Hey everyone! How's it going? To celebrate Mother's Day in a couple days, I decided to write a two-part story about Anna and Elsa each spending the day with their daughters. Be warned: There's a lot of family fluff and cuteness. :) Hope you enjoy, and please review! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Frozen or any of its characters, just my OCs.
Chapter 1: Anna and Kirsten
"Is it ready yet?" asked an impatient voice.
"Not yet," Kristoff answered.
"How much longer?" the voice whined.
"Not very long if you're patient," said Kristoff. He was in the kitchens with his three-year-old daughter, Kirsten, fixing up a breakfast tray for Anna. As today was a special day, they had gotten up extra early to prepare this special meal. Actually, they'd had quite a bit of help from Gerda, as Kristoff wasn't very good at cooking. Before he had met Anna, he and Sven had shared only simple meals, such as fish or wild game. But he knew that Anna was a big eater, so he had Gerda prepare a big breakfast. There was a short stack of chocolate chip pancakes, a small plate of bacon, a soft-boiled egg, and some fresh Gouda cheese. Completing the meal was a mug of steaming cocoa with a little sprinkle of cinnamon.
Kristoff arranged all the food carefully on a large tray, along with a vase of flowers. They were sunflowers, Anna's favorite, which Kristoff thought was fitting, considering her sunny personality.
"Now is it ready?" Kirsten asked, hopping up on a chair next to him.
"Yes, now it's ready," Kristoff answered.
"Yay!" said Kirsten, clapping her hands. "Can I cawy it to Mama?"
"You may carry the flowers," said Kristoff, handing her the vase of sunflowers. Kirsten grabbed it eagerly. "Careful. Both hands. Like this." And he gently wrapped her small hands around the vase, one holding the neck and the other cradling the bottom. "Ready?"
"Uh-huh!" said Kirsten, nodding her head vigorously.
"Okay, let's go," said Kristoff, and he carefully picked up the full tray and made his way out of the kitchen, Kirsten following him with the flowers.
They didn't meet anyone on the way up until they reached the family wing, where they found Elsa roaming the hall. She smiled when she saw them and Kirsten ran to give her a hug.
"Auntie Elsa!" she cried happily.
"Good morning, Sunshine," said Elsa, hugging her back. "Good morning, Kristoff."
"Good morning, Elsa," Kristoff replied.
"You're up early," Elsa commented.
Kristoff gestured at the tray in his hands. "Bringing Anna breakfast."
"Oh?" said Elsa, raising an eyebrow. "What for?"
"Uh, Mother's Day," Kristoff answered.
"Oh, yes, that's right," said Elsa. "I guess I haven't given it much thought."
"Why's that?" Kristoff asked.
"Well, being who I am and what I can do, I'm not expecting anything from anyone," Elsa answered.
"Nonsense, I'm sure Fredrik has something planned for you," said Kristoff, smiling.
"Perhaps," said Elsa, but she didn't sound hopeful.
"So, why are you up early, then?" Kristoff asked.
"Oh, I'm always up early," Elsa replied. "I like the quiet of the early morning. It helps me to think. Anyway, I have an early morning meeting with my council to discuss trade."
"Wait, Anna didn't tell you?" Kristoff asked, and he shook his head. "I knew she would forget."
"Tell me what?" Elsa asked.
"She cancelled all your appointments today," Kristoff answered. "For one thing, she was afraid you'd forget and for another thing, she thinks you're working too hard."
"Well, my queenly duties won't get done by themselves," Elsa said, smiling.
"That's what I keep telling her," said Kristoff, smiling back. "So, what are you going to do now that you have the day off?"
"Well, seeing as I'm already up, I might go for a walk around the castle gardens," Elsa answered. "Fredrik was up even earlier than me this morning, so I haven't seen him yet, which means I'll have some solitude. At least for a little while. Lord knows what he could be doing." She smiled. "What are your plans for today?"
"Mama and I are going fishing!" Kirsten piped up before Kristoff could speak.
"Fishing?" Elsa asked, quirking an eyebrow up.
"Yeah," said Kristoff. "I asked her what she wanted to do with Anna today, and that's the first thing that popped into her head."
"Well, then it's a good thing I gave Anna that fishing rod for her nineteenth birthday," said Elsa, smiling. "Now she has an excuse to use it."
