A Close Bond
Elsa sat at her desk, writing an official letter to the king of a nearby kingdom, proposing trade routes between his kingdom and Arendelle. It was close to midnight, and the candle on her desk was burning low. Elsa was exhausted, but she wanted to finish the letter before she went to bed, so she could mail it first thing in the morning. She rubbed her eyes, trying not to lose her focus. This was an important letter, and she wanted her plan to succeed. She looked up when the door to her office opened, surprised that there was still anyone awake at this hour. "Hello?" she said quietly. A snowman walked into the room, a small smile on his face and a saucer balanced in his hands. Sitting on the saucer was a steaming cup of what looked like tea. Elsa smiled as the snowman approached her desk, setting down her pen and pushing her chair away from her desk. "Hi Elsa!" the snowman said. "I saw the light earlier and knew you were working late. So I made you a cup of tea." Elsa smiled as he set the saucer on her desk. "Thank you Olaf." Elsa said gently. Olaf nodded. "You're welcome mom." Elsa chuckled softly at Olaf's pet name for her, gently hugging her "son". Olaf called Elsa his "mom" because she had been the one who had built him and gave him life, through the use of her magic powers over ice and snow. When the two pulled away from the hug, Elsa took a few sips of the tea before resuming her letter writing. Olaf sat down in the seat across from her as she worked. The seat that was normally occupied by Elsa's younger sister, Anna, who had already gone to bed. There was a silence for a minute or two, but then Elsa set down her pen again and leaned back in her chair. She picked up the cup of tea and began to drink it thoroughly. She'd been working for hours, and she needed a break. "How are you tonight Olaf?" she asked once she had finished half of the cup. "I haven't seen you in a while!" Olaf smiled. "I've been hanging out with Anna and Sven mostly, which is probably why you don't see me very much. And I've been keeping Anna company while you work. I've been fine. I love hanging out with Anna! She gives the warmest hugs!" Elsa chuckled, smiling brightly. "Anna's a wonderful person." she agreed. "And thank you for keeping her company Olaf. I know that means a lot to her. And it's a comfort to me to know she's not lonely anymore." Olaf nodded, grinning. "You're welcome mom!" There was another period of silence. Elsa could tell that Olaf had something on his mind that he wanted to say. But he was keeping quiet. That in and of itself was strange, since he was normally very vocal about his opinions, or if he wanted to talk about something. Elsa set her cup down on the saucer, regarding Olaf with gentle, curious eyes. "There's something bothering you Olaf." she said softly. "I can tell. What is it? Is there anything I can do to help?" Olaf looked at Elsa and hesitated, which was also very unusual. She had never known him to hesitate before. "Olaf what is it?" she asked, even more gently than before. Olaf looked into her blue eyes as he replied, "Nothing's wrong. It's just…I love being with Anna, and I know you're busy…but I'd really like to spend some time with just you. You created me – I really do think of you as my mom – but we don't get to spend much time together where it's just the two of us." When Olaf finished speaking, he took a deep breath, like he had been waiting for a while to get that off his chest. He folded his hands in his lap and looked down at them, waiting patiently for Elsa's response. Elsa suddenly felt a little bad, although she knew that had certainly not been Olaf's intention. Olaf was right, though. Elsa had created him, but they had never really spent some quality time together. "Come here Olaf." she said gently, pushing back her chair, standing up, and opening her arms to the snowman. Olaf jumped up and ran around the desk, leaping into Elsa's arms. Elsa laughed and hugged Olaf close to her. Being a snowman, normally Olaf would melt when he got this close to a person. But, because of her powers, Elsa's body temperature was constantly colder than most people's. So she was able to give Olaf hugs without melting him, which they both loved. "I love warm hugs!" Olaf said, nestling close to Elsa. Elsa chuckled and smiled. "Me too Olaf." she replied softly. "Me too." She sat back down with Olaf in her arms, wanting to just hold him for a bit. She loved Olaf very much. He was one of the big good things that had come from her powers. He had made Anna very happy for the past several months now, keeping her company when Elsa was working. And, like tonight when he had brought her the tea, he was always there for her when she needed him. He always seemed to be able to sense when she needed something – like someone to talk to, or a cup of tea at midnight – and he was always right there when she needed him. He and Anna had both been instrumental in showing her that her powers were a gift, not a curse, and for that she would always be grateful. The two had a close bond. The relationship they shared was more like a bond between a mother and her son than anything else. It had been a strange relationship to explain to people at first, especially foreign dignitaries who didn't know about Arendelle's recent history – where Elsa had accidently placed an eternal winter over the kingdom and then had to reverse it. But the citizens of Arendelle, once they had learned that Elsa had created Olaf, thought their relationship was "adorable" (or so Elsa had heard most people describe it). Olaf was a popular figure in town, as were Elsa, Anna, and Elsa's love interest, Kristoff. But Olaf and Anna were the two most popular, known for their warmth, kindness, and generosity. "I love you Olaf." Elsa said softly, gently rubbing his back (if it were possible to rub a snowman's back). "I love you too Elsa." Olaf replied, hugging the queen tightly and nestling as close to her as he could. They sat like that for about a minute, neither of them talking. Just enjoying each other's company. But finally Elsa said, "You know what Olaf? Tomorrow is technically my day off. How about we spend some time together tomorrow morning in the courtyard. Just the two of us. We can sit and talk, or whatever you'd like to do. Does that sound good?" Olaf nodded eagerly, hugging Elsa even tighter. "That sounds wonderful!" he said. "I'd love that!" Elsa chuckled softly and smiled. "Awesome!" she said. "It sounds like a plan then!" Olaf smiled and said softly, "Thanks mom. I really do love you." "I love you too Olaf. And you're very welcome." The two sat like that for another fifteen minutes before Elsa decided it was time for her to go to bed. The letter wouldn't be ready until the next afternoon, she knew, but it could wait. Spending time with her dear Olaf was much more important.