A sleepy winter had settled over Arendelle for the past few months. Smoke gently rose from a thousand chimneys, floating gently over the tall, peaked roofs. The fireplaces would be burning high into the night during the cold nights ahead. All was white and still, quiet and serene. The moon sat high above the fjord that contained the city, the palace and the surrounding hills.
Elsa liked winter; she supposed it was only natural. She liked it even more when it wasn't her fault, though.
'Pretty.' Anna chirped from beside her.
The two were stood side-by-side on one of the hills overlooking the city.
'It is.' She smiled at her younger sister.
She was playing with one of her pigtails, idly. Elsa couldn't help but note she was wearing the outfit she'd worn when she scaled the North Mountain to find her, two years ago. She felt that it was no accident, so to mark the occasion on her end she'd conjured up the same ice-dress.
Anna glanced at her older sister, furtively. She cut a stunning figure against the silver light of the stars behind her, almost glowing on the unbroken white snow around them.
She was beautiful, the stray thought flying in before she realised it was there. A shiver ran up her spine, though whether because of the cold or her own feelings, she wasn't sure.
It was very cold though.
'Chilly?' Elsa offered a hand. Anna reached out, taking the hand, enjoying the feeling as her sister gave hers a gentle squeeze.
Another thought came to her. She narrowed her eyes at her sister, in scrutiny. She knew Elsa never felt the cold. Her hand was pretty cold though, what if…
The more she considered it, the more her curiousity grew. It was a stupid idea, undoubtedly, but she couldn't put it from her mind now.
'Elsa…' She began.
Elsa instantly grew suspicious at her younger sister's innocent tone.
'…yes?' She replied, hesitantly.
'Can you make it snow?'
Her older sister turned to her, looking both perplexed and concerned.
'You're already pretty cold, Anna, I don't want to risk making you ill or something.'
'Oh go on, please?' She fluttered her eyelashes.
Elsa felt her resolve cave in almost instantly. She knew it was rare that she could ever deny her sister anything.
'Okay.'
She let go of Anna's hand, clasping them in front of her and shut her eyes.
Instantly, the temperature dropped. A gentle snowfall started around them, soft, white flakes gliding down.
Anna stared fixedly at her sister's left arm.
This was an insane idea, what was she thinking? She sighed, quietly. She wasn't thinking, was the answer to that, but she had to know now. She had to.
She leaned forward slowly, quietly, so as to not disturb her sister's focus.
Elsa's skin had to be freezing by now.
Anna squeezed shut her eyes, trying to ignore what she was about to do.
She stuck out her tongue and pressed it against Elsa's arm.
Everything stopped.
She opened her eyes, hesitantly. Literally, everything had stopped. The snow was actually hanging in mid-air, still.
Elsa blinked. She blinked again. She couldn't bring herself to turn accept what Anna had just done.
'…um…' Anna squeaked.
She felt it, pressed softly against the back of her arm. Her skin tingled, she felt the blush explode on her cheeks. Her mouth hung open, quivering every now and then as she tried to think of something to say. Anything.
Anna felt extremely…strange. She was blushing furiously. Which was only right really, she thought as she made to pull back, she'd just licked her sister's arm to find out…
She felt her heart both ready to leap out her mouth and shoot down to her feet as the realisation hit her.
Her tongue was stuck.
She was utterly humiliated.
'…ah'm thtuck…' She whined, weakly.
'…I realise that, Anna.' Elsa managed, finding her voice.
'Ah'm thorry.' She squeaked.
'…that's alright.' Elsa exhaled, oddly at peace with all this.
This was Anna after all, it was this sort of thing that made Anna quintessentially…Anna. It was this sort of thing she loved her for, in a strange, unfathomable sort of way.
'Ah wath cururthhh…' She moaned.
So her sister had tricked her into making it colder so she could test a zany theory about her skin being like licking an icy pole. She sighed, unable to refrain from smiling.
'Aren't you always, snowflake?' She chuckled.
'Thtop lathhing Elthha, do thomthing!' Anna squealed.
Elsa shut her eyes. The snow around them fell, the few clouds above dispersed. The temperature, along with her skin, warmed a little. Anna felt her tongue slip free.
She instantly jumped backwards, clamping her hands to her mouth, mumbling incoherent apologies.
Elsa turned to regard her blushing sister with a smile. She took Anna's hands in her own, silencing her ramblings.
'Come here, little snowflake.' She wrapped her arms around the shivering girl, pulling her into a hug.
'I'm really sorry!' Anna blurted again.
Elsa only smiled.
'Silly sister.' She grinned, gently kissing the top of the Anna's forehead. 'I thought you'd have learned by now not to lick the ice.'