The rocky structure of the building reminded Elsa of the ones in Corona, except that this was far bigger than anything she had ever seen before. The old architecture design stood there like a perfect replica of a castle from a storybook.

Twelve men wearing maroon military uniforms welcomed and assisted each guest that arrived. Elsa and Senya received the same treatment and there was a brief pause where the blonde wondered if they were real soldiers. A quick glance at their medals and badges and she realized that their clothes were specially tailored for the wedding. The design was the same as the seal on the invitation she received.

Unless that's a real military emblem.

Elsa wrinkled her nose.

"Amazing, right?" Senya waved at a guard passing by. "I knew you'd be surprised."

"Are they...?"

"They aren't from the military if that's what you're thinking, but they're real guards. And in case you didn't read the invitation, it's a Royal Wedding Theme."

They moved their way through the crowd and stepped inside the main hall where the guests have gathered. It was a huge room that could easily cater to hundreds of people. The light from the chandeliers gave Elsa a rough idea of how many were inside the room and it instantly reminded her of Meg's words from when she visited them.

[There will be people who'd come even if they're not invited]

How many of these actually received an invitation?

Exhaling softly through her mouth, Elsa focused instead on the decorations. Gigantic windows lined up the walls, adorned with red curtains enriched with golden strings. "This is amazing. It looks like a castle."

"Belle had always been a Disney fan." Senya glanced at her wristwatch. "We still have a few minutes to spare. Do you want to look around?"

"I think I'd rather help you. I'll get lost in here, Sen. It's huge."

"Believe me, you won't miss the door to the ceremony. It's that one over there." The huge golden door stood proudly at the end of the hallway. "We have to find Rapz and Olaf, too. It will be faster if we look for them separately."

"Can't you call them?"

"The signal here's terrible. It was already bad when we came here to scout the area. Good luck sending a text with all these people."

"Fair enough."

Before they could decide which direction to head to, a force knocked the wind out of Elsa's lungs and almost caused her to stumble. Her muscles tightened by reflex, preventing her from sprawling on the ground.

"Liam, what did I tell you about tackling guests?"

The husky, feminine voice caused Elsa to freeze. Feeling the tiny arms wrapped around her waist, she gulped a huge amount of air and craned her neck. Meg and Idunn came into view and stopped behind them.

"Although I must say, I understand why you're excited," Meg added, nodding her greetings.

"Elsa!" Idunn swept the blonde in a hug, careful not to hurt her grandson. "You're here! Anna said you couldn't make it."

"H... Hi." Elsa returned the gesture, patting the older woman's back gently. "I told her this morning that I'll come to help my cousin and Senya with the event." Idunn stepped back and Elsa bit her lip. "I... know you invited me, but I want to help them. I hope that's okay?"

"Of course, that's okay. I'm just glad you're here." Her face scrunched and she looked around. "Speaking of. Have you seen Anna? She's supposed to be here somewhere."

"Sorry, we just arrived."

"I see. Let me go look for her. The ceremony is about to start and we have to gather up." Idunn squeezed her arm. "I'm really glad you could make it, Elsa. Take some nice photos, but don't forget to have fun, okay?"

As soon as Idunn disappeared among the sea of people, Elsa turned to Meg.

"Hey," said Meg. "Anna said you had a misunderstanding. Were you able to talk it out?"

She tensed, realizing that Meg had no idea who she was either. She really didn't say anything. "Not... Not really."

William tugged at her sleeves. "Anya is sad. I wanna see her smile again!"

Elsa could not agree more. She, too, wanted to see Anna smile again. When was the last time? She sighed, pressing her lips together and glancing around the room. A flash of strawberry blonde slipped through the crowd and grabbed her attention before it was gone.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Meg remarked with a morose look on her face. "I don't know what's going on, but I really want to. I don't like how Anna's been acting for a while now."

"And here I thought Hans was a handful," Senya said out of nowhere, reminding them of her presence.

Meg laughed. "Oh, we can all be. It runs in the family." She took her son's hand and gently detached him from Elsa. "Whatever is going on, I hope you two can get through it. I'd feel bad seeing your relationship go to waste."

