Leaves swirled in the spring air, for once not matched by thoughts swirling in her head. Though this year she found herself shaking with nerves, she knew would return home triumphant. Not just with the trophy, for that wasn't exactly unusual, but also with the pride from her new... family. She finally had a family, one who could fully support her love for fencing, and this time she'd even have an audience that cared for her. She felt like she could get high on that feeling.

They arrived at the hotel a few hours early, giving them plenty of time before they had to check-in at the tournament. Upon entering Elsa and her own shared room, Anna had simply dropped her mask and thrown herself on the bed, only pulling herself off it when Elsa threw a towel at her with a simple command: to shower. Of course, Anna had grumbled the whole way to the en-suite, but with a smile on her face. It all felt so domestic, and it brought a whole new warmth to her chest. This was what having family was like, right? If so, she never wanted it to end.

Steady hands tightened the vest she wore, ice blue eyes watching her own teal ones in the mirror. Pale hands slid from the straps, wrapping around her midsection. Elsa buried her head against Anna's neck, and she could feel her breath, warm and soothing, bringing heat to her own face and a smile to her lips. Her own, slightly tanner, hands drifted over the pale ones, holding them close to her waist.

"I'll win for you, Els. I promise."

With that, she brought a pair of their clasped hands to her face, laying a gentle kiss to the inside of Elsa's wrist. Their eyes connected via the mirror once more, and gentle smiles played on their lips. It was a soft, intimate moment-

RAT-A-TAT-TAT

-one that was ruined by a heavy fist knocking on the door.

Anna groaned, and, with a playful roll of her eyes, dragged herself away to let Kristoff in. No one else knocked quite like that.

"Wait!" Elsa called out.

Anna turned back round. Elsa looked apprehensive.

"My mother", she said simply. Anna got the message. Though Idunn had already deduced her truest identity, she'd save face for Elsa.

After tucking her head into her mask, she opened the door a crack, to see the rest of her group, sans Idunn. With a step back, she allowed them in, letting the door fall shut with a resounding thud, flinging her mask to the floor - any second she didn't have to wear it was one she'd gladly take. While they all lounged around the room, without a clear direction or even a murmur of conversation, she slipped on her gloves and grabbed her fencing shoes. Every time she looked, the shoes seemed to be in worse condition, which brought a sad smile to her face. She'd been using them ever since her first national tournament…

From a distance, the fierce orange of the fallen leaves looked aflame, like fire, glowing and almost sparking against their white fencing uniforms. A large clock tower rung out, signalling their imminent entrance into the largest fencing tournament in Norway. Anna was shaking, but also somehow still bouncing with barely restrained nerves and excitement, only to be calmed by the strong hand resting on her shoulder.

"Sir Alden?"

"Anna, dearest, you should know, it's Papa," he chided gently, a soft smile on his face. "But, before we go in, I have something for you. This is your first national tournament, Banana. This is something so incredible, and though it's not much, I want to show you how proud I am that you've made it this far this fast, dear. You are truly amazing, and as history is written tonight, you will go down as a legend. You're the youngest to have made it this far, isn't that incredible?" Tears were building in his eyes and he shook his head, trying to control his emotions, "Nevermind that. There aren't enough words to describe you, dear. I love you, Anna." He pulled a wrapped box out of his duffel bag.

"Anna…?" Gerda's voice broke through her reminiscing. Her eyes met soft brown ones, and she tilted her head in a silent question, one which Gerda answered immediately, "Kai and I have something of a… good luck gift. We hope you like it." One hand pulled from behind her back a carefully wrapped box.

Anna gave the older woman a grateful, yet shy, smile. Her hands pulled gently at the small bits of tape, not wanting to rip the beautiful paper. She'd always been that person - the one who took forever to unwrap a present. Her Papa had been like that, and she (ever the daddy's girl) had mimicked him until it was a habit of her own.

