Author's note: Yes, I'm still here. My free time for writing is just very limited at the moment. I do intend to finish this story, so please bear with me. Now, on to the show:

Elsa slumped against the wall just outside Anna's room and rubbed her temples. Her ears were ringing, her vision was slightly blurry, and her breathing was shallow and rapid. She never quite understood why she could feel that way. It confused her. She would be fine one moment, perhaps a bit drained from being around people, and the next feel absolutely compelled to get away from everyone, even those she loved. So while everyone was changing into winter clothing (Anna and Kristoff) or a uniform "more befitting a king" (Wilhelm), Elsa fled. Her guards silently followed her down the hall toward the side entrance of the courtyard nearest the temporary platform erected for her appearance. There, she wearily leaned against the wall and let gravity take over.

She wanted to be done with the day. Make no mistake, she loved the fact Anna had gone through all the trouble of planning a ball for her. And all the trouble Kai, Gerda, Admiral Westerguaard, Captain Heinrichsson, and the others went through to hide Wilhelm's presence in Arendelle just to surprise her. It just...wasn't her. Too many strangers and distant acquaintances, too much mindless talking without any chance to stop and think. And almost zero chance of anything but small talk. Elsa longed for deeper discussions. Instead of the weather and endless jokes about whether or not her powers were behind every snow squall, she longed to connect with people on a deeper level, to get a glimpse of who they really were behind the polite masks everyone wore in public. She felt completely exhausted from pretending interest in who was wearing what, who was seeing whom, so and so's marital difficulties or health problems, ad nauseum when in reality she wanted to talk about human existence and the recent developments in science and mathematics. Toughest part about being queen, she thought ruefully, and Papa didn't even mention it. At least she had had Wilhelm there to help take some of the burden.

Wilhelm. Elsa's heart was thrumming with happiness even as her head throbbed a bit more with each heartbeat. She had Wilhelm back! Two weeks later than it should have been but still...he was here! She still felt his lips upon hers, the way his arms cradled her, his hands upon her waist, his deep voice whispering in her ear. She sighed as the corners of her mouth twitched upward. The next nine months until the wedding were going to be difficult. She would have stayed in that relatively blissful mental state if she hadn't suddenly thought of a particularly awkward exchange during the ball.

"Your Majesty? Are you listening?"

Elsa startled at the sudden intrusion, mentally berating herself for zoning out. She had not heard a word being said to her as the Countess of Helsgaard rambled on. "Uh...I...that is...I..."

"Look at your sister. Now there's a woman who knows how to hold a proper conversation." The older noblewoman sniffed, her disapproval evident.

Elsa deflated a bit. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't..." But she found she was talking to herself as the countess had already moved on to another victim.

The queen cringed just remembering it. She hadn't meant to offend. The countess rambled endlessly about her own wedding several decade before then started talking about her bunions—her bunions of all possible subjects! Elsa's mind quickly took flight wondering why so many people felt comfortable disclosing such information to her, of all people. Perhaps it was because she barely spoke. It wasn't like she didn't try. Every time she tried to say something, whoever was talking just kept on going. So she remained silent, unable to get a word in edgewise, listening. She was so busy sorting her thoughts she hadn't realized that the woman was waiting for a response. The evening had been filled with awkward pauses of that sort as Elsa gathered her thoughts. Why can't I be more like Anna? Her sister barely paused for breath, much less strain to put a coherent sentence together. And their ways of greeting strangers couldn't be more different. Anna actively sought out strangers, eagerly engaging them in conversation while staring straight into their eyes. Elsa never sought anyone out, responding only to those who sought her out. She found eye contact uncomfortable and exhausting, keeping her own eyes toward the floor, only looking up to briefly glance at someone's face before quickly looking away.

Despite her discomfort, she seemed to draw people just as much as Anna. That was a mystery to her. It was easy to see why people would like Anna—who wouldn't?—but herself? No, that was too much to fathom.

