Chapter 1

She found her bent over piles of paperwork at her desk. Her sister's hair was sticking up in odd places, braid unkept and unwashed. Her eyes were painfully zeroed in on the fine print, muttering the words before her. Anna hated seeing her so stressed all the time.

All work and no play makes Elsa a dull girl.

The younger girl tip toed forward, avoiding certain squeaky floorboards. She quickly shot out her hands to cover the queen's eyes. Her victim jumped, relaxing when she realized it was only Anna.

"Before you ask, I don't have time to build a snowman, Anna," Elsa said, pushing her hands away, "this law needs to be passed soon. You know that."

"But-"

"I don't care if the sky is awake or not I need to finish this." she replied, tone warning her not to ask again.

Anna sighed dramatically and unceremoniously threw herself onto the queen's desk, nearly knocking over an inkbottle.

"There is no way I'm letting you get away with that answer. The last time you went outside was for-never ago, and that was to tell me dinner was ready, nothing more. I'm not moving, or shutting up for that matter, unless you agree to join me for an evening stroll at the least. Seriously, if you don't get enough sun you'll be paler than Olaf. There is literally nothing you can do to stop I, Anna of Arendelle, from staying right here and babbling on and on unti-"

The redhead's eyes widened with shock and indignation as ice froze over her rambling mouth.

Oh no you didn't.

The girl leapt up off the desk and began to give her sister the sternest, quietest talking-to ever known to the history of Arendelle. Elsa's irritated expression melted into laughter as she watched her flail her arms around and express herself with flamboyant hand gestures. After about five full minutes of the livid interpretive dance, the blonde finally showed mercy.

"… and another thing!" The girl shouted as the ice disappeared from her lips.

Elsa erupted into laughter as Anna stopped midsentence, her face a mixture of surprise and confusion.

When the queen had regained her composure she set her quill down and stood up.

"I think a walk would do me good."

Autumn was Elsa's second favorite season (winter obviously being the first). She loved the brisk wind, the way it tickled the back of neck and carried the scent of the bright, crisp leaves. She loved hearing the crackling of leaves under her shoes, or the clear blue sky contrasting with bright reds, greens, and golds. The dappled light patterns on the forest floor, the small animals gathering food, and even the excitement of Halloween. She loved it all.

Anna however, did not.

"I think," she sniffled, "that I would like this season a lot more if I could make it through a simple stroll without catching a cold."

The girl shivered and let out a short cough.

Elsa rolled her eyes and handed Anna her scarf. The cold never bothered her anyway.

The wind picked up, snatching the fabric from Anna's relaxed hands and dancing off into the woods.

"Is this even real?" The redhead muttered and began sprinting after it, her sister not far behind. Elsa'a muscles groaned in protest as she took off after her sister. Sitting at that desk for months on end had truly taken its toll. Her lungs burned and her sides ached. Soon the older girl was struggling to keep up. Meanwhile Anna had pulled ahead until she completely vanished into the trees.

"Anna, wait!" she called after her, but there was no response.

Damn scarf.

The blonde leaned against a tree as she caught her breath, admiring the leaves above her. She watched as a crow settle on a bush and begin exploring the plant for food. Suddenly the bush rustled, causing the bird to take to the skies.

Elsa blinked.

The bush was still.

Cautious, the queen picked her way over roots and around branches as she approached the bush. She came to a silent stop, slowly parting the prickly branches and peeked her head inside the bush.

Nothing.

Laughing quietly to herself, Elsa turned away and began searching for Anna.

Only to trip lightly over a root, crashing into a pile of nature.

The bush rustled again, this time pushing a figure out into the clearing.

The form started running away, but tripped right over Elsa, landing with a slight 'oof' on the ground. A girl scrambled backwards, expecting her to give chase. Her eyes darted around fearfully, trying to discern the source of the threat. Once she realized that the queen posed no actual threat lying in a pile of leaves, she gave a little wave.

"Hi?"

"Hi."

The two just stared at each other, trying to make sense of the situation.

What is this girl doing in a bush?

There didn't seem to be any real reason for her to be hiding in a plant. About Elsa's age, the girl had a nice black dress, of all things, embroidered at the collar with small red flowers and gold stems. The neckline went to her throat but dipped back down again into a 'V'. Long black hair and startling green eyes completed the overall regal look. But there was something about the girl's eyes that threw her off. How they seemed to stare at a point directly above her head…

Elsa suddenly realized she'd been staring so she picked herself up and brushed off the leaves from her dress, extending her hand to the girl.

"Elsa."

The girl huffed and stood up on her own, ignoring the outstretched hand.

"Melanie."

The blonde awkwardly withdrew her hand, wishing Anna was there to ease the tension.

