I'll start with this, this is a related Elsanna story. They are sisters. If that's not your cup of tea, then turn right around.
So, this is the first of a few stories I've written that I felt was finally decent enough to share. That being said, I'm stuck after this first chapter… I wanted to get opinions for where it might go from here or if this is even a half decent first chapter. I plan on continuing this, but I would definitely like some feedback!
EDIT: I reread the first four chapters and edited a few minor things. Just some wording to some parts so nothing eventful changed. No need to go and read anything again if you have read all of it already.
Elsa sat in her chair at the head of the table, surrounded by her arguing advisors. She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose as they went on and on about how she needs to find a husband and how it has been long enough since her coronation for her to be ruling alone.
"Enough." She stated authoritatively.
Everyone grew quiet after hearing the sternness of her command and she took this as her que to continue.
"As I have stated before, more times than I would have liked to might I add, I have no interest in finding a husband. I was brought into this position much earlier than would have been ideal and I am still getting a hold on running an entire kingdom. The last thing I want to do now is bring someone else in to this and make it any harder." Elsa finished as she looked around the table at her advisors.
"Your Majesty," One of them began, "with all due respect, it has been far too long to have only you in power. The people need a king beside you- "
"How has the kingdom been doing under my rule?" Elsa asked, cutting the man off. "How many months have we had continued growth? How many of our allies have shown improved support over this last year? How much has the crown gained financially since I took the throne?"
She fired off more and more of these questions, already knowing all the answers but needing to prove her point. Since Elsa had come of age and took her position, the kingdom had been flourishing. Not only in the capitol, but the outlying towns and villages as well. Allies old and new from all around had also been showing increased support for the new Queen. And, on top of all of this, the crowns royal purse had more than doubled. From where she was sitting, the country could not be doing better, even if she were to marry a new king.
She glared at the man, almost daring him to give her an answer other than the ones she knew to be true.
"Your Majesty, I… It has nothing to do with…" He stuttered, trying to come up with a reasonable answer. "Look, all we are saying is that it would do the kingdom well to see you marry into a house to strengthen our standing."
Elsa stood from her chair now. "We have no need to strengthen any standing. Our people are prospering, and our foreign support could not be stronger." She replied as the room started to feel noticeably colder to everyone. "Now I am going to make myself very clear on this one last time. Until there is a need for me to marry for the betterment of the kingdom, I do not want to hear another word on courting a suitor. If any of you have even the slightest problem with that, then I suggest you make yourself familiar with the door before I have any of you removed from this council. Is. That. Clear?"
All the heads around the table nodded silently and the chill seemed to break in the room.
"Good. Now if that is all, I will be on my way. I have had enough of this for the time being." She stated, matter-of-factly, as she walked out of the room with grace and authority, her two servants right behind her.
She walked past the kitchen and heard the cooks beginning to cook dinner and servants grabbing dishes and silverware to set the table for herself and Anna.
"Kai?" She asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Answered the man following just a step behind her.
"How long until dinner is ready?" She asked.
"It should not be long, Your Majesty. Perhaps an hour."
That will be plenty of time to stop by the gardens, she thought.
"Thank you, Kai. You have been a tremendous help today, as usual." She said kindly. "You can have the rest of the night to yourself, if anyone needs me before dinner, I shall be in the garden."
Kai nodded and expressed a quick thank you as he took his leave for the night.
"You should take the rest of the night as well, Astrid," she said to the girl that had been following them. "I will be quite alright by myself for the remainder of the night."
Astrid had been Elsa's personal servant for almost longer than she could remember. She was a few years younger than Elsa and she had been serving her since they were both children. Mostly there to keep her company when she was younger after her parents separated her from the rest of the castle when her powers had been discovered. They knew Elsa would need a friend and Astrid had already known about what she could do. Despite the magic, Astrid had stuck by Elsa ever since, and Elsa could not be more grateful to have her.
"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" Astrid asked.
"Of course. You work so hard, you deserve a night to yourself." Elsa said with a smile. "Now, off you go."
