The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

It was quiet among the discord of the West wing, where many weeks of work had shaken up the usual arrangement of things and left many of the doors open in that particular part of the castle of Arrendele. The wing was under remodel, a project suddenly pushed by Queen Elsa that took some of her advisors by surprise. There were pieces of furniture set about, with sheets to protect them from the dust and tools sometimes set on top of them, as if waiting for their chance to fulfill their purpose. Even in the latter part of the day, when the castle was still humming with the business of the kingdom, it was a quiet place.

And yet there were those who were keen to take advantage of the quiet of the West wing.

"But, you see, I had not yet cleaned out the flue as I was supposed to and when she opened it to vent the stove…" said a voice that echoed in the quiet halls. It belonged to the fiery Prince of Fria, while the voice that answered was equally appreciative of the quiet hallway.

"A pile of ashes came down right into the pot. Oh, poor Oma," Elsa mused, imagining the entire scene as she and Yasha strolled among the clutter. Her expression was soft and her voice quieted, as if they might rouse the rest of their world to their seclusion. For her part, she was simply delighted to have a few quiet moments alone with him.

"Or maybe it's 'poor Yasha' after she got ahold of you?" she added with a playful smile.

Yasha mirrored her smile, and her mood. "Indeed. I have rarely endured such a thrashing as I did shortly after. There is good reason even the men of Fria feared Oma's wrath."

With a soft chuckle, Elsa tucked her hand tighter into his arm as they strolled and thought about how much she liked Oma, the ancient matriarch of Yasha's homeland. The old woman would have certainly had something to say had she been privy to the scene in the hallway involving her precious Yasha and the radiant Queen. Their voices soft. Their eyes forward. Their touch not so reluctant anymore. So much had happened since the fall of Fria and Elsa couldn't help but feel sentimental. She suddenly slowed, her hand sliding down his arm to his hand as she pulled him to a stop among the furniture, solitude and quietness.

Her blue eyes lifted to him. "I'm glad you do have some happy memories of Fria, Yasha. Happy memories can be so very important, don't you think?" she said, her hand finding a comfortable place within his.

Yasha's expression was also thoughtful. He held her hand tightly as he returned her feelings. "Most certainly. Sometimes, a pleasant memory is the only thing that bring solace to the darker places of the world."

For a moment, they lingered.

They touched.

The world had seen fit to give them this quiet moment and enjoy it, with all of the undercurrents that had been pulling at them an afterthought and the noise of the castle far away.

The moment might have lasted longer had Yasha's eyes not stirred and his hand tightened around hers. His change in posture altered her but she didn't know why he was suddenly on edge. Usually, his pensive eyes made her cautious and a little bit excited. This time was no different as she tried to discover the sudden alarm running through his eyes.

Elsa didn't even have time to react before he had lunged at her, his arms around her as he muscled her to the side and the sound of a latch chiming in the dim light. Her only protest was a slight squeak as he pulled her into a large wardrobe that had been eavesdropping on their entire encounter, and before she knew it the doors had been closed around them, with their bodies pressed close and only the tired hinges of the doors letting in some light.

"What are you…" she began, her blood heating, though he quickly pressed a single finger across his lips, his eyes still cast to the line between the doors that offered the only visibility to the outside world. This swift turn of events had taken her by surprise, but even with her heart beating loudly in her ears she could suddenly hear why he had tucked them away from the world.

"You know, it's not really as bad as you think. Getting soggy to my core is exactly how I feel whenever you come around, my little fire angel," said a voice very familiar to her and she suddenly realized their solitude had been invaded. It was Olaf, though she couldn't imagine why he had wandered into this part of the castle.

Then, she quickly realized the reason.

"Ugh, do you have to follow me everywhere? I can't even think straight with all your gurgling and sloshing around," grumbled another voice burning with annoyance. It was Sid and Elsa realized why Yasha might suddenly want to disappear from sight. The snowman laughed sheepishly and there was a cold breeze that followed the orange light that panned through the crack in the doors of the wardrobe.

