.
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"Elsaaa…"
What sounds like a low and haunting whisper emerges out of nowhere. Without opening her eyes, she groans faintly in acknowledgement, moving her knees and legs underneath her collection of indigo and royal blue sheets.
It's pleasantly cool right where she is. The rest of the castle's occupants have been complaining endlessly to be never fully warm and shivering right down to their bones during this turnings of midwinter days. But as expected, the cold never bothered her. Elsa made sure the fault of this had not been hers — and once that was established, she spoke with enough of the village loggers to provide the red oak and sugar maple logs needed for their servants and for Anna.
Comfortable, heavy darkness sways Elsa. In the distance, she can hear Gerta ordering maids to quit dawdling.
"Elsssaaaaaaa…"
She groans again, mumbling incoherently and then peeking through her eyelashes sleepily. A small, old and grotesque thing stares back into her face, with its tattered limbs and mismatched button eyes.
"Elsa!" it squeaks out, waving its paws up into the air.
"Uuugh!" Elsa yells out, panicking, her heart rapidly speeding up. She jolts onto her hands and knees, unconsciously flaring out her powers from the surge of terror. Crystallized, bluish ice hardens over her linens and sheets, over the cot itself. A huge mound of snow appears from nowhere, plopping onto her 'attacker'.
"What in the blue blazes was that for!?" The overly squeaky voice returns, tinged with Anna's own, as Anna's childhood stuffed animal flails, her younger sister's hands now visible to Elsa.
Feeling foolish for her behavior and easily being tricked, Elsa huffs softly, crossing her arms sternly.
"Why are you sneaking around my bedroom, Anna?!"
"I'm not sneaking…!"
Anna drops the funny, playful voice, lifting her head so Elsa can glimpse her properly.
This early morning, her shoulder-length red hair has been loosely tied into two, great ribboned pigtails over her ears. The color of the ribbons matches Anna's featureless, lace-edged pink nightgown. "Besides, oh, don't you remember Lumpy?" she asks Elsa cheerfully, examining the stuffed animal with genuine, elated fondness.
Elsa narrows her eyes at the beastly and hideous thing.
Lumpy often made its presence known in Anna's bed, sitting out in the open and nearly frightening Elsa when she discovered it, eeping and scurrying out of the bedchamber.
"Unfortunately…" she mutters, plucking up Lumpy between two of her fingers as if it were made of poisonous sledge and tossing it away, Elsa's lip curling in revulsion. Elsa is a grown woman and Queen, as well as the pride of Arendelle's kingdom, and no toy of any sort will be the ruin of her dignity and high honor.
"Aaah, Elsa! Elsaaaaa!" There's clumps of white, thick snow still on top of Anna's head. "I'm melting all over the place!" she whines, shaking her arms pathetically and looking up at her older sister. Trickles of water cascade down Anna's nightgown. She's the only source of warmth in Elsa's ice-covered, light purple bedchambers, and especially Anna's bare skin. At the further, indignant pout, Elsa's frown disappears.
She tuts, brushing the remaining flecks out of Anna's red hair. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Elsa questions, the corners of her mouth quirking when Anna pouts again willfully, crawling into Elsa's arms spreading open.
A frustrated, loud noise.
Elsa shushes her, pecking her lips dotingly to Anna's freckled nose and cuddling her.
"Mm'fine…"
Maybe it's just her but she think she hears a rasp in Anna's murmur, familiar and wanting. Those bluebell-bright eyes darken. Anna shifts around determinedly in the circle of Elsa's slim, alabaster-white arms to face her. Elsa feels more of her warmth, through the gusts of air, the satin-soft surface of Anna's lips on hers.
Anna has kissed her multiple times before this, when they were children and giggling in the alcoves, hiding from Kai, and now when they are far older, always hiding, deciding to kiss each other only when they are alone.
It has to be like this. There's no other choice.
She does not want to lose the crown based on prejudices or misunderstandings, or lose Anna. Whenever Elsa feels like she is untethered, floating weightless and lost, Anna is her pink, little ribbon holding her in place.
Elsa's fingers smooth over Anna's hair-ribbons, pulling them apart, combing into her dampened, red hair.
Anna makes a content, girlish noise, cradling Elsa's face and pressing their mouths together again, hungrily coaxing Elsa's lips to open, slowly lapping within her depths, Anna's tongue sliding wetly over her molars.
