"So lonely… So stiff…" Elsa changed the icy topper for the fourth time. "Come on Elsa, this is for Anna. You can do this," she coached herself just above a whisper.
"It's perfect the way it is." Kristoff assured her from just a few steps away, busying himself with the task at hand, painting giant letters onto equally giant paper.
Elsa furrowed her brows as she took in the sight of the tiny sculpture of she and her sister skating across the sweet cake, unsure of how to improve it, but still utterly unimpressed with it. She barely noticed the mountain man's heavy hand as it rested on her shoulder, eyes lacking in their usual luster and mouth drooped in concern.
"You don't have to push so hard, it's not 'til tomorrow."
Elsa chuckled a bit. "I know that but everything has to be ready before then."
"Els-"
"OLAF!" Elsa caught the snowman just as he was about to fill his cheeks with a chunk of cake.
"But it's ICE-CREAM CAKE," he emphasized it as if that alone was enough vindication.
"And it's for Anna," she gently reminded him.
"And it's for Anna…" Olaf smeared the chunk back into the cake, his whole expression deflated.
"Good." Elsa nodded as she looked around her, the courtyard finally coming together. Kristoff's hand painted signs idea was a little crude but, sincere, so she allowed it. Looking at them now, she questioned her decision.
No. He deserved to contribute to Anna's special day.
"I'm going to check the status on kitchen preparations." Elsa announced, already making her way there. "Keep an eye on the courtyard and make sure everything stays perfect."
"Will do."
"And don't let Olaf eat the cake!"
"Got it," he called back just before the door slammed behind the monarch. He turned around to see the concern and judgement built up in his best friend's face. "Sven don't give me that, you know I'm trying here."
The reindeer gave a grunt and turned away with a shake of his head, focusing his attention on the snowman darting across the courtyard instead.
...
Men and women buzzed around the castle, carrying whatever their arms could manage in preparation. Balloons and streamers lined every inch of the grand hallways and a noble or two could be spotted engaging in elegant chit chat. Everything was just as she imagined it.
Elsa was pleased.
The queen heard a pair of hurried footsteps rush up to her but she didn't bother to turn around, already having a good guess of who it was. Instead, she continued her slow walkthrough, eying every nook and cranny for even the slightest aversion, even as the man huffed on the side of her, struggling to catch his breath.
"Is everything going as smoothly as it seems?" She asked with only the slightest apprehension. She knew if anyone could manage such a large operation fluidly, it would be Kai.
"Preparations are moving along fantastically, your majesty," he was excited to report.
"Wonderful!" Elsa smiled to herself.
The two continued their walk towards the kitchen, passing a pair of nobles who bowed in Elsa's presence. They pretended not to notice the shift in their whispers as Arendelle's queen barely acknowledged their greeting. Elsa, in all her training, hid it well, and though Kai was quite capable of the same, he allowed his displeasure to wear on his face.
"We will not let them ruin this day." Elsa warned him as she pushed open the kitchen doors, waves of energy practically radiating from the room.
Gallons of ice cream were being rushed to the freezers. The squeals of a freshly killed boar died as quickly as they rang out. Dozens of chefs from around the region busied themselves at stoves and ovens. Yes, everything was proceeding as planned. Except…
"Where are the chocolate fountains…" a hint of panic settled in her tone and she spoke just a little more loudly than she had probably planned. Eyes bounced frantically from one end of the room to the next but there was no sign of them and she received no response.
Instead, Kai grabbed the nearest castle servant as they buzzed by. "Where are the fountains? I received a report that they had arrived."
The slanky man in Kai's grips twiddled his fingers nervously. "The chocolate fountains seemed to have... been damaged."
"What?" The men flinched at the bite in her voice. "No, they need to be here and functioning. They're one of the most important features."
The servant immediately bowed lower than it seemed humanly possible. "I will ensure that we have some men look at it and that they are functioning in time for tomorrow."
Elsa waved him off, obviously ticked at this slip-up. She turned to Kai as they allowed the servant to scurry off to continue his duties. "I'm retiring for the day," she announced, spying the sun making its descent through a nearby window. "Ensure that there are no more hiccups and if there are, fix them." Kai was sure the slight hiss in her voice was not intentional, taking note of the deep circles under the young queen's eyes that only grew darker with each day.
He followed her into the hallways, concern written all over him. "Yes, rest is important, you haven't been getting much as of late." Perhaps he was speaking out of line, but he didn't care. It needed to be said.
"I know. But I plan to speak with my sister first." They passed the same nobles from earlier and it took everything within the protective housekeeper's might not to respond to their dirty looks. "Alone." Elsa clarified, realizing she was still being followed.
"Yes of course, my humblest apologies." He bowed, but by the time he lifted his head again, she had already disappeared and he barely caught as the last of the tail from her traditional royal garb swept down the hall.
