, stopping as she looks around. She was in a clearing, the snow lightly falling around her. There were embers in the sky mixing with the snowflakes. _

_As the snow queen stands up looks around at the clearing, her heart nearly shatters. _

_It was more than just a mere clearing. It was a battlefield, or rather what was left of a battlefield. Bodies littered the ground as far as she could see. Some were still breathing, groaning, begging for someone to put them out of their misery. _

_She could see several of her royal guards lying in the snow, cold and lifeless. She could see many soldiers, all bearing the crest of Arendelle, as they lay dead or dying. _

"_N-no…" Elsa whispers as she witnesses the carnage. Tears begin to well up. _

_These were her people, and she failed to protect them. The queen looks past the bodies to see the once beautiful forests of Arendelle, now blazed with a raging and unstoppable fire. _

_She takes a hesitant step forward. Then another. Soon she was making her way through the field of sorrow. _

"_M-my Queen…" A body moans as Elsa passes it. _

_She nearly jumps at the sound. Turning her head to see the voice's owner, she sees a man reaching out for the queen, eyes filled with hope that she would end the pain. Arrows were protruding from his back. More than five of them by Elsa's count. _

"_P-please…" The soldier tries to continue but his arm falls into the snow as he ceases to breathe._

_Elsa nearly reaches out, but knew that he was beyond her power. She composes herself, few tears falling from her eyes before she turns away and begins moving across the field. _

_More voices call out to her as she moved. _

"_Queen Elsa…"_

"_Please make it stop!"_

"_Why couldn't you save us…?"_

_Elsa continues to move, trying to push the voices out of her mind. "I-I'm sorry."_

_The Snow Queen Stops dead in her tracks as another sight comes into view. Her heart nearly stops itself. _

_A familiar sword was wedged into the snow. Resting upon its hilt was the torn and bloodied remains of (Y/N)'s cloak, rippling in the wind. _

_She races over, her heart all but stopping. _

_She approaches the cloak, tears now pouring down her face. _

"_(Y-Y/N)…" _

_She frantically searches for a body or some other sign of her lover but finds nothing. _

_The snow around (Y/N)'s sword and cloak was a deep shade of dark red. _

_Elsa reaches a shaky hand out, her fingers nearly grazing the fabric. _

_Suddenly the ground begins to rumble and shake! _

"_Huh!?" She gasps, her eyes widening as she tries to find her balance, but fails, collapsing to her knees as the earth continues to move. _

_From the bloodied snow around (Y/N)'s sword rises a huge pillar of Ice. As the pillar shoots up from beneath (Y/N)'s items, it sends the sword hurtling away and the cloak flying into the sky. Elsa tries to make a grab for the cloak, but it barely slips from her grasp and flies away into the dark sky._

_The ground stops shaking as the Ice pillar stands, fully protruding outwards. It was tinted red like the bloody snow it had come out of. _

_Elsa stands up slowly, looking at it with a wary gaze. There was something reflecting off of the pillar. It looked like a person. A woman to be exact. _

_The snow queen takes a cautious step, narrowing her still-teary eyes at it. _

_She moves close enough to see the reflection. Her reflection. _

_The woman reflecting off of the ice pillar was none other than Elsa herself, but in place of her snow-white, platinum blonde locks was pitch black hair. It was still tied into her signature braid, but it also possessed this sort of feral quality to it. Her dress was different, colored black with shades of reddish-purple highlighting it. Her eyes were a shade of red. _

"_M-me?" Elsa asks, looking at her reflection. She looked so similar yet so alien at the same time. _

_She reaches a hand up and touches the pillar, her reflection mimicking her actions. She looks into her reflection's eyes. A moment passes. _

_Elsa's reflection began to move on its own._

_The reflection begins to change her emotions, first looking scared and frightened. She glances to the sides of Elsa, as if looking at the battlefield around her, eyes filling with sadness and regret. The reflection lifts her hand away and stares at it as it pulses with snow, doubt filling her eyes. Her hand clenches into fist before she punches the pillar angrily. _

_Elsa removes her hand and backs away as her reflection does this, startled at its actions. _

_The reflection looks straight into Elsa's eyes. The reflection had only pure rage resonating through her gaze. _

"_W-what are you?" Elsa asks as she looks at the reflection. _

_Elsa's reflection curls her lips into a sickening and sinister smirk. _

"_Life's too short, Elsa." The reflection says, now fully taking on a mind of its own. _

_She leans closer, almost like she was coming out of the pillar but still remained behind it. _

_She whispers lowly as she continues to smirk. _

"_Let me out." _

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elsa's eyes snap open immediately. She looks around to find herself in her room, the moon shining through the clouds and lighting the bedroom with a dim glow.

She finds her body in a cold sweat. She breathes quickly as she hyperventilates. She blinks several times. Her breathing gradually subsides as he mind ponders the nightmare she just had. She turns her head to the side to find (Y/N) sleeping soundly on his side facing her.

She breathes in a heavy sigh of relief as she watches his chest rise and fall. She turns her head to look up at the ceiling, running a hand through her hair.

'It was just a dream… It was just as dream… It was…' She thinks, wiping some of the sweat from her brow. She begins to think about the images that she had witnessed in her mind. The battlefield, (Y/N)'s cloak, herself…

Elsa shuts her eyes, not wanting to remember what had just transpired in her mind. 'I-it was just a dream!'

"_Let me out…" _The reflection's whisper plays again in her head.

Elsa shivers as she remembers that sinister smile on her face.

She turns to face (Y/N) scooting her body closer and wrapping her arms him and holding him close, relieved that her love was still breathing.

(Y/N)'s arms instinctively follow Elsa's actions and wrap themselves around her.

"Elsa…" He mumbles through his sleep.

The monarch buries her head into the crook of his neck. She didn't know what had caused her to have such a traumatizing dream but she knew that (Y/N) was alive. And she didn't want to let him go.

Elsa tries to fall asleep once more, comforted by the warmth of (Y/N)'s loving embrace, but finds it difficult to do so as every time she closed her eyes she could see the reflection, smiling back at her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Elsewhere. King Ulrich's study)

There were quite an abundance of people within the King's study. In addition to his advisor, there were six heavily armed mercenaries whose faces were obscured in shadows. At least two were women with the rest being males. One man in particular was sitting in a chair directly across from the King.

These were the Gray Swords. A notorious band of Mercenaries, known across Aravan and her bordering nations. Ulrich had contemplated hiring them before, but found them to be unnecessary once (Y/N) was acting as his assassin. With his prized warrior gone, the king needed a new method of dealing with Arendelle.

"You see, your highness." The leader of the mercenaries begins. "The Gray Swords live by a code of honor. We stay our blades from the flesh of the innocent. We defend to the death any under our protection and we-"

"I don't want to hear of your foolish code!" King Ulrich interrupts. "I just want to know if you can get the job done and how much it's going to cost."

The leader narrows his eyes in the darkness. "Aye. We can get it done."

King Ulrich's eyes light up with excitement. "Name your price."

"Fifty thousand gold, twenty-five now. Twenty-five when we deliver the package."

The king snaps his fingers causing his royal advisor hurriedly moves forward and drops a hefty sack of gold onto the desk in front of the mercenaries.

The leader looks at the sack then back up to the monarch. "Any specific instructions we should follow."

"Yes. You are to bring her to me unharmed. I want to savor each moment I have with the bitch."

The leader shakes his head, finding the King's demeanor to be slightly unsettling. "As you say your majesty."

The leader moves to collect the sack of gold on the desk, but is stopped as Ulrich speaks up one more.

"Oh and I'm sending a small group of my own soldiers with you for some extra protection."

The leader glares at him. "No. We operate alone."

"Not this time. The woman you're after is undeniably the most dangerous person on this side of the world. I sent my greatest warrior after her and he ended up being seduced by her charms. She might seem weak at first, but one slip of her emotions and the whole northern hemisphere is covered in ice."

"We've heard the stories. She truly is a remarkable woman, but it's nothing we can't handle ourselves."

"This is not negotiable. My men are accompanying you, whether you like it or not." Ulrich responds, his voice growing sterner.

The leader of the Gray Swords steps a bit closer to the desk, revealing his scarred face to the king.

"Then no deal."

He turns back to his men. "Gray Swords! Move out. We're leaving Aravan."

The mercenaries all give nods before moving to leave the room.

"A hundred thousand!" Ulrich's voice calls out now standing up from his seat.

The leader raises his hand halting his men. He turns his attention back to the monarch behind the desk.

Ulrich grins a wicked grin. "Fifty thousand now, and fifty thousand when the job is done."

The leader stands still for a moment. That was a hefty amount of gold the king was putting forward. More than enough for him and the rest of his mercenaries. While the Gray Swords did have a code of honor, and Ulrich's intentions were unbelievably dishonorable in every sense of the word, the leader had to look out for his men and women he fought with. Even if it means putting up with Ulrich's sad excuse for soldiers.

"Fine. But let me make this clear right now. They can accompany us, but we are not responsible for their safety. I can't promise that they'll all make it back alive."

Ulrich rolls his eyes and waves his comment off, showing no concern for his men but rather happy that the grey swords would take the bounty.

"I'll have the rest of your payment in the morning. I want you to make your way to Arendelle as soon as possible."

The leader nods his head before lifting the sack of gold off of the desk and tossing it to one of his men. The leader of the Gray Swords gives the king one more glare before, turning and waving his hand to signal the mercenaries to vacate the study.

As they Gray Swords leave, Ulrich's royal advisor approaches. "S-sir was it wise to send a group of mercenaries after Queen Elsa? What if they fail? We have a lot of gold riding on their success."

The King gives a brief chuckle before sitting back down in his chair. "My armies won't be ready for another few weeks or so. If they Gray Swords can succeed in capturing the Queen, then we could end her reign immediately. Even if they all die, the very least they could do is buy us some time before we invade."

"B-but sir… what about… Him?"

Ulrich narrows his eyes. "That's what we're counting on. Once he learns of his precious snow queen in trouble, he will race to find her. He will come straight to me, begging for her release."

"And, a-and then?"

Ulrich smirks sinisterly at his subordinate. "Then I kill them both."

He turns his head away from his advisor and out the nearby window, gazing at the moon.

"Dark skies loom over the snow queen's kingdom. Soon, Arendelle and all her people will but little more than ash and dust beneath my heel."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Like I said… A lot of plot stuff at the very end! **

**If it seems like it's moving a bit fast let me know, but just keep in mind that this new speed is just to get further plotlines into play. **

**Also if you really need an image of Elsa's reflection, just search 'Dark Elsa' and I swear it's like the very first image on google. **


	32. Sons and Daughters

**Sorry for the delay!**

**But it's here now!**

**Enjoy!**

**Also real quick shout-out to W.R. Winters and CMrampage for providing some excellent ideas that I intend or am at least going to try to implement! Big thanks once again! **

**Alright Now Here you go!**

Chapter 32: Sons and Daughters

You open your eyes, feeling slightly more pressure around your chest. You pause for a moment, to let your eyes adjust to the light. You glance down to see your arms wrapped firmly around Elsa. Her head was buried in the crook of your neck and her own arms were wrapped tight, if not tighter than your own grip. So tight, in fact, that you even found your lungs slightly constricted as you tried to breathe but realized that you couldn't take in a full breath.

"Hmm…" You ponder as Elsa hugs you close to her. You turn your head to look out the window. The sun was just slightly peering over the mountains of Arendelle in order to bask the room with a morning glow. You honestly expected her to be awake and already dressed, but here she was still in bed with her arms holding you tight. Especially considering that she still had some business to attend to with the council.

Still. You couldn't help but smile softly at her. You realized that she needed to wake up, but who were you to disturb such a serene sight?

You lightly rub and massage her back, eliciting a very light moan from her throat. While one hand continues to massage her, you lift your other hand and lay it gently on her hair, intent on playing with it before she wakes up.

As soon as your hand makes contact with her head, you feel her shudder at the sensation. The woman scrunches her closed eyes even further but begins to relax as your palm begins to run through her platinum-blonde locks.

"(Y-Y/N)…" She mumbles, still soundly asleep.

You feel yourself frown slightly. Her voice sounded… fearful and weak. It was odd to hear her speak like that, and you honestly hadn't heard that tone since the day you first met her in the snow.

Elsa's arms grip tighter around you, as if she was afraid to let go.

"(Cough)…" You cough lightly as she hugs your chest tight.

Elsa's eyes slowly open, awakened by the noise you had made. "W-Where?"

Elsa's head angles upward as she locks her eyes with yours. "(Y/N)…!"

"Hey you." You respond, gazing into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Y-You're here!" Elsa exclaims, smiling widely before resting her head on your chest and hugging you.

"Of course I am." You say, coughing slightly but nevertheless smiling brightly at her. "Did you expect me to be somewhere else?"

Elsa doesn't respond, opting to continue resting her head on your chest to listen to your heartbeat. You remain still, allowing her to rest just a little while longer as the sun rises ever so slightly. Moments pass before you decide to speak up once more.

"As much as I love holding you like this Elsa, the sun's going to be in the sky soon. You think it might be time to get up and get ready-"

"No." Elsa says moving her head to look into your eyes, cutting your sentence off.

"Hmm?" You mumble at her response. Now you knew something was astray. Yesterday, she seemed ecstatic to return to her duties as queen. Today it looked like she couldn't care any less about the council, the politics, or even the simple act of getting breakfast. She looked like she just wanted to stay in bed all day. Now this really did seem like a dream come true, seeing as all you really wanted to do in the morning was sleep in with the queen in your arms, but the way she portraying herself this morning made it feel odd.

"Feeling like sleeping in a little while longer, love?"

"I-I…. Yes." Elsa hesitates in her response. "I'm just tired."

"But won't the council-"

"I'm the queen!" Elsa cuts you off once more, this time raising her voice above yours. "The council does NOT control me, and they can wait whether they like it or not!"

The monarch's eyes widen, realizing she had just snapped at you. Elsa glances downward, now visibly saddened at her sudden outburst.

"I-I'm so sorry." She replies, her fearful tone returning to her for a brief moment. "Just… Hold me a little while longer, (Y/N). Please."

You frown once more but proceed to hold her close in your loving embrace. Elsa looks away from you and leans her head back down to rest against your chest. Several moments pass as the two of you remain silent.

Your thoughts drift to Elsa's seemingly fragile state. 'Something's wrong.'

You lean your head down and plant a loving, comforting kiss on the top of her head, hoping to alleviate any stress she was feeling.

"Elsa." You say as she remains against your chest. "What's bothering you?"

"I-I…" Elsa stutters, trying to find words to speak. "I had a rough night."

"Bad dream?" You ask.

Elsa sighs as she listens to your heartbeat, eyes narrowed and full of deep thought. "You don't know the half of it."

You only frown more as you listen to her voice. It was so frail. So distant. Whatever it was that she dreamed of, it had seriously shaken her up. It wasn't simply unease or slight concern in her voice as it had sounded a few times in the past when she was distraught. It sounded more stressed and fractured than you had ever heard it before. Even her body was very slightly shivering as you held her close.

You smile softly before shifting your body around the bed a bit. "Here… move just a bit."

You move Elsa off you slightly to let yourself sit up against the backboard of the bed. Before Elsa could even protest about your sudden shift in position, you lean forward and take hold of her waist to pull her up to you. You pull her back into your chest and hug her waist. As you hold her close to you, you lean down and plant a warm kiss on her shoulder.

"What happened?" You calmly ask, hoping for her to open up to you. "In your dream, I mean."

"I…" Elsa shivers in your grasp as the memories of her dream fill her mind. She clearly didn't wish to remember what had transpired in her mind during her turbulent slumber. In a way it had reminded you how you had reacted when you were experiencing memory troubles. You remember sharing that feeling of dread as the memories flooded your vision. You weren't sure what she had dreamed of but just as she had been during your troubled nights, you needed to provide as much comfort as you could.

"I saw some things that were… very unpleasant." Elsa speaks as she leans back into your embrace. Elsa glances downward, distressed at the mental images forming. "I was in some clearing… and the forest was burning. I could smell the smoke and ash in the air."