She sinks down onto her back, wrapping her arms to Anna's waist. The other woman straddles over Elsa, never letting go of Elsa's cheeks. Anna's hips grind noticeably down on her. For once, heat flushes through Elsa, starting from her tummy and sparking flamelight through her veins and capillaries, reddening her features. She feels Anna's warmth through her nightgown, as one of Elsa's hands relocates to her breast, her thumb massaging over Anna's tiny nipple as her younger sister moans squeakily and directly into Elsa's mouth.
Braving her own thoughts, Elsa hikes up the pink, lacy hem of Anna's gown silently, burrowing her hands underneath the material. Anna squeaks again, pulling out of the next, messy kiss and sitting up as Elsa palms up her chest impatiently, cupping her small, round breasts, grinning delighted at every twitch, every hitching inhale and vulnerable, high-pitched sound. Perhaps she's a bit too cold for her warm, little body to handle.
"Oh, Elsa," Anna breathes out, shutting her eyes and arching herself into to Elsa's fingers gently touching her. She lowers one of her hands, dragging over her plain, white underwear and yanking it.
As much as she wants this with Anna… …
"Anna," Elsa says quietly, lowering one of her hands too and tugging on Anna's wrist, untangling those sun-blushed fingers and clasping onto her. "The Wintertide ceremony starts at noon today. Guests will be arriving."
Her younger sister whines again, bouncing in aggravation on Elsa's hips. In a way, Elsa can't blame her. She would very much like to stay here and give Anna with nothing but lovemarks and affection. "Can't we just—?"
"—I'll help you dress," Elsa says tonelessly, cutting her off. She grabs Anna's sides, heaving her carefully onto the ice-crusted sheets as if the other woman is nothing more than a goose-feather pillow. It's odd. Anna weighs more than her now, due to her love of chocolates but also training with Kristoff and gaining muscle.
Elsa chooses not to reflect on it moreover, disrobing from her own pale blue nightdress.
.
.
Several weeks after her twenty-fifth birthday, Arendelle celebrates its Wintertide — beginning with a holy ceremony lead by the Bishop and ending with a Festival of Lights and Music and Dancing in the ungated courtyard.
Most of the villagers and members of the royal court attend the morning rites. Elsa and Anna narrowly avoid missing them, dressed heavily in the white, shimmering ceremonial robes and layers of ermine minks draped around their shoulders, to mark them as distinguished and highborn citizens. Their white, damasked veils over their indicating their maidenhood and innocence along with the other young ladies surrounding them.
Elsa wants to laugh at the ridiculousness of such a ordeal. Young ladies do not stop being young ladies if they were no longer virtuous in body. Experiencing intimacy with the person you love does not make you wicked.
It's only for a few hours, and then everyone, commoner or noble, returns to the bitter, sunny cold outside the Bishop's chapel. They bundle up and head for the village's markets to buy apple cider and roasted, candied apples for pennies. Normally the royal handmaidens would lead Elsa back to her chambers, to feed and undress her, but she declines their company, requesting a pitcher of fresh, hot lemon water and salve for Anna.
She braids and pins a trinket resembling a winter berry-wreath in her long, platinum blonde hair. The off-shoulder and midnight blue dress embellished with clear, snowflake diamonds and trimmed with rabbit's fur seems suitable for the occasion. Elsa arranges the semi-transparent dark blue cape behind her.
The rest of the court adorns themselves in indigos and greens with the gilded crest of Arendelle on their jackets or coats or bodices. Even Kristoff dresses up with clean, dark trousers and a new tunic. Elsa peers over to Anna jumping on her tiptoes and laughing with him, wrinkling her nose at a plate of cooked, herbed salmon. Olaf wobbles around nearby through their quaint, seaside village, enthusiastically greeting the children of the villagers and spinning around, practicing his caroling for the evening quickly approaching.
He gets knocked into by the leg of a very tall man, with dark riding boots and a dark, woolen cloak, falling over with a cry for help. Elsa's pulse quickens. It feels like it happens so slowly— four or so thin, obsidian shurikens present themselves from the man's hand. He throws them gracefully, aiming for Kristoff and Anna.
From her position, standing on the edge of Oaken's cart and with a perfect view, Elsa doesn't think twice about her magical abilities. Or hurting anyone in the way.
She creates a fully-formed, unpenetrable ice barrier around them, as Kristoff and Anna stare in confusion and fear as more shurickens fly out, digging into the ice. Another two mercenaries, in their dark, masked garb, emerge from the now panicking crowd of villagers running away.
