Elsa knew many things about her sister.

For one, she was a princess.

Officially, now a queen, but had been a princess before.

And princesses had a considerable more amount of free time than queens, and by default, more hobbies. Elsa had witnessed those that the younger girl had partaken in throughout most of her life in the castle. Many of which were the traditional ones that she also shared in her fewer moments of leisure; reading, walks in the garden, dancing (Though she would never actually admit the last one to Anna. But she did practice alone occasionally).

They were all activities that she had expected the younger girl to pick up. And Elsa never really needed to worry for the redhead's safety because of it.

So standing in the courtyard in all of her dignified preparedness, waiting for her sister to reveal the new interest that she had been so excited to show her...

The last thing she had wanted to see.

Was there to be a sword in Anna's hands.

"Anna…" Elsa started, emotions of concern and protectiveness already subconsciously rising to the surface.

The redhead had changed into a pair of brown breeches and a dark orange tunic accompanied by a pair of black boots. Rather than the ornate do-up that she had been seen with more recently, her hair was styled into the two familiar twin braids that the blonde personally thought suited her much more than the former.

Anna looked up at her and put on a reassuring smile as if she was anticipating her chastising expression.

"I know, I know…" She moved her hand in a placating motion. "I know what you're about to say, Elsa. It's dangerous. But I've been practicing a lot!" The younger girl smiled in what she hoped was convincing.

It did absolutely nothing to alleviate her concerns. In fact Elsa was more worried now. Anna had been 'practicing' with a dangerous weapon in her time away and she hadn't even been there to possibly stop her.

"Anna, it's not a matter of practicing or not. Swords are meant for our knights and protectors… not for…queens..." Elsa attempted at reasoning.

The redhead didn't waver however, and continued to brim with confidence. "Then I guess I'll just have to be the first one! It's okay, Elsa. I promise I won't get hurt. I know you're worried, but me and my pal here are like best friends now." She said while waving the piece of metal. "I even gave him a name!"

Elsa cocked an eyebrow. "A name…?" She didn't know that swords had names. Even more so, she didn't know that they had genders. But then again, swordsmanship was never her area of expertise.

"Mhm!"

Anna looked down thoughtfully at the three foot long blade and then raised the pointed weapon to the sky.

"'The Defender of Elsa's Chocolate!" She announced grandly with a dramatic pose.

The older girl stared at her speechlessly.

"That's...the name you came up with?" She managed to say after a long silence. Her sister certainly had a vivid imagination. Though, it seemed like redhead had merely combined her two favorite things (her sister and chocolate) into one moniker.

"Yup. Awesome isn't it?" Anna gave the sword a twirl along the handle.

She lost the grip and the blade of steel dropped near her foot, the loud clang making both of them jump in surprise.

Anna looked at the ground and then back to her sister. She smiled sheepishly. The redhead could practically feel the blonde's stress levels rising at all the possibilities of her falling on her own sword in the future.

"Still practicing..." She rubbed the back of her head, abashed, as she bent down to pick up the dropped item.

Elsa sighed.

This just wouldn't do.

Even if they were in a romantic relationship now, Anna's safety still weighed heavily onto her heart. Old habits really died hard, and the blonde couldn't find it in herself to look past her apprehension.

"Anna, I'm sorry but-"

"Your Majesties."

Elsa was interrupted by a deep voice. The two royal sisters were notified of Mattias's presence as he approached the center of the courtyard where they were standing.

"You requested my service?" The new captain of the guard looked towards the younger queen.

"Mhm! Thanks for coming on such short notice, Mattias!"

The older man smiled. "Of course, Your Majesty." The two had become rather close in the previous six months, and the redhead had insisted that the army general ignore the formalities and refer to each other on a first name basis. But obligation came before preference, and he was never one to stray away from etiquette. "What is it that you needed me for?"

Anna smiled brightly. "You're my sparring partner for today!"

His eyes widened in surprise as he finally took notice of the metal weapon in the sovereign's hand.

