A strangled cry wrenched itself from Anna's throat as she jolted awake. She was already in tears as she sat up in bed. Her terror did not subside with wakefulness. It was as if her nightmare was simply continuing. The doors were closed, the castle empty, her parents long gone, and Elsa… Elsa…
The girl fell hard as she scrambled from her bed. She picked herself up off of the ground and staggered to her door. Choking on sobs that threatened to bring her to her knees, the princess threw herself into the hallway and toward a familiar white door. She collapsed multiple times on her way, but fear drove her onward. Stumbling to her knees before Elsa's door with tears streaming down her face, Anna knocked frantically. A second of silence and she knocked again with even more desperation. No response ever came. Just like the past thirteen years. With a cry of anguish, she began pounding on the wood, bruising her hands in the process. With every breath she screamed Elsa's name. Her voice finally gave out in a fit of coughing and she threw herself against the door one last time. It did not move. It never had. Anna let herself sink to the ground, completely spent and utterly lost. Her grief was absolute; Elsa was dead.
If the distraught girl were thinking clearly, she might have given the door handle a try. If she had, she would have found the room unlocked and vacant. Elsa was in a different wing of the castle, too far away to hear her sister's cries. In the study Elsa finally finished the work that had taken her all evening and most of the night. She turned her weary eyes to a clock – it was two in the morning. She groaned quietly as she walked out of the room. She conjured a glowing ice light in one hand and rubbed her face with the other in exhaustion. Never again.
As Elsa approached the residential wing, she became aware of a strange sound. Her brow furrowed – it sounded like someone crying. She walked faster and turned the corner only to stop suddenly at the sight of Anna in her nightgown lying in a heap in front of her door.
"Anna!" she exclaimed, all traces of weariness replaced by fear. Her light disappeared as she sprinted down the length of the hallway. Elsa fell to her knees at her sister's side. She rolled the trembling redhead onto her back and placed a cool hand on her forehead. At this gentle touch, Anna's eyes opened, unfocused and blinded by tears.
"Anna! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Anna didn't respond immediately, but her body stiffened and she held her breath. Suddenly she whispered a name.
"Elsa?" And her tears started again even stronger than before, heaving sobs tearing through her slim body as she weakly reached up. Elsa gathered her sister into her arms. Anna clung tightly to her dress, ear against her sister's chest, and wailed in an overwhelmed mixture of emotional pain and relief. The young queen felt guilt crash through her heart as she pieced together an idea of what must have happened.
"I'm here, I'm here," she murmured, holding the trembling girl close and leaning against her own door the way Anna must have done for years and years. Anna pressed herself as close as she could to Elsa's body and continued to sob.
"My dear Anna," Elsa soothed, holding Anna just as fiercely. She was fighting her own tears now as she gently rocked back and forth with the girl in her arms, "I'm so, so sorry. I was in the study working late. I wouldn't shut you out again. Not ever. I promise." Anna's tears came harder and Elsa was afraid her sister might be injured or sick.
"What happened, love? Are you hurt?" She tried to pull the girl away to see her better, but Anna shook her head feebly and held tighter to Elsa's dress.
"N-no! Don't go. It… it was just a dream," the girl whimpered. Elsa blinked as understanding came to her.
"You had a nightmare," she said, pulling Anna into her lap, "and you came to find me but I wasn't here." It wasn't a question but Anna nodded, still gasping for breath through her tears.
"It was terrible," Anna moaned against Elsa's shoulder. "The gates were shut! And you… you were gone. He k-killed you! And… and there was nothing I could do about it! I woke up and I didn't want it to be real. B-but it was." Her voice caught in a sob. Though Elsa tried to soothe her and calm her down, she continued. "You were d-dead! But now you're not, and I… I…" she broke off into tears again and Elsa held her close, tears streaming from her eyes as well.
