Yuletide Traditions, a frozen fanfic

NOTES: Welcome to the little celebration of Yule we cooked up to tie in with Olaf's Frozen Adventure! More than anything, Elsa and I wanted to bring the focus to Yule and the vigil held on the first night, which is both historically what the sisters would have been celebrating, and also is the strongest of holiday imagery in the animated short itself. Not to mention that the underappreciated festivities are very personally important to Elsa and her pagan heritage, so the missed opportunity to see it explored in OFA made us both want to do something about it.

And of course, what would the holidays be without an Elsanna twist? We hope you enjoy and have a good season yourself, no matter what or how you celebrate!

-Dragonxborne and Jessex

Yuletide Traditions

~ o * o ~

As the moonlight hit the wondrous ice tree, Queen Elsa couldn't help but feel happier than she could ever remember feeling. After all, there she was amongst her people, who had all joined her and her sister, Princess Anna, in the search for their wayward snowman son, Olaf. Every single one of them had set aside their own family traditions to come out and help find him — the son which she and Anna had discovered was their own Yule tradition.

Perhaps it was the season, or the magic in the air, but Elsa couldn't help the stupid grin on her face. Overcome with the moment, she scooped Olaf up and held him close, her free hand finding Anna's and lacing their fingers together.

"I think we've had enough forest exploration for one night, and I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to lighting the Yule log!" She looked over at Anna and smiled. "What about you? Would you like to join me?"

"You'd better believe it!" Anna chirruped in a dreamy voice, gazing off into the distance as she imagined what it would be like. "I've never lit one before! Well, I mean we had one, but we didn't actually get to use it, or do the vigil. So it doesn't count, right?"

"Yes, the Yule log!" Olaf chimed in with his overly excited voice. "…what's that?"

Elsa let out a chuckle. "Well, Olaf, the Yule log is a long-standing tradition of our people. On the first night of Yuletide, we burn a log from an oak tree, using the remains of last year's log to get the fire started. The wood is supposed to burn all night; it symbolizes how there can still be light even in the darkest of times. Its fire rekindles the sun for the year to come and brings us prosperity. So you see, it's very important that this year, we join our people in fueling the morning sun, since this is our first Yule since opening the gates."

Olaf's face lit up in wonder and he clapped his little twig-hands. "Yay for contributing! And controlling the weather, I think!"

"Don't worry, little guy," Anna giggled as she smoothed over his snowy cheek with her free hand. "You don't have to join in; we both remember how much fun fire is for you."

His expression fell as he realised what she meant. "That's true. I can't even enjoy a good sauna."

"You just won't get too close, Olaf; you can still celebrate with us for a little while," Elsa assured him with a grin. "As long as you're careful."

"Oh!" This seemed to appease the whimsical snowman. "Splendid! I can celebrate from a distance!"

The walk home seemed longer than the walk out, but one could attribute that to the excitement hanging in the air with every step. As they walked, half the population of Arendelle following along in their wake, Anna began to sing a traditional Yule song quietly at first. Then a few more people joined in until they were practically wassailing without anyone to give them wassail. Her cheeks bunched with joy as she glanced at her big sister, thrilled to death that they were together for this holiday.

Her smile, and of course the song, were certainly contagious. Elsa couldn't help but join in as well. Olaf didn't know the words, but that didn't stop him from making up his own to the same tune. That made the walk go much faster and they were back within the town in no time. Happy faces shone from the people waving and saying their goodbyes to the royals before returning to their own celebrations.

Now at the front gates to the castle, Olaf jumped out of the queen's arms and sprinted towards home. "I'm gonna put my bowtie on for the Yule log!" he exclaimed, promptly disappearing into the large residence. "This is gonna be the best Yule ever!"

Elsa chuckled and shook her head. She could only hope to be half as happy as he was some day. And speaking of her joy in life…

"Anna, will you be joining me tonight? For the vigil?" she asked sheepishly. For no reason in particular, too; it's not as if Anna hadn't spent her whole life trying to close distances with Elsa.

