Chapter 31.

It's been three days since I found out about Anna and I being… well… sisters. And honestly, just the thought of it still makes my stomach twist as I break into a cold sweat. I haven't told her the truth yet, and avoided her questions saying I simply remembered a bad memory and that I'm not ready to talk about it yet, which is at least partially true.

Also, it helps that the past two days we've been busy trying to convince the councilmen to agree to Anna's idea of recruiting and training ice-wielders to fight the Ice Queen, which has left us little to no time to be together. The lack of any interactions is helping my mental health, since I'm not sure how I could even bear to touch Anna at this point. In the end, the councilmen relented and the messengers were sent through the whole kingdom to send word of Anna's proclamation. In addition, Anna herself did a little speech encouraging the ice-wielders to come out of their hiding and join the fight for our kingdom, using her friendship with me as proof that she has nothing against magic and will do everything in her power to protect them.

Needless to say, most people were upset, but under the threat of invasion and conquest by the Ice Queen, something Anna made sure to emphasize, they can't really be against a bunch of ice-wielders protecting them from the real enemy. As a result the few protests were rather small, considering the circumstances.

Today, just as predicted, two ice-wielders that lived in hiding in the Capital City came to the palace. More will (hopefully) arrive as word spreads, but meanwhile they'll have to do. And Henrik. That bandit. They'll start their training right away, of course, with me being their instructor for now. Sure, I don't know much about combat magic, but they'll need to control their powers first, given that they probably haven't used them in a long time.

So here I am, in the guard's barracks with Kristoff and Henrik, waiting for the others to arrive.

It's early in the morning and a chilling fall breeze is blowing, as mist rises from the ground. Honestly, it looks like an ordinary autumn day, but I still can't help but feel like something's eerie. There's a sense of malevolence and impending doom that sends chills running through my back. It's almost like we're being watched, as if the Ice Queen can sense I started forming my little army, which has a very small chance of succeeding in bringing her down.

I make small chat with Kristoff until the new recruits arrive, which thankfully doesn't take long. They are two men; one has white hair, is a little overweight, and is probably in his late forties, and a young one with blond hair, grey eyes, freckles and a rather thin complexion. Honestly, they don't look like much, but again, I suppose I don't either.

As I'd previously discussed with Kristoff and Henrik, I'm the one who greets the new recruits, seeing that I'm a fellow ice-wielder and a woman, so they'll probably feel less intimidated. Probably.

"Hello, gentlemen." I start speaking, giving them my kindest smile. "Welcome. I'm Elsa, your teacher, and these are Kristoff and Henrik. It's nice to meet you."

"Uhm… I'm Ryan." The young man says, appearing rather nervous.

"I'm Erik." The older man introduces himself too, looking at us suspiciously. "So you'll really be training us? This isn't a trap?"

"I assure you it's not. Queen Anna is nothing like her father, and considers ice-wielders to have the same rights as any other citizen."

"Except the Ice Queen. I suppose." He answers, crossing his arms over his chest in a disapproving manner.

"The Ice Queen is a usurper and a traitor!" I can barely refrain myself from yelling, only because he doesn't know what he's talking about. "And she'll be treated as such."

"Yeah, yeah. I just came here because I was promised I could live in peace here in Arendelle once this stupid war is over." He shrugs. "Is that true?"

"Of course. The Queen always holds her word." I assure him.

"Well then, let's get started." He crackles his knuckles "But I should warn you; I haven't used my powers in a long time, so I might be a bit rusty."

"That's okay." I assure him. "I already thought that'd be the case, and so today we'll mainly be seeing what you can and can't do and will be focusing on practicing your control, okay?" I then turn to look at the ex-bandit. "Henrik, since you're the most advanced of the new recruits, could you do a little demonstration of your powers? Maybe create a sculpture or something like that?"

"A sculpture?" Henrik scoffs. "How is that going to help us take down the Ice Queen?"

