Asleep again, Elsa? How many times does this make it?

Who? No. Never mind.

Yes. You know. You're making me proud.

I don't take that as a compliment.

It is. You are special. It's why I do all of this.

You do it for chaos.

I won't deny that, but the answer can't be so simple, can it?

I want to meet. I want to talk.

We're talking now, aren't we?

Face to face.

I wear many faces; what would be the point?

I can't think properly here. Everything feels muddled.

True. But it is not time yet.

I'm tired of these games, Devil.

I'm not. You have continued to overcome every obstacle I place before you. It has been most riveting to witness.

I am not your toy. None of us are.

I might have to disagree on some level with you there, Elsa. "Toy" would be a crude way of putting it, however.

I want to end this. I want to move on with my life. What do you want? What do I have to do to satisfy you?

Do you honestly love Anna?

Don't change the subject. Answer my question.

Mine first, and then I'll think about it.

…You know how I feel.

But I want you to say it.

I love her. I've loved her since the day she was born. That love has only become stronger and evolved over time. I would do anything for her. Anything.

Anything?

…Yes.

Intriguing. But it is still so baffling. Anna is your…sister, Elsa. Your relationship with her is sick. It's wrong. It's filthy. Loving another woman seems so simple compared to the concept of loving your own flesh and blood. It's one of the most taboo of affections, yet you are convinced that your feelings are real?

Without a doubt.

Hm. Well, your emotions have always been your most powerful asset. I know this with all certainty.

Yes. Now, answer my question.

No.

What?

I said I would think on it, and I have. You do not need the answer now. I will break you yet, Elsa. No human can endure what you have and remain strong forever. One more trial. One more. Should you pass it, I will admit defeat and answer your question.

…I do not trust you, yet I have no choice but to face what you have planned head on. I won't turn away. I won't run. I have not come this far to give up now. So long as I have Anna, the world could turn against me.

Admirable words, but ultimately hollow. I know this. And you will know it, too. I promise you that.

What are you…?

Elsa's eyes were burning as they cracked open. Her room was illuminated by a single candle, and that isolated light blurred with her darkened surroundings. The pelting of a midnight rain was both calming and alarming at once.

'Anna…?' She called out automatically, hoping her little sister was near.

'I-I'm sorry, my queen. It is just I.' Gerda's small voice answered, and as the world came back into focus, Elsa could see Gerda sitting in a simple chair near her bed, her humble, frilly nightgown on and her hands buried into her lap. She looked like the Gerda Elsa had come to trust with her most intimate secrets.

'Gerda. You…' Elsa recalled the way the maid had stepped in during Kristoff's meltdown, and then the queen was reminded of a horrible truth: Anna had admitted her relationship with Elsa to Kristoff. How many people heard Kristoff's hollering accusations? How far had the rumour spread now? Where was Anna? '…You saved me. You stopped Kristoff, didn't you?'

'He asked to be put in the dungeon. H-he claims he is being attacked mentally. We do not know how to help him. For now, we allowed Olaf to visit him whenever he likes to keep Kristoff company. Sven hasn't moved from the front gates. Arvid is looking after the reindeer.'

Elsa rubbed her forehead, knowing it was late into the night. Her brain continued to stab at her painfully, and it worried the girl more than she wanted to admit. Her magic was betraying her suddenly. It seemed to have no limit before, but now, it insisted on needing recovery time, and Elsa wasn't providing it.

'I see…'

Gerda shuffled in her chair just a little so that she could reach the bed Elsa lay in, if she so desired.

'How do you feel, my queen?'

'…Upset.'

'W-why?'

'For many reasons.' Elsa shook her head and stared at Gerda directly. 'I want to trust you, Gerda, and your latest actions almost suggest I can, but you continuously give me reason to be wary of your purpose. What is your relation to Devil? Where can I find him? I need to end this before it gets worse.'

Gerda diverted her gaze to the floor, her upper lip trembling.

'I-I'm sorry…' The maid answered, and something in her neck convulsed grotesquely as she said so. Elsa blinked, staring at the spot only to see nothing abnormal occur thereafter. Was it a trick of the lighting? Elsa almost hoped so.

'Is Anna okay?' Elsa relented, not in the mood for that game anymore.