Crowd noise bubbled faintly through the thick oaken door beside her, sending her butterflies were on a rampage. There was no way she wanted to go out there. The thought of so many eyes on her was simply unnerving. Elsa subconsciously wrapped her arms around her churning stomach, fighting to hold the nausea back. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep, slow breaths, concentrating on her breathing pattern and trying to calm her thundering heartbeat.

Ok, Elsa. You can do this. All you have to do is go out, smile, wave, and give a speech thanking everyone for helping you celebrate. Nothing to it. You've been practicing it for days. Her train of thought was interrupted by a light series of footsteps. Elsa knew who it was without looking. Years of listening through her bedroom door had left her with particularly acute hearing, something Anna still didn't quite appreciate. She listened as the footsteps drew close, then a rustle of skirts let her know that Bridget crouched beside her. A small, warm hand ghosted across her hairline and down her face.

"Milady, here, drink."

Elsa turned her head to look into the concerned green eyes of her lady-in-waiting. How does she know to make me tea? I never ask for it, yet she always has it. She slowly reached for the offered cup, taking a tentative sip. Peppermint flavored to settle the stomach with a touch of honey and, yes, the distinct aftertaste of willow bark. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome," Bridget cocked her head. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable in a chair? There's one right over there."

Elsa smiled over the rim. "I'm fine where I am, thank you." She drained the cup and handed it back.

"Very well, ma'am."

Elsa resumed her previous position. She yawned. Wow, am I tired! I even had a nap earlier. Okay, Elsa. Just one more thing. A part of her mind protested, "But I don't want to see any more people today. I've been seeing people all day! Next year, I want something different." A picture of reading in front of the fireplace in the library while wrapped in a blanket and eating chocolate formed in her mind. She shook her head. Another image, this one of riding her horse alone through the winter landscape, flew into her consciousness. "No. Not yet," she chided herself. "Come on, Elsa, focus. First you have to get through this." She began rehearsing her lines again, mentally picturing the crowd's reaction to her words, when she heard Anna, Kristoff, and Wilhelm coming her way.

"It was hilarious!" Anna's voice cackled with mirth as it rattled down the corridors. "She had leaves everywhere!"

"And she didn't freeze you into a block of ice and dump you in the fjord for it?" Wilhelm sounded amused.

"Nope, although this big dope..." There was a muffled thump.

Kristoff yelped, "Hey!"

"...thought she might."

"And you obviously didn't," the prince noted dryly.

"No way! She's my sister. There's no way she's going to do something like that to me just for throwing her into a pile of leaves!"

Kristoff eyed his princess. "Well, you have to admit it might have crossed her mind. She wasn't in a very good mood."

"And the two of us throwing her in that pile was just the thing she needed to cheer her up! Especially after being forced to spend a week with that pompous a...uh, idiot...grilling her about her powers for hours on end! So there!"

"Oh," Kristoff grumbled as they came around the corner, "it cheered her up all right. Right after she buried both of us in a humongous pile of snow."

Anna wasn't paying attention. Her eyes landed on Elsa huddled against the wall. She sprinted down the hall, dropped to her knees, and promptly slid into the wall beside her sister. "Oof!" Anna pushed herself up from the floor and took Elsa's face in her hands. "Elsa! Is something wrong? Are you hurt?"

Elsa opened her eyes with a tired smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Nothing. Just going over my speech."

"Oh, that old thing? Really?" Anna stood, grabbed her sister with a mittened hand and pulled her to her feet. "El, you've practiced it so much I think I have it memorized!" Elsa yawned so broadly her jaw popped. Anna eyed her, noting just how exhausted her big sister looked. "Why are you so tired? You slept for hours this afternoon."

Elsa slouched a bit against Anna's hands. "I always get this way after a party, remember?"

Anna thought for a second, the tip of her tongue perched on the corner of her lips. "Yeah, I do. Remember that farewell ball in July? We tore the castle apart searching for you and here you were, sleeping in the garden, all alone. Same as when we were kids." Anna playfully punched Elsa's arm. "Some things haven't changed."