Kristoff, of course, responded to her antics with a groan. She ignored him, focusing on pulling the tape off without revealing the gift quite yet. With the third, and final, tape strip finally removed, Anna pulled the paper out of its creased state. She stared blankly at the box. A white check giving contrast to the otherwise orange box reflected at her. She'd never owned a pair of Nike shoes, they were too expensive. It was almost agonizing, how slow she lifted the lid, but the sight beneath it brought tears to her eyes. Top-end Nike fencing shoes, the Air Zooms. In the colors of Norway's flag. Her eyes drifted up to Gerda's again, and stream of "thank you's" falling from her lips. With shaking hands, she slipped her feet in - a perfect fit. Pulling the laces tight, she double-knotted the laces (bunny-ear method, of course). She immediately stood and bounced around in them, testing the flexibility and heel cushioning. Her feet felt incredible. She grinned and wrapped the elderly couple in a tight hug.

"We figured we'd get 'Norway's sweetheart' Norway's colors. It did seem only fitting." Kai's voice was full of loving humor.

"Wait. Since when is 'Sir Anders' Norway's Sweetheart?"

Elsa pulled out this week's copy of Se og Hør, a picture from her last competition pasted on the front with white words denoting her new status. A groan erupted from Anna's throat and she flopped back onto the bed. "Whyyyyy?"

Elsa smirked, "Well, apparently, you bumped into this reporter and spilled her coffee all over her, so you quickly pulled your 'Anders' hoodie that you got after the competition out, and gave it to her, after apologizing profusely. She wrote all about it and now you're the new sweetheart, sweetheart."

"I just did what anyone would have done! Ugh! I ruined her blouse, so obviously I had to give her something to change into! I wasn't going to let her walk around with a shirt soaked in coffee..." The last sentence was grumbled out.

Elsa walked over to Anna's slumped form, a small smile gracing her features. With a gentle finger, Elsa lifted the Anna's chin up to meet her eyes, "You're only proving how sweet you are. And, as endearing as I find it, you really must be getting to the tournament."

Anna wasn't lying. Elsa stared out from behind the fence, the only thing separating her from the platform the two fencers had just stepped up to. These really are the best seats. A glance behind her revealed a sea of girls donned in Sir Anders' fan gear, brandishing signs with declarations of love, cheeks flushed, grins spread across their faces. Elsa wasn't jealous. Of course not. There was no reason to be jealous of all the attention these groupies were totally free to shower at her tutor. She certainly didn't scowl, or glare. And those nonexistent things weren't mediated by Kai pointing out that Anna's - no, Sir Anders' - attention was directed solely at her, and Elsa relaxed as she caught Sir Anders giving her a slight nod before returning to the match.

There was something about watching a match with Sir Anders' that seemed to take you away from reality. Something in the way he faced his opponents with never-ending respect and grace - impressive considering the person behind the mask. He moved swiftly, changing steps and pouncing on the slightest of openings in the blink of an eye. The way he moved seemed to defy all the lessons he'd taught Elsa, but when watching him perform it was hard to find fault in it. He seemed almost like the valiant knights found only in the sweetest of fairy tales.

The buzzer sounded, pulling Elsa to the present, the announcer's voice filling the air-

"-with that unbelievable riposte, Sir Anders has taken the first point. On our replay you can see Sir Anders twist just slightly, changing his whole momentum before Sir Bakken can react, landing a solid touch right in the center of Bakken's chest."

An "engarde" signals the beginning of the next touch point.

"As always, Sir Anders waits for his opponen- Wait."

The crowd is silent, and Elsa holds her breath, as Sir Anders suddenly lunges at Sir Bakken, landing another touch point before his opponent can even move his rapier.

"Bjarne, go back to the replay. Slow it down right before his lunge. Look! Sir Bakken's back foot moved just slightly outwards, giving Sir Anders the perfect moment to strike. Sir Bakken wouldn't have been able to defend if he moved for an attack in that position."

The bout continued in the same fashion, Sir Bakken never landing a single touch on Sir Anders, ending the bout before the third minute was up.

