Elsa had known that this journey was a horrible idea.

"Your Majesty, we cannot continue! The men will freeze if we do not find shelter!" Corporal Vale shouted over the storm.

The Queen sighed. She knew he was right. While the monarch herself was immune to the cold, her soldiers were not so lucky. Her magic was holding back the worst of the blizzard; a ten meter diameter of calm surrounded the group of five horses she and her men rode on through the night. But the ground was slick with slow and ice, slowing their progress to a crawl, and Elsa's powers could not raise the temperature itself. They'd been riding for hours, and even the heavy winter gear her guards wore could only protect them for so long.

"There's a small town nearby, is there not?" she suggested, remembering the maps they'd reviewed earlier. "Hopefully it contains an inn where we can spend the night. If not, we will simply make ourselves known to a household and compensate them for providing us shelter. Lead on, Corporal," she ordered.

The man nodded gratefully, and with that the Queen knew she had made the correct decision. Elsa disliked remaining away from the capital for extended periods; the castle and the royal city were her responsibility to protect, after all, but returning one night sooner was not worth several loyal men developing severe cases of frostbite.

Vale relayed the order to his men, and the group altered its course accordingly.

Again, Elsa mentally berated herself for allowing this predicament to occur. If she had just listened to her advisors, she and her men would be comfortably lodged in Castle Arendelle. Instead they were trekking through the largest winter storm of the year, and their best case scenario for the night were rooms in the local pub.

The Duke of Hammerfest's letter had been urgent, imploring the Queen to meet with him immediately. The details were said to be too vital to put into writing, but the man had insisted that it was a matter of national security. Her advisors had suggested waiting a few days; all signs hinted that a large winter storm was on the horizon, and the Duke was known for his drastic overreactions to matters that often turned out to be trivial.

But no, against her better judgment, the Queen had insisted to traveling to Arendelle's largest port city without delay, accompanied by a small retinue of Royal Guards. There was always the chance that the Duke wasn't exaggerating, and Elsa always preferred to be safe rather than sorry. As for the storm, there was nothing to fear; her powers would protect both herself and her escorts.

The excitable thirty-year old Duke had been immensely relieved to see the Queen, and had described in detail a nefarious plot from the nation of Weselton to bankrupt their glorious kingdom...by moderately increasing its tariff on imports. After resisting the urge to freeze the Duke to the wall, Elsa had assured the man that Arendelle's exports of ice and silver would remain profitable, and even if that was not the case, there remained a plethora of nations eager for their kingdom's business.

Despite the onset of snowfall, the Queen ordered her men to move out in the late afternoon. Two hours into their journey, the blizzard struck as scheduled. Elsa's powers, as it turned out, were far more effective at creating storms than negating them.

Hopelessly behind schedule, and with darkness upon them, even Elsa had to give in.

To her relief, the town in question did have an inn, as they discovered upon their arrival fifteen minutes later. Vale entered first, in order to explain the situation to the innkeeper, pay him for several rooms, and insist that he not reveal the Queen's presence. That settled, her men surrounded her and ushered the Queen through the bar and up the stairs, careful to conceal her as best they could from the inn's few awake patrons.

She took for herself the room closest to the top floor. Her men protested; it was the only room without a fireplace and had only a candle to light it, but the Queen had shut them down. She had no need of heat. While they had worn heavy fur coats, Elsa herself had been out in the blizzard wearing nothing but her dress. Which was made of ice. Better for those who needed actually needed a fire to have one, especially as it was her own fault that they were all in this mess.

Plus, remaining on the top floor made her more defensible. The men could take turns with a watch on the hallway below, the top floor's only entrance or exit point. To this, they finally acquiesced, leaving her alone in the room.

Elsa glanced out the window, watching through the thin glass as snow continued to fall. It may have been responsible for their current situation, but she couldn't help but find the weather beautiful. She was the Ice Queen of Arendelle, after all.

She was tempted to swing the two sides of the window in and leave it open through the night, such was her love of snow, but Elsa soon thought better of it. It wouldn't be right to make the inn colder for everyone else.