"If she even knows how to use it," said Kristoff, smirking.
"Actually, it may come as a surprise to you, but it was one of her favorite activities when we were little," Elsa said.
"Really?" Kristoff asked, genuinely surprised.
"Oh, yes," said Elsa. "I remember when she caught her first fish. She was five and I was eight. It was shortly before I – well, anyway, Mama and Papa had taken us down to the river for the afternoon. Anna was so excited. It was her first fishing trip. I expected her to be antsy waiting for a fish to bite, but she was so patient. She sat and sat and sat until she finally got a nibble. It wasn't a big fish, but she was so proud of herself. She wanted to keep it as a pet, but Mama said no."
"Wow," said Kristoff in awe. "You must have really enjoyed that day."
"It's one of my favorite memories," said Elsa reminiscently.
"Well, I'd better get this to Anna before it gets cold," said Kristoff, adjusting his grip on the breakfast tray. "And before she wakes up."
"Oh, you needn't worry about that," said Elsa, waving a hand dismissively. "I haven't heard her telltale signs of waking up yet, so she's probably still sleeping."
"Well, not for much longer," said Kristoff, smiling. "Have a good day, Elsa, and Happy Mother's Day. Hopefully, Fredrik has an excuse for not seeing you this morning."
"He'd better," said Elsa, smiling. "Or else I'm going to freeze him solid."
"Well, who knows, maybe he has something planned for you," said Kristoff, continuing down the hall.
"I wouldn't count on it, but thank you," said Elsa, and they separated, Elsa going outside to the gardens and Kristoff to his and Anna's bedroom. He listened outside the door for any signs of movement, but heard nothing. He turned to Kirsten, put a finger to his lips, and balancing the tray with one hand, quietly opened the door.
The room was still semi-dark, the curtains no having been drawn yet, and the bed was a tangled mess of sheets and blankets. Kristoff set the tray down on the nightstand and then went and opened the curtains. He then sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled back the blankets, revealing Anna. Her messy bed-head almost completely covered her face.
"Can I wake her up?" Kirsten whispered loudly.
"Yes," Kristoff whispered back. "But nicely. Don't—"
But before he could say another word, Kirsten jumped up on the bed and yelled, "Mama! Mama! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"
Kristoff just smiled and shook his head. His daughter was a piece of work sometimes.
Anna groaned and shifted in the bed. "Whosit?" she mumbled sleepily.
"It's me!" said Kirsten happily, starting to bounce up and down.
Finally registering her daughter's voice, Anna came fully awake and smiled into the pillow. Deciding to play along, she said, "Me who?"
"Kirsten!" said Kirsten, still bouncing.
"Kirsten who?" said Anna, teasing her.
"Kirsten me!" said Kirsten.
"Hmm, I don't believe I know a Kirsten," said Anna, trying to muffle her laughter in the pillow.
"Mama, it's me, Kirsten!" said Kirsten.
Anna finally sat up and smiled at her. "I know it's you, sweetheart, I'm just teasing you," she said, and she tickled Kirsten, sending her into a fit of giggles.
"Happy Mother's Day!" said Kirsten once the tickling had stopped. "These are for you." And she held out the vase of sunflowers, which had miraculously stayed uncrushed while Kirsten had been waking up her mother.
"They're beautiful, thank you, angel," said Anna, taking the flowers and sniffing them.
"Papa says they're your favwit," said Kirsten.
"And he's absolutely right," said Anna, smiling up at Kristoff. But then the smile disappeared when she detected the unmistakable smell of chocolate. "Do I smell chocolate?" she asked pointedly.
"Oh, yeah," said Kristoff, getting the tray and setting it down gently on her lap. "Uh, you see—"
"Papa made bweakfast!" Kirsten interjected.
"Oh, really?" said Anna, looking up at Kristoff and smirking.
"Actually, Gerda made it," said Kristoff, grinning sheepishly. "I just told her what to make and then arranged it all on a tray."
"Well, it was very sweet of you, anyway," said Anna, leaning up for a kiss, to which Kristoff happily obliged.
"Ewww!" said Kirsten, squeezing her eyes shut.
Anna laughed, then she looked down at the spread before her. "Wow, this is a lot of food."
