"I don't know what's wrong with her," Augustus had grumbled softly after Felicity left their company.

Elsa's only reply had been to place a silencing hand over his as she cautiously eyed the Prince of the Southern Isles, wondering if he or anyone else had heard Augustus. But the prince had already gone, and Kristoff and Elsie were herded away by a group of curious servants, each vying for a closer look at the baby.

Augustus had taken Elsa's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I don't think I can leave it like this," he'd grumbled before he let go her hand and began in the direction Felicity had disappeared to, only turning to face her briefly as he excused himself.

Elsa imagined that she must have replied in agreement, all the while wondering if it was at all possible for her to escape the reception without being noticed.

~x~

The hall seated a little over three hundred guests. Nearly half of them were visiting foreign dignitaries and their families, and the other half was comprised of the more prominent local families and merchants with political sway. Elsa knew most of them by name, and they looked pleased when she greeted them informally, dropping titles in favor of greeting them like one would an old friend. It was an obligation specific to Anna, but she had reappeared earlier only to disappear again with no word or explanation regarding where she had run off to in the first place. Elsa could not bring herself to make any demands of her sister after their strained encounter in Anna's walk-in closet.

Elsa didn't intend to mingle for very long. She moved along quickly from one family to the next, dropping pleasantries and warm sentiments, but with so many guests to meet, the hours easily slipped away from her. Most of the attention went to Kristoff and Elsie as he was pulled from one table to the next by guests competing for a closer look at the youngest Arendelle heir. Elsie reveled in the spotlight, drooling and gurgling with delight.

Many wondered about Princess Anna's whereabouts, and Kristoff used the opportunity to exercise his wit and aristocratic charm to deflect their curiosity. When the King and Queen of Corona joined Kristoff, further dividing the attention of the guests, Elsa silently thanked her aunt and uncle, and took her cue to quietly slip away.

She wondered about Augustus and Felicity, and the fragile connection that threatened to collapse between them, but her thoughts kept wandering back to the large walk-in closet and the mountain of dresses that weighed her down.

Elsa discarded her heels as soon as she stepped out of the reception banquet and into a secluded and low lit corridor. The tension that she carried, draped around her neck and shoulders like a thin veil, slowly dispelled as her bare feet pressed against cold marble. A distant melody found its way to her, carried by a cool breeze that had trespassed through an open door near the corridor's end. Elsa hummed softly and felt a lightness in her feet that she had not felt in a long time as she walked in the direction of the incoming breeze. Nearing the open door, she closed her eyes and whirled to the end of the corridor, her hair sweeping over her shoulders. Then a firm hand clasped hers, entwining their fingers as another hand took her by the waist. Elsa opened her eyes, startled.

"May I have this dance?" Augustus asked, bridging the distance between them.

"You may," she answered breathlessly and allowed him to lead her through the open door and out to the balcony.

"What happened with Felicity?" She pried, searching his face.

"I just said goodbye to an old friend."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I'm in need of a dance partner."

Matching her stride and grace, he synced their bodies and took the lead, guiding her across the stone surface as he effortlessly twirled her in his arms. Elsa caught sight of the moon in the twilight sky and she eased herself away from him and toward the railing, leaning against it as her gaze fell down to the warm lit city beyond the castle below. The music gradually faded to silence under a clamor of applause.

Augustus stared at his open palm before closing it, disappointed at the brevity of their dance.

"I wish I could be down there," Elsa said softly.

"Looking to runaway?"

"Only for one night. Would that be so bad?"

There was a wistful longing in her voice that resonated with the one in his heart. As much as Elsa was Queen, she was also just a girl. And a lonely one at that.

"Where would we go?"

"We?" Elsa turned to him and raised a brow.

"Assuming I'm also included in this escape plan of yours."

"Yes," she laughed. "I suppose you could come too."

Augustus leaned back against the railing and stared down at Elsa's elfin face. Her face was painted by the warm orange colors of the twilight sky, and her eyes glittered like harnessed stars.

