Anna entered Elsa's study quietly. Her sister was sitting at the big desk on the other side of the room poring over documents. The Queen's work was never done.
Anna cleared her throat. "Look what I found wandering around in the town square this afternoon.", she said with characteristic exuberance.
Elsa looked up to spy a tiny white ball of fluff in Anna's arms.
"What is that?", her sister asked, a slight tone of aggravation creeping into her voice at being disturbed while she was working.
"It's a kitten, Els. Isn't she cute?", Anna grinned.
Elsa's brows arched up in surprise. "A kitten?"
"Yeah. You know, a baby cat?", Anna clarified.
"I know what a kitten is, Anna.", Elsa rolled her eyes then squinted at the feline as if it were an invading horde. "Why on Earth did you bring that filthy beast into the palace?", she sighed.
"She's not filthy, Elsa!", Anna said defensively, taken slightly aback by Elsa's lack of enthusiasm. "I figured she would be great for getting rid of vermin like mice and such."
The kitten picked that moment to meow and Anna scratched its head in response. For just a fraction of a second, Anna saw Elsa's eyebrows bunch together in a tiny "awww" expression, however just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. But that's all it took. Anna knew she had her. She just had to reel her in.
"It's a stray, Anna.", Elsa replied coolly, "And if you found it in the town square, it's probably been doing just as you suggested, killing mice and vermin. So it's most likely contracted all manner of illnesses or diseases and it's probably infested with fleas on top of that!" She gave Anna a withering 'you should be ashamed of yourself' look then turned her focus back to the task at hand. Rifling through the pages of parchment on her desk, she began arranging them side by side in a neat row in front of her. Then she dipped her quill in the inkwell and began signing each of them carefully.
"Um, no…", Anna shook her head, "Actually, I took her to the vet in town and she checks out perfectly… no fleas and a clean bill of health."
"You took it to the vet?", Elsa looked up, brows climbing towards her hairline in suspicion, "I didn't even know we had a vet in Arendelle."
"Well, we do, believe me. His name is Dr. Andersen.", Anna told her. Elsa nodded then went back to work scrawling her name on the small stacks of documents laid out before her.
"Mmmm, I see.", she said in a dismissive tone, "Well, if you want to keep it, you will have to be responsible for it. And keep it well away from me."
"But, Els, I kinda... got her for you.", Anna admitted reluctantly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
Elsa stiffened. "Wait, you what?", she looked up at her in disbelief.
"I-I got her ...for you.", Anna said, holding the squirming snow white kitten up for Elsa to inspect. "See, she looks just like you, Els. Even has blue eyes and everything."
Elsa blinked once and made a harrumph sound. "Well, it was a nice thought. But, I don't like cats."
Anna rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Elsa, have you ever actually been around a cat?"
"No, but I'm not good with animals... in general.", Elsa replied rather awkwardly, looking away quickly then back down at the pages on her desk.
"Elsa, you've never even been near any animals!", Anna said in exasperation.
"I have!", Elsa snapped defensively, raising her head and fixing her eyes on Anna's with a haughty glare. "Papa tried to teach me to ride a horse once and it was a disaster!"
"Oh? He did?", Anna blinked, plainly shocked, "I never knew about that."
"That's because he did it after dark in the barn by candlelight. No one ever knew." Elsa mumbled, sounding quite embarrassed by this admission.
"Well," Anna said, immediately curious but not wanting to broach what was obviously a very sensitive subject for her sister. "a cat is much different than a horse, Els."
"I know, but even so, I—I'm sure I'm probably allergic to it anyway.", Elsa told her, but Anna could hear doubt in her voice, could tell she was fumbling for excuses.
"One way to find out.", Anna said, unperturbed by her sister's reticence. She marched right over and deposited the kitten on the desk across from the Queen .
Elsa's eyes widened, "What... what are you doing?", she asked in mild panic.
"Just letting you two get a closer look at each other.", Anna responded, watching Elsa's features cycle thru a range of expressions before finally settling on a rather soft, serene one. She didn't demand that Anna remove the cat, so Anna took that as a good sign. The tiny animal walked over and nudged the hand in which Elsa held her quill with its head and began to purr.
