Chapter 21.

Everything hurts. And I mean literally everything. From my bruised torso to my sore head. And no, it's not the dull throb of my usual headaches, but a stinging pain right above my left eyebrow. My arm is throbbing in a steadier, but no less severe, agony. And my ears are ringing. And my head's spinning. What's going on?

I try opening my eyes in an attempt to discern my situation, but everything's kinda blurry and chaotic, and my dizziness intensifies. I can only see two predominant colors: teal and yellow. At first I don't know what they are, but then the awful smell gives me the answer: Kristoff, with his teal uniform and blond hair.

And, judging by my position and the feeling of strong arms holding me up, I'd say he's carrying me.

Why? I don't know for sure, but before I can start making questions, my poor head decides it's had enough, and I slip back into unconsciousness.

When I open my eyes again, the pain has diminished a little, and I also don't feel so dizzy. I'm lying still on my bed, instead of being carried by Kristoff, I've been changed into my nightgown and… apparently my head and arm have been bandaged.

But… I don't understand. How did I get here? The last thing I remember is… Anna! Where is Anna?

I turn left and right, searching for her, but in my prone position my field of sight is highly limited. So I try sitting up, using my arms as support, unfortunately forgetting about my injuries for one second. Of course, I end up whimpering in pain as the injury on my arm re-opens and the one in my head starts throbbing painfully, before falling on the mattress once more.

"Whoa! Easy there." I hear Kristoff's voice, followed by some hurried steps, before he appears on my field of vision. Surprisingly enough, he has a concerned expression all over his face.

"K-kris-t-toff?" I ask trough my dry throat. He seems to realize the problem instantly because he quickly takes a glass that was on the bedside table and fills it with water from a jar, before pressing said glass against my lips. I drink eagerly but carefully, so I don't choke because of my lying position, and soon I've downed it completely and am feeling a bit better. My guard then places the glass back on its place before turning back to me.

I stare at him with desperate curiosity when he just keeps standing there awkwardly without saying a word. I'm actually about to ask him why he's acting so weird when he sighs and goes to sit on the edge of my bed.

"Uhm…. Kristoff?" I call him, when I realize he's again just fidgeting awkwardly and staring at his hands.

"I… guess you have a lot of questions, right?" He finally speaks, still not looking at me.

"Yes. For once, where is Anna?" It's the first thing that comes to my mind. I can't say I wasn't disappointed when I realized she wasn't there when I woke up.

"She's with the council, trying to stop them from acting rashly." He informs me with a grimace. "She'll probably come back soon though; she said it would be better if you were present for said meeting, and so she'll just calm them down a little and schedule a reunion."

"I see…" I purse my lips. That's a meeting I really don't look forward to. "What about the General?" This last question earns a chuckle from Kristoff, which leaves me very confused.

"As you can imagine, our Queen wasn't pleased at all by his actions." He looks like he's trying to contain his laughter as he recalls something. "No joke, she even threatened him with a sword! And she's no swordsman…uh…. swordswoman, I guess."

That gets a chuckle out of me too, but in my current state the slightest movement makes the pain increase.

"So, I don't know what punishment she has for him, but I bet it won't be pleasant." He finishes with a mischievous smile, but it soon vanishes as he stares at me. I can sense something's bothering him, but what exactly? I don't know.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, worried that he's hiding bad news from me.

"N-no, no, I just…" He sighs again, and goes back to staring at his hands in a defeated manner. "I think I owe you an apology."

"For what?" is my automatic response, but then I realize why he'd say such a thing. "For failing to protect me back there? Don't worry, I know you did your best, and that's all I could ever ask." I assure him.

"No, that's not… okay, yes, I'm sorry for that too." He says, finally looking back at me again. "But what I wanted to say was… I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you all this time." I want to say that's fine, and that he shouldn't worry about it, but I sense there's more he wants to say and it's quite difficult for him to get the words out, so I stay silent. He seems to take this as a clue to keep going, and does just that.