"I feel the same way. It means we're meant to be," he suggested.

The only reaction from the fire sprite was a groan further down the hallway, and soon it was quiet once more.

Yasha let out a tense breath. His attention moved back to the companion that he shared the wardrobe with. He even stifled a sheepish laugh. "I apologize. I acted without thinking," he reported as his hand began to fumble around for the latch to release them. Even in the dim light, he could see a ruddy hue on Elsa's face. While he didn't dislike their situation or the reaction she was having, he felt like he needed to quickly save her from it. "Sid would have not appreciated our…"

Just as his fingers found the latch, another voice resonated through the walls of the wardrobe. This voice sent a wave of panic through Elsa's body and she manically threw one hand across his to stop their escape, while the other slipped over his lips to silence him.

Her eyes were alight with fear.

"Show patience, my boy. You are destined for great things, things that are beyond the realm of normal men," said the voice and it was instantly recognizable as Regent Stenson, though his footsteps were accompanied by another. The look on Elsa's face betrayed just how terrified she was of being caught by him in such a compromising place and in compromising company, so much so that even as the salty sweat of her skin was burning his lips Yasha held perfectly still, staring at her with understanding eyes and hoping her anxious breathing wouldn't alert the outside world.

Despite the way her chest was heaving and her lips pulsed, the footsteps continued on as Regent Stenson's voice started to fade. "But you must learn to take each step, and what you must ultimately do to achieve them."

"Yes, Father," answered the other, though just as the voices disappeared further into the castle.

As the hallway became quiet once more, Elsa's body relaxed and her head fell forward, resting at the top of his chest. Their escape was forgotten in favor of her recovery and Yasha tried to maintain a professional posture, despite the distraction of her body heaving against him.

"Sorry," she finally said, leaning her head up and offering him a slightly embarrassed smile, "I don't think I need to explain that one."

He returned her smile. "Certainly," he replied, though a slightly playful quirk touched his brow as they lingered as close as they ever had, their bodies entwined and the air of the wardrobe heated around them.

"Not that I am averse to this development."

Realizing the intimacy of their situation, Elsa defied his expectations by letting out a lovesick chuckle and widening her smile, not thrashing about in an attempt to escape or flushing in further embarrassment. After dancing around him for many weeks, she was more eager to move forward than to fall back and she signaled this to him by sliding her hands up his chest and behind his neck, where her fingers began to play carelessly through his hair. "Do you think anyone would mind if we just disappeared for an entire afternoon? We could just forget everything outside of this wardrobe, hold our breath anytime someone walked by…" A shudder went through him as her fingers played. His expression became more serious as his eyes devoured her. She delighted in his reaction. Only after the panic had passed and the wardrobe became a sanctuary for them did they realize how intimate their position really was. The wardrobe was barely big enough for them. Yasha was hunched down slightly, which only brought him closer to her. Their arms had nowhere to go but to the other while Elsa's legs had settled around his, the slit in her dress letting her bare legs rub against the fabric of his uniform. Even in the dim light the colors of her eyes and her lips were striking, while she could almost see the faintest glow of orange in the shimmering silver of his oppressive gaze.

She didn't know if she was imagining that as a memory of his lost FireHeart, but at the moment she didn't dwell on it. All that mattered was that she had him, there and now.

Suddenly, his hands moved as they could to capture hers, a shuddering breath breaking from his tense lips. "Perhaps this is not such a good idea after all," he sighed.

His sudden retreat caught her by surprise. "What?"

"The Queen should not be hiding away in furniture with men of ill repute. Should we be discovered, this is a scandal you could not recover from. Your Arrendele wouldn't allow it," he reasoned, his mind obviously still lingering on the presence of Regent Stenson.

