~o The Queen's Collection o~
Two years after the Great Thaw and Arendelle was already back and better than ever with Queen Elsa poised at the helm of it all. Despite a bit of a shaky start, it didn't take long for the queen to get into the groove of ruling the most powerful kingdom on their side of the planet. Of course, that was in great part due to the strength and warmth that seemed to blossom in her with every day she spent rediscovering and rebuilding with her estranged younger sister.
Together, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna became a powerful duo, negotiating trades and treaties their ancestors could only dream of. Queen Elsa, humble in all her grace but confident and comfortable in her immense power, triumphed at the tables of nobles and kings alike. Princess Anna, warm and rambunctious, could usually be found at the dinner table of a family she had only just met, and easily won the hearts of all those she came in contact with. It wasn't hard to understand why the two were so beloved in their kingdom and the many they have come to visit over the years.
Many joked that the sisters operated like a perfect pair; almost always at each other's sides, making up for each other's flaws, and always seemingly engrossed in each other. Like a king and queen. For many others who have had the pleasure of being in the girls' company, it was more of a sneaking suspicion than a joke.
When Elsa took her first real steps into town after years of isolation, Anna guiding her hand-in-hand, anxiety nearly consumed her. Was she ready for this? After everything that happened, would people even want to see her? Would they welcome her after she nearly buried the town in snow?
Her fears were quelled almost immediately when an old couple passing by noticed the royal sisters and beamed, bowing as best they could as they greeted the monarch. From then, each and every person she came into contact with offered bright smiles and almost as many gifts. Elsa had to craft an ice wagon just to carry it all. By the time they returned to the castle, Anna couldn't deny the swelling in her chest when she saw how much Elsa was brimming with unbridled joy. Like a kid that got everything they wanted for Christmas.
For that reason, Anna was only mildly surprised that Elsa insisted on going into town again just three days later. And then again five days later. Soon they fell into a habit of going into town at least once a month, bringing home a wagon of gifts that only grew with Arendelle's healing economy. After signing a monumental trade agreement with Corona, one wagon became two. And after the treaty with the Southern Isles, two wagons became four, each manned by a servant who would return to the castle once their vessel was filled to the max. None of that included the obligatory offerings of visiting nobles and monarchs, and certainly none of the fineries, gems, and other expensive knick-knacks princes and kings, and a princess that one time, gifted her in an attempt to woo, only to ultimately fail at winning her affections.
When Anna saw the mountain of colorfully wrapped boxes that Prince Adrian of, some kingdom she had never heard of before, had sent for Elsa, she became curious of two things. The first was, why didn't her sister ever seem to even consider the men that begged her hand in marriage? Admittedly, some of them were insanely handsome if nothing else. The other question that nagged at the back of her mind though was, where exactly did all of these things go?
About two weeks later, Castle Arendelle hosted a winter holiday event that featured more gifts than people, each child leaving with at least two presents, all at the expense of the state. In that moment, Anna's second question was satisfied in her mind. Later that night, as the sisters got cozy by a fireplace, Anna's eyes resting as she relaxed in Elsa's arms, a pair of lips against her neck and three fragile whispered words in her ear answered Anna's first question definitively.
Nobody dared question why Princess Anna had been spending more and more nights in the queen's chambers.
Elsa kept Anna distracted, to say the least. So much so that it wasn't until their third time returning home after travelling overseas, that Anna began to realize a pattern. The day before they would board their vessel, Elsa was sure to take Anna shopping for souvenirs, an empty carriage in tow. Elsa had a habit of simply requesting one of everything without so much as glancing around the shop. Anna was always excited to see the strange trinkets their adventures brought, but much like the gifts in the past, Anna wondered where they all would disappear to once they got back home.
She tried to put the question to rest in her mind, assuming that Elsa was simply planning another gift giving event for the citizens and had neglected to tell her. Elsa had been awfully busy recently, and even in their alone time it took awhile before the queen's mind could be wrestled away from the matters discussed in meetings prior.
It was one dreadfully uneventful morning with no real pomp or circumstance, that Anna had her first real epiphany.