Sadly, she got her wish.

"Elsa! I got the scarf! It was stuck in a tree so I ran past it, but then I backtracked here and-" she stopped.

"Who are you?"

Melanie snorted, "None of your business, peasant."

Elsa winced. Here we go.

"Excuse me?" Anna shouted, pride wounded for the second time in an hour.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but who exactly do you think you are?"

Stepping in, Elsa answered for her.

"This is Melanie. She was…hiding in a bush."

"Is that so? And that makes me the peasant? You were in a bush!"

Melanie's cheeks colored.

"Yeah? Well I don't need to take this. It's been a pleasure meeting you. Now if you'd excuse me, I have more important things to attend to than talking to the likes of you." She said before unkindly before spinning right around and running straight into to an oak.

"Ow."

The sisters stared at each other. Melanie was piece of work.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked

"You deserved that," Anna declared at the same time.

"I'm fine." The girl growled as blood began pouring out her nose. Somehow Elsa doubted that.

"Here, let us take you back to the castle. You can use this scarf to stop the blood."

Ignoring Anna's protests, Elsa helped Melanie up and gave her the scarf. Accepting there was no point in arguing, the girl began walking in the wrong direction, one hand out in front of her.

"The castle's the other way!" Anna shouted after her.

"I know where I'm going!" she shouted back before falling into a small stream.

The sisters winced again as Melanie put a hand in a fire ant pile to help herself out of the water.

"Do you think…?" Anna whispered to her.

"Yeah." Elsa replied.

"She is definitely blind."

After the girls had gotten their guest bandaged and dried, they led her to the dining room for dinner.

Melanie and Anna had been firing snide remarks back and fourth for the past hour, one never getting the better of the other. Thankfully, they were all silent as they sat down to eat. As they were being served, Elsa realized Melanie might not be able to use the elaborate silverware setup before her. To her surprise, as soon as the plate was set before her guest, the girl expertly picked up the right fork and dug in like she hadn't had a decent meal in months.

Anna must have had the same thought (but not the decency to keep her mouth shut).

"Jeez, when was the last time you've had a full meal?"

"Months." Melanie replied, her mouth full.

Elsa could tell by the curious gleam in her sister's eye that she suddenly wanted to know Melanie's whole life story. The blonde glanced at her sister.

Let me ask the questions.

Come on, why can't I, Anna silently pleaded with her.

Elsa tilted her head.

Melanie hasn't exactly taken a liking to you. I doubt she'd want to tell you much.

Anna sighed and nodded her head.

Fine.

Clearing her throat, the queen turned to her guest.

"Why haven't you eaten? With a dress as nice as that I could never have guessed you to go hungry."

Melanie stopped chewing. Her face went blank as she set her fork down.

"I ran away from home."

Elsa sensed that wasn't the whole truth but didn't press her.

"And why is that?"

The girl paused, seeming a little unsure.

"Because…"

Melanie straightened, putting on an air of fake confidence.

"Because they didn't accept me for who I am."

Anna looked over at Elsa, thinking how her sister could relate to that.

"A lesbian."

Anna looked back over at Melanie. Maybe not that.

"Oh." Elsa said a little surprised.

The guest quietly turned back to her meal.

Anna blinked a couple times.

Elsa shot a glare at her sister.

Don't you dare say anything.

"Where was your home?" Elsa continued on casually, picking her fork and knife up.

"A little left-over bit of the kingdom of Aragon."

"Aragon?"

"Most people think it was completely dissolved but a little bit of it is still alive near the coast.

"Sorry but where exactly is Aragon?"

"Spain."

It was Elsa's turn to blink in surprise.

"Spain? You ran away from Spain?"

"Mhm."

Anna looked like she was about ready to burst. Melanie was a lot more interesting than she originally thought. Soon she had stood up,

'Urgh this interrogation is going way too slow. I noticed you're blind. How were able to get all the way here blind? Also, why don't you have much of an accent? You do speak Spanish right? Now that I think about it, you do look kind of like a Spaniard. Not that that's a bad thing. You're gorgeous. I mean, I'm still mad at you. Anyways. Why did you run all the way here? Where were you trying to go? Have you heard anything about Arendelle recently? Anything strange? Because it's actually quite a story. You see, Elsa-"

Elsa drew her hand across her throat frantically, signaling Anna to stop.

"-Has a law to pass!" Anna finished awkwardly.

Melanie stared blindly in the redhead's direction.

"You don't shut up do you?"

Elsa put her head in her hands, about to give up.

I can tell this is the start of a beautiful friendship, she thought sarcastically.