"I-I just… when I saw all the people there turning against you the moment your wig came off… how they all downright wanted to kill you, even though you hadn't done anything to them… I just thought they looked like a bunch of angry savages. I thought it was unfair for them to treat you like that, and… it kinda reminded me of the night my parents died." I raise an eyebrow, wondering what on earth could be similar about those situations.

"I've tried to forget that night so many times, but I do remember that I lived in a very small town near the northern border, inhabited mostly by ice harvesters. My parents and I had just arrived from a trip, with our sled full of ice when…" He pauses, swallows loudly and stays silent for a few seconds, apparently willing himself not to cry. I want to comfort him, but… I'm sure he's trying to appear strong, so I don't know if that'd be well-received.

"When they arrived." He finally says, his voice full of pain and anger, and his muscles tense. "Maybe five or six ice-wielders, all with ice-made weapons. They didn't even ask questions; they didn't demand for money, or goods. They just… started killing everyone in sight. When someone asked why, they said it was revenge."

His expression hardens even more, and he clenches his hands, like he wishes he could go back in time and punch those ice-wielders in the face. I, on the other hand, am mostly stunned. I never thought he'd share such a story with me, considering I'm an ice-wielder. And I still don't understand what this has to do with what happened to me. Thankfully, he keeps talking.

"Every time I remembered that scene, I saw the hate in their eyes. Utter hate for those that weren't like them, but… though I often denied it, there was also pain and fear on their eyes. And I didn't understand why, until earlier today." He sighs. "The mob that attacked you, they had the same expressions. They hated you just for being different, but they also feared you, and what you represented to them; the loss of their families, their homes… what was dear to them."

"I think what I want to say is… the ice-wielders that attacked my hometown were awful people, yes. But they also had their reasons. And the same can be said about the people who tried to murder you, and… about me." He pauses, but I don't dare saying anything. "I-I… I saw myself in those people; in how I treated you with distrust and assumed the worst out of you just because you have magic. Sure, I never tried to kill you, but that was mostly because of the respect I have for Anna, not because I thought you should be given a chance."

"And I don't want to be like that." He grimaces. "I don't want to be like the people who killed my parents. I don't want to go around hating someone because of something other people did. That's not who I am." He shakes his head in distress. "And I've been too caught up in my hate to realize this. I've been distant, unfriendly, and sometimes even hostile. Which not only damaged the image you have of me, but also my friendship with Anna."

"So… I'm sorry. For being such an ass, and not realizing it sooner." He finally turn back to look at me, and gives me a pleading look that kinda makes him look like an oversized sad puppy. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course." I say easily, a smile coming naturally to my face. Honestly, I forgave him ever since he saved my life for the first time. I figured then that he was just a good man with a complicated story, and he just needed time to come around. Plus, it's not like he was ever mean to me or anything; he just acted kinda awkward and questioned how much trust Anna put in me. "Really, there's nothing to forgive." I assure him, when he keeps looking skeptically at me.

Fortunately, before Kristoff can continue apologizing, as I can sense he's about to do, the door opens and certain redhead walks in. She's wearing a concerned expression, and she doesn't even look at me at first; instead staring at the ground like she's seriously considering kicking it, or something. She probably expects me to still be unconscious.

However, after she takes a few steps into the room, she seems to notice Kristoff sitting on my bed, so she looks up confused and stares at me wide-eyed. I decide to smile at her, to show her I'm alright, and wave as greeting.

"Hi." I say, which seems to finally make her realize what's going on, because a big smile appears on her face and in less than one second she crosses the room and practically throws herself at me, squeezing me so tightly I can't breathe.

"Oh my god! Elsa, you're awake! I was so worried, I-I… " Before she can effectively squeeze the life out of me (not that I'm really complaining), however, Kristoff grabs her by her collar and pulls her back slightly, laughing amused.

"Calm down, feisty pants, or we'll have to call the doctor again." He says, and at this Anna turns to glare at him, but still ends up releasing me.

"I wasn't hugging her that hard, right Elsa?" She asks, putting me in a difficult situation. I don't want to lie, but I don't want to make her feel bad either.

"Uhm… well…" I start, but she seems to realize this is pretty much an affirmative answer, because she backs away a bit more and eyes me with concern.