"Meg, we're not—"

"Romance isn't the only form of relationship you can have with someone, Elsa. Whatever it is between you and Anna, you're already connected. I hate to see that go because of a simple misunderstanding." Meg smiled ruefully and added under her breath, "I have a feeling my stubborn sister is the cause of all this."

"Meg..."

"Anyway, we should head back. I'll see you around." Meg excused herself and her son, leaving Elsa to her own thoughts.

Senya tapped her shoulder lightly. "Come on. I think it's about to start."

Right on cue, a man near the golden door announced that the people in charge of the program and those assigned in documenting the event were already allowed to enter in order to finalize the preparations. Senya and Elsa took that as their go signal and rushed to the main room, exchanging a quick greeting with Ariel and Marshall as they passed by them in a hurry. The door closed once they stepped inside and there they saw Olaf and Rapunzel standing by the front row.

"Hey!" Senya called, capturing their attention.

"You made it!" Rapunzel wrapped an arm around Elsa's shoulder.

"Nearly late. Are we all set?"

"Yup. Have been for twenty minutes. We were just waiting for you." Olaf gestured to the white grand piano near the altar. "The piano's all set too."

"Great!" Senya clapped her hands and faced Elsa. "How about it?"

The blonde inhaled sharply and looked at the instrument. Her heart skipped a beat and her fingers shook uncontrollably, she had to press them against her bag. "I don't know, Sen," she breathed. "Can I really do this?"

"You can't think like that. What if it turns out alright?"

"What if it doesn't?" Her breath hitched and she closed her eyes, rubbing her face with a sigh. She tried her best to push away the negative conclusions she kept coming up with. Not again. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. But I... need more time. Maybe later? At the reception?"

Senya was silent for a whole minute before she relented. "I did say this isn't something you can rush."

The wedding planner announced the start of the ceremony and everyone rushed to their posts. Olaf joined Jack at the back of the room where their laptops were located to discuss their plans further while Senya took her place by the grand piano, smiling fondly when Elsa mouthed a 'thank you'. Last-minute buzzes were heard amongst the crowd and as soon as they were all settled, the main door opened.

Senya's fingers expertly danced on the keys and basked the entire place in a peaceful and ethereal glow. With a giddy expression, Hans strutted his way forward. Elsa put on a tiny smile and waved discreetly when his grin widened at the sight of her. One by one, the honored guests walked down the aisle. Elsa snapped a photo every time something looked picture-worthy to her. She may not be an official photographer of Frozen Fractals, but she could at least take a decent shot of something.

The breath caught in her throat when it was Anna's turn. That yellow dress she was wearing contrasted nicely to the redness of her hair. Her arm was wrapped around a tall and lean young man, something that made Elsa tilt her head and frown. She patted the pocket of the small bag she was still wearing and took out the invitation, scanning it for the names of all the groomsmen—junior or not.

Rapunzel nudged her side. "She looks amazing."

Elsa jumped and coughed, setting aside the invitation and raising the camera again. She took a shot of the pair and noticed from the lens the stiff posture of the redhead. Keeping her mouth shut, she watched Olaf signal them for a pose.

She'd look better with a smile.

Elsa tapped the back button before putting her camera down. A light laugh rose from her throat when Ariel walked down the aisle next in the arms of another young man; she swore she saw her brother scratching his head. Anna took a seat by the second row with Ariel following closely behind after her picture was taken, waving as she saw Elsa. This caught the younger redhead's attention and before Elsa could brace herself, their eyes met.

"And now, let us welcome the beautiful bride—"

The cousins snapped their attention to the back of the room, cutting their greeting short. There was a slight twinge in Elsa's chest, her hands pressing firmly around her camera. She took one last glance at the back of Anna's head and focused back on work.

Senya's rendition of the music was mellow and calm. The strings played such a great rhythm together and brought serene smiles to most listeners, especially as the bride walked down the aisle. It was the perfect background music.

