"Just a little bit farther, Anna."

The Knight had absolutely no idea what was happening at the moment. After the two of them had left the Palace, Elsa had nonchalantly produced a blindfold and requested that Anna wear it. Confused but also intrigued, Anna had agreed to place the cloth over her eyes and allow the Queen to lead her through the night.

They had been flying for several minutes now, Elsa having been using her powers to propel the two of them through the air at impressive speeds. This had been rather terrifying at first, given her lack of vision, but the Queen had assured her that they were flying so close to the ground that a fall wouldn't even bruise her. Quickly becoming used to the experience, the Knight had gradually grown aware of a distant yet powerful sound. But just as she had been getting an idea of what it was, the sound had immediately been silenced.

With Elsa's powers cushioning their impact, the two women landed gently on a smooth, hard surface. Was it just Anna, or did they seem...lower than when they had started? Whatever she had been hearing before was gone; save for Elsa, the night was utterly silent. Then, quite suddenly, the Queen released Anna's arms.

"Okay, Anna," Elsa commanded, her voice filled with anticipation. "Take it off."

She did.

Holy. Shit. It was the most magnificent sight that Anna had ever seen. They were standing on a massive body of water, surrounded on all sides by massive waterfalls. As her eyes adjusted to the sight, Anna became ever more aware of the wonder that she was witnessing. She remembered now, something that had been told to her some days ago. The temperate region of Eldora contained several large rivers that flowed from the ocean to a central point, where they combined to form a single large stream of water that headed straight back to the ocean.

This was where they met. But it wasn't a simple joining of rivers; they all flowed downwards into this circular basin, each forming a waterfall of several hundred meters with its descent. The basin itself was perhaps a thousand meters across. Somehow, a great circular depression had been formed in Eldora's grasslands...and attracted nearly every single river in the country to its depths.

But all of that was nothing compared to the magic that had gripped the world around her. All of the water...from that already in the basin to the liquid still flowing in the waterfall...was frozen solid. From far above, a light snowfall was raining down countless specks of white onto this shocking scene. And Elsa...

Elsa was kneeling on the ice beside Anna, her magnificent dress pooling on the cold surface around them. Her hands were raised. There, nestled in the Queen's delicate, thin fingers...was a ring.

Anna's heart stopped.

Looking up at the Knight, Elsa began to speak. "Anna, there's no one else on this earth that I would wish to spend the rest of my life with. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone...I can't imagine a life without you. Despite what many may say, I am unworthy of you. Your courage, your compassion, your heart...they are gifts that I've never deserved," she paused, releasing a heavy breath. "Will you, Lady Anna of Arendelle, grant me the honor of your hand in marriage?"

Anna fell to her knees, embracing the shocked Queen in a tearful embrace. "Yes!" she shouted. "By all the gods, yes! Put that ring on my finger already!" she demanded. Pulling back, she held out her arm and stretched her finger expectantly.

With a smile of utter joy and relief, Elsa nodded and slid the piece of jewelry onto Anna's finger. It was a simple ring at first glance, but the Knight did not doubt that its value exceeded even that of her necklace. The band was composed of light bluish platinum; etched into it were tiny snowflakes made of white gold. The diamond itself was the color of whitish silver, doubtlessly intended to look quite similar to the Queen's ice magic.

"I've wanted to do this for so long, Anna," Elsa confided, "But it needed to wait until everything settled down. Besides, I wanted our marriage to be happy, not overshadowed by a conspiracy still hanging over our heads. And...oh my gods I can't believe we're engaged!" the Queen of Arendelle exclaimed as she grinned like a schoolgirl.

Anna was still staring at the ring, her mind having gone almost blank. She was engaged. She was going to get married. To Elsa. It didn't seem real. And yet, at the same time, it seemed more real than anything else in her entire life.

"I wanted to propose to you here; it seemed like the perfect place. Unfortunately," Elsa sighed, "We can't announce it here...not in front of so many dignitaries; many of whom will not approve, and it would be rude to overshadow Marisol's coronation. We'll tell our friends, of course, and when we get back there will be a formal announcement proclaiming our engagement."