"And they probably never will, Princess Meet-and-Greet." Elsa lightly slapped Anna's arm then yawned again. "Come on, let's get this over with before I—yawn—fall asleep on my feet."

"You know, you probably should be tired after all the sleep you've lost trying to keep up with all your work—that I keep offering to help you with, might I add..."

"You know about that?"

"Yep. Gerda told me today what you had been doing, working in your room until one or two in the morning instead of sleeping, getting up at five. And how you would still get up to play with me when I couldn't sleep despite getting almost no sleep, you stinker," Anna wagged a finger at Elsa. "You haven't had a solid night's sleep in weeks. You should have told me to go back to bed because you needed sleep. Now I feel simply awful for all the times I woke you up."

"Anna, no! I wanted to play with you...so you could—yawn—remember."

Anna eyed her skeptically. "Looks like all that missed sleep is finally catching up to you. At least you'll have Wilhelm to carry you to bed if you do fall asleep on your feet," Anna teased. "I'm sure he won't mind." Elsa glanced at her fiance. A grin slowly spread across her face. Anna watched her reaction and giggled. "And I'm sure you won't mind, either. Eeeek! COLD! Coldcoldcoldcoldcold!" Elsa giggled as she watched Anna wiggle the snow out of her dress.

Wilhelm sidled up to her and gave her an exaggerated bow. "Shall we?"

"Hey!" Anna protested.

Elsa muffled a giggle and took the offered arm with a haughty, "We shall, kind sir." Their eyes met and their facades started cracking into stifled giggles then broke completely in laughter. When they finally regained control, Elsa motioned to the door. "Captain? We are ready."

"Very good, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," Elsa whispered so quietly only Wilhelm heard her clearly.

"You're welcome," he replied. "Now, what was it I heard about you getting visited by a Papal envoy?"

Elsa shot him a dangerous look. "Never speak of that...individual in my presence."

"So it was as bad as I heard."

"If not worse."

He winced. "Hope he doesn't decide to pay a return visit now that I am here."

Elsa shuddered as the door swung open, allowing an Arctic blast to swirl into the hall. "I concur. I have no desire to repeat that experience."

Outside in the snow-clad courtyard, the torch-lit crowd came alive. "The Queen! Our beautiful Queen!"

Elsa took a tentative step outside, her eyes darting toward the crowd partially hidden behind a double row of guards. The prince gently guided her forward when she froze, all her earlier courage gone. So many people! Even, she gulped, more than...than after my winter! She moved mechanically toward the platform, as though she was no longer capable of independent movement. Her body trembled and she felt magic build in her hands. She dug her fingernails into her palms, willing the icy storm to stay inside and for her tremors to cease. Nononononononono! Wilhelm looked at her in concern when she started hyperventilating as the internal storm increased in fury.

"Are you all right?"

Elsa tore her eyes from the crowd to look at her fiancé. He shook his arm free. Her eyes opened wide, irrationally fearing that he was abandoning her, until he slid his arm around her back and drew her in, rubbing small circles on her back. His right hand cupped the back of her head, pressing her head into his shoulder before he started stroking her hair to comfort her. He was murmuring something but the roar of blood in her ears prevented her from hearing clearly. What she could hear was his calm, soothing tone and feel his arms around her, supporting her even as her own muscles seemed ready to relinquish the role. Her internal storm lessened slightly, enough for her to regain a semblance of control and to find her voice again.

"Thank you. I...I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" His eyes probed her face in the torchlight.

She took a shaky breath. "For now." He kissed her hairline and released her. She took his arm again. A hand slid into her left hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. Elsa looked left to find Anna smiling at her. "You'll do fine, El," she whispered, giving her big sister a side hug.

The crowd surged forward as the royals ascended the platform. Anna waved enthusiastically, calling out to several people she recognized. Elsa was far more subdued, bashfully waving while her cheeks heated up from the attention, glad for the steadying presence beside her. More than one young man in the crowd turned a jealous eye at the two men on the platform beside the royal women, having lost their own chances at winning their hands. Even with the Queen engaged to a prince from childhood, there was still the Princess—and she had been snapped up by a Sami—a Sami!—within days of being revealed to the public. There was no way that seemed fair or that Arendelle would have a Sami prince if they wed.

