As the sun rose over Corona, two Royal Families and one personal attendant met in the King's Study. The meeting was delayed by several minutes after a certain grateful Princess hugged Anna and refused to let go, but once she reluctantly returned to her seat and allowed the remainder of her relatives to express their thanks, order had finally been restored.

An array of large chairs stood facing the regal desk, where the King and Queen sat side by side. One was taken by Prince Thomas, another by Eugene and Rapunzel, and the last by Elsa and the guest of honor.

Even with the gravity of the situation, the Queen of Arendelle couldn't help but be amused by the fact that several of the most powerful individuals on the planet had proven themselves willing to assemble at the request of someone who many would still call a peasant.

The entire room, Elsa included, was enraptured as Anna spoke of her imprisonment. Hearing her speak of her torture once again was difficult, but the effect seemed even worse on those who had not yet heard the tale. Eugene and Thomas winced painfully, and Rapunzel couldn't help but let out a strangled gasp. Marcus and Lenna, probably thanks to their many years of royal experience, took the news the most stoically, but even their faces broke out in sympathy.

The most shocking news was yet to come.

"I haven't even told Elsa yet," Anna was explaining. "But Jocasta wasn't working for David. Not really, anyway. He thought she was, but she actually wanted that information for someone else."

The Queen looked at her curiously. "Anna, I don't understand. Whom else was she working for?" Elsa asked, her mind whirling. Anna couldn't possibly mean that...

"I don't know," her attendant admitted. "She wouldn't tell me in case I managed to escape...I guess she made the right call there. But part of the reason she hated me was that I had 'Been a thorn in their side for months.' When I asked, she confirmed it. Whoever she's working for, they're the ones behind the attacks on you...us. The real reason she wanted the information was to help them."

Elsa sighed angrily. She'd told them the basics of her attack on the fortress. They knew David was dead, although for Anna's sake the Queen hadn't revealed all of the details. But they didn't know Jocasta's fate.

"Jocasta," Elsa breathed. "She had bright blond hair, green eyes, correct?" Anna nodded.

"I let her go," the Queen admitted sadly. Her eyes zeroed in on her feet. "She said she was just a servant...I had no reason to doubt her. I chained her up but I allowed all of the ice shackles to melt once we were gone. She's probably long gone by now."

"Did she tell you anything else?" Marcus asked as Anna's face noticeably fell. "Something that might lead us to them?"

The attendant shook her head. "She spent most of the time asking me questions. All I have is some bad news. We've all been played. The argument between Lucrania and Albion...the potential war. It was all them! Jocasta was David's closest advisor; she convinced him that Albion could be defeated easily. And she implied that they have other powerful agents elsewhere. Someone probably told Xander something similar."

"Why?" Thomas asked. "What did they have to gain by causing a war? There's no way they could have known that it would have placed Elsa in a position to be captured."

Anna turned to face him. "No," she agreed. "David decided to attack Elsa by himself; Jocasta was just able to take advantage of it. But this whole...thing has been their doing. They wanted to distract Elsa from investigating the attacks. This wasn't their big, grand scheme. Just a small piece on a big board. All David ever was...was a pawn. I'm sorry...I should have learned more."

"You did the best you could, dear," Lenna said, beating Elsa to the punch. "But if what she implied was true..."

"Then they're far more powerful and widespread then we believed. This just...doesn't make sense. If they already have influence over one kingdom and probably others as well, why are they so fixated on my throne? We're missing something here. I just don't know," Elsa replied.

"What about Lucrania?" Rapunzel cut in. "David didn't have an heir, and his position was weak. What's going to happen to the country now? Are they going to seek revenge? Won't other nations be angry that..."

Marcus help up a quieting hand. "The world will accept Elsa's actions. The prisoners she released will spread the news that David had imprisoned her consort and threatened her. No one can deny that his actions amounted to a declaration of war. As for revenge? David's guards were loyal to him, but the same can't be said for the rest of the country Those who take power might condemn Elsa for political reasons, but in reality they'll probably be grateful for her actions."

"I just hope we don't see a civil war," Eugene noted.