"Well, I know you're a big eater, so I had Gerda prepare a few of your favorites," said Kristoff, shrugging.
Anna looked back down at the tray and squealed when she saw the pancakes. "I love chocolate chip pancakes!" she said. She cut a big piece with her fork, stuffed it into her mouth, and sighed with content. "And hot cocoa, too! You thought of everything!" She took a big gulp of the hot cocoa. It was no longer steaming, but still warm enough to enjoy.
"Well, now that you're satisfied, I'll leave you to it," said Kristoff, heading for the door.
"Wait, where are you going?" Anna asked.
"Well, Kirsten wanted to spend the day with you, just the two of you," Kristoff answered.
"Doing what?" Anna asked, finishing up the pancakes and starting on the bacon.
"She wants to go fishing," Kristoff answered.
"Really?" Anna said, surprised.
"Yeah, Elsa told me it was one of your favorite activities as a child," said Kristoff, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It was?" Anna asked, and then remembered. "Oh yeah, I do vaguely remember Mama and Papa taking us fishing when we were little. She didn't tell that story about when I caught my first fish, did she?"
"Actually, she did," said Kristoff, smiling.
"That stinker," Anna mumbled.
"Don't blame Elsa," said Kristoff. "You know how much she loves you."
"Yeah, I know," said Anna, starting on her egg. "But she's still a stinker."
There was silence while Anna ate her egg. Then she asked, "Did Kirsten say where she wanted to go fishing."
"No, but I guess she'll decide that once you're outside," Kristoff answered.
"I don't even know where my fishing rod is," said Anna.
"Well, then, you'd better look for it," said Kristoff, smiling.
"And what are you going to do today?" Anna asked.
"Visit Sven, maybe take him for a ride," said Kristoff. "He hasn't been out and about for a while."
"Okay, but before you go….." Anna carefully set the tray aside, hopped out of bed, and went over to him. "Has Kirsten had her bath yet?" she asked in a low voice so Kirsten wouldn't overhear. But the three-year-old was currently running around the room singing to herself and therefore not aware that her parents were talking about her.
"Not yet," Kristoff answered quietly. "We got up early and then just went right down to the kitchen."
"Well, then she'll need one this morning, especially since someone didn't give her a bath last night like I asked," said Anna teasingly, putting emphasis on "someone".
"I'm sorry," said Kristoff, smiling. "I just wanted to wait until this morning because I thought you might want to do it."
"Really?" said Anna. "You're so sweet." She kissed him again. "But next time, could you just do it when I ask you?"
"Of course," said Kristoff, still smiling. "I'll never shirk on my duties as a parent ever again."
"Good," said Anna.
"Where's Susanna?" Kristoff asked.
As if on cue, they heard a cry from the pink bassinet in the corner. Baby Susanna was awake and crying for her mother. Anna instantly hurried over to her.
"Aw, it's okay, my little darling, Mama's right here," Anna cooed as she picked up her nearly one-month-old daughter. "I bet you're hungry, aren't you? Why don't we fix that?" She sat down in the rocking chair, pulled down the shoulder of her nightgown, and began nursing. She rocked and hummed softly as Susanna suckled.
Kristoff cleared his throat. "Anna, I was just thinking," he said, moving to stand near her. "What with you and Kirsten being out and about today, who's going to watch Susanna?"
Anna thought for a moment. "Hmm," she said. "Well, as Nanny Hanne has the day off to spend with her family, I suppose Gerda will take care of her."
"And Gerda's okay with that?" Kristoff asked.
"I haven't asked her yet," Anna answered. "But you know how much she loves the girls."
"Well, okay," Kristoff conceded. "Should I send her up when I see her?"
"Well, of course, send her up, Kristoff!" Anna replied, as though this was obvious. "I can't very well ask her if she's not here, can I?"
"I guess not," said Kristoff, making his way back to the door. "All right, I'll send her up."
"Thank you, Kristoff," said Anna, smiling at him.
"Yeah, well," said Kristoff, rubbing the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his. "I'll see you later, then."
"Bye!" said Anna. "Tell Sven I said hello!"
Kristoff just smiled as he headed out the door.
"I love you!" Anna called after him.
"I love you, too!" said Kristoff before disappearing from sight.
Anna continued rocking and humming while Susanna continued feeding. Kirsten came up beside her.
