So I wrote this little ditty in response to Tumblr's "Frozen Elsa Week".
Just to note, the song Elsa sings is supposed to be to the tune of "Let it Go". Supposed to be.
Having lived for as long as she had with the flamboyant princess of Arendelle, many would assume that the queen would be used to bumping into her from time to time. Nevertheless, it was still startling when Elsa was nearly bowled over as she made her way to the residential wing of the royal palace. Caught up in a tangle of limbs, it took the queen a bit of time to realize it was her sister who had knocked her over. It was Anna's disheveled appearance: her unruly hair, shadowed eyes and generally desperate look that brought understanding to Elsa's face.
"How is she?"
The fiery-haired princess shook her head and accepted the helping hand her older sister offered. Up close, Elsa could see that there were unshed tears hiding in the recesses of her cerulean eyes. For the past three days Ásta, Anna's six-year-old daughter, had caught a nasty illness, suffering from a fever, coughing, sneezing and vomiting. Kristoff had left to check on an ice-gathering expedition on the North Mountain two days before Ásta had gotten sick, and with Elsa caught up in her queenly duties, Anna had been the only one around to take care of the ailing girl. Consequently, the princess was exhausted from her frequent forays to and from her daughter's room.
"She can't sleep- she keeps complaining she's just too hot and is hurting all over. I've been doing everything I can to get her comfortable, but nothing's working." Anna paused to swipe a hand across her brow, the tears starting to leak from her eyes. She stooped to pick up a washcloth that she had dropped during her collision with her sister, but Elsa stopped her hand. The queen picked the cloth on her own and gently rubbed Anna's shoulder.
"Anna, why don't you go rest for a while. Let me take care of Ásta for now. You're going to get yourself sick if you keep this up."
"But Elsa, your work…"
"…is nothing that the council can't handle. This is far more important. Plus, I might be able to help her thanks to a certain… quirk of mine." Her choice of words coaxed a weak grin from Anna's face. She leaned in and hugged her older sister tightly.
"Thank you, Elsa." The platinum-haired blonde kissed Anna's brow before gently steering her in the direction of her and Kristoff's shared room. Elsa followed her, but stopped a room away at a pale green door decorated with blue and red rosemaling. Just as she was reaching for the handle, she a noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye and softly called, "It's alright Bergen, you can come out."
From behind his hiding place of a statue of a rearing Norwegian Fjord horse, a small boy with brown eyes and tousled light strawberry-blonde hair emerged. He blinked sadly at his aunt and rushed forward to hug her knees. She reached down and scooped him up in her arms, rocking him back and forth as tears fell from his eyes.
"Ásta's sick." The voice of Ásta's twin was shaky and clearly unhappy. As soon as his sister had fallen ill, Anna had moved Bergen out of their shared room to keep him from getting sick as well. Of course, due to the close relationship they shared as twins, (Elsa had always wondered if there was a sort of psychic bond between the two) the six-year-old had grown more and more morose, moping around and driving the palace staff near insane with his consistent attempts to sneak into the room. Elsa hugged her nephew close, gently scratching the back of his neck near his hairline to calm him. Bergen responded by nestling into the crook of his aunt's neck, murmuring, "I wanna see her, Aun' Elsa. Why can't I see her?" His pleading voice pierced her heart, forcing a tear out of the corner of her eyes.
"Oh, sweetheart, I know, I know. I wish you could see her, too. But your mother and I don't want you getting sick as well. Your sister wouldn't want you to get sick either. She'll get better soon enough, you know that." Bergen raised his head to look into his aunt's eyes hopefully. She used the pad of her thumb to brush away the boy's tears.
"Are you gonna make her better, Aun' Elsa?" His brown eyes were bright, hopeful. Elsa swallowed past an unexpected lump in her throat and folded the boy close once more, planting a kiss squarely on his forehead.
"I will do everything I can to make her feel better, okay?" She knelt down and set Bergen back on the ground and rubbed his shoulder. "Now why don't you find your friend Filip?" A small smile tugged at the corners of her nephew's mouth at the mention of his friend the stable boy. Even though it was clear it wasn't the same to him as playing with his sister, he seemed happy enough knowing that his sister was in his aunt's care. He gave her one last hug and walked off, sparing one more glance in the direction of his aunt and his room.
Elsa waited until he had disappeared to turn the handle of the door. As soon as the snow queen set foot inside, she was met by a round of harsh coughing and the stale smell of illness. The room was darkened, lit only by a few dimly-flickering candles, but with their faint glow and the light from the doorway, she was able to see her niece, and it wasn't good. The young girl was a far cry from her normally tan and healthy self. Her skin was pale, except for around her face, where it was red from fever. She was thin and there were dark circles under her dull blue eyes. Ásta squinted when the light radiating from the doorway hit her face and Elsa immediately shut the door to send the room back into relative darkness once more. Ásta sniffed and croaked, "Aunt Elsa? I..." she was cut off by another round of coughing, this one more violent than the first. Elsa immediately rushed over to her bedside and poured water from a nearby pitcher into a cup. Lifting her niece's head, she brought the cup to the girl's lips and helped her drink.