Reluctantly, the Queen turned away from the window and walked to the other side of the room. There was no point in removing her dress; it was comfortable (to her) and she could reform it in the morning if need be. She did, however, empty her pockets, placing the small bag of gold she carried and the map they'd been using onto the table. Blowing out the candle, Elsa climbed into the single bed adjacent to the table, gladly sinking her head into the pillow.

Perhaps the situation wasn't so bad after all. The bed was serviceable, her men would be warm, and they could all get some much needed rest. Most importantly, they were safe. Her guards were skilled, and with a determined watch on the hallway below no would-be assassin would have a chance to get close to the Queen. Besides, the only one who knew of her presence was the innkeeper, and it was certainly in his best interests to agree to Vale's demands and say nothing of the Queen.

By tomorrow night, she would be back in her silk sheets at the castle, and this trip would be nothing more than a bad memory.

For the next hour she laid awake in bed, mulling over the multitude of issues that her kingdom had to contend with. At the age of twenty-three, Elsa was the youngest reigning monarch in the world, forced into power after her parents' untimely deaths at sea five years ago. Many had viewed her with skepticism, especially considering her powers, but the first years of her rule had been prosperous and peaceful. The kingdom's welfare was the sole focus of her existence now, and she was determined to honor her family's legacy.

She thought back to the Duke's information. Weselton increasing its tariff was a concern. By no means was it an emergency, but it did raise the question of whether to continue to trade with Arendelle's much smaller neighbor. Weasel-town, as many justifiably referred to it, was obsessed with profit, never failing to try and take advantage of its trading partners given the slightest opportunity. Though its proximity to Arendelle meant that the cost of shipping goods was cheaper than doing so to a country such as Corona, it may be time to sacrifice this in favor of finding a more stable agree-

Creak.

Elsa's eyes opened with a flash. What had that been? She waited a moment...nothing. The Queen had just convinced herself that her mind was only acting up after a difficult day when she noticed one side of her window opening out of the corner of her vision. Elsa's heartbeat skyrocketed as both pieces of the window now swung smoothly into the room, not making a sound.

A small figure climbed through the opening, clad in a dark cloak. How he had gotten up this far, the Queen had no idea, but the question was irrelevant at his point. It was every child's nightmare scenario, an intruder in their room. Elsa felt like a little girl again, her face beginning to drip with sweat (something that didn't happen often.) As the figure silently lowered itself into the room's floorboards, she felt an urge to call to her parents. But they'd never be answering her again.

The intruder crept across the room; Elsa remained motionless, not wanting to give her consciousness away until she gathered her thoughts. Instead of rushing to the bed, dagger in hand, to kill the Queen in her sleep, the figure instead surveyed the room carefully, as if searching for something.

He's a thief, Elsa thought. Not an assassin. Otherwise he'd have tried to kill me already.

The figure made his way over to the bedside table. Elsa was amazed that her rapidly beating heart didn't give her away, but the intruder took no notice of her. He slipped two lithe fingers into her bag, withdrawing three gold coins. Slipping them into his pocket, the figure turned back towards the window.

Dozens of gold coins and that's all he pilfers? What the hell is going on here?!

Elsa was done cowering.

The thief was halfway to the window when Elsa suddenly sat up. "Stop!"

At the sound of her voice, the figure gave a jump of surprise, nearly tripping over his own feet as he turned around to face her.

"What are you doing in my room?!" the Queen demanded.

The thief slumped- was that a sigh? And as Elsa's eyes began to adjust to the darkness, the Queen finally got a glimpse of the intruder's face.

"Trying not to go hungry," she replied.

It was a woman. A very young woman. Elsa's eyes still couldn't make most of the thief out, but by the voice alone she knew. How had a girl this young climbed three stories up in the middle of a blizzard?

"Have you ever considered honest work?" the Queen replied tartly, pushing her surprise to the side. She'd have her answers soon enough.

"As if anyone would be willing to hire me in the middle of winter," the girl retorted. "I hate doing this, but I have no choice. You're obviously a noblewoman of some kind, three coins will mean little to you."

