For the next two weeks, Anna's life enjoyed a brief period of normalcy.

What 'normal' was, of course, she wasn't entirely sure. Her time in the Castle had been far too tumultuous to establish what was to be considered ordinary. But there were no attacks on either her person or Elsa's, and that alone was enough for Anna to consider it a period of calm.

The Queen probably disagreed. Elsa was always busy, it went with the job, but recent events continued to pile ever more on her plate. In addition to her usual concerns as a monarch, she now had to monitor the situation in Lucrania and deal with the inevitable backlash resulting from David's death. True to Marcus's predictions, once the King was dead his guards had begun to tell others of the real story, and the juicy details had spread rapidly across the kingdoms. Fortunately, none of them appeared to have known the true cause of David's actions: Elsa's ultimatum. The King, it seemed, had not seen fit to tell his subjects of how he had nearly cowed to a foreign threat.

Of course, even when they were told, the facts had been a bit jumbled. There seemed to be a thousand tellings of how the King met his end. Some of the guards spoke truthfully, claiming that he went down fighting against Queen Elsa. Others stated that he had thrown himself off the tower in despair as she approached. To Anna's consternation, many even claimed that Elsa had killed him in cold blood.

But all of them agreed that David had essentially declared war, making any actions on Arendelle's part justified. This was enough to shield Elsa from third-party criticism. Many even praised her for taking steps to spare those who surrendered and ensuring that the conflict between the two kingdoms had been limited to a single skirmish.

Lucrania itself was a different matter. Nobles across the country had expressed their outrage for the death of their King, even as they sought to replace him. Many tried to claim that the entire matter had been an elaborate ruse, that no ruler of Lucrania would ever stoop to such actions. The rest of the world wasn't fooled, but it seemed to be a requirement to win support in the race to claim the crown.

The country's nobles were feverishly debating amongst themselves as to who would become King. Gold was likely being passed back and forth by the handful. But so far no violence had broken out, and Elsa was confident that this would continue to be so.

Of course, no matter who proved victorious, relations between Arendelle and Lucrania would be frosty for years. War was extremely unlikely; none of the nobles competing for the throne were foolish enough to challenge the Ice Queen and her vast military. But, as a show to the people they wished to rule, all of the candidates had pledged to cut off all trade between the two countries. And if the winner wished to retain the throne, he would have to follow up on that promise.

Elsa didn't appear to be very concerned. Exchanges between Arendelle and Lucrania had been minimal at most over the years, and there were always other nations willing to barter for Arendelle's resources. The Council expressed some token warnings, but even they did not seem to be overly worried.

There was still the matter of the copper veins. With Lucrania in turmoil, there was nothing preventing Albion from claiming the prospective mines. If Xander hesitated, his people would be outraged. Elsa had reluctantly written to the King of Albion, declaring that her ultimatum was now void. With her blessing, Xander was now free to lay claim to the entirety of the copper.

Anna had been shocked. But as the Queen explained, there had been no choice. Squabbling amongst themselves, Lucrania's aristocracy was in no position to even attempt to resist. Albion would take the copper without bloodshed. Xander would be condemned throughout Lucrania, of course, but the declarations would be nothing but empty words.

Maintaining the previous agreement would have been impossible. With Lucrania completely helpless, Xander may very well have indeed faced revolt by promising nearly half of the revenue to the other nation. Albion's people needed the revenue to forestall famine, and with David gone, Lucrania no longer required it to stabilize its monarchy. The victor of the 'elections' would have to get by without it.

This of course, was all in addition to continuing their as of yet fruitless investigation into the group responsible for all of this madness. They now had one lead: Anna's description of Jocasta. Evangeline had questioned her thoroughly on the interrogator's appearance, clearly elated at the opportunity to make headway. If they could find a single member of this conspiracy, perhaps she could be convinced to offer up some more names.

Recounting Jocasta's features made Anna's scars itch, but she was glad to do it nonetheless. It was stupid, she knew, but the attendant had a feeling that she would feel a bit more comfortable once her torturer was behind bars. The spymaster had immediately dispatched agents to Lucrania with orders to question the populace and search the land until their target had been found.

