It's been a long time since I wrote anything other than essays for school and poetry, so if anyone reads this constructive criticism and any kind of advice is very much welcome!

Crack! "Where is the Queen?!" a booming voice demanded as the door to the royal chambers slammed against the wall, heavy wood on stone. "Ah! Witch! Sorceress! How dare you return here, how dare you poison us with your presence - "

"Lord Westerguard!" Kai shouted, cutting the man off. "Keep a civil tongue in your head!"

Startled and a bit frightened, Queen Elsa jumped up from her chair and peered nervously at the unwelcome visitor. Lord Westerguard. She had heard of him, the former admiral, though she had never met him personally, as her father was still alive and she was still locked in her rooms when he was discharged. Big and imposing, the man had a fierce dark moustache and small, glinting dark eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched - a tick, Elsa assumed, that came with his rage, for he bared his teeth in a stormy snarl. Overall, Elsa was uncomfortably reminded of the thugs from Weselton when they had been trying to kill her. She drew herself up to her full height, proud and regal, and looked the man in the eye. Only then did she notice the two men soft-footing it to either side of the former admiral, both carrying crossbows loaded at their sides.

Kai's face turned deep red then white with fury. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" he roared. "Is this treason, my Lord?!"

"Treason?! Surely you don't mean to keep this - this witch, this abomination - as our queen!" The small eyes widened - Lord Westerguard truly was surprised by Kai's anger. Looking lost for only a second, he waved his men back and stood straighter, a cool, collected mask falling on his face. Impassive. "Very well, Kai, I see getting this menace out of the way at once would turn out poorly for me. Perhaps once you see that the public will most certainly not accept her as Arendelle's monarch, you'll change your mind." With a disgusted glance at Elsa, he backed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Shaking, Elsa fell back to her seat, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Troubled, Kai sat on a chair opposite her.

"Your Majesty," he began, "I urge you not to let that scoundrel's words affect you. He has ever been a coward. Merely because his fear of the unknown, of your magic, blinds him to the truth, that does not mean that the rest of Arendelle feels the same. Address them at once, with the thaw still fresh in their minds this last hour, and I believe all will be forgiven." The faithful steward spoke with complete confidence, but his eyes were troubled. Most, he believed, if not all, would be forgiven - and perhaps all, in time.

"I know, Kai, I know. I will speak to the people at once." Elsa leaned against the arm of her chair and rested her head against her hand. "It's just that so much has happened all at once… I thought my sister died today. Because of me."

"Yes, Your Majesty. It is most unfortunate." Kai hesitated, momentarily unsure of

himself in his relationship with the newly-crowned queen. Then he reminded himself of the years he had spent tutoring her in how to run a kingdom after her parents' demise, and of the fact that she no longer had a father and was still, despite her great strength, a young woman. "I'm so very sorry all this has happened to you, Queen Elsa." She looked up, surprised and, he thought, faintly hopeful to have someone reaching out to her. "I believe that, after this, you will have time to rest and recover, and discover your new life, where you are free to be yourself."

Elsa blinked back tears - not something she normally suffered from! - and nodded. "I should prepare my speech," she said, bracing herself to rise.

"Ah - about that," Kai interrupted. "I know something that may help you." At the Queen's encouraging look, Kai went on, "When the late King first told me about your powers - you were perhaps four or five - I began to search the royal library and discreetly asked around for oral folktales in hopes of finding anything that might explain why you have such powers. It turns out, magic runs in your family." Elsa gasped, staring wide-eyed. "In an old, faded tome I found record that your many greats-grandfather, Agvaldr the First, could control ice and snow even as you do. He was the first of his line to become royalty. I'm afraid the stories do not reflect well on him, but since then, several descendants of the royal line have had magic, and only occasionally magic of a prosperous kind. You are the first, as far as I know, to control ice since Agvaldr himself. I think that telling your subjects that magic has run in your family would be wise - though perhaps do not mention Agvaldr by name."

The Queen nodded slowly, her eyes out of focus. "Yes. I see what you mean, Kai. This is not a strange curse, but something that has happened before and never brought our kingdom undue harm. Thank you." She looked up at him, that he may see her earnestness. "But tell me, Kai, why didn't my father say anything of this to me?"

