Frozen 1. Expectations

**UPDATE: For any new readers, I have reorganized my fics into two separate stories. This is going to be a longer narrative with a more action-oriented style than "There Will Be Magic," although I should mention that they DO OCCUR WITHIN THE SAME UNIVERSE. It isn't completely necessary to read There Will Be Magic first, although there might be a few references to it that you won't understand if you don't, so just a heads up.**

* * *

"You _what?_" Elsa spat, sitting up in her chair and slamming her open palms onto the desk in front of her.

"It's already in the works, Elsa. I know that you don't particularly enjoy the company of others," the balding man paused, assessing the girl's reaction to the implications of his comment. She didn't protest, so he continued, "but I think it is necessary. You and Anna have not exactly been social butterflies, especially in the last year." He added the last few words tactfully.

Elsa knew he was right. She and her sister had never been good at meeting people and presenting themselves as proper royalty to the people of Arendelle, but ever since their parents were lost at sea just over a year ago, both girls had barely even seen the light of day, much less made time for social interaction.

Elsa felt like she had a good reason for that, but she was aware that to an outsider her constant avoidance of social situations and self-inflicted isolation must seem more than a little strange, especially for a future monarch.

Still, the idea of inviting all of the nobles from the city and even royalty from distant kingdoms to the castle for a formal banquet seemed like a massive chore to the young queen and the anxiety that came with it was unbearable.

Elsa fiddled with her gloves. "What about Anna? She's only seventeen and has hardly ever been around boys, much less noblemen and princes, and – "

"Anna is a perfectly smart and capable young woman, I'm sure that she will be fine" the man interrupted.

The regal fellow speaking to Elsa from across the lavish desk was Abram, an aging, gentle man that had been the King's former adviser and old friend. He had taken over most of the acting royal duties since the King's tragic death until his daughter came of age, an arrangement that had been made many years ago in preparation for the unlikely event that the King was ever killed. Unfortunately, it had turned out to be a necessary foresight.

Abram had always been like an uncle to the pair of princesses, having watched them grow up since the day they were born, and Elsa knew that deep down he had their best interests in mind as the acting ruler. With that reassuring thought, she sighed and sat back down.

"Will I have to dance?" she asked timidly.

The man smiled at her sudden change in attitude. "Elsa, you're twenty years old and soon to be the ruler of an entire kingdom. You don't have to do anything you don't want to." When she looked up inquisitively, he added, "But you must at least attend the banquet, of course. I have to put my foot down somewhere."

Her face fell again as she accepted her fate.

"Look, I know that you would prefer to remain outside of the spotlight," said Abram, attempting to reassure the girl. "But the people of Arendelle need to at least get to know you somewhat before you become their queen. I've heard rumors that some of the noblemen think you're just some looney shut-in. They need to know that you are capable of ruling the kingdom."

Abram saw her expression change to an obvious look of insecurity and he could tell she was even questioning her own capability. "And I strongly believe that you _are_. They just need to get to know you like I do. And Anna, too. I'm sure that they will agree with me when they see what lovely young ladies you are" he finished.

"Okay…" Elsa conceded, standing up and turning to leave the office that used to belong to her father. "But if any princes offer me their hand in marriage, I swear I'll have your head on a pike when I'm queen."

The rare joking remark from the blonde brought a warm smile to Abram's face.

Just before Elsa was about to exit the room, Abram stopped her by speaking again.

"Elsa... this will be a social event, my dear. God forbid you may even have a little bit of fun?" He put a strange emphasis on the last word, as if questioning if the girl even knew its meaning.

Elsa just gave the man a shy smile and closed the door, trying to remember the last time she experienced anything close to fun.

* * *

News about the banquet spread throughout the city like wildfire. Finally, the mystery that shrouded the future monarch would come to light. Princess Elsa was going to make a public appearance.

Of course, only the nobles would be able to meet her, but even that was enough to stir excitement in all the people of Arendelle, common-folk and noblemen alike. After the King and Queen's death nearly two years ago, gossip regarding the future queen became a hot topic in every inn and pub in the city. Elsa was known as nothing more than the shut-in blonde daughter of King Agdar, a mysterious shade of the former king, a ghost, a fairytale, a creature of legend. Rumors began to spread through hushed whispers and drunken conversations as speculation ran rampant.

_She's a deformed beast with more arms than fingers!_

_She's got a deathly illness that can be transmitted with only a touch!_

_She's a murderous witch who killed the King's son as a child, her only brother!_

Most came to believe that there was something wrong with the girl. What other reason could there be for hiding the princess and locking the gates?

The secrecy was suspicious, and few chose to believe in a more pragmatic viewpoint. Perhaps the girl was just shy and reserved. Perhaps the former King believed she would be a better ruler if removed from public perception and opinion.

Indeed, everyone seemed to have a different theory, but there was one thing that the whole city agreed upon: Princess Elsa's treatment of her future subjects so far had been cold to say the least.

If only they knew the half of it.

* * *

Elsa stared at her reflection in the mirror as she fixed her hair in a tight bun. A nervous pair of icy blue eyes stared back at her.

_Okay. Just control yourself. You can do this. Most of the attention will be on Anna anyway._

The banquet was less than two hours away from its official begin time and Elsa couldn't remember the last time she had been so anxious to get something over with. This would be the first large formal event that the future queen would attend in which she would be the centerpiece.

Just the thought of being surrounded by high-nosed noblemen, judging her every movement, kissing her hand, trying to impress her, win her heart – it all made Elsa want to hurl. She felt a knot in her stomach as she pulled on her blue silk gloves, completing her outfit.

The only thing that put Elsa's mind at ease was the fact that Anna would be by her side, although Anna was most certainly not feeling the same reservations as her sister.

Elsa recalled how excited Anna had been when she heard about the banquet. She had nearly caused Kai to drop an entire tray of dishes with a deafening squeal and practically sprinted off to choose a gown to wear, dragging a bewildered Gerda along with her.

Elsa figured she could simply hide behind the veil of enthusiasm that her sister would provide at the banquet and fade into the background, allowing the redhead to soak up the attention that Elsa so dreaded.

However, there was no avoiding interaction with the nobles and Abram's words held true. One way or another, Elsa needed to make a good impression to gain the favor of her future people. How else was she supposed to rule the kingdom? How else could she prove herself capable?

_Just as long as I don't have to dance…_

A knock at Elsa's door interrupted her thoughts. She expected to hear an eager Anna on the other side, but instead it was Gerda's voice that followed. "Your Majesty, if I may have a moment?"

Elsa responded with an affirmative, but didn't open the door.

"It's your sister, Majesty…"

"Anna? Is she alright?" Elsa asked, suddenly worried.

"You'd best see for yourself" the maid responded.

Elsa quickly exited her room and followed the hallway to her sister's, anxiety growing with every step. Gerda followed silently. When she reached Anna's door, she heard a loud sneeze from the other side. Before Elsa could knock, it was followed by another sneeze, then another. The blonde waited for her sister's fit to end before making her presence known.

"Anna? Are you feeling alright?" she asked, putting her face close to the door.

"Yup! Never better! Jus' getting ready for da – _achoo_! _sniff_ - Banquet!" Anna replied.

"Her Majesty awoke with a fever this morning and I've been bringing her tea and tissues all day" Gerda told Elsa who was furrowing her brow with worry. "Nothing more than a common cold, I expect, no need for concern. However the princess needs her rest. I'm afraid she is in no condition to attend the banquet tonight, although the stubborn girl will never admit it."

Elsa sighed and cursed the universe for its terrible timing. No matter how much she dreaded facing the banquet without Anna, she wasn't willing to risk her sister's health over it, even though she knew that it would break the younger girl's heart.

"Anna, I'm coming in…" she said and opened the door, revealing the comical sight of her sister halfway into fixing her mess of hair, red locks jutting out in every direction. She looked horrible. Her face was pale, her nose was red and chaffed, and she looked as if she only got a couple hours of sleep. Despite all of that, she was still dressed in her extravagant green dress that she had chosen to wear to the banquet and was fixing her hair with a vigor that let Elsa know she had absolutely no intention of staying in bed for the rest of the evening.

"H-Hi Elza. You ready for da banquet?" she asked through a stuffed nose, attempting to act as if nothing was wrong.

"Yes, but you certainly are not. You're ill, Anna, you need to rest. I know you were looking forward to this banquet but I'm afraid that you'll have to miss it."

"No, I-I'm fine, I promise!" Anna protested before letting out another sneeze and beginning a coughing fit that made Elsa step back slightly to avoid the spray of germs.

"No, you're not. I'm afraid you're just going to have to stay in bed. You won't enjoy yourself anyway if you can't even make it through a sentence without coughing up a lung" Elsa walked her sister over to the bed and was pleased to see that the redhead did not resist, although the look on her face was the epitome of disappointment.

"Thiz iz so unfair…" Anna lamented, lying back on the bed in defeat.

"There will be other banquets, Anna, I promise." Elsa said. She was unsure of the truth behind even her own words and her sister appeared to mirror that doubt, although she didn't say it.

"Mhm… Just have some fun for me okay?" she sighed and pulled the covers over herself, clearly so exhausted that she didn't mind falling asleep in her full dress. She closed her eyes and began to doze off before Elsa could even respond.

The blonde couldn't help but smile as she closed the curtains of Anna's window, extinguished the lights, and quietly excused herself from the room to let her sister rest.

_Fun. Right. That seems to be the expectation for me tonight. I suppose I'll just have to try._


	2. The Twins of Astor

The banquet was less than an hour from beginning and a swarm of guests began to form near the gates of the castle of Arendelle, everyone waiting in eager anticipation to finally meet the future queen.

Every noble in the city had received an invitation and none had declined. The banquet was the talk of the town; there was no rarer opportunity than to meet the elusive Princess Elsa.

Royals from kingdoms both near and far were also in attendance. Abram, as acting ruler, had chosen carefully which royal families he extended an invitation to; he knew that the turnout of the banquet would rely heavily on the compatibility of its guests. He was careful not to invite any two kingdoms with a history of conflict or bad blood between them and he had spent hours choosing the perfect combination of royal parties to make the night a success.