Watching Elsa struggle with work, Anna couldn't help but feel useless. She stood by her Queen every day, always on alert for physical threats. But apart from handing Elsa paperwork and delivering a message around the Castle now and then, there was nothing she could do. Anna excelled at three things: fighting, climbing, and eating. When it came to administration...she was out of her depth.

And Anna was facing her own share of problems.

Moving in with Elsa was wonderful. Sleeping with the Queen was usually enough to keep the nightmares at bay. But not always. David and Jocasta lingered in her dreams, always awaiting with a new form of torture. Several times she woke up in a fright, her sweat leaking into the bedsheets. When this happened, Anna would do her best to not wake the monarch beside her. But more than once Anna's awakening was accompanied by a gasp that immediately had Elsa's eyes opening.

The Queen knew of her fears, although Anna was still doing her best to disguise the full extent of them. When Elsa presented her with a new sword and a set of knives, each so similar to her lost weapons that for a moment the attendant had thought they had been recovered rather than replaced, Anna let her know that having them back was a comfort. But what she didn't tell Elsa was that, although their presence on her hip was reassuring, she didn't know what would happen the next time she had to draw them in self-defense.

The attitude around the Castle remained a thorn in her side as always. Thankfully the Royal Guards seemed to be somewhat more accepting of her now, owing to her defense of the Queen that they had all but witnessed. Her tale of the first time she rescued Elsa had been doubted. The actions she had committed the night of the Winter Festival had been committed in chaotic darkness and been hard to verify. But it was difficult for one to deny the cause of a dozen dead warriors and an escaped Queen when Anna had the scars to show for it.

Even with the rumors about her 'abilities' circulating amongst the entire Castle thanks to David's written words, the attitudes of the soldiers towards Anna was decidedly more friendly than it had been in the past.

But that improvement was more than offset by the scorn of the nobles. They'd never liked her before. But now that Elsa had risked her life to save Anna's and had invited the redhead to move in with her, those most opposed to their relationship were now unable to deny it in the slightest. Before, many had been convincing themselves that the Queen's interest in Anna was a temporary condition...an amusing placeholder until Elsa could find a wealthy man to welcome into her life. But no longer.

"They're being forced to come to terms with reality," Gerda told her after one young Lady visiting the palace had nearly tripped Anna (accidentally, of course.) "It's finally getting through their heads that a peasant girl may very well become their Princess-Consort. And they don't know how to deal with it."

\

"Dear, you can stare at your bishop for as long as you like, but you can't move it with your mind," Elsa remarked as Anna hunched over the chess board, desperately looking for a way out.

"Very funny," Anna huffed. With a sigh, she instead chose to move her rook to the other end of the board, taking out one of her opponent's knights in what was sure to be a temporary victory.

Still, in a way, Anna had already won. By finally convincing the Queen to take a break from her mountains of paperwork and rest her mind, she'd already completed her primary objective. Her secondary goal was to avoid being defeated within twenty moves, but that scenario was looking increasingly unlikely.

"Your lunch, Miss Anna," a familiar young voice prompted. The redhead swiveled in her chair to see Kayla standing behind her, a tray in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. Nodding gratefully, Anna beckoned the young servant to place them on the table beside the board.

"Thanks," she said as the young girl bowed to the Queen and was dismissed.

Elsa's eyes narrowed at the tray's contents. "Anna, what is...?"

The attendant smiled. Stacked on the metal tray were several sandwiches. Each was composed of one slice of bread covered in liquid chocolate and another covered in peanut butter.

"Chocolate sandwiches!" Anna mumbled cheerfully through a large bite. "I mean, you said I could ask for anything from the kitchens so I decided to mix two of the most amazing delicacies that Arendelle has to offer.

Elsa gave her an exasperated smile. "Normally people don't consider them an effective combination," she pointed out as Anna devoured the remains of the first sandwich.