Anna preferred Elsa's version.

The first time she watched the video of Hans proposing to Belle, she was heavily impressed with how well the assets went together. There was something about the combination of Olaf's editing and Elsa's music that brought the whole celebration to life.

Senya was a talented musician. If Anna did not know who created that piece, she would have been fooled into thinking it was hers. But she knew who was responsible, and she had heard that person play the guitar. It may not have been the piano, but the effect it had on her was the same.

"Elsa!"

Anna cringed, shoulders jumping to her ears as the voice echoed throughout the reception hall. She slowly, slowly turned around to see her brother and Belle walking towards Elsa and Rapunzel.

"At least he looks happy?" Ariel acknowledged. Beside her, Marshall quietly sipped the contents of the glass given to him by one of the servers.

Hans wrapped Elsa in his arms, bringing out a soft squeak. "Am I glad to see you!"

"H- Hey, congratulations."

He stepped back and interlaced his fingers with his wife's. "Thank you. I believe you haven't met my wife." He chuckled, glancing at the brunette. "I love introducing you like this. We should introduce ourselves to everyone."

"Babe, everyone here already knows who we are."

"Doesn't hurt to make sure. Elsa, meet my wife, Belle."

"Wait." Belle patted his arm lightly. "The Elsa?"

"The one and only."

"Oh wow. It's great to finally meet you!" Belle grabbed the blonde's hands and casually swung it with hers. "I've heard so much about you!"

Anna curled her fingers, surreptitiously bringing them closer to her chest. Her hands began to feel cold; they trembled despite the heat indoors. Act normal. It will be okay. Everything is going to be fine. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe—

"I thought you wouldn't be able to make it."

Hans!

A loud cough and her eyes flew open—when did she close them? Swallowing past the dryness of her throat, she met Ariel and Marshall's worried looks. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Alright!" Anna and Marshall jumped when Ariel clapped her hands. "Why don't we join them?"

"What? I don't thi- WAIT!"

Ariel dragged an unwilling cousin and nervous boyfriend over to the group. "Hey, guys! I see you found Elsa! Oh, and this is Rapz. She's—"

"Sen's sister," Hans and Belle said in unison.

"Right. Of course you knew that." Ariel swiped her bangs to the side. "Okay. Hans, Belle, you've already met Mars in the restaurant. But did you know he is Elsa's brother?"

Hans crossed his arms, head cocking to one side. "Really?"

"Mhm." Ariel nodded enthusiastically, surreptitiously giving Marshall a look that made him admit to it with a shy nod.

Belle gasped. "That's amazing! Talk about a small world."

"How come you accepted our invitation, but your sister didn't?" Hans bluntly asked. "Did I come on too strong? I thought Anna will be able to convi—"

"Hans—"

"I wanted to help Olaf and Senya out," Elsa explained, cutting Anna off. "And I... I would feel bad if I accepted it when you've only known me for a short time. My brother is just... on a different wavelength, you could say."

"He practically forced me into it," Marshall whispered harshly, and then his mouth clamped with an audible click when Hans' smile turned upside down. "I mean... wait no, what I'm trying to say is tha—"

Belle's eyes twinkled as Marshall spouted nonsensical excuses while Ariel suppressed a cringe. Hans remained impassive, but Anna could detect a twitch on the side of his mouth. It did not take another second before he threw his head back with a laugh.

"I was joking! Relax. I'm not going to throw you out or anything. Any friend or boyfriend—" Hans eyed Ariel. "—of a family member is welcomed here. Unless you hurt them of course."

Hans raised his pointer and middle finger, pointing at his own eyes first before pointing them at Marshall. His smile turned smug when the poor guy shuffled on his feet. None of the girls said anything, deciding to keep quiet about the whole ordeal during the beginning of the school year to themselves.

"I hope you had fun, though. Even if I 'practically forced you into it'."

"O- Of course!"

The groom's smile softened. "Good to know." He turned to Elsa again. "I am a little disappointed that you didn't come as Anna's date today."

A shudder ran through Anna's spine. "HANS!"