In the end, seven royal families sent representatives to the banquet. Four kings, three queens, a duke, and several princes and princesses had arrived in the harbor that morning all travelling by some of the largest and most extravagant ships that had ever graced the waters of the northern kingdoms. The harbor had been a beautiful sight to behold as the cluster of royal vessels docked there, every one an expert display of craftsmanship, each one more magnificent than the last. An array of different emblems and house sigils had flown proudly from the flags of the ships, marking the coming together of a vast variety of families; all there to meet the new ruler of Arendelle.

The royalty awaited the banquet outside the gates just as the nobles did, exchanging small talk with one another and greeting old friends from distant kingdoms. Among them were the royal twins, Prince Aaron and Princess Sophie of the Kingdom of Astor. The pair was standing slightly aloof, watching the crowd with stoic expressions and trying to attract as little attention as possible.

"When does this thing start?" said Sophie to her brother as she adjusted her sleek spectacles and folded her arms. "I can already tell I'm going to need several glasses of wine to make it through tonight."

"Don't drink too much, Fi. You know how you get. We don't want to become known as the drunken twin idiots from the west that made fools of themselves in front of the queen of Arendelle. First impressions are important" Aaron replied.

"Well if father didn't want us to make fools of ourselves, he should have come himself. If I'm going to meet some whack-job Princess who has never even left her castle before, I'm going to at least do it with an alcoholic beverage in my hand."

Aaron sighed and conceded defeat. He harbored similar reservations about meeting the mysterious Princess Elsa and found himself feeling a mixture of curiosity and anxiety about what she would be like.

It had come as a big surprise to the siblings when an invitation was extended to the kingdom of Astor in the first place. Astor's relationship with Arendelle had strictly been business in the past; their ruler, King Harold, the twins' father, had been little more than friendly acquaintances with the former King Agdar. They had formed a mutually beneficial trade agreement that had lasted undisturbed for many years, but Aaron and Sophie had never met either of Arendelle's princesses and had limited contact with Agdar himself.

Still, King Harold had insisted that his children attend the banquet and act as friendly and welcoming as possible to the future queen in the hopes of leaving the door open for a possible marriage arrangement. At the very least he wanted to maintain their friendly standing with the royal family. After all, Arendelle was a wealthy kingdom and Astor needed as many economic allies as they could manage given that they were one of the smallest and poorest of the western kingdoms. Obviously it had been an important enough task to send his children but not important enough for Harold himself to show up. The twins had both protested adamantly when their father told them they would be attending, but there was no fighting their father on the subject of royal business and the dark-haired twins found themselves on an Arendelle-bound ship before the week's end.

Sophie tapped her foot impatiently. "You'd better have a drink or two as well. You'll need it if you're going to woo this weirdo princess like father wants you to."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "I won't be wooing anyone tonight. Father can believe what he wants but I don't think it's right to come as a guest to another kingdom for the sole purpose of courting the hostess just to gain some political standing. I'll marry who and when I want."

"Still holding out for _true love _then?" Sophie said teasingly and shrugged. "You always were a hopeless romantic. Fine then, I'll just tell father that you flirted with her and got wine thrown in your face. He'll definitely buy that."

Aaron opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted when the large castle gates finally swung open and a plump red haired man appeared and cleared his throat to address the crowd outside. Everyone hushed immediately and listened.

"Welcome to the castle of Arendelle! I am Kai, head house-servant of the castle. I would like to thank you all for attending this evening. The banquet will be underway shortly, so please come inside with your invitations in hand and I will show you all to the great hall."

"Finally" Sophie said and began to make her way to the front of the crowd. Aaron trailed behind and ran a hand through his jet black hair, suddenly feeling his nerves come to the forefront of his mind.

The guests slowly made their way inside, presenting their invitations to Kai as they passed the threshold and were herded by servants to the great hall. The nobles gasped with delight upon seeing the grand decorations that lit up the room, complete with a myriad of ice sculptures in every shape and form, from an elegant swan to a leaping fish. A beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling, the glass like shards of ice, and lit up the room in a soft yellow glow. The tables were all beautifully set with the most expensive silverware and china the castle had to offer and a heap of food was artfully laid out in an enormous buffet at the far end of the room. A small orchestra was setting up in the corner, performing last-minute tuning exercises on their instruments as their audience filed in. The smell of the pot roast filled the room and made many of the noble's mouths water in anticipation upon entering. Abram sat near the front of the hall, watching the guests arrive with a contented smile.

By far the most beautiful thing in the room, however, was the blonde princess standing next to Abram with her hands folded in front of her watching the guests file in with an expression somewhere between fear and humbleness. Elsa was dressed modestly – she had allowed Gerda to pick out her dress, a rather plain but elegant purple gown that covered her shoulders and flowed gracefully to her ankles. Her hair was pinned up in her usual, clean fashion, and of course she was wearing long silk gloves that reached her elbows and complimented her dress with a certain queenly composure. Although the future queen did not realize it, she had learned over the years how to pull off the simplest look with an amazing amount of style and natural beauty and for the first time, it was truly being recognized as the nobles stared in awe at the sight of the gorgeous figure that was their future ruler.

Elsa tried to smile and appear calm and collected as more and more people entered and hundreds of eyes fell on her. Clearly, she was not what they had been expecting. Several nobles whispered to each other with not-so-subtle surprise, surely commenting on just how _normal_ the princess looked.

When the twins of Astor entered the hall, Sophie's eyes immediately fell on the food and wine while Aaron's became glued to the blonde hostess. She was certainly much more beautiful than what he had in mind and he could not stop himself from staring at her enormous blue eyes as they surveyed the crowd.

Eventually it came time for the hosts to address the guests and Abram cleared his throat, capturing the attention of his audience. "Welcome to the castle of Arendelle! We are pleased to have you here tonight to show our support for the nobles of the city as well as to rekindle our friendship with the kingdoms that have graced our presence with their royalty. Make yourselves at home and enjoy the food, drink, music, and festivities of the evening. I'm sure you are all quite famished, so without further ado, I am pleased to introduce her Majesty, the future queen, Princess Elsa of Arendelle."

There was a smatter of applause as Elsa stepped forward timidly. "I am so pleased to see you all here this evening. There are many new faces here and I look forward to meeting most of you tonight. I am sorry to announce that my sister, Princess Anna, has fallen ill and will not be joining us." There was a surge of disappointed sounds and sympathetic coos from the audience. "However, she is recovering and will be back on her feet in no time. It is my hope that you will all have a chance to meet her in the future. Now, I would like to officially let the banquet commence! Please, enjoy yourselves." Elsa finished, not feeling up to making a particularly long speech, and the audience dispersed as the orchestra began to play its first song. The banquet was finally underway.

Elsa took a deep breath. _That wasn't so bad. Now I just need to smile and nod for the rest of the night._

The blonde half-expected to be swarmed with people immediately after finishing her comments, but she was pleased to see that the banquet attendees had more tact than that. They started to socialize among themselves, waiting for a proper moment to approach the future queen.

It wasn't long, however, before Abram was introducing Elsa to an army of royalty and nobles. The blonde had a hard time keeping track of who was from what kingdom and belonged to which house and she found herself zoning out after the first few introductions, deciding the most important thing was to be cordial and polite with the guests to convince them that she wasn't some kind of witch or leper plotting her kingdom's doom. She seemed to be doing a pretty good job, too, as most of the nobles she met left her presence with an air of contentment at the surprising charisma and charm of their future monarch.

Everybody in the room was waiting for their chance to step up and speak with Abram and Elsa; all except for Sophie and Aaron. The twins were seemingly in their own little world standing awkwardly next to the steaming pot of mashed potatoes, speaking only to one another.

Sophie took a gulp from her wineglass and pushed her spectacles towards her face. "Well, well, this Elsa girl is definitely not what I expected. Seems like a real goody two-shoes. She and you might get along after all, Aaron."

Aaron frowned and took another bite from his plate. "She is quite beautiful." Sophie raised an eyebrow at the comment. "B-but so what? My stance on tonight remains the same. I might introduce myself, but not much more. With all the men in here groveling at her feet I don't see why she'd be interested in me anyway."

Sophie shrugged and raised her glass to her lips, surveying the crowd. She noticed some noblemen eyeing her, casting suggestive glances from across the room and subtly moving closer to her in hopes of striking up a conversation. She wasn't surprised. Sophie was a woman with a certain natural beauty and confidence about her, the type of woman that could easily turn every head in the room if she chose to put the time into her appearance that warranted it. Instead, she always opted for a more simple and classy style that didn't exactly flaunt her beauty but certainly didn't mask it, either. She wore her usual expensive set of glasses with thin rims that complimented her sharp green eyes and her long black hair was pinned into a fashionable updo. She was wearing a white backless dress with a slit up the leg reaching just beyond her knee. It was revealing enough to garner looks but didn't appear overly provocative.

A short man with an ascot and an impressive set of mutton chops approached the twins from the depths of the crowd. "Don't believe I've met you yet. I'm Sir Oswin of the House Locke." He bowed deeply.

Although it was clearly Sophie he was addressing, Aaron responded. "Prince Aaron and Princess Sophie of the Kingdom of Astor. Pleasure" he said.

Oswin looked slightly annoyed at the Prince and ignored him, turning in Sophie's direction. "I see! Royalty, then! Well, if I may, your beautiful highness…" he leaned forward to kiss Sophie's hand. She hesitantly allowed it, giving the man a look that bordered between pity and disgust.

"If the Princess would be so kind as to join me for this next dance" he said and then leaned forward abruptly to whisper something in Sophie's ear that Aaron couldn't hear.

When he finished, Sophie ripped her hand out of his. "Beat it, you pervert, before the knife I have hidden under my dress finds its way into your wind pipe."

Oswin's expression went from playful to terrified in an instant. He looked between Sophie and Aaron for a moment before walking off with a scoff, clearly not caring if the princess was bluffing with her threat or not.

Aaron looked at his sister incredulously. "Please tell me you were joking. You did _not_ sneak a _weapon_ into a royal banquet."

Sophie was unfazed. "You know I don't go anywhere without it. You used to be the same way. Don't tell me you're getting soft on me, hm?"

Aaron sighed. "I don't think we're in any danger, Fi. Can't you just play nice for one night?"

"I am playing nice. I just don't play nice with creepy perverts who have… _weird_ facial hair" she retorted.

