Chapter 24

Nikolas returned to Elsa's room after a few hours of self loathing and blame. He navigated his way to their field and practiced relentlessly at controlling the flames flickering from his palms.

He knocked on the door awaiting the call that he was clear to enter. He was instead greeted by a red flash of hair as he was pulled into the room. Anna surprised Elsa by grabbing Nikolas into a quick hug. She released him and pointed at his face and glared into his eyes.

"You do not hurt her, or melt her, or break her heart, understood?" Anna growled. She tried to look intimidating, but all hopes were lost when Nikolas chuckled softly at the girl's kitten-like appearance. Anna knew she should have gotten Kristoff instead.

"I promise." Nikolas said before pulling Anna into a tighter hug. "I apologize for the mess I have created in your life." Nikolas looked into her eyes. He felt a twinge of pain when he saw the resemblance of Abigale in her features. The curious gaze and the sprinkled freckles made his heart long for his little sister's company. His hand subconsciously moved to the papers in his coat. He kept them, and the locket, on him daily. He was pleasantly surprised when neither burned in the night's incident.

Anna turned to see her sister's gaze on the two. She was clearly touched by what had occurred. Anna looked to the blush spreading across Nikolas's face and knew it was time for her to depart.

"I'll just leave you two here." Anna said as she scurried out of the room. She stomped in place progressively getting softer to mimic her descent down the hallway. After a minute of silence, she crept towards the door hoping to catch parts of their conversation.

Nikolas approached the side of the bed and sat in the chair Anna had supplied for her questioning. Nikolas's fingers were rubbing over the surface of the metal container. His hair was smoking at the ends. He resisted every urge to untangle his hair.

It didn't take much for Elsa to pick up on his nervous behavior. She raised her eye brow waiting for the Prince to speak. He removed his hand from his coat and interlocked his fingers between her's.

"You know that I care for you deeply." Nikolas began. He was unsure that he picked the appropriate time, but the locket was burning a hole in his coat. Not literally. It was as fireproof as possible for that very reason.

Elsa nodded her head and placed her bad hand on his cheek stroking the stubble forming on his chin softly. He closed his eyes and leaned his face into her palm savoring the moment while he could.

"I have a gift for you." Nikolas whispered wishing to not disturb the moment. His trembling hands grasped the present. He raised his hand and placed in onto her lap. The smoke from his hair thickened.

Elsa's eyes widened as she looked at the box. It was smooth to the touch, but she was unable to open it.

"Nikolas, I cannot open this." She said bringing him from his daze.

"Of course you can. There is no one else in the world that deserves it more than you." Nikolas replied and his eyes opened and they locked eyes. She glanced down at her wrist and then to their interlocked fingers. She was physically unable to open it.

Nikolas nervously chuckled and relinquished his hold on her hand. "Sorry." He mumbled as their attention turned back to the gift.

Her fingers lingered on the edge of the box. She looked to Nikolas before proceeding. She audibly gasped. Her gaze fell upon the beautiful silver locket. It was circular with intricate engravings on the surface. Tears filled her eyes and she covered her mouth with her working hand.

Nikolas took the locket into his hands. He undid the clasp and lifted it to her neck. His digits shook as his hands met behind her neck and he secured the necklace. She lifted it into her hand to glimpse closer to the surface.

"It belonged to my Mother. She gifted it to me on my recent visit. She told me to entrust it with someone I cared about." Elsa's eyes never left the jewelry as he spoke. She was entranced.

"It was a wedding gift from my Father." Elsa's gaze broke as she looked to the man. It dawned on her the importance. Nikolas had once said that his Father was not a materialistic man. There was very little left over from his reign. She treasured it deeper with this understanding.

Nikolas reached up and opened the locket to let Elsa view the inside. In it, was a small note that read, To my one Love.

Elsa leaned forward and swiftly kissed the man beside her. She took the locket and rolled it between her digits further appreciating its beauty. "Thank you." She said hoarsely. She had tried desperately to keep her emotions together. The smoke billowing from Nikolas's hair discontinued and her reached forward and embraced her tightly.

"Anything, my Queen."

"You realize that they are talking now." Anna said. She had her head tossed over the side of the couch and her feet propped on the wall next to Elsa's immense desk. Kristoff was showing Nikolas around the ironworks of Aredelle, leaving Anna alone and bored. When days like this came about, she resorted to her most famous tactic, annoying her elder sister.