"What? Of course I will! I've wanted to try a vigil with you since we were little!" Scuffing her boot on the stone walkway, she added, "Of course, we were too little to stay up for it; I would always eat too much and be asleep before our parents would even light the log. So it's great that we might finally stay up this year!"

Sleepless nights had never been a stranger to Elsa, so it wasn't a stretch for her to spend one more evening wide awake. At least tonight her insomnia would be part of a better tradition than just her crippling depression.

As she rounded the corner into the large room with the magnificent fire place, she was pleased to see the Yule log already prepared for them, dressed with pine cones and holly, and the remnants of the previous year's log resting in the fireplace itself. "Boy, that looks heavy," she mused, side-eyeing Anna with a grin. "I think I'm going to require my sister's help to hoist this into the flames. Care to join me?"

Anna pretended to roll up both her sleeves. "Just leave it to me! I'm stronger than a dozen reindeer! More powerful than a bellowing brown bear!" Then she bent down to begin hoisting the log… and nothing happened. Several times, she heaved, and it barely shifted. "Um… yes, Elsa, I think I'll join you in lifting the log…"

Elsa had been watching with that little smirk she gets, and it had not faded when Anna met her gaze. She let out a chuckle and uncrossed her arms, approaching the log. "Well, thank you for the privilege, my dear sister. I'm so happy you've allowed me to take part."

The queen then got her grip on the log and smiled over at her sister, which had been a mistake if she were honest. Anna in the firelight? Gods, she was so gorgeous. The way the shadows and light danced across her skin, and her hair was simply glowing. Anna had to be the most gorgeous woman in all of Arendelle. How lucky Elsa was to call her "Family."

After a few seconds and a confused expression from her sister she snapped herself out of it. "Right." She cleared her throat. "On three?"

"Yep!" Anna said, wiggling her rear as she prepared to heft the log again. "Okay. One…. two… three!"

Together, they managed to struggle it up and into the fireplace, and it thudded down with a cloud of ash. The flue and fireplace were fairly clean most of the year, but during the winter it needed to be used so often that it couldn't always be spotless. The stirring of dust made Anna's weary smile of triumph scrunch up, and after a second or two she began to go "Ah… ahhh…"

The familiar sight stirred up a reaction Elsa hadn't quite intended, or expected for that matter. She found herself shouting "Watermelon!" at Anna — an old trick of theirs she hadn't used since they were little. It had often stopped Anna's sneezes, for whatever reason, and she couldn't believe that after all their time apart, it was still her go-to solution for the situation.

Almost exactly as all those years ago, Anna blinked at her and said "Ehh?" in mild surprise and confusion. Then she sniffled, shook her head violently, and rubbed at the end of her nose. "Ugh… what did you just do?"

"I… well to be honest, I have no idea." How could she best explain? "I used to do that when we were younger, do you remember? We would always go exploring those old rooms full of things the world hadn't seen in ages. Dust has never been your friend." She chuckled. "You would always sneeze three or four times in a row and I always felt so bad for how confused and dazed you looked afterwards. I can't remember why I shouted 'watermelon' the first time, but it worked and it became a part of exploring. You'd start to sneeze, I'd shout, and you would miraculously be saved from your turmoil."

Anna had fallen completely silent, standing and listening to her sister dig into their memories, enjoying them with her. A few seconds after she finished, she seemed to surface from a waking sleep and grinned. "I forgot all about that. But you're right, I remember now; I used to get mad that you were yelling it because I didn't know why, but I got over it because there was just… too much to do! So many rooms…" Her eyes flicked toward the door of the room, as if her mind was already roaming the halls again with her sister, poking into every nook and cranny of the castle.