"But you came to help Oliver and Sen, and I respect that. I'm just glad you are here. Maybe you could cheer her up. She's been out of it lately."

A heavy blush colored the younger redhead's face. "Okay, that's it!" She shoved her brother aside. "Off you go! Don't you have a speech to make? Everyone's waiting for it already!"

"Ah, my sister's at the rebellious stage and—"

"Hans!"

"Okay, okay. I know when I'm not wanted." He fixed his coat with a triumphant grin and angled his elbow for his giggling wife to hold on to.

"You went too far," Belle chided even as she took the proffered arm.

"Apologies." Hans bowed. "Don't overwork yourself, Elsa. Leave that to your cousin." He waved and led his wife to the mini stage upfront.

"Should've captured that on cam," Rapunzel mumbled, rubbing her chin. "Still, I didn't know it was supposed to be a date."

"It's not. He just loves to embarrass me," Anna clarified.

"I think that's a sign of a good sibling relationship," Elsa said.

Ariel and Marshall shared a glance. Anna gnawed at her lower lip while Rapunzel wiped her mouth after nearly choking on her drink. Silence wrapped around the group until the brunette cleared her throat and placed her glass on top of the table with a thunk.

"I can't argue with that. Sen embarrasses me sometimes too."

Ariel hummed. "I can relate."

"You have a sibling?"

"Six sisters." Rapunzel and Elsa mouthed a 'what?!'. Ariel giggled. "Do I give off an only child vibe?"

"Yes? You're always together with Anna so I assumed..."

"I'm what you may call a surprise baby." She craned her neck to the table where her family was assigned to. "Most of them are already married and one is graduating from university this year."

"Have you met them?" Elsa asked her brother.

"Officially, just the one who comes before Ariel. She was there when I picked her up for a date. Today is the first time I saw all of them." Marshall tucked his hands inside the pockets of his dress pants. "On a side note, how's it going? If you need any help, you can ask me."

"We're fine, Mars. We have all the help we can get."

"I was just saying."

Elsa turned to the silent redhead. "Anna?"

Rapunzel, Ariel, and Marshall turned silent, the air around them dense and heavy at the same time. Anna... tensed. Her muscles grew taut, trapped in place by that single utterance of her name, unable to move despite her best attempts to.

A warm hand held her wrist. "Anna."

Although the touch was light as a feather, Anna could feel it trembling against her skin. She swallowed with difficulty and forced herself to look Elsa's way. Elsa stared at her for a moment. Her mouth flapped open, but no words came out until she cleared her throat and tried again.

"I like the dress. It suits you."

Taken aback by the compliment, warmth bloomed on Anna's cheeks. "You saw me this morning."

"You were wearing a coat."

The sincerity in her voice captured Anna by surprise and the kind smile that accompanied it squeezed her heart a little. Their conversation at the studio still nagged at her. Elsa's questions... and her own reaction when they had been asked. "Thank you," she whispered.

A sliver of joy shone in those pure eyes, the tension around the surrounding facial muscles gradually loosening. Elsa opened her mouth to say something, but the clicking of silverware and glass brought her to a stop. Their heads turned to the center stage where Hans and Belle stood, a spoon and a glass on each hand.

"May I have your attention, please!" The chattering died down. "Thank you. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for coming to this very special night. A night that has been in the making since that special cruise night!"

The video from the cruise ship flashed on the huge projector screen. Elsa's hand twitched on Anna's wrist and slowly slid down, sending those uneasy feelings and dreadful emotions rushing back to the redhead in a matter of seconds.

"I know, I know. I'm so awesome." Hans patted his chest once the video was done. "Seriously, I just wanted to show off to this wonderful lady sitting beside me right now. Why don't we let her speak, huh?"

A technician offered Belle a microphone and she raised it in front of her lips. "To be fair, I didn't know that it was being documented. I didn't even know he was going to propose there."

"She liked it," Hans quipped.

"I did and still do." Squeals and catcalls passed around the audience at the bride's confession. "I loved it, even more, when this video was given to us by our very special junior in college."

