A Mother's Love
Erik raced downstairs as fast as his legs could carry him. When he woke up, and saw snow on the ground, he knew that he could finally go sledding. He put on his coat, gloves, and boots, grabbed his sled from his closet, and ran downstairs to the entrance hall. He figured that his friends were already outside with their sleds waiting for him, so he knew that he couldn't waste another second. When he got to the door, he heard a voice from behind him.
"Not so fast, young man," the voice called.
Erik turned around, and saw Anna walking towards him.
"Mom, I want to go sledding," he pleaded.
"I know, sweetie, and that's fine, but you shouldn't go out without your cap. You need to stay as warm as you can," Anna interjected.
"Mom, I'm warm enough as it is. I don't need a cap," Erik protested.
"Erik, you need to wear a cap. I don't want your ears getting cold," Anna said.
"But mom…
"Erik," Anna interjected.
Erik knew that there was no point in arguing with her. He ran back upstairs to get his cap. When he came back down, his mother was still waiting for him by the door, much to his dismay.
"You have fun, sweetie. Come inside if you get too cold."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Erik said, not paying attention. The boy was really annoyed by his mother sometimes. She was so overprotective, always getting in his business. He was twelve years old, more than old enough to look after himself. On top of that, Anna embarrassed him frequently. Her lovey dovey attitude that she displayed towards him in front of others was enough to make him want to hide under the bed, and never come out. Well, at least he wouldn't see her for a while now.
He went to the fields, and met up with his friends Tom and Charles. The three decided to have a sledding race. After climbing to the top of the highest hill in the kingdom, they readied their sleds. Suddenly, Erik heard a voice from down below. At first he didn't recognize it, but after a minute, he did. It was Anna. She was standing at the bottom of the hill, cheering for Erik.
"Go Erik! You can do it, sweetie!" she called.
"Looks like you got your own cheerleader, Erik," Charles said.
"Yeah, I sure wish my mom was here to cheer me on," Tom said, teasingly.
"Shut up, guys," Erik said, embarrassed. Why? Why did his mom have to come watch him play with his friends? Wasn't there something important she had to do?
Meanwhile, Anna continued to cheer from down below. "Go Erik!" she called out.
Erik sighed. "Just ignore her," he said.
"Alright, on the count of three," Tom said. "One, two, three!"
The three friends began their race down the big hill. For a few seconds, all three were tied with each other but when Erik leaned forward on his sled, he began to take the lead. The cold wind felt like icicles on his face, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was getting to the bottom of the hill first.
Erik quickly passed his two friends, gaining a substantial lead. Charles was coming in close from behind, but he wasn't fast enough to pass Erik. As soon as they approached the bottom, Erik leaned forward some more, hoping to gain more momentum. Suddenly, his sled ran over a rock wedged in the ground. The impact was enough to throw Erik out of the sled, causing him to hit the ground hard.
Just as he expected, the landing did hurt. Erik's body felt numb with pain, so much so that the impact rattled his head for a second. Fortunately, he was able to stand up without any trouble. With the exception of the pain he felt from being thrown from the sleigh, he was alright. He watched in despair as Tom and Charles passed him on their sleighs, reaching the bottom before he could.
Before Erik could think of what to do next, Anna rushed to his side, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Erik! Erik! Sweetie, are you OK?" she said, looking her son over.
"I'm fine, mom, it was just a little fall," Erik said, annoyed. She always freaked out whenever he got hurt.
"That was quite the fall, Erik. Let's get you to the infirmary to have the doctor check you out, and make sure that you haven't broken or sprained anything," Anna said, gently ushering him towards the castle.
Out of the corner of his eye, Erik noticed Tom and Charles snickering at the sight. "Mama's boy," he heard Tom whisper.
"Mom, I'm fine, please let me go!" he cried.
"Erik, I just want to make sure you're alright," Anna persuaded.
"I told you that I'm OK," Erik argued. "I can move just fine."
"Erik, please, I just want to be sure…
"Mom! For God's sake, shut up and listen!" Erik yelled.
Anna's eyes grew wide in surprise. He had never spoken like that to her before.
"Erik, how dare you talk to me that way!"
"Well, get over it. I'm sick of you babying me. I'm tired of you always worrying about me, fretting over the littlest things. You act like I would die without your help! But the truth is, I'm dying from your help! I don't need it, mom!
"Erik, sweetie," Anna said softly.
"And stop calling me sweetie! I'm twelve years old for God's sake! I'm not your little baby anymore. Do me a favor, mom, next time you think to help me, don't do it. You're annoying enough as it is without you coddling me all the time."
When he ended his tirade, Anna was as silent as a graveyard. She looked into her son's eyes for a minute, before turning around and walking back to the castle. On her way, she passed Elsa, who had witnessed the exchange.
