Not so Frozen Bk. 03

Thank you so much to my editor incredimeters

There is sex in this story but it is not the main focus.

Book 3

The relief detachment that Queen Anna, had sent with spare food and horses had returned to the castle by lunch with Owen but without Josef. Elsie had been livid. She had wanted if only for an instant to freeze Owen where he stood. "I told you to keep him there and wait for relief," Elsie bellowed.

Ever since she left Josef, it had become harder and harder to remain calm and centered. Her emotions had been all over the place. She was nervous to the point of being jumpy. Happy one minute and sad the next. What is going on with me, she thought, I was not like this with Josef.

Owen was on his knees and inspecting the floor tiles not daring to look up at Elsie. Instead, he looked to Queen Anna for protection. Anna had grown into her role as queen very well. Like so many other great rulers she had never wanted to be queen but was very good at it. Gone were the days of leaping before she looked and acting before she thought things through. All her failings were quickly overshadowed by her fearless, never-give-up attitude and her caring ability to see the best in everyone.

Owen cringed, "yes, Ma'am. But I had no reason to hold him and to be honest, I am not sure I could have even if I had wanted to."

"Did he say anything?" Elsie demanded.

Owen looked up at Elsie for the first time. "Yes, your Majesty. He said he need to see the barber."

Elsie grunted and walked away towards the back of the hall.

Anna couldn't help but chuckle. Elsie simply looked exasperated. Anna sensed the tension building in her sister and decided it would be best to get Owen out of range of Elsie's magic as quickly as possible. "Very well, Owen. You will find my sister took very good care of your horse, Traveler, I believe her name is. Why don't you go and make sure she knows you're back."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Owen popped up as though the floor beneath him was spring-loaded.

Elsie paced back and forth in front of the couch, in the sitting area of her old room in the castle at Arendelle. She had washed, done her hair, and changed, making sure to wear a real cloth dress this time, not an Elsie original, just in case her powers failed again. "I should have tied him up and slung him over the back of the horse," Elsie said to an empty room.

"Elsie?" A soft voice interrupted her thoughts, causing her to jump and freeze the edge of the couch.

Elsie rounded on the person half expecting it to be Olaf but was surprised to discover it was Anna. Being queen took up most of Anna's day and so they saw each other mostly at meals and bedtime. Anna smiled. "Do you want to build a snowman?"

Anna of course didn't really think Elsie wanted to build a snowman. For them, the phrase had become their personal way of saying, "I know you're hurting. How can I help."

"I'm just having so much trouble controlling my feelings today," Elsie confessed to the one person she knew she could trust.

"You are?" Anna asked. "To be honest I hadn't noticed."

"You mean I am normally like this?" Elsie's face looked worried.

"Yyyyesss," Anna said and then braced for the explosion.

Elsie thought back and knew that Anna was right. She also decided then and there that she was going to do her best to find her emotional calm again. Right after this last tantrum.

"Why couldn't he have just waited?" Anna shrank back on the couch. "Why couldn't he have just listened?" Elsie asked.

"Because he's a man," Anna said with complete sincerity while patting the seat next to her on the couch. "And all though they drive me nuts. I wouldn't have them any other way."

"That's all fine and good for you. You're married to Kris the most trustworthy guy on earth. I mean you can ask him to do something and you can trust that whatever you ask him to do it will get done," Elsie reasoned out loud.

"Well," Anna snickered, "I would agree with that statement for the most part. I would however add, 'eventually,' to the end of it."

"But if I can't trust Josef to even do one simple thing like stay put, can I ever trust him with anything?" Elsie asked almost in tears.

"Wait what?" Anna asked taking Elsie by the shoulders and forcing her to sit sideways so the two sisters were eye to eye. Anna scrutinized Elsie's face as though looking for a small tick or spider. Elsie could not maintain eye contact. Anna Smiled. "You're in love with him." It was a statement, not a question.

Elsie tried to laugh it off. "What? Noooo."

"You are." Anna's smile widened. Anna took Elsie's hands and looked at her sister even closer. "You are. Oh, my goodness you are."

Anna got up and started to prance around the couch singing "Elsie's in love. Elsie's in love."

"What are you, Olaf?" Elsie asked.

"Elsie," Anna stopped and rejoined her sister on the sofa. "I have seen that look in the mirror and on Kris's face every day for over two years. I know the 'love look' when I see it."

