Elsa walked through the courtyard behind the Murisang palace, keenly aware of the footsteps behind her. Ishranth had insisted she take a guard, though Elsa was skeptical. What was one man going to do against a fire wielder?

She glanced back at her guard, two steps behind her. He was sweating, though whether from heat or from nerves, Elsa couldn't tell. He wiped the back of his hand on his dark red turban, a perfect match to his uniform. The guard did not look at her, keeping his eyes firmly on the horizon. "This way, your Majesty."

He guided her around a corner. Rising over the horizon was a small stone dwelling, almost a cottage. It was ramshackle and roughly built, a sharp contrast to the magnificent palace behind them. The most distinguishing feature wasn't the construction, though - every stone was glowing a dull red, as if the entire building was made of embers.

The guard bowed his head briefly at the sight of it, as if in prayer. "You don't need to come any further," Elsa said, hoping to relieve him of some discomfort. "I'm sure I can find the way."

He hesitated, wiping his forehead again. "Be careful, your Majesty. She's a beauty, but she's dangerous."

Look but don't touch, Elsa though. Just like a flame. "You know her, then."

"I know Princess Aditi," he said staunchly. "I don't know… this." With a bow, he stepped back, nodding for her to approach.

Elsa nodded back, suddenly on her guard. Despite all her good intentions and efforts to keep an open mind, she was strangely nervous. Everyone seemed strangely reluctant to talk about whatever had happened, and the only conclusion Elsa could come to was that it was too bad to discuss. As she began to step closer, she felt small ice shards begin to form in her left hand - and this time, she didn't try to melt them away. Steeling her nerves, Elsa reached the doorstep and rapped on the door.

Immediately, a stream of flame blasted out from the door. Elsa instinctively threw up a barrier of ice, leaping back into a partial crouch, hands up. The door swung open, nearly flying off its hinges, revealing a small woman, eyes wide, though whether in fear or in anger, Elsa didn't have time to notice. Most of her attention was caught by the flames enveloping the hands of what must be Princess Aditi.

Almost without realizing it, Elsa let a bolt of ice loose, trying to pin one flaming hand to the wall. The woman dodged, ducking underneath. "Get away!" Heat surrounded her, blurring her vision. Reflexively, Elsa created a snowstorm above her head, the fat flakes turning to mist around her.

"You have to control yourself!" she shouted, eyeing the flames warily. "Your power is feeding off your fear and your anger. I understand!"

"You don't understand anything!" Aditi screamed. A wall of fire blasted out from the small woman's body. Elsa, thinking only of survival, sent a hail of ice spikes back at her. The two waves of magic slammed into each other, dissolving into a rain of warm steam that soaked both women. Elsa felt her hair plastered onto her face, and in that moment, she couldn't help but laugh.

The other woman, Aditi, stared at her in disbelief as her giggles turned to peals of laughter. Then, slowly, Aditi smiled as well, until both women were clutching their sides. Elsa's guard, who had retreated back around the corner during their fight, took another step back, eyes widening in terror, before turning tail and fleeing back to the castle proper.

Wiping tears and melted snow from her cheeks, Elsa held out a hand. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Pleased to meet you."

Aditi hesitated for a moment, then took her hand. "Princess Aditi of Murisang. Likewise. Sorry about the fire thing." Elsa waved her off.

"Don't think another thought about it. In my experience, it happens." Aditi smiled, a smile that lit up her whole face. Her hand was pleasantly warm. "Would you like to come in?"

"I would love to." With another, brighter smile, Aditi turned and led the way into the little house, stepping over the smouldering lintel.

Aditi's home was small enough that Elsa could cross the entire room in a few steps, but also cozy. One low table sat in the center of the room, with a simple bed along the back wall, piled high with cushions. A small bucket stood next to the door, filled about halfway with water. The walls and floors were covered in softly smoking rugs and paintings - nice, expensive decorations. Many looked well-worn - perhaps things that had been in her room before… whatever the incident was. The room was still hotter than anything Elsa had ever encountered, and to her surprise, it felt almost pleasant. This was a new discovery: Elsa had never minded to cold, but suddenly she found that she liked to be warm.

Aditi grabbed two cushions off her bed and tossed them to the floor, sinking gracefully into a cross-legged seat. Elsa, slightly put off, sat sideways, tucking her knees to the side. It wasn't comfortable - hopefully she wouldn't have to hold this position long.

Now that the battle was over, Elsa was able to take a moment to get a good look at her… adversary? New friend? Time would tell. Aditi was a small woman like her mother, much shorter than Elsa, with brown skin, dark eyes, and long black hair that she wore loose so that it flowed around her shoulders, often falling in her face. The tips of Aditi's hair, however, glowed red and yellow like tiny embers, giving off tiny tendrils of smoke that gave her an almost ethereal appearance. She wore floor-length red and gold wrapped robes, the cut oddly similar to what Elsa herself wore. Where Garima wore a small red dot of makeup, Aditi had a perfectly round gem that seemed fused with her skin. The deep red stone seemed to shine with internal fire.

"My father mentioned you might be coming," Aditi said, reaching into a small cupboard and pulling out teacups and an empty pot. "The 'Ice Queen of the North,' he said. I wasn't sure you were real."

"Well, I am. Both real and here." Elsa wasn't sure why she was so flustered suddenly. Maybe she was simply distracted watching Aditi's smouldering hair as she leaned over, filling the pot from the small bucket by the door.

"We've all heard your story, of course." Aditi added a pinch of tea leaves and held the pot off to the side. "Careful," she said, glancing at Elsa with a hint of a smile. "This is always a bit… well, you'll see." A second later, a pillar of flame several feet tall shot out of her hand, engulfing the pot and narrowly missing the hut's ceiling. When the fire subsided, Aditi set the pot down on the table, the water inside bubbling merrily.

Elsa raised one thin eyebrow. "Impressive."

"Yes, well, it's a little excessive, but it gets the job done." She poured out two cups, handing one to Elsa. "I only do hot tea, though, sorry."

Wordlessly, Elsa conjured up three small ice cubes, dropping them one by one into her drink. "Any for you?"

Aditi laughed again, a high, clear sound, and held up her cup. "Please."

The two women sat together, sipping their cooling tea. After a moment of companionable silence, Elsa set down her cup, deciding that the time for pleasantries was over. "Aditi, I think you had better tell me where these powers came from."