"What's it… doing?", Elsa asked, cocking her head and looking at the kitten like it was some alien creature, but not flinching away from the contact, which was very unusual for her as she normally didn't allow anyone but Anna to touch her hands without her gloves. She was still getting used to not wearing them and it was just too much for her yet. But now, she was even allowing the kitten to rub its small head against the back of her hand.
Anna was beaming. "Aw, she went right to you, Els. She wants you to pet her. She likes you. I knew she would!"
"I don't think it likes me. Animals don't like me.", Elsa proclaimed, making a face and tilting her head, birdlike, at the small thing still rubbing against her hand. "Wh-what's that noise it's making? Is it growling?", she asked sounding slightly horrified.
"Elsa! No! She's purring!", Anna said trying her best not to laugh, and Elsa looked up at her in seeming confusion. "It's a sign of affection."
"I know what purring is, Anna! I-I've just… never heard it before.", she explained, sounding utterly bewildered.
"Ahhh," Anna nodded, "It means she likes you."
With a look in her eyes that would've been much more suited to sticking her hand into the gaping maw of a Great White Shark, Elsa reached over and let her fingers gingerly rub the kitten's head right between its ears. The kitten raised its head into Elsa's stroking fingers and purred louder causing the Queen to blink several times in shock.
"See, Els, she likes you petting her.", Anna was grinning ear to ear.
Elsa's beautiful blue eyes looked up at her, incredulous, then back down at the tiny animal in front of her and, before she could help herself, Elsa was smiling, too. "She's so soft.", she said and her voice was low and quiet. It had such a tremulous quality to it that it almost sounded like wonder.
"She is.", Anna smiled and nodded, noticing happily that Elsa was now calling the cat 'she' rather than 'it'.
"And she's not afraid...", Elsa began, her eyes filling up.
"Of course not, Els. She loves you already.", Anna said with an encouraging smile.
"You really think so?", Elsa asked, hopefully.
"I do. Just look at her." Anna answered, gesturing toward the kitten who seemed to be making herself right at home, she even appeared to be enjoying the awkward way Elsa was stroking her head.
"She does.", Elsa marveled softly, allowing the small smile to continue to play around the corners of her lips. Then she blinked rapidly, trying to stave off the encroaching tears. "But, we… I... can't keep her, Anna.", Elsa said, her voice gravelly with emotion and Anna detected more than a slight twinge of genuine despair in it.
"Why not?", she asked, looking into her sister's face intently.
"I mean, I don't know…", Elsa began, her face twitching with indecision as her fingernails began to caress the scruff underneath the kitten's tiny chin gently, "wh-what if she scratched me and I hurt her… froze her or something?" She looked both ashamed and truly miserable at the prospect.
"Elsa, I've scratched you before and you've never frozen me.", Anna teased, raising her brows. "Well, I mean, not recently."
Elsa actually laughed. "Ahh yes, our skating lessons! They left my arms looking as though they'd been through the French Revolution as I recall!", she grinned.
Anna shrugged and gave her a small sheepish smile. "Sorry. ", she said. "And okay, the French Revolution may be just a slight exaggeration, Elsa!"
Elsa giggled, "Very slight. ", Elsa winked, "All I remember is that my forearms were absolutely covered in claw marks the next day. And I was wearing long sleeves! Somehow, you managed to inflict them right through the sleeves of my ice dress."
Anna rolled her eyes, trying to hide her mortification but unable to stop her cheeks blooming bright red. "Please don't remind me.", she said, putting up her hands in surrender and making a face, which caused Elsa to giggle even more. "I was just scared and trying to keep from falling on my backside in front of the whole, entire kingdom, that's all, Elsa!"
"Yes, I know.", Elsa agreed, eyes dancing with mirth, " So unbecoming of a Crown Princess to do anything as silly as make a fool of herself in front of a crowd of her Royal subjects. This coming from the same person who chased a pig through the town square and ended up hanging on a pole in the fjord, soaking wet."
"Oh, you um… heard about that?", Anna asked in embarrassment, "I was kinda hoping you hadn't."
