filled them with a sweet, creamy filling. Papa liked them plain. Before they knew it, they’d made half a dozen cookies and had enough batter to make at least a dozen more.
“Why don’t you three keep going and I’ll be right back?” Olina told them, wiping her hands on her apron. “I just need to accept this vegetable delivery.”
“Can I try using the griddle? Please? Can I try?” Anna begged.
“No, darling,” Mama told her. “You’ll burn your fingers.” Anna watched her mother remove the griddle from the stove and pull the baked dough out of it. She wrapped it around the krumkake pin to form its shape.
“Your Majesty?” Kai appeared in the kitchen doorway. “The king has asked for you to make an appearance in the council chambers.”
Mama looked at the girls. “I’ll be right back,” she promised. “Don’t touch the griddle till Olina or I return.”
Elsa nodded, but by the time she turned around, Anna was already on her tippy-toes, scooping the batter onto the middle of the griddle. “Anna! Mama said not to touch it.”
“I can do it,” Anna insisted, counting to herself and flipping the griddle. “I want to bake my own cookie for Papa.”
“Wait for Miss Olina,” Elsa told her, but Anna was impulsive. She hated rules.
Elsa, on the other hand, swore by them.
Anna opened the griddle and tried to pull the crispy dough from the middle of the grate. “Ouch!” she cried, dropping the dough onto the floor and waving her fingers frantically. “I got burned!” Anna burst into tears.
“Let me see.” Elsa grabbed her sister’s hand. Two of her fingers were bright red. Elsa needed something cold to put on Anna’s hand to stop the burning sensation. She spotted a copper pot full of water on the table. Olina wouldn’t be back for a few minutes. Elsa hovered her fingertips over the pot and concentrated on the water. Seconds later, a blue glow appeared around her hands, and snowflakes and crystals began to flow.
Anna stopped crying. “Oooh.”
Within seconds, the water in the pot was frozen solid.
“Put your hand on here to cool it down,” Elsa instructed as the ice crackled. Anna ran over to touch it. Neither of them heard their mother return.
“Girls!” Mama’s voice was dangerously low.
Elsa hid her hands behind her back, but it was too late. She had disobeyed Mama by using her gift in public, where someone else might see.
“You know better than to—”
“How are the cookies coming?” Olina asked, returning with a basket of fresh vegetables, which she placed on the counter. She started when she noticed the copper pot she had just filled with water. “My word! What happened to my pot? How could the water freeze on such a warm night?”
Mama pulled Anna and Elsa to her sides. “Strange, indeed! Olina, Anna burned her fingers on the stove. I’m going to bandage them and get the girls to bed.”
“But the cookies…” Elsa protested.
Her mother flashed her a sharp look. “Olina will finish them and you can give the cookies to your father over breakfast. We’re done baking this evening.”
Olina didn’t say anything. She was still too busy staring at the pot in wonder.
Elsa hung her head. “Yes, Mama.”
In the girls’ shared bedroom, Mama applied a salve to Anna’s fingers and dressed her in her favorite green nightgown, then sent Anna to fetch Papa for story time. Moonlight streaked through the large triangular window as Elsa changed into her blue nightgown behind the dressing panel. She could hear their mother singing a lullaby as she picked up a few dolls Anna had left on the floor. By the time Elsa climbed into her bed, Mama was by her side.
“I’m so sorry, Mama,” Elsa said, still feeling bad.
Her mother sat on the edge of her bed. “I know. And I know it’s not your fault that Anna got hurt. Olina or I should have been watching, but when we can’t…”
“It’s my duty to watch over Anna,” Elsa recited diligently.
“No,” Mama said. “It’s your job to be a good big sister, but also to protect yourself. What if Olina had walked in when you were using your gift?”
Elsa noticed the worry lines on her mother’s forehead. She hated upsetting her. “She didn’t see me.”
“But she could have,” Mama reminded her. “You must be more careful, Elsa. Papa and I know your gift is truly special, but until we know more about it, we want it to be our family secret. Do you understand?” Elsa nodded. “Your father has been trying