Chapter 1: Envious Longing

Queen Elsa finally felt comfortable enough to step away from her desk, if only for a few moments. She took a handful of breaks during the day, as working in her study could get stifling after a while. A brief walk around the halls of the castle to stretch her legs always did her some good - halls that were now quiet as her heels clicked along the polished floors. The servants worked in shifts around the expansive palace and grounds, Elsa knew, but at the very least she had expected to hear the telltale sounds of Anna. Her rambunctious sister was never quiet when roaming around these halls. But perhaps she was out for the day with Kristoff.

Elsa had been wary of Anna's new boyfriend at first, and for good reason that both sisters now understood. The specter of Hans would loom large, and for how long neither one of them could predict. Even Kristoff himself seemed to understand that whatever he did, it would be compared - fairly or unfairly - to the actions of the Prince from the Southern Isles. "I am not Hans," he had emphatically stated to Elsa, during their first meeting alone together. To her credit, Elsa had believed him, especially after taking into account his actions during the Great Freeze and Thaw.

Now, a few months later, Elsa could see that Kristoff and Anna were clearly in love. They suited each other quite well, she had to confess - if things continued as well as they had been, Elsa knew she would have to brace herself for a proposal of marriage soon enough. In getting to know Kristoff, she had come to predict that whenever and however he went about it, he would come to her first. To ask for permission. It was not as though this was something Elsa expected or required. But it was a courtesy that Kristoff would not avoid, which said much about his character. Hans had not come to her of his own volition - asking for Elsa's blessing had been a sickeningly besotted display between him and Anna, after only meeting hours before. Elsa knew she had been right in refusing their request, and in time, she knew that Anna had come to appreciate her sister's reasoning too. Anna had even apologized for this, not long after the Thaw. Refusing Hans had given Anna room to grow, and the chance to meet her real true love, Kristoff. In time, both sisters would probably look back on the incident and laugh, or at least be glad that it happened. Everything from that moment until the Great Thaw, they could regret. And that was plenty enough regret for the both of them.

Elsa found herself wandering into the Royal Portrait Gallery. It was a room she had only come to appreciate after the Thaw. The handwoven tapestries were of particular interest to her. As she approached one depicting Julius Caesar, Elsa heard what sounded like a moan coming from a tapestry further down the hall. Pinpointing the sound, Elsa thought that it seemed to be coming from behind a tapestry depicting Joan of Arc.

"Mmmm... Uhhhh... Oh, Kristoff..."

That clearly sounded like Anna. And with a tiny gasp, Elsa now saw a giant pair of feet sticking out from beneath the Joan tapestry. She didn't see a second pair of feet, which only made her imagination run even more wild. Those weren't moans of pain her sister was crying. They were moans of pleasure. A pleasure that could only be found when two people...

The anger and impulse to tear the tapestry from the wall and freeze Kristoff where he stood was brief, overwhelmed by a subsequent wave of... envy. And... longing. The more Elsa imagined just what was happening behind that tapestry - Anna hoisted halfway up the wall, Kristoff's meaty, calloused hands touching her breasts, fingering the petals of her sex -

The more... aroused Elsa became.

Ducking behind one column, Elsa parted the slit in her ice dress, to reveal creamy thighs. Shifting her panties loose, Elsa did what a woman could only do in the privacy of her own chambers - an action that seemed, on its face, to be completely unbefitting of a Queen. Dipping one finger in, Elsa touched herself.

The moans from down the hall grew louder and louder, egging Elsa on. She began to stroke her sex, tentatively at first, then faster and faster. Soon, the Queen began to groan herself. "Hmmmm... Mmmmm... Uhhh..."

"YES, Kristoff!" Anna cried.

Elsa whined and rubbed faster. Afraid someone would hear, she clapped her free hand over her mouth, even as her eyes fluttered closed and her fingers began to work frantically. Behind her closed eyelids, an image swam in front of her - an image of wavy blonde hair, a kind smile and deep blue eyes.

Kristoff.

Her walls clenched.

"MMMMMM!" With a whimper and a mewl, Elsa felt her wetness explode across her palm, drip down her legs. Hesitantly, she drew her hand from her femininity, and adjusted herself. In quick time, she stole from the Royal Portrait Gallery as quietly as she could, retreating back to her study. Only there did she allow herself to flush with shame, terrified at this realization:

She desired her sister's lover.