"Sorry! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really." I assure her. "My head hurts a bit, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Are you sure?" She asks again, gently touching my face and eying me as if trying to see if I don't have any other wounds she hadn't seen. I only nod and give her a little smile, touched that she's so worried about me. Anna keeps staring at me for a few seconds, but then she apparently realizes I'm telling the truth and lets out a sigh, her shoulders relaxing instantly and a smile gracing her beautiful features.

Soon, our eyes find each other and we're unable to look away. I love her eyes. They're of such a beautiful color! Green? Blue? Something in between I guess. So unique. So warm and loving. And happy. So… close. Wait. When did they get that close?

The moment I realize Anna's intentions, however, we hear a cough that makes us both jump and turn to see the one responsible. Of course, we find Kristoff staring awkwardly at us, having since long abandoned his previous position at the edge of my bed.

"Uhm… I'll be outside, if you need anything." He says. "And… the doctor said she shouldn't do anything strenuous." He then adds awkwardly, face beat red, before pretty much bolting out of the room.

Anna and I blush at what he implied, and she actually lets out a little awkward laugh before speaking in an equally awkward tone.

"Hehe. Stupid Kristoff. Of course we're not going to do that! Not that I'd be opposed to…" She blushes even more, so much that in fact her face appears the same color as her hair. "But I mean, you're injured and we've just started courting!" More awkward laughter. "He's a stinker."

"Y-yeah." I stutter, trying not to think about all the fantasies I've had with Anna. Now is not the time for that.

"Anyways." She coughs a bit, obviously trying to regain some composure. "So… are you really okay? You don't see double? How many fingers am I holding up?" She holds up her open hand, all five fingers up, and I just laugh before taking her hand and lowering it until it's on the mattress again.

"Relax, Anna. I'm fine." I answer giggling softly. "Well… at least considering what happened. I honestly thought I was going to die."

"I would never let anyone kill you. You know that." She answers, and in her voice, in the way she looks at my eyes, I see no hesitation. Not even a hint of doubt.

For a moment I feel overwhelmed, and a bit frightful, hearing her say such things just one day after we really got together. But… then I remember her holding a sword and defending me against her whole kingdom; looking fierce and determined. And I realize… I wouldn't let anyone kill her either. I would give my life if necessary. Why? Who knows? That's just how I feel, and feelings aren't always rational. And as scary as it is, this is also very exciting, and it fills me with energy. So at the end, I just give her a gentle smile.

"I know now." I answer. "And… I would have done the same thing for you."

"I know." She says, happiness radiating from her at my words. "That's what love is about, isn't it? Taking care of each other."

She carefully caresses my face with her right hand, almost as if she fears she'll hurt me if she dared press her fingers more firmly against my skin. However, I love feeling Anna's touch, so I lean a little to encourage her to be a bit less careful. But, without previous warning, my mouth is suddenly assaulted by a pair of very persistent lips.

Last night we kept our kisses innocent, even sheepish. And the same can be said about this morning. But now… Anna is pretty much attacking me. She doesn't dare use tongue just jet, but she sucks at my lower lip before biting it gently, then doing the same with my upper lip. I try to kiss her back with the same fervor, but she's much more energetic than me. Probably because I'm injured.

I still like it very much. Even when she finally caresses my lips with her tongue. I know I must be blushing, and panting. And my heart is beating so hard and so fast, I can hear it in my ears. But I don't care, and soon our kisses grow deeper and bolder, and I forget about my pain. All I can feel is pleasure; sparks of electricity that run through my whole body.

I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like this before. All I want is to kiss Anna all the time. Everyday. Every waking moment of the rest of my life. I know it sounds weird, and I know it must be my lust talking, but that's how I feel.

And of course, it is all over way too soon. How much time we were kissing? A few minutes? Half-an-hour even? Too little for my taste. I pout at her, but Anna only giggles and then gives me a small peck before pulling away again.

"I'm sorry, you heard Kristoff. No strenuous activities for you." She answers with a teasing smile, and I pout even harder.

"We're just kissing!" I protest.

"Yes, but we're kissing rather passionately, don't you think?" She says wriggling her eyebrows in a way she surely thinks is suggestive, but really it's just funny, so I end up laughing at her.