"We won't," Elsa assured him. "David might have been an exception, but Lucrania has always had a peaceful culture. Its citizens will have no stomach for infighting. Most likely the nobles will debate among themselves and elect a new monarch. There will be conflict, but money is what will be spilt. Not blood."

The King returned his gaze to the Queen of Arendelle. "There is one thing to keep in mind, Elsa. The nations of the world will accept your actions as justified. But many will still become even more wary of your powers. You just demonstrated your ability to bring down another monarch, even one under heavy guard, with no friendly casualties. That will make others Kings nervous."

"It can't be helped," Elsa pointed out.

"No. But it's something to keep in mind. In the coming years, Arendelle must be extra careful to demonstrate its commitment to peace. Anything less will generate a wave of hostility towards your throne," he warned.

\

"Ow! Eugene, get her!"

"She's too fast!" the Prince-consort shot back as he climbed a snowdrift. "And she can throw those things like-" he stopped as a speeding snowball impacted his cheek. Eugene fell backward, rolling down the slope and landing on his chest.

Rapunzel tried to take advantage, quickly gathering up a snowball in her hand and launching it at her opponent. A wide grin on her face, Anna easily sidestepped the projectile before launching another of her own, sending the Princess diving for cover.

The Ice Queen was picking them up tonight, during high tide. Unable to make any further headway into diving away to oppose their shadowy enemies, Elsa and her relatives had agreed to break for the day. Rapunzel, in her infinite wisdom, had beseeched Elsa to convert the Royal Family's small private garden into her personal winter wonderland.

She'd hesitated out of sheer surprise, but when Anna had added her voice to Rapunzel's, Elsa had agreed instantly.

Now she sat on a bench in a small corner of the garden that had been left untouched by her powers, watching the scene with fascination. Anna and Rapunzel had gone through so much recently, and now they were...almost normal. Elsa was glad to see it, but also...

"Strange isn't it?" a familiar voice intoned. To her left stood Thomas, staring out at the young adults in the snow with a distant look on his face.

She turned towards him. "Strange?" the Queen questioned.

"How quickly life can change. Two days ago, the world seemed as dark as it had ever been. Now here we stand, watching the three of them act as if the last week had never happened. Look at Rapunzel; I'd believe she still had two arms if I couldn't see her empty sleeve."

Elsa gave a short, uncomfortable laugh. "I didn't know you were a philosopher," she remarked.

"Just because I don't spend all my time reading old heavy books doesn't mean that I can't have a thought now again." His voice was light, but Elsa was experienced enough to perceive the strain hiding beneath the surface.

"How can they do it?" she voiced her thoughts. "Of course, I'm glad they're feeling better. But I don't understand. They've shrugged off what happened so easily. And now, even knowing our enemies are still out there in strength...they act as if they don't have a care in the world."

Ten meters away, Anna landed another hit on the Princess.

"Stop using your magic!"

"I can't just turn it off- Hey! Nice try, Eugene!"

Thomas sighed. "I suppose it's the way we were raised," he ventured. "You and I...we were brought up by our parents with the expectation that we would be ruling a kingdom within our lifetime. We were trained to have the affairs of our nation in our thoughts at all times. Ruling is a burden that can never be ignored. For us, it's impossible to forget our troubles even for a brief amount of time. We always have to have our guard up."

Elsa thoughts went to the top of her hair, where her tiara was placed. It was certainly possible for her to take the metal crown off and place it on the bench beside her. But its weight, for better or worse, would still rest upon her head.

\

They were seen off at the docks.

After a heartfelt farewell by the Coronan Royal Family, Elsa and the rest of her escort boarded the Ice Queen and set sail for Arendelle. The monarch had been more than willing to delay her return in order to rescue Anna. But now that her attendant was safe once again, she was eager to return to her throne and ensure that the kingdom's affairs were still in order.

Once again, Elsa and Anna shared the ship's royal quarters. Holding her consort in her arms once again...it felt like a dream come true. A large part of her had come to fear that she would never see the redhead again, but it seemed as if chance (for once) had favored her.