This flare up of his usual excuses made Elsa angry. "Again with this. Haven't I proved that I don't care what everyone else thinks? Why do I have to keep proving it to you?" she demanded in a slightly louder voice.

"I am only concerned for you and your station," he bit back, his voice also rising, "What would they say if they knew you lingered so close to the scandalous Prince Yasha, who slaughters thousands, violates young women in shadows and levels entire mountains at a whim?"

The drama drew an exasperated scoff from her throat, though with this chance at hand, she wasn't willing to let him go so easily. Sometimes she wanted to freeze to him a wall again. "Why only worry about what they think if I linger so close? Why not give them a real scandal? They'd roll over sideways if they knew how I already wore an engagement broach from Fria. What would they say if they knew I wore it in secret, even knowing what it meant?" Though she could barely see it, a flash of red flushed through his skin as she finally broke his calm, collected demeanor. She was happy for a quiet victory against his infamous will.

"That is a matter that I have already explained! Would you try and tarnish your reputation completely by continuing the dangerous games we play?" he protested hotly.

"Now it's games, is it?" she snapped back instantly, not willing to let him make her the villain in this fight, "And what about you, Yasha? You don't seem too bothered by the games we're playing. You never seem too concerned about my station when you're holding my hand or telling me that you want to see me again. These games don't seem too averse when you have that certain look in your eyes."

Now that she had turned his own words on him, he suddenly felt unable to fall back on his nobler side. Their proximity had whittled away his self-restraint. He had been fighting back his baser urges in the name of her chastity and her honor, but her assault had caught him when he could no longer resist her. Damning all of the reasons he had so far used to protect her, he began to dare her with his voice.

"Then shall we see how far these games can go? If you have no care for the words of those around you, then surely nothing is beyond rapprochement in the eyes of your court," he said smugly.

Elsa instantly took the bait. "And what did you have in mind, Prince Yasha of Fria?" she shot back.

To her surprise, he hesitated.

She couldn't remember the last time he had hesitated.

"A kiss," he said finally, albeit awkwardly.

"A kiss?" she chirped, and her response was punctuated by the dull knock of her head back against the side of the wardrobe.

There was a momentary truce as they stared at each other, breathing heavily at the suggestion. They had never kissed, although they had certainly exchanged various signs of affection since the crucible in the volcano. They both knew it was the point of no return. There was no easy way to excuse it. It would be the affirmation of all the things unsaid between them, the culmination of the awkward dinners and sideward glances, not to mention defiance against all of the currents around them that worked against their story. For him to ask meant that this wouldn't be like anything before.

This would be the kiss.

The kiss.

Beyond it, there was no going back to what they were before.

"C-certainly," Yasha finally barked, an uncharacteristic stutter in his voice, "Why not a kiss? Is it so out of the question? Have you not braved the like before? My cheek has often known the touch of your lips, has it not?"

Being reminded of those kisses made her skin flush, even more than the suggestion had, yet even the terrifying idea of finally getting what she wanted couldn't deter her now. She wouldn't back down from him.

"Fine. Fine! Why not a kiss? If it will finally put you at ease, I can manage a single, simple kiss," she replied, still acting as if this was still just another game they played.

"Very well then. Proceed!" he dared once more.

The distance between them shortened.

"I will! What makes you think I won't do it?" she protested as her hands once more slipped to his neck.

They drew even closer together.

"I would never doubt your resolve for a moment, Queen Elsa. I await your resolve with all due haste," he prodded further, his breath touching her lips as proxy to his own.

Just as the last of his words left his lips, Elsa threw away all hesitation. With nowhere to go but forward, she threw her lips into his, holding him by the back of the neck as if he might somehow get away. Despite a lifetime of etiquette, a throaty whimper leapt out of her, startling her so much that she couldn't actually believe it had come from her body. The sensation of actually kissing him had taken her by such surprise that she continued to moan quietly, moved her lips around on his in an unsure bid to convey all of the feelings she had for him. His movements were just as awkward and the kiss felt more like the result of the dare, a pressed movement that was meant to defy the other.