"Wow! Bjarne looks like you'll have to wait a little longer for a snack! With that, Sir Anders ends the bout before our obligatory minute-break, sorry folks! But let's see if any of our fencers can outperform Norway's sweetheart!"

A chorus of cheers and crescendoing confessions of love grated on Elsa's ears, and she had to force herself to keep her attention on the fencer moving out into the hall. Despite her urge to follow, manners kept her glued to her seat as the final two bouts of the first round dragged on. It was clear that these two pairs were better matched, but she hardly cared to notice. Any match without Sir Anders wasn't really worth her attention.

Finally, it was over, and she shuffled out with the rest of the crowd, trying to tune out the cacophony surrounding her. The stuffed halls had her shoulder-to-shoulder, front-to-back with her group as they maneuvered through, letting her focus in on a hushed conversation between her mother and Sir Alden.

"I'd like to speak with you during this break, Sir Alden."

"About what, Miss Engels?"

Elsa noted the short coolness in his tone, completely contrasting with the warm man she had grown to know.

"I just have some questions about… Sir Anders. After all, he is tutoring my daughter, and while he clearly is capable at fencing, I want to be sure he is the right fit for her."

Elsa held back a scoff - the compatibility with her tutors had never mattered in the past. Her mother was trying to diplomatically investigate Sir Anders. The only question: what was she searching for?

"Any questions you have about Sir Anders can be answered by himself. I have never given interviews about him before, and I refuse to change that today. My apologies, Miss Engels, but Sir Anders is a man of privacy, that which I have every intention of respecting."

With that, Sir Alden disappeared into the crowd, leaving her mother to huff alone. As soon as they entered the foyer of the building, she turned to address her mother, only to find both her and Kristoff gone. She moved to address Kai and Gerda, but the two were so caught up in their excitement that they didn't even realize they'd left her alone as they chased after the victorious fencers. A heavy sigh and short walk brought her to the courtyard behind the building, flowers just budding, and leaves growing bright green on the large trees. The sight brought her back to the time she'd whispered to him-

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She turned, squeaking, as she gazed upon the fencer she'd just been thinking about.

"Sir Anders!" The name still didn't sound right, now she knew her- him- whatever- as 'Anna'. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." She pressed hard against her now racing heart.

"My apologies, Miss Solnberg." He bowed, but Elsa knew Anna was smirking beneath that mask. As he looked up and stared at the tree, she let herself get caught up in admiring - the perfect posture, a gentle tilt of the head, beautiful braids hanging out, and muscles defined against the rigid white clothing. She was positively red, breath caught in her throat when he spoke again, "Those were your first words to me, you know?" Elsa paused for a moment. Sir Anders continued, quoting her, "'It's beautiful isn't it?'" He chuckled a bit, turning towards her - she was sure Anna's eyes were burning into her own, only covered by the mask of Sir Anders. "It took me awhile to figure it out. You disappeared before I could see who spoke to me. You have a very unique voice though, Els. I really should have figured it out the first time I arrived at your house, but to be honest… I didn't realize until just now. The image of you standing out here, watching the breeze rustle the leaves… It all clicked for me. Everything about you is so unique, Elsa… That's why I will protect you. From your father and Hans, both. From the world, if I must. You are someone to be treasured, and I will happily do that if you will let me."

Elsa's heart raced. Pounded hard against her chest as tears gathered for a moment, then spilled down her cheeks as she shook with gentle sobs. She nodded, then stopped, and shook her head. Stop. Nod. Stop. Shake. Stop. Shrug. Sob. Gasp. Sob. Fal- Strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her upright as she sobbed. Her sense of awareness fell as she let the tears flood through her clenched eyes.

A gentle voice brought her back to reality, repeated whispers of "shhh… it's okay to cry… let it all out…" and "I've got you… don't worry, I've got you." Elsa buried her face further into the shoulder as her sobs slowed to a stop, allowing her to gasp for breath. Firm yet gentle hands rubbed her back, soothing her stuttering chest.

