Thawing A Frozen Heart

Breakfast went well. For someone who hardly ever left her room, Elsa was well-versed on a variety of subjects, and we had a delightful conversation while eating. The nearly white-haired woman wasn't seeming at all shy now, and after our meal she did indeed take me into her bedroom, but not for what you might expect.

Nearly half of her bedroom was taken up by a massive library. Not a lot of the romances you might expect, though there were some. Most of her books were of a more practical bent. She had a frankly amazing section just on architecture, apparently it was a favorite subject of hers. I had not pegged her for an engineer, but the ice castle made a lot more sense now.

Philosophy, mathematics, and even tomes on magical theory. And she spent all day studying these things. Turns out the ice queen was something of a nerd of all things. And here I was ready to sweep the frosty virgin off of her feet. I'd come here looking for a versatile weapon in her ice powers and found a genius that I couldn't wait to unleash on high-tech schematics and see what she could make of really advanced engineering. For all I knew she could use her ice to refract sunlight into deadly lasers with the right knowledge.

It was a pretty exciting idea.

Meanwhile, she seemed to take my enthusiasm for her intelligence like a grandiose romantic gesture. The more she talked about her studies, the more excited I got, which in turn fanned the flames of her heart. Or perhaps just set fire to her loins by how flushed she'd become. I didn't have the senses of a werewolf anymore, but even as a dragon I could smell her arousal.

Apparently nerds get hot and bothered when you appreciate their brains. Who knew?

She leaned in close to put a book back on a high shelf, and suddenly we were kissing.

I'm not sure if she meant to do that, but she didn't pull away as steam boiled off of the two of us. In defense of her books, I swung the two of us over to the balcony that opened up on one side of the room. She only gripped me tighter as we moved.

Frost rimmed her clothes, and ice hung in her hair, save where my inner fire rose up to melt it away. She was losing control, but as long as she was focused on me she wasn't going to encase the kingdom in ice. I hoped...

Eventually, she broke the kiss and looked up into my eyes, panting in reaction. "I, that was, I needed..." I didn't think she was often at a loss for words, but this was apparently a very new situation for her. It wasn't long before she mastered her consternation, however. "I cannot fight it anymore. I need you. Since your arrival, I cannot get you out of my thoughts. Out of my dreams..." She whispered the last.

Looking into her crystal-blue eyes, I could see the fear and the hope she held. She must have resigned herself to being forever alone, fearing her power would hurt anyone she let get close. Healing Anna and showing my own resistance to her cold must have driven cracks into that resolve that the bracelet would have been pouring through. Melting her heart. "You don't have to be alone anymore, Princess. Elsa. I am here for you." Literally.

She gave me another smile, much less shy this time, and the worst of the ice faded from her dress. "But how long can you stay? Do you not have your own kingdom to return to?"

I kissed her, and Elsa melted against me. "I swear I will stay until your power is under your control and you never need to fear it again. What we do after that, we can decide together then."

"Would you like to go on a hike with me?" She waved towards the snowy wilderness behind the castle. "I never leave the castle anymore, but I've looked out upon this scene for years. I'd feel safe with you out there, and the cold has never bothered me anyways."

I thought she was about to break out into song for a moment there, but she just looked imploringly at me. "Of course, I'd love to take in the sights with you, and the cold doesn't bother me either." Not with Wild Defense active anyways.

She laughed and danced about as the last of the ice broke free from her dress. "We'll stop by the kitchen and pick up a packed lunch, make a proper trip of it. Oh, I haven't done something like this in so long." She teared up then, probably thinking of her parents again. She rushed over and hugged me, burying her face in my chest. "And you will keep me safe, and everyone safe from me."

"It will be my honor." And you will be mine.