"How far did it go? Did you?" Anna tried to wink at Elsie but it looked more like she had gotten some mascara in her eye.

Elsie blushed and grimaced, "Yeeaah." Elsie then began to inspect the ends of her braided hair avoiding eye contact with Anna as she drew out her answer, "We did. And it was amazing."

"This is so delicious," Anna's face changed from happy to deadpan. "Elsie I will not discuss this with you any further. You cannot marry a man you just met. The party is over. Guards, close the gates."

"Are you done?" asked Elsie with an equally deadpan expression on her face.

"No actually." Anna extended her hand to Elsie. "You still need to pull off my glove and I need to run off and freeze the harbor. I may need a little help with that."

Elsie buried her face in her hands. Anna got up and offered Elsie her hand for real this time. "Let's go to dinner. If he has not shown up by the end of dinner, I will send a search party for him."

"That worked so well in my case," Elsie pointed out sarcastically.

"I know. It did. You're here aren't you," Anna quipped then turned serious. "Besides I still have something I want to discuss with you."

Chapter 2

Anna and Elsie lived in one wing of the castle. The rest of it was a cross between a hotel and a museum. Most of the castle was composed of offices and conference rooms meant for handling the affairs of state. They only used the ballrooms for formal balls and while the kitchen could provide food for hundreds, it only had to feed thirty or so on a general day.

The two women walked arm and arm to the private family dining room. Anna occasionally mumbled, "Elsie's in love, Elsie's in love" under her breath until Elsie finally fixed her with an icy stare and Anna stopped. A wave of nausea hit Elsie and she was suddenly so tired she had to sit down.

"Elsie are you ok?" asked Anna and Kai, the castle's head steward who like usual had appeared out of nowhere, in unison.

"I'm fine, just a little light-headed. It's passing." It was just like the other day when she had lost her powers but much less intense. And she wasn't lying it was passing. Stranger, still she felt her emotions simmering down too.

To test her powers, she froze the flame of a candle they passed in the hallway. She was able to do it but it took a little concentration. "See, everything's working fine," Elsie lied.

"Glad to hear that Ma'am," said Kai. Then he turned to Anna. "There is a man here," reported Kai, "he says he was invited for dinner. Shall I send him to the kitchens for some soup and bread and then have the guards send him on his way?"

Anna looked at one of the umpteen clocks in the hallway. It was ten minutes to six. Anna turned to Elsie, "and you were worried that he wasn't coming." She then turned back to Kai. "I am so sorry I forgot to tell you earlier Kai. We will be one more for dinner."

"Very good Madam." He responded, bowed, and headed back down the hall.

Anna launched into another round of "Elsie's in love," as they walked into the dining room.

Elsie would have normally stopped her sister by saying through gritted teeth, "Shut up, Anna." But she didn't feel like she wanted Anna to stop. It was nice to have someone to share her joy with.

In any case, Anna fell silent moments later not because of Elsie but because of the sight of the newcomer. "Wow. Is that him?" Anna asked.

"I'm not sure," Elsie admitted.

Elsie looked at the man standing at the other end of the table talking to her brother-in-law. Gone was the beard. Gone was the dirt. His hair was still long but clean and professionally cut in the current style. The simple leather thong was replaced by a brand-new black hair tie. His clothes were new and very flattering to his large strong frame.

"If you ever don't want him. I'll take him," said Anna. Elsie squeezed her sister's hand. "You know if you two break up and Kris is killed in a strange ice-hauling accident."

Upon seeing Elsie and Anna Josef bowed. "Your Majesties."

Elsie puffed up her chest and with as much pomp as she could manage introduced the love of her life to her sister. "Queen Anna. This is Josef of Corona. The man who saved my life."

"And stole your heart," Anna said under her breath.

With perfect manners, Josef took Anna's hand in his and kissed it graciously. It was then that Anna noticed his ring and turned his hand to get a better look at it.

"My, what an interesting ring." Anna started to say when Elsie gave her sister a quick kick to the ankle. "Ow."

"I'm sorry. I must have tripped, Anna. And everyone says you're the clumsy one." Elsie tried to cover her action by patting her sister's hand and chuckling. "Here let me get you some ice for that." Elsie created a small ice bracelet around Anna's ankle. Then helped her to the head of the table where Kris pulled out Anna's chair and then sat. Once again, her powers were working but simply required more concentration.