Every time Elsa came to the same startling conclusion to explain her actions in the Portrait Gallery, the more she arrived at the same course of action regarding what to do about it:

She had to tell Kristoff.

Yes, that solution seemed laughably absurd at best, forbidden at worst. Surely Kristoff would be repulsed by it, and Elsa herself still felt dirty over these thoughts. You shall not covet your neighbor's spouse, an ancient commandment in the Holy Bible said. And although Kristoff and Anna were not married yet, they were certainly spoken for. Some of the common people in the villages even seemed to think (incorrectly) that the Princess and the Ice Master were affianced. Betrothed. No, the commitment was not that strong. But were Anna and Kristoff committed to one another? Yes.

By the time Elsa had requested Kai to bring Kristoff before her, asking to speak with him privately in her study, it was too late to turn back. She and the Ice Master would soon enough be family by marriage, so honesty was called for. But to be honest about this? It could get so awkward, and probably would. But Elsa had already promised herself that she would not be tempted, and would not stand in the way of her sister's happiness.

She only hoped she would be strong enough to resist that temptation.

Kristoff entered the study with caution in his eyes. It was an improvement over their first meeting, when Kristoff had been too nervous to even open the door, or look Elsa in the eye, or say much of anything. It was a testament to how comfortable Elsa and Kristoff had grown with each other, although the latter would always show a tentative deference towards his Queen. She was Anna's sister, and he never wanted to learn what it was like to be on her bad side.

"Elsa? You asked to see me?"

Flushing, her heart pounding, Elsa rose from her desk and circled it to approach him, even though her brain was screaming at her not to. The closer his proximity, the stronger the temptation might become. Wringing her hands, Elsa struggled to look her sister's paramour in the face.

"Kristoff... I have a confession."

Kristoff frowned. "Shall I go fetch a priest, Your Majesty?"

"No, thank you. This is a confession I must make to you, even before a priest." Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to look him in the face. "I heard you and Anna, making love in the Royal Portrait Gallery the other day."

Kristoff's face went white before it erupted in red. "Please don't freeze me," he squeaked.

Elsa shook her head. "You needn't worry about that, Kristoff. My baby sister is a woman; there are some things I just can no longer protect her from. No, my confession is that... your coming together... it stirred me."

Kristoff looked thoroughly confused. "Stirred you? How?"

Elsa huffed a little, wondering just how to say this. She was still a virgin, at 21, and although she was not a prude, she had never been comfortable in even speaking on matters of sexual relations. Not with herself, and certainly not with anyone else. She dreaded the day when Anna might come to her with gossip of that nature, or worse still, for advice. What advice could she give?

"It... aroused me. You aroused me," Elsa croaked out finally. "I heard the pleasure you were giving to Anna, and I hid behind a column, and I touched myself, and... I came." This all tumbled out in a rush, and avoiding how her face burned or how Kristoff was gaping at her so widely, flies could get in comfortably, Elsa confessed. "I desire you, Kristoff. I lust for you. It brings me much shame to say it, but it has to be said. I will not interfere with you or my sister's happiness; I will suppress these urges, and..."

"Elsa..." Kristoff's voice was usually soft, gentle, and for some reason, he was smiling.

"What?" she peered at him curiously.

Before she could react, Kristoff had closed the distance between them in one stride. Tilting her head back, he molded his lips to hers in a searing kiss.

Elsa's resistance cracked faster than melting ice. Fingers weaving into his blonde locks, she tugged Kristoff closer with a low, content hum. Sighing in bliss, she deepened the kiss. "Mmmmmm..."

After a few moments, however, she came to her senses, as she and Kristoff softly broke apart. "This... this is insane," Elsa breathed. "This is wrong." She couldn't have a passionate affair with her likely future brother-in-law, no matter how much she wished for it.

Kristoff shook his head, that easy smile still on his face. "Not as much as you might think." And yanking Elsa back into his arms, he kissed her again, and closing her eyes, she kissed him back...

Just as the study door opened to reveal a familiar redhead.