"The Queen knows all!," Elsa grinned.
Before Anna could respond with a perfectly reasonable explanation, the cat, who was obviously starving for Elsa's attentions, walked over to her... right across the documents she'd been worrying over and began nuzzling her head against Elsa's ample bosom.
"Oh my!", Elsa blushed, looking down at what was suddenly occurring on her chest, "She's certainly not shy, is she?"
Anna covered her mouth and laughed. "Evidently not!", she said, "I guess she was tired of being ignored."
"Apparently!", Elsa snickered, eyes sparkling with glee. "I mean this is the most attention that part of my anatomy has received in like... ever!", Elsa giggled. "It feels kinda... nice."
This caused Anna to flush bright red, cover her mouth again and start giggling like crazy. "Elsa!", she chastised.
"I'm just being honest.", Elsa said, her own blush deepening markedly.
"We really do need to find you a Prince!", Anna laughed.
Elsa gave her a relaxed smile. "Maybe eventually," she sighed, "but right now I'm quite satisfied with the affections of this little ball of fur here... and my lovely sister's, too, of course." Elsa was now stroking the kitten's back softly, not seeming to mind the potential threat of paw prints all over her freshly signed treaties and trade agreements.
"Oh, of course.", Anna smiled, staring at Elsa and the cat and loving the scene playing out before her. But suddenly she saw Elsa's eyes fill up.
"What's wrong?", Anna asked with concern.
"It's just- I-I never… I never…", Elsa trailed off, her voice thick with tears. Then she shook her head and she cleared her throat, "I mean, thank you for bringing her to me, Anna.", she said finally with a smile that was so brilliant it made Anna's heart leap with joy.
Elsa exhaled a breath of contentment as she continued to pet the kitten. She hunkered down and looked into its eyes, her own eyes going all soft and de"wy. "Aren't you a pretty kitty?", she asked it in one of those sing songy voices reserved only for babies... both human and feline. "Yes, you are. Yes, you are.", Elsa continued and bumped noses with the kitten.
Anna felt a huge rush of joy surge through her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was way better than she could've ever dreamed. She'd never seen Elsa act like this. Ever. And it was really hard for her to contain herself. She wanted to giggle like some kind of demented lunatic but she covered her mouth and forced herself to bite her tongue.
"What beautiful eyes you have, little kitty. So bright and happy and blue.", Elsa was now saying.
"Um… should I leave the two of you alone?", Anna teased, trying not to make her voice sound as giddy as she felt.
Elsa laughed again. God, it was so good to hear her laugh! Her laughs were magical. There was always a little bit of heaven in every single one.
"No, sorry!", Elsa breathed, her cheeks flushing slightly, "I got carried away. She's just so incredibly cute."
"Oh no apologies, Els. I'm just glad you like her.", Anna said, rocking back and forth on her heels and trying her best not to burst into a fit of deranged laughter at Elsa's unabashed delight.
"I do!," Elsa beamed happily, "Very, very much."
"I figured the two of you would be perfect together. You know, once you um..."
"Broke the ice?", Elsa supplied with one of those crooked grins of hers that Anna just adored.
"You read my mind!", she admitted.
"You do love your puns, little sister. ", Elsa said warmly. Then, "Oh, I almost forgot, did you remember to get the um... provisions... when you were in town today? ", she asked.
"Oh c'mon, Els," Anna smirked, "does Sven love carrots? Of course, I did. They're in a big box on the counter down in the kitchen."
"Oh good.", Elsa smiled cheerfully. "You got the ones from Switzerland, right?"
"No, the ones from the chocolate shop in town..."
Elsa's face fell slightly and Anna snorted, eyes twinkling with glee. "...which were imported from Switzerland.", Anna said with a wicked grin.
Elsa exhaled in relief. "Oh my word, you nearly scared me to death!", she said, putting her hand over her heart for dramatic effect. "And people say I'm cold. I mean, that was just downright cruel, little sister!"
"Sorry, Els," Anna grinned, "I know how you love your Swiss chocolate and the look on your face for that split second when you thought you weren't getting it was just absolutely priceless."