The Knight nodded. "You think Arendelle will accept me as your...Princess-Consort?" she asked.

Elsa shook her head pointedly. "Queen-Consort, Anna." At the look of surprise on the Knight's face, she continued. "It's actually a matter of sexism, and an odd one at that. The rank of King is traditionally held higher than the rank of Queen; hence why King's wives are called Queen-Consorts, but a man who marries a Queen only gains the rank of Prince-Consort. This has weirdly translated into a woman who marries a Queen, like you, being named as Princess-Consort rather than Queen-Consort. It is an outdated tradition, and regardless I will not deny my wife a rank equal to my own."

"Frankly, I'm just happy to be your wife, Elsa," Anna replied. "The royalty aspect is...going to be interesting." Truth be told, Anna wasn't sure how she felt about becoming a Queen. Oh my gods I'm going to be a Queen!

"Well," Elsa smiled, "I suppose a good place to start is getting your head fitted for a crown."

Anna shook her head hurriedly. "I don't want a crown," she said. At the surprised look on Elsa's face, she explained, "I understand that to marry you I have to become royalty, and right now I'm not sure if I find that awesome or terrifying. Probably both. But I don't need a crown. You're still going to be the sole ruler of Arendelle, and I don't want that to change. I'll always be at your side, happy to support you, but I don't want to have the same legal and military powers you do. We both know that's just not what I'm meant for."

Elsa said nothing.

"I do want to do things, though. Royal things, I mean. Maybe with my new position, I could look into some new programs that would help the poor...that's one thing I might be good at. But I want to be seen as a friend and ally of Arendelle's weakest citizens, not someone above them," Anna explained.

"The People's Queen," Elsa mused. "Yes, I think that would be a perfect role for you. A connection between Arendelle's monarchy and the country's lower classes; it's a great idea, Anna."

The Knight nodded. "Enough of the politics for now though," she sighed. "I think there are some people back at the Castle who will want to hear the news."

\

"I knew it!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she hugged Anna tightly. "I told you it would be only a matter of time! And see? Elsa finally got up her courage to ask the easiest question in the world!"

"Easy?" Elsa demanded.

The Princess snorted. "Like you weren't one hundred percent certain that she would say yes. Honestly, I can't believe it even took you this long! Anyway...congratulations! I'm sure my baby will be happy to have two Aunts now."

Anna smiled. Observing the group of remarkable individuals around her: Elsa, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Thomas, the Knight realized that she was gaining more than just a wife. This was going to be her family...a family that was about to grow.

"Actually, Rapunzel, Anna and I aren't going to be its Aunts, you know. We'll be its first cousins once-"

"You'll be its Aunts; it's simpler that way," Eugene responded. "And, of course, Anna will still be its surrogate, since she's still not a blood relative. We knew you'd be getting married soon, after all."

Thomas coughed. "The only question is when you two will be getting married. Hopefully it will be before the baby's birth. It's not going to be easy carrying a newborn across the sea for four days, after all."

Elsa frowned. "We'll announce the news formally once we get back to Arendelle. Since this is a Royal Wedding, it will take at least three months to prepare and send out the invitations."

"As long as it's before I become too pregnant to travel," Rapunzel said.

\

"Lady Anna?"

The Knight turned around. She was standing guard outside of Marisol's office as Elsa, Marisol, and Rapunzel were discussing seating arrangements for the next day's coronation. For now, Anna was unfortunately not wearing her ring; the metal band was stored safely in one of her pockets. Eugene, having offered to keep her company, was standing beside her.

Addressing her was a handsome man with blond hair. He looked to be about Elsa's age...or perhaps only a few years older. A friendly smile shone upon his face, but Anna was also conscious of the longsword that was hooked to his belt. His uniform was that of one of Eldora's Royal Guards.

"Yes?" Anna asked. "Who are you?" Next to her, Eugene coughed. Evidently, the Knight was going to have to brush up on aristocratic decorum before her wedding. Their visitor, however, did not appear to be offended.

"Apologies, my lady. I am Daniel Frye, one of our Princess's Royal Guards."