"Today is about control, not attack, okay? So just obey before I turn you into a sculpture." I try to say this in a menacing tone, but I'm afraid I'm not very good at it.

At least Henrik knows I'm very capable of carrying out my threat, so he just glares at me for a couple of seconds before raising his right hand and pointing it to an empty spot on the ground. Then, he releases his power, it coming out as a flurry of snowflakes that soon converge to form… something. The statue, if it can even be called that, doesn't have a clear shape. It appears to be just an amalgamation of icy spikes and snow, with sharp edges and a rough surface.

I try not to grimace at the sight of it.

"Uhm… Henrik, what is that supposed to be?"

"Your bloody statue. You happy?" He snarls.

"No! As I said we should work on control, and I'm afraid we still have a lot to do in that regard." I pinch the bridge of my nose in exasperation. They are even worse than I feared.

"Well, what did you expect? I've spent a great part of my life hiding my powers and the other part using them to steal stuff. Of course I don't know how to make a stupid statue!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, I get it." I sigh. "I suppose I'll have to teach you from the very beginning."

I then step forward and instruct them all to get behind me, to be absolutely sure I won't accidentally freeze anyone. Then, with just a flick of my wrist and a minimum amount of effort, I make a real-size statue of Anna appear in front of me, getting just about every detail right because, well, she's always in my mind. Regardless of how I feel about it.

"See?" It's not that hard." I say, turning to look at the new recruits. "You just have to imagine it as clearly as you can and then release your magic in a steady flow, so that you won't use too much or too little. Pretty easy, really."

"Ha. Easy." Henrik grumbles.

"Just try, okay? I'll be observing you and correcting any flaws you may have." I instruct. They are a little hesitant at first, but this is why they came for, so after taking their positions, each one claiming a small part of the courtyard for themselves, they start attempting to do as I said, while I observe.

I first decide to go with Henrik, seeing he's the one who has more experience controlling his powers and I'll probably just need to give him a few pointers before I can leave him to practice on his own. When I go to stand beside him, I see him attempting to make… something. From the ground in front of him a few icy formations have sprouted, resembling deformed icicles. A few snowflakes are also falling around him, and when I look at his face I see the problem. His eyebrows are knit tight, his face red and he's glaring at his creation like he's frustrated with it already. And we haven't been at it for even ten minutes.

"What are you trying to create, exactly?" I decide to ask first, figuring it'll be easier to help him if I knew what he's doing.

"Arendelle's castle." He grunts, not deviating his gaze from the ice in front of him,

"I see." I frown. "Shouldn't you start with something simpler, though?" Arendelle's castle is way too complicated in my opinion, with all its towers, windows and banners.

"Like what? The Queen?" I definitely don't miss how he says the title in a depreciating way, and though I would like to start fighting with him, defending Anna and arguing why she's the best Queen Arendelle could have… I know that won't help our training at all, so I decide to ignore it.

"A human being is also full of details and it takes a great deal of effort to make them look realistic. I suggest you start with an inanimate object, like a chair or a table."

"You're a traitor, you know that? Following Queen Anna around like a lap dog." He stops trying to make an ice sculpture to turn to look at me, a frown still present on his face. It shouldn't really surprise me, being how open he's been about his hatred of Arendelle's monarchs, but I was hoping he'd just let it go. Still, this time I can't contain myself and I end up responding to his accusation, feeling my blood boil inside my veins.

"Anna is the legitimate Queen of both Arendelle and The Northern Lands. The real traitors are those who support the Ice Queen."

"Say whatever you want, but those arguments won't stop the Northerners from feeling betrayed once they see their former Queen acting like an obedient pet of those who have oppressed them for so many years." He scoffs. "If you really think they'll still respect and obey you, you are being delusional."