'She is shaken, but she is a strong girl. F-for now, we felt you should be alone.'

Elsa understood the implications, but prayed she was wrong.

'Who's "we"?'

'Leonard and I.'

'And why is it better that I am without my little sister?'

'B-because the rumour is spreading. Kristoff's words were not unheard. Among the guard there is suspicion of a tainted queen. This form of news will not stay isolated. It is a scandal, and even Arendelle is weak to such intriguing information. Leonard has dispatched undercover, trusted individuals from the palace to help control the gossip by feeding different details, but he fears the damage has been done.'

'…What does he think?' Elsa asked, gripping at her sheets.

'He said he would believe the queen to his dying breath. He suspects Devil is at work again, and he finds peace in that.'

'He's not wrong.' Elsa uttered almost angrily. 'Devil is at work, and you won't help me stop him.'

'N-not "won't".' Gerda practically snapped, her tone breaking. 'I "can't"!'

Elsa flinched back at the emotion behind such a simple statement. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts, pieces falling into place suddenly. Gerda was bound to Devil in some way, wasn't she? Bound…and cursed even?

'Why?' Elsa pressed.

Gerda closed her eyes and shook her head, her bobbing hair swishing across her face as she did so. Elsa decided that was all for now. She wouldn't torment the girl further. Devil was to blame. If Devil was taken care of, everything would be back to normal.

'I'm going to save you, Gerda. Whatever he's doing to you, I will stop him.' Elsa claimed, holding her hand to her chest and channeling her magic into her palm only to have it scratch at her insides in aggravation.

'It's too late…' Gerda mumbled, wheezing a little as she did so, as if it caused her extreme discomfort.

'It's never too late.'

Gerda looked up and smiled, touching the bed next to Elsa and drawing a small design upon it.

'Y-you are everything I wanted you to be and more.' The maid started, her eyes reddening as she trembled. 'You become more beautiful by the day, my queen.'

'Gerda…' Elsa almost wanted to stop her, but she felt it would have been too cruel. Keeping Gerda close was still a strategy she considered more beneficial than not, but toying with the younger girl's emotions didn't sit well with the monarch either.

'And now you have found love; true love. Your radiance knows no bounds. I could look at you forever from afar. Your smile lifts me to the heavens. I was but a pathetic, simple girl, and yet now I sit in your presence as one of your most trusted…er…formally most trusted.'

Elsa tightened her jaw.

'I still trust you, Gerda…It's just…'

'N-no. You shouldn't. I'm glad you don't. I have everything I could ever want or deserve…yet, I am so greedy. I am so horrible. I am so manipulative.'

Elsa closed her eyes and touched Gerda's hand after a pause.

'We are all with faults. None of us are perfect. Do not think less of yourself for stumbling. There is always the present and future to at least try and heal the past. I know this better than any other.'

'I fear there is no reconciliation for me, my queen.'

'There is.' Elsa decided to try again. 'Tell me where he is. Tell me how I can find Devil.'

'I…!' Gerda started, but her voice failed her, and she covered her mouth, tears beginning to drip down her cheeks. She tried to speak again, but only a feeble squeak came out.

'You can't.' Elsa confirmed. 'He won't allow you to.'

Gerda nodded, and then her whole face twisted before she gripped at her neck, stumbling to the floor and pressing her forehead against the hard tiling. She grunted through a clenched mouth, and her whole body quivered. Elsa threw the covers off herself and went to her maid's side, touching her back and rubbing it gently.

'What can I do to help?' She asked with urgency. 'Should I get a doctor?'

Gerda wheezed and gasped, but only shook her head and held on to Elsa's wrist, turning so that she was sitting on the ground and holding her heaving chest. She looked as though she had run around Arendelle more than a few times, and she appeared paler than usual, as if a terrible sickness had suddenly overtaken her.

'I-it…will pass…'

'Gerda…' Elsa helped the girl to her bed, taking the blanket and placing it over the shivering, tiny frame. 'That was horrible. Devil did this to you?'

But Gerda would no longer respond. She had endured the attack with admirable vigilance, but Elsa knew it was a pain she hadn't experienced yet. Gerda was instantly a ghost of her former self, drained of energy and any form of passion. She looked even worse than she had in the dungeons.