Still, the Queen knew that there would have to be a reckoning between them soon enough. There were several things that had to be discussed. But they weren't alone until they both settled down for bed, and by that time Elsa was exhausted. With barely a word between them, both women went to sleep within minutes.

Hence Elsa's surprise when she woke up in the middle of the night to find herself alone.

The full moon still clearly visible through her window, the Queen whipped her eyes throughout the room. Anna was nowhere to be found. With a nervous sigh, she threw off her blankets and created her usual attire. It seemed as if she was going to have to search the ship.

And she knew where to start looking.

\

From her position atop the crow's nest, Anna sat on her knees and did her best to focus her thoughts on the stars above. The full moon was shining brightly overhead, illuminating the sea around the Ice Queen.

She'd awoken in Elsa's arms. Despite the fact that she was still exhausted, Anna had been unable to rid herself of the urge to go out into the night. After spending so much time in a cell, being in one room for too long made bile rise in her throat. Hopefully, it was a temporary condition, but she wasn't too hopeful.

The world just wasn't the same. No…that wasn't it. She had been the one who'd changed. At first, uplifted by the euphoria of seeing Elsa again, Anna had felt fine after her rescue.

But once the joy had faded, Anna had been left with a series of haunting memories and a sense of fear that refused to vanish.

"You shouldn't be up here."

Anna whipped around, her hand reflexively going for a sword that was no longer on her belt.

Standing behind her on the crow's nest was Elsa, her arms crossed and a look of disapproval plain on her face. A trail of ice leading up to the platform was rapidly disintegrating, but even still Anna was impressed with the Queen's stealth. She relaxed at the sight of Elsa, doing her best not to let her nervousness show.

The attendant raised her hands defensively. "I'm fine, Elsa. I can climb up here easily even at night...and I'd probably survive a fall," she offered. "But since you've decided to join me, why don't you sit down?"

In an instant, a range of emotions flittered across the monarch's eyes. "I never said I was sorry..." she blurted out suddenly, as if she had been struggling to get the words off her chest for some time.

"Sorry? For what...oh." Truth be told, Anna hadn't been spending much time thinking about their fight over the last week- other concerns had occupied her mind. Any anger she possessed towards her Queen had long since dissipated.

The redhead sighed. "Elsa, it's fine. You were stressed...and I overreacted. I'm not saying it wasn't a terrible thing for you to say," she added quickly as Elsa made to protest, "But it's not really a big deal. And I think saving me from over a hundred trained guards more then makes up for it."

"Anna I-" the Queen stopped as her attendant lunged forward and claimed her mouth in a deep kiss. Elsa stumbled backwards against the ledge as their tongues danced, but Anna's strength kept them firmly grounded on the platform.

Pulling back, Anna smiled at the flustered monarch. "You made a mistake. You're sorry, and I forgive you. Listen...I know I seem fine, but I'd be lying if I said that my...the last week hasn't left me rattled. I need you to be there for me, so stop beating yourself up and come watch the stars with me."

Nodding hesitantly, Elsa followed her attendant's lead and knelt down against the ledge. For a few minutes the two women sat in comfortable silence, staring up at the night sky.

"Anna...do you ever think about trying to find them?" Elsa finally asked. "Your parents, I mean. I know you said that they dropped you off at the orphanage as a baby, but there's always a chance that someone in the area knows something."

She swung her head sideways to face the Queen, not having the energy to lie. "All the time," she admitted. "Some of the people at the orphanage were nice...but it wasn't the same. And a lot of them didn't like me- I always got into trouble. I wanted affection...I was desperate for it. After I left the orphanage, I wanted to find them even more. It wasn't just love at that point, I wanted a place to live...people who would support me."

Elsa pulled her close. "Did you ever...?"

"Look? Yeah. I did some poking around. A lot of it. But I never found even the slightest hint of who they were. No one at the orphanage knew anything, and neither did anyone in the village. I must have asked a hundred people...no luck."

"I could try," the Queen offered. "When we get back, I'll have some people look into it."