Elsa pauses, grimacing as more of her mind's visions return to her.

"T-there were bodies, (Y/N). I could hear them crying out in pain. It looked like a battle had been fought and we had lost. Miserably."

"We?" You ask.

"They were my soldiers, my guards, my people… and they were lying in the snow. Bloodied and broken. I… I-I couldn't-"

Her body drops drastically in temperature as several tears escape her eyes, almost freezing immediately before they could even fall off of her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, hey… shh." You whisper and quickly hold her tighter, trying to warm and comfort the snow queen to calm her. She felt so cold in your grasp, yet you didn't even think of removing your arms from her. "I'm here, Elsa. I'm here."

You turn your head to face her but Elsa moves to look away from you.

"No," Elsa whispers back softly as another image flashes before her. "You weren't."

You furrow your brow at her words, confused at what she had meant. "I… Wasn't?"

"In my dream, (Y/N)…" Elsa only continues to look away from you. "You weren't there. I-I tried so hard to find you. I looked and looked but all I could find was your cloak. Every time I blinked, every time I opened my eyes, you weren't there."

You remain silent for several moments, trying to figure out the best way to reassure your lover. Now you knew why she had been so happy to see you breathing when she had awoken earlier. From the way her voice wavered, she really thought she had lost you. Considering you knew how real dreams could feel, you understood the emotions running through her mind right now.

You turn your head to her and remove one of your hands from her waist and move to gently place it on her cheek to guide her eyes to yours. She hesitates at first and resists but moves her head to look into your eyes. As your (E/C) eyes lock with her own perfect blue eyes, you smile as warm as you could before you slowly lean in and touch her lips with yours.

As the two of you kiss in the morning sun, Elsa slowly spins her body around in your grasp to straddle your legs and move her hands to your chest. You break away moments later to gaze into her eyes, your hand still upon her cheek

"I'm still here." You gently caress her cheek with your thumb, brushing her frozen tears off of it. "And I'm not going anywhere."

The snow queen smiles softly, moving to hug you close and resting her chin on your shoulder. You hug her back, softly leaning your head against hers. You remain silent as the sun shines its morning rays into the bedchamber, as Elsa's body began to slowly warm in your embrace.

"Have I ever told you that used to have nightmares quite frequently?" Elsa finally says after several more moments of silence. "Months before I met you, prior to my coronation, I used to have these vivid dreams where I accidentally hurt people with my powers. Some nights it had even been my sister who was harmed instead. I could usually just rationalize those visions as a part of the anxiety and dismay of ruling an entire nation, not to mention my initial concerns with my abilities."

"Those nightmares were easy to explain and come to terms with, but this one…" Elsa removes her head from your shoulder to meet your eyes. "It just came out of nowhere. I honestly don't have a reason for why it had appeared so suddenly."

"Well we all have to have nightmares sometime." You reply. "More often than not, they're just reminders of what we're afraid of. I guess the only advice I can give is just try to remember that they aren't real."

"I… I suppose you're right." She speaks up, her voice shaky and unsure of itself. She moves to rest her head on your shoulder again, mind still lingering on her dream.

You cringe, mentally scolding yourself at how terrible that advice was. Of course she realized that it wasn't real! She was far too smart to not understand that fact. Even if the dream wasn't real, the emotions she felt were real, and right now she felt scared and worried. Elsa didn't need to know how dreams worked. She needed comfort.

You smile softly as certain memories come to mind. "Do you remember that date we had some time ago? The one with the carriage ride and the fancy dinner?"

You can feel Elsa smile brightly as she recalls that particular evening. "How could I forget?"

"And you remember teaching me, or at least trying to teach me how to skate?"

Elsa lets out a very soft giggle.

"And how I told you I loved you in the snow?"

Elsa removes her head from your shoulder, leaning back to look you in the eyes. She can feel the warmth of the smile slighting up your face. Slowly, the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile of her own. "It's one of my fondest memories."

"I told you something else that night. Can you remember?"

Elsa pauses, glancing up as she recalls your words. A moment later she meets your eyes again, smiling wider than before. No words leave her lips. She knew exactly what you had said that night.

She just wanted to hear you say it.

"I promised that I'd always be there to protect you."

You remove a hand from her slender waist, still holding her close with your other arm. You move your, now free, hand up and gently lay it down upon her cheek. Elsa mirrors your actions, removing one of her hands and holding it up to place it on yours.

"So no matter what your mind tells you, or how many nightmares you have…" You resume. "When you open your eyes in the morning, I'll always be there to keep you safe."

You lightly trace her cheek with your thumb. "I'll always be there to tell you I love you."

"(Y/N)…" Elsa says, her voice filled with emotion. She felt warm in your embrace, not cold like winter. You could make out the faintest sign of a tear well up in her eye. The platinum-blonde monarch suddenly wraps her arms around you, hugging you tightly.

You grin widely, hugging her back whilst trying to resist the urge to cough at the intensity she was putting into her hug. Elsa may have had a bad night, but you were going to try your hardest to make her day as best as it could be.

Moments later, the queen speaks up with her head buried in the crook of your neck. "I swear I could feel my heart melt after that…"

"I take it you feel better?" You chuckle softly.

Elsa move back slightly to meet your eyes once more, her once saddened visage now lit up with a vibrant and serene smile. "Much."

You grin and lean down to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm glad."

Elsa moves slightly to lean down and rest her head on your heart. "I know we have to get up soon, but can we please just stay like this for a bit longer?"

You smile and lean your head down to gently rest it on the top of hers. Your mind did very briefly think about the council and how irritated they might be at the queen's unusual tardiness. But then you remembered a critical fact: You didn't answer to the council. You answered to the queen.

"As long as you want."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The both of you step out of Elsa's room. As you close the door behind you, you move to hold both of her hands in yours.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine? We could always do this another day if you aren't feeling alright."

Elsa shakes her head at you before moving to look at Kai as he was making his way down the hall.

"Kai, prepare a carriage for myself and captain (Y/N). We're going to have a look at the fort today."

The large man promptly stands straight and proceeds to bow. "At once your majesty."

Elsa smiles widely as he stands upright once more. "Thank you, Kai."

The redhead man matches her grin as he prepares to make his way to the stables. As the larger man moves away, you turn to look back at your lover.

"So I take it we're going anyway?"

The snow queen smiles brightly and moves to take hold of your hands to pull you in for a kiss.

She pulls back moments later, smiling softly at you as she holds your hands tight. "Of course. I'll just need to discuss a few things with my council and I'll meet you at the stables. Say around noon?"

"We'll be there." You reply with a smile.

You give her hands a firm squeeze before letting go of one of them and stepping out of her way to move to the side of her. "I'll walk you to the chambers."

The snow queen smiles softly, moving closer to you.

"Thank you." She says as the two of you begin to make your way to the council chambers.

You smile softly to yourself. "Anytime, milady."

You smile wider as you feel Elsa lean her head down against you shoulder. You manage to catch a fragrant whiff of her hair. Perhaps you didn't know the cause of Elsa's nocturnal fright that had occurred within the confines of her mind and memory, and even then you were unsure what certain parts of her dream had meant, but uncertainty didn't stop you from keeping her safe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So what do you think?" You hear Anders say as you and Midnight open the doors to the barracks.

He and Tara were in the middle of the training ground. Anders was seated on a crate whilst Tara stood up a few feet away, practicing some sword swings against a practice dummy. Anders casually tossed an apple up to the sky several times before catching it to take a bite as he awaited Tara's response.

"Hah!" Tara grunts as she swings her sword at the dummy. "Think about what? Yah!"

"The story? About the mermaid-turned-princess?" Anders lets out an irritated sigh. "Were you even listening to me?"

"HAHH!" Tara cries out as she delivers a powerful swing to the dummy's head taking it clean off.

Tara pants heavily as she plants her sword into the ground and lifts her forearm to wipe the sweat off her brow. "Um. To be real honest… No, not really."

The blonde man shoots her a glare. "Unbelievable!"

"Head in the clouds Tara?" You ask with a chuckle as you approach the two of them.

"Ah, Morning Captain, Midnight!" Tara replies as she watches you approach. "And I wouldn't say that… I was just too focused on my swordplay."

Anders from his seat on the ground rolls his eyes as he takes another bite of his apple.

'We can see that…' Midnight gestures as she looks at the dummy's head as it lay motionless several feet away from its body.

To the side, Anders stands from his seat and moves to lift one foot on it as he continues to munch on the apple.

'Excellent power…' Midnight adds as she notices the clean cut from the torso of the dummy.

"But your form could use some tuning." You finish, remembering her strikes; more specifically the exploitable positions she found herself in after a few of them.

"You think so?" Tara asks.

"Just a bit. Against a common thug, you would effortlessly demolish them in seconds, but a skilled opponent could very well spot a few openings you had."

The woman gives a small nod at you and your companion. "Well, I'll be sure to keep that in mind the next time we have a sparring session."

You give a soft smile as Anders begins to speak up. "So (Y/N), off to the stables then?"

You shake your head at him. "Not just yet. The Queen has some business to take care so we'll be heading out around noon."

Anders tilts his head slightly as he gazes off at the sun that was just beginning to make its way across the sky. "Huh, that's a few hours away. What do we do till then?"

"I already have an idea." You begin as you hold up the parchment in your hand and hand it off to Tara.

"Hmm? What's this?" She says as she begins to unfold it to reveal a map of the entire kingdom with several spots marked on it. "A map of the kingdom?"

"Sure is." You reply as she and Anders look over the markings. "I read some of your reports last night with the queen. Excellent work, both of you."

"Thank you kindly captain!" Tara beams brightly at you while Anders gives a confident nod.

"With that said, her majesty has a destination for the second battalion."

Tara and Anders eye the map, noticing the various spots marked on it. "The new fortresses."

'Indeed.' Midnight gestures as the two of them look on. 'The workers constructing the new forts are more spread out and farther away from Arendelle, and despite the unlikelihood of an attack, the men and women working on them are still vulnerable.'

You nod a bit towards your companion. "Right. Unlike fort Agdar, the bulk of the construction forces aren't concentrated just out of the city, so protection becomes a bit tricky. Queen Elsa wants the second battalion divided and spread across the construction sites."

Tara furrows her brow as she thinks about how to divide up the troops. "Hmm. Well I think if we evenly divide the battalion across the construction sites there would be enough troops cover all of them, but there might be an issue with that though."

'What's the problem?' Midnight gestures, glancing at the brunette woman.

Tara brings a hand up to her chin, eyes in deep thought. "The issue is that we lack the necessary leaders to operate so many separate deployments. With so many troops in different locations, there would be little leadership to manage them. We only trained one or two battalion commanders."

"I've got an answer for that one." Anders speaks up.

"You do?" Tara asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure do." Anders grins before taking another bite of his apple and swallowing it. "Send a guard with each division."

"Send a guard? You mean to lead the troops?" Tara asks once more.

"Sure, I mean there are more than enough guards who would make good leaders. I have no doubt that whoever we send will get the job done. A lot of the royal guardsmen oversaw the standard training so the soldiers would already have a familiar face leading them. Plus there'd be the added benefit of having someone with firsthand combat experience calling the shots."

You begin to beam widely at the blonde haired man. "Brilliant idea Anders!"

"Tara," You continue, looking at the woman in question. "We're going with that plan."

"As you say Captain." Tara responds before turning to flash Anders a smile. "Not bad Anders!"

The man simply chuckles softly before turning to take another bite of his apple.

While you and Tara begin to assemble a list of potential guardsmen, you hear Midnight give an audible yawn before moving to a corner of the barracks and curling herself up on the ground.

'Wake me when something exciting happens…' She gestures as she allows her eyes to droop low.

You shake your head as you walk over to your office, pushing the door open slightly and gesturing for your most trusted guards to enter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Elsa Perspective)

'_Let me out…' _It whispers again and again in the back of her mind as the queen struggles to listen to her council.

It pulls at her, dragging her in and out of focus as she tries so desperately to shake the voices away. The whispers claw and grasp at her, attempting to shatter the veil of her mind. She can't think straight. She can't close her eyes without feeling the burning stare of the reflection looking back at her.

She can feel the chill of the air as memories of the snow resurface.

The snow is red… it's not supposed to be red… why is it red?

She can see it. She can see the reflection. She can see herself…

Her hair black as pitch where it once was snow.

Her eyes, red and angry. Pained, and sorrowful. Furious, yet calculating.

'Go away…' Elsa thinks, ever defiant against the lingering and hostile voice in her head.

'_Elsa…' _It whispers back.

'Please stop…'

'_Too short.' _

'You're not real.' She grits her teeth.

'_Let me out…'_

The queen narrows her eyes, unable to concentrate on the members of her court.

"Queen Elsa?" A voice pierces the darkness as Elsa is snapped out of her thoughts by a councilman. Looking up at her.

Elsa glances around the throne room, all eyes were on her with visible concern filling them. Her eyes widen. She looks to her left to see Kai and Gerda standing still, worrisome looks in their eyes.

"Your majesty?" Gerda asks, stepping a bit closer to her.

Elsa gives her head a bit of a shake to chase away some of the frustration and pain in her visage. She smiles a bright, yet clearly pained smile at her. "I'm fine, really I am."

Kai and Gerda share a look of disbelief before glancing up at the queen unsure of what to say.

Elsa turns her head back to the councilman before her. "Please, proceed. No need to stop for my sake."

The man pauses for a brief moment, looking around at the other councilors not sure if he should proceed. They all respond with looks of doubt and concern. The queen was obviously distressed but they also wished respect her decision to continue their discussion.

The man turns back to her, voice slightly nervous. "Are you sure my queen? We could always do this another day if you aren't feeling well…"

"I'm quite alright, I assure you. I just have a bit of a head ache. Nothing to worry about, I promise!"

Elsa smiles the same troubled yet bright smile from before. Elsa truly wanted to continue her duties as queen, but found it difficult to concentrate on any task at hand.

"If you say so milady… but if you would like us to stop-"

"No need. I swear this will be the only interruption." Elsa turns her attention over to Kai. "Kai have you perchance been taking notes on today's meeting?"

Kai straightens his posture and briefly bows to her. "As always, Queen Elsa."

She smiles softly. "Thank you Kai, I may need to go over them later in my study."

"Did you need anything else, your highness?" Gerda asks, looking at her with a worried set of eyes.

"A glass of water would be greatly appreciated, Gerda." Elsa replies.

The woman bows and quickly makes her way out of the room to fetch Elsa some water.

Elsa knew in her mind that the water likely wouldn't fully alleviate her frustrations but she had hoped that it would at the very least help her concentrate. The snow queen wasn't sure why she hadn't told (Y/N) about the warped and twisted image of herself in her dream. It was easy to describe the other aspects of her nightmare, but whenever she thought about her reflection, she just couldn't find the words to explain it. As smart as Elsa was, she just didn't understand what it meant. The strange thing about the reflection was the fact that it felt too familiar. In her mind she knew that if certain events had played out in wildly different ways, then she could have been exactly what the woman in the mirror represented. All the anger, sorrow and pain she felt growing up like she did. In an odd way, it reminded her of how her life had turned out. The fact that she hadn't ended up like some dark twisted version of herself provided some much needed clarity in her life. She sincerely hoped that it was just a onetime thing that would never happen again.

_Let me out…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Normal Perspective)

Hours pass as the sun hangs high in the sky. Noon had finally come and you were sitting inside a carriage that was making its way to fort Agdar. Anders and Tara as well as Midnight were following closely alongside you, each atop their own horses save for lion-sized wolf who was moving at a brisk pace just slightly ahead of your carriage. Bringing up the rear was a smaller contingent of guards. All ready to take command of their respective units. All were briefed an hour prior and were ready to serve.

Elsa was currently nestled into the crook of your neck, holding you close. Despite the fact that she had ended her dealings with the council quite earlier than she was used to, she had seemed more tired than she would be at this hour. There was a certain layer of her voice that just sounded so distant. She was still troubled despite your attempts to comfort her in the morning. You really wondered just how powerful her dream had been. If it was enough to make a woman as strong as Elsa act like this, then you knew it must have been utter torment.

"Are you feeling alright?" You ask, worry in your tone.