"I… you…!" I'm left at a loss of words, just feeling myself get angry and frustrated because, even though I'd want to laugh and say that'd never happen, I know his words are partially true. I've considered this myself, and wondered if just promising I'll be the legitimate Queen once Tyra is defeated will be enough to gain the Northerners' thrust. What if they were the ones who supported Tyra's claim to the throne? What if they wanted me gone? They were already upset at my refusal to attack Arendelle, so perhaps they saw Tyra as the aggressive leader who would do what they wanted. And I can't just impose my will through pure brute force! That'd make me worse than even King Agdar!

But I can't let my insecurities show in front of him. I'm the authority here, and I need to be respected. I'm the Queen. The blood of a centuries' long family of monarchs runs through my veins. I can do this. I have ruled a nation since I was young, so keeping a few ice-wielders in check should be easy.

"I will use whatever methods necessary to make brutes like you obey me." I say, using the coldest voice I can muster, keeping my emotions in check and regarding him with an air of superiority, in an attempt to look intimidating. "I wasn't elected Queen of the Northern Lands for no reason; I am the strongest ice-wielder alive, and if you give me another reason to suspect that you will betray Anna, that you will betray me, I won't hesitate to use my powers against you. You can serve in my army, or you can serve as an example of the consequences of betrayal" That leaves Henrik speechless for a few seconds, like he can't believe that I just threatened him, but then he smirks.

"So you really are the same Elsa." He says.

"Huh?" I can't keep the confusion from showing all over my face.

"You just admitted being the former Queen of the Northern Lands." He explains, and I mentally kick myself for falling right into his trap. "Though I remember you being a lot… meeker."

"I've learned from my mistakes." Is all I say in response.

"I do hope so. We'll need a strong leader to get us through this suicide mission alive. One who will not hesitate to act against the enemy." His pointed gaze tells me exactly what he's referring to, making me angry once more.

"If you really doubt me so much why are you here?" I practically spat.

"It's either this or rotting away in prison and waiting for the Ice Queen to take over Arendelle." He shrugs. "And I've heard how authoritarian she can be, so I'd rather have your friend Anna as Queen, even if she is the daughter of King Agdar."

"Well then, keep practicing or I'll have you thrown right back into a cell." I answer, irritated by his nonchalant attitude and the depreciating way he talks about the royal family. My family. And the worse thing is that a part of me shares the sentiment.

"Right." He rolls his eyes turning around and extending his hands, ready to release magic. "A chair, you said?"

I spend a few more minutes with Henrik, and right away I see his main problem is lack of concentration, as well as his tendency to use his powers recklessly and impulsively. But I suppose that can be corrected with a few more days of practice. Hopefully. Then I decide to go see how the young man (Ryan?) is doing. He's with Kristoff, who is offering him some encouraging words, but can't do much more than that because he obviously doesn't know how magic works, so I tell him I'll handle Ryan for now, and that he can go see how the other one (what was his name?) is doing.

"Okay, let's start." I say once my guard is gone, turning to look at the boy. "Ryan, right?" He nods. "Come on, show me what you were doing."

"Okay." He says in a voice so low I can barely hear him. He talks like he's whispering, and seems almost afraid of everything. Even himself. Poor boy, I bet he's been paranoid ever since he found out about his powers. He extends his hand, waves it and in front of him appears a very small structure resembling a chess piece. It's not perfect, and it's tinier than my pinky, but the shape is discernable enough.

"Not bad." I nod. "But perhaps try to make something bigger?"

"B-Bigger?" His eyes widen at the suggestion.

"Yes. Just make the same thing, but change its size a foot or two." I instruct, giving him an encouraging smile.

"What?!" He almost shrieks. "Please forgive me, Miss…"

"Elsa." I supply.

"Miss Elsa." He says. "I don't believe I can make something like that without losing control of my powers."

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow. "Because for me it's always been easier to make bigger things without losing control."

"Concentrating on a small area makes it less dangerous for me." He looks to the side, avoiding my gaze. "Granted, that may be because I can only ever use my powers in a tiny scale if I don't want to be discovered."

"Well, you don't have to hide anymore, Ryan." I rush to assure him once I see his sad expression. "You're safe now. The Queen protects you."