"Oh Anna, I'm so sorry," Elsa murmured miserably, holding Anna close to her heart. "It wasn't real. It wasn't real. I'm right here. I've got you. It's okay." She continued to whisper soothing words into Anna's hair as the girl's warmth invaded the fear-chilled fabric of her clothes.
"Come on," Elsa said after a while, pulling Anna to her feet and standing with her sister still holding tightly to her on shaky legs. Elsa reached one hand behind her back, fumbling for the doorknob. She opened her door and began to lead Anna to her bed.
"You're going to stay with me." Her voice left no room for debate, but Anna was suddenly shy even though she refused to let go of Elsa's dress.
"You don't have to let me stay. I-I'm okay… I…" Anna trailed off suddenly, mesmerized by the way Elsa's intense gaze was searching her face.
Elsa had dipped her head to look closely into her sister's eyes to determine if this was 'actually okay' Anna or 'trying to be strong for her big sister' Anna speaking. With a stab of guilt, Elsa realized that it was the latter and continued to support Anna as she led the trembling redhead to her bed. Anna lowered her head in resignation, but she was deeply relieved that Elsa wasn't going to let her go. The terror-fueled adrenaline was gone from her body and her energy was spent. She was starting to feel safe again, caught in her sister's strong and secure embrace, and that realization brought more tears to her eyes. Her legs shook with every step and eventually gave out on her. Elsa managed to catch Anna as she collapsed and with a great effort she lifted the girl and staggered the rest of the way.
Elsa was breathing hard by the time she fell with Anna in her arms onto the bed. She pushed herself away to look with concern and dismay at the wreck her usually upbeat sister had become. Tears still leaked from closed eyes, though Anna wasn't making a sound. Her body jerked with sobs and her eyes were shut tight, but she was still blindly reaching for Elsa.
The older girl obliged her sister and held her hand as she pushed Anna more completely onto the bed. Elsa let her ice flats melt away as she climbed up beside Anna. The sobbing princess quickly latched on to Elsa's body, craving contact. Elsa wrapped Anna securely in her arms and hummed a quiet song as Anna's tremors slowly stilled and finally ceased. Only when Anna was safely asleep did Elsa let herself shed tears. It hurt a lot to see Anna in such distress. Elsa reached down and pulled the blankets over them both, hoping it would comfort Anna. Elsa's dress was not made of ice today, so she didn't have to worry about it chilling her sister. She loosened it in the back so she could breathe easier. Anna didn't stir at the slight movement. She had fallen into an exhausted sleep with her face buried in Elsa's neck and one arm tossed over her torso. Assured that her sister would be comfortable and warm enough in sleep, Elsa calmed herself by trying to relax into Anna's unconscious embrace.
After all, Elsa was no stranger to nightmares herself. They'd frequented her sleep ever since the childhood accident that separated her from Anna, and they had only gotten worse since the events surrounding their reunion. However, she decided she would gladly have terrible nightmares all night every night if she could somehow spare Anna from hers. It broke her heart to see her beloved sister in such distress. She curled a hand up to stroke Anna's cheek and frowned as she still felt the wetness of tears there. She moved her hand to cradle the back of Anna's head and, along with her other arm that was wrapped underneath her sister, pulled the girl closer. Their legs were already tangled together and Elsa was amazed at how warm Anna was.
Elsa was quite comfortable with the heat of the human furnace she held flush against her body. Anna's sleeping breaths were puffs of warmth against Elsa's neck and the smell of her hair under Elsa's nose was intoxicating. And so, peacefully wrapped up in everything that was Anna, Elsa fell asleep at last. No more nightmares visited either sister that night.
Anna woke slowly the next morning and before she opened her eyes she knew something was different. She took a deep breath as the haze of sleep left her and almost choked at the familiar scent that invaded her nostrils. Elsa?! Her eyes flew open and she found herself staring at Elsa's pale neck. She could feel the warmth of protective arms around her, the pressure of a hand cradling the back of her head, the way Elsa's chest moved against hers as she breathed in sleep. She was aware that her own arm was wrapped around her sister's back. All in all she was shocked by how Elsa was holding her so unbelievably close.
