overlooking the ballroom.

Anna only silently smiled in return.

The ballroom was filled with people, all conversing with each other while they waited for Elsa’s arrival. They were silenced when the head of the palace guard called for their attention. “Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and Her Royal Highness, Princess Anna of Arendelle.”

The two sisters waved as the crowd clapped in greeting. “Well,” Anna whispered, “guess it’s time to go meet everyone.”

Elsa began to nod in agreement, but was brought up short by the sight of the captain of Corona. Despite Anna’s words from earlier, she could still feel his gaze penetrating her, as if he was reading her every move.

But this time, she would not allow fear to take over. She smiled slyly, and turned to Anna. “Hold that thought,” she whispered.

Anna raised an eyebrow, surprised at Elsa’s unusual response. Usually Elsa was quick to join the floor, always eager to make conversation with the crowd.

Elsa, however, had other plans for tonight. She placed both hands on the railing, instantly freezing it, before lifting them abruptly. Within seconds, two beams of ice spread from the balcony to the floor below, sloping away the farther they went. With a flick of the wrist, a thin layer of ice bridged the gap between them.

Anna gasped in amazement. “It’s like a slide!” she exclaimed. 

“That’s because it is a slide,” Elsa responded. She slowly put her arm behind her sister, her smile expanding every second.

“That’s amazing!” Anna stared at the slide. “But why did you…”

All of a sudden, Anna realized what the slide was for—but unfortunately for her, she realized the exact same moment Elsa pushed. Anna fell onto the slide head-first and slid all the way down on her stomach. The ballroom fell silent as everyone watched in confusion—a silence only broken by Anna’s startled scream at the initial push. 

Her ride was short and quick, however, as she came to a gentle stop in the middle of the room. Kristoff, dressed in his best attire, rushed over from the side and helped her up. “What was that about?” he whispered.

Anna let out a laugh as she brushed the snow off the front of her dress. She looked back up to the balcony, where Elsa was getting ready to follow in her steps. “Oh, you know,” she replied with a satisfied smile. “Just Elsa being Elsa.”

Elsa threw her legs in front and slid down the slide on her back, laughing the whole way down. The crowd continued to remain silent, seeming confused and embarrassed at the two sisters’ actions. As Elsa stood up at the end of her ride, the captain approached her sternly.

“Your majesty,” he stiffly stated, “do you realize what you are doing?’ Before he could allow Elsa to reply, he continued, “You are acting no better than a commoner. Do you feel your actions are appropriate for someone in your position?”

All eyes turned to Elsa, who had mentally been preparing for this moment all evening. Before her talk with Anna, however, her reply would have been much more different than now. Before, she would have apologized profusely, begging the captain’s forgiveness and promising it would never happen again.

Now, however, she had the perfect response. “Captain of Corona,” she calmly replied, “my people look to me not only as their queen, but as their friend. I am just as flawed as they are. I can, when the time comes, stand my ground, but when it comes down to it, I am of Arendelle, and I will act as such.”

The captain’s eyes widened. It was obvious he had not expected such an answer, and it was several seconds before he could respond. “Queen Elsa…” 

Elsa was prepared for the captain to leave Arendelle immediately and abandon their treaty. But the captain’s mouth twitched, and a smile formed. He let out a loud, long laugh, before bowing. “Your majesty,” he finished, “you have my respect, and my alliance.”

The relief was so great, Elsa had to close her eyes to fight back tears of joy. Suddenly, her knees felt weak; she quickly excused herself and made her way over to her throne. By the time she sat down, the orchestra began to play a soft ballad and everyone had begun to dance.

She let out a sigh and smiled, realizing everything had been okay. She even let out a laugh; maybe today wasn’t so bad after all. 

As her guests danced around the room, she decided that the setting wasn’t quite as perfect as it could be. She reached up to the sky, motioned toward the candles around the room, and summoned snow to cover them. The result bathed the room in a subdued tint of purple—in Elsa’s opinion, the best color to match the song. The crowd murmured in awe, and clapped at Elsa’s achievement.

Elsa smiled, and motioned for everyone to continue with the dance. Yes, she decided. Today wasn’t so bad after—

“Sven, what did you find?” Elsa’s thoughts were interrupted by Olaf’s voice from upstairs. “You shouldn’t go into people’s rooms without permission, Sven. It’s rude.”

Elsa strained to hear over the sound of music, but chuckled when she heard the next words loud and clear.

“So this is chocolate! Sven, I think I’ve fallen in love!”