"Thank you, Aunt Elsa." Ásta murmured as Elsa stacked her pillows and laid her back down on them. The queen placed a hand on her brow, frowning at its high temperature. Ásta sighed, resting her own small one on her aunt's. "That feels… really, really good. Everything hurts, Aunt Elsa, everything hurts a lot. And I'm so hot."
"Oh, little snow star, I'm sorry. Here, maybe I can help a little." Elsa scooped up her niece and lay down on the bed, cradling her close. Over the years, Elsa had learned that she could raise or lower her body temperature at will when needed. With a mere thought, she let her skin cool, smiling when Ásta let out another quiet sigh. Elsa began to rub her niece's back, humming a soft lullaby as she did so.
For several calm moments, the two family members spent time in the companionable embrace, until Ásta coughed again and asked, "What if you or Momma gets sick, Aunt Elsa? I don't want that!" Elsa immediately shushed her, freeing a hand to run it through her hair.
"Don't you worry, Ásta. Your mother had the same sickness before, and I've never seen her get it a second time. As for me… well, I haven't gotten sick after my powers came about. So right now, my biggest concern is making sure that you get better so that we can see you back up and running, hm?" Ásta giggled when Elsa gave her a peck on the cheek, but was cut short by another round of coughing, moaning as soon as it was over. Elsa helped her drink another cup of water and whispered, "You should try to fall asleep, little snow star. Don't worry, your Aunt Elsa is here. I'm here."
For a little while, Ásta appeared to be following her aunt's suggestion, but then asked quietly, "Would you sing for me, Aunt Elsa?"
Elsa shifted Ásta so that she was more comfortably situated, thought for a moment, and then smiled. Her soft, melodious voice filled the room.
My snow star glows beautifully tonight
Sweet girl filled with hopes and dreams.
Dearest Ásta you are safe here,
May your light forever gleam.
Fall a-sleep, Fall a-sleep,
Slumber safe here in my arms,
Fall a-sleep, Fall a-sleep,
I won't let you come to harm.
You are loved,
We're here by your side.
Dream on snow star, dream
Know you fill us all with pride.
As the last note faded into silence, Elsa looked down to see Ásta snuggled close, her eyes closed and breathing even, having fallen into a deep, healing sleep. No longer was her breathing as raspy, nor was her face tense with pain. In fact, she looked far more peaceful than she had in several days, ever since the onset of the illness. With the gentlest of touches, Elsa brushed a stray strand of hair out of her niece's face before settling herself into a more comfortable position. Just as she was beginning to drift off, the door cracked open, sending a spear of light into the room. Elsa immediately placed a hand over Ásta's face to block the light and turned an icy glare on the clean-shaven, willowy man who stepped in and quickly shut the door.
"My apologies, Queen Elsa. I passed your sister earlier and wanted to see if there was anything I could get for either of you." Elsa's glare softened somewhat, and she shook her head.
"It's just Elsa, and no, we are fine. Thank you for your kindness." The man nodded and left quickly. Elsa laid her head back on the pillow and fell into a peaceful slumber.
…..
One week later, Kai jumped back with a just barely-contained curse as two blurs sped past him on their way to the garden.
With a huff, the manservant cried, "Master Bergen, Mistress Ásta! You should not run! It's not…"
"It's quite alright, Kai. Let them run. They've missed each other." Elsa walked from the doorway with a wide smile, her eyes locked on her niece and nephew. Before Kai could answer, Bergen ran back to his aunt, hugging her knees.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou, Aun' Elsa! I knew you could make Ásta feel better!" Elsa chuckled and bent down to embrace him.
"I did my best, little one. Your sister did the rest. Speaking of, how are you feeling, my snow star?" the queen asked as the object of their conversation came rushing up and made sure she got a share of the affection. Ásta looked up at her aunt, the healthy glow having returned to her entire body.
"I'm feeling great, Aunt Elsa! Can you play with us?" Both sets of eyes looked up towards the queen with glittering hope and she knew she was beat. Her schedule was clear for a few hours, at least. With a bright smile of her own, Elsa flicked her fingers, sending a flurry of snowflakes dancing around her niece and nephew's head. The twins shrieked with delight, chasing the bright fractals around, their faces alight with happiness.
It was the laughter of Elsa, however, that rang loudest of all.