Aaron rolled his eyes and looked back towards the front of the great hall where Elsa and Abram were speaking with a pair of monarchs that he didn't recognize. He couldn't help but watch as the blonde smiled and giggled politely, bringing a gloved hand to her face. Her blue eyes wandered and met Aaron's for a brief moment. Aaron flushed and his gaze fell back to the plate of food in front of him.

"I'm going to get some fresh air" he told Sophie who merely grunted in response.

Aaron fought his way through the crowd and exited the great hall, finding himself in the inner part of the castle by mistake. He had intended to go outside, but realized that he might not be able to get back in if he went through the main entrance, so he wandered in search of a balcony instead. He quickly found that he was in foreign territory when he stumbled upon a large staircase that lead to the residential section of the castle. Feeling curious and seeing nobody around, the prince took the liberty of climbing the staircase and exploring the hallways. He ventured in and out of several rooms, inspecting the portraits and books, being mindful not to touch anything or go anywhere that would get him thrown out of the kingdom for trespassing. He was merely feeling curious about the mysterious family's home that he found himself in. Aaron rarely visited other castles and he was intrigued by the different vibes he felt here than what he felt in his own home. This place felt more safe, somehow. Besides, the prince needed some kind of distraction from the frustrating and dull event that was going on beneath him, and he certainly needed a break from his sister.

Eventually, he found a room that had two glass doors leading outside to a large balcony and he stepped into the brisk nighttime air, sighing with relief as he felt the wind on his face.

* * *

Meanwhile, Elsa was still braving the banquet, pretending to listen to Abram's story about the time he caught a piranha while ice fishing, a story that Elsa had heard so many times over the years she could practically recite it herself.

_Strange. I could've sworn I saw the twins from Astor. _Elsa thought. She had never seen them before, but Abram had filled her in on what royalty would be in attendance tonight and their description was unmistakable. _They are the only royalty here that hasn't introduced themselves yet. Oh well, the less people I have to talk to, the better, I suppose._

"-and that's the last time I use baby food as bait!" Abram finished. Elsa faked a giggle as the group around them erupted in forced laughter.

"That one never fails to make me laugh, Uncle Abram. Now, if you all will excuse me, I'm going to step out for a moment" Elsa stated to the group timidly, trying not to draw much attention to her departure.

"Of course, of course" Abram said and stepped aside with the blonde as the others excused her. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked aside from the group.

"Yes, I'm fine, I-I just need a moment of fresh air. I'll be back" she told him, genuinely grateful for his concern.

Abram nodded and gave the girl a knowing smile before returning to his guests.

Elsa left the great hall and climbed the stairs, eager to escape the noise. She made her way into her father's old study, one of her favorite rooms in the entire castle. Not only did it have a spectacular balcony, but it housed all of the portraits of her father that were ever painted during his time on the throne. It was also where all of the former king's old books and writings were kept, his belongings strewn about the room as if he would return at any minute. There were remnants of the man's life in every corner of that room and the memory of him was so thick that Elsa could almost feel his hand on her shoulder and his breath against her skin whenever she walked in the door. This was the place that Elsa always went if she ever felt alone or afraid. Right now her anxiety was on the verge of boiling over and she needed a reminder of her father's wisdom. She needed to remember to conceal.

Elsa gazed up at the portrait of her father with longing eyes before sitting on the luxurious sofa in the center of the room. Her feet were incredibly sore and sitting down felt like a thousand pounds were lifted off her shoulders. Craving more comfort, Elsa stripped her gloves and heels and sat back in the soft upholstery, sighing in relief. Her eyes wandered to the table next to her where she saw a bottle of scotch whiskey that had belonged to her father and gone untouched for longer than Elsa could remember.

The blonde was never much for alcohol, she had only ever tried it a few times in her life and was never very fond of the way it tasted. Tonight, however, she was feeling rather adventurous. The banquet was going much smoother than she had anticipated and she was feeling more confident now than she had felt in a long time.

The bottle called to her. It was a gateway to relaxation, a medicine to soothe her worried mind. If there was any night that Elsa felt she deserved a drink, it was tonight.

She gave in and reached for the bottle. She pulled the cork out and inhaled deeply, smelling the strong, musky scent of the aged beverage and thinking of her father. She found a glass on the table and poured it half full of the golden brown liquid.

_I think I can actually do this. I can be the ruler they expect me to be. You'd be proud, Dad. _

Just as Elsa was about to take a sip, the door to the balcony swung open and a gust of wintery air filled the room.

There was a pair of gasps and a flash of light as Prince Aaron stepped through the threshold and locked eyes with Elsa. The liquid in Elsa's glass froze in an instant, forming a solid block of brown ice, and the now-slippery glass fell from her ungloved hand to the floor, shattering with an ear-splitting crash. As the glass met the floor, ice formed and spread from the epicenter of the accident, covering the carpeted room and all of its furniture in a layer of thin, blue ice.

The room was suddenly very cold.

Aaron and Elsa stared at one another for a moment and the same thought raced through both of their minds simultaneously.

_This night just got a whole lot worse._

* * *

**Finally, we're getting somewhere. I'm sorry that it took so long!**

**As I was writing this, I started to realize that I really want to make this into a longer story so you can expect more chapters if I get enough positive feedback! These new characters are just begging to be explored more. Please review and let me know what you think, and as always, thanks for reading!**


	3. Guests

Twelve years.

Twelve years of bitter isolation – of long, lonely nights, locked in a cold, unforgiving room with nothing but desolate thoughts for company - of skipped meals and social castration - of pain and unrelenting depression.

Twelve long years of self-restraint and the mantra "_conceal, don't feel"_ repeated over and over. All of it, shattered in a careless instant, a single moment of letting her guard down and now all of Elsa's hard work would be for nothing; her secret was revealed and there was no going back.

Her first instinct was to run away, to hide like she had done so many times before, retreating into the safety of her room where nobody could see the icy curse that plagued her fingertips, but something in her mind stopped her and froze her in place, staring down the man in the doorway.

She couldn't just leave this stranger behind in the wake of her mistake, standing bewildered in a room covered in magical ice. She couldn't allow him to return to the banquet in a panic and alert the whole kingdom to her powers just when they had finally gotten to know her, just when they were finally starting to believe she was normal. She may have slipped up, yes, but there was still hope, still a way to contain the disaster, and Elsa steeled herself as she stood her ground and locked eyes with the man who had discovered her secret, dead-set on remedying what she could of the situation before it all came crashing down on her life in one fell swoop.

"Who are you and why are you in my father's private study?" she demanded.

"I-I… my apologies, I didn't mean to... I was just looking for some fresh air and found my way onto the balcony –"

"Listen to me" Elsa interrupted, clearly not interested in the exact reason for the man's intrusion. "What just happened, what you saw… you are not to tell anybody, do you understand?" Elsa stated with a tone that she hoped sounded more intimidating than pleading. She was surprised to see that the man had quickly recovered from his bewilderment and was now eyeing the iced room with a thoughtful gaze, clearly thinking something through.

"What I just saw was presumably magic, am I correct?" Aaron asked, surprising Elsa with his curtness and accurate assessment of the rather unique display he had just witnessed.

The princess didn't respond, suddenly wary, afraid she might admit something that would make her situation worse. To her surprise, the man showed no signs of fear or incredulity.

"Ice magic… of course… so much makes sense now" he said as he ran a finger along the ice that coated the wall, speaking more to himself than to Elsa.

"Princess Elsa, I know that you don't know me, I know that you can't trust me and I'm sensing that this power of yours is a rather well-kept secret. If I may ask, who else knows of your… gift?" Aaron chose the last word carefully and spoke with a gentle tone, sensing that the girl was about to bolt for the door at any moment.

Elsa's expression fell and she clutched her arm. She remained silent, once again not trusting her own voice to handle the situation properly, and her eyes instinctively found the portrait of her father displayed on the wall.

Aaron followed her gaze and started to fully understand the gravity of the situation. He was the only one that knew of her power. Aaron was smart enough to realize what that meant; with this knowledge, he now held his own kind of power over the Princess of Arendelle. The thought of her secret being known to a foreigner must petrify the girl, and Aaron put the pieces together. This could mean blackmail, extortion, even usurping of the throne if played right. Aaron just stumbled upon a secret that could have the kingdom of Arendelle in the palm of his hands if he wished.

"I see… Your Majesty, if you are worried about foul play from your secret being known, then you have nothing to fear from me. I have no interest in using this knowledge to take advantage of you. You have my word" Aaron said, placing a hand over his heart and meeting Elsa's eyes in an attempt to quell the torrent of panic that he could see welling up inside her chest.

Elsa relaxed slightly but remained far from convinced. After all, this was a man she had never met before and despite knowing who he was and where he came from, he had not made any effort to approach her downstairs at the banquet and Elsa couldn't shake the feeling that he was a man with more than a few secrets hidden underneath his cool demeanor.

Aaron read her unease and felt the frigidity in the air hold fast. "Listen, I can see that I've caused quite a mess just now. I always did have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps, you would humor me by joining me on the balcony for a moment?" he asked as he opened the door and gestured outside.

Elsa hesitated, once again unsure of what the appropriate response to this particular situation would be. Another dark thought crossed Aaron's mind and he chuckled modestly. "With all due respect, your majesty, if I were here to make an attempt on your life, I think I've already failed miserably. Besides, I don't think any assassin in his right mind would move forward with his plan after seeing what you're clearly capable of" he said with a tentative glance at the broken glass on the icy floor.

Elsa considered his words. She was too distraught to return to the banquet at this point and she saw no benefit from locking herself in her room for the rest of the evening, leaving Aaron to do whatever he pleased with her secret. Her only option at this point was to hear the man out and gauge his trustworthiness. Then she could make an accurate decision on what to do next.

She slowly made her way to the doors and Aaron gave her a gentle smile as they both stepped onto the balcony.

The night was mild and the stars were bright. The former king's balcony overlooked the castle gardens and front courtyard and the pair could see a cluster of banquet guests socializing outside with champagne glasses and hors d'oeuvres, enjoying the warm summer night and taking a break from the hot, painfully dull event going on inside the castle. Their voices were quiet and distant, but audible. Elsa relaxed slightly as she realized that this would indeed be quite a poor choice of location for a royal assassination.

Aaron stood next to the Princess as they looked over the railing being careful to leave a comfortable distance between them. "I suppose I should give a proper introduction. I am Prince Aaron Sinclair, son of King Harold Sinclair the second, first in line for the throne of the Kingdom of Astor" he recited his well-rehearsed introduction.

