Wow, it's been so long since my last story, but with work and getting ready to finally move out of my parents' house, it's been a busy time for me. But honestly, it felt good to stretch this out and not feel so committed, considering how long it took to get through "Letters". But here's a new story for you guys. It's a fluffy family one-shot of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff on a summer picnic. I was hoping to have this done before the end of the summer, but writer's block pushed it back quite a bit. Anyway, hope you enjoy. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Frozen or any of its characters.
The early morning sun shone clear and radiant over the kingdom of Arendelle. Aside from the quiet hustle and bustle of vendors and merchants setting up their stands, there was very little activity. Even inside the castle, all was quiet, save for the few servants scurrying about, completing the usual morning chores. Even the royal family's private wing was quiet, most of the inhabitants having already risen and gone off to their usual activities: Elsa to an early morning council meeting, Kristoff to the mountains for a day of ice harvesting, and Anna…..well, Anna was still sleeping. No one ever dared wake her early, save for Elsa, and only on those occasions when her presence was required for more formal gatherings.
Elsa had been dreading this particular council meeting for a while, as this one pertained to the events leading up to and during the Great Freeze, as people were starting to call it. She had issued a formal apology just after the thaw, but this meeting was to discuss any damage that may have been caused by the sudden shift in temperatures.
Her council agreed that the frozen summer had not been her fault, that she had been under a great deal of stress the day of her coronation and Hans' attempted usurpation had only heightened that. What followed was a long discussion of the effects that the frozen summer had had on Arendelle and its surrounding areas. This included detailed discussions with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Economics, Finance, and Agriculture. Finally, after over an hour of intense and (to Elsa) stressful discussion, the meeting adjourned, the ministers to their respectful residences and Elsa to her study, where she found a large pile of paperwork and a sizable stack of correspondence from neighboring kingdoms.
Elsa sighed heavily and looked at the grandfather clock that stood in the far corner. It was only nine o' clock. Anna would sleep for at least another hour yet, at which time she would then eat a long, leisurely breakfast before finally being ready for the day, by which time the day would already be half over and it would be getting on towards lunchtime.
Suddenly, Elsa perked up at that thought. What if she did something special for lunch today, like turn it into a picnic? She had been so busy the last few days, she hadn't been able to have any quality sisterly bonding time with Anna, and she figured that this would be the perfect way to do it.
She rang a little bell on her desk and a few minutes later, Kai came shuffling in. "Yes, Queen Elsa?" he said, bowing. "Was there something you needed?"
"Yes, Kai," said Elsa, smiling and clasping her hands in front of her. "Please clear my schedule for the rest of the day and cancel any appointments."
An expression of surprise came over the head butler's face. "Is there anything wrong, Your Majesty?" he asked.
"No, everything's fine," Elsa answered. "I will just be spending the rest of today with my sister. I was thinking of having a picnic."
Kai's expression lit up. "That's a wonderful idea, Queen Elsa, if you don't mind my saying so," he said. "I'm sure the princess will be delighted."
"Thank you, Kai," said Elsa, smiling again. "Oh, and could you have a message sent up to Kristoff in the mountains? I would like to invite him to join us, if he's willing."
"I'll take care of everything, Your Majesty," said Kai, bowing once more before he left the study.
Elsa sighed. She hated having to cancel her whole afternoon when she had so much to do, but she figured it was the only way she would be able to get any time with Anna. She put a smile on her face and made her way down to the kitchens. A special picnic deserved a special meal prepared by a very special person.
On her way downstairs, she was so lost in her thoughts about what to plan for the rest of the day that she almost didn't notice the little white figure until it had bumped into her legs, causing her to lose her balance and almost topple down the stairs. She grabbed the banister just in time.
"Oh, sorry, Elsa! I didn't see you there!" said the figure.
"It's okay, Olaf," said Elsa, smiling down at the little snowman. "I'm actually the one who should be sorry. It was mostly my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Where are you going, Elsa?" Olaf asked.
"Down to the kitchens to talk to Gerda," Elsa answered, continuing on her way down.
"What do you need to talk to her for?" Olaf asked, scuttling along beside her.