It wasn't what Elsa had expected her first kiss to be.

After the exchange and hoping to get a chance to breathe, Elsa broke away, panting wildly as she pressed her forehead into his. She couldn't quite believe that they had finally done it, though even as she tried to grapple with her expectations, the only thing that made it out past her heavily breathing was a single, raw word.

"Wow…"

Yasha said nothing, but was equally winded. His eyes closed and his head pressed to hers, he seemed meditative, his silence given over to try and catch his breath. Only after a moment did his eyes open, a carnal look in them, and he suddenly flew back at her, surprising her with another kiss. Elsa once more squeaked out her surprise before trying her best to manage yet another wildly passionate fling. This time, hands and arms were trying to find a more traditional position for such blatant scandal, with the hard insides of the wardrobe fighting their every move. The second kiss was hotter than the first, yet infinitely clumsier. It was also shorter, giving them yet another reprieve as they separated to catch their breath.

Once more, they tried to recuperate in the wake of their kiss.

"Wow," Yasha echoed, though the word had never once entered his lexicon before. His use of it made Elsa laugh in a giddy tremor, something that was contagious as he also began to laugh.

Despite the clunky manner in which they broke through the point of no return, the place they now were had a strange feeling to it and they both had a moment to try and reflect on what they had done. They searched each other's eyes. Their hands still tried to find an appropriate place for the mood. The wardrobe demanded a heavy toll as their bodies hurt from awkward positions while the air was already so hot and humid that they struggled to breathe. Neither of them knew exactly what to say or what to do. Neither knew where to go from here.

In the end, they both moved together, having momentarily caught their breath, to once more try and get this feeling right.

The third kiss wasn't like the others. It was softer. It was slower. It lacked the surprise of the first two and much of the heat, yet it was far more natural, more like what they expected when they started their game. Yasha cradled Elsa as best as the wood would allow, while she melted into him. This kiss they enjoyed far better, for it reminded them of how they had gotten there in the first place and why it could feel so right.

This kiss was love's kiss and they had never known anything like it.

After a time that wasn't too long or too short, with a slow release from one another that led into a longing glance between eyes, the two of them laughed once more, though it was a tender laugh. Elsa couldn't help but touch her lips, amazed by the experience. She had never known how true love might feel.

She realized she still didn't have the words to describe it.

"I am sorry, Elsa," Yasha suddenly sighed, though his expression didn't match his words. He still seemed completely taken by her, though a glimmer of his honorable worry began to show.

Elsa tried to diffuse it before it got out of control. "It was 'wow.' Why would you be sorry for 'wow?'" she asked, keeping a lighter tone.

"My impatience has defeated me. This is not the way I wanted to do this, yet I could not control myself," he explained, a rare flash of embarrassment coming over him, "I do not have significant experience in these matters and was not sure how to do it. To be perfectly honest, I have not ever kissed anyone as I just kissed you." His admission made Elsa stifle a chuckle, though it slipped past her fingers just the same. The reaction seemed to offend him.

"You find that amusing?" he demanded.

"No, that's not it. Not it at all," she answered quickly, then placed her hands into his, hopefully to assure him that she wasn't trying to tease him, "It was my first kiss too, Yasha, and it was…"

Her words fell away. She had never been good at expressing her feelings to him. She certainly didn't feel any more coherent about them now. Knowing that she had taken his first kiss as well made it feel even more special, as if the fate he often lamented was sometimes in their favor. Yasha was never the same powerful warrior when it came to matters of love, but more of a clumsy, ignorant fool learning everything for the first time. She loved this about him. It made everything real. It meant everything was genuine and true.

Elsa suddenly laughed again, as if she realized just how unusual their whole encounter had been. "Well, I didn't exactly expect to do it in a wardrobe, but I've been waiting to do that for a long time. A very long time," she sang softly, once more toying with him with her touch.

