AN: This story was inspired by some of the themes in "More than Just the Spare," one of Frozen's cut songs. It takes place about two years before the accident at the beginning of the film. I've tried to preserve the canon as best as I can, but there might be some mistakes. This story is dedicated to Clala, who runs the picture-of-sophisticated-grace Tumblr. Happy birthday!
Chapter One: Jealousy
The bright yellow sun warmed the snowy courtyard of the Arendelle palace. A light breeze meandered through the crisp air, blowing the broad white flakes into tall drifts beneath a cloudless sky. The King and Queen sat together on a bench beneath the trees, watching their daughters at play.
Elsa was running in a circle as she conjured snow from her fingertips. The icy crystals trailed in her wake and fell to earth, where they began to pile into a wall. As she circled again and again, the wall grew higher, until it was nearly as tall as she was. Elsa slowed to a walk and touched her fingers to the side of her sculpture. She pushed gently and the excess snow began to blow away. The wall became vertical and square at the top. Elsa clapped her hands happily and started to circle again, levelling off the rest of the snow.
"Elsa, darling, what are you building?" said the Queen.
"It's a castle, Mama," said Elsa. She stopped running and pressed a flat palm against the wall. As easily as fabric, the packed snow gave way beneath her hand, forming a gate.
From the top of a nearby snowbank, Anna looked on in awe. She got up from the toboggan she was sitting on and planted her feet like Elsa. She stared hard at the air in front of her, held out a hand, and nothing happened. She scooped up a handful of snow and threw it into the wind. She pointed at it as it settled, trying to make it float. Nothing happened—nothing ever did.
Anna frowned and stamped her feet. She looked back at Elsa's growing castle, as her sister traced stonework designs onto the icy wall of the newly formed gatehouse. Papa smiled and whispered something in Mama's ear.
Anna sat back down, landing with a thump on her sled. She lay for a while with her back against the cold wood, moping. Then an idea struck her. Anna stood up and adjusted the toboggan, then jumped onto it with a flying leap. "Look out below!"
Elsa looked up to see Anna hurtling down the snowbank. She jumped aside as the toboggan shot into the middle of the courtyard and smashed into the wall of her castle. Anna tumbled off and leapt to her feet as the sled ground to a halt. "Ta-daa!"
For a moment, Elsa stayed rooted where she stood. Then she stomped towards Anna. "Why did you do that!?"
Anna's eyes went wide. "What? I'm sorry!"
"I worked hard on that, and you ruined it!"
"Elsa, I—"
"You ruin everything!" Elsa shouted, her eyes brimming with tears. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Elsa!" barked Papa, jumping to his feet. "Stop that!"
Elsa turned on him and pointed a finger at Anna. "It's not my fault! She started it! I just wanted to build something nice, and she destroyed it!"
Anna began to sniffle. "I…I just wanted you to play with me."
Elsa turned her back. "Well, I don't want to play with you!"
"Fine," Anna squeaked as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I don't need you and your stupid ice anyway!" She turned and bolted across the courtyard, headed for the main gate.
Elsa glanced over her shoulder and saw Anna running. She looked for a moment at Mama and Papa, and then ran off in the other direction, towards the castle.
"Elsa!" shouted the Queen. "Anna! Wait!"
"It's no use, dear," said the King. "They're gone."
She sighed. "I ought to have seen this coming. It's always like this with sisters."
"Who do we follow?" said the King.
The Queen thought for a moment. "I say we do one each. I'll go find Anna—she can't have gone far in the snow. You track down Elsa."
The King nodded. "Good luck. I'll see you soon." He started towards the castle door, but not before glancing up at the sky. It had suddenly become very dark.