"I remember you yelled at me for not yelling one time! Because you had eaten all the chocolate, so I let you suffer your sneezes as punishment. And you were so mad! 'Why didn't you yell watermelon, Elsa, whyyyyy?!'" Elsa was laughing so hard; it was quite the fond memory for her. How happy she was to be there, in a room with her sister, reminiscing about all the adventures they had as kids.

"Did I really do that? Wow, what a stinker I was!" Giggling herself, almost more at the way Elsa was giggling, she put an arm around her back - both to be closer to her sister and to help support her in case she happened to fall over. "Alright, so! We rang in the season, had our banquet… kinda, rescued Olaf from becoming a permanent part of the forest, and now we got the Yule log in there and burning! What's next? Does it involve more chocolate?"

"It certainly can!" Elsa grinned, recollecting herself from her laughing fit. "Now is the feast! We get to eat too much, and drink glogg, and enjoy our time together." Elsa then mused, "Would you like to help me with the most important part?"

"YES!" Anna yelped immediately. A second passed in warm silence, both sisters smiling at each other. Then Anna leaned a little closer to whisper, "And… what part is that? I mean, I don't want to assume, and pick the wrong part, and then you're like, 'Anna, why are you roasting chestnuts when we're supposed to be making a quilt?'" Her impression of Elsa was fairly close, even if it sounded a little deeper than it should have. Then she softly added, "If… either of those are even things we're supposed to be doing tonight."

With a roll of her eyes, Elsa raised a hand to cup Anna's cheek, a thumb sliding gingerly over the soft skin. The redhead couldn't seem to help leaning into her big sister's touch. How many years had she spent wishing they could be this close again? Not only that, but it had been almost a year since they reunited, and only in the past few months did Elsa feel confident enough in her control of the ice magic to discard her ever-present gloves. It warmed her heart both to be so close with her and to know she was feeling more freedom to be herself. To not hide her power away anymore.

"No, Anna. The most important part of the feast is setting out a plate of food for our ancestors." Elsa paused. "For Mama and Papa."

"Mama and Papa…" The melancholy tempered the joy of being together, and her smile turned a little wistful. "I hope they like our Yule meal. Wherever they are; Valhalla, I hope."

"Do you remember that time we decided to make cookies for them? We tried so hard and we just ended up with disks of dough you could break rocks with." Elsa chuckled, and Anna snorted along with her, raising a hand to rest on Elsa's where it caressed her face. "But that didn't stop them from trying to eat them. Papa soaked his in milk for a solid five minutes and managed not to break a tooth."

"Guess we're never going to be gourmet chefs," Anna laughed with her. "Oh well."

Elsa's gaze turned towards the family portrait hanging just above the fireplace. Gods, how she missed them. They weren't perfect, but no one is; their missteps in trying to raise their daughters never made her miss them any less.

"We have to remember to set out some chocolate for Mama. It was her favourite."

Pulling herself together, the blonde set about making her way to the room where they had so much food ready to go. The party from earlier that day being a bust wasn't so bad, after all they had plenty for a few days, and the feast was already here for the vigil.

"Look at all this," Anna sighed a little dejectedly, eyes sweeping the many tables laden down with festive dishes. "Not even Kristoff can help us finish off all this stuff! Where is it all gonna go?"

"I'm at a loss." Crossing her arms in thought, Elsa sighed, also eyeing the vast expanses of her food kingdom. Arendelle wasn't a poor kingdom; they didn't have a problem with the destitute. But there were families with less than others. "My best suggestion would be to make an announcement tomorrow that if anyone is in need, they are welcome to collect some food here in the castle, but other than that, Anna? I don't know about you, but I can not eat all of this before it spoils. Even with the help of Kristoff and Sven."

Mildly peeved at her mistake in assuming everyone would join them for a meal, or moreover the lack of foresight that they would have their own traditions, Elsa grabbed a porcelain plate and set about making a meal for their ancestors. Anna joined her, making little suggestions and helping to pile it high for them. They joked and laughed at the idea of building a mountain of the food and sledding down the side, since they really didn't know what else to do with so much.