"Mama, can we go outside now?" she asked, tugging on her mother's sleeve.
"When I've finished feeding your sister," Anna answered. A few minutes passed, then Susanna was finished, so Anna gently removed her from her breast, laid her against her shoulder, and patted her back. When she had burped, she laid her back down in her bassinet so her stomach could settle.
"Now can we go outside, Mama?" Kirsten asked.
"Not yet, angel," Anna answered. "You still need a bath."
"No bath!" Kirsten cried.
"Yes, bath," said Anna firmly. "As Papa neglected to give you a bath last night, you need to take one this morning."
"Why bath?" Kirsten asked, pouting.
"Because I want you to smell fresh and pretty for our special day out today," Anna answered. "Now, come on, be a good girl."
"Aw, okay," said Kirsten, taking her mother's hand and following her into the bathroom.
Anna filled up the large porcelain tub with warm water and a little bit of her favorite coconut oil. She soaped Kirsten's hair while Kirsten giggled and splashed in the water. She rinsed it out with a pitcher of warm water. Some of the suds got into Kirsten's eyes and she cried a bit, but Anna wiped them away with a clean cloth and she was perfectly happy again. Once Kirsten was clean all over, she took her out, wrapped her in a fluffy towel, and drained the tub.
They went back into the bedroom, where Anna proceeded to dress Kirsten in a pretty blue, light cotton summer dress, with white stockings and black shoes. She herself changed into a simple, ankle-length, lightweight green dress, with a cream colored blouse with short cap sleeves underneath and flower detailing on the bodice and skirt. She, too, donned white stockings and black shoes. She brushed her snarled hair and, slightly altering her traditional style, plaited it into two thick braids with a smaller braid wrapped around the crown of her head. She had just started brushing Kirsten's hair when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" she called, gently combing through the tangles in Kirsten's hair.
The door opened and Gerda entered. "I believe you sent for me, Your Highness?" she said, curtsying.
"Yes, thank you for coming so quickly, Gerda," said Anna, going over to her. "Would you mind watching Susanna today? Nanny Hanne has the day off and Kirsten wants to spend the day with me, and I've delayed long enough as it is."
"Of course, Your Highness," said Gerda, smiling. "You know I love spending time with your girls."
Anna smiled before going over to Susanna's bassinet and lifting her out gently. She went back over to Gerda and placed Susanna gently in her arms. "Thank you so much, Gerda," she said. "I don't know what we would do without you."
"Oh hush, dearie, I'm more than happy to help," said Gerda, smiling at her. "Would you like me to send someone up to remove your breakfast tray and to tidy up a bit?"
"Oh," said Anna, glancing toward the bed where the breakfast tray sat forgotten. "Would you, please? In our hurry to get ready, I completely forgot."
"That's all right, Your Highness," said Gerda. "I'll send someone up. Enjoy your day."
"Thank you again, Gerda," said Anna, walking with her to the door. Gerda smiled before disappearing down the hallway.
"Now can we go, Mama?" Kirsten asked.
"Just wait one more minute while I look for my fishing rod," said Anna. She went over to her wardrobe and started rummaging inside, pushing aside gowns and shoes before finding it tucked back in the corner. "Okay, now we can go."
"Yay!" said Kirsten happily, and she ran out the door into the hallway. Anna caught up with her before she reached the stairs.
"Can I slide down, Mama?" Kirsten asked, meaning the banister.
"No, you may not," Anna answered.
"Aw, but why?" Kirsten asked.
"Because you're too little and I don't want you to get hurt," Anna answered, taking her hand and leading her downstairs. "And I don't want you to muss your pretty dress."
"Okay," said Kirsten, pouting.
They crossed the entrance hall, which was mercifully empty, out the doors, and into the bright sunshine. Anna stood for a moment, enjoying the pleasant warmth, but then the moment was over when Kirsten started tugging on her dress.
"Where can we go fishing, Mama?" she asked.
"Where do you want to go fishing?" Anna asked, bending down in front of her.
"Hmm, the pond!" said Kirsten excitedly.
"The one in the gardens?" Anna asked.
"No, the other one!" said Kirsten.
There were two ponds in Arendelle village. One was on the castle grounds for the sole use of the royal family and any guests, and the other was a little way into the woods. It was a popular fishing spot for the younger villagers, namely the children. So they walked down the causeway and into the village. The adults bowed their heads respectfully as Anna passed and the children tried to get Kirsten to play with them.