"J-just trying to forget… The night is still fresh in my mind." Elsa responds after a moment's pause thoughts adrift amongst a sea of insecurities brought about by her untimely terror that befell her dreams.

You frown a tad more. "Elsa, you know I'll always be here for you…"

"I-I know that (Y/N), but it's not that aspect that's troubling me." Elsa removes herself from the crook of your neck meeting your eyes for a moment, before glancing off in the distance as she recollects the visions. "What bothers me the most, is how real it was… How vivid."

She moves to look up and catch your concerned gaze. "I could swear that I actually felt the embers in the air. I could smell the blood. I-I could see myse-..."

Elsa pauses, immediately cutting of herself before she could finish her word.

"See what?" You ask, using your free hand to reach for hers, massaging it gently.

"My… My kingdom burning." She continues.

"What you said to me this morning was… perfect. It put a lot of things into perspective," She grips your hand harder, raising her voice slightly. "But the realism behind the nightmare was baffling. How do you cope with something like that? How can anyone react to seeing, hearing, feeing something like that?"

You continue to look at her, unsure of what to say.

Moments of silence pass before the queen begins to speak once more. "The feeling will pass. I know it will with a little time, but how can I concentrate on anything with these thoughts running through my head!"

Elsa glares angrily out the carriage window, looking at the sky as if yearning for a solution or at the very least an explanation. She closes her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply. She turns her head back and buries it in the crook of your neck once more, seeking the warmth and comfort of your embrace.

You lean your head down giving it a gentle kiss before leaning softly against it.

"What do I do, (Y/N)?" She asks.

"Well I-" You pause slightly, trying to find the right words to say to her. "I don't think I can make it go away…"

The corners of your mouth turn up into a small grin. Maybe you didn't have a solution but you did have a distraction; an old trick that was used to get your mind off of war if only for a brief moment in time. "But I might have an idea of how to take some of the edge off."

You let go of her hand and gently guide her body away from your side and to the edge of your lap, just above your knees. You calmly remove your gloves and set them to the side of you.

"(Y/N)? What are you-?"

"Shh… It's an old trick that I er- picked up from someone from my past." You respond as an old flame comes to mind.

As Elsa sits on your lap, you lift your hands, hovering just above her waist.

'Now how did Isabela start? Was it the shoulders moving down or was it the waist moving up…?' You think to yourself.

Settling on a location, you set your hands on her waist, softly beginning to massage her through the fabric.

You hear her moan in response to your touch.

'Hmm waist it is then.'

This was unlike many other massages you had given Elsa. It was much slower and in its own way was more personal if it were at all possible.

"Mmm… (Y/N), that feels-" Elsa moans.

"Shh… don't talk, just listen." You say as you begin to slowly work your hands up her waist and to her lower back. "Close your eyes. Focus on my voice."

You feel her muscles relax as your hands continue to push away the pressure you could feel beneath her clothing. You can feel her heartbeat, feel her every breath; the tension melting away like the ice on a summer's day.

"Don't think about last night… Don't think about Arendelle… In this moment, it's just us." You can feel her relax even more, body nearly slumping at the comfort. "Just… breathe."

You continue to work your hands through the fabric, feeling her take in a deep breath. You continue to slowly and steadily massage the muscles in her back.

"Fill your lungs… Empty your thoughts…" You whisper.

The queen complies, inhaling for several beats. You smile softly as you continue your motions. It was fortunate you managed to remember this little relaxation method. Perhaps seeing Isabela had jarred some memories of when she did this for you back in Aravan. It did feel slightly awkward because of the events in Corona, but it was effective at clearing one's mind. Isabela used to do it for you whenever you on leave. No matter how much you enjoyed the thrill of combat, the stress of commanding troops did take its toll on you and Isabela's massages really helped distract your mind from the conflict.

"Breathe…" You say, voice as soft as your touch.

It felt odd to share her technique with Elsa. It used to be an intimate moment between you and the fiery redhead, but no matter how odd it felt to you, Elsa needed the distraction and you hoped that it might do the trick for her.

The carriage rocks as you massage her ever so gently. For several minutes, you proceed to massage her. Every few moments you whisper once more, reminding her that you were still there with her.

"Just breathe…" You say one more time.

As Elsa inhales slowly one more time, you lower your arms and wrap them around her waist, pulling her body close to yours. Elsa fits snuggly against your chest as she exhales her breath. You smile softly and rest your chin on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" You ask.

"For the moment…" Elsa turns her head slightly and plants a kiss on your waiting cheek. "Better. Where did you learn that?"

"It's a little trick that-" You pause for a brief moment, almost saying Isabela's name. "An old friend showed me. It was a great way to get your mind off the constant stress of war… Although I think it might have been more effective if you were on a bed instead of a carriage."

Elsa raises an eyebrow before giving a weak smile. "I-I don't suppose you could perhaps do it again tonight?"

"Of course." You reply, smiling back at her.

Elsa turns away, nonchalantly staring out the carriage window with her bright yet unsure smile still spread across her face. "Thank you (Y/N). It's just that I'm so uncertain how the evening will turn out… I'd just like something to help me sleep better."

You frown slightly. Elsa was still shaken up. She was still afraid of what the night held in store for her. Would she dream? Would her mind be filled with pleasant bliss, or fracture itself once more under the weight of a crippling nightmare? You weren't sure, but if you could help her with a simple massage, then you would do it for her in a heartbeat.

You lean your head back down, resting your chin on her shoulder as you hold her close.

"Whenever you need it, my Queen…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fort Agdar and all its troops awaited as your party approached the gates. As the carriage and escort approach the fort, you and Elsa glance out the window to see a large clearing, filled with men and women from all walks of life as they trained under the supervision of Elsa's royal guard. You could see the various drills and maneuvers that they were practicing. You had even designed a few of them yourself. A few of them glanced at the carriage as it passed but immediately snapped back to attention once they recognized just who the passengers were. Behind the field were several rows pf large tents set up. From what you could tell, they were there to provide extra sleeping space to the new recruits that were showing up on the doorstep every day.

"I didn't anticipate so many people to sign up…" Elsa begins in awe of how many troop there were on the field.

"According to Tara's reports, more and more recruits arrive every day." You speak, eyeing the troops as you passed by. "With so many turning out like this it's no wonder why they moved the training outside of the fort itself."

Moments later the carriage comes to a halt, stopping so the door of it was directly in front of the massive fortress doors.

The Royal escort surrounding the carriage dismount their horses and take up formation. They line up in two rows on either side of the carriage doors with Anders and Tara at the head of each row.

The guard closest to the door moves to open it to allow you exit. You step out first and promptly turn to offer your hand to the queen who takes it kindly as she sends a small smile your way.

Elsa takes a small step forward, looking up at the massive door of the fortress. It was a momentous sight. The fortress walls stood high above the ground and cut across the land. Most of it was comprised of wood from Arendelle's forests, but despite that, it was as large as life. Worthy of her father's name.

The huge fortress gates begin to slowly open. As they do so, you give Elsa one more grin as you offer your arm. "Shall we?"

The woman smiles brightly as she links her arms with yours. "Let's."

The two you turn back to witness the gates of fort Agdar open full swing, revealing an enormous yard in the middle of the fort where all five-hundred members of the second battalion, lined up in perfect rows facing inwards. There two groups of soldiers on either side of the gate much like the royal guards lined up to the sides of you and Elsa, forming a straight path through the yard. Several men and women in the rows closest to the path had banners of Arendelle's crest in their arms.

"ATEN-SHUN!" Tara commands.

The soldiers of Arendelle let out a mighty yet short shout of acknowledgement that echoes across the land and gives you chills as you hear it.

You hear Elsa take a breath before stepping forward. You and Elsa make your way into the fort with the royal guards following your steps as you enter.

As you all make your way down the path, Elsa glances around at the interior of the fortress, taking note of some of the things in the yard. From behind a row of troops, she could make out a forge and to the side of it a large set of doors leading to what she'd assume is the armory. She glances over to the other side to see several sets of doors with one that appeared to lead to the sleeping quarters. She glances upward to see the tips of one tall watchtower in the corner. She could even make out several troops standing at attention as she looked up at them.

"This is… impressive. I hadn't anticipated the people to build something this large and elaborate in such a short amount of time." Elsa states, still taking in the sights of the fort.

"I know what you mean. I only caught glimpses of it before we left for Corona." You reply. "Tara's report truly didn't do this place justice."

Elsa nods her head in agreement before setting her eyes down the center of the path. Several feet ahead was a large platform elevated above the ground with two sets of stairs on either side. The platform oversaw the whole field and was obviously used by Tara, Anders, and whoever else was in command to monitor the training. On the platform was a lone man, one she recognized as one of her guards from the castle. Just behind the platform was a huge keep, this time consisting of stone rather than wood.

The guardsmen detail to the sides of you and Elsa halt their movement and turn inwards to face you, all standing at attention. You lead Elsa to the steps of the platform and begin to ascend as Anders and Tara fall out and follow you up. Midnight makes her way up last, individually sizing up every troop she could see as she reached the top of the platform.

The guardsman at the top of the platform gives a formal bow as Elsa stepped close to him. "Your majesty."

"At ease, Guardsman Cecil." She greets with a smile.

He lifts his head up before turning to you. "Captain."

You grin and nod your head. "Good to see you Cecil. I didn't see you at the barracks yesterday. How're the wife and kids?"

"My apologies Captain (Y/N), but I was needed here at the fort to prepare the troops for deployment. And to be honest, with my new position here, I don't really get to see them as often as I'd like…" Cecil turns over to glance at Elsa. "You see, while you were away. The council decided to give me the position of logistics expert of fort Agdar. So while Tara and the other guards may be physically overseeing the recruits, I'll be here coordinating and organizing everything from troop training to resources management here and in the surrounding area."

You raise an impressed eyebrow as you chuckle lightly. "Wow, quite a step up from listening to me talk all day, Eh?"

"Rest assured (Y/N), despite my new duties, I still answer directly to you and Queen Elsa." Cecil gives a short laugh before looking at Elsa. "With all that being said, the second battalion is ready to be deployed and is at your disposal, my Queen."

Guardsman Cecil holds a hand out, gesturing Elsa to step forward to see the magnitude of her army. The Queen steps forward, witnessing the battalion as they await her orders.

Tara steps forward. "CENTER… FACE!"

The soldiers of the second battalion pivot on their heels and turn to face the center, each and every one of them facing Queen Elsa. The ground practically trembles as five hundred armored footfalls echo throughout the area. You could see something in their eyes. Something you taught the royal guards. Something Tara did well to pass on.

Raw. Determination.

"They're ready and willing to follow. To the ends of the earth if need be." Cecil speaks up as he surveys the soldiers.

"Really?" Elsa asks, still looking at her forces. "That devoted?"

"Of course. You're our Queen. That alone gives them something to look up to."

Elsa turns her head, to look over at you. "Do I really mean that much to them?"

You give her a warm smile, nodding as you do so. "Every army, at least the best ones, needs a banner to rally around. They need someone or something to inspire them to be greater. In this case… It's you."

You avert your gaze and look down at the troops. "Every man and woman filling out those ranks has someone they're fighting for. It could be their friends, or family or homes."

Elsa turns her gaze to look at the soldiers once more.

"But at the heart of it all," You continue. "They're the sons and daughters of Arendelle and they'd all fight and die in her name… your name."

Elsa pauses, unsure of what to say.

"Well put captain." Cecil adds as he looks at the queen. "And with that said; perhaps, your majesty, you could say a few words of inspiration to them? Just to send them off proper."

Elsa glances upwards to the heavens for a brief moment, breathing in deep as she smiles. It almost looked like she was smiling at someone. "I didn't really write any down, but I think I can throw something together."

You grin wide as you see her step closer to the edge of the platform. For the first time today, she looked happy, excited even! Perhaps witnessing the devotion of her people was enough to pull her out of her distressed slump. Of course this would be the first time she had ever stood before a genuine army before. She had every right to be excited over it, but to learn that she inspired people gave that last bit of confidence to put her mind at ease or at the very least give her a much more powerful distraction.

Elsa takes a small step forward standing just before the edge of the platform. The air was deathly silent as they awaited her words.

"Sons and daughters of Arendelle! As you embark on this noble path, know that your nation, your families and your queen look to you and see the greatest men and women to have ever graced a battlefield. Your courage and your strength are what guide us all through the darkness. Your might and power is only matched by the men and women standing beside you. While your light guides us through the dark, your brothers and sisters beside you shall be your own light in the darkness and should adversity come your way, then hold fast! Let them hear your cry and face your steel! Let them know, let the rest of the world know that the sons and daughters of Arendelle will not fall so easily!"

The troops let out a thunderous roar of approval, some raising their fists in the air. Elsa smirks slightly to herself as she feels the ground shake from the force of their cry.

"I want you all to remember why you stand here today. I want you to remember that you are not soldiers of conquest. You are our protectors. You are our guardians." Elsa speaks once more as the roar of the soldiers dies down. "You are not an act of war, but one of defense. Remember that. Carry it with you and may you be reminded of it during times of hardship and strife. This is your home. Defend it with all your might!"

They let out another thunderous cheer of excitement. A good number even stomped their feet only adding more and more to the thunder. As the soldiers of the second battalion roar louder and louder, Elsa gives them all one more proud smile before turning away and glancing at Tara and Anders.

She gives a short nod and steps away from the edge of the platform to allow the two of them to take her spot.

"Alright! Listen up!" Tara yells with unquestionable authority in her voice. "When I call your name, step forward and report to your commanding officers!"

As Anders and Tara give them their assignments, Elsa steps over to you.

"What'd you think?" She asks, a shy smile on her face.

You give her a bright grin. "Couldn't have said it any better myself!"

'Damn fine,' Midnight looks over at her, a playful smirk on her face as she bows her head slightly out of respect. 'Your majesty.'

Elsa smiles proudly, responding with a polite nod of her head as she shifts her gaze between the two of you. "Thank you."

Guardsman Cecil offers his own, wide, approving smile. He turns his head, looking past the queen at Anders and Tara as they called name after name. "It appears they may be at that for quite a while. If you would follow me to the keep, I'd like to show you all to the war room."

Elsa raises an eyebrow. "War room?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Guardsman Cecil pushes open a large set of doors further into the fortress that reveals a large room with a huge round table situated right in the middle of it. Windows on every side allow the sun's warming presence to enter, but torches were lit and burning to illuminate the room much better. Several soldiers were pacing the room, setting documents of the table and retrieving some before heading off into other parts of the fortress stopping only to bow before her majesty.

Cecil walks around the room to the other side of the table as you, Midnight, and Elsa enter.

"Here, your highness, is where the planning and coordination all take place." He speaks, gesturing to the table.

A large map of Arendelle was upon it with several locations marked, likely indication points of interest or the other fortresses. The city of Arendelle was marked with a huge star. Several other documents were situated on the table. You could see various reports from areas of the fort, requisition orders, and you even saw a few letters addressed from other areas of Elsa's kingdom.

"Progress and situation reports from the construction teams and first battalion come through here before reaching the castle. We also receive a handful of letters from the towns and citizens that we pass along as well."

Midnight raises her head, sniffing the air before glancing at you with an annoyed look on her face. 'Ugh… more ink and papers.'

You shrug your shoulders slightly and give her a small smirk. "Complaining already Midnight?"

'I'm not complaining! I'm just…' She pauses, glancing up at everyone in the room giving an exasperated sigh. 'Ugh… please continue.'

Cecil stifles a chuckle before looking back at Elsa. "As I was saying, this room acts as a spearhead in which you yourself can coordinate your forces."

Cecil looks down at the table and points at several marked spots then to one in particular. "Some of these spots marked here show things you may be interested in. For example this marking shows a healthy iron deposit that we can send soldiers to secure, should you choose to do so."

Elsa gazes over the table examining every detail of the kingdom with her detective mind. "And we'll be receiving reports frequently from their locations, correct?"

Cecil nods his head affirmatively. "Of course, your highness. Any information that comes within these walls will reach you and the council, even if I have to deliver it myself."

Elsa smiles wide eyeing the map with an impressed look. "Excellent."

