This is set a few months before the ballroom incident and Elsa and Anna's separation, so Anna is five and Elsa is eight. In case anyone cared, Christian and Anders are both six, and Eric is seven.
Anna planted her right foot on a large, flat stone, sunk her wooden sword deep into the soft garden soil, and held her chin up high, adopting that noble, defiant stance heroes are wont to take.
To her left, Anders, child to one of the Arendellan royal house's many servants, emerged from the bushes, his own much less ornate oak sword in hand. A pot quietly stolen from the royal kitchen served as the boy's makeshift helmet, sitting atop his head and hastily tied around the chin with a length of string.
Once Anna was satisfied she had struck a sufficiently impressive pose against the rising sun just now cresting over Arendelle's snow-capped mountains, she stepped down from the rock, turning to face her man-at-arms.
The pot's rim had fallen over Anders' eyes, and he lifted it with a finger to make eye contact with his friend.
"Anna, why don't you wear a helmet?"
The five-year old princess plucked her sword from the dirt and twirled it about dramatically, before planting the weapon in its scabbard.
"Because, Anders, I'm the prince. Princes can't wear helmets. They're handsome and dashing, and they can't hide it with a helmet."
"Are you saying I'm not handsome?"
"No!" she responded quickly. "But…you're my knight! Knights need their helmets."
"Alright then. But next time I get to be the prince."
"Deal!" Anna said. "Now where is my standard-bear?"
"I think it's 'bearer'."
"Do not question your prince, Anders!"
As if on cue, Prince Anna's second companion came crashing through the foliage behind them, bearing a wooden pole twice his size, from which flew the battle-flag of Arendelle, a golden crocus set against a field of purple and green.
"H-here I am, m-my lord" the boy choked out, struggling to catch his breath.
"Good! You're here, Christian! Now we can proceive…proceem…proceed on our quest!"
The girl turned dramatically, tablecloth cape flowing majestically behind her. Anna drew her sword once more and thrust it into the air, directing her loyal soldiers forward.
The royal gardens were massive, stretching sixty acres at least in every direction, and boasting a myriad of terrain, from the wooded glen at the far eastern end, to the crystalline streams snaking through fields of rolling hills, to beds filled with exotic flowers hailing from the most distant and mysterious lands. Luckily, this splendorous display of wealth and power was one Anna and her friends knew well, having been raised from birth in the palace and its surroundings, there was no danger of becoming lost.
Across the gardens, Princess Elsa of Arendelle reclined in the twisting branches of a great oak tree, engrossed in some adventure novel she'd plucked from the palace library before Anna dragged her downstairs with all the excitement and impatience Elsa had come to expect from her little sister.
To be fair though, "rescue the princess" was a game everyone could enjoy. It was always the same. At Anna's behest, Elsa played the part of the helpless princess, captured by the wicked wizard, or dastardly general, or ruthless pirate captain, whichever was the flavor of the day. Anna's friends amongst the palace staff's children would play either noble soldiers or evil henchmen, and Anna herself would play the dashing prince in charge of saving his stricken beauty.
Elsa got to lounge about and read a book while her little sister contrived a rescue, and Anna got to indulge her love of daring swordfights and all other common fairy tale clichés.
Today, Elsa had been carried off by the evil king Cerdic of Albion, a role played with gusto by a tall, pale, raven-haired, and frankly unnerving boy named Eric. He was the son of a court minister, if she recalled correctly.
Unfortunately, for the time being, Eric didn't have much to do besides stomp around at the base of her tree, periodically letting out an evil cackle or adjusting his long black cape, which had very recently been a curtain in the ballroom. And he would have to content himself with that until Anna and her men-at-arms arrived to defeat him and rescue his captive.
Eventually, Eric grew bored with that, too, and sat in the grass, sword balanced between his knees.
The evil king soon broke character, and glanced up to the princess in the tree, curious to know what book Elsa was reading?
Just as the blonde girl opened her mouth to give an answer, a flag she recognized as stolen from the palace armory rose over the crest of a small hill, soaring gloriously in the early morning wind.
Eric jumped to his feet and drew his wooden blade, adopting a fighting stance in anticipation of his approaching foes.
"Oh" Elsa said, unable to suppress a grin. "My prince is here".
Anna and her two friends soon followed the standard, weapons drawn and thirsting for blood.
"Unhand her, villain!" Anna shouted.
"Save me, please!" Elsa shouted, deciding she should put at least a bit of effort into her role.
"Don't worry, princess, I'll rescue you!" Anna answered, in a voice so determined one might think she'd forgotten this was all just a game.
"She's mine!" Eric thundered back, advancing towards Elsa's would be saviors. The princess herself put away her novel and now watched the children below intently, genuinely amused by the theatrics of her younger sister and their friends.
Prince Anna parried the evil king's first blow, while Christian jumped in from the right wielding a gnarled stick with half a wooden board tied to the end, in what Elsa assumed was supposed to be an approximation of a battle-axe. Eric narrowly avoided having his arm lopped off (or rather, being tapped on the shoulder and then informed that he wasn't allowed to use that arm anymore), and stuck his sword into Christian's belly.
He promptly fell to the ground and writhed about for a few moments in imitation of an eviscerated soldier, before going limp.
Undaunted by the death of her friend, Anna carried on her valiant fight, and Anders' rallied to his prince, determined to put down this evil and bring peace to the land.
"You'll never beat me!" Eric gloated, "I'll force the princess to be my bride, and then I'll take your whole kingdom!"
"I'll never let you win!" Anna retorted, sword clashing with her opponent's, producing a dull thud.
Eric stepped backwards, cape catching between his heel and the ground. The evil king fell to the ground, sword tumbling from between his fingers.
He made a move for his weapon, but instead felt the rough wood of Anna's sword against his throat.
"You're dead, Eri-I mean, Cerdic. I cut off your head."
"Fine" he huffed, before falling still.
Anna beamed, sheathing her sword and striding triumphantly towards the base of Elsa's tree.
Behind them, both Eric and Christian rose from the dead, and began to paw through Anders' satchel for the snacks he'd brought along.
Elsa hopped down from the oak's branches, and Anna knelt before her, taking the blonde's hand and planting a kiss on her knuckles.
"My lady, are you okay?" the little redhead asked, with great concern, and Elsa couldn't help but smile.
"I'm fine, my brave little prince" she replied. "Thank you for rescuing me". Elsa rewarded her rescuer with a kiss on the cheek, and Anna responded by pulling her sister into a surprisingly tight hug.
"Elsa…can I carry you?"
"What?"
"Princes have to carry their princesses back to the castle once they rescue them."
"Oh…I'm too heavy for that."
"Oh."
Anna looked quite downcast, eyes fixed on her feet, distraught at being unable to complete her fantasy in the way she wanted.
"Why don't you just hold my hand, instead?"
Immediately, the cheer returned to Anna's face, and she took her sister's slightly larger hand in her own.
So, trailed by the three boys who fought over the last sandwich in Ander's bag, they made the long trek across the gardens to the palace hand in hand.