Anna shook her head. "I appreciate it...really, I do. If I thought there was the slightest chance that they might find something, I'd tell you to go ahead. But we both know it's impossible. They're probably dead, and even if they aren't...they don't want me. They knew where to find me for sixteen years. Even if we could find them, it wouldn't change anything."

One glance at Elsa's face, and Anna could see that the Queen knew she was right, even if she didn't want to admit it.

"Besides, most of the reason I wanted to find them when I was older was to get off the streets. That doesn't matter anymore; I've got you to take care of me."

With that, Anna leaned fully into her Queen's shoulder, and Elsa began to stroke her hair soothingly.

"Are you certain that you're alright, Anna?" she asked. "You woke up in the middle of the night and I can't help but wonder if..?" she broke off, the implication clear.

Elsa's instincts were on point. Anna had dreamt that she was back in her cell, Jocasta hovering in front of her with the brand ready. She'd woken up just before it could make contact with her skin.

Anna was doing her best to put on a brave front, both for her own sake and Elsa's. She was well aware of the Queen's tendency to blame Anna's troubles on herself.

It could have been worse. Her resistance to pain had shielded her from the worst of the torture. But she was far more affected than she let on. The mere sight of candle-flame made her want to flinch. Looking at her scars in the mirror made her skin feel as if it had just been pricked with flame. Too little light nearly gave her flashbacks of her cell. And if she had to go into combat again…Anna didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

But Elsa didn't have to know any of this.

"I'm fine. I wasn't dreaming about...you know," she lied. "Anyway, I always sleep better when I'm with you," she said.

"Me too," Elsa agreed after a moment's silence. Anna hummed contently.

Another minute passed without a word spoken. Then she felt a sudden intake of breath in Elsa's chest.

"Anna, when we return to the Castle...do you want to move in with me?" the Queen asked, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant. Even in the dim light of the moon, Anna could see the monarch's face turning red.

"Uh..." she frowned uncertainly. "Haven't I already done that?"

Elsa let out a nervous laugh. "I'm not talking about the Castle, Anna. I meant moving into my room."

Oh gods. Living in the Royal Wing...sharing an admittedly massive bedroom with Elsa. Sleeping was difficult enough at the moment while she had the benefit of Elsa's comfort. Without it…

Her answer came automatically.

"Yes!" she practically yelled. "I mean...I'm sure it will make some of your advisors unhappy, but they don't like me anyways, so who cares? Well some of them don't like me; the ones that do probably wouldn't have a problem with it. Why am I even talking about them in the first place...I always talk alot when I'm emotional..."

The Queen smiled. "I'll have the servants bring your clothes into my spare dresser; there's more than enough room for all of your things," she said. "The guards will be informed that you have access to the Royal Wing even when I am not present, and my maids will simply have to get used to the situation."

Anna idly noted that these details could probably have been explained later, but was grateful for the excuse to stop rambling.

"As long as I get to share a bed with you every night, you could throw all my clothes out the window for all I care," she replied, doing her best to disguise how pleased she was and failing miserably. Finally, Elsa was making a move in their relationship. It wasn't exactly an invitation to make love, but it was an offer that was just as good.

Her eyes drifted to the Queen's full chest. Almost as good.

"That reminds me," Elsa said. "I have something of yours." She reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a familiar diamond pendant.

"My necklace!" Anna exclaimed.

The Queen smiled slightly. "Rapunzel gave it to me; it ended being the reason I found you. The trolls needed something of yours to make the locator spell work. When I touched it...I could feel where you were. I still can, actually."

Anna's eyes widened. "That's amazing! Can you...put it back on me?" she asked.

"Gladly."

The attendant turned around, allowing Elsa to once again clasp the pendant around her neck. To her disappointment, touching the necklace didn't give her any magical sensation, probably because she could already sense herself. But it still felt great to wear it again.

"I can't feel anything," she admitted. "But it doesn't matter. Before, I thought of it as a symbol of all you've done for me. Now it'll also be a reminder of how you risked your life to rescue me. I'm never going to take it off again," Anna decided.

Elsa laughed lightly. "That might make washing difficult. And if you're going to be moving in with me, you're going to be bathing at least once a day."