Eugene frowned. "I've heard of you," he said. "You won the Eldoran Grand Tournament four months ago. For your prize, you asked to become a member of the Royal Family's elite protectors. Quite an unusual request."

Frye nodded. "I have no need for prize money; my family is quite wealthy. And it was always a dream of mine to serve the Royal Family. It's a story not unlike your own, Lady Anna. Rumors of your exploits have reached even here. And, given your reputation as Arendelle's finest warrior, I was wondering if you would be interested in a friendly trial of arms with myself."

"Uhhh..." Anna began. "It wouldn't exactly be fair for you-" A gentle elbow from Eugene told her to amend her statement. "What I mean is, most of my abilities come from Queen Elsa's magic. When it comes to pure technique and skill with a blade, you're definitely better than me. But my magical abilities make me far too strong and fast for any normal human to compete with me."

The Eldoran smiled good-naturally. "That may be true, but I would still be interested in crossing blades with you, Lady Anna. If nothing else, I would like to witness your prowess for myself. One does not improve as a warrior by only fighting battles he can win, and I am not afraid of being humbled."

Well, I warned him. "Then, sure. The Arendellian delegation is sticking around for two days after the coronation. Perhaps we could have a private contest the day before I am set to leave?" she offered. Anna had no intention of making a public spectacle of this; no good could come of her humiliating a popular figure in the Eldoran court.

"Of course, Lady Anna. I shall see to the arrangements myself. Thank you for honoring my request." With a bow, he turned and walked away.

Anna turned to Eugene. "Well, that was odd," she remarked.

The Prince shrugged. "You're about to become Queen-Consort of Arendelle. Trust me, you'll look back on days like this and think of them as a time when everything was still ordinary. And at least you'll get the privilege of smacking that confident smile off his face."

She nodded. "I...it's still hard to believe everything that is happening to me." When Eugene raised a questioning eyebrow, Anna continued. "The best Knight of Eldora just challenged me, and yet that's not even close to the most interesting thing that I've done in the last few days. I mean, I'm about to be Elsa's wife. And also..."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Eugene curtsied. "It's an honor to stand in the presence of Arendelle's glorious Queen-"

Smack! Anna whacked him across the arm. "Don't remind me...I'm still not sure what to think of that," she sighed. "Still, the fact that someone else was able to make the adjustment fine helps a bit."

The Prince smiled, but there was a weariness in his face. "Yeah. I won't lie to you, Anna; it does take some getting used to. Obviously. You'll have more power and respect, yes, but there will be a lot more expected of you. I'm sure you've dealt with that already, being a Knight and all, but Royalty is an entirely different level."

"I think the bar's set pretty low," Anna noted. "Everyone knows I used to be a thief; I doubt they have high expectations."

"You might be surprised," Eugene said, frowning. "Everyone in Corona knew of my past when I married Rapunzel, and they still gave me dirty looks if I reached for the wrong utensil. And my background was even more damning than yours."

Anna bit her lip. "More damning?" she asked. "We were both thieves."

"You weren't as notorious. Wanted posters of me were spread throughout the country, while you were regarded as barely more than a myth. Which was fair, I suppose. You stole so little that you weren't even a threat. I tried to take the Royal Tiara!" He let out a bemused chuckle.

Yes, he had. Anna remembered the story well. Still..."You weren't that bad, Eugene. It's not as if you ever killed anyone, or stole from those who were already starving. Maybe you took more than a few gold coins, but-"

"That's the difference between you and me," the Prince replied, growing somber now. "You never needed redemption. I did. I wasn't a murderer, but I was more than willing to leave my targets in worse shape than they had been before. Sometimes I wonder if it was fair for the King and Queen to pardon me as easily as they did, though I suppose that rescuing the lost Princess was a big step in the right direction."

Anna was silent. What could she say?

"It's good that you're with Elsa," he continued. "Someone with all that power...it's nice to know that she'll have a woman at her side who will always advocate for doing the right thing."