"Uhhhhh..." He looked questioningly between the two sisters.

Elsa felt her anxiety peak as she directed a hand towards the older man. "See! Even your Army General doesn't think this is a good idea..."

"No Elsa! Please." Anna said with a hint of desperation. "I've been wanting to show you this since the day you came back..."

Elsa shook her head in worry. "I know you might enjoy it, Anna. But it's dangerous. And I just..I'm just scared." She bit her lip as she felt herself struggle with her composure, arms once again wrapping around her middle. "I know we talked about this, but I'm your older sister...and I'll never stop worrying about you no matter what."

Anna's expression softened and she moved to stand in front of her sister, her face less than an inch from the older girl's, noses almost touching.

She placed a hand on the blonde's cheek. "I know…I know, Elsa. And I always love you for looking out for me." She drew comforting circles along the soft skin. "But there's always going to be the possibility of me getting hurt, and you don't need to stress yourself out always worrying over it." She reached down to grasp the blonde's hand. "I'm an adult, remember? I can take care of myself...and as your-"

Lover.

"As the person who trusts you more than anyone else in the world…" She elaborated instead. "I want you to trust me on this."

Elsa met her sister's softhearted gaze and felt her chest tighten as she recalled the redhead's words from the past.

I believe in you, Elsa. More than anyone...or anything.

Baby steps. Their relationship was still growing, and this was just one of the few challenges that they would have to overcome moving forward. Loving Anna was a lot harder than it seemed because it sometimes interfered with the mothering nature that she inherited as an older sister.

And if there was anything that she had learned in these past six months, it was that she couldn't dictate Anna's life just because she wanted to keep her safe. She said she loved Anna. Not just as her older sister, but as another independent woman. And if that was true, then as her partner, she needed to learn to respect the younger girl's wishes. Even if...she didn't like them.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt Mattias's hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be alright, Your Majesty. I'll make sure that she doesn't get hurt." The General assured her. "That, I promise you."

Elsa looked at both of them hesitantly before finally exhaling with a sigh.

At the very least, the difference in their skill was reassuring. Mattias was a veteran, and would undoubtedly prevent the redhead from hurting herself.

She conceded.

"Fine."

Anna squealed in delight and ran forward to kiss the older girl on the cheek.

"I love you." She whispered sweetly.

"Mm." Elsa grunted in acknowledgement, trying to maintain a subtle show of disapproval, but her cheeks tinged a light pink at Anna's show of affection.

The redhead giggled at the pout on the blonde's face, and then moved to stand in front of Mattias at the center of the courtyard.

She stretched her arms and legs in preparation.

"Would you like me to go easy on you?" Mattias would have done so regardless, but thought to offer his terms of service out of respect for the Queen.

"Don't bother." She replied coolly. "I've been training these past two months with Admiral Anders whenever I needed to blow off steam. And let me tell you..I had a lot of steam to blow." She said with a smirk.

Well that was certainly...promising, Mattias thought. Anders was one of the more skillful swordmasters in the guard. Two months of practice with him, free time only or not, must have accounted for something. He highly doubted that the young girl's confidence matched up to her skill however. He could very clearly see her tripping over herself as soon as they began, and they could call it a day after that.

"First one to yield?" Anna proposed.

Mattias nodded. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

The Captain of the Guard took five steps back to put a decent amount of space between them.

"Are you ready?"

Anna grinned. "I was born ready!" She took one last look at Elsa, who was standing off at the side, once again with a worried expression on her face.

The younger girl smiled.

She had something to prove here.

The redhead brought her sword in front of her with both hands in a readied stance.

Mattias chuckled and slid his sword from its home at his waist. He sized her up, casually waiting for her first move, which he was certain he would be able to react to. She had good posture at least. Two months of practice or not, Anna was still a woman with a small form. He would definitely surpass her in strength, so he would need to hold back. His plan was mostly to stay on the defense, and let the queen tire herself out.

