A/N: So here is one of the promised one-shots for the Dystopian Utopia universe. Mostly fluff, but it does get serious here and there. I promise that the next one will actually be the wedding. :)
There's No Place Like Home
With a weary sigh, the Governor of Arendelle, once a Plebe known as 6561 but now a free Citizen known as Anna Schrader, placed her hand on the lock to the door of the ancient Governor's Mansion. The panel peeped and the door slid open smoothly, so Anna waved to her two bodyguards to indicate that they should leave. One was a massive mountain of a man who had refused to leave her side even after the end of the Rebellion. His compatriot, Pacha, had returned to his wife and daughter with Anna's blessing, but Kronk, having no family to speak of, had stayed. Her other bodyguard was a massive mountain of snow who somehow had a feminine gender yet was proud to call herself Kevin. Kevin had been made specifically to protect, and the snow giant took that job very seriously. Kronk acknowledged her request and turned to leave, but Kevin, ever protective especially now that baby Ariel had arrived, plopped herself down on the porch with a growl. Anna chuckled and kissed her protector's snowy temple, and the snow giant leaned into the kiss with a contented smile. Anna affectionately gave Kevin's shoulder a pat and then went inside her house.
The first member of the household to greet her was Olaf, the snowy-white Persian who was ecstatic to have his family home at last. He liked Elsa's parents well enough, but Elsa, and especially Anna, were his favorite people. So, even though they had brought a tiny, sometimes-squalling little human interloper home with them, he loved having them back. He was always the first to greet Anna when she came home, and he would follow her around everywhere when she was in the Mansion. "Where's the rest of the family, sweet boy?" she asked him, bending down to scratch his ears after she had put down her satchel. Olaf rubbed her hand and looked at her before he started walking towards the downstairs family room. Anna chuckled at his obvious understanding of her question, and she followed him, pausing in the doorway when her two favorite people in the world came into view.
Ariel, who at six months was sitting up on her own with only a few wobbles, was sitting on the rug, while Elsa was lying on her stomach on the rug in front of the baby. Ariel giggled and reached for her Mama's face, and Elsa kissed the cold little hands that were shooting out little jets of snowflakes in their happiness. That made Ariel giggle even harder, and the snowflakes came faster, practically coating Elsa's cheeks with snowy powder. Elsa laughed in return and brought up her finger to Ariel's nose, placing her own streak of snow on the infant's nose. The giggles stopped momentarily, but then returned full force, and Elsa couldn't help but laugh along. She swept Ariel up off the rug and turned over in the same motion, placing the infant on her stomach as she settled down on her back. The movement made her catch sight of the figure in the doorway, so Elsa sat up and turned Ariel, who squealed in delight at seeing who was there.
Anna's hard day was beginning to be forgotten when she saw their play, and it was almost completely forgotten when Ariel squealed in happiness at seeing her. She walked over to the rug and sat down, reaching for Ariel who willing reached out for her in return. Sighing in happiness, Anna snuggled her daughter, and the baby laughed, causing Anna to unwind even further. On the other side of the rug, Elsa looked on with careful interest. She had lived with Anna far too long not to notice her Intended's melancholy and stress, but the icy woman, as per her habit, said nothing. Instead, she leaned over and gave Anna a long welcome home kiss, smiling to herself as she felt her Apprentice relax even more.
Anna drew away from Elsa before reaching down to give Ariel a kiss on the top of her head, smiling at the wispy white-blond hairs that were emerging. She looked around for the one family member missing, and she smirked when she saw Marshmallow snoozing quietly on the couch. The instant they were out of the house, the Canadian lynx was instantly on alert; in the house, however, he trusted Elsa and Kevin to keep everyone safe, and his lazy instincts took over. Looking into Ariel's aquamarine eyes that were so like her own, Anna smiled again, so very grateful to be home. Elsa decided now might be a good time to ask what was wrong. "Did something happen today, Apprentice?" she asked gently. "You don't seem quite like yourself."
Anna stilled for a moment, but then shook her head. "Yes, something happened today," she answered truthfully before continuing, "but I don't want to talk about it."
Elsa's eyebrow rose. Anna always wanted to talk about everything, so her answer was troubling to Elsa, because she knew the day must have been troubling for Anna. "Okay," she said slowly. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.