"With that said, your majesty, might I suggest a place to start?" Cecil asks.

Elsa looks away from the map for a moment to look at him. "Go ahead."

Cecil smiles widely, turning his head to the side to pull three pieces of paper from the side of the desk. He calmly sets the papers down and pushes them across the table for Elsa to set her eyes on.

"Requisition orders?" You ask, looking at the documents in her hand.

"Correct. As you may have seen on your way into the fort, most of it is composed of wood."

"Hmm…" Elsa ponders as she eyes the papers. There were three orders. One to construct stringer walls for fort Agdar, one to construct additional watchtowers to provide a tremendous vantage point over the area, and one to provide better and stronger equipment for the troops.

"We do have the resources on hand to reinforce the walls," Cecil continues. "But unfortunately we only have enough to complete the walls alone at the moment which would mean forgoing the other two orders. Most of our construction materials went towards building the other forts across the kingdom. The council thought it was fitting for you to decide which project you wanted to commit to."

"Huh…" You begin thinking of each option. "Wooden walls seem fine for now, but when worst comes to worst they won't last more than an instant, should even a small force make it to them It could be leveled easily, leaving the city and castle defenseless. A stronger wall might not be a bad choice."

'Why weather the storm when you could stop it dead in its tracks?' Midnight glanced at the watchtower order in Elsa's palm. 'Watchtowers, if properly constructed, could prevent any sort of attack from reaching the fort entirely. Enough archers situated on them would not only help deter an invasion force but buy you enough time to get your troops into position. When every enemy is dead, there is no need for a wall to defend…'

Elsa finds herself glancing down her papers, wondering the pros and cons to building each. "But should we be attacked how would our soldiers fare against superior weaponry? If we are unable to weather the storm or prevent the attack, what then? Stronger armor and sharper blades might improve their chances tremendously."

"All valid points," Cecil adds, placing his hands behind his back as he patiently awaits a decision. "But ultimately it's your call Queen Elsa."

Elsa pauses, glancing between the papers. She ponders more and more over which order to pursue. She sets the papers down on the desk, mind still mulling over what to do. Her eyes scan the papers, trying to find some way to compromise and fill each order. She reaches down, fingertips barley grazing the parchment. She stops, eyes now settling down on her hand. She raises her eyebrow, new thoughts swimming in her mind. She lifts it up, looking at it with as much thought as she had with the requisition orders. She smiles confidently, clenching her fist as she does so.

The queen looks over at Cecil smiling brightly. "Use our resources to develop better armaments for our soldiers. I have an idea."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elsa stood in front of the open gates Fort Agdar, breathing calmly as she eyed every inch of it as she could. She had examined the blueprints vigorously earlier and knew exactly where to focus her attention.

Sunset was drawing near, its vibrant colors of red yellow and orange coloring the dimming sky.

The second battalion had received their orders and left the fort roughly an hour prior. Tara and Anders had given them their assignments and they were now ready to head out into the field. You and Midnight were beside Elsa, eagerly awaiting to see what she had planned. It must have been something spectacular because she ordered the battlements to be cleared. Tara and Cecil were standing to the side whilst Anders was still in the fort, ensuring there was no one close to the walls. With the last soldier off the wall, Anders looks through the gate to nod his head towards the queen.

Elsa returns his gesture before closing her eyes. She breathes deep, filling her lungs with air.

She lifts her hands up channeling the ice, moving it throughout her body and allowing it to flow through her arms to her palms and fingertips. Focusing on the structure of the fortress, she begins to slowly raise her arms as snow calmly pushes outwards and connects with the fortress wall. As her hands rise slowly but surely the whole exterior wall begins to shine brightly as they become more and more encased with a thick and dense layer of ice. From the bottom up, the fort is completely covered.

The recruits training in the field stopped to watch as their queen displayed her power. From within the fort, the soldiers who were stationed there stood in the courtyard watching as Elsa covers the wall around them in perfect ice. Many jaws dropped as eyes went wide as they witnessed Elsa's magic.

Every inch of the walls both in and out were surrounded with smooth yet strong layers of ice. She reaches the apex of the fortress walls, finishing the walls. She then turns her attention to the corners of the fort. She couldn't really see certain corners from where she was standing but she knew where they were after both touring the fort and examining its blueprints earlier.

She raises her hands once more, this time starting from the top and moving down. She focuses her power sending it surging forth into the sky a spreading it to the most important corners of Fort Agdar. The snowy crystals in the sky come together and begin to form structures. Large watchtowers, perfectly designed both inside and out, take form simultaneously. They descend from the sky and connect with the freshly formed ramparts of ice. She marks the faces of the towers with a shining crest of Arendelle. The whole fortress was completely covered in ice. The wooden foundation was far beneath the ice. It was so dense that the foundation couldn't be seen unless you pressed yourself right up against the wall. It looked like Elsa's palace militarized.

Fort Agdar, in all its majesty, was shining against the crimson sunset. Everyone around was in awe of the intense beauty of the fortress.

Midnight steps closer, admiring the fortress as it glistens in the light. 'A fortress made of ice… It's beautiful in this light. Like diamonds.'

"Yes…" You say, averting your gaze from the fort and looking at Elsa.

She lowers her hands and glances over her shoulder at you, smiling brightly.

"Like diamonds."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So it won't melt?" You ask as you lean against the bedpost as your lover prepares finishes signing a few documents in front of her mirror.

"So long as I live and breathe, no." She replies, eyes still on her papers.

She was clad in just her robe as she sat in the seat in front of her desk. After another tour of fort Agdar to inspect her creation for any flaws, you returned to the castle as the night falls across the land. Even in the moonlight, Elsa's fort sparkled.

"How strong are the walls?" You ask.

"Hmm in theory… It should be able to stop barrages of cannon fire." Elsa replies as she sets down her quill and looks one more time over her papers. "But let's hope that we never have to test that though."

You glance upwards at the ceiling, chucking as you think about her fortress of ice. "To think: People from all around will flock to it, hoping to get a glimpse of the 'Diamond Fortress'."

"The Diamond Fortress?" She asks as she stands up from her seat.

"It was Midnight's name for it." You say looking back to down to meet her eyes. "But she was right, though. The way it shines in the light of the sun and moon really make it look it was made of diamonds."

Elsa steps closer to you with a playful smile. "Well I'm glad you approve."

"Now then… If I recall correctly." She steps past you and moves to the edge of the bed. She looks over her shoulder at you, smirking seductively. "You promised me a massage, (Y/N)."

You grin back and push away from the bedpost. "Of course."

With her flirtatious grin on her face and her back still facing you, she pulls the sash around her waist to free her robe. She shrugs her shoulders, allowing the robe to slide off her shoulders to reveal she had nothing on underneath.

You feel a blush come to your face as you stare at her bare body.

Elsa giggles as she looks at your reddened cheeks. "I hope you don't mind, I thought it would be more helpful to forego clothing."

"O-of course not." You say, shaking yourself out of your stupor.

"Excellent." Elsa continues.

She leans down and lies on the bed, her back facing the ceiling. She reaches over and grabs a pillow, folding her arms and resting her head over it.

You, cheeks still tinged slightly red, step over and get to work. You lean down and begin to gently rub her back, starting from her waist. You go even slower than you had in the carriage as you try to remember and follow Isabela's method to the letter.

"Close your eyes… Focus on my voice."

You caress every inch of her smooth skin, your fingertips grazing over certain spots. You can hear Elsa moan softly at your touch. The lack of clothing really did make it easier to get her to relax more. Without anything obstructing your movements, it was also easy for you to feel the flow of the massage. You could feel every curve, every muscle she had. You could feel a familiar bulge in your pants from a certain part of your lower body as you massaged her naked body.

It wasn't even a full five minutes into the massage before Elsa decided to speak.

"(Y/N)… Take off your shirt."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Hmm that's it then. **

**Well hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

**Also take note a few key things in this one. **

**The War Room is going to come into play very soon… Maybe. **

**Ok, well thanks for reading and I hope you stick around for more! **

**P.S. With superhero season starting soon I'm going to write some more for my other story: Against the Darkness. So if you're a fan of that one then you'll be happy to know that I'm hoping to release a new chapter sometime in October! So give it read when you get the chance!**


	33. Echoes

**Hello, Hope you all had wonderful holidays and are looking forward to a new year!**

**I REALLY wanted to get this out sooner, but I just recently went on an extended trip to **

**Boston and haven't found the time to write and then was immediately swamped with Christmas junk. Sorry for the delay, Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 33: Echoes

Images flash through her mind as she tosses and turns in her sleep. Elsa clenches her eyes shut hard. Sweat drips from her brow, falling onto her pillows. Her breath intensifies, as she inhales more and more air. The monarch mumbles as a peaceful slumber evades her. Images flash in her head, grim reminders of the night before. Her mind was fighting back against the turbulent forces of her nightmare and fear with images of everything she loved. Elsa's mind was stuck in a state of dissonance. Trapped between the harmony of a dream and the hurricane of a nightmare.

"S-stop…" she mumbles.

Her eyes snap open, as she escapes the void of slumber. She's still breathing heavy and light perspiration drips down from her brow across her body. It falls, landing across her bare chest. She leans up in the bed, the covers falling downward and reveal her bare chest to the air.

She turns her head, looking at her lover as he remained still on his side of her bed, equally bare underneath the covers. His steady breathing brought some ease to her mind but wasn't enough for her to achieve that state of equilibrium her dreams so desperately needed.

She gently brings her arms down, folding and rubbing them slightly. She wasn't cold, she could never feel cold but somehow she couldn't keep herself from shivering.

Elsa looks once more at (Y/N)'s sleeping form. She opens her mouth, contemplating whether to speak and rouse him from slumber. To waken him so he might provide her comfort as she struggled to return to sleep. No words escape her lips as she closes her mouth, deciding not to wake her lover from his sleep.

The snow queen shakes her head. She reaches downwards and pulls the rest of the covers from her body. She turns and sits at the side of the bed, the cool night air touching her bare skin.

She glances down at her forgotten robe that was on the floor as well as a set of garments that belonged to (Y/N). A slight blush warms her cheeks as she remembers the events that had transpired last evening. She could remember a _very _sensual massage which led to a _very _passionate evening that ended in exhaustion for both parties.

She sighs to herself, leaning forward and pushing herself away from the bed. She reaches down to retrieve her robe to cover herself from the world.

Donning her silk robe, she moves closer to her window, still rubbing her arms slightly.

The moon was high in the sky, the light shining through the glass. If she had to guess, it was one or two o'clock in the morning. She narrows her eyes, wondering why her mind was torn between the two realms of dreams and nightmares.

For nearly half an hour, she stood at her window, thinking about her evening and what it had meant. In an odd way, it was progress at the very least. She didn't have a full on nightmare, but just the sheer memory was powerful enough to fill her thoughts with fear that the visions would resurface.

She glances up at the cloudless sky, very briefly looking at (Y/N) before returning her gaze to the heavens. The snow queen was unsure of why she hadn't told him about the reflection of herself. She was able to repeat every aspect of her dream to him, yet she couldn't bring herself to speak about the mirrored version of herself. There was something keeping her from speaking yet she knew not what it was.

It was eating at the back of her mind. She could still hear faint whispers and images flash inside her head.

_Let me out…_

Was there something else about her that she didn't know? A fractured part of her mind or a sundered shard of her soul? Was there an aspect of herself that sought control? To shatter her mind and claim it for herself?

"No. That's impossible…" Elsa whispers, still rubbing her arms for comfort. She remains silent for several moments, trying to rationalize her experience.

The platinum-blonde monarch shakes her head. Whatever she saw didn't matter. She could not allow it to distract her from her duties as queen.

"I just need… time." She whispers to herself.

Time was the key, she hoped. If the passage of time shattered mountains and ruined civilizations, then surely it could help her forget. Most people only remember faint whispers of their dreams if at all, often forgetting them as the following day passes. But Elsa could remember every detail, especially the reflection.

She wondered how much time she would need to forget that.

"Mmm…" A low mumble breaks her thoughts as she swivels her head in the direction of the noise.

Beneath the covers of her bed, her lover stirs lightly in his sleep arm extended as he was reaching for something he just couldn't find.

Despite her inner turmoil, she couldn't help but giggle softly at his demeanor. (Y/N) looked discontent, like a lovesick puppy or a child looking for their favorite stuffed toy to hold.

The platinum blonde steps closer to her bed, slipping her robe from her shoulders and allowing it to fall next to his discarded clothing as she climbs beneath the covers and into his embrace. She snuggles into his neck as she lightly presses herself against his bare chest. (Y/N)'s arm instinctively wraps around her, a small smile grazing his lips.

(Y/N)'s warm embrace was soothing yet did little to stifle the uncertainty in her head.

Time was hopefully the answer. She didn't know how long it would take to forget. Hopefully in a week's time, the thoughts that plagued her head would be nothing more than a memory.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(One week Later-Normal Perspective)

It had been a full week since Elsa's creation of her father's diamond fortress. Troop reports were coming in and out at regular intervals, each detailing the stability of their respective regions. Nothing out of the ordinary on all accounts and all situations with the builders were steady. The past week had seen Elsa and yourself in and out of Fort Agdar. Elsa alone had the authority to coordinate her soldiers, and you went to hear Intel about the soldiers in the field. With all the new decisions Elsa had to make, it certainly made for a busier week than normal.

Today was more tame compared to the rest of the seek seeing as Elsa's schedule wasn't too intense. This in turn gave you ample opportunity to spend more time at the barracks with the rest of the guard.

"Tell me you can see what I'm seeing." You ask as you survey the guards currently in the barracks as they prepare for their patrols.

'If what you're seeing the lack of royal guards, then yes. I do see what you're seeing.' Midnight gestures as she looks on at the collection of guards approaching the patrol list.

"We have been a bit short handed around the castle haven't we?" You reply.

Truth be told, today was the first day you got a good look at what remained of Elsa's royal guard. There were still many around yet not as much as there was before you had left for Corona. Many were at Fort Agdar, supervising the latest batch of soldiers. A handful were leading the second battalion in every corner of Elsa's kingdom which left a dwindled number of guards in the castle and city.

'Perhaps it's time to bolster the ranks?'

You turn your head, looking at Midnight. "You think so?"

The dire wolf nods her head, eyes still trained on the other guardsmen. 'The guardsmen are spread thin as it is. You need more men and women at your disposal. Besides, it could make things around here more interesting.'

"Right, 'Interesting' as in: I just need some fresh meat to beat on?" You ask, raising an eyebrow.

The wolf chuckles softly. 'You know me too well, don't you?'

"Best friend, remember?" You reply with a grin before gesturing over to the doors. "Come on, if anyone knows where we can get some promising recruits, it's Tara and fortunately for us, she's already at the Fort."

'Let's not waste any time then.' Midnight makes her way to the doors as you move to follow.

As the two of you step closer to the doors, Anders makes his presence known, pushing them open as he enters the barracks.

"Anders! You have the helm." You call out before the man can say anything.

The blonde man gives you a slightly confused look as you and Midnight pass by him. He raises his hand as if to say something or question why you put him in charge for seemingly no reason but shrugs instead.

"Okay then."

You smile slightly as you head through the open doors, following Midnight to the Diamond Fortress.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Now that you mention it, it has felt a little lonely back at the barracks hasn't it?" Tara asks as she sifts through papers on the war table, trying to assemble dossiers for potential recruits.

Beside her, guardsman Cecil moves to organize the forms, awaiting your commands. "Between deploying guards in the field and here at the fort for training, I can see an issue we'd have with limited guards."

"An issue we aim to fix." You say, looking at them from across the table, arms folded as Midnight sits beside you. "Any idea who to pull from the ranks?"

Tara pauses for a moment thinking of appropriate people to choose from. "I know we have several men and women who excelled during training but they're all in the first and second battalions so we can't get them out here on such short notice."

"Arrange the dossiers anyway." You say, thinking about the potential guardsmen. "I'll see if her majesty would allow us to pull them out and send the back here."

"As you say Captain." Tara responds, shuffling papers around and moving them about, handing them over to Cecil.