Memories of the night filtered back as Anna lay amazed in the arms of her sibling. It was a haze of fear and pain, but then Elsa. And everything was anchored in the fact that her beloved sister was alive, and had taken her in and somehow lulled her back to sleep. In her bed. Because she wouldn't let her go. Anna blushed a bit, recalling her frantic knocking and Elsa's worried voice, and how Elsa had gasped when Anna collapsed into her arms as a bundle of tears. She remembered the pain, guilt, and compassion shining in her sister's eyes as she led Anna to the bed. She recalled how gentle Elsa was with her, almost as if she were afraid Anna would break if she spoke too loudly or moved too strongly. And now Anna found herself here, totally enveloped in her sister's loving arms.
Tears came once again to Anna's eyes, but they were tears of happiness. She never dreamed over the thirteen years of separation that one day she would find herself so close to Elsa again. She felt so safe. So unbelievably secure and loved. She sniffled a little bit and blissfully snuggled closer to Elsa, burrowing her head under her sister's chin. At that moment, she felt Elsa move a little. Elsa had actually woken several times in the night in concern over Anna's condition. She was worried the nightmare might return, so whenever Anna moved in the slightest Elsa woke to check on her. The older girl sighed sleepily and her hand reflexively stroked Anna's hair while her other arm pulled her closer briefly. Anna smiled and squeezed back.
"Anna?" Elsa murmured groggily, roused from her half-sleep.
"Hey," Anna replied meekly into Elsa's neck. She felt Elsa pulling away and frowned, holding tighter to her source of warmth and comfort. Elsa stopped moving and held tentatively to the younger girl.
"Are you okay?" She sounded really worried, and Anna's stomach did a flip as she replied.
"I'm perfect," she said sincerely. "I mean, I'm not, but you are. I mean, this is. Not that you're not perfect, I just," she stopped to take a breath and relaxed into Elsa's arms again. "I like this. A lot." A relieved laugh rumbled through Elsa's throat and Anna smiled.
"Me too, Anna." The raw honesty in Elsa's voice touched Anna's heart. "All those years I longed to hold you close, but I was so afraid that I would hurt you." Anna frowned at the yearning and sadness that permeated Elsa's words.
"But you won't," she interjected firmly. She could almost feel Elsa smile in response.
"I won't," she confirmed, and bent her face down to kiss the top of Anna's head. "I love you, Anna."
Anna bit back an elated sob and tilted her head up to kiss Elsa's soft jawline before settling back into the embrace, her face pressed into Elsa's warm neck.
"Oh Elsa, I love you too."
Though the princess and queen eventually got up and went about their duties, they shared a warm hug whenever they crossed paths. Elsa was much relieved that her sister seemed unaffected by the emotional torment of the night before. Anna was delighted by the attentiveness and affection her sister was showing her.
That evening as they said goodnight to each other, Elsa pulled something from the pocket of her robe. Wordlessly she wrapped Anna's hands around it and released them with an expectant smile. The girl eagerly opened her hands and was surprised to find a key cradled in her palms. She looked at Elsa in confusion briefly before understanding dawned and her face contorted with joy and amazement. She threw herself into her sister's waiting arms and let happy tears flow.
"You are welcome with me any time. Now I can never lock you out again, no matter what," Elsa murmured into Anna's shoulder.
"Elsa…" Anna was speechless.
"I love you," Elsa said fervently and held her sister tight. "And I promise I always will."
The following days found Anna wearing a new piece of jewelry. She kept the key to her sister's room on a silver chain around her neck, resting over her grateful heart. Despite what Anna's night terrors insisted, Elsa was far from dead. She was alive and safe and Anna loved her with all of her heart. And the key reminded her that Elsa felt the same.