Astrid thanked her sincerely before taking her leave as well to her chambers for the night.
Elsa walked quietly through the halls of the castle towards the courtyard where she took a now nightly walk. She did not quite remember this garden from before but that hardly surprised her. There are still parts of this castle she did not recognize since she was unable to explore much being locked in her room through her childhood. She had taken quite a liking to it now though and it seemed that perhaps Kai or Gerda had noticed as well, given that more flowers had been planted and the marble structures and statues restored over the last few weeks.
She came to her usual spot and opened the door leading outside. She looked up at the sky as she walked, noticing the beautiful shades of pink it turned as the sun set.
She thought about what had happened in the meeting halls with her advisors. She did not like getting that upset. Especially letting herself set a chill to the room like she did.
I must be more in control. She scolded herself. I cannot let these powers come to light, it would be a huge setback for Arendelle. Perhaps no one noticed though. Kai had not said anything after all.
Of everyone in the castle, next to no one knew of the Queen's powers. Kai, Gerda, Astrid and herself were the only ones that she could name. Not even Anna knew now, not since the accident when they were kids. She hated hiding this from Anna, but it was better if she did not remember.
She sighed as she continued her walk. Before she knew it, she felt a few snowflakes gently landing on her skin and she smiled. This was the only time she let her powers get away from her. Any time she felt overwhelmed, she would catch herself making it snow. That was something that always put a smile on her face. It reminded her of when she was a kid, before all this magic came into play. The days when she and Anna would go outside at night to build snowmen in the different courtyards.
Things were so much simpler back then. She thought as she absentmindedly trailed a hand over the low wall next to her. She let her mind go, finally, and just enjoyed the flowers and fresh air. She stopped to admire the various beds with all different colors and before she knew it she was back at the door feeling refreshed.
I had better head back in, surely dinner will be ready soon.
Anna was walking through town, shopping with her personal servant Ingrid and the usual tail of her royal guard, when she noticed the sky turning a light shade of pink.
Oh no! she thought suddenly. I am going to be late!
She took off through the streets towards the castle without a word.
"Princess Anna!" Ingrid shouted as she ran after the redhead, the guards close behind. "Where are you going now?" She asked, though this was more to herself than the princess.
Anna merely looked over her shoulder as she ran, not saying a word. She did not have even a second to spare, not if she wanted to make it back on time.
No one was particularly surprised at Anna's antics by now. Her running off had become a regular occurrence lately but no body aside from Anna herself knew why. Not that anyone was going to question the Princess of Arendelle. As far as Ingrid and the guards were concerned, so long as she was not causing any trouble, there was no need. They would simply tail her back to the castle and she would turn up in the dining hall for dinner every night, safe and sound.
The castle gates opened and the guards stood at attention as Anna hurried by with a smile and a wave. She hurried through the main halls and climbed the stairs quickly, making her way into her room. She closed her door behind her and rushed to the window overlooking the castle gardens. Moments later, a door across the courtyard opened and another young woman strolled out. Right on time! she thought with a smile as she watched her sister Elsa, now the Queen, start her nightly walk through the garden.
Over the last year or so, since her coronation, Elsa had been out and around the castle much more than she used to be. No longer hiding in her room behind locked doors. Anna still did not get to see much of her though and while a little was much better than not at all, she still missed her big sister. It had been so long since their parents had separated them that she hardly even remembered the reason why, something about an accident that she also seemingly could not recall.
This nightly routine had become the highlight of Anna's days now. Getting to see her beautiful sister without a care in the world was something she would not pass up. She was always under so much stress and it was nice to see her without any of that pressure.
Anna let her mind wander as she gazed at Elsa making her way through the flowers. Her platinum blonde braid and flowing blue dress swayed ever so slightly in the cool night breeze.
She seems to get more and more beautiful every night. Anna thought in awe.