Finally, the plate was ready, and Anna wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist. "Alright! That looks good enough for any spirit ancestor, if you ask me!"

In total agreement, Elsa nodded and led Anna over to an ornate side table. This table had been around their whole lives, and she wondered if Anna remembered doing this when they were little. Taking a moment to light the candles, she turned to Anna and gestured for her younger sister to set the plate down.

"Anything you'd like to say?"

"Um… I don't know," she said with a nervous little smile as she put down the plate. Then she gazed into the flickering candles, eyes sad.

"Happy Yule, Mama and Papa. We're together again! Elsa and me, I meant. I… know you were worried, but Elsa got really great with her powers! She even made a huge tree, and a palace on North Mountain, and…" Her eyes began to mist over. She had told herself not to get emotional, but sometimes she couldn't help it. "Anyway, I think you'd be proud to see us now. How strong we are, and how strong the kingdom is. I hope you would."

Elsa's eyes threatened tears as she heard her sister speak. She bit her lip trying to stay the impending waterworks. She took her sister's hand and turned her gaze towards the candles.

"We miss you so much. And we thank you for everything you did for us, everything you taught us." She was trying to keep it together by not diving too much into the emotional bottomless pit that was everything she really had to say. "I hope we continue to make you proud in the years to come, and please know that we will never stop loving you. I hope this food our chef prepared and we have brought you is up to par." She smiled, hoping to get a little chuckle out of Anna. "After all, if we had cooked it ourselves, you'd be eating rocks again." She bit her lip once more, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Happy Yule from your girls."

Anna leaned into her sister slightly, trying to provide silent comfort. They were both much more whole together than they had been apart, but they would never be able to feel as contented as they had in those long lost days before the accident, before they were separated. When two sisters and two parents had made one complete family.

"What's next, Elsa?" she asked with a hopeful smile. Hopeful that they could move on to the rest of Yule, and to creating new, happier memories together.

Just a year ago, Elsa would have made a break for it, running from her feelings, scared she'd ice the palace over or something as equally ridiculous. In fact, just earlier that day she'd vanished behind another closed door, leaving Anna to sit in a terribly depressing state of deja vu while she recovered from her own anxieties spilling over. She wouldn't do that again. She'd come too far in her progress to slip up twice in one day, and she wouldn't allow herself that weakness.

She cleared her throat and forced a half-smile. "Now we get to make our own plates, and get ourselves a glass of glogg, and sit by the fire. Together."

Elsa wasted no time in setting about the task at hand, particularly eyeing some delicious looking fruits. Ever the dutiful little sister, Anna followed and got their goblets full of the piping hot beverage. Just smelling it was enough to lift her spirits, the wine mixing with the brandy, fruits and spices perfectly. The cooks had really outdone themselves this year.

"All set," Anna sighed as they carried their plates and cups into the sitting room. They set them down and moved one of the couches just a little closer, so that the fire would warm them thoroughly. "Now, where is Olaf? I can't believe it takes this long to put on a bowtie!"

Elsa settled into the comfortable sofa. "You know Olaf, he probably got distracted by something had has completely forgotten his initial task." She shook her head and smiled. He certainly reminded Elsa of Anna when they were younger. So full of life, always ready for adventure, and occasionally very easily distracted. Actually… not much had changed.

"Well, I'd hate for him to miss anything, but he already kind of missed putting the log in the fire. Should we wait until he shows up to eat?" In the meantime, she took a little sip of her glogg. "Ooh, spicy!"

"Considering he doesn't 'eat' so much as stores food like an ice box, I think we're clear to go ahead," Elsa decided. "Besides, the food is already decently chilly, better eat it before it becomes ice."

"Totally fair point," Anna laughed easily. "After you, sis!"