"No," Anna said shortly, again causing Elsa concern with her uncharacteristic attitude and answer. Seeing Elsa's brief look of hurt and her worried frown, Anna immediately felt bad. Elsa was only trying to help, and she didn't deserve Anna's ire. "Actually, you can help me," Anna decided, changing course. "Tell me all about your day and the trouble that the two of you got up to."
Elsa knew that Anna was deflecting, but she also knew that Anna truly enjoyed hearing about her family's day. "Well, after you left this morning, we had a bath that turned into a water-slapping party. Marshmallow wasn't a fan, considering he got a wave right in the face," Elsa recounted, causing Anna to laugh.
"I bet he wasn't," she giggled, and Elsa was heartened by the giggle.
"Then, we both got dressed and went to Militia Command so that we could see Grandpa and Grandpapa and all of the other Colonels," Elsa continued. "Someone, but I won't name names, was babynapped by Grandpa Colonel Sebastian, and I didn't get her back until the meeting was over."
"That sounds like Daddy," Anna said affectionately, feeling blessed once again that Elsa had found Sebastian and convinced him to become part of their world.
"Well, Papa isn't much better," Elsa retorted. "I barely had her back before he and Mama stole her again, claiming I needed to focus on my meeting with the President."
"How was Belle?" Anna asked interestedly. "Did she like your blueprints for the new Capitol?"
"She is doing well, and yes, she did," Elsa confirmed. "She liked them so much that I am getting the title of 'National Architect' to go with my 'General of Arendelle's Militia' one."
"Well, if I have to be Governor of Arendelle and Senator from Arendelle, you can have a national role, too," Anna declared with a smile.
Elsa sighed exasperatedly. "That's exactly what Belle said," she groused.
Anna laughed. "You know you were never going to get out of being a part of everything," she teased.
"Yeah, I know," Elsa said resignedly. "But anyway, when that was done, I reclaimed my daughter back from the kidnappers who were spoiling her rotten and we came home. We prepped some dinner that I will soon be putting in the oven, and then we decided to have some lunch. And that's when I found out that Ariel won't drink the new formula Franny recommended. She only likes your breast milk," Elsa said.
"But her powers are making her need more nourishment than I can give," Anna pointed out, suddenly worried.
"Which is a concern," Elsa allowed. "But both Mal and Franny are working on the problem, and she'll be starting solid food very soon. We can supplement her diet with that. In any case, she is still growing, and according to Franny she is very healthy, so she will be ok."
"But feeding her is the only thing I do for our family, and now I can't even do that properly!" Anna snapped, as her memories of the day and her own shortcomings came flooding back in an instant.
"The only thing you do?" Elsa echoed perplexedly, worried at the sudden shift in Anna's mood. "You are the heart of this family, Anna. Without you there is no family."
"Bullshit," Anna said succinctly, and Elsa's eyes widened. Anna rarely swore, and she had never sworn in front of Ariel. "Our baby looks like you, and she has your powers. You are the one who stays at home and takes care of her. You are the one who makes sure that we have clean clothes, that we have delicious food to eat and that we make time for our family and friends. I spend all of my time trying to help a world that is full of ungrateful assholes who don't deserve it. If I wasn't lactating, I would be completely superfluous, and now I can't even do that right."
After Anna's declaration, Elsa stood and looked down at Anna critically, and as Anna watched, the mask that Anna had only seen a few times since their days of being Master and Apprentice slid down into place. Elsa was gone, and the cold Master Architect from long ago had taken her place. "I see," Elsa said emotionlessly, before she turned and left the room.
Surprised at Elsa's reactions to her outburst, Anna scrambled off the rug as carefully as she could with Ariel in her arms. "Elsa, wait!" she called, but a few seconds later, the front door slammed. Now feeling worse than before, Anna sank back down onto the rug, cradling Ariel. Tears started flowing down Anna's cheeks, and Ariel, her infant curiosity piqued, reached up to touch. When her little fingers felt wetness, her powers responded and soon Anna could feel tiny ice drops on her face.