Josef, seeing through Elsie's ruse explained. "I am afraid it is entirely my fault Your Majesty. The ring was my late wife's and Elsie was trying to prevent me pain."

"Oh," responded Anna trying to remember the last time Elsie had tried to look out for anyone else's feelings. "Then it is I who am sorry. Forgive me for drudging up old pain. I will forgive her later when my ankle feels better," joked Anna, thinking, I like this guy already.

Josef pulled out Elsie's chair and she commented in a low tone, "You clean up nice."

"Why thank you, Elsie." He planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "You are also looking very lovely tonight."

The meal was delightful. Over dinner, Josef told the story of what he had done after Elsie left to get back to the castle. Kris and he traded stories about saving the royal sisters from wolves. Elsie seemed very calm and very upbeat almost to the point of giddiness. Anna, normally very talkative, kept staring at the mysterious man that had thawed her sister's heart and his simple ring.

After dinner, Elsie invited Josef on a short tour of the royal residents. He accepted saying. "Where thou goest I will follow."

The foursome walked down the hall. Elsie and Josef were in front followed not so closely by Anna and Kris. The younger couple wanted to give the newer couple a little privacy. "I never thought I would see the day Josef would come out of the forest. He must really like Elsie," said Kris.

"He seems nice. What do you know of him?" Anna asked her husband.

"I know I am going to be jealous of him if you don't stop staring at him," Kris said slowing his pace even more.

They stopped altogether and faced each other in the hall as Elsie and Josef went into one of the ballrooms. "I just want to make sure this is not another case of Hans-itis."             

Kris gave Anna a big hug and then started rubbing her back. "Hey, you have got to stop blaming yourself for falling for that jerk. He fooled us all."

"I love you and it is kind that you say that Dear, but the fact is he never fooled you and so that is why your opinion means so much to me," Anna admitted.

Kris was normally positive to the point of being slightly goofy but now he put on his serious face. "They didn't just meet. He was here for your birthday party a year ago. Josef is a good man. I have never met anyone that says any different. Even most of the other trappers respect him and will tell you that he has helped them in the past at one time or another. He was married before and his wife died. I was a bit surprised to see him leave the forest because he has always been a recluse. But so was I until I met this feisty, fearless, ginger-sweet woman. In short, he's a bit of a fixer-upper."

Anna couldn't help but to snort and chuckle at the reference to their almost troll wedding. "That's what I wanted to hear."

The next thing they heard was music coming from the ballroom. Kris and Anna both rushed in to find Elsie and Josef dancing to a simple waltz. Anna had been presented with the gift of a large music box several months ago but the instructions on how to put it together had been lost in shipping and they could never get it to play at the right tempo or for more than a minute before it stopped. Now it was playing perfectly and Anna could not believe how nice it sounded.

"How? When?" Anna shouted over the music as the couple moved past.

"Josef fixed it. Isn't it wonderful?" Elsie shouted back.

"It was nothing, Your Majesty. Just a couple of parts in backward and a loose belt," Josef explained humbly.

"He is perfect," Anna said to no one in particular.

Kris coughed. "I could debate that with you but if I did it would prevent me from dancing with you." Kris bowed to his wife and offered his hand. "May I have this dance, my Queen?"

"Of course, my love." Anna looked over at her sister as Kristoff took her in his arms. "Do you think we were that love-struck when we first met?"

He smiled. "Oh, we were ten times worse."

Chapter 3

The four danced for a while taking breaks in between songs. At one point Elsie shot a snow burst into the air and twinkling snowflakes fell till the end of the song. Normally they would have fallen for the rest of the night but once Elsie stopped thinking about them, they stopped. Finally, after a while, Anna said she was getting tired and that her foot hurt again. Elsie apologized again. "If Josef would like to stay the night, we could put him in the green, guest room."

Elsie and Anna shared a look and then a moment of sister telepathy, I know what you two will be up to tonight. "Yes Josef," Elsie asked. "You were so kind to me and you must let me return the favor. Please stay."

Josef was reluctant. He had not slept in a real bed for a long time and not in a castle for even longer. Was this really happening? Was Elsie falling in love with him? What if he messed things up? thought Josef. Fortunately, Josef's heart overrode his fear and he agreed.