Elsa eyes suddenly adjusted enough to perceive that the thief was wearing a belt around her cloak. And on that belt rested a six inch dagger. The Queen's eyes widened.

"Don't worry," the girl assured her. Was it just Elsa, or did her voice sound...guilty? "I'm not going to hurt you, this is just for my own protection."

That did make sense. It wasn't wise for young men to wander around Arendelle's more rural towns alone in the middle of the night, even during a blizzard. And if this girl had wanted to harm her, she would have attempted it minutes ago.

"Goodbye, milady," the thief said. She turned again to the window and began to walk towards it.

The Queen finally found her voice. "You think I'm just going to let you walk out of here?" Elsa demanded.

Surprised, the girl rounded to face her again. "I'm not going to harm an innocent woman. But there's nothing you can do to stop me; you'd never have a hope of catching me, so save us both the effort and don't even try."

"Is that so?" With a lazy flick of Elsa's hand, a wall of ice materialized two feet behind the girl and rose to the ceiling, stopping just before hitting the wood. The thief barely had time to gasp before two icy chains sprouted out of the wall and lashed themselves to both of her hands.

"Those are unbreakable," Elsa said as the utterly shocked girl tugged desperately at the restraints. "You can't get free. So save us both the effort and don't even try."

Standing up from the bed, the Queen extended her hand. A brightly glowing snowflake came into existence above her palm, illuminating the room. Now, Elsa could see that the thief clearly. She looked to be a few inches shorter than the Queen, and slightly younger than the monarch. The girl was a redhead, with two braids of copper hair flowing down in front of her shoulders. Bright blue eyes sat atop a face dotted with tiny freckles.

With that, all of the pieces fell into place.

Over the past two years, stories circulated the upper echelons of Arendelle's nobility of a mysterious thief who appeared to have the ability to climb any surface. Several Dukes, nobles, and even a visiting prince on his way to the castle had claimed to have their valuables stolen by a young woman with red hair.

Although she could somehow climb up any wall, this woman was apparently lacking in the stealth department, and many guards had reported sightings of her as she fled. Stranger still, this thief only took paltry sums from her victims, never stealing anything too expensive. Some had theorized that she was merely in it for the thrill of the challenge, while others wondered if it was part of some wider conspiracy.

Elsa had heard of the rumors, of course, but had never given them full credibility. The stories seemed too unbelievable, and she didn't put it past the nobility to make up or exaggerate a tale for the purpose of creating more riveting dinner conversation. She'd consented to have wanted posters made of the woman (based on the descriptions of those who had seen her), accompanied by a relatively high bounty, but had paid the matter no further heed.

Until now.

The face on the posters bore a passing resemblance to the girl in front of her, but no more. And unlike the image on the posters, the girl was now white with shock. Her eyes were wide with abject horror.

There was only one person in the kingdom with such power over ice and snow.

"You-you're the Queen. I-but..."

"Yes." Elsa nodded. "I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle. And you just tried to rob me."

The girl fell to her knees, arms still held up by the chains. "Please...Your Majesty...I-I didn't..."

Elsa tried to be angry. This woman had just broken into her room and nearly frightened her half to death. But she seemed like the furthest thing from a cutthroat thief, despite the dagger she wore.

"What you did or did not know is irrelevant," Elsa replied, her voice betraying none of her surprise. "I know who you are. But even without accounting for your past actions...you just broke into the room of Arendelle's monarch and attempted to steal her possessions. That alone is grounds for execution."

The girl paled even further, but for once said nothing.

"But I am not without mercy. Perhaps given your circumstances, I can be lenient," Elsa noted.

"Your Majesty, I-"

Elsa held up a hand, and the girl ceased talking. "The kingdom knows of my powers over ice. But my magic can do far more than most know. It gives me the innate ability to sense whether anyone is telling the truth - or lying to me. Given your situation, I would suggest you do the former. If not..."

Her powers were capable of many impressive feats. They could be used to create massive structures of ice, had the ability to generate semi-sentient soldiers made out of pure snow, and could even heal all but the most grievous of injuries. What they could not do was detect lies. But if this girl believed that they could, then she would answer Elsa's questions honestly, and with that information the Queen could decide what to do with her.