"Hmmmm…", Elsa's brows arched and she pursed her lips, giving Anna a sidelong glance.
"Although the one on the shopkeeper's face was almost as good when I told him the chocolates were for you.", Anna backpedaled. "He wanted me to bring you the whole shop! I think he would've gladly signed over his first born to me right then and there if I'd have told him it was for you."
"Really?" Elsa asked in disbelief.
"Um-hmm, and he refused to let me pay him. The people of Arendelle love you, Els.", Anna smiled at her warmly.
"He wouldn't let you pay him? Oh dear...", Elsa frowned, she thought for a moment, then her eyes brightened, "Oh I know, I will have Kai get one of the gardeners to make a floral arrangement up for him and I will write him a personal 'thank you' note to attach."
"Wow, that's a great idea. He would be over the moon if you did that, Els. Completely thrilled!", Anna agreed.
"I will add him to my list. ", Elsa said with a small smile, shuffling through pages until she found the one she was looking for. "What's his name? "
"Oh... ummmm...", Anna gnawed on her bottom lip, looking up, her eyes flicking back and forth rapidly as if she were flipping through an index file in her brain. "Oh!", she suddenly snapped her fingers and then shook one at the page over which Elsa's quill was hovering, "Yakob!", she said triumphantly. "It was definitely Yakob!", she smiled, then her brow furrowed slightly, "But, ugh, I can't remember his surname. Sorry!" She flushed a bit, crossing her arms over her chest quickly in an awkward attempt to cover her embarrassment at her inability to come up with the man's full name.
Elsa gazed up at her supportively, giving her an encouraging grin. "It's okay, really, Anna. No need for apologies. Yakob will do nicely.", she said, scrawling down his name on her huge 'to-do' list. Then she sighed. "You know, I still find it so amazing and humbling how people continue to like me even now that they know about my secret.", she said, her eyes going a bit glassy.
"Elsa, you're a fantastic person and a fair and benevolent ruler. How could they not love you?", Anna countered respectfully.
Elsa gave her a knowing but gentle smile and wiped at her eyes, not wanting to launch into the myriad reasons that sprang to mind as to why her subjects might feel the need to hate and fear her simply because of the power she possessed. Then, she drew up her shoulders and affected her best imperious Queen Elsa look. "How could they not, indeed?", she said as haughtily as possible. Then, "However, you, my dear sister, are a very naughty girl. You do know that I could have you exiled on grounds of treason for a little stunt like the one you just pulled! Mockery shall not be tolerated in my realm!", she teased.
Anna rolled her eyes, "C'mon, Els, you can't exile me, I'm the Crown Princess! "
"Ahhh, yes. But I am the great and terrible Snow Queen: Wreaker of Havoc. Bringer of Doom! Entire armies cower in fear before me, entire kingdoms tremble in horror at my wrath.", Elsa spouted in contrived rage, ending with a smile and a wink.
"Oh yeah, 'the great and terrible Snow Queen'!", Anna said, pretending to shake with fear. "Tiny kittens reduce you to goo goo eyes and simpering fits of baby talk followed by bursts of hysterical laughter.", she deadpanned.
"Hmmm… touché, little sister!", Elsa smiled and bowed her head in defeat, a slight blush blooming in her cheeks. "Well done."
"Thank you!", Anna beamed, quite proud of herself.
"And, I laughed a few times but I wouldn't really call it 'hysterical', Anna.", Elsa said somewhat defensively and Anna shot her skeptical a look. "Well, not that hysterical.", she said, giving Anna's shoulder a good-humored shove.
Anna snorted and averted her eyes quickly, trying to swallow the guffaw she felt building within her, finally she looked back at her sister and settled on a huge smile instead.
"It's okay, go ahead and laugh, Anna. I know you want to.", Elsa told her.
And Anna did. A huge belly laugh that bent her over and was so contagious, it made Elsa join in with her even though she was trying her best not to for obvious reasons. "Sorry!", Anna said, "I'm sorry!"
"It's fine, Anna.", Elsa said, attempting to get her own giggles under control. "Now…", she cleared her throat and gazed down at the small visitor on her desk, "speaking of the devil, I wonder if our newest Royal addition is hungry."