Kris, ever concerned about his wife, now more than ever, simply picked Anna up and prepared to carry her to their rooms. "Goodnight, Josef," said Anna extending her hand. He took it and kissed it again, enabling her a final look at his ring. Elsie blew Anna a kiss and Kris headed for the door. "I will send Kai to get Josef something to change into for tonight. Inga can show Josef to the green guest room whenever you're ready. I don't want him getting lost."

Elsie wondered out loud, "How do those two do it?"

"Well, it's quite easy. I mean Kris probably lifts 100-pound blocks of ice all the time and your sister can't weigh that soaking wet." To demonstrate, Josef lifted Elsie off her feet in a similar fashion and carried her around the hall as the song finished.

Elsie had never been swept off her feet by a man before. It was nice. "That's not what I mean."

Josef smiled, "do tell."

Elsie explained, "They have been that nauseatingly in love with each other since they first met and if anything, they're only getting worse."             

Josef looked into her eyes. "You don't think we're that bad?"

"We are not even close to that bad," Elsie protested.

Josef danced them over to a wall-length mirror and turned her to face it. "You sure?"

Josef kissed Elsie on the lips. This was all again different from before. Josef's beard was gone and she found that not having her face tickled by his facial hair was not at all an unpleasant experience. She let herself go and just gave in to the kiss. She could still taste the wine from earlier on his breath and her stomach filled with butterflies.

Finally, the kiss broke and Elsie couldn't stop herself from commenting, "Well, that keeps getting better."

"I aim to please, Your Majesty." He responded and leaned in to kiss her again.

He didn't get the chance because Elsie suddenly jerked away and pressed her hands to her face. "Oh no, not again."

Josef was confused and concerned all at the same time. He didn't know if he should put Elsie down and defend her from some unseen attacker or press her to his chest and run. "What's wrong?"              

"I am the worst sister ever." Elsie proclaimed, enunciating each of the last three words for emphasis. "Anna wanted to tell me something three days ago and then again, this afternoon but we spent the whole time talking about you and other stuff and we never got back to her. My goodness, how could anyone love someone so self-centered as me?"

Josef began to dance again holding her tight. Then he kissed her on the forehead. "It's very easy to love you and it's not just because you're so beautiful."

"Can you help me, Josef?" asked Elsie. "I seem to be so much more in control of myself and such a better person when I am with you. Can you hold me down and help keep me grounded?"

"Heavens no," Josef said truthfully. Elsie covered her face again. Josef danced faster. "You are a free spirit. A force of nature and woe to anyone or anything that gets in your way" complimented Josef. "But." He let the, but hang in the air until she looked into his chocolate brown eyes, "if I can help to tether you a little, I will gladly do that, but ground you or cage you? That I could never do."

Elsie's eyes filled with love and tears. She leaned into him to initiate another round of kissing when the moment was interrupted by the loud creek of a floorboard. Inga, a maidservant stood half in and half out of the doorway. Elsie looked over Josef's shoulder at the trembling woman.

"I am so sorry. I interrupted you, Your Majesty.," Inga said her voice shaking almost as badly as her body. "The Queen sent me to fetch Mr. Josef. And she told me to take him to the green guest room, which of course doesn't make sense as we never use that guest room, but orders are orders. I didn't mean to stare but you two are so lovely and I couldn't help myself." The woman was so afraid she began to wring her hands in front of herself.

Elsie motioned with her head to Josef that she needed him to put her down. Once she regained her feet. She walked over to Inga and patted the woman on the shoulders. "It's alright Inga. I was just going to send for you anyway."

"You were?" asked Inga and Josef in unison. Inga was elated and Josef dejected.

"Yes, I was. I'm getting very tired." And the truth was she was getting a little tired it had been a long day. "Aren't you getting tired Josef?" Elsie asked with a fake yawn.

"No," Joseph answered perplexed.

"How about you Inga?" Asked Elsie.

"I am not tired at all if you don't want me to be, Your Majesty," Inga answered.

"Good. Can you take Josef to see the Northlander wardrobe and then take him to his room?"

Inga beamed, "Of course Your Majesty. You know how much I live to serve you and the Queen. I will be more than happy to show it to him."