'I'm so sorry, Gerda. I understand. I won't press you further. I'm sorry…' Elsa continued to hold the maid close, waiting until the girl's breathing became slightly more regular before she released her, still keeping a close eye on her mannerisms regardless.

'Thank-you.' Gerda sighed, her words coarse. 'I-I need to go now.'

'You don't have to.' Elsa tried, but the maid was already standing awkwardly.

'N-no. I do. I must. But before I do,' Gerda moved to the door, pausing at the handle and looking to a perplexed and conflicted Elsa. 'Could you smile for me one more time?'

'Smile?' Elsa couldn't think of it. Gerda was so vulnerable and misunderstood suddenly. The last thing Elsa wanted to do was smile. Should she stop Gerda? Or would doing so cause another attack? Elsa no longer had any clue how to handle her complex maid. Smile? What would that do for anyone?

'Please.'

The desperation in Gerda's voice couldn't be denied. Elsa had no choice. She had a practised smile, of course; one reserved for political endeavours and the like, but she didn't want to give that to Gerda. Her maid would know it was fake. She thought of Anna, naturally, and the smile came a little more easily, if still forced and partially false. Elsa's cheeks almost cracked.

'Perfect…' Gerda sighed.

'You insist on leaving now, Gerda?'

'Yes. I must. Please let me.'

Elsa couldn't risk another meltdown. Against her preferred judgement, she conceded to Gerda's wishes.

'I will see you tomorrow, then?'

'Of course.'

'Sleep well, Gerda.'

'And you, my queen.' The maid turned the handle to the door, but before opening it, she made one final statement that penetrated Elsa's soul regardless of what she already suspected. 'I-I love you with all my heart.'

Gerda stumbled out of Elsa's room and immediately entered Anna's as stealthily and quickly as she could so as to not alert any of the guards. She was personally surprised she was permitted to move about the palace without supervision, and suspected Elsa had something to do with the freedom she still enjoyed. Nonetheless, her actions were bold, regardless, and she knew this was her final chance to converse with Anna before she would no longer have the opportunity. As it was, her time was likely running short already.

But the risk had been more than worth it.

'Who's there?' Anna muttered, gripping at her knees on her bed

'Please do not be distressed, Princess Anna. I just need to have a word.'

'Gerda…?' Anna said quietly, yet with a hint of wariness.

'Y-yes. I know I'm not someone you want to see, but I have some things I must say to you.'

'About Devil?' The girl answered, and a spasm pushed at Gerda's soul.

'N-no. About Queen Elsa.'

Anna sniffed, appeared to consider the proposal, and then, surprisingly, offered Gerda a chair.

'Elsa wants me to play nice, so, I'll play nice.'

'T-thank-you.'

'I don't really know how to trust you.' Anna went on, and Gerda smiled bitterly.

'I-I'm aware…'

'But I'll listen, because Elsa would want me to.'

Gerda nodded, taking the indicated chair and bringing it next to Anna, so very similarly to how she had been positioned with the other sister. Looking at Anna briefly, even in her obvious dishevelment, Gerda recognized the girl's appeal more than she wanted to admit. There was a tomboyish, fresh, natural allure about the younger sister to Elsa, and her more rowdy features only leant themselves positively to Anna's overall aesthetic beauty.

'Y-you are pretty.' Gerda hushed before she could stop herself.

'Huh?' The red came to Anna's already flushed cheeks, her eyes suggesting she had been crying a little before Gerda had arrived.

'I-I'm sorry. You don't want to hear that from me…'

Anna shrugged, practically pouting.

'Nobody doesn't like being told they look nice, I guess.'

Something in Gerda stirred, and she wished she had played her hand differently. Her imagination was perverse to begin with, at times, and this glimmer of reception only provided the longing girl with more pages for her mental script of forbidden interactions.

'So…How is she?' Anna brought Gerda back, and the maid was thankful.

'Your sister is concerned about you and…about the looming threat.'

'Did she mention anything about me royally messing up?'

'No. She would never speak ill of you.'

'Well, she should.' Anna huffed. 'I'm such an idiot.'

'You are not.'