"Probably.", Anna surmised, "But I wouldn't recommend feeding chocolate to a cat."
Elsa's eyes went wide. "Oh heavens no, of course not!", she said firmly. "No one gets their hands, or well, paws, on our chocolate, but us, sister dear!", she further declared and it caused Anna to laugh again. "Now, let's go downstairs and see if we can find something more appropriate for her... a warm saucer of milk maybe... and I can't wait to dive into the goody stash you brought for us.", Elsa said, smiling and standing up. "Can you show me how to hold her?", she asked, indicating the cat that was now rubbing against her hip and meowing.
"Oh, she's so cute when she meows like that.", Elsa blurted and she sounded so much like a little girl, all the coldness completely missing from her voice, that Anna was again nearly bouncing up and down with joy. She tried to contain herself while she showed Elsa how to hold the kitten, then they walked side by side down to the kitchen. And, Anna marveled at how easily Elsa had just left her work on the desk without Anna even having to ask her. Normally nothing could tear Elsa away until she was finished, no matter how much Anna begged. Not even chocolate. But feeding the kitten had taken priority over even her queenly duties. Anna loved it. The kitten had been a wonderful idea even if she did say so herself. It looked like it was going to bring her sister out of her shell like nothing ever had before and that made Anna happier than she could remember being since they were kids.
"You know, we really should think of something to call her.", Anna was saying around a mouthful of truffles as she and Elsa sat at the kitchen table and stuffed chocolate in their faces while they watched the kitten lap up the milk Elsa had dutifully warmed for her.
Anna had loved seeing that: the great and terrible Snow Queen quite happily warming milk up on the stove in the palace kitchen for her new charge. And, Elsa had insisted on doing it, too, even when Anna offered to help. Truly, she'd done it with such aplomb that Anna had even teased her that she now needed to add a new title, 'Bringer of Warm Milk', to her most fearsome resume.
"I've been thinking about that, too", Elsa was saying, cerulean eyes glued to the small creature on the floor in utter fascination. "What about Winter or Winter Snow? Call her Winnie for short? "
"Perfect! I love it!", Anna nodded her approval.
"I had thought about Snowball because that's what I thought she was at first when you brought her in, but I thought that was a little silly. You know for the 'Snow Queen' to have a cat named 'Snowball'."
"I don't think it would be silly at all, Els," Anna began, noting with a thrill how Elsa had officially taken possession of the cat now. "But I think I like Winnie better. It has more personality. "
"Hmmmm, yes.", Elsa said thoughtfully, "Yes, I agree, much more personality. "
"So I guess this means you've decided to keep her, then?", Anna smiled.
Elsa looked up at her with one of the warmest, softest expressions Anna had ever seen on her face. "Yes, oh yes. I like her very much. I was just worried she wouldn't like me. That she'd know I was... different. "
"Oh don't worry, Els," Anna laughed, "cats don't judge."
"That's good cause it turns out horses apparently do.", Elsa said, her face flushing.
"Oh, so that's what happened when Papa tried to teach you to ride?"
"Yes," Elsa nodded, "it was a total nightmare." She shook her head at the memory. "The horse could sense I was... special... and he wouldn't let me anywhere near him. He kept shying away from me and spooking, pawing at the ground and making these dreadful, high pitched whinnies that almost sounded like screams... as if I were the devil incarnate or something. It scared me out of my wits."
"Oh Els,"Anna said, her eyes clouding with sympathetic tears as she reached out, taking her sister's cool hand in her warm one and squeezing it gently. "I'm so sorry. That must've been awful for you." Elsa had never really talked much at all about her childhood away from Anna. She was sure there were, sadly, countless stories like this one that Elsa could relate to her. But, Elsa was so used to keeping everything inside that she had never really told her anything at all about that time, other than the fact that it was pretty grim. So it made Anna feel quite privileged that she trusted her enough to share such a terrible and disturbing memory with her.
"It- it made me feel like I was... well, a monster.", she said, her eyes filling up and spilling over with tears. She looked away, down at her hand tightly clasped in Anna's.