It'd be preferable to not embarrass the redhead as she knew that the young royal was a very emotional girl, so he would maintain a show of seriousness to give the woman her credit. But ultimately he would not go on the offensive. He'd feel nothing for winning a duel against a beginner, much less a woman.

His attention went back to Anna as the younger girl closed her eyes and appeared to be settling her nerves. They remained closed for an entire ten seconds.

When they opened again, Mattias instantly stiffened. The calm storm held behind the orbs of teal was nothing he had ever seen on the Queen's face before.

Elsa felt the same way, and was thrown aback by the strange aura of stillness that was suddenly emanating from the redhead.

The General of the Arendelle Army was not prepared for what came next.

Before he could blink, Anna was suddenly in front of him and thrusting her own blade straight at his unprotected side. He dove out of the way, body turning to keep her in his sight.

How in the…?

Again she lunged, blade swinging in a horizontal arc. He blocked, one hand pressed to the flat of his blade, to absorb the heavy impact. He struggled, and it was all Mattias could do to stay grounded. The message was clear on his face; there was no way a woman of her size should have been able to deliver that much strength in a swing.

The captain was beginning to regret his arrogant perspective from earlier. He could already tell. Not only was she trained with the sword but she was also used to using it. Her form was composed and technique surprisingly masterful.

He withdrew and Anna followed, beginning another offensive attack. She thrust her blade forward aiming at his unguarded middle. When he turned out of the way she spun on her heel whipping her blade around, drawing its momentum into another horizontal strike. Mattias barely found the time to bring his sword up to block. Their blades made contact, and Mattias staggered back and nearly lost his balance. Anna continued her attack before he had a chance to recover. She swung and his blocks were weak and hurried, his sword nearly being knocked from his hand. He reared back and quickly gave a downward strike only to be blocked handedly by the redhead. Even her defensive stance was solid.

He was speechless and confusion began to grip the Captain. But mixed in with the shock, Mattias felt adrenaline pump through his body in excitement. It had been quite a while since he was forced to go all out like this.

Gripping the hilt with both hands now, He lifted his sword, went on the balls of his booted feet, and launched himself forward with faster speed. Anna jumped back and repelled the oncoming slash with the edge of her sword, but the force of the blow knocked her back stumbling. Another slash came soon after, empowered by a deep grunt. She met it with her sword, and again was forced back by the strength of the attack.

Anna felt herself sweat at the change in demeanour from the Captain, but she didn't panic. It was strange. She felt calm. And every detail of his motions were clear in her mind.

He spun on her and made to attack again, but this time she saw it coming. She rolled sideways, under the blow, around his back, and leaped into the air, spinning as she slashed downward towards his recovering form.

Mattias blocked her attack from on high, but was surprised to see the redhead spin it into another sudden strike. It was all he could do to block again.

He remained headstrong and attempted counterattack after counterattack, but Anna was relentless. Sweat dripped from her brow and stung her eyes, but that only impelled her forward. She swung up high, and then immediately down low; and repeated the attack the other way. He remained on the defense and Anna took the opportunity to break through his stance. She gave a wide overhead swing, but with quick adaptation, he parried it and then slipped through her zone of reach.

His blade came right towards her exposed side and time seemed to slow in Anna's mind.

Move.

She ducked, narrowly avoiding the edge of his blade, and then rolled forward, and now...she was the one close.

With a swift upward swing her blade found his crossguard and dislodged the gray sword from his hand.

One sword between them now, and she had it. Anna raised it, apex mere centimeters away from his face.

"Yield." she ordered, her voice iron and strange in her own ears.

Mattias could do nothing but stare with widened eyes. After recovering from his shock he slowly brought his arms up in surrender. "I yield."

The sudden onslaught of claps and cheers shook her out of her focused trance as she finally took notice of the assembled guards and staff that had come to witness the commotion that had originated from the courtyard.