"Oh, I don't know. I think we can kiss even more passionately." I reply, winking in what I think is a flirty way. It seems to work though, because she blushes and looks down embarrassed.

"Y-you flirt!" She stutters cutely flustered. I'm actually impressed I have such an effect on her. I like it. "You should be resting, not… t-teasing me!"

"But I'm not tired." I protest, even though as I say this, I notice how sore my body truly is, and how much more my head hurts now than before kissing Anna. Must be because of my accelerated pulse. She probably notices my change of expression because she frowns.

"Don't lie." Anna chastises me. "You do need rest, and as much as I like talking to you, I think you really should get some sleep. I need you to be well enough tomorrow."

"We're going to talk with your council, aren't we?" I pretty much groan.

"Yes." She answers angrily. "But honestly, I should just fire them all. And throw the General in the darkest and awful-est… er, most awful dungeon in Arendelle!"

"That… doesn't sound wise." I say carefully. Anna looks at me like I just said the most ridiculous thing ever.

"He tried to kill you!"

"No. He only exposed my true identity. Everyone else tried to kill me." I argue, trying to put my feelings aside. Because sure, I'd like to turn him into a human icicle myself, but rationally I know that'd probably be an exaggeration.

"That was probably what he wanted to happen!" She screams, obviously frustrated because I don't agree with her.

"Maybe." I shrug. "But he still had no control over it, so in a fair trial he'd probably go free. And you want to be a fair Queen, don't you?" At this, Anna just grimaces and mumbles angrily, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What was that?" I ask, partially amused by her childish attitude.

"Nothing. I still think I should give him a harsh punishment, or else everyone would think they can try to kill you without consequence." She answers after a few moments, now sounding slightly calmer.

"That's true." I nod. "I'm not saying you should just let this slide; I just think you should be more careful so that you don't mistake your feelings with the facts. Only then you'd be able to give better judgement."

"What do you suggest then?" I smile at her question, glad that she's so eager to hear my advice now (as opposed to when this counselor thing first started), but… given the relationship we have now, I'm afraid she'll just do whatever I say instead of using her own head to solve things. And I'm far from perfect; I make mistakes sometimes too. Plus, she's the Queen. It's her responsibility and she has to assume it.

"I think… that's your decision to make. Just think it through, and you should come up with an answer soon enough." She seems like she's about to protest, but I quickly continue before she can say a word. "And if I don't think you made the right decision, I'll tell you; that's what I'm here for. But ultimately what you do and or don't do is your choice."

"It's easier to let anyone else decide." She says with a grimace, but I can tell she's just joking, so I giggle. "But anyways, it wasn't my intention to make my counselor work just after being attacked by an angry mob." She says, giggling along with me. "And I really think you should get some rest."

"Don't go." I practically whine, sensing that she's practically saying goodnight to me even though the sun is just starting to set on the horizon.

"I'm not going anywhere." She answers, clearly amused by the tone I used. Still, she takes my hand in a reassuring gesture. "Please, go to sleep. I promise I'll stay here the whole time."

I can't say her words and the way she keeps looking at me, like I'm the only thing that matters in her world, don't warm my heart to a point even the ice in my veins seems to be the temperature of hot chocolate, but I'm still hesitant to just let her stay with me when she's the Queen and surely has better things to do with her time.

"Are you sure?" I ask, biting my lip. "I wouldn't want you to stop doing important stuff just because of me."

"Nothing is more to me than you." She shrugs, smiling naturally. "So don't think you'll get rid of me so soon."

I smile at her and squeeze her hand a bit to show her how much I actually appreciate her doing this for me and saying such loving things like she's been doing so for ages. I don't think I could be able to express my gratitude and love for her with words even if I didn't have a horrible headache.

Talking about my headache… I think some sleep would make me feel better. Plus, I'm sure that's what Anna wants me to do. And I bet she won't even dare move until I close my eyes and let sleep take me. So yeah, I better relax and do as she said.