Anna squeezed it harder, "You weren't.", she said. Then reached over to push the stray hairs away from Elsa's face and behind her ear gently. That one simple gesture caused Elsa to turn a surprised gaze at her, studying Anna's face with such love that Anna could nearly feel her heart breaking for her sister. What must she have had to go through all those years they'd been separated? And she had been forced to endure it all alone. Anna's heart ached for her. At last, she placed her palm gently on top of their clenched hands and looked into Elsa's eyes deeply, letting them see into her very soul. "I wish I could've been there for you, Elsa.", she said, honestly.
"Me, too.", Elsa sighed and tried to smile. She inhaled a ragged breath, wiped her eyes and, to Anna's great surprise, continued her story. "I- I ran away from the barn in horror, back to the castle. It was the middle of the night, extremely dark and I didn't have a lantern so I stumbled and fell a couple of times cause I couldn't see very well. When I finally made it back to my room, I was a complete mess, covered in grass stains and dirt from head to toe and my arms were all scratched up and bleeding from the falls. Papa came to find me but I wouldn't let him in. I just lay on my bed crying for the rest of the evening. I froze my entire room that night. Ice kept oozing from my fingertips onto the sheets. I was so emotional that I couldn't control it, couldn't stop it. It was as if my hands had a mind of their own, like they were crying just as I was. My bed froze underneath me then the ice crept onto the floor and across the room and up the walls until eventually it covered everything in the room under a thick solid sheet while I slept. I woke up the next morning to Papa pounding on my door, trying to get in. It frightened me and that caused the ice to grow even thicker on the door. He kept telling me to unfreeze it, but of course I didn't know how. He finally had to take the door off its hinges and light some torches to melt through my ice. It took forever. I remember being so scared that he was going to be angry with me, punish me severely. But, he didn't. I actually don't think he was mad so much as he was afraid of me. Of what I could do. And that's when he started making me wear gloves all the time. He said they would help and make me feel better. They did, to a degree, I suppose. Although alot of it was just wishful thinking on my part, I'm sure. Anyway, ever since then, I've tried to steer completely clear of all animals. I certainly didn't want to take any chances after what happened that night."
"Oh I totally get that!", Anna nodded.
"Anyway…", Elsa said, grabbing a tissue from the box on the table to dab at her eyes and blow her nose, "…the reason for that long story was to explain to you why I'm acting so giddy about this kitten, Anna.", she clarified with a smile, "I just never imagined she would have anything to do with me. I figured she would hiss and spit and claw at me and that would be the end of it. I was thrilled beyond words when she didn't, when she came towards me instead of running away in fear. I was shocked and overwhelmed by it. It's something normal people take for granted, animals wanting to be around them, but I'm not used to that. That's why I was so cold at first to you. I just didn't want to have a repeat of what happened with that horse so long ago. I didn't want to ever feel like that again. I hope you'll forgive me for seeming ungrateful because it wasn't that at all. It was just me and more of my tons of baggage."
"Oh, Els. There's nothing to forgive.", Anna replied, squeezing the hand she still clutched with gentle compassion, "I get that there is alot of stuff I know nothing about from your past and that sometimes affects the way you are now. You don't ever have to apologize for those things, Elsa. I'm your sister, I will always understand.", she smiled.
"Oh, yes, I do need to apologize. I was pretty cold to you up there and unnecessarily so. You are my sister and I should have known better. You are the last person I should hide anything from. Not anymore. I promised myself that when I thawed Arendelle. No more secrets from you, Anna. Ever. It's just that sometimes old habits die hard and that whole 'conceal, don't feel' thing reared its ugly head again. It was my defense mechanism for so many, many years that it's really hard for me to completely let it go sometimes. And," Elsa inhaled deeply, "for that I am truly sorry."
"I understand. And, if it will make you feel better, apology accepted, okay?"
"Okay," Elsa smiled in relief, "It does. Thank you!"
"Sooooooo," Anna said anxious to change the subject to something she was sure Elsa would feel more comfortable discussing, "Winnie will be your first official pet, big sister!"