Elsa hesitated before answering. Should she tell Olaf about Anna's surprise picnic? He did have the tendency to blab things like that, but Anna was still sleeping, so it was highly unlikely she would find out from someone other than her sister. "I need her help planning a surprise picnic for Anna."
Olaf gasped in excitement. "I've always wanted to go on a picnic!" he said. There was a pause. "What's a picnic?"
Elsa laughed. "Well," she said, kneeling down next to the little snowman. "A picnic is a special meal that you eat outside."
"Ooh, ooh, that sounds fun! Can I help plan it?" Olaf asked, bouncing from one foot to the other.
"Only if you promise to be quiet and not tell Anna about it once I – I mean, once she wakes up," Elsa said. She had almost said "once I wake her" but caught herself just in time. She didn't want Olaf to know that she was planning on waking Anna herself, as the snowman would probably want to help and then get all excited and ruin the surprise, anyway. No, it was better that Olaf didn't know about that part of the plan.
A few minutes later, they had reached the kitchens, where Gerda was already starting to prepare the midday meal.
"Oh, Queen Elsa," she said, bobbing a quick curtsy before resuming her task. "What brings you down here to my neck of the woods?"
"Well," said Elsa, keeping a close eye on Olaf, who was currently exploring every inch of the kitchen, his little flurry bobbing along in his wake. "I was wondering if you could do something for me."
"Anything, my dear, anything," said Gerda, pausing once again in her task and wiping her hands on her apron.
"Would you mind if we had lunch outside today?" Elsa asked. "I would like to surprise Anna with a picnic. But if it's too much work for you, that's okay, in which case I'll just—"
"Nonsense!" said Gerda, waving a hand dismissively. "I would be more than happy to! I think it's a marvelous idea! Is there anything special you would like me to make?"
"I was thinking of keeping it simple," Elsa answered. "Like sandwiches or something."
"Of course, dear, I'll get started right away," said Gerda, starting to bustle around the kitchen again.
"Thank you so much, Gerda," said Elsa, smiling at the older woman.
"You're more than welcome, my dear," said Gerda, smiling back.
Elsa started to leave, but then remembered that Olaf was somewhere in the kitchen. "Gerda, could you do me one more favor?"
"Of course, anything," Gerda answered.
"Olaf is somewhere around here," said Elsa. "He's never been in a kitchen before, so could you maybe just keep an eye out for him? Make sure he doesn't get too close to any heat source? I mean, he has his little flurry, but I don't know how much protection it will give him against man-made heat, if any."
"Don't worry about a thing, Queen Elsa," said Gerda reassuringly. "I'm sure he'll be just fine. But I'll watch out for him, if it will make you feel better."
"Thank you, Gerda," said Elsa, smiling once again before she left the kitchen. Now comes the hardest part, she thought as she made her way back upstairs to the family wing. Trying to wake Anna up.
She paused outside Anna's bedroom door, wondering how best to go about waking her. Knowing how cranky Anna could get from being wakened suddenly, she decided to go about it slowly, and if that didn't work, then she would have to think of something else.
Elsa slowly and silently opened the door and tiptoed inside, though she really needn't have bothered. Anna slept like the dead; she always had. Upon a cursory glance around the room, she saw that it was quite messy. Articles of clothing (that Elsa was sure were dirty) lay strewn on the floor, the vanity was cluttered with perfume bottles, makeup, jewelry, and various hair accessories, and there was a large pile of books jumbled on the window seat. Elsa just smiled and shook her head. She had once surprised Anna by cleaning and organizing her room, hanging her clothes in the wardrobe, putting like items together, and tidying up a bit. Anna had taken one look at her neat room and completely freaked out, demanding of Elsa how she was supposed to find anything in that "mess". That had made absolutely no sense to Elsa. Her room, on the other hand, was neat as a pin, which made it very easy for her to find whatever she was looking for. She had a place for everything and everything had its place.
Elsa carefully navigated her way across the minefield that was Anna's room and sat down on the edge of the bed next to the mound of blankets that was Anna. Being careful not to wake her sister, she slowly pulled the blankets down to reveal a snoring Anna. Her terrible bedhead was covering her face, and it fluttered every time she exhaled. Elsa gently brushed Anna's hair out of her face and sent a gentle puff of cool air across it.