Anna felt herself return to her usual self as she blushed shyly at the applause. She hadn't expected a crowd, and now her victory over the Captain would very well be the talk of the castle for the next month. She could practically hear the rumors already spreading; the Queen of Arendelle; not only was she a kind ruler but also a capable fighter.

Reaching down she held out a hand to her opponent. Mattias gazed at it for a moment before taking it with a soft smile.

Anna then turned her head to look at the only spectator that mattered to her.

And was delighted to see the look of absolute awe on her sister's beautiful face.

She bounded over to the platinum blonde.

"Soooo...What'd you think?" Anna asked cheerfully.

The older girl continued to stare blankly at her sister. She was sure she looked like a fool with her mouth half open, but she couldn't get her brain to re-engage and reply with something intelligent.

As a child, she was never one to admire the cliche stories of knights rescuing princesses from captivity. It was always a bit too much for her, and the aspect of romance from those tales never hit her in the right way. After all, she had ice powers. She hardly needed to be protected or rescued.

But that was all that seemed to be occupying the Queen's mind right now. Take away the armor and male features. Replace it with a beautiful woman with a fiery confidence and a soft heart.

Her Knight. Her protector. It made her feel warm, and certainly not in an unpleasant way.

When Elsa didn't respond, Anna's smile faltered and she leant back, looking uncertain. This finally brought the older girl back to semi-coherency.

"I...uh-" stuttering, she tried to get the words out. "Wow," she managed breathily. It wasn't much better than silence but it was at least accurate of how hot and bothered she was by the redhead's performance.

It did the trick and Anna giggled softly at her reaction.

"Thanks."

"How...did you do that?" Elsa managed to ask, still somewhat dazed.

"That's what I would like to know too."

Mattias had ushered the spectating guards back to their duties and had returned to confront the newly discovered swordswoman.

Now with both of their attention drawn on her, the redhead felt herself shy away. "I told you..I've been practicing."

Mattias narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Yes, but even with two months of practice, it's impossible to have reached your level of skill so quickly. Most of the guards have been training their entire life and even then they would not have lasted a minute against you!"

Anna scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Well…"

How was she going to explain this?

The redhead looked down at her gloved hands and her shoulders deflated. "To be honest I'm not sure either." She admitted. "I'm clumsy and I don't really think before I act. I definitely thought I would be terrible at it. And really I was. When I first decided to try it out, it went exactly how I expected. I tripped a lot and got plenty of cuts and bruises, and I'm sure Anders thought that he was basically training a child."

Which in truth, was terribly discouraging. She had been ready to quit after the first day, but something...had drawn her back. Something had kept her going...to keep pestering Anders to train her.

She looked to the clouds in the sky with a wistful gaze. "I was just so frustrated. Frustrated for being so powerless. I wondered how different things would've been if I was stronger. That maybe Elsa wouldn't have left if...I wasn't so...useless." Anna felt her voice crack at the painful memory.

She closed her eyes and her thoughts drifted to her previous out of body experience. "Then one day...it happened...It was surreal. It was like I turned into a completely different person...Even now I'm still not used to it."

"All the times in the past when Elsa was in danger; on the fjord in front of Hans, against the spirits of the Enchanted Forest, or even potential dangers in the future...I focus on that. Then I imagine the sword that I'm holding is what I'll protect her with."

"And after that...it just...flows. It's as if everything around me just disappears and the only thing that matters is...her."

"That's how I know. That this...power...doesn't come from magic..."

She placed a gloved hand over her chest.

"It comes from the heart."

"And I realize now that as long as she's alive and by my side, nothing can stop me..."

Her eyes opened and she turned to meet Elsa's gaze with a warm smile.

"Nothing will ever stop me from loving her."

Elsa felt herself fall in love all over again for the redhead.

Eyes brimming with tears she rushed forward to wrap her arms tightly around Anna's neck.

"You're not useless...don't ever say that about yourself." She whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "You're so strong, stronger than I could ever hope to be. Look at how far you've come." She leaned back and cupped both of the redhead's cheeks. "You're a wonderful ruler and a wonderful sister. And I couldn't be more proud of you..."