Back in a dark corner, a cloaked figure strained to see over the crowd as it surged forward once the Queen appeared on the platform. He cursed the utter lack of cover. The only concealment was the crowd itself. He looked up toward the walls, noting the numerous well-armed men on patrol. No, if he did anything, it must be from the courtyard itself. But how? He looked around. Ah, there! Someone left some crates out, probably discards from the party. He made his way around the back edge of the crowd, thankful that no one paid him the slightest attention. He stacked a pair of crates as the Queen began speaking, her mezzo-soprano voice carrying clearly on the crisp, cold air. A brief thought percolated through his mind. A pity that such a beauty must be silenced. He shook it off and leaped on the crates. From there, he had a perfect view of the royal platform.

The sawed-off carbine wasn't his preferred weapon—far too inaccurate for the distance he normally shot from—but it was the best he could smuggle past the guards. He checked to see if the guards had noticed him. When none appeared as though he had, he turned his attention back to the Queen, now introducing her fiance to the kingdom and announcing the date of their wedding to very vocal approbation. He reached under his cloak. The air in front of him shimmered, obscuring his view. He withdrew his hand and waved it in front of him. The air cleared, giving him a perfect view of the Queen's head. He reached for his weapon a second time. This time the air became opaque, completely cutting off his view, while the crate underneath him suddenly crumbled, sending him into the snowdrift below. He looked around. The air was clear and there was no one around except for several guards now eyeing him while another started toward him. He quickly rose and brushed himself off. "Are you alright, sir?" the guard asked.

"Yes, perfectly. I must have slipped. Please, excuse me." He quickly turned his face away from the guard and back to the front. The Queen's speech ended to thunderous applause around them. He stared at the royal party for a long minute then slunk out of the courtyard. Once on the causeway, he shook his head. What in the world happened back there? His eyes glinted darkly in the torchlight. This assignment had just gotten a whole lot harder.

Anna leaned toward her sister. "Ready to be carried to bed, sis?" Anna waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Elsa quickly threw a snowball into Anna's face. "Hey!" Anna wiped the snow out of her face, then bent down and made a snowball herself. "Oh, it's on, sister."

Elsa giggled. "Hey, you're the one with the innuendo."

Anna chucked her snowball at her sister. Elsa dodged it easily, instantly returning fire. Anna threw herself to one side. "I..." Kristoff began before the snowball silenced him.

Anna looked at her boyfriend then back at her sister with a wicked grin. "Okay, now you're asking for it."

"I am?" Elsa looked amused.

"Yep! Now you've got Kristoff the Reindeer King involved."

"Oooo, I'm scared," Elsa teased.

Kristoff grabbed Anna's arm before she could throw another snowball. "Anna, remember what happened last time? And now there are two of them! I don't think this is a good idea."

Anna grinned. "It's the perfect idea. Now let go of me!"

Kristoff sighed in resignation. "Okay. Just don't say I tried to warn you." He formed a snowball of his own and grimaced when he looked up to see a giant snowball hovering over his head. "What I do for love," he muttered.

The fireplace in the royal library looked large enough to drive a team of horses through. The bonfire it contained warmed the room enough for even Anna to need only a light blanket. Such a fire might be too much in a normal house but a stone castle was not normal. It was always drafty and the stones themselves seemed to suck the heat right out of a room. And the windows! You could feel the cold radiating off the glass from across the room. Heavy drapes helped with the windows while wood paneling, tapestries, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves insulated the walls. Two couches flanked the fireplace, with a pair of overstuffed chairs completing the arrangement.

"I don't know why you agreed to meet Anna here." Wilhelm and Elsa stood hand-in-hand in the doorway.

Elsa playfully pulled Wilhelm over to a couch and shrugged. "She said she wanted meet us here after she changes clothes," she yawned. "Something about wanting to talk to you."

"You may not last until she gets here," he pointed out as she attempted to stifle another yawn.