"She will!", Elsa replied, rewarding Anna with her lovely smile, "And you have no idea how happy that makes me, Anna. I've never been able to enjoy an animal like this before, you know? The thought of me, with my condition, ever having a pet was out of the question. So that's why I'm so delighted with her."
"Well, you deserve it, Els.", Anna told her happily, "More than anyone in the whole history of the whole history, I'd say!"
"You think so?" Elsa laughed.
"I know so!", Anna affirmed, nodding once and giving her a deliberate smile.
Elsa unclasped their hands and pulled Anna over to her to place a light kiss on her sister's auburn head. "Have I told you lately how wonderful you are, little sister?", she asked.
"Well, you're wonderfuller.", Anna beamed, "Um, more wonderful, I mean.", Anna grinned and it made Elsa laugh again, which caused Anna's smile to deepen.
By this time, Winnie had finished her milk. She looked up at them expectantly and mewled softly then began to purr. Elsa looked down at her, her whole face lighting up with enchantment, and her brows arching up and bunching together in that "aw" look Anna had seen so very briefly earlier. This one was the full out guileless expression, nothing held back and it was so endearing Anna thought she might just die of cuteness.
"Ohhhh, she's just so amazingly adorable when she meows!", Elsa gushed.
Elsa? Gushed!?
Anna shook her head in awe.
"It just melts my heart! ", Elsa continued with a huge, goofy smile.
At this, Anna couldn't help but giggle. "Maybe I should take her then. Never know when that whole melting heart thing might come in handy.", she winked and Elsa flushed slightly in embarrassment.
Then she laughed, "Hey, you little stinker, " she said and poked Anna in the ribs, "that won't ever happen again! I promise. "
"You're the stinker.", Anna said happily and poked her back. "But I think I may be jealous!"
"Oh no, c'mere, you.", Elsa said and pulled Anna into a huge bear hug, kissing her cheek softly,
"You did well, Anna. I do love her and I love that you gave her to me. But I'll always love you the most, dear sister. Always. No contest whatsoever."
Anna's eyes were suddenly full and so was her heart. "I know.", Anna finally managed, her voice shaking with emotion.
"Thank you for Winnie.", Elsa said, "She makes me very happy. But not as happy as you make me every single day of my life, my darling Anna. And don't you forget it."
"I won't. I promise.", Anna said trying to keep her voice from breaking. "I-I love you, Elsa."
"Love you back, little sister. So very very much.", Elsa smiled. Then looking back down at the kitten. "What's she doing now?", she asked, her voice filled with fresh curiosity.
Anna followed her gaze to see the kitten had started to groom herself.
"Oh she's taking a bath."
"Really?" Elsa asked in amazement.
"Yup! Cats are self cleaning." Anna explained, watching her.
Elsa looked awestruck. "How utterly charming!"
"Uh huh, it looks like she loves to preen almost as much as you do!", Anna winked, giving her a wicked grin.
Elsa laughed and shoved her shoulder. "Hey at least I don't wake up looking like I have an entire community of rats living in my hair every morning."
In response Anna lifted her brows, narrowed her eyes and gave her sister a mock dirty look much like the one she'd given her at Elsa's Coronation when Elsa had tricked her into dancing with the Duke of Weselton… and he'd nearly broken her back with a huge dip.
"Hmmmm," Elsa continued, "Maybe I should send Winnie in to see if she can take care of them permanently?"
"Maybe not.", Anna decided, getting up and walking over to the window. "Especially not when it's a beautiful day! Hey," her eyes lit up, "would you like to take Winnie outside to play?"
"Really?", Elsa asked, unsurely, "You don't think she would run away?"
"From 'The Bringer of Warm Milk'? I highly doubt it.", Anna teased her easily.
"Exile, Anna. Remember, exile. It's not pretty. And there would be no chocolate.", Elsa threatened with a grin as she rose from the table.
"No chocolate?!", Anna blanched, "Now that I couldn't bear!"
"So you'd better just watch your P's and Q's, little sister.", Elsa winked as she began to clean up the mess she and Anna had left on the kitchen table so the servants wouldn't have to do it. She then went over and deposited their trash in the garbage bin before stooping to scoop the kitten up in her arms carefully and heading outside with her sister.