Anna smiled and buried herself into the blonde's neck. "Well, you're more wonderful..." The younger girl opting for the correct syntax this time around.

Elsa laughed tearfully at that and kissed the top of her head affectionately.

All the while Mattias watched the pair's exchange with a fond smile.

They broke apart and Anna looked gratefully towards him.

"Thank you, Mattias."

He smiled and bowed respectfully.

"Of course, Your Majesties."

They both bid him a good day and began walking away hand in hand. He thought hard on whether he should voice the thought in his mind. He decided that he should.

"Anna."

The two queens perked up at his voice and then turned back to face him.

"This may be unimportant. But your grandfather...King Runeard...was an incredibly skilled swordsman."

The redhead blinked once before her eyes widened at his words.

"He was the best...in all the kingdom. Better than even the finest of the royal guard. He would host tournaments year around, inviting neighboring kingdoms to challenge him. And from what I can remember, he never lost to anyone."

"Few of your ancestors. I've heard stories that they exhibited similar occurrences; masterful proficiency with the sword...Your calling to the sword...it may be your ancestors' blood flowing through you." He concluded by looking at her pointedly.

Anna stood there in silence.

Rather than being inspired by the newfound knowledge, her eyes suddenly hardened in response.

"He may have been a masterful swordsman, but my grandfather also murdered the previous Northuldran leader. And I will never forgive him for that." She said with a cold voice.

Mathias was slightly taken aback by the younger queen's uncharacteristic bitterness. He had expected her to say something like that, but the redhead seemed extremely angered by the mention of the prior King.

Elsa reached for the younger girl's arm and drew comforting circles in her palm. Anna felt herself relax. She glanced over at the blonde before smiling gratefully.

She then turned back to him.

"If his blood flows through me, then I shall rewrite the legacy that he left behind. My sword is not to harm others, but to protect those that I care about...And I clearly have someone that I care about." The younger girl emphasized her point by protectively wrapping her arms around her sister's waist and pressing their warm bodies together.

Elsa blushed at the unexpected closeness. Anna was always very touchy, but today she was being especially assertive of their newfound intimacy. The redhead hadn't verbally mentioned it or anything, but Elsa was slightly afraid that Mattias would pick up on it. It was a subject that they hadn't really discussed yet. The topic of if and how they were going to announce their relationship to the public.

The captain didn't say anything about it however, merely chuckling at Anna's possessiveness for the older girl.

"I couldn't agree more with you, Your Majesty." He said before again bowing respectfully.

Anna smiled but then quickly put on a stern face at the way she was being addressed.

"Anna. From now on you can only call me Anna." The redhead ordered.

"As you wish…"

Mattias held back a grin.

"Your Majesty."

Anna punched his shoulder and Elsa stifled a giggle.

Sparing the captain from her sister's vengeful wrath, the older queen dragged the redhead away by the arm. "Come on feisty pants, let's go get you some breakfast."

Anna pouted and stuck a tongue out at the general, which he responded with a laugh.

"Have a great day, you two."

Mattias watched the two sisters leave with a hopeful smile.

Arendelle was in good hands.

And as the official army general, he had a lot to be thankful for.

Because whatever future evil that planned to go against this kingdom…

Now had two powerful protectors to worry about.

The skies of the Southern Isles rumbled with imposing darkness, vengeful thunderheads casting malevolent shadows over the land below.

The streets were dead. Almost nobody roamed outside, and Caleb sympathized for those wanting to escape the imminent terror that had assailed their once was kingdom.

This wasn't a monarchy.

This was tyranny.

Any resistance that had formed in response to the new rise of power had all been but swiftly dealt with. The bodies were now hung up on stakes at the center of town as a demonstration of what future laid before those that were bold enough to rise against his authority.

Caleb didn't blame himself.

He certainly didn't blame himself for his cowardice.

Nothing could stop Hans.

And he'd be a fool to throw his life away like Rudi, who had been the first to attempt an assasination on the new sovereign.