"I know who you are, Prince Aaron. You and your sister were the only royals in attendance tonight that didn't bother to speak to me. Apparently you were too busy exploring my castle without my permission; tell me, is trespassing customary in Astor or is that just a personal interest of yours?" Elsa quipped, finally finding her voice.

Aaron couldn't help but blush at the castigation. "It was rude and intrusive of me. I was merely looking for some fresh air, but I overstepped my bounds. I apologize. But I must say, the last thing I expected was to walk in on you creating a glacier out of your father's study."

Elsa looked at him curiously. "You don't seem all too startled, to be honest… I mean, I kind of always expected the first person to see my powers to run away screaming and calling me a witch."

Aaron nodded and furrowed his brow. "I suppose most people would. However, believe it or not, this is not my first time witnessing magic like yours. In fact, Princess Elsa, you might be surprised to hear that you are not alone. There are others with powers similar to yours. I am no expert on the subject and I understand little of the magic itself but I can at least tell you that people like you exist in my kingdom."

Elsa stared open-mouthed at the prince, the impact of his words hitting her like a tidal wave.

_There are others…. Like me? How could I have gone twenty years without knowing?_

She didn't even know where to begin with all of the questions swirling in her mind. "W-who? Do you know them personally? Is their magic exactly like mine? Where are they?" she asked, suddenly sounding like a curious little girl speaking to her father.

Aaron's face grew serious. "Slow down… I'm afraid that I can't help you in that regard. I merely said that I've seen people with your magic, not that I know them and I certainly can't tell you where they are."

Elsa was slightly taken aback by his sudden change in tone and chose not to press further. She was still reeling from the realization that there could be others just like her. That information alone was enough to change her outlook on everything she's ever known. She always assumed she was alone, some kind of freak accident of the universe, a mistake that needed to be silenced. Now, she began to wonder, if there were others, what if she was more than just a freak of nature, what if there was a reason for it all? What if her powers were not a curse, but in fact a gift?

"My powers… they're affected by my emotions… my father always taught me to conceal them, to hide my emotions and eliminate the risk of hurting somebody with my magic. This person, these people that you know…are they the same way? Please, I have to know…" she pleaded, looking for any information that Aaron might have that would satiate her burning curiosity.

Aaron gazed up at the starry sky, his eyes distant. "Your father… he was a wise man. I only met him a few times, some of them when I was only a child, but I could tell that man had a good head on his shoulders. I remember seeing him as he was leaving from a meeting with my father when I was a boy, probably no older than ten. I was having a rather rough day for one reason or another, I don't remember exactly, but he saw me and knew right away that I was upset. He came up to me and told me that little Princes should never look sad because a Prince has the world in his hands and the world is so full of beauty that there is no room for sadness. I took those words to heart. Your father was truly a good man and I highly doubt he would steer you wrong" he snuck a glance at Elsa who was noticeably disappointed by the lack of new advice, but smiled fondly at the memory of her father regardless. "I'm sorry, your majesty. I wish I could tell you something more, I wish I could help you in a more meaningful way, I truly do. But the truth is, I don't know any more about how to control your powers than you do."

Elsa's sighed deeply. "It's…it's alright. And please, call me Elsa, we are both royalty after all, regardless of whose kingdom we are in."

Aaron nodded and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Very well, Elsa. Call me Aaron. At any rate, I hope that it is at least somewhat relieving to have another person know of your secret, hm?"

"I don't know if comforting is exactly the right word. I have carried this secret for twelve years, alone since my parent's death… I guess I'm not sure how I should feel right now… or if I should feel at all…" Elsa said, looking down with guilt in her eyes at her gloved hands.

"You don't yet trust me, then" Aaron said frankly, garnering an apologetic look from the blonde. "I don't blame you. We did just meet, after all, and now I know your deepest and darkest secret while you barely know anything about me at all. It would be foolish of you to trust me just like that and I take no offense, although I do hope I can gain your trust one way or another, given time."

Elsa eyed the man for a moment, thinking carefully, and then asked, "When do you set sail to return to Astor, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Sophie, my sister, is rather eager to get home and we were scheduled to depart tomorrow evening, why?"

Elsa thought again, glancing down at the guests below with distant eyes. "What would you think about staying, just for a few nights? We have plenty of room in the castle for you and your sister and we could very easily set your sailing crew up in the nicest inns available in Arendelle."

Aaron was surprised at the sudden hospitable offer, but knew that there were ulterior motives involved. He didn't bother to ask why the queen wanted him to stay – she had understandable reservations about letting Aaron just return to his kingdom the very next night with news that could ruin the young queen's life if used with malicious intent. The only thing Elsa could think of to ease her mind was to keep Aaron around for longer to fully gauge whether or not he would be a threat to her or Arendelle. It made Aaron feel like he would be more of a hostage than a guest, but as he looked at Elsa's clear blue eyes he could see that there was no malice behind them. She was nothing more than a scared young woman doing her best in what she believed to be the worst-case scenario and his heart genuinely went out to her. He decided that if playing along would earn her trust and ease her mind, then play along he will.

"I would have to notify my father, push back any meetings planned for this week, and make arrangements with my captain, but yes, I believe I can make that work. My sister may be the biggest obstacle, though. I would need a damn good reason to get her to agree to stay" he said, rubbing his chin.

Elsa pondered for a moment. "Just tell her that we spoke, became fast friends, and I made the offer and I won't take no for an answer. Surely she can believe that?"

Aaron found himself blushing and wasn't exactly sure why. "I… I suppose that's as good a reason as any. But you haven't met my sister. Sophie is…well, she can be difficult."

"Surely you can come up with something to convince her. If you need to, have her speak to me and I will try to make her feel welcome" Elsa said.

Aaron got the impression he didn't really have a choice. "I will do my best."

Elsa nodded once. "Okay then… I will notify Gerda and Kai and have two rooms prepared by the end of the evening. As for right now, there is still a banquet going on and I'm sure people are asking where I've been. Will you be coming back with me or are you going to wander my hallways some more like a lost child?" she asked with a lighthearted smile.

Aaron was relieved to see the blonde's serious demeanor was letting up and he smiled back at her. Somewhere behind that veil of stoicism and properness was a fiery personality that intrigued Aaron. As he followed Elsa inside, he actually felt an excitement begin to bubble somewhere in his chest.

The prince and princess were both relieved when they entered the study and discovered the ice was completely thawed and the room back to normal; Elsa could almost sense a look of approval coming from the portrait of her father as they passed through to return downstairs.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. Neither of us wanted to come here in the first place, you practically laughed in father's face when he asked you to make an impression on this Elsa woman, and then you have one conversation with her and now you want to stay an extra few nights?" Sophie asked before taking a sip of what must have been her fifth glass of wine.

"She and I really hit it off. You'll understand when you meet her, Fi, she just wants to show her hospitality and I can't decline without looking rude. C'mon, you may even find it enjoyable, it'll be like a vacation" Aaron said, fully aware that he was not being as convincing as he needed to be.

Sophie narrowed her eyes. "There has to be some kind of catch, Aaron. We've never had the closest relationship with Arendelle and for her to invite us to stay with her… it just seems suspicious."

Aaron sensed genuine worry in his sister's words and he knew she was right. There was something fishy about his story and he knew it. He never had been able to pull one over on his sister; Sophie had always been the more clever and observant of the two, the one that pulled the strings in their relationship ever since they were toddlers, and Aaron felt both hopeless and guilty about lying to her.

However, he made a promise to keep Elsa's secret that he wouldn't break, not even for his twin. Still, he knew it would take more to get Sophie to accept the proposal with no further questions, and Aaron racked his brain for a solution. He thought back to Elsa's speech at the beginning of the banquet and an idea sparked in his head.

He sighed. "Okay, okay, you're right, there's more to it." He leaned a little closer. "You see, Elsa is desperately trying to marry off her younger sister and was hoping she would find a prince for her at the banquet tonight. Apparently Arendelle is in real need of a royal union and they are eager to make it happen before the younger princess gets too old. Unfortunately, Princess Anna fell ill, but Elsa isn't giving up. She says that I would be perfect for her and wants me to meet her when she feels better. She practically begged me, I couldn't say no. Besides, father would want me to do it anyway."

Sophie scoffed. "I knew it. Always political motives behind everything. Fine then, we'll stay and you can have your little love-party with the princesses, but you'd better at least get somewhere with her. There has to be some sort of greater good for me to put up with this snobby kingdom for more than one night. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to drink until I forget this one." Aaron inwardly exhaled in relief at her acceptance of the situation. Sophie finished her half-full glass and walked off wordlessly in search of more. Aaron had always been amazed at the amount of alcohol that his sister was able to put away without winding up on the floor; as he watched her fight through the crowd with a regal strength, somehow he knew that she would be alright.

* * *

The banquet dragged on well into the night and Elsa was already exhausted by ten o'clock. Fortunately, everything went smoothly for the rest of the event and Elsa actually began to think she had made a fairly good impression on the guests. She was receiving compliments left and right. She wasn't sure if the nobles were just relieved that Elsa was not the circus-freak they had expected or if they were genuinely fond of her but she didn't care either way; she had succeeded and was now one step closer to being a true Queen, a respectable ruler, just as her father had been.

As the guests finally began to thin out and the crowd was reduced to only a drunk few being herded out by the castle servants, Elsa decided it was time to fill Abram in on the situation with the twins. She didn't feel the need to fully explain her actions even if she could – Abram had made it clear that he was slowly relinquishing royal control to Elsa as her coronation day seemed to grow exponentially closer with each passing day. He was beginning to treat her like the acting ruler she would soon be.

However, as an elder and father-figure, Elsa knew he would be curious and she felt she owed him some kind of explanation for the sudden interest in the twins of Astor. She approached him with the news while the servants began to clean up the great hall. Elsa was surprised when he did not even question the invitation and just seemed thrilled that the young queen had made friends, something he clearly had not expected from the girl.

In fact, he was so excited that he rushed off to prepare the twins' rooms himself and notify the castle staff – before Elsa had even said goodbye to everyone for the night, Aaron and Sophie's stay had been finalized, approved, and prepared for accordingly. This was one of the few times that Elsa had to admire and appreciate the efficiency of the Arendelle aristocracy.