"We could take off on my ship. Sail across the ocean, chasing after the sun," he offered, a note of seriousness in his voice.

"I doubt we would make it back by morning."

"Who said anything about returning?"

"Augustus," Elsa gave him a warning look, but he was decided and was not about to back down this time.

"I've been waiting for your answer," he told her, a hint of reprimand in his voice. "I searched for your reply in every letter."

"I know."

"You're not happy here. You've never said as much, but I can read between the lines." He pressed his hand on her forearm, noting how cold and slender she was. "This life isn't for us. I can see it all over your face. Even now, you only speak of running away."

"I know this too."

"Do you remember what you told me a long time ago?"

"About?"

Elsa didn't have to ask. She knew exactly what he was asking. Much like their dance and the dozens of letters exchanged between them, their words were like a game, intended to tease and deflect.

"About leaving all this behind." He gestured to the castle and the city below, and as he did so he was momentarily caught off guard by the effulgent glow of the sunset reflecting in Elsa's azure eyes like a maelstrom of orange and red fire. "You told me to take back my freedom. That my titles didn't have to be a permanent prison and I should just do what I want."

"I was drunk."

"But you were right."

Elsa smiled softly, and gazed down at the lights below as another song began to play.

"If it hadn't been for you, I'd be unhappily married now and slaving away behind a desk, signing my life away to contracts and negotiations as Lord Augustus James Hawkins, Marquis of Montressor." He paused, holding her eyes with his. "But I'm free now. Montressor is my cousin's problem, and now I get to be Jim Hawkins, explorer at large."

"I don't think I could do that," Elsa said hesitantly.

"What's holding you back? There's nothing for you here. Your sister's all grown up with a family of her own, and you're not attached, so why not pursue your own happiness?"

With me. Elsa didn't have to be a mind reader to catch the implication.

"Runaway with me," he said softly, taking her hands in his. Her loneliness had touched him across oceans in her letters, echoing the sadness he remembered in Julianna's eyes, and in every fervent reply he'd urged her to join him at sea. But this time he was offering more than an invitation to freedom. Feeling even braver, he leaned into her, and whispered in her ear. "Marry me."

"Marry?" It was all Elsa could say as her mouth went slightly agape and her eyes startled wide.

Augustus pressed a kiss on her cheek and clasped her hands against his chest, just over his heart.

"There's no one else I'd rather marry in this world. And I'd be good for you."

"Augustus, I-" Elsa paused to think, uncertain of the words taking shape on her lips as she pulled away. "There's a part of me that wants to say yes. But what you're asking of me, it's not-"

"There's so much more to life than this," he persisted, emboldened by her admission of his offer. "You could be happy."

"It's not that simple."

"But it can be."

"I can't," Elsa replied with a definitive tone, shaking her head. "Forgive me, but I can't."

"You can't marry me? Or you won't?" he asked crestfallen.

"I think we both know they mean the same thing."

"So that's it then. I have my answer." The hopeful glimmer in his eyes slowly dimmed. He could see the sunset reflected in her eyes slowly shrink as it continued to set, and a thought occurred to him. "Is it someone else?" He asked solemnly.

"What makes you think that?" She replied, a slight defensiveness in the tone of her voice that he did not expect.

"I guess it's just...something in your eyes," The orange and red flecks gleamed brightly in her eyes and diminished as the sun disappeared over the horizon, like a secret begging to be tucked away.

Elsa warmed her hand on his cheek and held onto his shoulder as she leaned forward on her tiptoes. Tilting her head slightly, she pressed a chaste kiss on his lips, her eyes never closing. It was over before it began, and for Augustus it tasted like a goodbye.

"Do you think you could ever answer differently?" He asked as Elsa pulled away.

"I don't know."

"Do you want me to stop trying?"

"I don't think I'm ready for that either."