"What exactly are they talking about?" Elsa inquired. She was currently practicing the dexterity of her hands. The makeshift splint made it difficult for Elsa to write, but she was determined not to slow down and get behind on her documents. She was rather ambidextrous due to the long periods of boredom that racked her mind throughout her isolated childhood. It led to her ability to be capable of writing with both hands and unknown to Anna, her mastery at piano. It left Elsa wishing for Nikolas for all the wrong reasons. He was excellent at forgery and could not say no to Elsa's pleas for assistance.

"They are talking about you of course. You can't possibly believe that they would be content with the lie that you 'accidentally' injured yourself on multiple occasions. You are the most graceful person I know. They would never believe it." Anna replied. "And, they have to be wondering who the mystery man lurking around the castle is. You know I was."

Elsa felt a twinge of guilt remembering the recent events. She had let herself knowingly fall back into the routine of her secretiveness.

"They will believe what they believe, but I have been contemplating something." Elsa said. She heard Anna shift in her odd position on the loveseat. She had gotten her attention, though she had every intention of telling Anna her thoughts, she first had to let her struggle.

"Go on." Anna said impatiently. She had returned to an upright position, not letting her eyes stray from her sister. Elsa returned to her practice. She began to write with both hands, cringing at the pain left from the somewhat painful maneuver required to begin the Q in Queen.

"Elsa?" Anna knew what Elsa was doing. She couldn't help but squirm.

"Elsa!" Anna said louder that time, hoping she could cut the delayed response in half.

"Elsaaaa?" Anna pleaded. She fell into her seat in desperation. Elsa did not expect her to give up so easily.

"Elsa?"

"I love you."

"Elsa?"

"Hey Elsa?"

"Tell me."

"Elsie?"

"TELL ME, PLEASE." Anna cried out. She threw her hands into the air and let herself spill onto the floor. Elsa remained unmoving. She collected herself and approached her sister. Elsa sat with her eyes not moving from the documents and her hands still scribing the response letters.

Anna began to softly poke Elsa's face. She stood above her continually repeating, "Hey Elsa. Elsa. Elsa?" She prodded Elsa cheek with every word. Elsa maintained her composure much longer than her younger sister had anticipated. She conditioned herself over the years to ignore her sister's constant annoying behaviors, and most recently Nikolas's presence in her office. But alas, there are only so many paper projectiles you can handle.

"Fine, Anna." Elsa said looking up to her sister. She rose from her seat and stood infront of the window overlooking the courtyard.

"It would not do my people any good to know of the reason behind this." Elsa said as she lifted her injured wrist. "But it would, perhaps, be beneficial for them to know of my courtship." Elsa said. She had anticipated Anna's squeals. Anna was worse than Freyja, if at all possible, when it came to Elsa's romantic life.

"Yes! We should have a ball. With dancing, and dignitaries, and chocolate!" Anna was twirling about the room.

Elsa's fingers traced over the intricate designs of the locket around her neck. She wore it always. It was a constant reminder that someone cared about her wellbeing.

"If you wish, Anna. But it will have to wait. I need to discuss something with you." Elsa turned on her heel to face her overjoyed sister.

"I have been called into a nearby kingdom, a close ally of ours. They are having a celebration for most bountiful year yet. There will be many other royal ambassadors there. It might assist us in closer the gap left from Wesleton. Will you be alright with watching over Arendelle in my absence?" Anna put up a mock salute in efforts to prove her loyalty to Queen. Elsa chuckled behind her hand before hugging Anna's shoulders.

"How long with you be gone?" Anna whispered into Elsa's platinum hair.

"Only for a few days. You will have Kai and Nikolas to help you. Everything will be fine." Elsa said to reassure her sister.

"When do you leave?" Anna held Elsa's shoulders at arm's length from her body. It pained her to be without the Queen.

"I will leave tomorrow. I will return to you as soon as I can." Elsa brushed Anna's bangs aside and softly kissed the skin on her forehead. She returned to her desk to resume her double handed calligraphy.

Here it is, not my finest, but a step forward towards my continuation with this story. Sorry about such a long wait. Please feel free to tell me anything you think about the story and anything you think I should add. Thank you very much.