Belle gestured to Senya who was behind a mixer, smiling while listening to their speech. The bright atmosphere surrounding them was such a huge contrast to the sudden dark air looming over the high school students standing beside the table for desserts.

Hans scoffed. "We wanted to invite her as a guest, but she said 'no'."

"I didn't!" Senya yelled over the speaker.

"Sen, I remember you saying, and I quote—" He curled his fingers to sign quotation marks. "—'you either let me enjoy the party as a guest or you let me do my job. You can't choose both.'"

"And you chose this." The younger musician stretched her arms for emphasis. "It's not like I rejected you."

"All these years and you two are still the same. Do me a favor and never change." Belle shook her head fondly. "But, Sen! Surely you have something to say to us?"

A devious grin crept on Senya's face. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"What's this?" Hans glanced at his wife.

"I asked her to make a speech. She was originally supposed to do it."

"Oh come on. That is not a good idea."

"Rude much?" Senya huffed, grabbing the mic a technician offered to her at Belle's behest. "You're making me regret what I did during freshman orientation."

Hans' eyes narrowed. "Sen."

Murmurs began moving around. Anna, Ariel, Marshall, and Elsa shared confused glances before they pinned Rapunzel with a questioning gaze. "What? Sen can be scary when she wants to be," said the brunette.

"What happened during freshman orientation?" Elsa asked.

"Just listen."

"Okay guys, calm down. And before I receive complaints, I'll say it now. I have Belle's permission to say this." Senya tapped onto her laptop and changed the background music. "Let me tell you a story of a not-so-distant past. A story of how Hans and Belle met, and how their hilarious love story began."

Hans groaned on his seat and Belle giggled by his side, rubbing his back comfortingly yet showing no signs of saving him from the situation. The room became silent, all ears ready to listen to a story that has been covered up for a long time and hidden from the press.

"I'll keep this short. It's not a secret that Hans is the way he is, but most of you may not know that he's been this way since- I don't know- forever?" Senya chuckled. "He and Belle were my seniors in college. I was an incoming freshman and they were assigned to my batch for orientation. Hans was... well, he was being Hans. He kept babbling about this and that while occasionally saying things about himself that he thinks will make us respect or idolize him."

Mouths fell open at the bluntness. Anna blinked a couple of times. This was the first time she heard Senya speak like this, and to her brother. What was even more surprising was when Hans lifted his head from his slouched position. Rather than the angry look that most people expected him to have after such an obvious humiliation, there was a soft, peaceful smile on his lips. Like he was remembering old times.

"I got bored and since Belle wasn't doing anything, I talked to her. She's the other one assigned to assist us so I thought, why not? We talked. A lot. And then Hans saw us. You can imagine how furious he was because I wasn't listening. There are children here so I'll keep it friendly. He asked why I wasn't paying attention, and I told him his speech was boring me."

The earlier awkwardness was gone and laughs were heard all over the place, including that of Hans. "All right, all right! I'm going to stop you right there." He snapped his fingers and faced the audience with an incredulous stare. "No one had ever said something like that to me. And I mean no one! Belle was the only one on my batch who saw and heard that. Let's just say she had me wrapped around her little finger."

"Actually—" Belle giggled. "—I didn't care. But I guess it's pride that drove him to follow me around everywhere and make sure I didn't go around telling anyone. Ever since then, he wouldn't leave me alone."

As the people sighed happily, a split-eating grin grew on Hans' face. "And that's how it started. Great, now everybody knows I'm not as perfect as they thought." He ran a hand through his hair with a huff.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Senya snickered.

"I wouldn't say that Sen was the reason why we met, but she was the reason why this whole thing started," Belle said. "None of us would be here today if she didn't get 'bored' during Hans' spiel. That's why from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank her."

The audience gave a round of applause to which the younger musician dismissed with a wave.

"Back when I realized I wanted this woman beside me to be a part of my life forever," Hans continued once the applause stopped, "I looked for a studio that could cover my grand proposal to her. I wanted it to be special. To be remembered. But most importantly, I wanted it to be intimate and personal. That's when I bumped into Sen again and found out she was running that kind of business with her boyfriend."