Elsa had never been more honest when she said that. Letting him go meant that she'd finally given up on a normal life, and she was not prepared to do that just yet. But Augustus could already see that it was only a matter of time.

"Maybe in a hundred years?" He laughed, the irony was not lost to him, and Elsa laughed with him, their nervous laughter drowning out the music as it was carried away by the wind.

~x~

Augustus left first. Disappearing into the castle without the spring in his step that had been there a few short minutes ago. Elsa counted five seconds before she did the same, gathering her shoes on her way back. She hadn't expected anyone to notice her brief absence, but Kristoff had. He watched her from across the room, tracking her as she shut the door behind her and intentionally walked around the opposite end of the reception hall, widening the gap between her and Augustus.

Elsa looked away, smiling warmly at the Duke of Finland and shaking his hand before she cast another side glance at her brother-in-law. His deductive brows were furrowed tightly, dividing his attentions between Augustus and Elsa on opposite ends of the room.

She wasn't sure if it was the guilt that was likely plain on her face, or the expression that she imagined Augustus wore on his, but the look on Kristoff's face spoke volumes. He knew. Elsa could see the slight shake of his head, and the tightness in his mouth and jaw before he turned away and walked back to his seat at the main table.

~x~

A chorus of applause erupted throughout the reception hall as the Master of Ceremonies ended his boasting speech in honor of little Elsie's christening. As polished as his speech was, it was long-winded, over-doting, and also the royal court's equivalent of a pair of puckered lips kissing nothing but royal bottoms. However, it was the Master of Ceremonies' brief declaration at the end of his speech, as requested by Gerda, which captivated his audience: the announcement of the first course meal.

Waiters lined the walls of the reception hall, waiting as trays of hot food was wheeled forward. Augustus managed to duck back to his table before the waiters swept onto the floors by the dozens, effortlessly carrying platters to their arrangements.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" King Claudius asked Augustus when he and Elsa took their assigned seats, joining the extended family at the main table in the reception hall. Augustus briefly stole a look in Elsa's direction as she slipped into the chair beside Rapunzel, wondering if there was ever a scenario where her answer might have been different.

"I got my answer," he replied in resignation. It just wasn't the answer I hoped for.

King Claudius rested a sympathetic hand on his nephew's shoulder, and for a moment Augustus glimpsed that same warm look that his uncle's sister, Julianna, used to give him when he was a small child. Odd, considering he could no longer remember her face.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kristoff asked. He was seated across from Augustus, and the chair next to his, which was clearly reserved for Anna, remained empty.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Didn't seem that way to me."

The knowing way Kristoff had said it had given him pause. He considered asking him what he'd meant by those words, but the moment passed as Anna breathlessly slipped into her seat.

"Nobody touch the clams!" Anna warned loudly, drawing stares from everyone at their table, including a few from nearby seats. "Not unless you want to spend the next couple of hours doubled over the bushes," she joked, avoiding Elsa's eyes. Everyone laughed, with the exception of Elsa and Kristoff, and any questions regarding her whereabouts had quickly diminished.

As if on cue, Eugene stood from his chair, holding up a glass of champagne.

"Now that everyone is finally together, I would like to make an announcement." He declared just as Rapunzel nudged him, clearing her throat.

"We," Eugene squealed in response. "I meant to say that we would like to make an announcement."

"If you plan on telling us that you're a whipped man, we already know," Augustus chided.

Anna turned curiously to Rapunzel, then sprung up from her seat when realization set in. "You picked the baby's name!"

Rapunzel laughed, "Well sort of. We still haven't decided on a boy's name, but we finally picked one out for a girl."

"Well? Do you plan to keep us in suspense?" Augustus pressed.

"Now, now. No need to be so pushy about it," Kristoff interjected, holding up his hand in mock seriousness. "Our dear friends are probably trying to muster up the courage before they finally reveal that it's probably something quite hideous, like Hortencia," he joked.