Yasha was successfully diffused as he gave in to her touch, sharing her laugh and letting go of his offense. He would have spent a thousand years in her graces, tucked away in their uncomfortable, intimate cage, but the sounds of some guards in the hallways reminded them that they were still in a compromising situation and still at risk of being exposed. His practicality betrayed his desires as he let out a sharp, subdued sigh.

"I think, perhaps, we should find and alternate location to speak of this," he suggested.

Elsa nodded, also sad to give up their little nest, but just as aware of their surroundings and situation.

"I think that's probably a good idea."

In the convenient vacancy of the West Wing, the doors of the wardrobe broke open and sent the queen of the castle and her prince spilling out onto the carpeted floor, both of them sprawling, stretching and breathing, as if they had just been born. Despite how popular the hallway had been before, there was thankfully no one around. Elsa had propped herself up on her elbows as she felt the dull throbbing in her backside, though she didn't know if it was from the cramped wardrobe or the spill out of it.

"Ouch…" she groaned.

Like a knight coming to rescue her, Yasha rolled over and rose at her side, his hands stabbed into the ground around her as he attended to her as if she had fallen off a mountain. "Are you all right?" he asked, looking her over for injury. Having him fuss over her made the aches and pains subside, and she smiled warmly. Her fingers found his sleeves and gripped them tightly.

"Never better," she whispered.

Catching her mood, he relaxed. His hand slipped to her face and he caressed her, his voice dropping in tone. "Elsa."

His sovereignty over her name made her heart race, especially as she suspected that he might take them for yet another wild ride and kiss her out in the open. "Yes?" she answered.

"Is it too late to tell you that I am quite in love with you?" he crooned. The question made her smile blossom. She almost couldn't answer as calmly as she wanted to.

"Yes," she replied, her own hand reach up to caress his face as well. "Is it too late to tell you that I'm quite in love with you too?"

The echo made him smile and he almost fulfilled her quiet wish for another encounter. Instead, he simply sat there with her, not caring how exposed they were. At that moment, she was his entire world. "What a bizarre world this has become. What would our past selves think, should they come across such a scene?"

Elsa laughed softly. "My past self couldn't have been too surprised. I haven't exactly been reserved in showing my feelings for you. My true feelings," she confessed with a blush.

"And it would be a sin to say that I did not feel the same, even as we walked our path together towards the heart of the volcano. I do not remember when it happened, but all at once I found I could not bear thinking of my world without you," he said, finding that even a lifetime of scouring any book he found to learn all the words that might avail him, she could render him unable to find the words to tell her how he felt for her.

"It seems you did indeed save me," he admitted, remembering her powerful words as they faced the FireHeart together.

This time it was Elsa that almost returned them to their affair, just being barely able to resist the urge to pull him down for another kiss. Now that they had started, she found it difficult to resist the urge, as if a dam had broken and released a swollen river. This temptation was quickly curbed, however, as another set of voices warned them that someone was near. Without the armor of the wardrobe to protect them, they could no longer indulge in their passions in the West Wing of the castle.

"I think we need to go now," she said to him, grasping his arms so that she could help her up. He only nodded as he did so, pulling her to her feet slightly harder than he had to so that she would have to stumble forward into him, where he would catch her and hold her for just a moment longer.

It seemed the games were far from over.

With an impish laugh, Elsa took him by the hand and led him away from their wardrobe and the rest of the West Wing, like young lovers retreating from prying eyes and lost in the endless future that lay ahead of them. They were high on the memory of their kiss, unable to say anything but also unable to stop laughing. They didn't know where they were going but they knew they would go together, with nothing and no one to get in their way.

"And what exactly have you two been up to?"

As the amorous couple rounded a corner, they walked right into Anna. Any surprise at running into them was lost the instant she read them, with their hands locked together, their smiles wide and their minds lost to anything worldly. Even being caught and confronted only froze them, both staring at her like deer caught before a hunter. Anna had already deduced their secret, with their clothes still disheveled, their hair mussed and the adolescent tone in their laughter. She stood there, her hands on her hips, judging them with a huge smile on her face.