"Are you certain the commanders can afford to lose some of their soldiers?" Cecil asks as he sets papers down in a neat stack.

'A battalion of five-hundred won't miss one or two troops.' Midnight gestures, looking at the huge map of Arendelle from her spot. 'We can afford it.'

"Still…" You speak, leaning over and glancing at the map with her. "The men and women from the first battalion are near the edges of the kingdom and the second battalion is too spread out. It might be a while for them to arrive."

'What about the troops we have now? Here at the fortress?' Midnight sends a set of questioning eyes towards you.

You look up from the map and over at the young brunette across from you. "Tara? Anyone here fit the bill?"

"Hmm… Well I don't think they'd be quite as skilled as the others but I can think of a few of them that might be up to par."

"It's not much but it would be better than nothing." Cecil adds.

"There's potential in everyone, Cecil." You tell him before looking at Midnight. "Let's go see how much they have, shall we?"

Midnight smirks, lifting herself the ground.

You glance up at Tara. "Who do we have?"

Tara, looks over at Cecil. "Can you handle the dossiers by yourself?"

Cecil gives her a smile. "They'll be ready before the day's end."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The yard of Fort Agdar was cleared with majority of the soldier trainees moved to the outer field. There was still a constant presence of troops within the fort but it certainly wasn't as crowded as it would have usually been. Spread out in a line directly in the center of the field were five trainees: Two women, three men. One woman was slightly taller than all but one man who definitely towered over the rest. Another man looked young and very pleased with himself. He had an unmistakable grin on his face. A grin that you had just recently wiped off a different man's face back in Corona. Hopefully this one would be different.

"Interesting batch, Tara. You sure they have what it takes?" You ask.

"They have promise, Captain (Y/N), but it's up to you to see just how much that really is." Tara replies, looking over the potential guards.

"Right you are, Tara!" You say with a smile. "Now then, who's first?"

"Ahem..." Tara clears her throat before turning to address the recruits. "Recruit Winston, step forward!"

The young man who had been grinning widely earlier steps forth, the smirk never fading.

You and Midnight look him over with a critical eye. The man had short cut brown hair and a pair of dark brown eyes. His sword was upon his waist and had several engravings on the hilt. It was in excellent condition and you could tell that he made his best effort to keep his blade in pristine condition. In your head, you knew he'd be a great soldier, but how would he fare being a royal guard?

"Captain, this Winston Holmes. Joined the Army three weeks ago. Born and raised in a little town not too far from here. Has since proven he's more than capable with a blade."

"Ah, you flatter me Miss Tara." Winston says, giving your lieutenant a sly grin. "Have I finally started rubbing off on you?"

The woman feels her cheeks slightly redden before giving him an angry glare. "Eyes forward, recruit!"

The young man snaps his head up straight, yet maintaining his wide grin.

"Hmm…" You hum slightly, noticing the reaction of Tara.

'Another one?' Midnight gestures, rolling her eyes at the sight of him.

"Now, Now Midnight. Let's see if he's got the skills to back his pride." You say, eyes still examining recruit Winston.

The young man furrows his brow at you. "Pardon? Were you talking to me, Captain?"

"Huh? No I was…" You stop, realizing you had yet to properly introduce your partner to them all. "Oh right. No I was referring to her."

You nod your head over to Midnight. "This is Midnight."

"So the tales are true? The esteemed Captain (Y/N)'s second in command is a wolf?" He asks, looking bewildered at the lion sized wolf.

You give a small chuckle as the wolf in question looks on unamused.

"No, no nothing like that. That duty falls to 'Miss' Tara and Guardsman Anders." You finish resisting the urge to laugh at Tara's annoyed face. "Midnight may be one of the best warriors I've ever met, but she's a terrible leader."

The wolf manages a simple shrug. 'Leading makes me hungry.'

You shake your head, before turning back to the younger man and the rest of the potential guardsmen. "Back to business. As I'm sure you all know, the royal guards are tasked with one of the most important jobs in the entire kingdom. Protecting her majesty and the royal family. The royal guardsmen are among the best warriors in the land. We have to be to ensure the queen and her family's absolute safety. More than that, we are the queen's personal task force. When something in the kingdom arises that requires more than mere soldiers, she sends us."

You pause for a moment looking over each potential guard, pondering just how much promise each of them had.

"To join our ranks, to stand with us, means you become more than a mere soldier. Each of you was chosen because we think you have the potential. It's up to you to prove to us just how much that really is."

The recruits glance around at each other, some wrought with nerves at living up to the expectation and a few with humble pride in their eyes, honored to have even been considered for a position within the guardsmen ranks. One in particular had a certain smugness to his look.

You grin widely, amused at their expressions. "Now then, let's begin shall we?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Elsa perspective- Arendelle City)

Her royal majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, smiles softly as she makes her way through the city. Beside her, Anna smiles wider, more than happy to spend time with her sister. A lone pair of royal guardsmen kept their distance but remained ever vigilant as they guarded the queen and princess during their time in the city. The citizens of Arendelle bow and wave as they pass, glad to catch a glimpse of the queen and her sister.

After spending a considerable amount of time working from both the throne room of the castle and war room of Fort Agdar, Elsa had decided that a change of scenery was in order. The queen took it upon herself to head into the city and see just how well the city had been progressing. She was also looking forward to spending quality time with her sister. The queen had been so busy handling the affairs of the kingdom, she hardly spent any true time alone with Anna.

The younger sister skips happily along beside the older woman, glancing up at the cloudless sky. "Such a lovely day!"

Elsa smiles softly. "Isn't it?"

Anna shifts her gaze to her sister, skipping closer and linking her arm with hers and gently leaning her head down to rest playfully on her shoulder. "You know, the throne room is cool and all, but nothing beats spending a day under the sun!"

"I know." Elsa giggles slightly. "I really should make more time for days like these."

Anna smiles wider as the pair pass more villagers as they bow and wave.

"My queen."

"Good day, Queen Elsa, Princess Anna!"

The two sisters smile and wave back. The city seemed much livelier upon the return of the family to the kingdom. Sure, Elsa had received a few reports of trouble here and there, but overall nothing crazy.

"So, have you decided a date yet?" Elsa asks, not bothering to specify what she had meant, knowing Anna knew exactly what she as talking about.

"Come on Elsa!" The princess shakes her head, cheeks tinged red at her words. "I can't even decide what shirt to wear in the morning! How am I supposed to decide a day for something as important as THAT?"

The monarch shakes her head slightly. "I'm sure whatever day you decide to do it on, it will be perfect."

"Oh really? How about tomorrow then?" Anna replies, raising a playful eyebrow. "You know, just to get it out of the way."

Elsa's smile disappears as quickly as it had formed as she looks at her sister. "Seriously?"

"Of course not!" Anna giggles as the smile returns to the older woman's face. "But see what I mean? We can't just have it on some random day! It has to be special!"

Elsa stops for a moment, turning to face her sister to take both of her hands into hers. "Whatever you decide, Anna, I'll be there for you no matter what."

Anna, smiling warmly, pulls her in for a tight hug. "That means so much to me Elsa. Thank you."

Elsa wraps her arms around the younger woman. "It's what sisters are for right?"

As the pair hug for several moments, Anna begins to laugh lightly.

Elsa pulls away from her embrace raising an eyebrow, yet giggling along with the princess. "What's so funny?"

"I-It's just that," Anna begins, struggling to speak between laughs. "Half a year ago, I couldn't even get you to come out of your room for five seconds and now…"

Anna pauses, looking around at the buildings and citizens around the two of them. "Here we are, hugging in the middle of the street!"

Elsa smiles as she rolls her eyes, reaching down and taking Anna's hand before pulling her along further into the city.

"So what have you been up to, Sis?" Anna asks. "You've been so busy lately, I haven't really had a chance to see what you've been doing!"

"Honestly?" Elsa begins with a slight sigh. "Nothing really worth mentioning. My week has literally been nothing but papers and documents. Both at the castle and at father's fortress."

"Oh that's right!" Anna's eyes light up at the mention of the fort. "The fortress named after dad! That's been the talk of the town all week!"

"Really?" Elsa asks, still moving at a steady pace.

The queen had been preoccupied with her duties to the kingdom that she hadn't realized how much word had spread about the fort. A hushed whisper here or there in the castle, but according to Anna, it was a very popular discussion topic amongst her citizens there in the city. This was also when she realized that she had yet to tell Anna about her 'modifications' to the fortress.

"Definitely! Say… did you really cover it in ice like the palace?" Anna asks.

The platinum-blonde nods her head. "Every inch. I even constructed some watchtowers for it as well."

"Wow… So it won't melt or anything?"

Elsa gives a little laugh. "(Y/N) asked me the same thing. As long as I live and breathe, dad's fortress will stand tall."

"That's sooo cool! I bet it looks amazing!"

"It really does. (Y/N) and I love looking at it during the carriage rides there."

"Huh…" Anna muses, a thought coming to her mind. "I got to get Kristoff to take me on a date to see it sometime soon."

"A date to a military fortress? I'm genuinely speechless."

"What? It's a good idea!" Anna whines.

"I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind it, but whatever makes you happy, sis." Elsa replies, shaking her head slightly.

"Oh come on! You and (Y/N) have been doing it for the past week!"

"Riding a carriage to work hardly counts as a date!"

"Mmm, I don't know sis…" Anna muses. "Holding hands in the carriage, leaning against (Y/N)'s shoulder, maybe sneaking in a kiss or two as you both admire the fort from afar. Sounds an awful lot like a date to me…"

Now it was Elsa's turn to blush, albeit more furiously than Anna had at the mention of her engagement. Elsa, being the smart woman she was, realized Anna was merely speculating the carriage rides but was shocked to find just how accurate her assumptions were.

The older sibling pauses, remaining silent as she tries to find a witty quip or clever retort for her sister's implications, yet found no words coming to mind.

The platinum-blonde sighs in defeat. "Sunset. The perfect time to go is at sunset. The colors in the sky really make it stand out."

"Ha! Told you it was a good idea!" Anna exclaims.

Elsa releases Anna's hand and playfully pushes her away. Anna, ever defiant quickly steps back up and latches herself onto Elsa's arm, hugging it close.

The platinum-blonde only smiles wide as she and her sister move through the city. Given the nights she's had in the past few days, she needed to spend this time with Anna. No matter how awful thing may seem they are in her life, Anna always served as a reminder of how far she'd come from the scared little girl locked in her bedroom. When things were though, Anna was the one who reminded her to stay strong. Given her recent nights, Elsa needed another reminder.

"Sooo, how ya been sis?" Anna asks, moments later.

"Well, like I said: I've been busy between fort-"

"No." Anna interrupts, shaking her head at the older woman. "Not the queen. Not the kingdom. I mean my sister, Elsa. How are you doing?"

"I…." Elsa pauses, unsure of what to say. It seems that Anna always knew when something was troubling her, often looking straight past her title and into her soul. The sisterly bond was a powerful thing.

Elsa lets out a tired sigh. "I've been having some rough nights."

"R-really?" Anna asks, as her sister's voice sounding frail much like it had been before her coronation. "Like what do you mean? Are you and (Y/N) fighting or something…?"

"What? Oh no, It's nothing like that! Everything's absolutely fine with (Y/N)!" Elsa responds, quickly reassuring Anna of her relationship with her guard captain.

"So what do you mean?" Anna asks again.

"I…" Elsa once again stops herself from speaking, unsure if she should tell Anna about the terrors of her vision. For the past week, her sleep was plagued by echoes of the nightmare that tore apart her mind days ago. Each night was filled with a reminder of her dream, or worst a reminder of herself.

"I…" She tries to speak again. Looking a few buildings ahead, happy to find one the best restaurants in the city only a few steps ahead. "How about I tell you all about it over lunch?"

Anna follows her look, but turns back quickly with a concerned frown before replacing it with a reassuring smile. "Alright, sis."

Elsa matches her grin, reaching down to take her hand and gently pull her into the waiting doors of Café Eleganse.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Normal Perspective)

"Arg!" Winston lets out a winded yell as Midnight rams her head into his gut and sending him flying back several feet.

Midnight pulls back, circling his hunched over form like a true wolf on the hunt.

She lets out a low growl. 'I could have killed you already. I can kill you now!'

Winston ignores her growls rising to his feet. You were fairly certain her couldn't pick up on Midnight's thoughts or gestures, but you suppose that didn't really matter at this point.

Tara looks on as Midnight spars with the young recruit, looking half amused and half worried for his safety. "Um, was it a good idea to have Midnight do this Captain?"

"Probably not, but if anyone can knock some humility into someone, it's her." You reply, watching Winston defend, albeit barely, against Midnight's claws.

The other recruits, whom Winston had all defeated earlier in practice spars, were snickering to themselves as they watched him struggle against Midnight. A few, verbally calling out his every blunder.

Prior to the current match between man and dire wolf, the other recruits had each taken their turns sparring against each other. As they battled, you took mental notes of their fighting strategy; how well they could handle a sword. Sure some of them made better archers, but every guard needed to be proficient with a blade. It was easy to see that Winston really was the best swordsman out of the bunch. The other trainees were more skilled than your average soldier, but Winston looked like he had the most potential. He also had the cockiest attitude about it.

"Winston's good. I'll give him that, but he needs to tone his attitude down." You finish, watching Midnight toss him around the field some more.

After defeating the others, he thought he could take on the world. He even thought he could take on Midnight.

Winston had promise, but he was not even close to being as skilled as Midnight. Hell, hardly anyone was as skilled as Midnight. You were honestly surprised he was lasting this long against her.

"Damn!" He curses, trying desperately to land an attack or at least graze her, but Midnight was too fast and she was far stronger.

Midnight easily sidesteps a few of his swings and uses a paw to trip him up. As he stumbles around, Midnight tackles his exposed back and sends him to the ground once more. Recruit Winston, refusing to give up, rises to his feet, turning to meet his opponent.

You raise an impressed eyebrow. You had to give him credit for his tenacity. Midnight was throwing him around like a rag doll, and still he persists.

Midnight dodges and blocks his swings over and over, never missing a beat. A quick sidestep and well placed swipe later, Midnight disarms the recruit, sending his sword flying several feet away from the both of them.

Before he can even make a move for it, the wolf sends him into the ground and holds him in place with a huge paw on his chest. 'Enough!'

"Cough-cough! Erg!" Winston grunts loudly as he coughs, Midnight's paw pushing on his lungs. It wouldn't have taken much for her to crush his chest cavity.

'Guess she got bored.' You shake your head and step forward reaching down for the blade. Your partner hears your approach and removes her paw from Winston's chest.

The man coughs and gasps as the weight of Midnight's paw leaves him. He remains still on the ground, humiliated at the beating he just received from your best friend. He looks at the sky, not wanting to meet your eyes nor the gazes of the other trainees.

"I'm under the impression you've never been on the receiving end of a beating have you?" You ask, looking down at the man. He remains silent, still reeling over his loss.

You frown, understanding the feelings in his head. It was easy for kids fresh out of their hometown to think they're invincible. Winston must have lived a life where he was the only skilled fighter in his village. Without that exposure to the warriors and threats of the outside world, he never developed a sense of humility or respect for another opponent. His demeanor wasn't really his fault but an attitude like that is prone to get him killed if he isn't careful.

"Tara was right. You have promise, Winston." You reach down and offer him a hand. He first looks up at it before looking at you. "But you need an attitude adjustment. When the guard is called to action by the queen or by tragedy, we need to stand together. We can't do that if one of us is too concerned with trying to show off to everyone else."

The young recruit slowly reaches for your hand. You offer a warm smile as you pull him up to his feet. He looks down, too embarrassed to meet your eyes.

You hold out his sword, inspecting it carefully, admiring the craftsmanship. Winston follows the sword as you wave it slowly, getting a feel for its weight. You smile softly before offering the hilt to him. He takes it carefully, sheathing it before looking back at you.

"It takes more than a good sword arm to be a warrior." You finish, giving him a reassuring clasp on his shoulder.

You turn to face the other recruit, meeting each of their eyes before you continue. "You're all very talented, but you don't have experience. Trust me. I can see it on your faces. You haven't seen war. Seen conflict. Not like us."