There was no response. Elsa did it again, but Anna just scrunched her nose up and kept right on sleeping. Elsa then created a little flurry and set it right over Anna's head so the snowflakes would fall right on top of her. She shivered a bit and pulled the blankets tighter around herself but still didn't wake up.
Elsa sighed and then smirked. Feeling a bit mischievous, she twirled her hands in a circular motion and created a sizable mound of snow. It wasn't really a snowball, just a mass of snow. She stood up slowly, with the snow mound carefully suspended between her hands, climbed carefully onto Anna's bed, and then dumped the contents on her.
That did the trick. Anna shrieked loudly and flailed around, almost falling out of the bed, before managing to untwist herself from the mess of blankets and sit up. She looked around at Elsa, who was laughing.
"Elsa, you stinker!" she said, throwing a pillow at her sister. Elsa ducked and the pillow hit the wall instead. "Don't ever do that again!"
"I'm sorry, Anna, I couldn't resist," said Elsa, though she didn't look the least bit sorry. Still, she flicked her wrist and the snow dissolved in a flurry of blue sparkles. "It's always so much fun waking you up."
Anna glared at her. "Well, I hope at the very least that you have a good reason for this unwelcome wake-up call," she said, crossing her arms.
"I do," said Elsa, but she didn't elaborate. She got up and started making her way to the door. "Now, get up and get dressed. I'll meet you in the entrance hall in ten minutes." With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Grumbling to herself, Anna got up, washed her face, dressed in a lightweight green summer dress, brushed and braided her hair, and went downstairs, where Elsa was waiting by the main doors, talking to Olaf. She was carrying a large basket in one hand. Olaf noticed her first.
"Hi, Anna!" he said, scuttling over to her. "Elsa has something special planned for you!"
"Olaf, remember what we talked about," said Elsa in a slight warning tone.
"Oh, yeah!" said Olaf, then he whispered, "Elsa said I can't tell you."
"Can't tell me what?" Anna asked, looking at her sister.
"It's a surprise," Elsa answered. "Come on." And she led them out of the castle, across the courtyard, through the gates, and across the causeway. Anna started directing her steps toward the village, but Elsa veered off to the right, where there was a narrow dirt path leading across a meadow.
"Elsa, where are you going?" she asked.
"That's part of the surprise," Elsa answered with a smile. "Come on."
"Come on, Anna!" said Olaf, scurrying ahead of her. Anna followed, though a bit hesitantly, still not quite sure what was going on.
They walked for a few minutes before coming to a wide expanse of meadow, with tall grass and wildflowers in every color of the rainbow. It had to be the most beautiful place Anna had ever seen.
"Oh, Elsa, it's beautiful," she breathed. "But why are we here?"
"Well, I thought we might have a picnic," said Elsa, holding up the basket.
"A picnic?" Anna echoed. "But…..don't you have to work?"
"Not today," said Elsa, smiling. "I arranged it so I could spend the whole day with you."
"But—" Anna started.
"You see," Elsa interrupted. "I realized today that I haven't spent that much time with you in these few days since the Great Thaw. I thought a picnic would be perfect."
"Oh, Elsa," said Anna, before running over to her sister and giving her a tight hug. "That's so sweet of you. But what about your duties?" She broke away and looked at Elsa questioningly.
"Don't worry about it," said Elsa dismissively. "I have Kai looking after everything."
"You…..you cancelled all your meetings and stuff just for me?" Anna asked, sniffling.
"Well, of course," said Elsa. "I was thinking of all the ways I could make you happy, and thought what better way to make you happy than just spending time with you?"
Anna flung her arms around her sister. "I love you so much, Elsa," she said, her voice a little muffled in Elsa's shoulder. She pulled away but still held her sister's hands tightly. "You're the best sister ever."
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," said Elsa, smiling and wiping a tear from Anna's cheek.
Anna swiped at her tear-streaked cheeks. "Elsa, you need to give yourself more credit," she said, smiling back. "I mean, how many older sisters would give up their important royal duties to spend a whole day with their younger sisters?"
Elsa was quiet for a minute. Once again, Anna had hit the nail right on the head. "Not many," she answered.