_Maybe this whole queen thing won't be as hard as I thought…_

* * *

By one o'clock in the morning, Elsa was more than ready to pass out in her own room but decided she should check on her guests before retiring for the night. She made her way to the west wing of the castle where the twins were staying, their separate guest rooms in the same hallway only separated by several feet. She first knocked on Aaron's door and felt a mixture of relief and disappointment when she heard nothing but snoring coming from the other side. The prince was clearly exhausted from his long and unorthodox day.

Elsa walked down the hallway to check if the second twin, who she had still not met, was awake. She had to stifle a gasp of surprise when she saw that Sophie was indeed awake and seemed to be waiting for Elsa by her door, visibly drunk and leaning on the door-frame either for support or dramatic effect; Elsa wasn't sure which.

"Ah, Princess Elsa, at last we meet. What a pleasure. I am Princess-Sophie-of-Astor" she slurred the last four words into one long title and hiccupped as she adjusted her glasses.

Elsa gave her a small, polite bow. "Princess Sophie, I've heard many good things. I hope that you are comfortable and please, let me know if there is anything you need while you and your brother stay in my castle."

Sophie eyed her up and down but her expression remained stoic. "Of course, of course. Speaking of my brother, he may be a half-wit, but I feel I should tell you that I am nothing like him." Elsa remained silent and gave her a quizzical look. "Whatever game is happening here, I'm on to it" she finished.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean…" Elsa said, folding her hands in front of her and feeling a slight chill on the inside of her gloves.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Elsa. I have nothing against you. I merely feel the need to tell you that I know there is _something_ going on here and it's more than just my dear brother's little crush on you" she wagged a finger and giggled much too loudly for the situation. "I _will_ figure out what it is, one way or another. I aaaaalways do" she finished with a yawn, succumbing to her drunken drowsiness.

Elsa wasn't exactly sure how to respond and her thoughts seemed to be stuck on the comment about Aaron's crush on her, so she opted to merely nod and exchange a "goodnight" with the other princess before retreating to her own room, her mind reeling from the events of the day.

She sighed heavily as she flopped onto her mattress, relief flooding over her like a warm blanket.

The banquet had gone better than she had expected, yes, but now she was faced with her worst fear all over again. She was stuck as hostess to two strangers, one of which knew the secret that could ruin her life and the other who was dead-set on figuring it out.

_What have I gotten myself into…_


	4. Icebloom

**Author's notes: So, my class is over and I have more freetime. Yay! Hopefully I can start pumping out chapters more now and really get to the meat of this. **

**I hope you enjoy getting to know Sophie and Aaron a little better, and as always, please review and bug me with your thoughts either here or on Reddit /u/GrayWing**

* * *

Aaron awoke to a rhythmic grunt coming through the thin wall separating his guest room from his sister's. He sat up and surveyed his unfamiliar surroundings, taking a moment to come to terms with the fact that last night had not been a dream. He was still in the castle of Arendelle under the strangest circumstances imaginable.

The grunts continued, each one followed by a soft _thump_. He checked the clock to see that it was only 8 AM. He groaned as he rolled out of the comfortable queen-sized bed to get prepared for what would surely be a strange and uncomfortable day. After stretching his sore legs, he dressed in the outfit that Kai had provided him the night before – Aaron's full luggage was not in the castle yet. Kai had insisted that anything that the prince needed could be found in the castle – each guest room was extravagantly furnished and was complete with its own fully stocked bathroom. It was more than enough for the young prince.

He yawned as he exited his room and walked the few feet down the hall to Sophie's where he decided to try the door without knocking, knowing that his sister had surely passed out without locking it.

The door swung open and Sophie let out a startled gasp as Aaron entered. She was lying on the ground, her hands positioned behind her head and her feet tucked under the bed, holding her in place. She was dressed only in her undergarments and was looking at Aaron upside down, apparently interrupted mid sit-up, and a bead of sweat rolled across her forehead. Aaron couldn't help but grin at the ridiculous position he had caught her in.

"Jesus, Aaron, you scared the shit out of me. Close the door, I don't need the servants seeing me without pants on. How very unprincess-like," she said before resuming her exercise, panting and pulling herself up into a sitting position and counting under her breath. The bed shook slightly with each repetition, bumping into the wall and causing the _thump_ that Aaron had been hearing from the other room.

"You know what's unprincess-like? Doing sit-ups first thing in the morning like you're a trained soldier, but that doesn't seem to bother you," Aaron replied with a half-grin. "You know, I think you're the only person in the world that could drink twice as much as me and still wake me up the next morning with your exercise routine. I don't know how you do it. I'm your twin and I still don't understand it."

"It's called discipline…. Something you lost… a long time ago."

She finished and stood up, catching her breath as she put on her glasses that were sitting on the nightstand by the bed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to prepare myself for this dreadful day and I suggest you do the same. I'm sure this younger princess is eager to meet you and scope you out. Do be sure to shave, you look like a barbarian."

Aaron brought a hand to his face and felt the rough stubble that lined his chin before waving his sister off and returning to his own room.

As the prince got ready, he was unsure about what to expect from his hostess (if he could even call her that). The situation was so strange that Aaron had a hard time wrapping his head around it; all because he had found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and his fate became intertwined with the ruler of Arendelle.

Aaron shuttered at the thought of what Elsa was capable of if he were to end up on her bad side. While she couldn't necessarily harm him without incurring the wrath of his father and the entire kingdom of Astor, she could certainly cut off their trade agreements and even place Astor on Arendelle's blacklist, a move that could put his kingdom in serious economic trouble considering Arendelle was possibly the most important trade hub in the Northern Kingdoms.

She was most definitely the one with power, both literally and figuratively, and Aaron had to remind himself that everything would work out so long as he kept his word – and his sister remained blissfully ignorant; he needed to make absolutely sure of that.

Aaron glanced at himself in the mirror before leaving the room, smoothing back his hair and staring at his bright green eyes. He looked presentable, but not particularly princely in the rather plain vest, shirt and trousers that had been provided for him. He had taken his sister's advice and shaved his face clean, showing off his chiseled jawline and tan complexion.

Sophie was still locked up in her room when Aaron came out. Instead of bugging her more, he explored the hallways of the castle, wandering down the beautiful corridors and admiring the elegant architecture. He rounded a corner just in time to see the head-maid exiting a room with a tray of tea and half-eaten biscuits. He heard a resounding fit of coughing coming from through the door and assumed that he must have stumbled upon Princess Anna's room.

The maid noticed Aaron approaching and bowed her head. "Greetings, your majesty. I hope you slept well," she said politely.

"Yes, of course, everything has been quite accommodating, thank you…" he trailed off.

"Gerda, your highness, at your service," she reminded him, unoffended.

"Ah, yes, Gerda. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly ails the younger Princess? I hear she is quite ill."

"Oh, Princess Anna merely has a common cold. She has been quite prone to them ever since she was a young girl but she always bounces back very quickly. The poor girl has quite a vicious fever at the moment, though, I'm afraid."

"I see." Aaron rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "If you wouldn't mind, and if it wouldn't be too much of an intrusion, could you show me to the kitchen? I may be able to offer something to help."

The two made their way across the west wing of the castle and through a pair of double doors to the residential kitchen. The castle was home to a couple different kitchens – one near the barracks where chefs hustled to and fro almost constantly, preparing meals for the guards and servants and another that was meant solely for the private use of the royal family. Elsa and Anna rarely cooked for themselves but they did enjoy a fully stocked kitchen of their own that only Kai and Gerda had permission to use. Its purpose was to fulfill their small needs – mostly midnight snacks and morning cups of tea and coffee.

Aaron inspected the ware of the room and said "It might seem like a strange question, but I don't suppose you have any icebloom lying around?"

The maid thought for a moment. "Icebloom… oh, yes, that flower with the blue stem. I do believe we have quite a large quantity growing in the castle gardens, why do you ask, your highness?"

"If you don't mind fetching one of them for me, I would be grateful. Just one flower will do. And before you go, could you show me where you keep your tea and kettle?"

Gerda did as the prince asked. She was rather eager to please her guest; the maid rarely got to attend to anyone except Elsa and Anna and she was thrilled to have change in routine for once.

Aaron began to heat water in the teakettle and searched the cupboard while he waited, retrieving a jar of honey and the strongest tea leaves he could find.

It wasn't long before the maid returned with the icebloom flower in hand. She appeared slightly out of breath and Aaron smiled at her dedication to his request.

"Didn't take long to find one, these flowers are quite common in Arendelle. They seem to grow even where you don't want them to," Gerda said with a chuckle. "Whatever do you need it for?"

The kettle started to whistle and Aaron removed it from the heat before answering, placing the tea leaves into the pot and allowing it to brew. "Not many people know this, but the petals of the icebloom flower actually have unique healing properties if prepared in the right way." As he spoke, he picked up the delicate flower, carefully stripped each petal, and inserted them into the teapot, using a wooden spoon to stir the mixture. He then took the blue stem of the plant and broke it into four separate pieces before also adding them to the concoction.

"The petals help with the symptoms of a cold – stuffy nose and sore throat and all that – while the stem actually soothes the stomach and provides relief for the more… vulgar side of the illness," he explained as Gerda watched intently. "Unfortunately, icebloom tastes just awful – that's why you mask it with sugar or honey and strong tea, or else it'll make you feel even worse than you already did." He took a hefty spoonful of honey from the pot and mixed it with the hot water, placing the lid over it to allow it to brew.

"I had no idea! What a fascinating discovery. Where did you learn about it? Surely there is no icebloom all the way in Astor, is there?"

"It was my mother who taught me, actually. She used to prepare this exact tea when I was a young boy whenever I was feeling under the weather and it always brought me back to my feet within a day. She even went to the trouble of importing icebloom all the way from Arendelle. Where she learned about its healing properties, though, I can only guess. I suppose I'll never get the chance to ask her now," Aaron's expression fell.

Gerda frowned and placed a hand to her chest. "Oh yes, I remember hearing years ago about the Queen of Astor's passing. I am so sorry for your loss, your highness."