Elsa gave him a tired smile. "True." She sat down on the couch and tugged him down beside her.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea. You're exhausted..."

Elsa laid a finger on his lips. "Being with you is hardly tiring."

He shook his head, snaked his arm under her legs, and easily lifted her into his lap. He kissed her then tucked her head under his chin, feeling her body still as she relaxed and her body molded to his. He held her, reveling in their closeness after so many years apart. Elsa stared at the fire, allowing her mind to drift as she watched the spellbinding flames. Neither said anything—neither wanted to break the comfortable silence. She closed her eyes when he began rubbing small circles into her back. He waited until he heard her breathing change as she slipped into slumber—it didn't take long, just as he suspected. He stayed there, cradling her, looking into her sleeping face, remembering the first time he had ever held her. It was the summer he turned seventeen, staying in Arendelle for entire summer for the first time. Wilhelm remembered the concerned looks on King Adgar's and Queen Idun's faces as they rushed from Elsa's room. He could still hear the panicked voice trailing after them. "Please, go! I...I don't...want to...hurt you!"

"What is wrong?" the teenager stared at the snowflake door.

Idun turned her teary gaze to him. "Elsa is...having trouble..."

"Elsa? What's wrong?" Elsa's mother cringed and sought Adgar's arms as a muffled moan wormed through the door. "Is she alright? What's happening?"

"She is having trouble controlling her powers," Adgar told him.

Wilhelm reached for the door. "I can help her."

"No!" Idun panicked. "It's too dangerous!"

"Your Majesty, please, I can help her. She cannot hurt me." He held up his hand, allowing a few snowflakes to trickle down. "Let me help her."

Adgar looked him in the eye. "Are you certain you can help?" Wilhelm nodded. "Then go. Quickly"

Wilhelm put his hand to the knob and took a deep breath. He quickly slipped into the Arctic air behind the door and shut it behind him. He glanced around, hearing her whimpers and rapid breathing but not seeing her. He took a couple steps into the room. "Elsa?"

"Wil?" Her voice came out as a reedy whisper. He stepped around the bed. "No! G..go a..a..away!" She gasped and tensed as if a tsunami of pain hit her. "P...p...please! I don't...w..want to h..hurt you!"

He dropped to his knees and scooped her up. "You can't hurt me, remember? My powers protect me from yours." She trembled, her breathing rapid and very shallow. He knew she would faint shortly. "Elsa? Look at me." He gently lifted her chin until her sapphire orbs looked into his. "Now, inhale and hold your breath. Try again. You're doing great. Try again. Hold it. Don't breath out until I say to. Now, exhale slowly. Good. Again, inhale..."

It seemed like hours before her panic subsided and she fell into an exhausted sleep, still cradled in his arms. After that, if he was in Arendelle, he was the go-to person to calm the crown princess during an attack. If only he had been able to teach her control as well! But for him, control came without thinking as to why he had control and she didn't and no-one had any good ideas as to why the difference.

He looked down at the now-Queen, still content to sleep in his arms. "You'll just have to wait until morning to find out what Anna wants," he whispered into her hair as he carried her to bed.

Elsa squinted groggily in the morning light. Wha? I must have fallen asleep. She turned her head and blinked to focus her eyes. I'm in my room. What time is it?

"GOOOOD MORNING, sleepyhead!"

"Aaah!" A blast of snow escaped her hands and laid Anna out on the floor. Elsa paled and gasped in horror.

Anna sat up from the floor and spit snow out of her mouth. "Ptooey! Seriously, El? And I even brought you breakfast!"

"Sorry," Elsa, very relieved, smothered a giggle with her hand as Anna got up and shook snow out of her hair. She stretched. "What time is it?"

Anna squinted at the clock across the room. "Almost eleven-thirty."

"Eleven-thirty!" Elsa screeched, instantly wide awake. She jumped out of bed, raced to her wardrobe, and began pawing frantically through it. "Oh, I'm late! The council meeting was at seven-thirty! Why didn't Bridget or Kai wake me?" Anna caught her arm and forced her back to bed. "Anna!"