You pause for a moment shifting your look over to Midnight then to Tara. "You're not ready to be guardsmen."

The recruits cast their gazes lower, downtrodden at your statement. You turn to face Winston. He looked ready to protest, mouth open, words ready to fly. Just before he says something, he catches your gaze. His mouth closes, the words once ready to be spoken now gone in an instant and replaced by a single look in his eyes: 'I understand.'

You raise an eyebrow and give him a smirk. 'There's hope for you yet, recruit.'

You shift your gaze to Midnight. The large wolf rolls her eyes before nodding her head. You smile wider and look at Tara, nodding your head as you do so. The woman returns your gesture before looking at the other recruits and clearing her throat.

"Gather your things from your quarters and report to the castle! Training begins tomorrow, recruits! Get Moving!" She barks, catching them all off guard. The guardsmen recruits stumble about, racing over to the fort barracks for their things.

As they race off, excitement in their steps, you couldn't help but grin.

"Sir?" Winston's voice catches your attention.

You turn your head to face him.

"I thought you said we weren't ready to be guards?" He asks.

"I did." You chuckle softly. "And you aren't. Not yet. To be real honest with you, you're all much more useful to us at the castle than you would be serving with the army."

"And this 'training'?"

"I'm not gonna lie, it's going to be intense. If you manage to make it through, I'll hand you your uniform myself. Sound fair?" You ask.

Winston grins bright before bowing his head ever so slightly. "I promise you won't be disappointed sir!"

"Good. Report to the castle." You finish, smirking as you watch him leave.

The man throws one more proud, yet respectful nod at Midnight as he passes, making his way to the others to gather his things.

Midnight tilts her head slightly as she watches him move away. 'He may be cocky, but he is talented.'

"You really think he's got what it takes?"

'Give him enough time he may be become more skilled than Anders. Maybe even be a match for you.'

"Why Midnight, are you thinking of replacing me with a new partner?" You ask, playfully feigning sadness.

She turns her head to look you in the eye, giving you an unamused stare. 'Don't even joke about that.'

Her gaze softens as the intensity in her eyes dies down. 'You're the only partner I want.'

"Likewise, Mid." You reply, stepping closer to your best friend. "Come on, we've got some training to do."

The wolf smirks and turns to follow you through the fortress.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Elsa Perspective)

"It's been like that for the past week… Anna, I just don't know what it means." Elsa finishes, staring down at her lunch. The meal set out in front of her had barely been touched. Across from her, Anna sits still, mind in deep thought over what Elsa had just told her.

"Oh wow… that's really heavy Elsa. When did you have this dream again?"

"A week ago. I can still remember glimpses of it when I sleep." Elsa mumbles.

"And you don't know what it could mean?" Anna asks.

The queen shakes her head. "I just know that it makes me afraid to sleep at night."

Anna frowns more at hearing her sister's turmoil.

"Have you told (Y/N)?" Anna asks.

"He only knows about the initial dream. He doesn't know about the echoes."

Anna tilts her head, looking thoughtfully at the platinum-blonde. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I-I don't know. I want to… b-but I just can't." Elsa stutters.

"Why not?" Anna asks, reaching across the table to take one of Elsa's hands.

"I just can't. I don't want him to worry about me." Elsa answers. Truthfully she didn't know why she couldn't tell (Y/N). Every time she had tried, something had stopped her. Every time there was a pulling in the back of her mind. Something that forced her to stop. Maybe it was because of the way she found (Y/N)'s sword and cloak in her dream. Aside from the image of herself, (Y/N)'s sword and cloak were the most powerful images from the nightmare.

Maybe she didn't want to tell him about the echoes because it would only reaffirm his willingness to die for her. She didn't want that and she didn't want to be reminded of it.

"Elsa…" Anna begins, gently caressing her hand with her thumb. "If you just keep it a secret, he's going to worry anyway."

Anna offers a sad smile to her sister. "The truth has a way of revealing itself at the worst possible times."

Elsa grips Anna's hand tight, sighing as she does. Perhaps she was overthinking her predicament. Maybe she would feel better is had someone other than Anna to confide in.

"You're right. Maybe I should tell him." Elsa sighs, looking up into Anna's eyes.

"I really think you should. That way we could both help you." Anna grins, meeting her sister's eyes.

"I will. Just give me some time to find the right words, okay?" Elsa says, returning Anna's smile with a weak one of her own. "Can you promise you'll keep this to yourself until then?"

"Alright, I promise. But don't take too long to do it." Anna finishes, giving Elsa's hand one more reassuring squeeze. "Promise me that."

Elsa smiles softly, squeezing back softly. "I promise."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Happy New Year Everyone!**


	34. Rising Blizzard

**Before we begin, I believe an apology is in order. I sincerely apologize for not updating this story more often. Rest assured, I haven't quite given up on it yet. I just figured people lost interest in reading, so I began to lose interest in writing it. It was not until I received some very kind words from a concerned reader that I realized how much people enjoy reading this. **

**Keybearer001, thank you again. You have no idea how much it helped.**

**So once again, I apologize and hope you enjoy this chapter. **

Chapter 34: Rising Blizzard

The border of Arendelle was silent for the moment. Truthfully all anyone could expect from the border was simply that: peace and quiet. Unfortunately for one soldier whose turn it was to pace the road leading into the kingdom, peace and quiet was not something he would imagine being a part of the job description. He along with one other troop were silently and tediously pacing the road back and forth, keeping a sharp eye out for any carts or carriages that made their way into Arendelle.

One of them, a man with patches of red hair from beneath his helmet and brown eyes, sighs as he longingly rests a hand on his sword hilt. A truly adventurous life indeed.

The road they were guarding was flanked on all sides by trees that seemed to endlessly lead down further into the kingdom. A small hill, close to where the men pacing the road, was to the side. It was small enough for them to see the various tents and makeshift benches. There were enough tents to hold perhaps twenty troops not including the men along the road. They could smell the smoke and see the embers of a campfire as sounds of other troops conversing or playing a game around the fire. Other troops can be heard practicing their swordplay and others were sent out into the forest to collect firewood and supplies but were never more than a holler away.

The man sighs one more, louder this time, catching the attention of his partner. He was a bit taller and had small amounts of black hair protruding from under his helmet.

"Ugh, I get it Olsen. You're bored. You don't have to make scene about it every damn time." The other soldier says with an irritated grunt.

"I can't help it! There's nothing to do out here! I got sick and tired of the peace and quiet three days after we got here and that was weeks ago!" Olsen responds loudly.

"Well… can't you find something to do to keep yourself busy? I'm not too excited at the thought of listening to you whine and groan for the next month or two."

"Like what, Jacobs? Play another game of cards around the fire? Or maybe listen to Sarge talk about cooking recipes for the thousandth bloody time? Oh yeah that sound real fun!" Olsen answers, rolling his eyes at the man.

"Wow… you're just full of complaints aren't you?"

"Hey, complaining is my only source of entertainment." Olsen shakes his head, turning to look down the road. "So frustrating."

"No one said this job would be easy." Jacobs replies, this time sighing himself.

"I never said I wanted it to be easy. Just a little more exciting is all."

The two soldiers remain silent for a few moments. The creaky wheels of a cart break the silence as the sound of horses clip clop down the road. Olsen and Jacobs look ahead to find a trio of carriages making their way down the road. There was one man sitting at the head of the carts. He waves at them in the distance.

"Oh look, exciting enough for you Olsen?" Jacobs grins, stifling a chuckle.

"Just shut up and call the sergeant."

Jacobs shakes his head and looks up the hill. "Sarge!"

"What?!" A gruff voice answers, unseen by either man on the road. "I'm making sandwiches!"

"Looks like we got another caravan coming in! Probably a merchant! Might need a few more hands down here!"

The sarge lets out a grunt. "Alright I'll send a few down!"

As the soldiers make their way down the hill Jacobs turns back to face the incoming carts as they near. "Halt, halt please!"

The carts are now well within range and come to a halt directly in front the two men. "Good afternoon!"

"Good afternoon." Olsen greets, a bored frown on his face.

The man was now in full view. He was an older man, looked to be in his early fifty's. He was wearing a wide brim hat and a worn traveler's robe. Perhaps his most interesting quality, was the very deep scars that looked extremely old that didn't match the smile he currently had on his face. This was a man who had seen warfare.

His caravan consisted of three carts. The first carriage he was riding on looked more worn and used opposed to the others. From the looking in the windows, two or three people were riding inside. There were sounds of uncomfortable shuffling coming from one of the other carts, meaning more people about to enter the kingdom.

"Can I help you with anything?" His smile dips a little as he sees the other troops make their way down the hill. "Is there a problem?"

"No problems here," Jacobs answers, flashing a reassuring grin. "But as per Arendelle law, we're going to have to take a peek at what you're hauling. Mind if we have a look?"

The scarred man shakes his head and waves towards the carts. "By all means, go ahead."

Jacobs turns and nods his head to the other soldiers. They begin to fan out and investigate the other carts.

"Thanks, sorry for pestering you like this but we're just making sure nothing dangerous or illegal enters the kingdom. We'll be done in a moment." Jacobs says, stepping a bit closer to the carriage.

"Oh no, I completely understand, please take all the time you need."

As the other troops inspect his cargo, Olsen takes the moment to step forward. "So you're a trader?"

"Yes indeed." He replies, leaning back from his seat on the carriage. "Been in the business for nearly fifteen years. Been nearly everywhere this old cart of mine can carry me."

"I see, couldn't resist the call and excitement of the open road?" Jacobs asks.

The scarred man chuckles softly. "Believe me friend, the best thing about the open road is the peace and quiet. I got my fair share of excitement when I was a young lad in the army!"

Olsen raises an eyebrow, the scars on the old man's face making more sense. "The army? You were a soldier?"

"Yes, I was. Long before I bought this old cart of mine, I enlisted with a private army quite a ways away from here. Battle after battle, I fought and fought for many years, until I took one too many injuries and was forced to retire my sword."

The man smiles softly, a nostalgic glint returning to his eye.

"Miss being a soldier?" Olsen asks.

"Miss it? Of course. There was nothing like the thrill of battle. The feel of the wind against you as you charge into the fray! The fire in your heart! The sounds of steel swords meeting each other, the whizzing of arrows past you and your comrades! The rush in your mind as you narrowly escape death again and again and again! It was empowering!"

"Truly, it was the time of my life." The scarred man lets you a peaceful sigh, stopping to glance at his other carriages before turning to the two men in front of him. "But that was years ago. My days of fighting are done. So yes, I do indeed miss the glory of battle, but I find the peace and quiet just as enjoyable."

Olsen rolls his eyes. "Well that makes one of us…"

"Pardon?"

"Oh don't mind him," Jacobs answers. "He's just sad that our soldiering career isn't turning out as fun as yours is-er was."

"Really now?" The scarred man chuckles and shakes his head, looking at Olsen. "Don't you worry my friend, I'm sure your day of glory will come eventually!"

"I sure do hope so…" As Olsen finishes his stamen with a sigh, one of the other soldiers inspecting the caravan approaches, stepping closer to Jacobs.

"Everything looks good. It's mostly food and perishables, and one cart full of hired help. Nothing to worry about here."

Jacobs nods his head before looking back at the scarred man. "Alright, looks like you're good to go. Good luck wherever the road takes you."

The man grins and slightly removes his hat. "Thank you kindly, best of luck to the both of you as well."

He places the hat back upon his head and lifts the reigns and gives them a gentle crack. His workers driving the other carts follow suit and follow him down the road at a steady pace.

As the carriages grow smaller and smaller in the distance, Olsen sighs and shakes his head, the peace and quiet once again returning to the outpost.

"Just another boring day at the border. Again."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A bit further down the road, well out of view of any soldiers, the scarred man lets his false smile fall, replaced with an intensity of a hardened mercenary. In truth, the man had never been in an army in his entire life. He never took too many injuries and was forced to retire his sword. In fact his sword as well as his crew's weapons were all hidden inside those 'harmless' crates of food. This man was never a merchant, but he didn't lie about the glory of battle.

"Maxis!" A voice calls from inside the carriage the scarred man was driving.

"Yes?" He replies, eyes still focused on the road.

"How long until we reach the target?"

"The city is still a day or two away. We need to move steady throughout Arendelle and not draw any attention." Maxis responds coolly.

"Well hopefully we get there soon. The men King Ulrich sent with us are getting impatient. I'm worried they might do something to blow our cover…"

Maxis, leader of the Grey Swords, shakes his head in disapproval. He hadn't known why Ulrich was so bent on sending men with them. A mission like this required utmost sensitivity. His mercenaries were experienced with sensitive quests like this, but the men the king insisted on sending were at risk of blowing the operation. With any luck, his team would be able to secure the target before Ulrich's stragglers screwed things up too badly. But if things didn't go according to plan, then he put his entire crew at risk.

The mercenary leader shakes his and leans back in his seat. Stragglers or not he still needed to complete his mission:

Capture and secure the fabled Snow Queen of Arendelle.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Three Days Later- Guardsman Barracks- Normal Perspective)

"Strike!" You command, yelling at Winston as he battles another guard veteran.

The recruit rapidly lunges forward, intent on hitting his opponent. He flurries his sword, his window of opportunity now rapidly fading. His strike is blocked but not before slightly pushing his opponent back. Winston prepares to attack again, not noticing his opponent's sudden shift in stance.

"Guard up!" You command.

Winston grits his teeth in frustration before following your order and pulling away his attack, narrowly blocking a blow to his thigh

You sigh as Winston blocks attack after attack. "Offense isn't everything, recruit."

You shake your head and turn away from him as he continues to practice. It had been a full week since recruiting the new blood for the royal guardsmen. Elsa had cleared your request to pull the other potential recruits out of the army and have them sent back to the castle for training, but it would still be some time before their arrival. This still meant you were underhanded in term of total guard numbers. The new recruits were progressing rather nicely with their training but they were a far cry from being ready to don the uniform.

You move closer to Midnight as she watches Winston's spar. "What do you think?"

She moves her eyes to look at you. 'He sucks.'

You stifle a chuckle and shake your head. "Great observation, really tells us a lot."

The wolf smirks at you before glancing back at the spar. 'In all seriousness? He can't keep up. Everything about him screams: basic. His strikes are quick and precise but he lacks power needed to make them effective.' Midnight answers, her critical eyes watching Winston's moves. 'Even then, he's too predictable.'

"He's trying to end his fights quickly. I told him he needs to be efficient in his attacks, but he seems to be mistaking efficiency with speed."

You watch as the young recruit block more strikes. Winston was now completely on the defensive with no opening in sight.

"And he also forgot about defense apparently."

'Hmm… He needs the strength to back up his blows. Otherwise, he'll just exhaust himself just trying to get past defenses let alone finishing the job.'

"They can't all be as strong as you, Mid." You cross your arms, wondering how to go about teaching Winston efficiency. "But that is a good point… I'll talk with Anders to see about arranging some strength training for the recruits."

Winston had an interesting style of fighting. You could easily tell his formal training in how traditional his stances were. He followed the same routines and movements any basic swordsman would know. He even knew a few advanced moves but nothing your guards had already been exposed to. His mastery of the traditional style was the reason he excelled over the other recruits.

His problem was that he was trying so hard to make his traditional style effective against the wrong kind of opponent. The basic styles taught to every fledgling warrior were only effective against other swordsmen who fought with it. More often, the old style was only really used as a gateway to other, more advanced arts.

Perhaps he thought that if he added speed to his attacks, he could give himself the advantage and worry less about his defenses, intent on finishing his battles quickly and therefore efficiently. The issue with his reasoning was that every one of your guards was taught how to fight against his archaic methods. It's the reason he is losing. It's the reason Midnight tossed him around effortlessly. Winston and the other recruits truly had great potential, but they needed to grow and learn their own styles if they wanted to be successful guards.

'You should consider ending it soon. I'm eager for a practice spar.' Midnight gestures, looking on impatiently at Winston's fight.

"Fine, but make it quick, we have a late patrol tonight." You reply.

'Don't worry. It won't take long at all.' Midnight smirks to herself as you look back at the recruit.