'You didn't admit you were dating your own sister who – oh, yeah – is also the queen of Arendelle! How many days has it been? Like, three? Two? That didn't take long. I'm clearly the dumbest person in the world right now.'

'Stop it.' Gerda snapped, finding some pleasure in the way Anna stared at her in shock. Honestly, Gerda surprised herself with the ferocity of the command. It wasn't even solely because of how she knew Elsa would feel either…

'You were put in a terrible position. Queen Elsa does not blame you. I-in fact, more than anything, your sister needs your support above all else. It is difficult to say what tomorrow will bring, but you must stay by Queen Elsa's side no matter what. Much of her strength comes from you. The rumours will try to break you both, but a united front will always do better than a singular one.'

'That's true…' Anna continued to play with her bedding, meeting Gerda's eyes only infrequently. 'So, it's getting bad out there?'

'It will get worse before it gets better.'

Anna shook her head, seeming discouraged. Gerda almost instinctively went to her, but held back, knowing any kind of touch would be unwelcome.

'But how did Kristoff know?' Anna asked in frustration. 'He knew before we even started talking. It doesn't make sense.' Anna searched her mind, and her face snapped open in an epiphany. She looked to Gerda, and the maid felt her heart sink. She understood what was coming, and she wouldn't be able to defend herself again.

'Did you tell him? Kristoff said "she was right". Did you…say something to him?'

'I didn't.' Gerda knew she was in trouble then. She had to use her words carefully, but even distant thoughts were a trigger. She needed to clear her mind and think of only the truth. Accusations had no place in this moment.

'But who else could have? Trust me, I want to believe you, because Elsa does, but…it sorta fits. Gerda?'

'I…' Gerda's voice swelled, and she felt the spasm coming. There was no time left. 'I was in the palace. T-then…I was with Leonard until I found…He…must have…!' The maid felt a lump coming up her throat, and then she coughed into her hands. She was rebelling by defending herself.

'Gerda?'

'T-take care of her.' Gerda wheezed, stepping out of her chair and going to the door. 'Don't leave her side. Y-you cannot lose if you stay together.'

'Hey! Do you need help?' Anna asked despite everything that had just transpired. Gerda almost smiled, overjoyed that her queen had found someone so indiscriminately kind when it came down to it. 'I can take you to the infirmary.'

'I-I'll be fine. It's just a tickle. I-I shouldn't be here either way.'

'It's clearly not "fine", Gerda!' Anna stood up, but Gerda had to wave her down, giggling and holding back the urge to throw up in her feigned act of dismissal.

'I-if you have a chance…love her tonight. Sneak into her room and comfort one another. Leonard won't have a choice but to tighten security tomorrow, I-I think. Don't worry about me.'

'How can I not worry about you?' Anna muttered. 'Elsa cares about you, and that means I will too! Something weird is going on, and you have a connection to it all. How can we help you if you keep running away from us?'

Gerda covered her face and shook her head from side to side. Elsa had left her be because of her vague understanding of the situation, but Gerda didn't want to go through another brutal reminder of who she belonged to now. She wasn't sure she would bounce back as easily.

'Take care of her, Anna.' And the girl made her exit swiftly, dashing down the hall with her mouth covered, sprinting to the first vacant area she could. She thought of how she forgot to address Anna as a princess during her final farewell, and found the fact she latched onto such a misstep amusing amidst her panic.

Gerda made it to her room, having to convince any guards who questioned her escape that she needed intense use of the toilet, and locked her door, leaning against it and sliding down onto the floor before turning over and coughing until her lungs felt raw and her throat burned. Tears fell from her eyes as she gripped at the rug, thoughts of Elsa's kind, understanding smile digging the knife into her stomach while rain hammered at her small windows that were much higher than the ones she had growing up.

'My queen…' Gerda whispered as a cold touch penetrated her clothes and made contact with her skin, wrapping about her torso and clawing at her insides. She grimaced in calm acceptance, knowing it was only a matter of time the moment she began deviating from the pre-ordained path. Then again, it sounded as though He had also started writing a new script.

Naughty, naughty. A voice slithered into Gerda's ears, pulling at her mind and twisting her nerves. You promised you wouldn't tell.