"Well, maybe growing up in an orphanage gives someone different tastes than growing up in a Castle," she countered. Immediately, Anna regretted the words. They could easily be taken as a barb against Elsa's privileged upbringing...which seemed unfair at the moment given that it was the Queen's blessing that had allowed her to demand such an oddity from the kitchens.

Elsa frowned. "Didn't the orphanage have enough...?" she stopped as approaching footsteps sounded behind Anna's chair. "Yes, Kai. What is it?"

Again, Anna turned around to face their visitor. "My apologies, Your Majesty, but there is a rather insistent visitor at the front gate asking for an audience."

"And why have they not been permitted to enter and shown to a room to wait?" Elsa questioned. After all, Anna knew, that was the standard protocol when one of the nobles desired to speak with the Queen urgently enough that there had been no time to send a letter asking for an appointment.

Kai glanced at his monarch uncertainly. "This visitor does not possess a rank high enough to be admitted into the Palace Grounds without your express consent. And he is not asking to speak with you; he wishes to see Miss Anna."

\

"Kristoff!" Anna exclaimed as the gate opened.

She'd run across the Palace grounds, hurrying to the outer wall as quickly as possible. Elsa had been reluctant to let her go, fearing a trap, but upon Kai's description of the man awaiting her outside the gate, Anna had assured the Queen that she would be fine.

"Anna!" the ice harvester smiled. Without thinking, she lunged forward, taking him into a brief embrace that he returned despite the smirk that appeared on his face.

He was looking a lot better than when the attendant had last seen him. His expression still contained a hint of pain, but some of Kristoff's rugged charm appeared to have returned. "I see Elsa got you out of there."

Jocasta standing in front of her, a burning brand in her hand.

Anna blinked, willing the flashback to dissipate. "Uh...yeah! Thanks to Pabbie's magic. You came all this way just to check on me?" she asked, touched. Anna had wanted to thank the trolls for their part in her salvation, but Elsa had no means of sending a message to them, and journeying across the country in these times was an unnecessary risk.

Kristoff nodded. "Partially," he agreed. "But also to give you these." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two small glass vials. Each was no bigger than a man's thumb and topped with a simple wooden cork. But the truly strange thing about them was the golden liquid sitting inside them.

"You came all this way to give me...honey?"

The ice-harvester rolled his eyes. "It's not honey. They're a gift from Pabbie. He's been working on them ever since I told him about the wolves that attacked us. Obviously, someone tracked you down with a locator spell."

Anna nodded. "That's what Elsa thinks. The two of us have tried to stay in the Castle as much as possible in case whoever did it tries it again."

"Then these should help. Drink one of these and it will become impossible for someone to track you with a locator spell. One for you and one for Queen Elsa. Pabbie's never done this before; it took him months."

Yes! Anna loved living in the Castle, but after weeks of being confined inside its walls she had started to feel like a prisoner. Maybe now Elsa would finally allow her to explore the city.

Then she had a thought that put a damper on those hopes.

"That would be helpful, but...what if one of us needs to find the other again? Elsa would never have rescued me from David's fortress if I'd swallowed this."

Kristoff dipped his head. "Pabbie's spells will still be able to track you. I don't pretend to be an expert in magic, but as the creator of the antidote, his own magic will be able to work around it. So drink this and the spell on your necklace will still work. It's only when someone else tries that..."

"This is amazing!" she snatched the vials from his hand eagerly. Despite the strange forces at work here, Anna didn't doubt his words for a second. Kristoff and the trolls had proven themselves steadfast allies; she'd already be dead if it wasn't for them. Part of her might have expected that someone was using magic to pose as Kristoff, but during her time with the trolls Anna had asked many questions. According to Pabbie, such a spell was impossible.

She grinned. "Guess there's no point in waiting..." Anna uncorked the first vial easily and brought it to her lips.

As the liquid trailed down her tongue and into her throat, Anna tasted nothing. Part of her was almost disappointed...the potion had certainly looked appetizing. Swallowing, she awaited the effects expectantly...only to experience nothing.

"You won't feel anything," Kristoff explained. "But as long as Queen Elsa takes the second vial, neither of you will..." he stopped.