"Hmmmmmmm?" she pressed further.

She couldn't wait to hear what they had to say for themselves.

As if a mirror was set between them, Elsa and Yasha snapped to attention at the same time, their hands breaking apart as they regained a regal stance before Anna. Usually, she was the last person they performed this much-practiced dance for, but their emotions had been running high with the nature of their recent encounter. A rampant hue of red devoured their faces.

Anna loved every minute of it.

"I don't know what you mean. We were just…touring the wing of the castle under remodel," Elsa balked, giving Yasha a short, but very guilty look, "Right?"

"Indeed. A tour. Of the castle. Under remodel," he agreed, his words as rigid as his stance as he tried to stand against her sister's accusatory eyes.

Anna expression turned even more devious. She mused at little they realized how well she knew them both. "Really. A tour…" she sang sweetly, leaning forward with an absolutely wicked grin, "...of the castle, was it?" Both Elsa and Yasha flushed again. There was no use in continuing. Anna knew everything. To even try and continue the farce was pointless and that their only option was an unceremonious retreat.

"Ahem. Queen Elsa, I am most indebted to you for your time and your attention," Yasha began, turning stiffly to Elsa and reaching out for her hand, though in a far more regal manner. Yet even as he saluted her as queen, his eyes were still looking at her with far more reverence than his posture announced.

In his eyes, she lived on as the pinnacle of his heart.

"I would hope we do it again soon," he added softly.

Elsa had turned to meet his protocol with her own, and also his tone with a warm, covenant smile. "Likewise. Very soon, Prince Yasha. So very soon."

The two of them became lost once more, though Anna wouldn't let them slip away so easily. She was having far too much fun with them. "Ahem," she coughed, reminding them of their audience. Both snapped their attention back to her at the same time, then withdrew their hands just as quickly. One more final, longing glance between them signaled the end of their encounter, and reinforced the promise of their future rendezvous.

Yasha was the first to break away, quickly stepping to flee past Anna, though he did show her a courteous bow, garnished with a slightly annoyed glimmer in his eyes. "Princess," he saluted tersely.

"Prince Yasha," she replied in impish, drawn out tones, making sure his formal title was just one last little stab to complete her complete victory. As he stalked away, Anna turned back to her sister, watching her gaze after him like a handmaiden in the ballroom. Deep down, she could barely contain her joy at seeing them finally so close, knowing as she did how long they had chased the other, but her mischievous heart wanted to enjoy this moment more, especially as her more regal and older sister was finally caught with her proverbial pants down.

"Well? Anything to say?" she goaded.

Elsa snapped out of it once more, then flashed an entirely different look at her. She was the older sister. She was the matriarch of the family. She was the Queen. By all rights, Anna had no grounds to lord over as she was, yet Elsa was at her complete mercy. She raised a finger up to scold her, but said nothing of Yasha. She parted her red lips and they wordlessly moved with a dozen words, but she said nothing of Yasha. Her eyes were frightened, happy, disappointed and full of love, but she said nothing of Yasha.

In the end, she had no way to defend herself, and no reason she needed to.

At long last, she needed no excuses for loving Yasha, not in the least towards her beloved, if not overly-playful sister.

"I have somewhere to be," Elsa announced, then promptly retreated in the other direction, leaving Anna to smirk after her. While she had wanted to hold onto that moment she had worked so hard for, she already knew there was more work ahead. She stood triumphant, but she would keep fighting for them, two whom she loved so much.

In the end, she would win that fight too. She would prove that they deserved to be together despite all that pulled them apart. Anna knew this, and believed in this, with all of her heart, because love had the power to conquer, persevere and write stories that sometimes took years to finally go into the pages of history.

"Oh, I am so getting those two married someday."