"Speak with her sister," the shorter and rounder of the two nobles spat with as much venom as he could manage. "How long must Arendelle turn a blind eye to this?"
...
"Anna," Elsa called gently as she pushed open the door to her sister's bedroom. "Tomorrow is your big day!"
She moved across the room in elegance despite the lack of lighting as the sun cast purple hues across the sky. "I can't wait for you to see what all I have planned for you! I don't want to spoil any surprises but I even got Kristoff and Sven to take a bath for this!"
She spun around and looked over to the bed, barely able to contain herself. "You've never had a real birthday before! You used to spend them sitting outside my door, trying to wedge cake underneath it!" Elsa laughed despite herself. "It was always chocolate, not that that's ever a bad thing!"
The blonde sighed and made her way over to the bed, taking a seat on the edge. Silence consumed the room as Elsa looked over to her sister and then over at the drawer and the pieces of overly-familiar fabric laying under a light blanket of dust.
...
"I beg your pardon!"
"Remember your place servant," the short portly man warned.
"My place is as head servant of castle Arendelle currently under the rule of Queen Elsa and I will not hesitate to protect it and her from ill-wishers." Kai bit.
"I admire your loyalty servant," the taller of the two spoke. "But surely you don't believe that your queen is fit to-"
"Queen Elsa spearheaded the efforts that allowed Arendelle a speedy recovery in the aftermath of the worst winter storm in centuries."
"The storm she created," he grinned. "And now this 'birthday party'. If this madness keeps up, it won't be long before the people rebel and call for a new, more… capable monarch."
"If you continue this line of thought I will have no choice but to consider it treasonous." Kai warned with a low growl, both the nobles' expressions twisting in absolute offense. Their eyes widened but their mouths were pinned in anger and this pleased the head servant.
He didn't bother to wait for them to plan their next words before he left in a direction he shouldn't be heading. Kai was already warned against doing so. Still, this had to be done.
He turned towards the large wooden doors through a hallway that was rarely used anymore and knocked reluctantly. He waited for her soft reply, but none came. Still, Kai pushed the door open slowly, aware that he was far overstepping his boundaries.
The servant sighed as his eyes cast over the form of his queen, back completely facing him as she stood by a window, staring into the half-lidded sun. "Your majesty," Kai called out to her with a bit of apprehension evident in his voice. "May I speak with you for a moment?"
She showed no sign of response. Kai held his breath. They stood like this for a few seconds before Elsa's rasped voice whispered, "What are they saying about me Kai?"
His eyes widened but he took this as an invitation to enter. "Queen Elsa, you know your people love you and-"
"The truth Kai." The authority never wavered despite her softened voice. "They think I'm crazy don't they?"
He swallowed a thick lump in the back of his throat. "That seems to be the theme on the tongues of the nobles as of late." An uncomfortable silence filled the room before either of them bothered to speak again, Kai's eyes flicking away from the glimmer that haunted him in the corner of the room. He's never been able to look for too long without feeling a clench in his heart. "With this birthday party you're planning, they all assume that you haven't come to terms with…" It was rare that Kai had trouble finding the right words.
Elsa turned, but not towards him. Her eyes fell sadly upon her sister's form, motionless as she had always been. "She was cursed with a beautiful heart and a worthless sister. I was able to thaw everything else but I couldn't save the one person who deserved it most." The woman's voice strained and cracked, and she struggled to maintain her composure as she walked toward her sister's frozen form.
As she reached out to caress the princess's cheek, Kai noticed for the first time that his queen adorned the gloves that were up until now, long forgotten. "Your majesty…"
"Anna hated funerals you know; too many sad people and too many tears. She'd always say she never wanted anyone to cry for her." Elsa forced a choked laugh, trying her best to give Anna just that. She looked into her sister's cold eyes, locked in place for all eternity. "I just need this one last day Kai, and after this, I will become the queen that Arendelle deserves. The queen my parents... and Anna... always wanted me to be. I just wish they were all still here to see it…"
"Elsa, nobody blames you…"
"That's simply not true." She turned to him for the first time since he entered, eyes swollen with unshed tears and lips shivering as she tried her best to maintain the small smile. "I blame me."
"Elsa,"
"Attend to your duties Kai," she waved him off, returning her gaze to her sister. "Ensure that tomorrow is perfect, the best birthday that Anna has ever had."
Kai excused himself quietly, a new sense of conviction to see his duties through. Elsa removed the glove from one of her hands as she ran her fingers over her sister's cheek and laid a gentle kiss on the other for what she decided was the last time. "You are the greatest hero Arendelle has ever known, and the best sister I could've hoped for. You deserve at least this much, Anna." Elsa could barely feel the tears that finally rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry…"