Elsa deflects more hits, as these men attempt to punch and kick her, blasting them with her ice-magic and creating a polearm of snow-and-ice, blocking one of the men swinging a sword at her head.
"Lead everyone to safety!" she yells out, waving a hand noticeably and de-materalizing the barrier around her sister and Kristoff. "Go to the castle and order them to raise the gates, Anna! Do as I say!"
"I'm not leaving you, Elsa!"
"Kristoff!" Elsa yells louder, twirling her polearm and jabbing it into the face of another mercenary. To her relief, he understands what she meant to say, hauling a shrieking, protesting Anna over his gigantic shoulder. They escape through the clouds of smoke and ice and billowing, white snow, following the villagers.
It must be the inherent magical power inside her, keeping Elsa from growing tired during a battle for her life, allowing her to fend off her attackers with enhanced reflexes and agility.
Finally, the last of the mercenaries seems to have been defeated, lying motionless on the cobblestone in a pool of his own blood. Elsa abandons her dark blue heels, sprinting for the castle. Perhaps there were more waiting, but she needs to get to Anna and know she's alright. That the people on their kingdom were safe and well. Her cape, torn to nothing but velvet shreds, catches the wind and hovers out towards Elsa's nape.
The last of the retreating villagers follow her, as they all flee up the steel-covered gates. That's when Elsa feels someone press up against her, capturing her around the middle as others scream and back away.
A dagger, silvery-obsidian and glinting, lands on Elsa's throat.
"The Southern Isles send their regards…"
Elsa feels the sharpness of the dagger as it drags callously across her bare, pale skin. One of the soldier-rifles go off, killing Hans's mercenary within an instant, as soon as he draws the blade to Elsa's neck. His body forgotten. Elsa staggers upright, gripping at her injured, blood-spurting neck. It's cold.
She's cold.
"No!"
"The Queen!"
"ELSA!"
She collapses onto the ground, woozy, muttering and casting ice over the deep, open wound, to keep it from leaking more blood. Anna screeches out Elsa's name, thrashing against the castle's gates, unable to reach her.
Her younger sister's blotched, crying face is the last thing Elsa sees.
.
.
Until she wakes, groggy and piled beneath the horde of Anna's rosy-pink blankets. Hours later, Elsa's fingers touch musingly over her bandaged neck, as the wound cools and cools to the point of losing sensation.
The physicians inform Elsa that freezing her wound may have saved her own life. She would still be kept to bed rest and minimal exercise which her body could restore the blood Elsa lost. Anna tried volunteering to give her blood to Elsa, or so she says. "They told me no—can you believe it!?" Anna makes an exasperated, sighing noise, pacing the bedchambers. "You're the Queen, Elsa! Surely you need more blood than the rest of us!"
Numbness spreads up to Elsa's jaw, and suddenly, dissipates.
Going on an peculiar urge, she unties her neck-bandages, rolling them off while Anna rants and becomes distracted by her own ranting. Elsa covers her fingers over her wound and discovers… nothing. No split, bloody tissue or ruptured veins.
"Elsa? What are you doing?" Anna says frantically, grabbing Elsa's hand and wrenching it away.
She can guess from the wonderstruck expression on Anna that her suspicions are correct. "Wow…" Anna's own fingertips tap over the newly regenerated and healed skin. "So… you're… unassassinable?"
Elsa offers a nonchalant shrug and gazes out of Anna's window, to the northern lights pulsing in the winter night sky and feels their presence and cleansing, intense energy. There's … there's something that the trolls of the Valley of the Living Rock either refused to speak of or did not recognize about the strength of Elsa's magic during winter, and how weak and exhausted she became during the height of the summer solstice.
Whatever it is… Elsa knows she's on her own to discovering the truth.
Anna stubbornly curls up into Elsa's lap, embracing her waist and sniffling. "I don't want to lose you…" she whispers tearfully, only soothed by the feeling of Elsa's lips on her cheekbone and side of her forehead.
Anna never will lose her.
Elsa knows it as strongly as her love for Anna.
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Frozen isn't mine. AAH LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVED WRITING THIS. CAUSE I DID. I'm all AAAAHH right now! Posting for Elsanna Secret Santa 2018 hosted by the elsannapositivityproject on Tumblr and for my giftee mimicoflorido also on Tumblr! I really hope they get to see it! We are deep in Secret Santa giving mode right now so expect more random fandoms and ships from me! I hope the Elsanna fans really liked this and any comments/thoughts will be super duper appreciated!