~ The Storm before The Calm ~

Narrator POV:

The maid once again is looking at the sleeping Queen, but this time, she's thinking about the issue with the trolls, instead of waking her up...She shakes her head harshly and resumes her work.

"Wake up, Angel, wake up"

"Go away" Elsa mumbles trying to sleep.

"No can do, Angel. This new beautiful day awaits its Queen"

"Ugh... Fine, I am up" Elsa says getting up.

"Good, here today's food, I'll make the bath," Diana says and just goes to do what she said. Leaving Elsa confused, nonetheless, she goes to eat.

After several minutes Elsa doesn't hear from her maid, so she stops eating, stands up, and goes to the room which holds her moderate-sized bath, only to see the bath full, her maid day-dreaming, and the water overflowing.

"Diana" Elsa calls out to her, effectively snapping her out of her daze. Diana turns to face Elsa.

"Huh? What?"

"Uh... The water?" The Queen points at the bath.

The maid looks down and slightly jumps "Oh, oops, dozed off myself it seems, sorry, I will fix it soon"

"Right..." Elsa says thinking that's something isn't right.

"Diana, did one free day worsen your quality as a maid?" Elsa asks playfully, only to get a lackluster answer.

"No"

Now she knows that's something wrong, Diana would always try to for a snarky comeback.

"Okay, stop for a moment" Diana stops at the command confused "Is there something wrong?"

"No? Why ask me that?"

"Because, clearly, something is going on, that or you're getting bored of the job, is that what it is?"

"What? No, no, of course not, something like that is impossible, caus-"

"Yes, yes, because you work for me, I know, I've heard you tell me that multiple times before. Now, then, what's wrong?" Elsa stops her maid's ramblings and gets to the previous point.

"How'd you like your meal? Did you finish it?"

"Don't change the topic"

"I am not doing anything of the sort"

"What is wrong?" Elsa asks seriously having had enough of games.

"Nothing"

"Answer me, with a proper answer"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes"

"Fine" Diana says, then looks straight at the Queen's eyes "I was thinking why we haven't talked about what happened between us back in the Ice Castle" Even if that's only one of the questions she has in her mind, it's not what has kept her from doing her job. But she has no idea how to breach this subject yet. What can she say? Oh, hey, you know the prince that tried to kill you? Well turns out he's a good guy and was controlled by the creatures that saved your sister, only to try and kill her again... She'll think that she's crazy, it's way too soon for that, it needs to settle down more.

Elsa opens her mouth to answer, only to catch up to the answer that her Maid gave her, closing it instantly, she turns around to walk away while throwing out "Why did I even ask..."

But Diana follows after her "It's great that you asked, you wanted to know and I'd really like to hear the answer"

"There's nothing to talk about"

"Sure there is"

"No, there isn't"

"Angel, you can't just run from it, it happened and you can't change that, so the sooner we talk, the better it will be"

"Don't call me that, especially when talking about this"

"I don't get why you're so adamant on ignoring this subject"

"What subject?" Elsa asks faking confusion.

"Seriously? That's what you're doing right now?"

"Doing what now?"

"Trying to 'forget' what happened"

"Did something happen?"

"The thing in the Ice castle"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Elsa continues to fake it.

"Oh? You don't?"

"Nope"

"Oh, how cool, that means I can enligthen you on what happened, and you wouldn't mind"

"wai-"

"So, I followed this Queen, who looked just like an angel up the mountains"

"No, sto-"

"She was so gorgeous and powerful, she created a whole castle for herself, I just had to get in there"

"Serio-"

"So, once I made it inside, I climbed the enemy of all mankind, the stairs and found the Angel looking at me, I lost my ability to talk and acted like a doofus"

"Dia-"

"Which caused the Queen to put me in an ice prison and punish me for following her, it was such a great time, I even asked her if I could clea-"

"Okay, fine, I get it, I remember, okay, stop," Elsa says red, from both irritation and embarrassment.

"Oh, so now you remember? It seems my story helped out after all"

"Ugh, what is your problem?" Elsa asks the maid annoyed.

"It's not my problem, Angel, it's our problem"

"Stop calling me that!" Elsa slightly raises her voice.

"Okay, I will, for now, but I will continue once we get married, in fact, the next time you hear me call you 'Angel' will be as we make our vows, that way two Angels will join together, a Scarlet and a snow one, it will be majestic"

"That will never happen"

"You don't know that"

"Yes, I do"

"What, do you also have future sight alongside your unexplainable abilities or something?"

"No, but it's my decision if something like that happens and I will tell you now, it will never happen"

"Never say never, Queen"

"Oh? Where is this confidence coming from that makes you think I will marry you?"

"I am not confident about that happening, I am confident that I can get you to accept me, thus leading us to marriage"

"What if I marry somebody else?"

"I don't see that happening," Diana says with conviction, making Elsa more annoyed.

"What, why? Are you telling me I can't find somebody to love?"