"Exactly!" said Anna emphatically. "You're the only person I know who would willingly give her complete time and attention to someone else without a second thought. That's what I love most about you: your selflessness. You put others before yourself; you always have. You give to them before you give to yourself. You hold no grudges and you forgive easily, even when the person doesn't deserve it. You love so deeply, you're willing to do anything, even if it means giving your life for someone. There is no obstacle too big to overcome for the ones you love."
Elsa blushed a little under Anna's many compliments. No one had ever given her such high praise before. "Thank you, Anna," she said softly. "But—"
"But nothing, Elsa," said Anna, taking her sister's hands in hers. "You are all of that and so much more."
"I'm so proud of you, Anna," said Elsa, squeezing her hands. "You've become the strong, beautiful young woman I had always hoped you would be."
"No, Elsa, I'm proud of you," said Anna, hugging her close. "You've overcome so much in your short life. You're the strongest person I know."
"Thank you, Anna," said Elsa again, hugging back before breaking apart. "Now, shall we get on with our picnic?"
"Yes!" said Anna excitedly, before running off to find a good spot. Soon, she found a large tree with low, overhanging branches providing plenty of shade. Elsa followed with the picnic basket. Upon joining her sister, she set it down, opened it up, and took out a large, white tablecloth, which she spread on the ground. She then proceeded to set out all the delicious food that Gerda had prepared for them. There was a variety of sandwiches, a mix of different cheeses and fruits, and some chocolate cake that Gerda had snuck in as an extra surprise for Anna. There was also a tin of fresh-squeezed lemonade.
"Wow, Elsa, this is a lot of food," Anna remarked, as Elsa laid out plates and napkins.
"Yes, well, I told Gerda not to make a fuss, but you know how she gets," said Elsa, smiling. "She loves cooking for us, so sometimes I just let her do what she wants."
"Well, at least she knows exactly what we like," said Anna, grabbing a couple of sandwiches and shoving one in her mouth. "How are we going to drink the lemonade without glasses?" she asked thickly through a mouthful of chicken salad.
"Anna, please don't talk with your mouth full," Elsa admonished gently, also helping herself to a sandwich. "Chew and swallow and then talk."
"Sorry," Anna said. She gave a great big swallow and repeated her question. "So, how are we going to drink the lemonade without glasses?"
"I may have a solution to that," Elsa answered. She put her sandwich down, brushed the crumbs from her hands, and then twirled her fingers, forming two delicate glasses made of clear, shimmering ice. She gave one to Anna. It was cool enough to keep the lemonade cold, but not too cold that Anna's fingers would freeze to the outside every time she took a sip.
The next several minutes passed in pleasurable company, with the two girls (mostly Anna) eating their way through the many small sandwiches that Gerda had prepared. Olaf was running around nearby, alternating between chasing butterflies and smelling the flowers. Anna was in the middle of one of her usual rambles and was reaching for a piece of fruit when suddenly two large hands covered her eyes.
"Guess who?" said a familiar male voice.
"Kristoff!" Anna squealed happily, turning around and flinging her arms around him. "What are you doing here?"
Kristoff started to say something, but couldn't quite come up with the words, so Elsa answered for him. "That's the other part of the surprise," she said, smiling. "This morning, I had Kai send a message to Kristoff at his ice harvesting site, inviting him to our picnic, if he was able. Turns out he was."
"Aw, now I know I have the best big sister ever!" said Anna, scooting closer to Elsa and flinging her arms around her neck.
"Anna, too tight," said Elsa, straining against her hold. It had only been a few days since the thaw, so she was still getting used to Anna hugging her so often and so tightly.
"Oh, sorry," said Anna, releasing her. She jumped up and ran back over to Kristoff, jumping on him from behind and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Kristoff, not expecting it, stumbled and almost fell on his face due to the sudden weight on his back.
"Whoa, easy there, feisty pants!" he said, trying to loosen Anna's stranglehold on him.
"Sorry, Kristoff, I'm just so excited you're here!" Anna squealed again, wrapping her legs around his waist to secure a better hold and squeezing him, if it was possible, even tighter.
"Well, could you loosen up just a little?" said Kristoff in a strained voice. "I can't breathe."
"Oh, sorry!" said Anna, and she loosened her hold a bit, though still holding him tightly. "Hey! I have an idea! Let's go pick flowers to decorate the castle with!"