The girl nodded vigorously. "Whatever you want to know. I'll tell you the truth, I promise."

"You'd better." Elsa would have smirked if she didn't feel guilty about scaring the young woman. Another flick of her wrist, and the chains holding the girl dissolved, though the wall remained. A small measure of relief appeared on the thief's face as her arms fell to the ground.

"First, what is your name?"

"A-Anna, Your Majesty," the girl answered. Elsa gestured for her to continue.

"Your last name?" the Queen asked.

"Oh! I, uh, don't have one. I've never known my family. Sorry," she apologized, although for what the Queen wasn't sure.

"So where did you grow up? In one of the orphanages?" Elsa asked. Early in their reign, her parents had used some excess funds from the treasury to finance the creation of several homes for children without families. Partially due to an epidemic that had recently passed at the time, the number homeless children had been on the rise. Today, it was known as one of their more successful programs.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty. I was dropped off as a baby. Never heard of my parents since," Anna replied, her voice both bitter and afraid. The girl was terrified, but Elsa didn't need magic powers to know she was telling the truth.

"One more question then. What made you begin to make a life out of robbing nobles? Why only steal so little, and from the most well-guarded of citizens? And how did you do it?" the Queen questioned. A mystery that had plagued many high ranking officials was about to be solved.

Anna looked up at her curiously. "That's more than one question...I-I mean it'll take more than one answer...I-mean-sorry, Your Majesty, I-"

"Yes, yes," Elsa stopped Anna's babbling. "Just tell me the truth," she said, more gently.

"I was always on the wilder side as a child. Probably why I was never adopted," Anna added, her expression somewhat pained. "When I turned sixteen, my time in the orphanage ended. I was expected to go out and support myself, find work and hopefully find a husband, but..."

"But what?" the Queen demanded.

Anna sighed. "It turned out that there wasn't much I was cut out for. Too um-awkward- to work in a tavern, not strong enough for most manual labor, and far too clumsy to be a farm hand. And as for finding a husband...let's just say I haven't had any luck. I've never been good at hunting, gods know I've tried, and during most winters the little amount of work available to me dries up like that," she snapped her fingers.

Elsa pursed her lips thoughtfully. How Anna could not have found a husband, Elsa wasn't sure. Even mostly concealed by her cloak, she could tell that Anna was a very attractive woman. Those blue eyes alone...she should have had no difficulty finding a man among the middle class to wed her.

The Queen mentally scolded herself for getting sidetracked.

"So you're too clumsy to carry things on a farm, but you're also skilled enough to climb up to my room in the middle of a blizzard?" Elsa crossed her arms skeptically.

Anna shrugged sheepishly. "Kinda. The only thing I've ever been good at was climbing. There was a waterfall near where I grew up, and I spent a lot of time climbing the rocks underneath it. Damn near broke my neck a hundred times, but I always managed to fall into the water. It was my favorite thing to do as a kid, and eventually I got really good at it. When I was focused on the rocks, my usually completely uncoordinated hands seemed to have a mind of their own. Of course, I never dreamed it would be so useful..."

"So when you had no money and no work, you would use that skill to climb into nobles' houses and pilfer their belongings," Elsa guessed.

Anna nodded. "I hated - still hate - myself for it, but it was steal, die, or whore myself off. I chose the first option."

Elsa grimaced at her words. Anna seemed to notice, judging by the blush that spread to her cheeks.

"S-sorry, Your Majesty. Anyway, I decided only to take from those who could absolutely afford it. And if I only took enough to survive, I could live with myself. Sure, it was risky, but I wasn't going to rob those who were barely better off than me," she explained. Elsa could sense her defensiveness, as well as the guilt she was failing to cover up.

"How long have you been doing this?" the Queen questioned.

Anna sighed. "A little over two years now. I turned eighteen a few months ago; it wasn't long after I left the orphanage on my sixteenth birthday that I started to…"

"And when you saw me and my men come in here tonight, you assumed I was a noble based on how my guards shepherded me up the stairs. So you waited for an hour, went outside, and climbed up here," Elsa surmised, cutting her off.