Rapunzel stared at Eugene in disbelief, the tiny vein over her eyebrow ready to pop. "You told him?"

Kristoff felt the color drain from his face, and his smile grew rigid as he sputtered, desperate to rectify his mistake. "Ww-when I say hideous, I don't actually mean it in the conventional sense of the word—"

Eugene laughed, "Chill man, it's a joke."

"Thank God."

"We decided on Bartlebee Fitzherbert."

Silence. Eugene was smiling so earnestly as he shifted his gaze around the table, searching their faces for some semblance of approval, that for a full six seconds it was hard not to believe he was being serious. King Claudius was the one to laugh first, setting off a roar of laughter that caught the attention of the nearby tables.

"You actually had me for a second there," Augustus confessed, wiping tears from his eyes as his laughter subsided. He had certainly needed the distraction, although he wasn't the only one.

Elsa hadn't looked once in his direction since they'd joined the party, and Kristoff had been nursing a dour expression on his face since their run-in with Felicity and her clueless fiance. And Anna, well, Anna was being more Anna than usual. That was never a good sign.

Eugene and his cheesy humor was just the medicine they all needed.

"Julianna." Rapunzel uttered once the laughter died down around the table. "If the baby is a girl, we're going to name her Julianna. After father's sister." Her eyes met with her father's, and it was clear from the stunned look in his eyes that he had not been expecting it.

"Well," he said, rasping as he began to speak, but his eyes glistened and his voice was lost when tears spilled down his beard.

Clearly moved by his uncle's tears, Augustus turned away and quietly wiped his own eyes, hoping not to draw any attention to himself. Augustus had never witnessed the King break down in tears before.

Across the table, Eugene smiled compassionately as he squeezed his wife's hand, receiving a squeeze in return.

"That's a lovely choice," Aunt Isabella replied, pressing her hand over her husband's as he wept.

Briefly forgetting his disappointment with Anna, Kristoff leaned into his wife and whispered, "Did she die?"

Anna nodded and quietly replied, "A long time ago. The same year I was born, actually."

She briefly caught Elsa's eyes across the table, and felt a momentary pang in her chest as she reflected on the possibility of losing her sister. She'd overheard stories about her aunt from conversations between Augustus and Uncle Claudius, but until today she'd never seen her uncle look so forlorn. Anna couldn't help but wonder if living with Elsa's rejection-having her near, but never closer than an arm's length-was worse than the prospect of her absence. It was a terrible thought, and as soon as it came to her, Anna hated herself for it.

"Have you seen my fiance?" Anna overheard the eldest prince of the Southern Isles inquire with the nearby table, an edge of desperation in his voice, and although she couldn't make out the reply, she could easily guess the answer. Without thinking, she slumped a little in her chair, and pulled herself upright only after he'd disappeared to the other end of the grand hall.

~X~

Shortly after dinner, Anna and Kristoff returned to their quarters with a sleeping infant in tow. Guests began to retreat to their rooms, and a few took to the castle grounds for a casual tour of the tennis courts and the stables. The moon was bright and full; perfect for an evening excursion. Always the gentleman, Augustus offered to lead one of the tours, and although he seemed earnest to have her join them, Elsa awkwardly declined.

"We're okay, aren't we?" He murmured, casting her a meaningful glance.

"Always," she reassured him.

Elsa considered returning to her chambers after Augustus and the remaining guests wandered off to the stables, but the air was crisp and the night was too inviting under the brilliant moon to forgo a stroll in the gardens. She followed the pebbled walkway down to the pond and over the small wooden bridge to the Adonis status at the center. By the time she sat down on a stone bench overlooking the pond, she could no longer hear the voices of Augustus and the touring party as they traveled in the opposite direction.

Exhaling sharply, Elsa leaned back and gazed up at the stars, wondering if she could bear the silence after Anna and Kristoff left for Uncle Claudius' estate with the baby. It had been so loud and busy since Elsie was born, and now that Elsa had become accustomed to the chaos, it was coming to an end. As much as it surprised her to admit it, she liked having a baby around. But tomorrow, after the guests had gone, so would her sister and her family. And after what had happened that morning in the walk in closet, Elsa knew with absolute certainty that it was for the best.