"Calm down, sis. Wilhelm and I handled it. There wasn't anything they needed you for anyway. Just a bunch of year-end reports on how great everything has been going and plans for next year. I put the minutes on your desk so you can read the whole boring thing later." Anna grabbed the breakfast tray and turned back to the bed, stopping when she noticed Elsa staring wide-eyed at her with her mouth hanging open. "What?"

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

"Huh?"

"You attended the council meeting. At seven-thirty. In the morning."

"Yeah, why?" Anna plopped the tray onto Elsa's lap and sat down on the bed beside her.

"You actually woke up in time to go to a meeting at seven-thirty in the morning."

"Yeah, why? Is it that surprising?" Elsa slowly nodded. Anna punched her shoulder. "It's not that surprising, El. Sheesh!"

"Tell that to Melody when she has to drag you out of bed in time for lunch. And even then, you drag yourself into the dining room half-asleep and nearly fall asleep on top of your food."

"That was only one time! I'm not like that all the time!" Anna protested.

"What about last week when you fell asleep at the table and your face landed in a bowl of oatmeal?"

"Well, you were to blame, waking me up at the ungodly hour of nine o'clock just to meet with some stuffed shirt ambassador after Kristoff and I didn't get back until one in the morning." Anna suddenly realized what she said when she saw the shocked look on Elsa's face. "Oops. You...didn't know that...heh heh."

Elsa decided to ignore the subject until later. "And two days ago, you started snoring in the middle of a speech."

"It was early in the morning. Why couldn't we have met with the guild in the afternoon?"

"It was brunch and Kristoff and the other ice harvesters were leaving in the afternoon."

"Okaaay. Seriously, though, who knew that old codger had such a long speech in him?"

"Anna, you shouldn't refer..."

"I know, I know. Sorry." Anna brightened. "Eat up quick!"

"Why?" Elsa took a small bite of egg.

"We're going shopping!"

Elsa shook her head. "I'd love to but I can't. I have a lot of work to do this afternoon since I slept all morning."

"No you don't."

"I don't?"

"Nope! Wilhelm and I handled it."

"All of it?" Elsa thought of the stack of unread letters and reports awaiting her.

"Yep! I already wrote replies to those ones that I could and Wilhelm went over the reports with Lord Stevenson. All you have to do is sign a couple letters and you're done for the day!"

Elsa choked on a piece of venison. Anna pounded her back until the coughing spasm subsided. "You...you did what?"

"Don't look so surprised, sis. I did your work for you. With some help, naturally, but...well...it's done! Now, come on, hurry up. We're going shopping!"

"But..."

"No buts. You're getting out of this castle if I have to tie you up and carry you out. Now eat, you stinker!"

"Okay, okay," Elsa resigned herself. "At least tell me what we're looking for."

Anna gave her an incredulous look. "Wilhelm? Your fiancé? Remember him? We don't have anything for him for Christmas!"

Elsa paused. Why didn't I think of that? Aloud, she murmured, "True." She pushed the tray from her lap and stood. "Well, I'm done. Let me get ready and we'll go."

Anna smirked as her sister looked and sounded more like someone headed to the rack than someone going Christmas shopping. She playfully bumped Elsa's shoulder. "Oh, come on, you. It won't be that bad."

"That's what you think."

Anna flopped over on the bed and propped herself up on her elbows while Bridget helped Elsa get dressed. "I go to town all the time. It's very nice, actually."

Elsa turned to face her. "That's just it. You're there all the time so everyone is used to you. Whenever I leave the castle, it turns into a madhouse."

"Well, you'll just have to go more often until everyone's used to you too. Hmm...now, how can we sneak you into town without causing a riot..." Anna tapped her chin with a slender finger and stuck her tongue out the corner of her mouth, as she always did when thinking hard. She snapped her fingers. "That's it!" She bounced off the bed. "We'll go in disguises like we did when we ordered Kristoff's sled! Wear those huge cloaks again so no-one can see who we are! It'll be great! Come on!"