"It's quite alright, Gerda. I miss her dearly, but my time to grieve has passed. She was a wonderful woman." A pause. "Now…" he took the lid of the teapot off and inhaled sharply. "I think it is about ready." He poured the completed beverage into a teacup and sipped the hot liquid, testing his creation and smacking his lips. "It's not quite as good as mother used to make, but I expect it will do. Take this to the princess and tell her to drink at least two cups over the next few hours. She should feel much better by this evening."

Gerda gathered the teapot and cups onto a tray as he spoke. "Of course, Prince Aaron. Anna will be quite grateful. Thank you." She bowed politely before rushing off to deliver the remedy to her princess. Aaron sighed deeply and stared at one of the leftover petals of the icebloom flower with distant eyes, the memory of his mother flooding over him like a cool breeze.

* * *

"Thank you Captain, I believe that is all for today," Elsa stated, closing out the meeting with the gruff man across from her. She had been swamped with meetings all morning, a fact that seemed to have completely slipped her mind the night before and she was anxious to get through them all so she could turn her attention to her guests and keep them entertained.

_Somehow it feels more like I need to keep an eye on them…_

Fortunately, this meeting with Desmond Holdt, the Royal Guard Captain, was Elsa's last of the day and when it was through she would be free to check up on the twins. The captain bowed his head as he stood to leave. "Thank you, Majesty. Until next time." He started to turn towards the door but stopped before he reached it. "Oh yeah, and about these two guests of yours. Where did you say they were from?"

"I never mentioned it. They are from far to the west, a place called Astor."

"Astor? You don't say. Huh, somehow I never would've guessed" Desmond said, raising his eyebrows.

"Are you familiar with it?"

"I wouldn't say I am, but one of my guards is from there. I believe his name's Liam. Real quiet guy, joined about a year ago. He doesn't like to talk about his old life in Astor, he always clams up whenever anyone asks. Real mysterious place, barely anybody seems to know anyone from there. Hell, nobody seems to know anyone that's even visited it."

"Strange... Come to think of it, I didn't know much about Astor myself before meeting the Prince and Princess and it seems Abram doesn't know much about it either. I think that the royal family is rather private and they don't get involved in many foreign affairs."

Desmond shrugged. "You're probably right. I guess it might be good for those twins to be out here anyway. Maybe they'll come out of their shell a little." With that, he bowed again and excused himself from the room. Elsa stared off into space, thinking about how strange it was that she knew so little about Aaron and Sophie's home. She thought back to the conversation she and Aaron had the night before. _You are not alone. People like you exist in my kingdom._

_Astor…_ she thought, rubbing her temples. _I__ definitely need to know more about it. Hopefully I can ask the twins some questions about it tonight. But for some reason, I'm not sure if I even want to know the answers._


	5. Achilles Heel

By the time Elsa had finished her paperwork and listened to Abram ramble on about the importance of proper quill management, it was already well into the afternoon. At four o'clock, she finally escaped her study and walked as quickly as she could to the residential wing in search of the twins.

She rounded a corner rather quickly and slammed into someone, her head colliding with his chest. She stumbled back and looked up to see Aaron smiling sheepishly down at her.

"My apologies, Elsa. I was just on my way to ask Gerda if you were finally available," he said.

"No, no, that was my fault…I really should look where I'm going." she found her composure and rubbed her arm. "I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you or Sophie all day. Getting prepared for my coronation has made my schedule rather busy…"

"Say no more. I know what it's like. Everyone always has something to say to royalty, it never seems to end. Anyway, I've been enjoying myself in your library. It is quite impressive, I must say. And Sophie has… well, I'm not actually sure where she's been. Staying out of trouble, I hope…" Aaron rubbed the back of his neck and looked off down the hallway, hoping she would suddenly appear there.

"Well, I did tell her to make herself at home." Elsa shrugged and gave the man a small smile. "I would like to invite the two of you to join me for dinner, if you would like. I'll have the chefs prepare us something special."

"It would be my pleasure. I'll find my sister and pass the word along."

"Okay then. Kai should come find you in a few hours when dinner is almost ready. See you then" she finished and turned to inform the chefs.

Aaron waited a moment to make sure Elsa was out of sight and then took off in the opposite direction with purpose, hoping to find his sister before she could make a bigger mess out of things.

* * *

"Sophie… Where are you…?" Aaron muttered under his breath as he scoured the west wing, starting from her guest room and fanning out from there. When he couldn't find her anywhere in the residential section of the castle, he branched out to the front courtyard and eventually found himself on the north side where the guard barracks extended from the castle. He searched for over an hour before finally finding Sophie in the guard armory, inspecting the racks of weapons and armor with a look of pure disgust.

When she saw her brother approaching, she spoke. "Look at the quality of this steel… it looks like the smiths here in Arendelle were trained by Trolls or something."

"Have you been just wandering around the castle all day critiquing whatever you find?"

"I have nothing else to do. I don't have a prince to impress, remember?"

"Point taken. Just, please, don't make them mad, that's all I ask. Elsa has invited us for dinner in a couple hours, she wants me to tell you." Sophie strolled past Aaron and waved a hand and disappeared around the corner, surely off to explore some other far and probably forbidden corner of the castle. The prince simply rolled his eyes and made his way back to his room.

* * *

Aaron sighed in relief when Sophie listened to his request and showed up to the dining hall precisely on time. Elsa had met them there and the three young royals gathered around the massive table. Elsa took her place at the head and the twins sat on either side of her, facing each other. Just as the servants began to bring out the first course of the meal, Elsa spotted a redheaded figure appear in the doorway.

"Anna? What are you doing out of bed?"

Anna stepped into the dining room shyly and put her hand up in a small wave. "Hi everyone! I'm actually feeling much better and I thought I'd join you, i-if that's alright…" she said. It was true that the younger princess was looking far healthier than she had last night and Elsa was quite impressed with her speedy recovery.

Aaron stood and faced Anna bowing politely as he spoke. "I see that the icebloom worked, then. Excellent! I'm Prince Aaron Sinclair of Astor, your highness. And this is my sister, Princess Sophie Sinclair" he gestured to the woman across from the table who stood and nodded a greeting, looking utterly unamused.

"You sure you're feeling better already?" Elsa asked as Anna approached the table and took her place next to Aaron.

"Yeah, I feel great!" she said, sounding astounded herself. "It's nice to meet you Aaron and Sophie. A-and thank you so much for that tea, it was… wow. I've never felt so refreshed in my entire life, it was like magic!"

"The secret is right outside in your gardens, actually. Icebloom is quite a marvelous little plant."

"You gave her icebloom tea?" Sophie asked and let out a chuckle. "Mother would be proud. It's a well-kept secret, for some reason. I guess even the royalty of its native kingdom doesn't know about icebloom's healing properties."

"Yes, well, it's only fitting that they know, isn't it?" Aaron said, shooting Sophie a look.

"I've certainly never heard of it before but if it can make Anna go from how she was last night to this, it must be quite a useful secret to know," Elsa interjected.

The servants brought out the main course as they spoke, an artfully prepared fish that Elsa didn't recognize with garlic potatoes and asparagus on the side. It smelled wonderful and both pairs of royal siblings practically drooled in anticipation as the food was placed in front of them.

Anna was the first to dig in, devouring potatoes like it was her last meal on earth, clearly making a recovery from her lack of appetite while she was sick. Aaron politely cut into his fish and brought the fork to his mouth, but before he could take a bite, he was interrupted by Sophie standing and shouting so loudly that the entire table seemed to rattle.

"WAIT!"

Elsa, Aaron, and Anna all froze and stared at the princess' outburst, mouths agape and speechless. A glob of potatoes fell from Anna's fork to her plate with a plop.

Sophie walked around the table and hovered over her confused brother's shoulder. She leaned close to his plate and inspected the fish, then pushed her glasses towards her face.

"I had a feeling. Paprika. You need to be more careful Aaron, if I hadn't noticed you would be halfway to the infirmary by now," she finally said.

Aaron lowered his fork and his expression changed from a look of confusion to embarrassment as he understood the situation. "T-thanks, Fi. That was…close" he said. When he noticed that Anna and Elsa were staring at the siblings in confusion, he explained. "I have a rather severe allergy to paprika. If I had eaten this, I'm afraid that would have put a rather abrupt end to the evening."

"The last time he accidentally ate paprika he nearly suffocated," Sophie said, her voice humorless.

There was a slightly uncomfortable pause as Anna and Elsa processed what had just happened.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" Elsa apologized and called Kai back to take the food away and prepare something else for their guest.

"It's quite alright, you didn't know. I'm just glad Fi was looking out for me," Aaron said looking genuinely grateful. Sophie smiled ever so slightly and patted Aaron on the back before circling around the table to take her seat once more.

Elsa took notice of the small gesture and a realization hit her; somewhere beneath Sophie's rather abrasive and blasé exterior, she truly did care about her twin brother, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Elsa got the sense that the two of them were close and had a bond that could only come from experiencing a lifetime of hardship together. She would expect it from a pair of twins, especially two royal children, but there was something more to it. The two relied on each other heavily.

She looked at Anna who had awkwardly started to eat again, hardly concealing her ravenous appetite. A pang of sadness washed over Elsa as she realized that she would never have that close of a relationship with her own sister; that was something that she had given up long ago. Her thoughts went to her nineteenth birthday, the night on the rooftop that she remembered so well, and she smiled fondly at the memory.

As the four began to eat and the chefs prepared a new, paprika-free entrée for Aaron, an awkward silence fell over the table. Anna and Sophie were still in the dark about the exact nature of the twin's stay in the castle and neither of them knew what to say to the other. Anna had practically no experience with royals around her own age and Sophie wasn't the most sociable person to begin with. It all added up to quite a peculiar setting and not one of the four royals felt entirely at ease.

In fact, Anna was not even used to having dinner with her own sister, let alone these two strangers, and while she was happy to have some fresh new faces around, she couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable with the sudden change.

Elsa broke the silence, deciding to take the opportunity to find out more about the twin's home kingdom.

"So, Aaron, Sophie, tell us about your kingdom. What is Astor like? Obviously, neither Anna nor myself have ever had the pleasure of visiting it" she stated, hoping to steer the conversation.

Sophie and Aaron exchanged glances and hesitated for just a small moment. "Well -" Aaron began, but his sister cut him off.

"It's quite boring, really. The weather is hot and dry, no snow, very few flowers, definitely no royal banquets… Our father is a fairly private man and prefers a… quieter life."