You shake your head as Winston is thrown back, stumbling into the ground. Before he can attack once more, you hold a hand out. "That's enough."

Winston's opponent nods his head, sheathing his sword and stepping back. You move closer to the recruit and pull him to his feet. You nod your head, gesturing away from the middle of the yard. As he follows you away, Midnight steps up and takes her place in front of Winston's opponent, eager for a practice round. Midnight's stance becomes more aggressive as the guardsman veteran nods confidently before readying his sword.

As the two of them begin to fight, you look at Winston. "Why do you think you lost?"

He looks towards the ground, embarrassed at himself. "Well, I guess he was just more experienced than I was."

You sigh, shaking your head slightly. "Let me rephrase that, why do you think you were beaten so easily."

The young man flinches, still not used to acknowledging his losses. "I… I'm just not used to fighting against the guard yet."

"The problem isn't learning to fight against their styles. The problem is that you need to learn to master a style yourself."

The recruit tilts his head slightly. "I'm not sure I follow… I have a sty-"

"Not one that can compete with theirs." You cut him off, shaking your head. "Look, I get it. You pride yourself over what you learned before you signed up with the army, but right now that same pride is what's getting you beaten."

You lower your voice and stare at him sternly. "It's what's going to get you killed. You need learn to let go of your pride or the guard is going to keep tossing you around."

"I…I…"Winston stutters. He remains silent, glancing at the ground, not wanting to look up at you. "How am I supposed to keep up? I don't know any other way of fighting."

"For starters, you need to develop something beyond what you were taught. Something that can hold up against the rest of the guard."

Winston, looks up from the ground to meet your eyes. "How can I develop something new? I mean, this is all I know."

"Hmm…" You purse your lips, thinking of what to say next. "While the basics you've mastered aren't that great for fighting in today's world, they're the perfect foundation for something better."

"You know the way someone fights really tells you a lot about them." You look away from him and ahead at Midnight's spar. "Look at that."

Winston follows your eyes, looking ahead at Midnight as she battled the other guard.

"Look at the way she moves, the way she attacks. Think back to when you first fought her." You say, folding your arms as you watch Midnight effortlessly dodge her opponent's attacks and nearly tears through his defenses with absolute ease. The large wolf ducks a swing before following up with a head-butt to send her opponent stumbling back several feet. She presses onward and unleashes a series of quick yet powerful swipes that her enemy can barely hold out against. "How would you describe the way she fights?"

Winston pauses, various words flashing through his mind as he watches Midnight strike. A brutal swipe here, another furious tackle there. Of course she was fighting against another experienced member of the guard, one could only imagine the savagery she could wreak on a much less skilled opponent.

"Savage." Winston replies, the idea of Midnight tearing through man after man fresh on his mind.

"That's one way to put it I guess." You reply arms still folded, watching Midnight move about the field. "Every attack and every step she takes is a display of power and intimidation. When she fights, everything she does channels one thing: Raw Aggression. The way she fights is a reflection of her feral upbringing, but at the same time embodies the control and restraint she developed while working with me as her partner. There's more to her than wild instinct, Winston."

You turn your head away from Midnight's battle to look at the young recruit. "Look, the point I'm trying to make is that you need to find a fighting style you're comfortable with and then make it your own. The same way Midnight's reflects who she is, yours should too."

The young recruit remains silent, reflecting on your advice whilst watching Midnight more intently and noticing just how much the way fights really spoke about her. You could see the look on his face. A look of contemplation as he tried to figure out something that he would be comfortable with. Something he could make his own. You step forward a bit.

"Listen. For the next couple of days, I want you to do some research. Ask some of the guards, I'm sure they'd be happy to help, but I want you to find a style that speaks to you, and then work on making it your own. Understood?"

Winston looks away from Midnight and gives you a crisp salute. "Yes, Sir."

The corner of your mouth turns up into a small smile. "Dismissed, Recruit."

As Winston walks away from you, you sneak a small glance at the rest of the castle, mind wandering off to what your platinum-blonde snow queen was doing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Elsa's Study-Elsa perspective)

Elsa sat in her study, scribbling away on her desk at several documents. The young monarch's steady heartbeats and calmed breathing signified the peace she managed to find from working all by her lonesome. Truthfully she had originally scheduled council meetings for the day, but moved them to a later date to allow herself to catch up on her paperwork. While Elsa did enjoy working with her people, she found herself to be much more efficient working alone. Considering the solitude that enveloped most of her life, it was understandable why it made more sense for her to work by herself. The only glaring issue she felt with working like this was the fact that it left her alone with her thoughts; and with the thoughts she's been having recently, the idea of spending a day alone with them was intimidating to say the least.

A small smile finds its way onto her face. In reality the past few days had been refreshing for her. It seemed telling Anna of her dilemma was enough to calm her anxious thoughts. The echoes of nightmare were now a minor nuisance. One little fragment here and there but never enough to weaken her resolve like it had been several days ago.

Elsa turns away from the papers and glances out a nearby window. A small smile finds its way onto her face. "What a lovely day."

The young queen pushes herself away from her desk and moves closer to the window. She pushes the window open. The sounds of the outside world fill her ears as crisp autumn air fills her lungs. Her smile grows a tad wider as she places her forearms against the window seal and leans out the window. She could see the North Mountain in all its glory as it rose far above the city. She could see well across the bridge and towards her people as they live out their lives in their homes and workplaces. The near-perfect reflection of the sky against the Fjord gave the impression that her castle and city were all floating in the heavens above. It was quite the serene sight.

_Elsa…_

The platinum blonde inhales one more breath of fresh fall air before turning around and making her way back to the desk. She gently sets herself back down in her chair and begins to scribble away once more, content with the peace that solitude provided her.

_Elsa…_

The queen casually smiles as she jots down more notes to the side of her parchments. For the past week or so, Elsa had been ignoring the whispers in her mind to surprisingly great effect. The brief flashes of her dream had started to fade away as she slept. While the memory was still there, the echoes were finally beginning to die down. She could finally concentrate on her duties as queen. It wouldn't be long, she hoped, until they disappeared from her entirely.

_Elsa… _

Elsa sighs happily as she lifts a finished document and sets it aside, happy to get it out of the way. She glances out the window once more and flashes a proud smile to the sky. She had been right, time was the answer. She was certain that with just a little more, it would be gone entirely.

_Stop ignoring me._

Elsa lifts a hand and wisps a few stray bands of hair back before turning back to her desk. Her thoughts pass over to (Y/N) as she begins to lightly scribble once more. Anna had suggested she had tell (Y/N) about the echoes and whispers of the nightmares. Try as hard as she could, she just couldn't bring herself to let him know. Every time she tried she would just stutter and say something else, or distract him with a kiss or hug, but never actually told him like she had promised her sister.

She smiles softly. With the way her week had been going, maybe she wouldn't need to tell him. After all, the echoes had faded enough to the point where it didn't bother her. Soon she could just forget that it had ever happened and move on with her life.

_You can't ignore me forever…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Arendelle City-Normal Perspective)

You move through the streets of Arendelle, Midnight at you side, ever vigilant for trouble. Generally, the area of the city you and Midnight were currently patrolling was never really hectic. Occasionally, a petty thief would linger about, or some disagreement between people might stir things up a bit, but nothing noteworthy had ever happened for as long as you and Midnight were around.

As the citizens of Arendelle passed by, you couldn't help but stop to think about something that had been bothering you all week.

As you stay still, thoughts running through your head, Midnight steps closer with her head tilted slightly.

'Something wrong?'

You shake your head as she snaps you out of your thoughts. "Hmm? Oh no, nothing."

She raises an eyebrow.

"Alright fine," You let out a huff, cursing how easy she could read you. "Yeah, I've been thinking about something."

'What about?'

"Elsa. She's been acting strange all week." You reply, folding your arms.

'Strange? How so?' She asks.

"Okay so…" You begin, skimming your mind for a scenario you could use to better explain to Midnight the issue. "A couple days ago, she comes up to me right after dinner. She looked a little nervous and shaky. Almost like she was about to tell me something earth-shattering…"

'And then?'

"Nothing! She just complimented my boots and walked away before I could ask her about it."

'Really? That was it?'

"Apparently. She did the same thing a couple hours later before bed, only she kissed my cheek instead of talking about my boots. She's been doing the same thing for the past week. I'll admit it was pretty cute at first," You chuckle lightly before giving Midnight a more serious look. "But something just seems off now."

'That sounds off.' Midnight turns away from your gaze to watch where she was walking. 'She's clearly trying to tell you something. Have you asked her about it?'

"Tried." You sigh. "She seems to avoid the questions every time."

Midnight shrugs slightly, moving forward down the street at a steady pace. 'Give her some time. I imagine if she really wanted to tell you something, she'll do it eventually. Besides, you're clearly not-'

"Help! Someone stop him!" A voice cuts above the people passing by on the sidewalk.

You and Midnight snap your heads in the direction of the sound just in time to see someone dart out of an open shop door as they owner frantically yet futility chase after him. The person running away looked young, maybe no older than ten or twelve. You could make out the thin, worn out clothes he had on and the holes he had in his shoes. His hair was a light shade of brown but was as dirty as his clothes. The young kid dashes down the opposite side of the street at an alarmingly fast pace, pushing and slipping through groups of people as he speeds away.

"Somebody stop him! Thief!" The owner calls out, running from out of his shop and frantically flailing his arms for anybody to help him.

You and Midnight pass a quick glance to each other before you begin to run after him.

Before you can take a single step, Midnight barks loudly. 'Wait!'

You turn your head to face her.

'He's just a kid.' She gestures, sympathy in her eyes.

You pass a glance at the kid whose figure grew smaller and smaller as he ran. You shake your head and give her a sad look. "Law's the law, and he just broke it. Can you go around and try to cut him off?"

Midnight sighs sadly to herself, but quickly snaps out of it and takes off without hesitation. 'On it!'

Midnight turns and runs off down an alley, intent of trying to find a path to block him off. As she takes off, you turn back and make a mad dash down the street, running faster and faster as you attempt to regain some ground on the thief. You bob and weave through pedestrians as you try to catch up with the kid. His smaller frame allowed him to duck between the crowds with ease whilst you did your best to avoid ramming through people, and it was really slowing you down.

"Out of the way!" You yell, hoping to avert the citizens from your path. "Guard business! Please move!"

The hapless people attempt to move, but you couldn't help but knock a few over as you ran.

"Sorry!" You shout a quick apology, yet never slow your pace on the fleeing thief.

'Damn, this kid is fast!' You think, raising an impressed eyebrow. 'I hope Midnight can cut him off, Otherwise he might just get away!'

The young boy takes a quick turn down an alley. You hasten you pace and move to follow him.

"Oof!" You can hear someone yelp out, followed by the sound of someone tumbling to the ground.

You round the corner to see the boy several meters away nearly halfway through the alley. He was on the ground, shaking his head in an effort to recover from the daze. In front of him was another large, imposing man with white hair and scars along his face. The man looks down at the boy with an irritated glare before he looks ahead up at you as you make your way down the alley. From the look of it, the thief hadn't seen where he was going and ran into the other, older man.

You slowly make your way down the alley, narrowing your eyes ever so slightly as you look over the man standing over the unlucky thief.

The boy, having recovered from his stupor, looks up with fright etched on his face. He quickly leaps to his feet and attempts to run around and make a hasty escape.

"Not so fast, lad!" The older man reaches his arm out and roughly grips the kid by his smaller shoulder.

"Ah! P-please let me go!" The kid pleads but the man shakes his head and shoves him back to his front side.

"That enough!" He commands, quieting his pleas down. The boy was absolutely scared out of his mind. He obliges and ceases his whimpers but can't prevent the frightful tears coming from his eyes.

The older man looks over at you, offering a respectful nod of his head as he notices your uniform. "This one causing trouble, sir?"

You nod slightly, still approaching the two of them at a steady pace. "Stole something from a shop, a couple blocks back."

You stop several feet away from them.

"Kids these days. You should be ashamed of yourself, boy." The older gentleman gives a pitiful glare directed at the boy before pushing him towards you. You move and firmly grab hold of the boy by both his shoulders so as not to allow him to escape.

The boy struggles for a moment but succumbs to his fate and eases in your grip, knowing he wasn't going anywhere. You look up at the man, offering an appreciative smile.

"Thanks for your help. Not sure we would have-" Your sentence is cut short as you hear the familiar set of paws approaching from behind you.

You hear the older man in the alley surprise a gasp at her approach. You stifle a chuckle. Clearly he wasn't from around here, otherwise he would've recognized Midnight's famous appearance as one the last remaining dire wolves.

You turn your head, smile still upon your face as you address your partner. "Hey Mid. I was wondering when you were going to show up."

'Ha. Very funny.' She rolls her eyes. 'I see you caught the child.'

"Not me. Him." You nod your head over to the older man.

Midnight looks at the other man, an eyebrow raised as she inspects this new face. She sniffs the air and looks closer at the man, taking in every detail. 'Hmm. Interesting.'

The older man meets her eyes, unsure of what was going on in her mind. He inspects her just as well, analytic eyes looking her over. Despite the obvious fact that he was clearly not from Arendelle, he showed no anxiousness or even slight intimidation from Midnight. Aside from his initial surprise, he was calm and in no way fearful of her. Not the typical reaction from someone who had never seen her before.

You turn your attention back to the thief. Introductions would have to wait, for now you had a troublesome kid to deal with. You crouch down slightly to meet him eye to eye. He looks to the side, not wanting to meet your critical gaze. You notice his skinny frame and dirty face. 'Just a poor boy. Probably from the slums…'

You remove a hand from his shoulder and hold it out in front of him, beckoning him to return what he had stolen. With a shaky hand, he hold out a small loaf of bread and nervously places it in your hand. 'Just a loaf of bread? A small one too. This isn't even worth much…'

You sigh and move to stand up, one arm still holding him in place. "Listen. I can see that you're struggling to get by, but stealing, no matter how petty, is against the law."

The boy remained quiet, eyes still turned away from you with soft sniffles occasionally breaking his silence.

Your sad, pitying frown goes unnoticed by him as he continues to avoid looking directly at you.

"If you were just a few years older, you could have been arrested and sent to jail."

At the mention of the words 'Arrested' and 'Jail', the boy shudders and looks directly at you, absolute fright replacing the shame he had on just a few moments ago. He shakes his head rapidly and begins to panic, tears now flowing once more from his eyes.

"N-no! Please! I-I can't go to jail! M-my mama needs m-me! If I'm in jail, I c-can't take care of her! Please s-sir! I p-promise I won't do it ever a-again! Please!"

Your eyes widen and shoot a glance over to Midnight, surprised at this sudden change of attitude. She only matches you in surprise before lowering to a look of sadness and pity. Just a few seconds ago, this kid was trying his best not to say a single word, yet now he was pleading and begging not to be arrested.

You quickly hold the stolen loaf of bread underneath your arm and rest both your hands on his shoulders, crouching once more to be at his level. "Hey, Hey. It's okay. Calm down. You aren't going to jail."

"I-I'm not?" He asks, the question barely able to escape his quivering lip.

"Of course not. You're just a kid… But you can't go around stealing things, understand?" You ask.

The boy nods, relief on his face.

You tilt your head just slightly, remembering something the boy had said a moment ago.

"Your mom... you're taking care of her?"

He gives a hesitant nod. "I-I only stole the bread because we have no money and my ma needed food. I promise I won't take nothing no more sir."

'Anymore?' You think.

You rise from your crouched position, giving a huff as you try to figure out something to about this depressing turn of events. You really had no idea of the extent of his situation, but from the look of him, he really needed help. He was just some helpless kid whom fate dealt a bad hand to.

You sigh and reach into your pocket to procure a small bag of various gold coins. You reach down and pull his hand out before placing the bag firmly in his grasp.

"Take this, and go get some food for your mom. Might want to use a bit to get some fresh clothes too."

The kid holds the bag with both hands, eyes now wide as dinner saucers. "T-thank you sir!"

You smile and pat his shoulder. "You're welcome, but no more stealing, understand? I don't want to hear about you the next time we're out here, okay?"