His head was now a part of Hans's collection.

It was better to be a pet then a lifeless corpse he reasoned.

Caleb entered the hull of the single ship that they were to depart from.

In theory, invading a foreign kingdom would require many ships for the accommodation of the entire Southern Isles army.

But Hans made it quite clear that only thirty men were needed, and Caleb seriously wondered if he needed any at all.

He made his way down the stairs to the room that was Hans's quarters.

And knocked.

"Enter." Came the familiar voice.

Caleb pushed the door open. The twenty six year old king was sitting in front of a low leveled table, staring at what was a chessboard and its accompanied pieces.

He didn't look up at his entrance.

"The men have been assembled, Your Majesty..." Caleb said as professionally as he could, doing his best to ignore the irritation that boiled at the utterance of the title.

Hans finally took his attention away from the table to look up at him.

"Ah, excellent job, Caleb. It seems that you are more loyal than I made you out to be."

The older prince said nothing at that.

It was uncanny. To know that one moment Hans could be as ruthless as an evil despot could be, and in the next, return to being the same charismatically manipulative prince from before.

It mattered little how he felt about it though. His life depended on his fealty to the new ruler.

"Are we ready to depart for Arendelle….?" He asked hesitantly, changing the subject.

"Ah yes, of course. The sooner the better I suppose…" The young king responded rather non committedly.

Hans's attention returned back to the mock chess game in front of him.

"But before that...tell me, Caleb..."

His gaze was cryptic and his eyes never left the table in front of him.

"Where is our first target?"

"Uhh…" The prince looked at the chess board and then back to his new lord. "Arendelle, is it not?"

"Of course, Arendelle. But what part of Arendelle?"

Caleb frowned in confusion. "I...don't understand."

Hans sighed in exasperation.

"You really were more simple minded than the others."

The prince felt anger boil as he barely held back the biting remarks on the tip of his tongue.

The younger man with sideburns continued.

"You see...this is more than just a simple invasion...what we'll be playing…"

"...is like a game of chess."

He looked dreamily down at the opposing white pieces. "Arendelle...a beautiful kingdom...and at its center lies the most important facet."

With his right hand, he picked up a piece on the other side of the board.

The white queen.

"Elsa."

"Once we have obtained that crucial piece, the rest of the kingdom will fall before us."

Hans exhaled slightly. "Though I must admit, the piece that is Elsa, is quite formidable. Her power matches that of my own."

He looked up at Caleb, lips curling upward slightly. "So what is it that we do?"

It was rhetorical, and Caleb realized then that Hans cared absolutely nothing about his input.

His eyes gleamed dangerously at his next words. "We attack her heart. If the queen will not fall, then we go for the other pieces. We will bait her out of hiding, and expose herself to us."

Hans stood.

"That is what we call 'strategy'"

The king made his way to the door.

"Prepare the men, we set sail now."

Caleb felt himself panic as he still didn't understand Han's explanation. "I'm sorry...Your Majesty. But I still don't know where we set our course to..."

Hans stopped and turned to him.

"The first piece of course."

Raising his hand, tendrils of shadow shot forward from his palm to the table, and pulled an individual white rook from the chess board into his grasp.

He stared down at the artifact of wood.

And with a wicked glint he grinned in anticipation.

"Northuldra."

A/N: Hey guys, hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!

So yes, a bit of cliche here, but knight Anna has always been one of my favorite elsanna fanfic tropes. Later on in the story, it'll play a huge part towards Anna's and even Elsa's character development, so just trust me on this.

Besides, in the first teaser trailer of Frozen 2, they showed a scene with Anna swinging a sword and then they never added it to the film...so let's just say that it's canon :)

Next chapter is gonna be long...really long. I'll try to post it within a week, but don't be surprised if I don't. My schedule's gonna be really busy in the incoming weeks.

Once again, thanks for reading! Any feedback is appreciated, so feel free to leave a review :)

Until next time!