Ignoring his aunt, Erik addressed his friends. "Alright, guys, let's go again. That last one wasn't fair."
Later on that day, Erik decided to play the lute for a while. He had a song he wanted to learn, one that would surely impress his father. He picked up his lute from his room, and started to strum along. Not too long after he started, one of the strings broke.
"Oh, come on!" he said, trying to fit the string back into place. "Looks like I'll have to put in a new one."
He opened his drawer, looking for the extra strings that he usually kept there, but could not find any. "Maybe mom knows where they are," he thought.
Erik left his room, searching the palace for his mother. He called up and down the halls, but received no answer. Where could she be? He thought.
He went upstairs to the fourth floor, and called for her there. Instead of seeing his mother, he saw Elsa walk out into the hall.
"Hey, Auntie Elsa, do you know where my mom is? I can't find my spare lute strings, and I was wondering if she knew where they were.
"Hmm. Wouldn't she be helping you in doing that?" Elsa asked.
"Yes," Erik said, confused by the question.
"If I remember correctly, didn't you say that you didn't want her help with anything?" Elsa reminded him.
Erik tried to brush it off. "Come on, Auntie Elsa, you know what I meant," he said.
"No I don't know, Erik," Elsa said, firmly. "What did you mean?"
"You know, I just don't want her to always be in my business," Erik explained.
"Oh, is that it? From what you told her it sounded like you didn't want her to help you ever again," Elsa said. "That's how she interpreted it."
"I didn't mean it that way!" Erik cried.
"Watch your tone, young man," Elsa warned.
"Sorry. I just don't want her always babying me, that's all," Erik said.
"I understand, Erik, but she wasn't babying you, she was concerned about you. She wanted to make sure that you weren't hurt," Elsa said.
"Ok, but what about all the other stuff? Making me wear a cap when I go outside in the snow, cheering me on, giving me kisses in front of my friends, what's the point of all that?
"Erik, I know it may seem annoying to you, but that's just her way of showing that she loves you. I can see how you may find it embarrassing, and maybe she does go overboard sometimes, but your mother loves you dearly, Erik. You're her whole world."
Erik thought about it for a minute. His whole life, Anna was always there for him. When he was sick, she nursed him back to health. She taught him how to ride a bike, how to read and write. Every night before he went to bed, she used to read to him, and he would always beg for her to read one more story after she was finished, something she happily agreed too. The two built snowmen together, along with Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf. He remembered the two getting into a snowball fight one day, and him winning. Afterwards, she picked him up in her arms, kissed him on the cheek and said, "You may have won the snowball fight, Erik, but I won the real prize I long time ago: you."
Suddenly, Erik started to feel bad about what he said to his mother. Elsa was right, she was only concerned for his wellbeing. She didn't deserve to have such hurtful things said to her.
"Where is she now?" Erik asked. "I need to apologize to her."
"She's downstairs in the parlor, reading a book. I'm glad that you realie the error of your ways. Your mother loves you very much, Erik. The same goes for your father, and myself. We all love you, and we only want what's best for you. Do you understand?"
"I do. Thank you, Auntie Elsa."
"You're welcome. Come give me a hug," Elsa said, opening her arms. Erik hugged his aunt tightly, allowing her to give him a kiss on the cheek as well. He then rushed downstairs to find his mother in the parlor.
"Mom, do you have a minute?" he asked.
Anna put her book down, and turned to face him. "What is it, Erik?" she asked sternly. She was clearly still hurt by what he said earlier. Who could blame her?
"Mom, what I said earlier about not helping me with anything, I didn't mean that. I was just annoyed by how you're always dawdling over me all the time. I didn't mean it when I said that you're annoying enough as it is. You're a lot of fun, you always know how to cheer people up, and…you're a great mom," he confessed. The reality of his feelings hit him harder than when he hit the ground outside. "I'm so sorry for what I said. Please, can you forgive me?"
Anna took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. She walked up to Erik, and pulled him into a hug. "Of course I can, Erik. I love you so much. I'll try to be less overbearing from now on. You're right, you are getting a little old for me to keep calling you names like "sweetie" and you're old enough to make your own decisions. I won't be so overprotective anymore either.
"It's OK, mom. I may not always agree with you, but I know that you're only doing it because you love me."
Anna smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Erik."
"Hey mom," Erik said.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Can you read to me? Like you used to do when I was little," Erik asked.
Anna smiled. "Of course I can."
A/N: This is an idea I had in my head that I thought was sweet. I had a special relationship with my mother before she passed away. I treasure memories like this with her. Please let me know your thoughts on it. A part of me thinks it's not that good.