"Do you really believe that?" He asks with a small tremble in his voice, like he wants to believe too, but at the same time he's afraid of doing it.

"Of course." I smile. "Anna is the most gentle and caring person I've ever met. She loves me despite me being an ice-wielder, and has defended me against literally the entire kingdom." I chuckle, remembering that time fondly, and trying not to ruin the memory by thinking about my newfound knowledge. "I have no doubt she'll keep her promise; once we defeat the Ice Queen, we'll live in peace."

"If we defeat the Ice Queen." He sighs. "She's very powerful, isn't she? And we're only three."

"When it comes to raw power, I have more than her." I say, trying to appear confident in order to lift up his spirit. "I was born with my powers, after all."

"You were born with them?!" He exclaims in surprise, gaping at me with an unbelieving expression. "How can that be? I only got mine when I was nine, and sometimes I still have trouble keeping them in check."

"Having so much magic isn't easy, that I can say without a doubt." I chuckle. "But it'll come in handy, I suppose." If I manage to get all my magic back and control it in time.

"Well, then I guess we do have a chance." He say as a small smile appears on his face. "I just hope I won't be a hindrance."

"Nonsense! Just keep practicing. Come on, I'll help you."

Ryan's problem is mainly his lack of confidence, given how he hesitates every time he has to unleash even a small portion of his magic, but after just about half an hour giving him some guidance, he manages to do something bigger (a chair, as I suggested) and sturdier, and I can leave him alone to practice some more while I go see how the other man is doing.

"Erik, right?" I say as I go stand next to him, watching as he just keeps making a pile of snow without really producing any sold ice.

"And you're Elsa, the Queen's ticket to winning the approval of the ice-wielders." He grunts as he lowers his hands and turns to address me.

"I just know that she could have executed me and she didn't, when it would have been way easier for her." I shrug, fighting the urge to roll my eyes, and reminding myself that all these ice-wielders have every right to distrust the Crown. "That's why I help her in whatever she asks, but I guess you have to know her yourself to form your own opinion."

"You're not wrong about that." He chuckles. "I don't really know much about the current Queen; during her time as princess we rarely saw her, and she obviously never spoke beyond a brief greeting. Many were skeptical when she took the throne being so young and having never really interacted with the people, but… perhaps it's a good thing she's just a kid. After all, young people are usually more welcoming to change."

"I suppose that's generally true." I admit. "But I'm personally scared of change." Like when you're a princess living at the castle and then you're exiled. Or when you're suddenly elected Queen without any preparation. Or when you're betrayed and forced to flee towards an enemy nation. Or when you're finally happy with your girlfriend and you suddenly discover she's your sister! Yeah, those sorts of changes are what keep me up at night.

"And yet here you are; trying to make Arendelle a friendly kingdom for ice-wielders."

"Well… yes. That's one change I wouldn't mind." I answer with a small smile. "But to accomplish that we need to defeat the Ice Queen first, so let's get back to practice, alright?"

"Alright." He shrugs. "But first I think you should know I may have little power compared to all of you."

"How old were you when you gained your magic?" I ask, just to make sure.

"About fifteen." He sighs. "As I said, I'm not very powerful."

"I see…" I frown. That could be a problem. He didn't have many years for his magic to grow, and we need as much magic as we possibly can get. But I guess I need to see what he can do and push his limits to the max before I can decide if he's going to be useful.

"Alright. Let's try to make a snowman this time."

But as I see him struggle, just like the other two, I start to realize this might be more difficult and take more time than I originally thought.

A/N: So, first of all, yes I'm alive. And if you're still readying this, you're very patient. Now, I'm not planning on abandoning this story any time soon, but I can't promise consistent updates either due to life getting in the way, and also because I've more or less migrated into another fandom (Little Witch Academia, if you're curious). But rest assured, I do plan on finishing this story even if it takes me years.

Thanks for readying, and please review!

Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.