Sometime shortly after the coronation, Anna had started to develop something of a crush on her sister. She could not explain it and she had long since stopped trying to. Maybe it was because she never got to see her growing up, so she did not quite have that sisterly feeling, but she did not care anymore. The more she saw of her sister now and the more she saw the way she ruled their kingdom, the more infatuated she became. She only kept it a secret because she knew the trouble it would cause if something like that came out. The queen with a woman would be bad enough, but her own sister? That would be a nightmare!
Anna was pulled from her thoughts at the sight of snow gently starting to fall. That is rather strange, she thought. I know it is already winter, but it should not be cold enough for snow yet. But there it was. As she stared in shock she noticed something else, it only seemed to be snowing over the gardens. Practically falling from just barely above the rooftops and there was not even a cloud in the sky.
If Elsa had noticed the snow she did not show it. She kept walking, trailing a delicate hand along one of the marble knee-walls and stopping by different beds of flowers. Anna was instantly drawn back into her awe of her sister.
Unfortunately, just as quickly as she had walked into the garden, she had headed back inside, and Anna felt as though she was left alone. She turned around to prepare herself for dinner but came to a sudden halt when she saw Ingrid organizing the clothing and jewelry she had purchased from the shops earlier that day.
"Ingrid!" She yelled in shock, which in turn, also shocked the young girl. "When did you get in here? How did you get in here!?"
"I had knocked but there was no answer," Ingrid began once she regained her composer from the sudden fright. "The door was unlocked so I let myself in. I tried to get your attention, but you must have truly been fixated on something outside." She finished as she continued as she went back to putting away the princess's belongings.
Anna breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she did not see what I was actually doing… she thought. "How long have you been in here?" She then asked.
"Only a few minutes. Is this where you have been running off too lately? Do you just come to your chambers when you disappear like that?" Ingrid asked plainly.
Anna was no stranger to Ingrid being so forward when talking to her. It was actually the main reason Anna had made the girl her personal assistant. She always hated the way the others used titles like 'your majesty' or 'your highness' when speaking with her, it made her feel very uncomfortable and none of them seemed willing to change that. That was until Ingrid came along. Before she had gotten a chance to form that habit, Anna snatched her up and made sure she would be her right-hand girl. She even thought of the two of them more as friends than anything else. Or maybe even a proper sister given how things had been.
This question, however, caught her off guard. She could not say yes or she may never get this time to herself again. She did not have a good cover though. She stood there, opening and closing her mouth as if she was going to answer but no words would come out.
Ingrid just shrugged, "It is fine if you do not want to tell me, Anna," she stated just as plainly as before. "After all, it is none of my business what you do in your free time. I know how much you dislike being followed everywhere all day long so I am more than happy to let you have your secrets." She finished with a friendly smile.
Another sigh of relief left Anna's lungs. "Thank you, Ingrid. I had missed a meeting when we returned so I came in here to get ready for dinner early." She said, still trying to give some sort of cover as to why she was here.
This seemed to be enough for her young assistant as she nodded in acceptance. "What was so interesting outside then? Must have really been something to zone you out like that."
Anna could feel a blush creep to her cheeks. Not a something, she thought, but a pretty amazing someone.
"Oh, nothing really," She said quickly trying to hide her face. "It started to snow and I simply was not expecting it. I'm going to draw a bath before dinner!" She finished as she hurried into her bathroom.
"If you need anything, I will be right out here." Ingrid called out as the door shut.
That was a close one. I really need to be more careful about locking the door. At least she did not press the issue. I'm really glad it was only Ingrid that caught me.
Anna drew her bath and lowered herself into the hot water. She closed her eyes and laid her head back as she relaxed, trying to calm herself and collect her thoughts before seeing her sister at dinner.
Well there it is. No turning back now… I was really hesitant to share this because, as I said, it's the first thing I've ever shared on this site. But I suppose I am anxious for a little feedback. I was toying with bringing in other characters like Rapunzel or Merida like a lot of other authors have done with this pair but I'm not sure how to introduce them.
Anyhow, let me know what you think. Is this a decent start, or should I go back to the drawing board and redo it? If anyone seems to like it, I will definitely continue!