"They're actually the ones documenting this entire wedding right now," Belle sang.

Spotlights opened one by one, shining on every member of Frozen Fractals including Elsa and Rapunzel. They had to raise their arms to block the sudden intrusion in their vision. Ariel and Marshall clapped their hands, whereas Anna stood rigid, unable to shake the feeling of impending doom. She had participated in the planning process, but she didn't know about this part of the program.

"Yup, that's them. These are the people responsible for making the event a huge success," the bride confirmed. "Now, why are we talking about this? Simple. Most of you came up to me and asked what the music was when I walked down the aisle. Some of you even asked if it was me or Hans who made it. The answer to that is no."

Anna gritted her teeth, hearing a shuddering breath coming from the female blonde by her side. She knew some people would ask about that. Many had offered to perform this night and they were all rejected. An unknown song would surely raise eyebrows.

"Everyone knows I'm a perfectionist," Hans proudly stated, a sly smirk on his lips. "I only stumbled upon this particular instrumental by accident. Their playlist in the studio was on shuffle when I visited one day and it was the piece that went on."

Anna's hands curled, crumpling a part of her dress. A spiral of emotions brewed inside of her and she wanted to shut everything down. The speakers, the projectors... everything. Her head was getting hazier by the minute. This was not good.

"Long story short, I wanted that to be played here tonight," her brother proclaimed. "Naturally, I asked Sen to do it because I assumed she was the composer. Turned out I was wrong. They never claimed it belonged to them, but they knew who composed it."

The color drained from freckled cheeks in an instant. Anna spun around to face her cousin, panic settling inside her stomach due to the sudden turn of events. Ariel's eyes widened at the frantic look before they alternated back and forth between Anna and Elsa.

Finding her voice, Anna croaked, "Elsa, this is—"

"It's okay, Anna," the blonde said. "I'll be fine. I knew what could happen when I decided to come here."

Is it really, Elsa? Is it really okay?

The questions spun inside her head nonstop, and the answers her mind provided were less than appealing. There was always a chance that Elsa was saying these things to make her life easier. But what if it was making hers harder?

Elsa's choice of words...

Why are they so similar?

"They never told us who it was." Hans' voice boomed over the speaker. "No matter how many times we tried to get it out of them, they didn't budge."

"We did! We gave you the information when you first asked!" Senya defended.

"Yeah, about three things. Her name is Chelsea, she's Oliver's cousin, and she's a fresh graduate in junior high when she created that piece." The last information caused a series of gasps to fill the room.

"Don't get us wrong." Belle raised her palm up. "We love how you played it and we couldn't ask for a better pianist. I just wish we could've at least met her."

The soft murmurs turned into rabid chants. Tell them, they said. It's their wedding, they said. Their voices got louder and stronger, and Anna's chest grew heavier with them. This was supposed to be the time to deliver messages to the newlyweds. Why were they talking about Chelsea?!

Because he's Hans.

Anna bit the inside of her cheek, ignoring the sharp sting from doing it too hard. Her fingers were cold and stiff, she would think she had frostbite if she was not as distracted. She couldn't bear to look at Elsa or anyone in her group. How could Hans do this? How could Belle?

"Okay, everybody, calm down." Senya waited until the guests settled down. "We're here for a wedding. We aren't here to look for prospective talents. Forget about work tonight. I'm the one on duty here!" Snickers and giggles erupted from the audience. "Great! Now that we got that out of the way, let's move on, shall we? It's a day of celebration, and celebrations won't be complete without presents. This isn't much, but we do have something for you. Something I hope you and everyone here right now will enjoy."

Anna released her cheek from the angry bite and lifted her head to the musician. Hans and Belle sat on their chairs and leaned closer to their table, their interests piqued.

Grinning, Senya raised a finger. "A song derived from that piece, as we promised. Written by Chelsea herself."

Wow, has it already been six months? I blame the trailer for this update.