Anna's eyes fell to the ground, but she nodded softly. "I was on my way to the capital. I'd been hoping I could find work on a ship, but no one would...so I decided to see if there were jobs available in the royal city. I had to use the rest of my money to rent a room here, it was that or freeze to death outside, but that meant I had nothing left to buy food with. And I was so hungry...I couldn't resist."

"Do you know anyone in the capital?" she asked, wondering if Anna would have somewhere to spend the night.

"No. It's hard to make any good friends when you're moving around as much as I am," she explained.

The Queen's heart filled with pity. There probably wasn't a worse situation in Arendelle than being a young unmarried girl with no connections to speak of. Unemployment generally wasn't a severe problem in the kingdom, but there were many who would be very hesitant to hire one such as Anna. Especially if her only skill to speak of was climbing...

"Is there anything else you can do? Besides climbing, I mean. Something that would enable you to make decent coin?"

Anna sighed. "You don't think I would have thought of that already? I'm desperate enough to risk my life robbing from Dukes and..." her eyes widened as she realized she had just mouthed off to the Queen of Arendelle. The very Queen who now held her life squarely in her hands.

Elsa gave an unconcerned gesture with her hand, beckoning her to continue.

"Sorry, Your Majesty. Well, I have some skill in fighting, I think. There were some wooden swords in the orphanage that I often practiced with; the others always said I was a natural. All I have now is this cheap dagger, but the practice I had as a child has saved my life more than once in the past."

"You've killed?" Elsa sputtered out, her Queenly mask faltering for a moment. She wouldn't blame Anna for acting in self-defense, of course, but Elsa couldn't believe that a girl such as this would be capable of such a thing.

Anna's face went scarlet red. "No, but I have had to wound one or two tough guys who thought I was easy pickings. A small stab in the arm and they crumble. But anyway...I think I could be a skilled fighter if I had a real weapon and someone to teach me. But no one teaches for free, especially not to a young woman who can't sit still. Maybe if I got good enough I could win some coin in tournaments, but it's a pipe dream."

Elsa nodded. Gods, what was she going to do with this girl? The Queen couldn't find it in herself to blame Anna for her choices, if she was telling the truth, that was. Of course, Anna had appeared to completely buy her line about her magic enabling her to detect lies, and she didn't seem to be someone who would be skilled at lying. There was no magic involved, but Elsa was well-practiced in sensing lies; it was virtually a requirement to being Queen. With near certainty, she knew Anna was telling the truth.

But justice would demand that she punish the thief, no matter the circumstances. Perhaps not execution, but certainly imprisonment at the least.

"Very well," the Queen intoned, her mask back in full force. "Before I pass judgment, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Anna's eyes were rooted to the ground. "No," she murmured. "I'm guilty. I'm sorry for what I've done, but I can't say I would take it back," she admitted.

Elsa hesitated. Her parents would certainly have punished the girl in some fashion. Be fair but firm, they had always advised her.

Why did you have to leave me? Why do I have to make all of these decisions alone?

But then...what had Anna done, really? Frightened a few nobles perhaps, but never caused anyone bodily harm. In the tales told of her exploits, the girl had never attacked a single person. Could Elsa afford to be soft?

Perhaps, in this case. There was no one here to see her verdict, and Anna would certainly not be repeating the story if she didn't want to be arrested.

The Queen sighed. With a wave of her hand, the ice wall behind Anna disappeared into nothing. A set of icy steps materialized just outside her window, spiraling towards the ground. Anna stood up in surprise and turned around, viewing the display with wonder.

"Just...go," Elsa murmured.

Anna stared at her in shock. "G-go?" she stuttered.

"Yes. You're free to leave. I excuse you of punishment given your circumstances," the Queen said finally.

Anna continued to stare at her. "You're just going to let me, a criminal in every respect, walk away? Knowing that I'll likely steal again?"