Bleary eyed and drowsy, she dragged herself into the bathroom she and Elsa shared. In all her tiredness, she reached over a porcelain sink to grab her toothbrush, barely able to make out her own reflection in the mirror. It took a few seconds for her to find her bright pink toothbrush among the mess of about seven different brushes of various designs.
"Why are there so many toothbrushes if there's only two of us?" Anna grumbled to no one.
It was an absent-minded thought really. It wasn't until she slipped into the steaming hot bath of rejuvenating water that her mind finally digested the thought and then it wasn't until the following night as Elsa peppered kisses over her bare stomach that Anna finally voiced the nagging thought.
With a chuckle, the blonde pressed a soft kiss against her sister's lips. "Well you can't expect me to simply toss them out can you?"
Anna mulled over Elsa's response silently, worrying the older girl in the process. "Elsa," she finally spoke again, "-what happens to all the things you buy and gifts you receive?"
Anna couldn't have prepared herself for what she was witnessing right now. A room, as big as a grand ballroom, almost completely filled with piles and piles of quite literally anything you could imagine. She even recognized some of the things as being a part of the very first set of gifts Elsa received during their first walk through town.
"How did you even keep this a secret for so long?" Anna waved her hands wildly, still pacing the room in disbelief, her sister walking sheepishly behind her.
"It wasn't a secret." Elsa replied quietly, though it was clear that even she felt it was a weak defense. "I didn't think it was important. And it's not as bad as you're making it seem."
The redhead picked up a slightly old teddy bear from a neat pile of stuffed animals. Attached to it was a name and date, commemorating the moment it was given to her as apparently she did with everything else. It was organized chaos and so very Elsa.
"I thought you gave these things away during that winter holiday gift giving thing!"
"Now don't be silly Anna. Regifting is a spit in the face of those who have given to you out of the kindness of their hearts." Elsa explained looking fondly over the nearly ceiling-high pile of stuffed animals. "Every gift was new and bought specifically for that event."
"How can you not see that this," Anna flipped open a book revealing carefully categorized, neatly folded squares of wrapping paper, "-is a major problem?"
Elsa snatched the book with a huff, offended by her sister's words. "These are all very important to me. They were gifts, so how is storing them a problem? It's called sentimental value."
"All of them Elsa!?" Anna narrowed her eyes. "So what about the 'souvenirs' you buy?"
"They're all here. Those are mine." Elsa moved to grab her sister's hand, holding it up to her chest as she gave a skittish smile. "They're ours."
Anna was unimpressed. She stopped just in front of what appeared to be a labyrinth of standing full-sized mirrors. "You have to get rid of these," she spoke authoritatively.
Elsa's face looked as though her whole world came crashing down around her and she dropped her sister's hand. "I can't do that," she shook her head.
"Fine." Anna crossed her arms in front of her chest, unmoved. "Then I'll have the servants do it."
"They won't take your order over mine," the queen challenged, employing the same tone she used when trying to get her own way at a negotiating table.
Again, Anna was unmoved. "In that case, I'll do it myself. If you're good and promise that it will never get this out of hand again, I'll even let you pick a few things to keep." The younger girl pointed her nose up in challenge, the only person in the world who would ever confidently go toe-to-toe with the 'Ice Queen'.
The temperature around them dropped as the two participated in a staredown. Usually, Elsa gave in to her sister's requests post-haste. But this? This was different. This was too much.
"Anna," Elsa tried to banish the hiss from her voice. "With all due love and respect, I implore you to reconsider your actions. You simply can't understand the gravity of what you're suggesting."
Anna sighed, dropping her arms. "If you're not going to cooperate it's only going to be hard on you. There is no way I can let you keep doing this, what will you do when this place runs out of room? There's barely enough room to walk as it is."
"There are at least three more ballrooms that haven't been used since our great-great-grandparents last danced in them. We have more than enough room."
"And when those are full?"
"Then we'll build more." Elsa was visibly getting irritated.
