Wrote 10k words today so this is my treat for everyone.

and also there are probably gonna be like at least 13 chapters to this. imma keep writing until it comes to a natural conclusion.

im hoping that's sooner rather than later xD

Anna was still asleep when Elsa rose the next morning. She didn't stir, even as Elsa got dressed for the day, nor when a maid came in to begin tidying the room and stoke the fire.

"Please ensure that she has something to eat when she awakes," Elsa told her. The maid nodded, and when she was leaving, Elsa added, almost as an afterthought, "Oh, and please see that the bedsheets in the third guest room is added to the laundry, thank you."

She didn't pause to get her own breakfast, instead opting for a maid to bring her some bread with jam into her office, along with a coffee. A new type of drink that had really only hit their shores in the last few years; Elsa was obsessed with the stuff. It provided just that little bit of energy she needed to begin her day, and had the curious side-effect of warming her up from the inside out.

After that brief breakfast, she had her first meeting of the day. It was about something trivial, initially, and Elsa was barely listening as the nobles in front of her squabbled about their silly little things.

But then someone said something that piqued her interest, and she found herself sitting up a little straighter.

"Those slums are a danger to the good residents of Arendelle," one of the elder gentlemen, Johnnemann, was saying. "We should tear them down and turn that space into something that benefits the city, instead of allowing an area full of theft and drunkenness to remain."

Her eyes narrowed, even as the others around the table began nodding, agreeing with him.

"And what," she began, voice immediately calling for silence, "do you suggest we do with those residents? Unless you're suggesting they disperse into other parts of the city – which would surely affect the value of your homes?"

While she would not have agreed with his proposal before yesterday, her meeting Anna had opened her eyes to issues she hadn't even considered.

"What of the children who live there, who are not engaging in the 'theft and drunkenness', as you put it, but are instead just trying to find ways for themselves, and their families, to survive?"

Johnnemann did not have an answer; as Elsa watched him, it seemed that he hadn't been expecting such fierce opposition.

Which was probably accurate. Elsa often did not bother to engage in the smaller affairs of the city; she had other things to worry about, such as their military, and the potential trade embargo with the Southern Isles.

She had obviously been remiss to not invest more time in helping deal with these issues.

"What if we were to increase taxes, and then use that money to invest in the area? Make it more... habitable?" someone else piped up. Haroldsson. He was old, too, and Elsa lifted an eyebrow.

"Are you suggesting we raise your taxes, Haroldsson?" she questioned. "Because given the poverty in that area, I know that you're not suggesting we take even more money from those people."

It was, of course, precisely what he had been suggesting, and she knew it. He knew that she knew it but now that she had voiced it in such a way, he also couldn't admit it.

"You've all had some interesting ideas today, gentlemen," she began. "I can't wait to deliberate and decide the best way to move forward. Thank you for your time, and I shall see you at the next meeting."

The dismissal was clear; and really, she'd only done it so they couldn't argue further. She didn't move from her seat at the head of the table, even after everyone else had left.

She was tired. And not because of the interrupted sleep.

She'd been sitting there for some time, just staring into space, not even really thinking about anything, when there came a knock at the door. Kai was standing there, Anna just in front of her. She was in her regular clothes again, though they had been thoroughly patched up.

The castle seamstress, it seemed, was a miracle worker.

"Your Majesty," Kai said as he walked in. "I have given Miss Anna the money for her matches. Are you agreeable to sending her home?"

Elsa looked at Anna for a moment. "Anna? Is it time to go home?" she asked.

"...Papa is probably wondering where I am," she answered softly. Elsa gave a sharp nod.

"Please ensure Anna gets home safely, Kai," she said. "And, please, provide her with a small bag with some of our excess food and clothes. It has been cold the last few nights, and we wouldn't want her getting ill."

Kai nodded, and taking Anna's hand, led her from the chamber.

"Bye-bye, Elsa," Anna said, just before she left. "Thank you for your hopsi- hostip- hopsistality."

And then they were gone, and Elsa was alone once more.

She didn't hear from Kai all day regarding the success of taking Anna home. Time seemed especially slow, and she couldn't help but wonder about the small girl.

Would she be okay?"

Finally, Kai did return to her, sometime after dinner. He looked especially haggard, and Elsa couldn't quite figure out why.

"Miss Anna was returned safely," he began. It certainly seemed as though he had something else to say, but either wasn't sure how to say it, or even whether it was his place to do so.

"But...?"

"But her home... is not an appropriate home for a child. Not for anyone, but least of all someone her age." Elsa frowned, and he continued. "There was no one there, though obvious signs that there had been. Empty liquor bottles and old blankets. I am afraid the child was so tiny simply because her father spends more money on his alcohol than he does in taking care of her."

"What do you suggest I do about it?" Elsa asked. "He is within his rights to raise his child as he sees fit, so long as it aligns with the church's teachings." Her response was mechanical, and she knew Kai could see right through it. He looked at her sadly.

"I'm afraid that, should she stay there, Miss Anna may not have a very good life ahead of her. She may not even have one at all. She was so fearful about being punished last night..."

Elsa's expression flickered, but never faltered.

"I don't... I don't know what to do," she said, voice low. Her hand clenched within the glove, the material tightening almost painfully around her skin. Kai simply stood there; it seemed he had no ideas, either.

Sighing, she lifted her head. "Please can you station someone in that side of town? Perhaps a few out our guard. Ensure that the residents do not recognise them, though; we wouldn't want them to think the worst."

Kai gave a nod. "Of course, Your Majesty."

And with that, he left, Elsa finding comfort only in her own thoughts once more.