And with that the queen of Arendelle took the first bite of their yule feast. Elsa hummed happily as the flavourful food filled her mouth with joy, even if it was a bit colder than it had been when fresh.

"Tastes great to me, although the cold never bothered me anyway."

"It'sh goob!" Anna barely managed around a full mouth. Then when she saw Elsa's dainty nibbles and pristine face, she swallowed hard and blushed, ducking her head sheepishly. "Heh heh… I, uh… I like the apple rings! And the suckling pig!"

"Oh yes, the pig is exquisite. Remind me to do something special for our servants. They've worked really hard," she mused before taking another bite. The fire light was so warm, and it really was a great feeling to be sharing Yule with Anna.

Once her plate was empty, Anna leaned back against the couch with the widest smile on her face, propping one foot up on the table and rubbing the very slight bulge in her stomach. After a second or two, a little burp floated up from her, and she covered her mouth with a shy giggle.

"Wow, it was so good. Can we eat like this every day, Elsa?"

"If we did, it'd take no time to become the spitting image of that suckling pig," she teased, finishing her last bite of fruit. By this time, Elsa had already downed two glasses of their extremely alcoholic Yule beverage and was feeling pretty good. "Then we'd be too fat to open the present I got you. But you'd be so cute! Round little Anna-piggy!"

Though Anna had been pretend-pouting about being fat, the mention of presents got her grinning instantly, eyes alight with joy. She leaned a little closer and grasped Elsa's closest arm, shaking her just a little. "Oooh! Is it present time? Is it?" It seemed the glogg had not left her unaffected, even if she'd only had one glass to Elsa's two.

"Its… it's a…. It's not here, we have to go to um… MY ROOM, ANNA." She looked as though shed just had an epiphany, head swimming as she sat upright. "It's in my ROOM! We gotta go get it!" She pulled herself from the sofa and got to her feet, wobbling just a tad. "Come on! We don't have all night!"

Except they literally did, though Anna decided not to mention that. She was too busy laughing hysterically to see Elsa this way. The last time she had been so strongly affected, on her own birthday, was more worrisome because Elsa had been sick and racing through Arendelle, but even that had turned out alright. So this one night, she could enjoy the sight of her sister uninhibited, free of all anxiety and cares. Amusing as it was, it was also extremely encouraging. Elsa really was doing better every day.

Once they got to Elsa's room, she laughed and said, "Do you want me to cover my eyes? Or is it wrapped? What do I do, what do I do?!"

"Cover your eyes, Anna!" Elsa called as she disappeared into her large closet. Anna could hear her sister tinkering around looking for the gift, and she seemed rather unsuccessful till Elsa exclaimed, "Wait — it's under my bed, sorry!"

"Okay, you silly goof," Anna giggled with her hands on her face.

The royal shifted her efforts and let out a rather loud "AH-HAH!" as she pulled a box from the dusty depths, and got back to her feet. "It's wrapped, but I didn't want you to see where I was hiding gifts." With a large grin, she pushed the box into her sister's arms, making her drop her hands from her eyes hurriedly to catch it. "Open it open it open it open it!"

"I will, I will!" She couldn't seem to stop laughing, she was so happy and amused at Elsa's impulsive behaviour. Not wanting to waste any more time, she pulled at the ribbons around the box and opened it up. The instant she stared inside, her laughter died, and her face grew more surprised and touched than bemused. "Oh."

The box had been harboring an ice sculpture Elsa had spent many days trying to get just right. It depicted their mother and father, just as they had been in the family portrait, and on either side of their parents stood Anna and Elsa. Instead of children, they were full-grown adults as they were today. Dressed in their best, smiles on everyone's faces.

Elsa waited for Anna to look up at her and her glogg-flushed cheeks bunched in a smile. "I hope you like it. I wanted it to be a reminder that they are always with us, even today. Maybe not physically, but in our hearts and minds."