The boy nods his head rapidly as smiles wide. "Of course! I promise, sir!"

"Good. Now go on." You step aside and gesture your hand down the alley. "Your mom's probably worried."

The young boy smiles nods fervently and begins to make his way down the alley, more upbeat in his steps as he moved past Midnight, the clinking of the coins in the pouch filling your ears. The large wolf offers a genuine smile as he passes. You catch Midnight's look just as the boy leaves the alley. The pleasant grin still on her face, she nods your way, approving your actions.

You nod your head back before turning to face the man in the alley. "I believe thanks are in order."

He shakes his head ever so slightly. "No thanks are necessary, I'm always happy to help out when it's needed."

"Still. I don't think we would've caught him without your help, mister…" You trail off, hoping for him to pick up.

"Most people call me Max."

"Max." You extend your hand out to meet him. "Captain (Y/N), Arendelle Guard."

He meets your hand and gives it a firm shake. You nod your head over to Midnight. "That's Midnight."

He looks her over once more with a cocked eyebrow, now finally to get a good glimpse at her without the boy to steal focus. There was a certain air of caution in his eyes, positive of his uncertainty of Midnight's position. Despite the uncertainty, his awe was significantly more apparent. "She certainly is… impressive."

Sensing his understandable apprehension, you let a small laugh slip through your mouth. "Don't worry she doesn't bite."

Your companion huffs. 'Unless provoked. Or Hungry.'

You shake your head and turn back to the other man. "Judging from the look on your face, you're not from around here are you?"

He shakes his head. "Not at all, sir. My family and I were just passing through. Thought we'd pick a few things up for the road."

"I see, so a merchant? Trader?"

He opens his mouth to speak, but pauses for a moment to come up with the proper words. "Something of the sort."

You narrow your eyes at his odd reply, but figured he was just nervous over the other, rather intimidating, parties in the alleyway. You shrug and replace your narrowed eyes with ones of friendly understanding.

"Well, I hope you find what you're looking for." You turn your head to give a quick look at Midnight. "We should get back to our patrol."

She nods affirmatively. 'Right.'

"Thanks again, and enjoy your stay in Arendelle." You say, turning back to face the man once more. He doesn't answer with words but instead chooses to simply nod your way. You flash one more polite smile before making your way down the alley with Midnight.

The two of you casually make your way up the street to return the miniscule piece of bread back to the baker.

'Not worth the effort.' Midnight glares angrily at the bread in your hand.

"True, but at least we got to help that kid out."

Her gaze softens, the faintest smile gracing her lips. 'True.'

You laugh lightly, patting her on her head as the two of you walked. "I knew you had a soft spot for children."

She shakes her head, pulling it away from your hand. 'I do not!'

You laugh louder. "Of course you do! Why else would you have wanted to let him go?"

'That doesn't mean anything! I simply failed to the point of apprehending such a pathetic creature like that brat.'

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that." You chuckle softly.

'Ugh. You're insufferable.' She gestures, a brief silence befalling her before she turns to address you again. 'What about the man in the alley?'

You look at her questioningly. "What about him?"

'What's your read on him? Didn't he seem odd to you?'

"Okay, you're clearly trying to change the subject, but yeah. He was kinda weird, but I imagine it was just because he isn't from here."

'He was too guarded. His body language was... stiff and apprehensive. It felt dishonest.'

"Really, what makes you say that?" You ask. Midnight's perception was exception given her more finely attuned senses. You personally thought he was just odd due to his status as an outsider, but she could notice much more about something than you could, so perhaps there was some validity to her concerns. But then again, Midnight could be a tad paranoid at times. "I just figured it was nerves."

'Call it intuition for now, but consider remembering his face. On the off chance trouble arises.'

Midnight walks slightly ahead of you, thoughts running through her head as she steps forward. You give her a concerned pair of eyes. Now it seemed Midnight was acting peculiar. First she had anticipated a potential attack on the kingdom, now she had suspicions of a random stranger they had just met several minutes ago, as if she was anticipating something happening with him involved. Midnight's intuition was a very powerful thing. Raw instincts alone made her an unbelievably effective fighter and hunter and rarely was she wrong about her instincts. If her 'primal intuition' was correct, then life around Arendelle was about to get much more interesting and perhaps a bit more difficult as well.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Elsa's Bedchambers- Elsa perspective)

Elsa lay quietly on her bed, hugging the covers close to her body as she slept. Unlike most nights, her usual comfort object was out on a late night patrol with his companion which left her bed depressingly empty. Late night patrols were a tad uncommon for her esteemed guard captain, but not unheard of. The lack of well-trained guardsmen was the culprit of her lonesome slumber, requiring (Y/N) and Midnight to participate more in the standard guard duties to help fill out the missing spots until more recruits were ready to assume their duties.

The snow queen tosses and turns in her sleep, struggling to maintain a grasp on the somewhat peaceful nights she had in the past week. She breathed in and out at alarming rates as she shakes and quivers under the covers. Flashes of red, bloodied snow enter her mind. Images from the first dream strike at her with the force of lightning.

"No, no, no…" She mumbles through her sleep, a considerable strain on her voice. The pain found within her brief repetition echoed with remnant fear and sadness from the very first vision she had since her return to her throne.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Elsa blinks several times, attempting to get a grasp on where she was. It was familiar. She turns her head to the sides, taking in a full view of her surroundings. The trees were blazed with light, and bodies littered the snowy ground in the clearing. The dark skies above prevented any form of sun rays to penetrate the clouds. Her nightmare had returned. _

"_No, no, no…!" Elsa begins to panic, eyes darting around. Her chest rises and falls faster and faster with every passing second. "T-this can't be happening… Not again!" _

_Elsa stands from her place in the snow, looking around for the pillar of ice she had seen in her previous dream. She backs up several steps, unable to find any trace of the pillar or the reflection within. "I have to wake up, I have to-"_

"_You can't. At least not yet." _

_Elsa's eyes widen at the sudden voice coming from behind her. It sounded familiar, almost like her mother's but younger and much more sinister. _

_Elsa turns, beholding the reflection that was once trapped in an icy pillar, in all her twisted glory. Black hair and red eyes to contrasted Elsa's own and a devilish smile that reflected her normal kind smile back, distorted with malevolent intent. _

_The reflection laughs to herself, stepping a few feet forward. "I told you, you couldn't ignore forever."_

"_W-what are you?" Elsa stutters, fear now completely overcoming her. _

_The reflection raises an eyebrow. "You really don't understand, do you?" _

_The image smiles wider and shakes her head. "Just a silly little girl." _

_Elsa's eyes narrow, anger suddenly replacing her fear. She reaches forward, grasping at her reflection's wrist._

"_Tell me what you are!" She looks around at the field, temper soaring higher and higher. "What this means!"_

_The reflection laughs and gives Elsa a pleased grin. "Anger, good! You're going to need that soon."_

"_What?" Elsa asks back, grip tightening around the mirror image's wrist. "What are you saying? I need answers!" _

"_And you'll get them." The reflection simply giggles and pulls her wrist away from the platinum-blonde. "Just not from me." _

_The raven-haired woman steps several feet ahead of Elsa. The young monarch closes her eyes, out of both frustration and apprehension. "This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't-" _

"_Of course it is."_

_Elsa snaps her eyes open at the sound. She is met by the vicious eyes of her darker counterpart standing a mere inches away from her. _

"_Gah!" Elsa gasps and stumbles back, startled at her sudden appearance. _

"_Well, at least I am." She finishes. "But enough of that. Now… I have something to show you."_

_The reflection turns away and points down the open field to a lone figure as they slowly made their way down towards them. The figure was limping, and bleeding, barely dragging themselves across the snow. Elsa could hear the faintest sound of their heavy breathing, gasping in and out whilst scarcely clinging on to life. _

"_W-who is that?" Elsa asks, she passes a quick glance to the reflection only to find her completely gone from view. She swivels her head, looking for any trace of her but remains unable to find her. Not even her footprints could be found in the snow. Elsa turns back to look down the field and begins making her way across it. Caution in her step, she begins stepping through the snow. She gradually increases her pace. She can see them more clearly now. (H/C) colored hair and an Arendelle guard captain's set of armor, minus the signature cloak._

_Her eyes widen as terror takes hold of heart._

"_No, no, no!" Elsa throws all caution to the wind and races faster and faster to him, nearly tumbling in the snow. All notion of her being in a dream state was gone. _

_(Y/N) collapses face down in the snow, completely exhausted. Elsa stumbles into the cold ice and crawls the rest of the way to him. Her stomach was in knots and tears were beginning to escape the corners of her eyes. _

"_(Y/N)!" She exclaims. The platinum-blonde turns him over onto his back carefully and quickly. She kneels down beside him, reaching a gentle hand behind his head to elevate it slightly. (Y/N)'s eyes slowly open. They were half-lidded and the light was fading fast from them. He manages a painful smile. _

"_H-hey." _

_(Y/N) was hyperventilating, gasping for air as he clutched a wound just below his chest. She could see the full extent of his condition. He was bleeding in several places, cuts and stabbings scattered all around his torso. A couple of his ribs looked broken and blood was dripping out the corner of his mouth. While the cuts and gashes across his body looked deep, they paled in comparison to the wound (Y/N) was currently struggling to hold in._

_Elsa, tears now freely falling. "(Y-Y/N) Just… Just please stay with me." _

_With a shaky hand, she reaches for the open wound on (Y/N)'s body. _

"_P-please don't…" (Y/N) struggles to ask._

_Her eyes meet his, the hurt in heart reflected in them. Her mouth was slightly agape as she failed to find the words to express the emotions running through her head. She had never seen him this weak or scared before. He had on his playful smile that he always gave her when he tried to make her happy, but she could see the amount of pain behind his smile. It was as clear as day. Elsa composes herself, wiping away some stray tears from her face. He needed her help, and she was going to try her hardest to make sure he got it. _

"_(Y/N)." She pleads softly, gently resting her hand above his as he held it against his wound. "Let me help you."_

_With brief hesitation, he nods his head and slowly removes his hand, gritting his teeth as the cold air hits the exposed tissue. Elsa gulps and slowly reaches her hand down intent on applying pressure to the area. She needed to in order to stop the bleeding and at this point (Y/N) looked like he had lost too much blood to do it himself. Just as she hovers her hand over the wound, (Y/N) quickly catches her hand and holds it as tight as he possibly could. _

"_(Y/N)! What are you doing? I need to-" _

"_Elsa." He speaks, voice strained and frail. "There's nothing you can do." _

_He smiles and guides their hands away from the blood and to the center of his chest. Elsa could feel (Y/N)'s blood as it stained her palms. _

"_This… this is enough." He says, gently resting their intertwined hands against his heart. _

_The snow queen, fearful for his life, begins to sob softly but holds his hand tighter. _

"_Don't do this… please don't do this to me (Y/N)." She whispers, struggling to maintain her composure._

_(Y/N) tries to chuckle, but is interrupted in the middle of it, coughing up blood onto Elsa's blue dress. She ignores the newfound red on her clothes, choosing to focus all her attention on (Y/N). _

"_I'm sorry." He barely manages to say, his shaky hand still trying hold on to hers for as long as it could. "I wasn't strong enough for you."_

_He raises his free arm and brushes a tear from Elsa's cheek. A tear that was almost instantly replaced. "At least I got to see you one more time before…"_

"_Don't even finish that sentence." Elsa raises her voice. Her tears were quickly becoming hot and angry. "You're going to be fine, understand?" _

_(Y/N) was silent. The color was draining from his face and his breathing was more intense. That same grin never left his mouth. The kind smile that used to reassure her and ease her emotions now only served to break her heart as she watched her lover die slowly in her arms. _

"_Do you understand me?!" She cries out at his lack of a response. _

_(Y/N) remains quiet. _

_Elsa closes her eyes, unable to handle the strain of seeing him in such a state._

"_Say something…" She whispers through her sobs. "Please." _

…

…

…

"_I love you."_

_Her eyes open as she looks at (Y/N). He could only smile as the grip around her hand began to loosen. The platinum-blonde holds on even tighter, fearing that this may be (Y/N)'s final moment. _

"_I lo-" Elsa stops as she feels his grip on her hand loosen. His chest falls one more time before halting completely as the remaining air escapes with a last breath. The color in his face and the light in his eyes were gone. While shard of life that he had been clinging onto left his body, his smile never did. _

"_(Y/N)?" Elsa asks. _

_(Y/N) maintained his grave silence. _

"_(Y/N)!" She exclaims. She releases his hand and holds his face with both of her hands. "(Y/N) say something, anything!" _

_Silence._

_With hot tears escaping the corners of her eyes, she reels a hand back a pounds his chest angrily. "Don't you dare leave me like this!" _

"_You get up right now! Do you hear me?!" She beats on his lifeless chest harder._

_More silence. _

"_(Y/N), I-I'm warning you…!" Her other hand grips his as she continues to hit him._

_Several moments pass as she tries and fails to trigger any response from him. Every word she spoke was met with the sound of silence. Every strike she laid against his body was met with his motionless heart._

"_I-I c-can't…!" Elsa sobs louder as her fist pounding his chest in a fruitless attempt to revive him slows down. "I c-can't lose you…!" _

_Elsa's fist stops connecting with him. She leans down and begins to bawl uncontrollably into the crook of his neck as she held him closer to her. There was nothing she could do but cry. For what seemed like hours, she remained as still (Y/N) was in her grasp. Occasionally she would refuse to accept his deceased status and attempt to draw a response from him but never managed to find one. As she cradled his body, a familiar presence makes itself know to her. _

"_What a shame." The dark voice of the reflection speaks up. _

"_Why can't you just leave me alone?" Elsa asks, eyes narrowed in frustration at her reflection's intrusion. _

"_And to think, he fought so bravely to protect you." The reflection continues, ignoring Elsa's question. _

_Elsa removes herself from (Y/N)'s neck, looking up and glaring at her mirror image. "Why can't you just tell me what this is all about!? What do you want from me!?" _

_The reflection gives her a polite smile. "You have bigger things to worry about than what I want, my dear queen."_

_She turns her head up, looking down the end of the field. Elsa follows her gaze. Her eyes settle on movement near the end. Appearing from seemingly nowhere, was an entire army. The bore no colors or any distinguishable armor that she could identify. She could see their weapons as they began to charge forward and trample over the bodies of her people. She could feel the murderous intent they were giving off. They were coming to kill her._

_Elsa looks back at her reflection. "What does this mean? None of this makes any sense!"_

"_(Y/N) is dead," Her counterpart sighs, not bothering to meet Elsa's eyes. "Because he tried protecting you from them." _

_Elsa turns her head back to the quickly advancing army, as she lets her reflection's words sink in. (Y/N) had given his life trying to protect her. Her lover was gone, and ones responsible were now charging to end her as well. Elsa began to feel a specific emotion well up inside her. The desire for retribution fueled her growing rage. The anger within burned brighter than she had ever felt before, powered by immense grief she felt for (Y/N)._

"_Look at his blood Elsa. The blood on your hands." _

_The reflection gives a sinister smile as Elsa obliges, raising a shaky hand. She was right. (Y/N)'s blood as all over her hand, a grim reminder of what she had just lost. Her hand was red to match the wrath she felt in her soul. _

"_You know what you have to do. You know what you _want_ to do Elsa." _

_Elsa, eyes narrowed and power rising as quickly as her anger, looks up at the charging army. They were getting closer and closer to her. She couldn't see their faces, but in a few moments, she figured it wouldn't matter. _

_She raises her arm, extended outwards as she felt some of (Y/N)'s blood drip down from her hand. The snow around her rises, the power of a goddess coursing through her. The soldiers were mere seconds away from her. Elsa could heart their foot falls as they charged at her, crushing snow beneath their heels. _

_The reflection laughs lowly to herself, reveling in the anger and wrath she felt emanating from the platinum-blonde. _

"_Kill them all."_

_In a single moment within the depths of a nightmare, Elsa felt her power flare. _

_In the next, she only felt the embrace of cold._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**That might be enough for now, yeah?**

**Everything will be clarified in the coming chapter, so stay tuned!**

**Thanks again!**


End file.

Frozen, Adventure, Romance