The Knight wheeled on him, letting a bit of her rising anger show. "Elsa would never misuse her power!" Anna protested. "She's only ever used it to help people or in self-defense. She doesn't need me to keep her in line."

Eugene sighed. "The world is not black and white, Anna. Sometimes, knowing what it means to do the right thing isn't always easy. And with all her power, even the smallest mistake on Elsa's part could lead to disaster. I'm not saying she would go on a rampage without you around, but she is only human."

Well, sort of, Anna thought.

\

The coronation went off without a hitch. Elsa could not help but notice how eerily similar the event was to her own crowning. Marisol's face was utterly stoic as she accepted the Crown from one of Eldora's ministers, but Elsa knew without a doubt what was going on inside the new Queen's head. Despite being made of only the lightest metals, the tiara would feel heavier than any piece of mundane jewelry.

An impressive reception followed. Each of the foreign rulers was expected to give a speech welcoming the new Queen, and given the importance of Arendelle's relationship with Eldora, Elsa was slated to go first. At length, she discussed how mutually beneficial their partnership was...and made abundantly clear that their various pacts would continue. It was a difficult balancing act. Simultaneously, she had to both affirm that Arendelle would continue to grant military protection to Eldora while also not characterizing the latter country as weak. Yet by the smile that lit up Marisol's face as she finished, Elsa could tell that her powers of oratory had risen to the occasion.

And that was that.

\

Anna opened her eyes, awoken by the rustling of the bedsheets beside her. Elsa, she knew, had scheduled a meeting with Marisol today to go over trade agreements before their departure. The Queen had warned her that she was getting up early, but Anna couldn't help but miss the sensation of her lover's arms wrapped around her.

The Knight herself didn't have to get up for another two hours; her 'fight' with Eldora's champion was scheduled around noon. Elsa had reluctantly sanctioned the contest, but had also warned Anna not to injure him. Their bout would also have to take place somewhere out of the way, avoiding the risk of humiliation. Where that would be, exactly, was yet to be determined.

"Goodbye, Anna. Go back to sleep," Elsa whispered soothingly. The Knight smiled as a single, soft kiss was placed upon her forehead.

"Bye…Elsa," Anna murmured, allowing sleep to claim her once again.

\

"I see no reason to change the current rates," Marisol was saying. "Some of my Ministers want me to request a two percent decrease in the amount of spice exported to Arendelle, but I do not believe that irritating our most important ally is the best way to begin my tenure as Queen."

Elsa nodded. It was their last day in Eldora, and the two Queens were currently having a meeting in Marisol's office. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Thomas were visiting the city, while Anna was currently off somewhere beating the dignity out of Eldora's most skilled champion. Which meant that Elsa, for once, was alone with no one but her Royal Guards.

"Have your writers finalize the document and send it to my room; I'll sign it before we leave," Elsa replied.

Knock. Knock. A timid tapping on the door interrupted the two monarchs.

"Come in!" Marisol called. The wood swung aside to reveal Kayla. A clearly uncomfortable expression sitting on the servant's face, she said, "Sorry, Your Majesties. Lady Anna requests your presence, Queen Elsa. There has been an 'unfortunate injury' and she is asking for your assistance. She'd like you to come alone to maintain her opponent's...privacy."

Elsa sighed. Was it too much to ask Anna to be careful? No matter how skilled he was, there was no reason why Anna couldn't have defeated him conclusively without injuring him. With a nod from Marisol, Elsa rose from her chair and accompanied the young girl out of the room.

They started to walk down the hallway. Elsa's complement of guards, both Arendellian and Eldoran, made to follow, but the Queen stopped them with a raise of her hand. It wouldn't do for gossip to spread about how Arendelle's (future) Queen had injured one of Eldora's greatest warriors, not when there were countries to the south anxiously awaiting any sign of deterioration in the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

"Where are they?" Elsa questioned.

"The underbuilding, Your Majesty. Lady Anna thought it best to have the contest away from prying eyes." The Queen dipped her head in relief. Evidently, Anna had learned something over the past ten months.