"You're being unreasonable." Anna stomped. Ironically, these type of conversations were usually the other way around. "You have until tomorrow to move out anything you want to keep, everything else is going."
Anna stormed out before Elsa could even come up with a response. Still, it was an empty threat Elsa decided, the kind Anna was prone to making when she couldn't have her way. They were usually forgotten before sundown.
Elsa was surprised when her sister didn't join her that night for sleep. The bed felt empty. That night was filled with a loneliness Elsa only vaguely remembered.
~oOo~
The next morning, Elsa awoke to an unsettling silence. No snoring by her side. No gargling by the sink. No water drawing in a tub. No Anna.
Yesterday's threat chimed in her head and Elsa's heart leapt.
She wouldn't dare.
Elsa didn't even bother washing herself or taming her messy braid as she dashed into the hallway, her heart racing in her chest. She almost ran into a few servants along the way, apologizing profusely without slowing down a beat. She caught a few of them doing a double-take, probably shocked that it was there normally cool-tempered queen rather than the usual suspect.
Anna, please let me be overreacting.
When she turned through the hallway for her destination though, all such prayers went out the window. There were carts and servants galore just outside the room, some of the carts already full. Elsa stormed up to the nearest servant, a trail of frost coating the carpet beneath her bare feet. "What is happening here!?" She ordered.
The man was instantly struck terrified, shaking and blubbering under her majesty's icy glare. "Pr-princess Anna, your majesty, ordered-"
She walked away before the man could finish, seeking out a certain little redhead, but not before ordering, "Cease your actions and return to your duties! Now!" They didn't deserve her ire, she knew, and she would have to remember to apologize for her outburst later.
"Anna," she called when she finally located her sister with an armful of dead flowers. "I can't believe you."
"I told you I was doing this." Anna stated matter-of-factly, circling around Elsa to walk out the door.
As Anna dumped possibly a hundred flowers, Elsa felt her heart crack a little. "Anna please stop, I'm begging now," her tone became soft and desperate.
"Elsa I'm sorry, but it has to be done." The look in Anna's eyes proved that she was indeed sorry, especially when she saw the way Elsa's heart seemed to break little by little as she looked over all the things that were in the carts already.
At the same time though, this was proof enough to Anna that she was right in her actions. So far, the only things that were thrown away were flowers that had long since withered, food items that have spoiled, and a few items here and there that had become unidentifiable in their old age. The fact that Elsa could be so emotionally attached to those proves there was a problem here.
"Anna, please! You can't do this! I can't do this!"
"Elsa, at the risk of sounding like mom and dad, this is for your own good."
Another armful of dead flowers were dumped and Elsa sank to her knees. Anna was grateful that all the servants had already left. They shouldn't see their queen like this. Anna didn't even want to see her like this. She knew what she was doing was right, but she wasn't heartless, especially not when it came to Elsa.
Anna knelt down at her sister's side and she could see the tremors of sobbing already racking the woman's thin frame. Carefully, she wrapped an arm around Elsa's shoulder, the blonde instinctively moving in to rest against her sister's body.
"Elsa," Anna breathed soothingly into her sister's ear. "Elsa, just explain to me why you're so attached to these things. I want to understand. You know I'm not doing this to hurt you right? Help me understand."
A few tears had escaped her tightly shut lids, but Elsa managed to nod against Anna's chest. She took a few breaths in an attempt to calm herself, grateful that Anna was at least being patient in this moment.
"When I couldn't control my powers, everything I owned would get completely ruined constantly. And that meant that everything I owned was thrown away, constantly. To sort through what was damaged and what wasn't was apparently too troubling, so everything was trashed and replaced. It didn't matter how much I loved it... or how much I wanted to keep it. It was gone, as per father's orders."
Elsa paused, a shaky breath escaping her and Anna knew that meant she was fighting back more tears. "And now that you're queen, you can keep them. Everything."