She continued to eat in silence, letting the two other girls bicker throughout the entire meal. To anyone who didn't know her sister, they would have thought Anna genuinely hated Melanie. But Elsa could tell she enjoyed someone who matched her in strange comebacks and roundabout arguments. Maybe if we kept Melanie around a little longer, I can finally keep Anna distracted and finish some work for once, she thought, finishing the last of her food.

Anna made it seem like Elsa never played with her in the last few months but the truth was she had convinced her to go on a walk with her almost everyday. And because of that Elsa was way behind on her duties. The queen could tell her sister wants to be like they could've been when they were young, but there just wasn't enough time for that.

There must be some way to make time for other people.

She sighed and refocused on the current conversation. A fight over if rainy days were better than sunny ones.

"Who wants constant heat all the time? Rain cools the day off and keeps things nice and relaxed." Melanie was saying.

"But that means being cooped up inside all day. That's so boring!" Anna shot back.

"Is this really necessary?" Elsa asked timidly.

The two glared at each other.

"I suppose not." Melanie grumbled. They both sank back into their respective chairs.

The blonde sat quietly at the the head of the table. Now she missed the chatter.

"Why don't we prepare for bed? We can discuss further plans about Melanie's stay in the morning."

They grumbled in agreement, sliding moodily away from the table. Melanie started walking in a random direction before stopping, not sure if she was about to run into a door or fall into a pit of crocodiles.

"Here," Elsa said, moving quickly to her side, "I'll help you find a room."

She hesitantly took Melanie's hand and led her done a series of turns. The queen watched as her guest's eyes narrowed in concentration, trying to memorize how to move about the castle. She began to notice little habits Melanie had, now that the girl had gone quiet. It seemed instead of having her head tilted up like Elsa, she generally stared at the ground but at the same time maintaining perfect posture. When Elsa let go of her hand as they reached where she would be staying, the guest folded her hands neatly in front of her.

She has poise for a runaway girl.

As she led Melanie into the guest room she had been expecting to have to show her where things are. The blonde was surprised to find herself misjudging her once again.

She watched as her guest landed on the bed with perfect aim and began pulling off decorative pillows and carefully pulling blankets back. It wasn't until Melanie's hands flew up to her head as if to grab something that wasn't there when it all clicked into place.

"You were royalty weren't you."

Melanie's sightless green eyes darted towards Elsa's general direction. She slowly nodded a confirmation, knowing she was too awful a liar to deny it.

It explained her knowing how to handle a fancy silverware setup, the fancy dress, as well as the rude 'peasants'.

"Sorry by the way, about the whole peasants thing. I didn't know you were, well, una reina."

Elsa was surprised. That was the first time she heard her apologize for anything. Or even sound kind for that matter.

"Apology accepted," she granted a little quietly. Melanie didn't respond. Instead she just smiled oddly and began taking her hair out of the pulled-back style she had it in.

Elsa sat in a small chair in the corner of the room, watching Melanie wrestle with her hair for a few moments as if it wasn't perfect enough as it was. Wait, what?

Breaking the silence, she searched for a topic of conversation.

"So what is the whole story behind you running away, anyway?"

Elsa winced. Maybe not the best choice of topic.

Melanie took her hands away from her hair and set them in her lap.

"I can't really tell you. I mean I could but I met you practically three or fours hours ago. Maybe if or when I get to know you better. But not now, you know?" Her guest was staring shyly at the floor. This was not the same girl who took Anna on in backtalk a few minutes ago.

The queen nodded. She could definitely respect that, especially after watching her sister try and marry a man she met that day.

A tense silence followed. Melanie let out a slight cough, causing Elsa to realize she couldn't see her previous nod.

"Oh! Sorry, I nodded because I forgot...well you know. Sorry I left you hanging I just...sorry." She gave herself a mental kick.

I'm being even more awkward than Anna.

Melanie laughed, "No it's fine I don't mind I just...need to change and-"

"Oh. OH. Right, right. Sorry again."

"It's fine."

"I'll just leave then-"

"Alright. Good night I guess."

"Night."

Elsa shut the door behind her. That was weirder than it should have been. She let out a deep breath and walked down the hall to her room. When she looked down to turn the door handle, she noticed a soft covering of frost on her fingers.

Huh. Probably nothing.

But that night, for the first time in forever, she let her door stay open, if only just a little.

Sorry for meh beginning, I promise I'll make the coming chapters more in depth. It's just...writer's block, ya know?

Anyways instead of sitting here and complaining I'll just get on with it.

This story marks the beginning of a new FanFiction account! Hopefully resulting in a variety of fandom works. A friend came to me complaining about the lack of a certain Frozen prompt and we decided to change that.

Let's hope this fic doesn't crash and burn

-Pretzels

(artwork by Furymanura)