Eldora's Palace wasn't entirely set above ground. There were a series of hallways and chambers below the sun's reach, though not all of them were often used. Regardless, they had existed for as long as anyone could remember, and there was no doubt that the creation of such an elaborate structure beneath the soil was an impressive feat of engineering.

They made their way down the Palace's central staircase, Kayla in the lead. It felt odd for Elsa to be led by a servant girl, but at the moment her mind was fully occupied with Anna's situation.

Finally, the two of them arrived in the underbuilding. The air was dry down here, and if not for the ubiquitous rows of torches, the hallways would have been dark. Passing only a handful of people as they trod on, Kayla led her to a large door.

"They're at the other end of this chamber, Your Majesty."

Elsa pushed open the door. The room she walked into was a small square-shaped chamber, marked by strange symbols on its stone floor and a ring of scarlet torches hanging on its walls that provided barely enough light. On the other side of this room was a second door, beyond which the Queen presumed Anna was waiting.

Her footsteps echoing throughout the chamber, Elsa walked towards the center of the room-

BANG!

For a moment, all she could perceive was a flash of white light that illuminated the entire room. She tried to move, but Elsa's body refused to obey her mind's commands. Then, of their own accord, her arms splayed upwards into the air...even as her feet remained planted firmly on the floor. Still blinded by the light, the Queen felt something lash itself to all four of her limbs. It felt...cold.

When her vision returned, Elsa was greeted by the sight of two tendrils of energy grasping on to each of her limbs. All of them were seemingly jutting out directly from the room's walls. They were a silvery-white, almost the color of ice. Despite the fact that they were roughly only an inch thick, the Queen found them unbreakable. Her ability to move returned, but Elsa's efforts to call upon her magic were futile. Ice refused to spike out of the floor and shatter these...magical chains.

As she struggled desperately against her restraints, Kayla approached her with a look of...awe? "Interesting," she breathed. "We weren't sure what was going to happen. Do not fear, Your Worship," she bowed. "All will soon be set right."

White smoke began to appear throughout the room. Then, with an eager swing inward, the door on the far side of the chamber opened to reveal a dozen individuals. They were a strange assortment of men and women; their varying skin tones revealing a diverse collection of nationalities. Yet it was the woman who brought up the rear that truly caught the Queen's interest.

"Hello Elsa," Evangeline smiled.

A/N: Confused? All of the answers will be revealed next chapter. You may wish they hadn't been. Next chapter is THE chapter.

Responses:

DimmensionalLover: Here comes the storm.

BreeBear98: About that…

Syrathia: They did have their moment.

RAM00: The proposal was not interrupted.

Knziewrwlf: You got that…

Guest 1: It's going great!

Guest 2: So am I!

Snowboardgurl: I think you'll be more than happy with what comes next.

Cooksiez: Stay on your guard.

3Gs: Moment of peace is officially over.

Shtoops: Oh, don't worry.

Nicfoto5: I hope you enjoyed it!

WickedW: Thank you! That's nice to hear!

Tharik0194: They're safe for the moment.

Gadher: They had a few days, at least.

Malekoydaerb: She asked the question…

CoolNickNack: Wait for it…

Sedryn: No.

PascalDragon: Yes…emotional support.

RR: Your review makes me want to cry.

Strab: And…it's over.

Arekanderu: Unfortunately not, I don't want to spread the focus around too much just yet.

Mpsantiago: Thanks! Once Winter Break is here the updates will come faster.

Guest 3: That's an inevitability of the power dynamics surrounding them, unfortunately. It was always up to Elsa to propose.

Guest 4: You're about to get your answer!

ClaireCooper: Hope you feel better!

Gwiley16199: No remembering today.

Guest 5: Thanks! You could try preloading chapters and see if that helps.

Jabberwock'sBane: Thank you! It only gets more intense from here!

Guest 6: Yeah…

F4C: Sorry for making exams harder…I've gone through the same thing.

DVINM: They definitely deserve peace. That doesn't mean they're going to get it.

ObsessiveImaginings: It's not supposed to be a direct descdent of Agbrabah or something like that, but I was aiming for that kind of atmosphere.

JDPStudios: You've had your fill.