"No, I'm going fishing with my mama!" she would say whenever someone asked.
After about another half hour of walking, they reached the forest. It was cool and quiet in there. As they walked, Anna pointed out various birds and other wildlife to Kirsten, telling her their names whenever she could. Finally, they reached the pond. Anna found a rock and laid her fishing rod down.
"Now we need some worms," she told Kirsten.
"Why?" Kirsten asked.
"Because that's what fish like to eat," Anna answered. "And we'll have better luck catching one if we have a worm. Here." She found a big stick, broke in two pieces, and gave Kirsten one. "See that patch of dirt?" She pointed, and Kirsten nodded. "Take this stick and dig for worms, but try not to get your dress dirty."
"Okay!" said Kirsten, and she scurried away to start digging. After about several minutes of hard digging, she shouted, "I found one!"
"Good job!" said Anna, coming over with her fishing rod. She pierced the worm with the hook and Kirsten followed her back to the rock, where she plopped onto her lap. "Okay, now watch." Anna carefully swung the line back and then forward again, where it landed with a small splash near the edge of the pond.
"Did you catch one yet?" Kirsten asked, bouncing up and down.
"Not yet," Anna answered. "You have to be patient. Do you want to hold the rod for a little bit?"
"Yeah!" said Kirsten, clapping her hands. Anna wrapped Kirsten's hands around the rod and set hers lightly on top.
"Now try not to wiggle too much," Anna instructed. "Or you might scare off the fish."
"Okay, Mama," said Kirsten, frowning in concentration.
Silence enveloped them for several minutes as they sat on the rock. Anna was quite pleased that Kirsten was able to sit still and quiet for so long. Like her at that age, she was almost incapable of sitting still, always wanting to be on the go.
Suddenly, there was a light tugging on the end of the line, and Kirsten gasped excitedly. "A fish! A fish!" she said.
"I believe it is," said Anna, smiling. "Pull it up so we can see what it is."
Kirsten started pulling on her end of the rod, but whatever was on the other end was tugging too hard, so Anna helped her. After a minute or two of fierce tugging, out splashed a large, silvery fish.
"Yay!" said Kirsten, giggling and clapping her hands. "What kinda fish is it, Mama?"
"I don't know," said Anna, pulling the line toward her and unhooking the fish. "But I'm sure Gerda will." Unfortunately, she didn't have anything to wrap the fish in, which meant she would be forced to carry the wet, slimy, slippery thing all the way back to the castle in her bare hands. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was able to spend this perfect day with her wonderful daughter.
They went back to the castle, and Anna gave the fish to someone who would actually know what to do with it. She had to scrub her hands afterward to get rid of the fishy smell.
In the afternoon, Kirsten decided she wanted to play in the garden, so Anna took her back outside. She ran around happily, picking more flowers and giving them to Anna. She soon had enough to fill another whole vase.
By mid-afternoon, Kirsten was getting tired, so she sat in her mother's lap, and Anna started rocking and singing to her. Just before Kirsten fell asleep, she said, "I love you, Mama."
Anna smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, angel," she said.
It had been the best Mother's Day ever.
Wow, this turned out to be quite a bit longer than I expected. (I really need to stop saying that.) In case you're curious about why I have Kirsten always sucking her thumb while sleeping, it's because I used to do the same thing when I was little. So I injected a bit of myself into her character. :)
Another bit of trivia: I got the idea of Anna giving Kirsten a bath and then taking her fishing from this insanely adorable game I found online. It's called (go figure) "Anna's Baby Wash".
Well, I hope you enjoyed part one! I was hoping to get part two up by Sunday, but I don't think it's gonna happen (especially seeing as it's not even started yet). I'll be out of town almost all day tomorrow, so I won't have any time to write. I'll try not to delay too long, though. I do hate to leave you guys hanging. :)
By the way, if any of you are artists and would like to draw one or more of my OCs, I highly encourage you to do so. You can use the doll versions I uploaded to my DeviantArt page as a basis. My username on there is the same as this one.
Cover image artwork belongs to CarlaJeans on DeviantArt.
Thanks for reading! Part two coming soon! :)