She frowned, swatting her Queen's arm playfully. "I guess you have a point," she agreed. "But I'm still going to wear it every day."

The older woman yawned through a smile. "Whatever you wish, dear. Now, can we return to our chambers? We both need our rest, and you're still recovering. I promise, there will be plenty of time to climb the rigging tomorrow."

The attendant winced. It would be pitch black in their room right now. And the last thing she wanted to do was return to the darkness.

"But I won't be able to see the stars," Anna complained. "And we can always catch up on sleep during the afternoon. Let's stay up here awhile. I heard once that some of the stars form some kind of pattern. Consta-somethings. I've been trying to find them."

"Constellations?" Elsa asked. Instantly knowing that was the correct word, Anna nodded vigorously. "I learned about them when I grew up; they're not easy to spot. And there's dozens of them."

Anna grinned. "Can you show me?" With a resigned sigh, Elsa sat beside her and directed their gazes to the sky.

"Well, that one's Ursa Major. You can tell by its..."

Responses:

FreelanceBurn: I think it's important to remember that, unlike many pseudo-charitable interventions by real-world countries, Elsa's motives were genuinely altruistic. It was more of a 'with great power comes great responsibility' kind of thing. Whether it was the smart move is debatable, but her motives were completely selfless.

WinterWolfDragon: The full repercussions remain to be seen.

IronTailPikachu: Yeah, that might be a good idea.

Technicaltiesshiznfallacies: I'm sure Elsa made her pace herself.

3Gs: Anna definitely has some mental scars.

ClaireCooper: One chapter of peace.

Snowboardgurl: Anna is a bit traumatized, those her abilities prevented it from being worse.

Guest 1: Something like that.

Superjoshe: I get what you're saying, but David never stood a chance of lasting against Elsa. One normal man with a sword against her…no drawn out confrontation.

Kyoko-nyaa: Catching Jocasta is definitely on their priorities list.

Cournteyyoung18: Elsa plans on seeing that come true.

DarthCadeus58: I don't know if I'd call it 'evil', that might be too strong a word. Was it wrong? Probably.

Shtoops: Yeah I understand, but the dreams come to Anna while she's unconscious, so they can only go in at certain points.

Guest 2: That question will be answered soon enough.

Moonwatcher13: Good idea, but that might be painful.

FrozenFairyTales: Wow! Thanks.

BreeBear98: Yay!

Pyskoakuma: All of the dreams are Anna's.

TerribleTempy: So am I!

Tigger: For now.

Mpsantiago: You never know.

Yuiiub: Some fluff, but Anna isn't exactly perfectly fine.

BlackMistBeast: For now, her only powers are super-strength, super-speed, enhanced reflexes, and superhuman durability. They continue to grow stronger with time, however.

MasterBlackCrow: Unfortunately, Anna doesn't know very much.

JPElles: Measures and steps?

Jascmaster: Let's hope!

Guest 3: The reprecussions should be a bit clearer now. Her superhuman pain tolerance helped, but she's definitely shaken. She wouldn't be nervous around Elsa's family because she trusts them.

ObsessiveImaginings: Fixed! Cutting off the scarred parts is an intriguing idea, but although they have magic there's still a risk of infection. Plus, Anna's not really up for more pain at the moment.

Guest 4: Yes she is.

No.18: Her priority at the moment was getting Anna to safety, though part of her may have been tempted to do those things.

GoldenWolfey: Thanks! Next update soon!

TaniaHylain: Hopefully I can keep it up!

CrazyLikeArt: All they've done is kissed, true, but I'm using consort in the place of the more modern term 'girlfriend'.

Leelan: One day, all of the dreams will fall into place.

Malekoydaerb: No more sacrifices…

Natureboy3: Everyone loves badass Elsa!

RinHowlett: Those two definitely need to have a talk at some point.

Raven: Villain Elsa would not be pretty.

PascalDragon: Nightmares!

Rastafarian: Agreed!

JDPStudios: That's the idea.

Aaron3945: Yes, this story will certainly be a rollercoaster.

Elizabeth112: Can't deny that I'm interested in whatever bet that was...