"Your Majesty, I would be happy to answer that question for you another time. I beg you not to ask it of me now." Kai was now the one looking into the middle distance, his face, perfectly capable of donning the impassive mask of servitude, now creased with lines of worry.

Frowning, Elsa nodded again. His answer troubled her, but she trusted in his wisdom and loyalty to her. Rising at last, Elsa took a deep breath and formed the thoughts that she would say to her people and the foreign diplomats among them who had suffered her winter. "See to it that Anna and the Royal Guard are ready," she ordered quietly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As Kai left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him, Elsa timidly stepped to the great windowed door opposite and peered through it to the balcony and the courtyard beyond. It was reminiscent of her coronation day, and she only hoped this address would ultimately turn out better.

Anna had only just finished braiding her hair and tying it off with a sapphire silk ribbon when Kai knocked on the door and called her name. She did a quiet victory dance, gleeful that she had managed to be ready on time! "I'm coming!" she answered him, taking a last look at herself in her full-length mirror. She'd set aside her usual green array for today in favour of a deep sapphire dress with silver trim, in honour of Elsa's gift. The rouge and violet rosemaling complemented her fiery hair, and she thought without vanity that she looked quite nice in it. Dashing out the door, and tripping, she snagged Kai's arm and exclaimed, "Come on, let's go," not even giving herself or him a chance to breathe before dragging him off to Elsa's balcony.

"Glad to see your recent adventures haven't dampened your exuberant spirits," Kai observed dryly even as he struggled to keep up. Anna only squealed, still basking in the joy of having her sister back, body and mind and heart.

Opening the door to Elsa's chambers, Anna saw that the squad of the Royal Guard was already there, six preparing to flank Elsa during her speech on the balcony and four already stationed inside, their backs to the far wall and their gaze on the door Anna and Kai entered through. Elsa herself was leaning lightly against the balcony doors, seeming to take deep breaths. Dazzling still in her ice dress, she had redone her hair so that while the braid still hung neatly over her left shoulder, enough had been left loose that it softly framed her face. Coming up to stand beside her sister and lay a hand on her shoulder, Anna saw that Elsa had also added artificial colour to her cheeks. It made her look warmer, gentler, less like an ethereal ice princess. Anna supposed that was a good thing, although she would always love the real Elsa!

Glancing up, Elsa smiled when she saw her sister. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks - so do you," Anna answered, smiling warmly in return. She and Elsa hadn't really had a chance to talk things over yet, but Anna did not feel nervous anymore. She and Elsa, whatever may be said and done, were sisters, full of love. "But then, you always look beautiful. Me, well, I'm glad you haven't seen me when I first wake up in the morning!" Anna quipped, grinning jauntily.

Elsa laughed, some of the tension draining out of her shoulders. "Oh Anna - you have no idea! I think we'll have to see who has the worst bedhead - actually, no, let's not!"

Anna gaped. "You?! Well, you think you know a person!" The sisters laughed again, then naturally composed themselves into the regality befitting their positions, the warmth remaining in their eyes.

Serious now, Elsa nodded once to herself, and asked, "Are we ready?" When everyone present answered in the affirmative - the guards, a handful of servants who had known Elsa since she was small, and the representatives from Corona and Halvarden who came for the coronation - Elsa took one last deep breath and opened wide the doors. Striding forward confidently, she stopped at the edge of the balcony and looked out at the assembled people. Prestigious guests had a section of the courtyard cordoned off for themselves, and the people of Arendelle filled the rest of it. Remembering Anna's laughter and easy manner of moments ago, Elsa felt a small smile soften her face. It's going to be all right, she thought.

Anna hadn't known that the Coronan royalty and the Lord and Lady from Halvarden would be with them for Elsa's speech, but she supposed it made sense. They had family ties with Corona, and generations-old alliances with Halvarden. Their presence, along with that of the castle staff, would make Elsa more relatable to those assembled below. It was a tactic Anna herself would never have thought of, and she was grateful for both Elsa's strategic mind and Kai's attention to detail. She would not lose her sister to a bunch of panicky people who didn't understand her!