"Anna I thought of myself as a monster for so many years now. I didn't think anyone could love me, not that they should. So to see so many people smiling at me, and accepting me, and expressing their love through all these gifts…"
"You couldn't bring yourself to throw them out." Anna sighed, connecting the dots as she placed a kiss on Elsa's forehead. Elsa nodded. "That's sweet of you Els, but no one expects you to hold on to these things forever. You're a queen. The amount of gifts you'll receive in your lifetime could flood the castle one day." Elsa chuckled at Anna's hyperbole despite herself. "And what about the things you buy yourself?"
"I hadn't seen anything outside the castle for years and I couldn't hold up a book for more than a few seconds without ruining it. I admit I get a little carried away with the shopping, but how can I contain all those memories in a single trinket?"
Anna smiled, understanding the feeling. It's partly why she was always out meeting people. It was her way of gathering stories and storing memories in the faces of every new friend she made. "Elsa, look at me."
The queen looked up at her sister's face, eyes reddened and cheeks flushed as she sniffled.
"Do I need to give you things for you to believe that I love you?"
"Of course not."
"And will you forget all the memories we've made if you don't have something to commemorate it by?"
"...no."
"Memories are up here," Anna brushed a thumb across Elsa's forehead gingerly. "And you don't need a room to keep them safe. Nobody can take them away from you. You're not that scared, lonely little girl locked in her room anymore. You'll never be her again. You're free to love and travel and live as much as you please. You're free Elsa. Don't give that up to chain yourself to things. Don't let this stuff control you."
Hands grasped the front of Anna's dress desperately as Elsa broke down into unceremonious crying. Anna whispered sweet assurances into Elsa's ears and rocked as they both sat on the carpeted floor surrounded by piles of... everything. "Everything will be okay." "You're strong." "You're free." "I love you."
Nearly half an hour went by like this and Anna just continued at her chants, unperturbed. When Elsa's sobbing died down, she leaned in to press a chaste kiss against her lips.
When the short kiss broke, a small smile invaded Elsa's features. "I'm sorry for being so unreasonable. You can get rid of them."
Anna's smile went from ear-to-ear as she pulled Elsa into another kiss, this time allowing their tongues to play. As the kiss grew needy and heady, they forced themselves to pull away. In front of an open door when servants were likely to pass at any moment was not the suitable time or place. Still they never allowed themselves to pull away from each other, foreheads pressed together as they smiled at each other wordlessly.
Suddenly Anna chuckled. "I think I have a better idea."
~oOo~
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Anna checked with Elsa for the fourth time in under a minute.
"I think so." Elsa gave her a shy side smile as she squeezed her sister's hand.
They stood in front of the castle's gates, looking across at the turnout. Possibly every citizen of Arendelle came out today. It was time.
Without further ado, the pair pushed the gates open to reveal thousands of items piled high in the courtyard, servants standing at each station with a makeshift stand set-up. People filtered in after the sisters and the response was a wave of excitement.
Pearls and necklaces that men could normally never afford to buy for their wives were being sold for the price of logs. Exotic knick-knacks were practically being given away to anyone with an interest. Toys and stuffed animals were free for children.
Elsa thought she would have a panic attack when this day finally came. But seeing people so happy and excited, the looks on their faces when they saw tags with names they recognized. It was all far more overwhelming than she expected, but in a good way.
When Anna presented the idea at first, Elsa was skeptical. It was one thing to give away a gift, it was another thing entirely to sell them. But then Anna brought up the orphanage Elsa had been adamant on rebuilding but couldn't get the council onboard. They complained about financing, despite this being the richest kingdom for thousands of miles, and all of them owning generations of wealth. When Anna's new idea was pitched, they had no room to complain.
Once they announced the idea to the citizens and cited that the proceeds would go toward rebuilding the abandoned orphanage, responses were overwhelmingly positive.
Of course, they weren't fools. Priceless items were placed where they belonged, in the treasure room. But otherwise, everything that wasn't dead or trash was fixed and polished and readied for sale.
Anna caught Elsa's attention by squeezing her hand, shooting her a toothy grin. Elsa couldn't help but return it.
"So about those toothbrushes," Anna joked.
"You can get rid of all of them except the pink one, that's my favorite."
Anna's expression froze. "That's my toothbrush…"