Aaron seemed to have nothing to add, and Elsa conceded, figuring that her conversation with Captain Holdt had been spot-on about the royal family enjoying their privacy.

_Still, something feels off…_

The two quickly changed the subject and the conversation shifted towards more mundane things, leaving Elsa feeling even more curious. She couldn't think of a way to bring it back up without seeming as if she was prying.

"So what kind of things do you do for fun in Astor?" Anna asked.

"Sophie and I are actually both quite adequate fencers."

Sophie scoffed. "Adequate? You and I can beat every single one of the knights in the capitol," she said without a hint of modesty. Aaron shrugged, but Anna looked impressed already.

"Ohhh, fencing! That's so cool! I'd love to see you in action! Wasn't Abram a fencer, Elsa?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe so, but he's much too old for it now. If you mention it he might just talk your ear off about it. But Desmond, our captain of the guard, is apparently quite the accomplished fencer. Perhaps tomorrow you could set up a bout," Elsa said.

Sophie had a wicked grin on her face and Aaron gave her another look. He simply said "We'll see."

The rest of dinner went by at a comfortable pace. By the time the food was all gone, the four royals were so full that the walk back to their rooms suddenly felt like it would be a massive chore. Anna, in particular, looked like she had gained about ten pounds just from the meal, sitting back in her chair and smiling contentedly, a spot of mashed potatoes resting on the front of her blouse.

"Anna, I know that you are feeling better, but I still think you need rest. Perhaps we should all retire for the evening, yes?" Elsa suggested. She was eager to get some sleep herself.

Aaron and Sophie thanked Elsa and the servants for the meal and the four of them dispersed. It was past dark by now and the front hall was lit only by the bright light from the moon as it cascaded through the massive windows that lined the walls. Elsa stopped Aaron before heading up the stairs to the residential wing and asked to speak with him privately. Anna noticed her comment as she climbed the stairs herself and shot Elsa a playful smile as she reached the top step, stifling a giggle. Elsa ignored her.

"Listen, Aaron. I'm sorry, for all of this…" she told him, her gaze falling to the floor.

Aaron brought a hand up to stop her. "Don't apologize. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense and I don't blame you for not trusting me just yet."

"The thing is, I think you're a good person. I _want_ to trust you, truly." She paused. "You and your sister… you seem very close, yes?"

Aaron suddenly understood what was concerning Elsa. "You are worried that I won't keep your secret from her. You are quite the observant one, aren't you?" he said and Elsa nodded to confirm his statement.

"You are correct, Fi and I are indeed quite close, but please don't worry. You'll have to trust me when I say that it is better for everyone if she doesn't know, and even I don't want her to find out. I've said it before and I'll say it again - your secret is safe with me."

Elsa visibly relaxed a little, sensing truth in the man's words and there was a comfortable silence for a moment before she spoke again. "Icebloom, huh? And fencing, of all things. You really are full of surprises, you know."

Aaron chuckled modestly. "Don't forget I can be killed by a relatively common spice, too. I suppose everyone has their Achilles heel."

"Indeed. Yours is a spice and mine is an icy curse. Nobody's perfect, right?"

"I don't think you're cursed Elsa. I think you're simply... magical" Aaron blushed, realizing the implications of his comment and inwardly chastised himself for saying something so painfully transparent to a woman that he had absolutely no business making romantic gestures towards. The blonde didn't seem to mind, although she remained silent and merely gave the man a shy smile, genuinely grateful for his kindness and understanding. For a moment she studied Aaron's green eyes and sharp features, noticing how strikingly handsome he was for the first time in the dim light of the moon. She caught herself staring and broke eye contact, fiddling with her gloves."Well… I suppose I'm off to bed then…"

"Yes, me too. I will…see you tomorrow then?" Aaron asked and cleared his throat nervously.

"Of course."

The two climbed the stairs together and when they reached the point where they had to part ways, Aaron kissed the back of her hand and the two whispered goodnights to each other. Both had to stop themselves from looking back as they went off in opposite directions.

* * *

Aaron sighed as he entered his guest room and began to undress, pulling off his vest. He walked over to the dresser and stared at himself in the mirror before unlatching the leather apparatus strapped to his body underneath his undershirt and pulling out the dagger concealed in the holster hidden beneath his clothes. He held the blade up and studied the beautiful design, the black handle of the weapon encrusted with a large red ruby right at the center. The blade itself was engraved with a small flame design just above the hilt; the crest of the Kingdom of Astor.

He placed the dagger on top of the dresser and spun it skillfully in place. It whirled around several times on top of the wooden surface before slowing to a stop, the sharp end of the blade pointed directly towards Aaron's heart.

* * *

**Author's notes: Penny for your thoughts, Aaron?**

**So, do I have your attention yet? I certainly hope so. Now would be a good time to put on your proverbial seatbelts. It's only going up from here.**


	6. 28-29

**Author's notes: Alright, finally some action! I have to admit - going into this with little knowledge of swordplay and having never written anything like this before, this was a challenge, but I think I'm satisfied with it.**

**There is a reference to one of my favorite Frozen fanfics called For the First Time in Never by JEGlass in this chapter. It will be painfully obvious for those of you that have read it, so I won't bother to say what it is. I couldn't resist. **

**Anyway, stay awesome and happy reading!**

* * *

While Mondays were almost universally hated throughout the castle of Arendelle, they were actually the one day of the week that Anna looked forward to the most. Monday mornings were when the guards had their weekly combat training and Anna always made a point to wake up early every week to watch them. There was something about combat that intrigued the young princess and she had always enjoyed watching the guards train in the barracks courtyard ever since she was a girl.

When Anna was in her early teenage years, she had even insisted on learning to fight herself, much to the dismay of Captain Holdt, who would always have to kindly tell the princess that she had no need to learn to fight; that was the whole point of the Royal Guard, after all.

Eventually the spunky redhead gave up on learning herself, but she remained adamant about watching every training session promptly at 9 AM. This week was no exception; she awoke early and quickly braided her hair in order to make it to her usual spot on top of the stone wall that lined the barracks courtyard. She arrived and hoisted herself onto the ledge just as Captain Holdt began to address his men.

"Alright lads – You know the drill. Today we're going to cover basic sword techniques and –"

"Woo! Let's go Desi! Show us what you got!" Anna shouted from up above, raising her fists in the air as if she were at a sporting event.

The captain visibly cringed at the use of the princess' cutesy nickname for him and some of the guards had to stop themselves from snickering. The captain and guards were used to Anna's attendance at their combat sessions but Captain Holdt was always slightly irked by her enthusiastic cheers and comments while he was trying to teach his men important skills – some that might even be necessary for her own protection. If Anna wasn't the princess and daughter of a man he had sworn a life-oath to protect, he would be tempted to tell her to piss off.

He sighed before speaking again. "Right. Like I was saying, we'll start with the disarm. Grab a training weapon and a partner and begin some friendly sparring. And I shouldn't need to remind you that you should be working on the proper technique, not simply trying to overpower your opponent. Get to it!"

The guards barked a 'yessir' before dispersing and beginning their work. As the men started to spar with each other, Captain Holdt wandered around offering tips and critiquing their form. Anna noticed that he didn't look too pleased with their progress.

"No, no, Spaulding, look at your footwork… you need to lead the blow… Benson, we're practicing the disarm not the fall-on-your-ass technique… Jesus, you're all fighting like a bunch of women!" he finally shouted when his frustration got the better of him.

"If they're going to fight like women, perhaps they should learn from one."

The voice cut through the noise of clashing swords and armor like a knife through cheese. Everyone within earshot turned their heads to stare at its source.

Sophie emerged from the barracks into the courtyard wearing a well-tailored white fencing outfit, knee-high black boots, and fine leather gloves. Her hair was tied back into a sporty pony-tail and she was wearing a special pair of sleek glasses with a slender frame. They barely disguised the confidence in her eyes as she walked through the crowd of guards. She was brandishing one of the training swords that she had snatched from inside the barracks and hacked the air a few times with it as she approached the bewildered captain.

"Is this oak or hickory?" she asked, eyeing the practice blade closely.

The Captain looked around at his men who one-by-one stopped their exercise to look curiously at the woman. "Uhh, I believe it's white oak. Forgive me, but you are Princess Sophie, yes?"

"I see my reputation proceeds me. I assume you're the captain? Well, captain, how about I show your men how a real woman fights and then we'll see if it's something they can aspire to," she turned to address the onlookers. "Do I have any takers?"

Several guards exchanged glances with one another, utterly confused.

"Don't be afraid boys, it's only a friendly spar. I didn't think Arendelle's royal guard would be so timid."

Captain Holdt interjected. "It's not that, your highness, it's just… well, you're not only our guest but you're a Princess and – "

"Let her fight, Desi! Just because she's a princess doesn't mean she can't fight!" Anna called down from her perch. Holdt sensed that there was a double meaning behind the redhead's words.

Sophie merely gestured to Anna on the wall and raised her eyebrows.

Holdt looked between Anna and Sophie for a moment and sighed. "Alright then… we are practicing disarming your opponent, is that something you're familiar with?" he asked Sophie. She nodded once.

"Revel, get over here and be our guest's partner. And the lot of you better stop gawking and do something useful," he shouted to the men who grunted and turned their attention back to their training. A tall guard with wavy brown hair emerged from the ranks and approached Sophie and the captain.

Holdt walked over to the man and quietly spoke in his ear as Sophie began to do a few quick stretches to loosen up. "If she gets hurt, Abram and Elsa will have my head, but I can't tell her to leave without looking rude. Just take it easy and keep her entertained, understand?"

Revel nodded and stepped up to the princess, training sword in hand. "Greetings, your highness. I can't say I've ever had the pleasure of sparring with royalty before…" He paused, unsure of how to proceed. "Er, are you prepared?"

Sophie eyed the guard and adjusted her glasses, standing upright with her heels together, turning so her left shoulder faced him. She extended her weapon in a ready position. "After you, my friend."

The guard smiled playfully as he readied his own weapon and approached the woman slowly. As soon as he was within arms-reach of the princess, before he could even go for a proper attack, Sophie made her move - two lightning-fast slashes, the first knocking the tip of Revel's weapon away and the second making contact with the handle in his grip, causing the wood sword to sail through the air and land on the ground several feet away with a harsh _clang_. The guard barely had time to process before he was disarmed and Sophie's blunt weapon was pointed straight at his throat.