As Anna took her place beside Elsa, slightly back and to the right, she saw that her sister was still trembling slightly. Taking a deep breath, Elsa began.

"Loyal subjects of Arendelle, allies and friends, I come before you today to properly thank you for attending my coronation, and to apologize for the events that followed." Elsa was grateful that her voice seemed to be carrying well, despite the sudden dryness of her throat. It wasn't easy, admitting the havoc she had caused, albeit unintentionally. That, and openly confessing what had been the greatest secret of her life.

"You see, friends, I have kept a great secret from you. For as long as I can remember, I have been able to summon forth ice and snow with only a flick of the wrist. My father, in his wisdom, chose to conceal my magic until such a time as I was able to control it. However, the methods he chose were flawed, and the disaster you witnessed beginning at my coronation was the consequence. My magic was out of control. I have failed you and I endangered your lives. For that, I am most deeply sorry." Elsa hung her head, the truth of her own words stinging. The crowd before her seemed to be collectively holding its breath. "No more!" Elsa called resoundingly. "You shall never again experience such cold and injury at my hands. We will immediately set about restoring and recompensing anything damaged in the sudden winter! I never meant to bring such a curse on you, and Anna, here, as you have no doubt heard by now, has taught me the secret to melting the ice." Elsa drew her sister close to her in a one-armed embrace, the princess blushing as she gave a tentative wave to the crowd, which cheered wildly for her. Although no one knew the princesses who had been locked in the closed gates of the castle, everyone knew of the courageous Princess Anna who had braved the mountains and restored the summer. Smiling now, Elsa continued. "I have good news for you, my subjects, my allies! Although it has been long forgotten, magic has been part of the lineage of Arendellian royalty for uncounted generations! It's true," she affirmed, seeing the shocked upturned faces. "Magic has not hurt us before, and indeed has sometimes helped us grow. I assure you, my people, I will see our kingdom grow!" Wild cheers rose up again at this statement, and though she wondered if it were simply buoyancy at the thaw, Elsa couldn't help but feel warmed by the support of her people. Under the general ebullience of the masses, however, Elsa could hear faint grumblings of dissent. Well, that would have to be addressed at a later date. For now, best to capitalize on the acceptance of the majority. "A final announcement," Elsa cried out as the cheers once again faded. "You are all invited into the courtyard once more, tomorrow at high noon. It will be a holiday - hot cocoa and glogg on us - and, most importantly," Elsa added quickly, cutting off cheers before they came, "bring ice skates!" The crowd erupted, overjoyed as many fears about their Queen melted as quickly as the fjord had thawed. With a regal wave to the people, Elsa stepped back from the balcony rail and turned to retreat into her chambers. The royal and noble guests followed, flanked by the Royal Guard. The servants entered the castle through adjoining balconies into other rooms, and, as Elsa had requested prior to the event, the wide glass doors were left open.

Tearing up, Anna embraced her sister, squeezing too tight in her exuberance. "Elsa, that was great! They love you! Wait, what - you said magic runs in the family? Why didn't I know this?" Anna had stepped back to look at her sister, but still clung tightly to her arm as if she might suddenly disappear.

"Anna," Elsa chided, "our guests." Seeing Anna blush at the reminder that they were playing hostess, she quickly added, "I didn't know about the family lineage until recently either. We'll talk later."

Smiling joyfully again, Anna silently agreed. They had a lot to talk about. She and Elsa thanked the foreigners for their presence and asked them to please forgive them for not inviting them to stay for dinner that night, but would they perhaps understand that much preparation for the next day needed to be done. Princess Rapunzel and Prince Consort Eugene accepted this explanation graciously, and Rapunzel flashed Anna a quick smile. Lord Deklon and Lady Avala of Halvarden courteously responded that it was just as well; they were eager to get back to their estate. Once that was settled, the guests and guards were dismissed and the sisters retired to Elsa's more private bedchamber, having nothing in mind other than simply talking and enjoying each other's company. Neither could bear to be separated just then.

Neither Elsa, her supporters, nor her guards saw that as she had retreated from the balcony, Lord Westerguard had scowled after her from the edge of the courtyard, shadows deepening the frown he wore and darkening his narrowed eyes entirely.