The feel of those specks of ice and the power they represented brought Anna back to herself, and she opened her eyes to see aquamarine ones staring back at her with infant thoughtfulness and concern. "My sweet, beautiful, Extraordinary little girl," she whispered, kissing Ariel on the forehead. "If I can make this world better for you, then everything that I have to put up with will all be worth it," she decided, smiling at her baby who automatically smiled back. Ariel might have taken after Elsa in many, many ways, but her sunny nature and her ready smile were Anna through and through. "How I love you, my baby girl," Anna murmured, gently squeezing the tiny body in her arms. She laid back, taking Ariel with her, and they lay there peacefully until Ariel started nuzzling Anna in a very telltale way. "Are you hungry, sweet girl?" Anna asked rhetorically, and Ariel grabbed her breast in response. "You are definitely Mama's girl," Anna said wryly as she got up off the rug and settled them both into the family room's rocking chair.
Anna undid her blouse and bra, freeing her breast for Ariel's use. Ariel found it immediately and latched on, causing Anna to smile. "Yes, I know you and Mama were playing, Ari. That always makes you hungry. Auntie Franny said solids were okay, so when we get those started, maybe we can stay ahead of you and your bottomless appetite," Anna murmured, stroking the soft cheek right under her fingertips. Ariel nursed until she was full, and the combination of food and play caught up with her. She fell asleep, and Anna carefully held her with one arm as she closed her bra and blouse with the other. She brought Ariel up to shoulder, and the baby sighed in contentment as Anna rocked her gently.
They stayed in their peaceful haze together until Anna heard the front door open and close. "Elsa?" Anna called out hopefully but quietly in deference to the sleeping baby. Her hope was answered not by a reply, but by the largest bunch of tulips that Anna had ever seen entering the room, followed closely by Elsa herself.
Elsa knelt down beside Anna and Ariel in the chair, placing the huge bouquet of Anna's favorite flowers in Anna's lap. "I realized as soon as I was gone that it was idiotic of me to leave you when you were so upset," Elsa confessed ashamedly. "But I was so angry that someone could do something that made you think so little of yourself and your worth to our family that I had to do something. I had to make them pay."
Anna looked from her flowers to Elsa in sudden alarm. "Elsa, you didn't," she said in trepidation.
"I was going to," Elsa admitted. "Especially when I tracked down Kronk and he told me about the bigoted asshole who was trying to introduce an Extraordinary registry to 'keep track of those dangerous deviants'. That bigot had to know one of those will never be welcome here in Arendelle. He was just trying to bait you and spread his despicable ideas." Elsa took a breath to calm herself before she looked at Anna. An affectionate, proud smile crossed her face, and she reached up to give Anna a kiss. "But Kronk described how you were magnificent," Elsa whispered against Anna's cheek. "You shut the bigot down instantly in such a decisive way that the whole of the legislative chamber was cheering for you."
"They shouldn't have been cheering," Anna said with a sad shake of her head. "One of the most important things we fought for was free speech, and even though it felt good to put that guy in his place, I stomped all over those rights that we fought so hard for. Even though what he was saying was vile, I should have let him speak. So not only did I have to confront someone who goes against everything I believe in, I also sacrificed one of my most precious values when I did it."
With that statement, Anna's mood and her earlier statements made perfect sense to Elsa. Anna tried so hard to see everyone's side that when she couldn't, she blamed herself and thought she had failed as a leader. "No, you didn't," Elsa said immediately, holding up her hand to forestall the protest she could see was coming from Anna. "Did you prevent him from taking the podium at the chamber?" Elsa asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"No," Anna admitted.
"Even when he began to speak, did you stop him?" Elsa persisted.
"No," Anna answered. "He said all of his hateful things, and then I told him off."
Elsa cracked a brief smile at the terminology before sobering and continuing on with her argument. "Then you did not abridge his right to free speech," she concluded. "Free speech doesn't mean speech without consequences. It means you can say what you want to say, and no one can stop you from saying it. If someone takes exception to what you say, then that is their right, and there might be consequences. In most places in the Republic, saying what this bigot said will come with consequences. Besides that, the bigot not only said hateful things, which is his right, but he wanted to put them into action. That's where freedom of speech ends, because it has gone from being speech to being discrimination, which tramples on my rights, on Ariel's rights, on practically-everyone-we-know's rights. You did nothing wrong, my love; you were a diplomatic and gracious leader who put an asshole firmly in his place while maintaining your dignity. Not many people could do that. I certainly couldn't. I would have frozen him to the spot."