Captain Holdt looked stunned and several of the nearby guards had taken notice of Sophie's impressive use of the technique. "Hoho, lads! Looks like you could learn a thing or two from our royal guest here! That was the quickest disarm I've seen in years! Revel, I'd pay attention if I were you," the captain laughed as Revel grudgingly walked over to pick up his blade with a defeated look on his face.

He approached Sophie again, sword raised. "Not bad, but I'll be prepared this time," he said, taking an aggressive step towards the princess. She attempted to disarm him again, but Revel was ready this time and parried her first blow. Before he could recover, though, Sophie stepped back slightly and batted his hand from the other side. His weapon flew from his grip a second time in the opposite direction. Revel just stared at where it landed, awestruck and embarrassed.

Sophie turned away from Revel and faced the captain. "I told you, I'll give them something to aspire to. Now, enough of the small-fries – Elsa tells me you're quite the fighter, Captain, and I'd just _love_ to see the best Arendelle has to offer." She smiled and pointed her weapon at the man in a rather pompous gesture that exaggerated her point.

Holdt looked slightly taken aback at the sudden challenge, but by now, Sophie had attracted the attention of all the guards and they inched closer to watch the events unfolding at the center of the courtyard. One brave guard spoke up. "C'mon, Captain Holdt, show her what you've got!"

The comment spurred a round of agreement and encouragement from the other guards and Anna yelled down again, feeding off the excitement. "Yeah, go Desi! Kick her butt!"

Sophie looked up at the redhead and raised an eyebrow. _Just whose side is she on, here?_

Holdt was rather frustrated by the unexpected way his combat training was going today, but figured his men wouldn't get anything useful done anyway with Sophie around causing such a stir. He didn't exactly like to show off, but he was easily the best fighter among the guards. He couldn't resist a direct challenge in front of all his men, especially one from a foreign woman who had just bested one of his better fighters like it was nothing.

"Alright, alright, lads, keep your britches on," he said as he took Revel's training sword. The men erupted in cheers and whoops. "But next week we're doing double rounds of combat to make up for this. Don't think you're gettin' away with slacking off for the day."

There were a few groans from the guards, but the punishment was quickly forgotten as Holdt stood across from Sophie and everyone else backed away to allow them adequate room to spar.

"Finally, someone with a backbone! First to disarm or land a lethal touch is the winner. Besides that, anything goes. Don't hold back on me, Captain, I do wish to make this enjoyable," Sophie stated as she took her ready stance, placing her heels together and turning her left shoulder to face her opponent.

"You sure you don't want to put on a sparring vest?" Holdt asked, not privy to the idea of landing a blow on an unprotected princess.

"You insult me captain. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't take a hit, although I don't intend to. Enough chit-chat, let's get started, I've been bored all morning."

Holdt grunted. "Ready when you are, Princess."

The guards formed a large circle around the two and began to cheer in anticipation as the fighters locked eyes and approached each other. Sophie's face remained calm and stoic and she allowed the captain to advance, barely moving from her original stance. Holdt was the first to attack, lunging forward gracefully and meeting his weapon with hers. The two exchanged a few quick parries before Holdt backed off again, genuinely impressed with the speed of her reflexes. He lunged again, this time going for a lower attack to throw her off her balance, but Sophie was extremely light on her feet and easily sidestepped and fended off the blow.

Realizing that she was too fast for him to outmaneuver, he swung his sword in a high arc and forced her to block horizontally using both hands, hoping to rely on his strength to overpower her. Sophie staggered a tiny bit under the weight of the attack from her taller and stronger opponent, but kept her footing strong. She was able to gracefully move to the side and shove Holdt's sword in the other direction, causing him to lose his balance. She took the opportunity and hacked at his side, but Holdt saw it coming just in time and dodged backwards, the tip of Sophie's training sword just barely brushing his uniform.

"Good stuff, Princess. You've clearly been trained well," he said as he recovered.

Sophie smiled. "We royals tend to do things a little differently in Astor, I suppose."

There was a slight murmur throughout the crowd of guards in response to her comment, but the fighters didn't take notice as they clashed again. Sophie was suddenly on the offensive, pressuring Holdt with a flurry of attacks that he was barely able to keep up with. She kept her right hand behind her back and used her left to attack, all the while appearing quite composed and confident. Holdt was forced back to the edge of the circle before Sophie finally switched up her relentless assault and spun in place, delivering a horizontal blow that was so powerful it knocked Holdt's weight entirely onto his right foot. Sophie took the small window of opportunity and spun again, crouching low and delivering a sweeping kick to the captain's leg that sent him toppling over onto his back. Before he was able to bring his weapon up to defend, Sophie was standing and had her sword at his chest. She smiled, victorious, and pushed her glasses towards her face.

The men were flabbergasted at the sight of their captain bested by a woman, a _princess,_ no less, and there was a moment of awkward silence as everyone took in the unlikely scene. Sophie backed up and offered a hand to the captain, who accepted it and got back on his feet. Nobody dared say anything as the captain picked up his weapon, his face expressionless.

To the relief of the guards and Anna, the Captain burst into a hearty laughter. "Very impressive, my lady! I haven't had a fight like that in years! It's not every day you see a woman with moves like that!"

Anna called down again, sounding indignant. "Hey, I could fight like that, too, if _somebody_ would have let me learn! _Hmph_" She folded her arms and pouted.

Holdt ignored his princess' comment and addressed the men. "Take note, lads! That right there is true skill. Every one of you should be striving to be like Princess Sophie here," he shouted.

"Good fight, Captain. I enjoyed myself. Looks like my work here is do –"

"Oh, no you don't, Fi. You don't get to retire for the day just yet." Another new voice cut her off and Sophie whirled around to see Aaron had snuck into the courtyard sometime during their fight. He had a look on his face that was eerily similar to Sophie's at the start of her bout with Holdt.

Anna clapped her hands together. "Yay, Aaron's here too! You two should spar! Desi doesn't mind, right, Desi?"

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience my sister has caused, Captain. We didn't mean to ruin your training… we will leave immediately if you want us to," Aaron said.

"Bah, this session couldn't get any more derailed even if a bloody dinosaur were to show up. You two can do as you please, I'll make up for it later," Holdt replied with a shrug. "Besides, your sister is a master swordsman. It was a pleasure to see her in action." He offered Aaron the training sword and bowed his head slightly in respect to the prince.

Aaron nodded a thank-you and accepted the weapon, then turned to face Sophie who was grinning wickedly. "I didn't think you'd show up here. Weren't you the one who was worried about causing too much of a scene?"

Aaron tested the weight of the training sword with a few waves in the air before responding. "Well I heard the commotion and knew you must be up to _something_ out here. I just figured I'd put you in your place so you didn't make that big head of yours even bigger."

Sophie stood at the ready and extended her sword towards Aaron. "Last I checked the score was tied at 28. Don't get cocky, dear brother."

Aaron readied himself as well, holding his weapon in his right hand and positioning himself in a way that almost exactly mirrored Sophie, his heels together and turned slightly the opposite way. "Guess this will be the tie-breaker then!" he exclaimed and charged forward, beginning the duel on the offensive.

Sophie was prepared and parried each blow gracefully, slowly stepping back and evading the onslaught of strikes. Aaron was just a quick as his sister and the two were exchanging hits so quickly that their weapons looked like a blur; the only thing suggesting they were even making contact was the consistent _whack_ that filled the air with each parry. The guards watched in awe at the sight of the twins' artful bout, utterly mystified by the fact that this level of combat could come from royalty.

The only one that was making any noise was Anna, who was cheering and hollering from her vantage point on the wall, ecstatic about the amount of entertainment at today's training session. Her cheers were interrupted when she heard the door on her right leading inside the castle swing open and her sister emerged, looking rather concerned.

"Anna? What's going on out here? Are you alright?"

"Oh, hey Elsa! Looks like your friends decided to join the guard training today," Anna said pointing down to the barracks courtyard where Aaron and Sophie were the center of attention, their bodies moving so quickly and fluidly that they looked like a pair of dancers on a stage. Elsa watched wide-eyed from up above. She had believed Sophie when she said that the twins were great fencers, but this was not exactly what Elsa had in mind. This was much more impressive than a prince and princess who enjoyed competitive fencing for sport in their free-time; _this_ was a battle between two expert swordsmen of the highest caliber.

Sophie was now on the offensive, attacking Aaron with a renewed vigor, letting out small grunts with each blow. Captain Holdt could tell she was putting much more effort into this fight than she had previously; she had been almost eerily silent in the former bout, keeping her cool demeanor even in the midst of battle.

Now, there was a fire in her green eyes burning with an intensity that Holdt had never seen in his own men, or anyone for that matter. Aaron's eyes held the same intensity, but there was also a level of concentration and calm. He was calculating – plotting the perfect time to make a move that would throw his sister off. All he had to do was wait for it.

Sophie backed off and took a deep breath. She quickly tore off her glasses and tossed them to the nearest unsuspecting guard who barely caught them in time. "Hold those," she stated bluntly before diving back into battle with Aaron.

Aaron laughed as he deflected a high blow. "You're so set on beating me that you're willing to reveal the fact that your glasses are mostly for show? I'm impressed with the dedication, Fi."

She ignored him, continuing her assault. She grew more and more fatigued with each strike but kept it up regardless, adding to the force each time, slowly working away at Aaron's defenses. Aaron blocked each blow skillfully, but was losing control of his footing little by little and eventually Sophie saw her chance. She spun low and attempted the same sweeping kick that had taken out Holdt, but Aaron anticipated it and just barely managed to jump, avoiding the kick and delivering a vertical slash that had Sophie pinned low to the ground. He pushed his weight down, pressing the advantage, and Sophie struggled not to yield to the attack. "Looks like it's about to be 28-29," Aaron grunted, convinced there was no way for Sophie to weasel her way out of the awkward position she was in.

"You're right," she said and then suddenly kicked out her foot and pushed Aaron's leg backwards. Since his entire weight was centered on the balls of his feet and he was leaning at a forty-five degree angle, Aaron lost all balance and fell forward. Sophie slipped under him, between his legs, and stood up in one quick motion. She turned and jabbed her weapon lightly into Aaron's back as he fell onto his stomach and dropped his weapon, defeated.

"28-29, me."


End file.