That easily, tears had begun to drip down Anna's freckle-dusted face. She tried to answer, but the words stuck in her throat as she gazed down at the sculpture, at two faces she missed so much standing beside the two of them. Then she looked up at Elsa and tried again. "Oh… it's perfect. I can't believe you did this — I mean, I can, because you're incredible, but this is so…" Her words faded as she gazed down at it again. "We all look so happy."

Closing the space between them, Elsa wrapped her arms around her little sister and held her tightly. "You're amazing. Thank you for sticking by me all these years, for never giving up on me, and for never once doubting that I love you…" She pressed her face into the crook of Anna's neck, hiding her own tears. As carefree as she'd been moments ago, even the alcohol couldn't hide how grateful she was to have Anna as her sister.

"Ohhh, I love you, too," Anna told her immediately, tucking the box with its sculpture under one arm as she slid her other around Elsa's back, keeping her close. The scent of her sister's skin was always so comforting. She left a little kiss where neck met shoulder, and she felt the queen's hands clutch at her back. "C'mon, let's, um… let's go back to the fire. Can we bring this? Will it melt?"

With a quick sniffle, Elsa pulled back and smiled blearily at her. "It will only melt if you put it in the fire. Keep it a little distance away and the magic should be strong enough to keep it from melting," she assured Anna.

"Great. Then let's do that; I want to finish our vigil. Oh, and I have something for you, too, but it's not very- well, it's back in my room."

The elder royal looked genuinely surprised that her sister had a gift for her. "Oh, for me? You didn't have to get me a gift; I already have everything on my list right here."

"Flatterer," Anna giggled. "But seriously, let's go get it!"

She stumbled a little bit as she followed her sister out of the room and down the hall. Despite the emotional moment, she was still tipsy. "What did you get me? Can I open it now? Do I have to wait? Should I open it in your room or by the fire? Is it alive? Do I have to feed it?"

"FEED it?!" Anna cackled, still amused with Elsa's behaviour. "What the heck do you think I got you? We can take it back to the fireside, don't worry."

She followed Anna all the way to her room with her string of questions, excited to have a gift, and curious if it was another drawing of Olaf. After all, traditions were the best gift of all. Anna retrieved the smaller box and led Elsa back to their Yule log so they could continue their evening.

"Alright, this is… well, I really wish I'd done something as special as you did. But I think you'll like this. I hope you will!"

Then she pushed the box into her lap, sitting back with her hands on her knees, bouncing a little. Excited, Elsa tore the wrapping from the concealed gift and opened the box. She froze, her expression a mix between slight confusion and enjoyment.

Anna had given her a plaque of gorgeous sealed wood which displayed a pair of her own gloves that had been bronzed. It was beautiful. Gingerly, her fingers slid over them and she looked up at Anna, her expression now grateful and looking for her sister's meaning behind the gift.

"Well, they're your gloves. I mean…" Clearing her throat, Anna worked up her courage to explain. "They're your last pair of gloves. You don't need any to stay warm, and… and now you don't need them for any other reason. So when I was thinking about what I could give you that would celebrate how far we've come since we opened the gates, I remembered our bronzed baby booties, and somehow… I don't know, this seemed to just… fit." She bit her lip and seemed to shrink in on herself. "Is it stupid?"

"Stupid?" Elsa looked almost outraged. "Anna, this is perfect. Really, it's beautiful and I couldn't ask for a better present! Well…" She paused, a shy smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I couldn't ask for a better present… except having you as my sister."

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Anna's forehead. The sweet gesture took Anna's breath away. Even now, all this time later, she was still surprised when her sister showed her affection. Part of her hoped the newness would never wear off, because this way, it was like another small present: every hug, every time Elsa took her hand to lead her through the castle. Presents for always.

"This means a lot to me, Anna. I'm going to put it up in my room tomorrow! For tonight, let's put both presents over here on this table."