"No, you're perfect, you'll find somebody, someday"

"What if I just choose someone now and marry them?"

"Right, like that would ever happen, you don't believe that statement yourself"

"Yes, I do"

"Ah-huh, the same woman, who criticized her sister for choosing a man in one day"

"He was evil"

"Sure, but you didn't know that before, did you?"

"I had a hunch"

"Okay, then the same woman, who criticized me for loving that same woman, just like her sister with that man, so am I evil, or is there some other hunch?"

"Ugh, then I'll marry out of convenience and you'll lose your chance"

"Really? Convenience? That's your bright idea?"

"What? It's a great idea"

"Okay, sure, whatever you say, but if that's how you think, then the most convenient partner for you is standing before your eyes"

"What?" Elsa puzzled.

"Queen, your people of Arendelle, basically worship me which could help us in different situations, my previous boss controls more than half of your kingdom's economics due to how many businesses she dabbles in, not to mention she's ever-expanding. And that boss will always help me if I need it, also I am just like you who can use 'magic powers' albeit mine are less useful at the moment, so I am actually the one that's closest to understanding you, there is nobody more convenient than me in Arendelle"

"That... No, there are other kingdoms, what if I choose to do that? For borders and alliances"

"Now, you're just grasping for straws, sure, that's convenient... But not for you, but them... The only reason they would marry you is for your powers and nothing else, you'd get nothing out of it, but misery and you know that it's the same as in Arendelle, most of the nobles that you could choose from, are a joke, I know that, because all of them are pining for me, so they could boast about conquering the Scarlet Angel, some are just insane and some are playboys who wouldn't appreciate you"

"I...I... It still will never happen" Elsa says the same thing, shaking her head, even if she can't argue against that.

"Yes, okay, it won't, just like you say, but none of this is the problem at the moment. The problem right now is that you can't talk to me about us having sex back in the mountains, which leads us tearing each other apart constantly"

"That's because you bring it up, if you didn't do that, I could just forget it ever happened and we could move on"

"I bring that up, because, I don't understand why it's a big deal, I am completely okay with me giving you my first time, I won't get pregnant so that's not a problem, I don't ask you for anything, except for this chance of being your maid and I don't want to move on like it never happened, so I just can't understand Why would you want to forget it? I thought you enjoyed our time, was I wrong?"

"I... None of your business"

"See? Again, you're dodging the problem, running away from it, don't you remember what running away from your problems has caused? Your relationship with your sister is the prime example of that"

That sentence was the last straw for Elsa "Get out"

"I-"

"GET OUT!"

Diana sighs to calm herself "Fine, I will, I'm sorry, mentioning the Princess was too far, even I know that, but even still, I will not go back on my word, I meant what I said about running away from problems, it won't fix them," Diana says and turns around walking closer to the door, as she grabs the handle, she hears the Queen quietly talk to her.

"Want to know why I don't want to talk about it? Why I dislike you bringing it up?"

Diana standing in place, not saying anything, and not turning around to face Elsa, just waiting for her to continue.

"Because unlike you, I couldn't have my first time with a person that I love"

Diana's eyes widen and a simple "Oh" comes out of her parted mouth. She clicks her tongue and then sighs out loud, and turns around, prompting the Queen to question her.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

"I changed my mind, I won't be leaving"

"Wha-"

"Listen, Queen, after hearing something like that, we really need to talk"

"We don-"

"Elsa, please, stop, let's just sit down, relax and talk peacefully, no more games, no more stupidities and talk about this and many other things, it will be better that way. So, let me just bring us some refreshments, some hot chocolate to help us, and let's do this differently, no shouting, no screaming, just two of us, having a lovely chat, asking each other questions, hmm? How about that?"

"I... Haaah... Fine, but don't pressure me in answering something if I don't want to"

"Got it, sorry for that, I can be quite stubborn"

"I know, just like my sister, if not more..."

"Hehe, agreed... But if there's by some lucky chance that you ask me something that, I myself don't want to answer, we just move on with a new one, okay?"

"It's only fair, but I don't imagine that happening often"

"Indeed, well, I will excuse myself, oh and I would've left without the trolley, how lucky that I changed my mind"

"Har, har... Sorry for screaming at you to get out" Elsa says apologetically, after mockingly laughing.

"Hey, no need for that, I was the one that stepped way over the line, that was all on me, even though I have no right to do that"

"Mhm..." Elsa just hums while softly nodding.

And so, the maid moves to leave again, only to be interrupted by a request from her Queen.

"Two cups of hot chocolate for me"

Diana playfully rolls her eyes out of the Queen's sight.

"Yes, ma'am" Diana adds leaving the Queen's room.

And Elsa is left alone, she sits back down on her bed, she's already exhausted and the day has just begun... Then she remembers something and she groans.

"Great... I forgot about my bath... I wish I asked for 3 cups instead" She says to herself dejectedly.

~ End of Chapter 20 ~