Anna studied Elsa, and both her words and the resolute look on her love's face finally convinced Anna that she couldn't be faulted for how she had acted in the Legislative chamber that afternoon. She still wasn't sure she should be congratulated for it as the People and Elsa seemed to think, but she had acted appropriately. Anna gave a small sigh of relief before Elsa's last words came back to her. "Thank you so much for being here and making me see reason," she began, and Elsa smiled. "But," Anna continued. "You really didn't freeze him solid, did you?"
"I was very, very close," Elsa admitted, "but no. That kind of behavior would only strengthen his bigoted argument."
"Then why were you gone so long?" Anna asked curiously.
"I needed to get the flowers?" Elsa offered, obviously hedging.
Anna looked at her skeptically. "What have you done?" she demanded flatly.
"Nothing bad," Elsa promised. "But I think you should give Ariel to me and then put on a coat. There is a surprise waiting for you two outside, and it's cold out there."
"I need a coat, but my six-month old infant doesn't?" Anna challenged playfully, giving the slumbering baby to Elsa before getting out of the rocking chair.
"We could put a coat on her, but it would wake her up and she doesn't need it," Elsa shrugged.
"Yet another thing she gets from you," Anna teased, buttoning up her coat.
"She gets all her best parts from you," Elsa countered affectionately.
"Quit being utterly charming and show me my surprise," Anna ordered with mock sternness.
"Of course, my lady," Elsa replied, opening up the front door to the Governor's Mansion to reveal her transformation of the front lawn.
Anna gasped as she took in the sight of a full-sized carousel and nearly full-sized Ferris wheel that was made completely out of clear, glittering ice. In order to make the rides sparkle, Elsa had gotten out every last Solstice light string they owned, and with Kevin's help, she had strung them through and over both rides. The effect was a dazzling display of dancing light and shimmering ice that left Anna breathless, especially when Elsa gestured with her hands and the rides started to move. At seeing this motion, Kevin perked up immediately and performed the important job that Elsa had tasked her with, namely connecting the cable that powered the sound system. Traditional carousel music began to play from the speakers Elsa and Kevin had hidden all over the yard, and with that last addition, Elsa's surprise was complete.
"This is amazing, Elsa," Anna breathed, looking up in awe.
"No more amazing than you are, my love," Elsa answered, giving her a kiss. "And I figured that I could cheer you up and show that bigot the true power of an Extraordinary at the same time."
"Always the multitasker," Anna joked before she grabbed Elsa's free hand. "Join me on the carousel?" she cajoled impishly.
"Nothing would make me happier," Elsa replied. A wave of her hand caused the carousel to stop, and she and Anna got on to adjoining horses. Another wave of her hand got it going again, and the up and down motion coupled with the music eventually woke Ariel up. She blinked a few times and looked curiously at her Mama before realizing she enjoyed this strange new sensation. Ariel smiled widely, and Elsa and Anna smiled back, enjoying the ride and the time with their family.
After a couple of minutes, Anna decided she wanted to try the Ferris wheel, so Elsa stopped the carousel and her family got off. When they did, they were suddenly surrounded by most of the neighborhood's children who had been coaxed into the yard pied-piper style by the sparkling rides and the music. "Well, hello, everybody," Anna said cheerfully.
"Hello, Ms. Anna," most of them chimed back, including the little Extraordinary boy Max who had become Sebastian's adopted son.
The way most of the little sets of eyes were straying to the rides made it fairly easy to figure out why they were there. Anna smiled, and after a moment's thought, made a quick, easy decision. "I'm thinking that everyone here wants to help me enjoy the rides Ms. Elsa made?" she asked, and all the small heads bobbed up and down. "Well, I think that sounds great, but first, everyone should go home and get a nice, thick coat on so they can play on the ice and snow. And, at the same time, everyone needs to get their mommy or daddy or guardian's permission to be here, ok?" she requested.
The whole group of faces lit up as they all nodded yes and scattered back to their houses. Elsa arched an eyebrow. "That was a lot of kids, and we only have two rides," she pointed out.
"Then I guess you might want to add a skating rink or some other frivolity, Ms. Ice Queen," Anna retorted playfully.
"See what I have to put up with, Ari?" Elsa asked her baby with mock exasperation. "I give your Mommy some fun, and now I have to make more fun. I can't believe the things have I do." Ariel wasn't buying Elsa's protests, though, because the infant laughed outright. "Fine, I see how it is," Elsa pouted, handing her giggling child to her other mother before raising her hands and adding a sledding hill, a snow fort and an ice rink to the other rides.