"Ooh, flower picking!" said Olaf, scurrying over. "I love flower picking! Can I help?"
"Of course, Olaf," said Anna, smiling at him. "The more, the merrier!"
"And just how are you going to manage to pick anything when you're wrapped around me so tight?" Kristoff teased.
"I was just wondering the same thing," said Elsa, smiling.
"Well, then, maybe you, Kristoff, and Olaf can pick flowers and I'll sit up here and supervise," said Anna imperiously.
"Oh no, you don't," said Kristoff, and he let go, causing Anna to fall to the ground. "This was your idea, and you're doing it with us." He crossed his arms.
"Fine!" said Anna, picking herself up off the ground and brushing grass off her skirt. "But let's make it a contest. Whoever picks the most flowers wins."
"In what time period?" Elsa asked, standing up and smoothing wrinkles from her dress.
"No time period," Anna answered. "Just until we get tired of it."
"That won't take long," said Kristoff under his breath.
"I heard that!" said Anna, throwing him a dirty look. "Come on, let's go!"
And they were off, running through the meadow in different directions. Olaf was happily hopping along behind them when he suddenly got distracted by a bumblebee and started chasing it, almost getting lost in the tall grasses. There were wild flowers everywhere, from bluebells and lousewort, to the more common sunflowers. Anna turned out to be the best picker. In just ten minutes, she had a huge armful of flowers in a large array of colors, which she then dropped on the ground by the picnic cloth, followed by the others.
"Well, looks like I won!" said Anna triumphantly, her hands on her hips.
"Whoa, Anna, how many flowers did you pick?" Kristoff asked, setting down his own, much smaller armful.
"Enough to decorate the castle," Anna answered, sitting down by her mound of flowers and starting to sort them by color.
"Anna, you have enough to fill all of Arendelle castle and my ice castle," said Elsa, sitting down next to her. She set down her own armful of flowers and started arranging them neatly, smoothing out crinkled petals and plucking dead leaves off the stems. "Which reminds me, I really should go back and repair the damage caused during my fight with the Weselton guards."
Anna exchanged a look with Kristoff, who just shrugged. "Elsa, are you sure you're ready for that?" she asked. "I mean, it hasn't quite been a week since that all happened."
"Anna, this is something I need to do," said Elsa firmly. "I can't put it off. If I'm not ready now, I'll never be ready."
"Okay, then," Anna conceded. "But could it at least wait until tomorrow? After all the trouble you went through today to bring us here, we should enjoy what's left of the day."
"Of course," said Elsa, smiling and taking her sister's hand.
The rest of the day passed in friendly companionship. Anna sat on Kristoff's lap and chattered with him and her sister while she made flower wreaths and chains. She gave one each to Elsa and Kristoff, who at first refused to wear them, but soon gave in after Anna made her famous pouty face. She once again scrambled on his back and requested – or, rather, ordered – him to give her a piggy-back ride around the meadow. Elsa sat back and laughed as she watched the two most awkward people she knew gallivanting through the meadow.
The sun was starting to set when the group finally started making their way back to the castle, Anna with her arm looped through her sister's. Olaf had lost interest with the bee and was happily skipping along behind them.
"What a perfect day," Anna sighed, lifting her head to the clear blue sky.
"Yes, it was," Elsa agreed. "I'm so glad everything worked out."
"Me, too," said Anna, looking back at her sister. "But you know what really made this day perfect?"
"What's that?" Elsa asked, though she had a feeling she already knew.
"That you took time out of your very busy schedule to spend a whole day with me," Anna replied, stopping and turning around to face Elsa. "You didn't have to do that."
"Of course I did," said Elsa, taking her hands. "You're the most important person in my life. You're more than just my sister; you're also my best friend and confidante. I would do anything for you."
"And I feel the same way about you," said Anna, wrapping her arms around her sister and hugging her tight. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
I love writing family fluff. It's so much fun. :)
I have one more one-shot in mind before I start my next multi-chap (which, as you may know, is the final installment in my "extended family" series). This will be another Elsa-centric story expanding on her feelings after accidentally freezing Anna's heart. Hopefully, my other Elsa-centric one-shot helped me get to know her better, so to speak.
Thanks for reading! :)