"This has to end," she whispered and closed her eyes as if casting a spell on herself. But when she opened them, she didn't feel any different, just tired and alone.

Rising to her feet, a glint of reflecting moonlight caught Elsa' eye hidden in the grass near the statue; possibly a piece of glass or a silver coin. But as she approached the curious glimmer in the grass, she realized it was a silver bracelet. Beautifully braided, and familiar too.

As soon as she picked it up, she knew it was Anna's. And the mystery of where her sister had disappeared to earlier that day was quickly uncovered. Anna had been wearing it before she ran away and left Kristoff to watch after the baby for hours, but by the time they sat down to dinner, the bracelet was absent from her wrist.

Elsa hated that she had noticed such a minor detail, and wished desperately that she could stop. But she could not help herself. She always noticed everything that had to do with Anna. Even the tiniest of indentations on Anna's favorite piece of jewelry. Inspecting it in the moonlight, the bracelet shimmered an almost a hot white, and it surprised her when the shimmer was suddenly replaced with a glowing bright green hue. But it wasn't just the bracelet. The soft blue tones of the moonlight had changed as well to that sickening bright green, and Elsa realized that it was not the moonlight reflecting on the bracelet, but something directly behind her.

"Curse you!" a girl's voice screamed out.

Elsa spun around, bracing her left arm in front of her, palms wide, as she extended a shield around herself. A green ball of magic barreled into her, crackling almost deafeningly, and flaming hotly over her forearm, nearly blinding her as it splintered and ricocheted off her icy shield. She fell back from the blunt force, and heard a sharp gasp in the distance as the green glow was displaced by the moonlight.

It took several seconds for Elsa's eyes to readjust to the dark, and she quickly fumbled to her feet when she saw a figure approach, and she extended her arm out defensively once more. Waiting for a second attack.

But it never came.

Instead, there was only the quiet sobs of a foolish girl before her. Elsa recognized her instantly, even with her oddly sharp cheekbones and the wide pair of curled black horns slowly growing from the girl's head. A pair of shiny ebony wings extended from her back, casting a large shadow over Elsa as they spread open. Tears spilled down the girl's cheeks as she ran her hands over her face, and along the new horns that protruded from her head, the horror etched on her face.

"No," she uttered disbelieving. "No"!

The girl craned her neck back and glimpsed the black wings that had grown out of her back, and she screamed. A loud, horrified scream.

Elsa took a step back as she heard a clamor of voices growing near in the dark, rushing toward them, and Augustus among them.

Then, nursing her own arm she uttered to the girl, "Felicity, what have you done?"

...to be continued...

Gag Reel (back by popular demand):

Augustus: [to Elsa] "I don't know what's wrong with her. All I did was end our engagement and dance circles around her after I broke her heart...then show up at a party giving moon eyes to the one person she could never compare to. I just don't get her sometimes."

Prince of the Southern Isles: "Have you seen my fiance? She a tiny thing... 5'2", 108 lbs, totally hung up on her ex, and has mommy issues like you wouldn't believe."

Augustus: "There's no one else I'd rather marry in this world. And I'd be good for you...I'm like a colon cleanser, but for the heart."

Elsa: "Augustus, I-There's a part of me that wants to say yes. But that part of me is also brain-damaged after snorting too many lines of cocaine."

Anna: "Nobody touch the clams! Not unless you want to spend the next couple of hours doubled over the bushes...except you, Augustus. Here, have another helping."

Augustus: "What's holding you back? There's nothing for you here. Your sister's all grown up playing house with her baby daddy, and you're turning into the pitiful spinster sister...seriously, you're like a cat lady without a cat."

Felicity: [screaming] "Hadouken!"