"As long as I what?" a voice asked behind them. Anna turned around to see the Queen, a questioning frown on her face.

Kristoff bowed. "Your Majesty," he greeted respectfully, a look of surprise plain on his face.

"I told you I would be fine," Anna huffed. "You didn't have to come all the way out here just to check on me."

"Well I was worried. You do have a knack for getting into trouble, dearest Anna." The attendant scowled at her words, but neither of them missed the bemused smile that illuminated Kristoff's face.

\

"You're more than welcome to spend the night, Kristoff," Elsa offered.

The ice-harvester shook his head. Following their encounter at the gates, Kristoff had hesitantly accepted an invitation to join she and Anna in her dining room for a meal. Unfortunately, that appeared as far as he was willing to go.

"Thanks, Your Majesty, but I wouldn't really say that I'm the Castle-type."

"Neither am I!" Anna interrupted cheerfully. "And Elsa lets me live here. Come on, Kristoff, you'll survive one night in a feather bed."

He smiled ruefully. "Thanks, but I should be getting back to the trolls. Besides, my horse is stabled in the city and I don't think the owner of the building is keen on having him spend the night there."

Elsa opened her mouth to offer to shelter his mount in the Palace stables, but then dismissed the notion. No doubt he would immediately find another excuse. In the past two hours, she'd had the time to form a detailed opinion of the ice-harvester. He was still in mourning, she could see, but beneath his rough exterior remained a good man. Still, he was so used to the outdoors that sleeping in such a place simply didn't sit right with him.

"Very well. But before you depart..." she beckoned to one of the servants standing against the wall. On Elsa's command, the woman stepped forward and produced a small but heavy bag from beneath her overcoat. With another nod from the Queen, it was placed in front of Kristoff.

As the ice-harvester couldn't help but let his jaw drop, Elsa smiled. "The gold coins within this sack represent the equivalent of one-hundred thousand Kroner. I do not intend to imply that mere monetary rewards could make up for your loss. But in recognition of the deeds you have performed on behalf of the kingdom of Arendelle, it is only fitting that you receive compensation."

"Your Majesty, I only..."

"No. I will not hear of it. Even after you learned that Anna was a hunted woman, you agreed to give her a ride back to the capital even knowing she might be attacked. And when such an attack came, you lost both your best friend and the source of your livelihood. And without your efforts, we may never have learned of the trolls. Now you have just traveled across the country once again to provide us with aid. I insist that you accept this as remuneration."

With silent amusement, the Queen noticed both Kristoff and Anna staring at the bag with awe. Such a sum represented twenty years of work for an average citizen. For either of them...it was a fortune.

"T-thank you, Your Majesty." He rose from his seat and bowed deeply.

"No need for thanks, this gift is well deserved. If you wish to leave my Palace, so be it. Kai will see that you are escorted to the outer gate with no problems. And please, convey my thanks to Pabbie for all he has done. ...I hate to ask, but if he learns anything else that may be of use..."

Kristoff nodded. "I'll come back. Of course."

\

"Come on Elsssaaa..."

"I don't know, Anna," the Queen said firmly. "It's still too dangerous. If you had a compelling reason, perhaps, but risking your life to explore the city is something that I will not allow."

It had been three days since Kristoff's visit. Now that they were both protected from hostile locator spells, Anna had spent much of the last seventy-two hours pestering her Queen to allow her to go out into the Royal City. Unsurprisingly, Elsa remained hesitant.

Anna scowled. "How would they find me? And it would just be for a few hours. I'll just go and visit some shops, that's all," she protested. Again, the Queen shook her head.

Elsa didn't understand. She couldn't remain in this Castle forever. It had taken months, but Anna had now explored the Palace so thoroughly that she knew its layout by heart. It was still an amazing place to live, of course, but the air of mystery was gone. The longer she remained inside its walls, the longer she felt like a prisoner. If she could leave, just for a few hours...

"Whatever. I'll just go anyway. It's not like you can stop me," she challenged.