This was the last thing Anna wanted. She held Elsa tighter, trying to ignore the guilt swirling like a flurry of snowflakes. "Elsa, you don't have to answer now. I know it isn't that easy… I." Sigh. "I guess I just wanted you to know. I'm sorry. I…" Gulp. " I shouldn't have put more pressure on you. I should have been content with our last conversation. I'm sorry. I don't know what good I thought that would do-"

"Anna." Elsa seemed to have found her voice, shaky as it was. "Stop. It…" She ground her teeth, and Anna pulled her tighter. "It's not okay, but Anna... It's not your fault. This isn't any easier on your part, Anna. I'm… I'm not like you, Anna…" And, just like that, Anna's stomach filled with lead and her heart dropped. All the worries she'd originally had, before that moment in the Café, resurfaced. She wasn't normal. She was a freak. All of Kristoff's reassurances otherwise suddenly became null and void in her thoughts.

A bitter laugh from Elsa pulled her back. "I'm not brave," Elsa said, not making eye contact. "I'm terrified to be happy, Anna. I'm terrified to make a decision that I want, only for my father to come and ruin it. You want to protect me from him, but I don't think you realize how impossible that is. I mean, Anna… The only person in Norway more powerful than my father is probably the missing princess." Elsa scoffed. Anna kept her expression neutral, even though she was still wearing her mask - one can never be too careful - and let Elsa continue. "And, seeing as she's been missing for over half her life, there really isn't anyone who could possibly protect me from him, Anna."

Anna gently lifted Elsa's head with her index finger, tilted it upwards. Elsa's eyes were full of fear. Anna wanted them to be full of fire. "You underestimate me, Els. I would - and will, do everything I can, I promise." As if punctuating her declaration, the buzzer sounded the end of the break. Anna slid her hands down Elsa's arms, squeezing her hands twice. With a shared smile, they agreed to just return to the tournament, all thoughts of this conversation to be saved for later.

A/N: Hey readers! Promise I'm not dead… yet… Rather than lament on the struggles of college apps, I'll just leave this here for y'all :) I know it's not as long as I would've liked to prepare as an apology for my absence, but it is a pretty big chapter still, so I hope this satiates you until my awesome beta, Amy, nags me until the next chapter is up! I will be working on TST's next chapter first though, sorry for those of you who aren't reading that one! I want all of you to know that, no matter the months that pass between updates, I will not abandon this story. I hate that my updates have become as infrequent as they have, but I'm hoping to remedy that!

Now as for reviewers:

Reihel: I appreciate it, thank you, friend. Death is a truly unfortunate part of life. As for this story, I can completely understand my chapter updates have been fairly sparse lately… Kristoff is such an amazing guy, though. His intentions will be revealed soon, worry not. And regarding your skills as an author, I will kindly have to disagree with you, you've grown well as a writer, and I am thoroughly impressed. I hope this chapter finds you well though :)

PenguinVuelve: Things were very complicated, but it's important to remember them as they were. Thank you :) You are doing well with English, keep up the hard work! I hope you liked the developments in this chapter :))

Kurei555: Thank you, it's much appreciated. As for Hans and his involvement with Anna's mom… Hans was with Cecilie for a long while, but he never loved her, obviously, and he moved into this arranged marriage fairly quickly. There are some details about the transition I'd be willing to share if you want to PM me :) I hope you enjoyed this update because I had a lot of fun writing it :)))

Lexquest: I appreciate it a lot. Though it has hurt a lot, I'm learning to keep him alive by the good times shared. Chapter 10 was a joy to write, and I'm glad I can accomplish one of my goals - to keep you guessing. Hopefully, (if Amy keeps me to it) I'll be posting again soon! This chapter was so much fun, and though it's short, I hope it can satisfy you just a little longer! We've got a lot of drama building up here, but some of your questions, I'm sure, will be revealed next chapter! :)))

Guest: Sorry about the wait, but this should answer your question. :) Apologies for the late updates though.

Just as a friendly reminder, faves/follows/reviews do really help! Not just my ego, but my tiny writer in my head, too! ~Keanan:)