"I'm glad you like it," she murmured shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before they got up to move their gifts to stand next to each other. "I love you, Elsa."

Face still flushed with drink, Elsa found it easy to say, "Love you, too."

~ o * o ~

The rest of the vigil was spent talking, sharing stories and memories of the things they did when they were children. A few games of hide and seek and Anna's immature precociousness also filled the air with Yuletide warmth. Oh, and of course, chocolate - chocolate everything they could get their hands on! Most importantly, their time was filled with laughter and enjoyment, and as the hours rolled by and a little more sleepiness set in, the two had come back to the sofa, basking in the firelight in a peaceful stillness.

"Do you think he fell asleep?" Elsa mused quietly. "Olaf, I mean."

"I hope he's not out looking for more traditions," Anna slurred slightly, setting down her third glass of glogg. It was so easy to keep drinking, warm and full of festive cheer as it was, but she had managed to pace herself. After a few seconds of staring into the fire, she asked, "Elsa?"

The content blonde rolled her head along the back of the couch, lazily bringing her gaze to Anna as she pulled a blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Hmm?"

"I wanna…" She rubbed at her face to help wake herself up. "My boots off. Wait, I mean-" With a little effort, she kicked the boots free and they thudded against the floor. With a sigh of relief, Anna propped her feet up on the table again, wiggling her toes. "Ahhh, better. That wasn't what I was gonna say, but I'm so warm!"

"It is nice and toasty," Elsa agreed with a chuckle at Anna's behaviour, turning her gaze back to the fire. The Yule log was already a good portion burned through, and it was already close to dawn. "Now, what was it you were going to say before?"

"Wait, what? Oh!" Giggling a little, she leaned against Elsa as she gazed past their feet and the empty plates and goblets into the flickering mantle. "I was going to ask you… do you remember when I came to visit you in the Ice Palace? Up on North Mountain."

She kept her gaze trained on the mantle. Elsa had done a lot of self-reflection and decided not to dwell on her past mistakes so that she could give herself the room and opportunity to learn and grow from them. Still, some moments were harder to think about than others.

"Yes, I remember, Anna."

Oblivious to Elsa's brief pain in her mildly-inebriated state, she whispered, "I was really surprised. When I saw you at the top of the stairs, how different you looked? A good different, but still." She took in a deeper breath and let it out with a sigh. "That was… I guess even though I saw you at the corneration, and the ball, that was- I could tell we weren't just kids running around the castle anymore. You were a full-grown woman. Even though I am, too, it was still… we grew up apart, and I guess I hadn't thought about it very much. So even seeing you at the cormunation wasn't the same as seeing you… in that ice dress, and in full command of your powers, and…" Her hand waved back and forth through the air. "I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say."

Elsa nodded, also not one hundred percent on what Anna was trying to say, but she could tell it was a compliment if nothing else. "Well, it wasn't exactly like you weren't the bell of the ball, either, Anna. And having traveled all the way up the mountain, with only Kristoff for company? Without any ice magic? You looked like you could take on the world. Confidence looks good on you." She mused with a smile.

"Really?" she said with a huge grin. "Wow… but yeah, I mean, I already thought you looked beautiful at the ball, but then so much more beautifuller in the palace! And you had breasts!" Anna snorted at her own word. "Breasts… sorry, that's probably weird to say like that. But I don't know, it would be like… if I turned around and saw Olaf had breasts. Just unexpected! Since we didn't see that much of each other since we were kids, and the noronation dress was more, y'know, bulkier. But your ice dress was like, WOWZERS! Who knew my sister could be so attractive?"

Elsa's expression had taken one of mild shock when Anna mentioned her breasts; she had really not been expecting that, but it was a compliment nonetheless. The blonde smiled, hitching the blanket higher toward her shoulders - subconsciously to hide them.