It sure takes me a few minutes, with the warm radiating from Anna so close to me, making me want to kiss her again. But at the end, and after taking many deep breaths and concentrating solely on the beating of my heart and inhaling and exhaling, I finally feel sleep coming to me.

Before it completely takes me though, I see a little fragment from my past.

I'm lying on my bed, trying not to complain too much about everything hurting. But oh well, I guess I was kinda asking for it by eating ice-cream in a land almost entirely covered by ice all year round. Though it's not every day I can get my hands on some coffee I stole from the guards, and what better way to drink coffee than to freeze it before eating it? Granted, I mostly wanted to show Helen what ice-cream is, since she couldn't understand why eating something frozen could be good. At the end, it was worth it, just to see her little amazed smile.

Still. Maybe it wasn't so wise, as Bulda has no problem reminding me every five seconds.

"What were you thinking, Elsa?" She says for the tenth time in the last hour. "Ice-cream? Really? As if it wasn't cold enough here. It's a miracle little Helen didn't catch a cold too."

"I'm sorry." I say sheepishly before sneezing quite loudly into an ice-made handkerchief.

"You're not nearly sorry enough." It's her retort. "Come on, drink this. I bet it'll make you feel a bit better." She says, handing me a cup of hot water with some herbs in it. I guess to diminish the cold's symptoms. I do so and, once I'm finished, she takes the cup from my hands and exits the "room" (just four curtains made of old clothes surrounding my "bed"), probably to go wash it.

I sigh, thinking I'll be left alone for a few more hours, until Olaf and Marshmallow come back from the forest, when suddenly one of my curtains opens and Helen comes in. I'm about to ask her what she's doing here, considering Bulda prohibited her from seeing me until I'm cured, but she places her finger on her lips to indicate silence, so I just nod and smile at her as greeting.

"Hi." I whisper when she comes to stand next to my bed. She waves with her hand, as she always does. For some reason or other, she very rarely speaks, ever since I saved her two months ago. But that's okay. It's part of who she is, so I like it.

"You shouldn't be here. You'll get sick." I say, trying to be responsible even if I want with all my heart for her to stay.

Helen just shakes her head, sits next to me and takes my hand from under the covers. The message it's clear; she's not going anywhere. She doesn't want me to be alone even if that means she'll catch a cold.

"Helen…" I weakly try to protest, but she places a finger over my lips to silence me. She opens her mouth and for a moment I think she's going to speak, and hold my breath as I wait for her to use her beautiful voice, but… then she bites her lip and just reaches inside her jacket, pulling out a heavy object from it. For a moment I think it's another old blanket, but then she places it over my stomach and I realize the truth.

My eyes widen and I gently take it like I'm afraid it'll disappear at any moment. Maybe I am. I haven't seen one of those since… well, since I came here two years ago. I caress the leather cover, and inhale its characteristic smell, almost not believing it's real. More so when I read the title: The tales of Grenruff the warrior. One of the most popular novels in the whole kingdom.

"Where did you find it?" I say, looking at her with wide eyes. She doesn't answer with words, but she doesn't really have to. There's only one place in the Northern Lands where books can be found; the soldiers' cabin. "You stole it from the guards?! Are you crazy? What if they had captured you?!"

She shrinks at my outburst and gives me a sad look, like she thinks I didn't like her present, and I quickly reassure her. I can't really stay mad at her after all. Not after she did such a thing for me.

"Look. I like it a lot. You know how much I miss books; I'm always complaining about it after all. And I'm touched you went through all the trouble to get one for me, but… I don't want you risking yourself like that, okay?" She gives me a nod, looking like a chastised little puppy, and I smile at her to make her feel better.

"Come on, lay down next to me. I'll read you a few chapters." I say, making her some space in my bed. Instantly, she lays down and cuddles me, humming happily in satisfaction when our bodies' heat fights off the cold from the outside. I giggle and open the book on the first chapter so I can start reading.

"Once upon a time, in a magical kingdom not too far from here…"

A/N: Hi! I hope you liked this cute little chapter. Thanks for reading, as always, and please leave a review telling me your thoughts on the story. Now that it's winter break I should be able to update faster, but a few words of encouragement are always a great motivator :)

Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.