It wasn't long before the now warmly-dressed children came back, but when they did so, they seemed to bring the whole of Arendelle back with them. Anna had expected their parents and guardians to come back with the children; it was one of the reasons she had sent them home. But, she wasn't expecting all of other townsfolk who came, including Kronk and Mama Synni and Daddy Alfred. Anna worried briefly about the number of people, but then Max and Sebastian were gently tugging on her hand so she and Ariel could join them on the Ferris wheel, and she forgot about everything but having fun.
The impromptu carnival lasted for a few hours more, and as people cycled in and out, food and drinks magically appeared. Kronk disappeared only to rematerialize with dozens of his famous spinach puffs; Elsa disappeared into the house and came back with enough coffee and hot chocolate to float a ship; and Gerda, one of the best bakers in town, left and came back with what seemed to be the entirety of her pastry shop, to name a few occurrences. The whole town played, laughed, ate and drank, and more than a few people came up to Anna to thank her for how she had handled the man in the Legislature. With each pastry, cup of hot chocolate and sincere offer of thanks, Anna's self-doubt about how she had handled things faded, and by the time everyone had finally left their yard, she was happy and at peace.
"Thank you for tonight," she told Elsa simply, kissing her Intended deeply as Elsa unplugged the lights and music.
Elsa smiled at Anna's obvious happiness when Anna let her go. "You are always very welcome, my love," she said sincerely. "It wasn't quite the intimate family fun I had envisioned, but it all went well."
"It went perfect," Anna agreed. Elsa smiled and opened the door, cradling the deeply-asleep Ariel in one arm. Anna gave Kevin a goodnight kiss before they all went in, and a few minutes later saw Ariel in her crib and Anna and Elsa in their bedroom.
As Elsa undressed, Anna laid back on the bed and studied her, her mind suddenly racing with thoughts about how much she loved her Extraordinary beauty. Anna thought about how much Elsa loved her, about the family Elsa had given her, and about how hard Elsa worked to make sure that their family was happy. She also thought about times like tonight, where Elsa had pulled off the near-impossible just to make Anna feel happy. Suddenly overcome with a surge of emotion, Anna vaulted from the bed and captured Elsa in her arms, removing the last few remaining items of clothing from Elsa's body before wresting them both down to the bed.
"Anna, what?" Elsa questioned.
"Do you know how much I love you?" Anna asked breathlessly, kissing Elsa's bare neck and shoulders.
"Of course," Elsa responded easily, even though she was still a bit puzzled about the sudden change in mood.
"See I don't think you do," Anna disagreed, still kissing. "I don't think that you know how much I love you. I don't think you know how grateful I am for our family and how hard you work for us, in spite of all of the other things you have to do. I don't think you really, truly know what it means to me when you do things like you did tonight. So now I am going to show you," Anna concluded decisively.
Before Elsa could comment, Anna enveloped her, and with a fierce determination, the redhead sought to prove her love to Elsa in every way that she could. There was no part of Elsa's body left untouched, no peak of ecstasy unachieved, not even a part of Elsa's mind that was left to ponder anything but Anna and their love. By the time Anna was finally satisfied that she had shown Elsa all that she was feeling, Elsa was completely spent, and there was little she could do but curl up into Anna's arms and go to sleep. Anna held her contentedly, kissing the white-blond head as she let the joy of their love wash over her. In this love, Anna felt connected with Elsa in a way she hadn't for a very long time, and she let the peace of this connection coax her into slumber.
Two Months Later, Evening Broadcast of The Republic News-Hour
"Our opening story tonight starts with the breaking, potentially-historic news that has been gripping the Republic all day," the broadcaster informed her audience. "After two months of rumors coming out of Arendelle, Anna Schrader, national hero and governor of Arendelle, was finally and conclusively photographed with a prominent white stripe in her red hair. Her previous stripe had faded after the birth of her and the Ice Queen's daughter, but the emergence of the new stripe begs the hypothesis that she and the Ice Queen are expecting once again. This would be first second pregnancy for any Citizen in centuries, and the historical significance of such a pregnancy cannot be overstated. We are still waiting for confirmation from the Governor's office about these rumors, but we, and the nation, are hopeful and will report back as soon as we find out anything."