Second Best

Chapter One

She smiled as yet another suitor bowed to her where she sat in her throne embellished with icy patterns. If this one was different from the other stuff-shirts she'd had to put up with she'd eat her crown in one swallow.

"It's so nice to meet you, Prince Garrett," she said as nicely as she could in her current mood. It was a good thing she'd put her gloves on half an hour ago, when she'd started to feel tetchy.

Why did they all have to be so unoriginal in the choices of compliments? Did they really all have to dress in shades of blue? Did they think it would impress her? Were they really that desperate? Weren't they supposed to be Princes, or did they just want to be with her for the power it would give them?

"Oh, look at me, I'm married to the Ice Queen!" Men! Who said she'd need them anyway? Her advisors, that's who.

Bloody idiots, she should fire them... But what did she know about running a kingdom? She hated to admit it, and some of their advice was pretty stupid, but she did need them.

"It's Prince Eric, your Highness," he told her, still on one knee before her. It had to be uncomfortable, what with the way the ice was spreading across the floor as her ire rose.

"Oh, is it? There's so many of you it's hard to remember them all correctly. Please do forgive me?" She asked, picking idly at a fingernail, trying to think of Anna so she could stop the spread of the ice.

"Like you'll forgive my brother, Hans," he fired back, clearly still annoyed with himself for never seeing that propensity for evil within his youngest brother and the havoc it had wrought upon her own kingdom.

She raised an eyebrow regally. Choosing to ignore his rude question she told him he may rise, using an imperious gesture and helping him along a little with a snowy breeze, if his knees had frozen up due to an extended period of contact with the icy floor she was trying to rein in.

Perhaps it was time Olaf was brought in from his walk in the palace gardens? She hated to burden him, but she needed his happy demeanor right now, it would cheer her right up, and hopefully get rid of this darned ice! Why was she still incapable of keeping her powers under control?

"I am sorry for his actions, Your Majesty. If there's anything I can do to compensate you for any pain he caused you or your sister, please just ask. I am at your service," with this he again bent at the waist to show his subservience, even though they both knew it was a load of poppycock. As soon as his father died, he would be king. So why would he want to be second best to any one else, least of all a woman? Lord knows she knew how it felt, if no one else did.

"You weren't to know," she reassured him absentmindedly, while gesturing for an attendant to come closer.

She whispered to him to summon Olaf immediately, as she thought her guest was getting a little chilly, especially dressed as he was in his summer clothes. And what nice clothes they were, she thought to herself, glad that she had long ago learned to keep her facial expression blank so it wouldn't show her female appreciation of those deliciously tight breeches, and the laced up shirt, with just the tiniest amount of masculine chest hair peeking out at hair as if to say...

"Hallo," came a cheerful voice from the right arm of her throne.

At first Queen Elsa thought she was going mad, but then she realised it was just the joyfully childish voice of her and Anna's personal snowman, Olaf.

"Olaf, how lovely it is to see you," she smiled genuinely to his cheery little face, with his carrot poking out from where his ear would be if he had one. "Let me just fix that for you."

The smile still stretching her lips into an expression she was gradually becoming used to, she gently coaxed the accompanying happy emotion into her magic and the ice still slowly spreading across the floor of the throne room. She redirected it to above Olaf's head, where his snow flurry was still functional, but well, it could never hurt to have a little extra snow for her favourite little guy. Seriously, why couldn't all men be as sweet as he was?