Despite herself, Elsa couldn't help but bring a hand up to her mouth to cover a chuckle. "You're really not helping your case, you know," she pointed out. In truth, although it should have mattered to Elsa, it didn't. Her actions did nothing more than give the nobles something to talk about. She was hardly a menace to society.

"Right..." Anna muttered. She reached into her pocket and took out the three coins, placing them on the ground. "Your Majesty, I -thank you." She turned back towards the window.

"Wait!" Elsa ordered. As Anna faced her once again, the Queen reached down and picked up the gold.

"Keep them. Get yourself a room in the royal city. I-good luck Anna," Elsa said. Her face burned red. What the hell was she even thinking? But the Queen placed the coins in the girl's hand.

Anna stared at her in shock. Elsa could tell she felt especially guilty about taking them now, after the Queen had shown her mercy. But hunger eventually won out.

The 'thief' nodded. "I-I will, Your Majesty. Thank you," she repeated, her tone flowing with gratitude. With that Anna went to the window and stepped out onto the top of the snow steps. She surveyed Elsa's creation with wonder.

"You're amazing - I mean you're magical - I mean your magic is amazing," Anna breathed. Elsa nearly gave a start of surprise. Most were frightened at least somewhat by her powers. The kingdom had grown to accept them, her powers over ice and snow did a lot to help bolster Arendelle's valuable ice exports and enhance the country's already strong defenses, but they still made nearly everyone nervous.

Anna didn't seem frightened in the least. The only expression on her face was awe.

"Thank you," the flustered Queen finally replied. Anna looked back once more at her before beginning her descent, sinking out of her view.

And for some reason, Elsa was sad to see her go.

/

As soon as Anna's feet left the bottom step, the staircase behind her disintegrated into the wind. She watched the magic dissipate with a heavy heart, the Queen's power truly was incredible.

She stared down at the coins in her hand, still in complete shock. She had just met the Queen. The gorgeous, stunning Ice Queen of Arendelle. One of the most powerful people in the world, in spite of her young age.

No. The most powerful person in the world, if her magic was as strong as it was rumored to be.

Her face burned with shame. And who was Anna? A peasant of the lowest sort, unfit to even be in Her Majesty's presence. A petty thief forced into crime because she was too clumsy for the simplest of tasks. Yet she'd intruded into the room of the Queen of Arendelle, probably frightened her half to death, and walked away from a crime that should have merited execution. If what the people said was accurate, Elsa was a benevolent monarch just like her father had been, but Anna should not have gotten off so lightly.

Or so heavily, she thought, staring at the weighted coins in her hand. Still, she was relieved. For a moment there, Anna had believed death to be a very real possibility. Now, however, she had a growing suspicion that it had never been.

Anna sighed as she walked back into the inn through the front door. Despite her shame, she had enough coin for room and board for the next week, and that was what mattered.

As Anna entered her room on the first floor, she thought back to her conversation with the Queen. Maybe there was an escape from this life, if she could somehow find someone to teach her real swordplay. She'd faced several men trying to take advantage of her before, and despite being untrained and armed with only a six inch dagger, her skill had proved enough to keep them at bay. If Anna had a real sword and a teacher to go with it...

No. It would never happen. For now, she was stuck in this situation. Anna could probably find a husband if she wanted to, but she hadn't meant any men who interested her. She probably never would.

Why did the Queen let me go? she thought again. Had it been compassion, pity, or had Anna simply not been worth the effort? Given the bounty on her capture, she doubted it was the latter.

Whatever Her Majesty's reasons, Anna was grateful to the extreme.

With difficulty, Anna pushed her thoughts aside and climbed into bed, trying not to think about the woman who resided three floors above her.

AN: This story is inspired by In the Service in the Queen, probably my favorite Elsanna fic of them all. The initial premise of my story will be similar to that of In the Service in the Queen, but it won't be long before the plot-lines diverge widely.

In this story, Elsa never had a sister, and thus never experienced the accident that led her to fear her powers. She embraced them throughout her childhood and learned to control them.

Also, yes, the fact that Anna can climb is a huge change from canon. Aside from that, however, she's as adorably careless as ever.

Disclaimer: Frozen is owned by Disney, not me.