Frozen Beyond [gxg]

A Splash From Fate

It had been two days since Crow had docked two ships. Elsa stood in the market square with her arms crossed. She was wearing her two-piece, blue outfit today with her hair tied back in a loose ponytail.

She had been watching Crow and his men work. So far, they barely left the ship. Perhaps Anna was right. She was being too harsh to judge a group of people she didn't know much about.

She found herself standing on the edge of a small pier, looking over all the Arendellian ships that floated gently over the Fjord. Their ships paled compared to the large ships of these "wayfinders."

A shiny stone caught her attention, and she leaned over to pick it up, rolling it in her hands to feel the smooth, saucer shape. After giving a few tosses in her hand to test its weight, she skipped it across the relaxing waters. After it skipped four times, it sunk, and it left Elsa watching the water ripple across the Fjord.

"Toss it here!" A voice behind her yelled.

Just as she craned her neck to match a face to the unfamiliar voice, the body rammed into her and knocked the wind right from her lungs. She struggled to turn herself around and reach out for anything to keep her from the frigid fjord waters.

Gale, the wind spirit, let out a chiming, frited laughter as it wrapped around her to try to keep Elsa from ending up in the Fjord.

Teetering on the edge of the short pier, the person reached out to grab both of her hands, both awkwardly trying to keep from ending up in the water. Gale chittered and swept away with the breeze. She debated whether to freeze the water that was only five feet below the pier or if landing in the water would be a better approach to slamming into ice.

"Oh, sorry!" The voice apologized.

Whoever it was, their hands were so warm, Elsa forgot for a moment she was about to end up in the fjord.

Somehow, they counterbalanced one another and Elsa hung awkwardly off the edge of the pier, her feet pushing against the wood and her back facing the water. The person holding onto her teetered precariously between gaining balance and falling over the edge.

Elsa huffed, looking up at the person clutching her hands and paused when heated sea-foam green eyes penetrated her. The surprise at her own reaction had her pulling back and fighting against the hands that held her. She went to tell the person to let go but a creaking of wood below them had the stranger and herself looking at one another.

"Oh no." They both breathed out in unison before they creaked over the edge and splashed in the water.

Breaking the surface, Elsa dragged in a deep breath and treaded the cold water. A dripping, wet hand was offered to her. Grabbing it without thinking much on it, she was hoisted up by the same stranger that landed her in the water.

"I'm sorry." The stranger told again, their voice a husky purr.

She was too busy ringing out her hair to care. "It's fine." She replied passively. Finally, glancing up at the person who both knocked her into the water and pulled her out, she paused.

The frothy green of those eyes were so unnerving. The woman standing in front of her was just a hair taller than she was, her skin a deep golden-tan. Her clothing, though sopping wet and clinging to her frame, was like Crow's. Shoulder length, jet black hair was pulled into a sloppy bun while strands decorated in beads and colorful thread came loose from the wet bun.

Something stirred in her stomach, a queasiness that made her feel on edge when she looked at the woman.

The other woman shifted from one foot to the other, "Er, I'm Keahi." She offered her hand.

Once she composed herself, she eyed the woman's hand, slowly taking it into her own. The static warmth there caused her to pull away like she'd been burnt.

What was going on?

She shook her head. "Elsa." She offered nothing else to the stranger.

"You're the royal with ice powers, right?" Keahi asked with a tilt of her head.

Narrowing her eyes, she shook out her hands to free them of the droplets of water. "Yes." She answered simply.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" Keahi asked, trailing after her as she started down the dock.

Elsa paused a moment, turning to look at the woman. "My sister is more of the entertainer and a people person." She answered honestly. She had always preferred close family to meeting strangers, it's another aspect of Anna that made her so right to rule Arendelle.

Anna could do it a lot more fluidly and comfortably than she ever could.

"That's okay," Keahi nodded, "maybe I'll see you at the party the Queen is hosting tonight?" Keahi asked.

She glanced down at the other woman, shifting uncomfortably on the stairs.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

Very, is what she wanted to say, but she carefully considered it. "Of course not."

"You are very... concise when you speak, huh?"

Elsa scowled, putting her hand on the railing. She decided to ignore Keahi's little quip. "How did you know I was the one with ice powers?"

"Oh, that. We've heard stories all the way from the Southern Isles to here, and everything in between of the silver-blonde haired royal in Arendelle who is as chilly and reserved as a block of ice."

Her heart thudded in her chest. Was that how everyone viewed her? Chilly? A block of ice? She knew she wasn't as warm and outward as Anna, but she was trying to get better. Her hand gripped the railing tightly as she started up the steps.

"But don't worry, your highness, the stories didn't even touch on your beauty."

Ice shot from the hand that gripped the railing, freezing her hand to the metal. Laughing awkwardly, she pulled at it until it broke free.

What was she supposed to say to that? This had never happened before. What should her response be? Calculated and poised, like usual? For some reason, her thoughts became jumbled and she couldn't let out a concise response. She felt heat rise in her cheeks, that queasiness in her stomach more prominent. So, she started quickly up the steps and hoped to leave this entire interaction behind.

"Okay, well, maybe I can have a dance at the party?" Keahi called after her.

She quickened her pace. "I don't dance!"