"You're the greatest queen Arendelle has ever had," Anna lovingly praised, resting her chin on the fluffy white-blonde hair of her dear older sister as she hugged her from behind.
Elsa, who was currently sitting in front of her desk in the middle of going over an important trade agreement, had paused with her reading when she heard the princess not so sneakily slip into her study, knowing the younger girl's presence meant she was inevitably going to be pounced with love.
She was not disappointed.
Reaching up, Elsa found Anna's soft cheek and patted it, her fingers lightly stroking the smooth, warm skin. She smiled fondly when Anna leaned into her touch with a pleased hum, thoroughly enjoying the contact. "That's very kind of you to say, but I must disagree with you," Elsa said, turning her attention to the wall across the room where a portrait of their departed parents resided. "I do believe Mama holds that title."
Anna's chin shifted on Elsa's head as she nibbled on her lower lip, her gaze following Elsa's to land on the painting. A myriad of emotions flickered across her face before sadness mixed with a hint of anger won out. She sighed wearily, tightening her embrace, burying her face into Elsa's soft hair and breathing deeply of her warm, wintry scent. "I love Mama and Papa to death, you know," she murmured. "But after what they put us through..."
Sliding her hand down from Anna's face to squeeze her bicep, Elsa reminded gently, "It was necessary, Anna."
"No, it wasn't!" Anna said vehemently, her suddenly harsh tone surprising Elsa. "I needed you so much, Elsa. And I know you needed me, too! But we were denied each other's love for so long! If we hadn't been shut away from each other we both could have been so much happier all those years! We didn't have to suffer like we did..."
Anna trembled as she continued, "What's worse is they left us to fix the mess they created. They abandoned us when we needed them most." Frustrated tears gathered in her eyes, a few droplets fleeing to take shelter in her sister's hair. "They broke us apart and left us with no one to hold on to while we mourned their death… I-I c-can't forgive them for that! Never!"
"Anna." Elsa soothingly rubbed her arm but with Anna hiding at her back she couldn't comfort her as well as she wanted. "Come here," she insisted impatiently, giving the arm a tug to guide Anna so she was standing beside her. With her sister safely out of the way, Elsa scooted her chair back and wasted no time taking Anna's hand, quickly settling the sniveling redhead comfortably onto her lap. Whipping a handkerchief into existence with a snap of her fingers, she used it to tenderly dab away the moisture gathering around Anna's eyes and wiped her runny nose.
Once she finished cleaning Anna's face with the soft, malleable strip of ice, Elsa crumpled the icy handkerchief in her hand, and when she opened it again the cloth had magically disappeared as easily as it had appeared. She brushed her fingers against Anna's face, connecting the freckles she adored so much and finally said, "What happened to us… If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."
Anna protested, "No, it's n—"
"Yes," Elsa interrupted, hushing the younger girl with a single finger to her lips and then winding her arms around her waist. "It was because of me that you got hurt in the first place, Anna. I knocked you out with my powers… It doesn't matter if it was accidental or not. You were unresponsive and so terribly cold ." But not as cold as the time I literally froze you... She shivered in horror at the recollection, her hold around Anna tightening significantly. "Seeing you like that… God, Anna, it was frightening! I was so afraid you wouldn't wake up! I thought I was going to lose you forever," she said, her voice breaking. "And when it happened the second time…"
Anna grabbed Elsa's jaw and swiftly pressed forward, silencing her with a deep kiss. Breathing against her lips and stroking her hair, she crooned, "Shhh, it's okay, Elsa. I'm here. I'm alright."
A body shaking tremor passed through Elsa before she visibly relaxed again, Anna's closeness doing wonders to calm her anxiety driven system. Gulping audibly, she bumped her forehead with Anna and resumed with her reasoning, her voice steady and sure once more. "Our parents did what they thought was best to protect you at the time, and I can't fault them for that…"
"Elsa, they made you fear your powers," Anna said pointedly.
"No, I made myself fear my powers," Elsa disagreed. "They tried to help me regain control of them, Anna. In the end I failed them and thus failed you."
"But Elsa…" It was clear Anna wanted to say more, but she stopped herself short and huffed unhappily, sensing nothing that came out of her mouth would convince Elsa that everything that happened wasn't her fault. She groaned and dropped her eyes to their laps in defeat, sulking like a small child.
"Even if it was their fault, there's no use staying mad at them, Anna. They are gone," Elsa reminded, cupping the side of Anna's face. "They can't explain why they did what they did and because of that very reason, I suggest you let your anger towards them on that matter go. It's either that, or you direct it towards me."
Horrified, Anna wagged her head in blatant refusal. "No, I can't do that."
Elsa brushed back Anna's bangs and pressed a kiss to the center of her forehead. "Then let it go, sweetie. The past is in the past and we can't change what happened no matter how much we dwell on the what ifs. All we can do is cherish the present and look forward to a happier future. Okay?"
Eyes shimmering brightly with unshed tears, Anna nodded exuberantly and answered, "Okay." She rocked forward and nestled her head on Elsa's chest, sighing dismissively. "Ugh, this wasn't supposed to happen. I came in here to bring you cheer, and all I've managed to do is upset us both. I'm such an idiot," she grumbled, scowling her displeasure at her failure. "I'm sorry."
Elsa chuckled lightheartedly and moved her hand to lazily strum her fingertips up the fine hairs on the nape of her sister's neck. "You are not an idiot! Stubborn and occasionally naive but never an idiot. And don't be sorry," she scolded kindly. "It's something that needed to be addressed eventually. We don't talk about the heavy stuff that much and it's not good to keep it bottled up inside. But... perhaps we could both do with a little cheer after all that serious talk, hm? Come on." She nudged Anna, prompting her to get up. "Let's go do something fun and exciting."
"Don't you have to finish your work?" Anna asked as she climbed off Elsa's lap, looking at the paper the queen had been perusing before she interrupted her. She could tell the document was official and likely something that needed immediate attention.
"It can wait. It'll still be here when I return," Elsa assured, rising from her chair and giving Anna a playful shove to get her moving. "Go on." Following right behind her, she clapped her hands down on Anna's shoulders and leaned in to drop a kiss behind her ear, relishing in the delightful shudder the action ignited within her little sister. "Your happiness, on the other hand, is more important to me and will always come first."
"Elsa!" Whirling around to face the queen, Anna embraced her with all her might, cracking a few bones in the process. Smiling broadly, she nuzzled her cheek against Elsa's and said excitedly, "I love you so much!"
Elsa reciprocated the hug with equal fervor, broadcasting an enormous smile of her own. "I love you more," she replied cheekily.
"I love you mostest!" Anna shot back with a giggle.
They shared a laugh at their silliness and linked arms, leaning against each other as they made their way out of the study.
Just before they reached the exit, Anna stopped and gave Elsa a serious look. "I take back what I said. You're not the best queen Arendelle has ever had."
"Oh?" Elsa tilted her head at the unexpected change, raising an eyebrow questioningly.
"You're the best the whole entire world has ever had," Anna declared meaningfully.
Rolling her eyes in pleased exasperation, Elsa countered reverently, affectionately hugging Anna closer to her side, "Well, this queen would be nothing without the greatest and bestest sister in the whole world."