"Um, wow, thank you, Anna. I grew them myself," she added, to lighten the mood and relieve any awkwardness Anna might be feeling about mentioning them. Anna did laugh so hard she snorted. "We spent a long time apart, so I can realistically understand your surprise in its totality."

"Grew them yourself," she snickered. "Elsas are in season!"

Shaking her head at how ridiculous Anna could be, she finished off the last bit of her drink and set the cup down. The sun was just barely beginning to peek through their curtains. "This was our first vigil, Anna." She looked over at her sister. She knew Anna was always up for marking occasions with unique gestures, like the gloves she bronzed. "We need to make the end of it memorable. Any ideas?"

That got Anna pulling a thinking face, much sillier than her usual thinking face due to her tiredness and the leftover effects of the glogg. "Hmm… okay, how about this? No, wait, listen. We get all the leftover lutefisk together and put it on a big-"

The doors to the room slammed open, echoing off the walls, and Anna yelped and hopped directly into Elsa's lap.

"Have no fear! Olaf is here!"

The familiar voice prompted a sigh of relief in Elsa, her body relaxing from its stiffness. "There you are, Olaf. We were worried about you, figured you must have fallen asleep."

"Asleep?! ASLEEP? On a night like this? This very special night of specialness? No, I didn't fall asleep, silly!" He was all but shouting as he waddled his way around the sofa to face the two royals. "I was looking for this!"

He thrust his little twig arm up with the utmost purpose revealing what appeared to be a few leaves on the end of a stick.

"Is that..?" Elsa's brow rose. Before her question could be finalized, Olaf was already climbing onto the arm of the couch and hovering above them, said plant hoisted above their heads.

"It's MISTLETOE!" he cheered. "One of the Yule traditions that exploded when I was trying to get back to you guys! And you know what happens under mistletoe!"

Elsa's cheeks flushed lightly. One could attribute it to the fire if they so pleased, but she knew what it was really for. Wasn't that tradition supposed to be for married couples and budding lovers? But maybe a little peck would be fun, and it was in the holiday spirit.

Anna was still looking between the mistletoe and Olaf, then to Elsa, clearly trying to remember what its purpose was but drawing a blank. "What?" she finally asked as she turned-

But any further words were cut off. While Anna was staring at Olaf, Elsa decided to go in for a cheek kiss, eyes closed and ready for the affection… however, in the midst of her lean-in, Anna had changed her facial direction, causing the simple cheek kiss to become something a little more intimate.

As Elsa's lips met Anna's she was surprised that she didn't pull away — that neither of them did, really. In fact, Elsa seemed to melt into it, prolonging their moment of intimacy while her hand rose to gently cup Anna's cheek. There was a soft squeak from Anna, but when she felt the gentle coaxing of her sister's lips, she didn't protest or do anything to end the connection. Both her hands rose to rest on Elsa's back, eyes closing as she began to kiss back.

Suddenly, everything seemed to sort of… click. Everything Anna had been saying earlier made sense, and everything Elsa felt when she looked at Anna also made sense. This, them… they made sense together in a way neither sister expected. And if the way Anna was returning the gesture with all her heart was any indication, it made just as much sense to her.

The wave of pure emotion that blindsided Elsa caused her to tear up and she inevitably broke the kiss, resting her forehead against Anna's. She was more at peace than anything, and with a small smile she whispered, "Happy Yule."

"Hahh…" Clearing her throat to recover, a deeply-blushing Anna breathed, "Happy Yule, Elsa. Love you."

How could the same words they said so often feel so different? But Elsa had no desire to resist saying them back. "Love you, too, Anna."

"Wooooow," Olaf drawled, unblinking eyes still staring at them. "That worked a lot better than when I tried it with Anna and Kristoff! Does that mean this is better mistletoe? Should I stock up?"

The two broke their adoring gazes to grab the little snowman and snuggle him, laughing joyfully. Their oldest Yule tradition had somehow led to a brand new one they hoped to continue for many more seasons.

~ * Happy Yule * ~