The monarch sighed, implicitly acknowledging the truth of her words. Short of imprisoning the attendant in the dungeons, there was nothing she could do. In matters such as these, Anna was perfectly happy to flout royal authority, and they both knew it.

"Why, Anna?" Elsa said finally. "You have everything you need right here. There's no reason for you to go into the city."

Save for the black lace of constriction that she felt tightening around her heart. Before the events in Lucrania, Anna's desire to explore the city had been present but far from overpowering. But ever since her imprisonment, she simply couldn't stand to remain in one place for so long. It was silly, Anna knew. Being tortured in David's cell had nothing to do with her remaining in Elsa's Castle. But Anna's brain didn't always run on such ridiculous concepts as logic.

"I just...need to," she admitted weakly. "The more I'm trapped here, the more I'm reminded of..."

Elsa's gaze softened. "Fine," she conceded at last. "Tomorrow afternoon. Tell no one you're leaving, I'll say that you're feeling sick and have been prescribed with bed rest. And just this once" the Queen added as Anna grinned widely. "We're not making this into a regular thing."

\

The Queen mentally groaned as Anna leapt forward and kissed her excitedly. Elsa despised the idea of letting the redhead wandering the city alone, even if she knew that Anna was more than capable of taking care of herself. But if she refused, then Anna would simply go anyway, and without the Queen's intervention it would become much more likely that someone in the Castle would learn of it.

I could just lock her in our room. But that would probably raise some eyebrows. And Anna would probably just escape by smashing through the wall.

Not that this didn't present Elsa with the opportunity she had been searching for. Two celebrations were being planned for the coming months. One was for the Summer Solstice. Unlike its opposite counterpart, that day saw a grand ball in the Castle…the largest of the year. Nobles from across the country would attend, along with their retinues. It was a massive event; celebrations lasted for an entire week. Even though it was still over a month away, its planning was already consuming much of the Queen's time.

The other gathering would be smaller, but it was only a week away. Elsa had done her best to plan for it without alerting her attendant…which was easier than might be expected thanks to Anna's total lack of interest in administration. But finalizing the details would be impossible to hide if Anna was still present.

And of course, there was one more thing.

She had agreed to an audience with someone from a far away kingdom...someone who she would have to confront sooner or later. Although her request for a meeting had not outlined its purpose, the Queen knew exactly what they were going to discuss. She would be arriving tomorrow afternoon.

All in all, it would be best if Anna wasn't around next afternoon.

Early update, since not much happened.

Responses:

WinterWolfDragon: It's a big step for Elsa, that's for sure.

CourtneeyYoung18: Thanks! Gotta love the fluff!

IronTailPikachu: Hopefully.

DarthVaderisNotMe: Don't worry, badass Elsa will be showing up again.

Shtoops: All of those weird scenes are in Anna's dreams.

3Gs: Backlash...

Guest1: Thanks!

Jascmaster: Thought we all deserved a break.

Psykoakuma: It's better than a cliffhanger…

Kyoko-nyaa: Yeah, everyone accept Anna…NO.

Moonwatcher13: It might take some time.

ClaireCooper: Maybe two.

Tigger: She doesn't want Elsa to blame herself. Whether it's a good idea to keep silent…

Superjoshe: Definitely not unchanged.

Yuiiub: You never know…

Raven: It's a slow relationship, but hopefully that increases the payoff.

No.18: There's certainly a lot of fear where Elsa is concerned.

Yishan1992: Maybe a little.

ObsessiveImaginings: Thanks…I think?

Guest2: There is a line.

JPElles: That will come into play soon.

Mpsantiago: They're both lying, that's true.

PascalDragon: Breather chapter!

Leelan: Thanks! Smut will come at the proper time.

BlackMistBeast: I was wondering if anyone would catch that reference!

MasterBlackCrow: Not exactly new powers. Her current powers will just grow stronger. For now.

Aaron3945: Thanks for all the reviews! What did you mean by 'how many favs and followers'?

RisingDaemon: Review bomb incoming!

LightningDragon: Thanks! Rereading before it's even finished?