Disclaimer: Macdutton does not own Frozen or RWBY. They belong to Disney and Rooster Teeth respectively. Thanks to FrickFractals on Tumblr for the idea and outline.
"ANNA!" I screamed, reaching out futilely, trying to catch the young redhead I loved so dearly. As if obeying my wishes, power reached out with me, racing towards her.
Horrified, I saw that my semblance was not in the form of snow for once. It was ice. Sharp, dangerous ice.
I knelt where she had fallen, hot tears stinging my face. "I got you Anna. It'll be okay. Anna…"
I shifted uneasily, rousing myself from the nightmare before untangling myself from the covers. There wasn't a night went by that I wasn't forced to relive that memory. Striding over to the mirror, I looked at myself. Little had changed since the previous day. Same dark circles under icy blue eyes, the same pale skin and short alabaster hair, mussed from sleep. The same danger staring back at me, just as it did every time I glimpsed my reflection.
Moving slowly, exhausted even if I had just woken up, I showered and dressed, revelling in the feel of the cold shower. Once ready, I began to exercise. It had taken me a while to figure it out, but I understood that I felt better, both physically and mentally, if I got a decent amount of exercise every day.
Going through general fitness exercises, I had just reached press ups when a knock came at my door. Freezing, I waited. Would it be my parents? Or was Anna here again? My insides crawled, knotting at the thought of my sister. How could I face her? How would I ever be able to face her?
"Elsa, honey? Are you up?" I sighed in relief. My mother.
"Yes mum," I called, standing up before I moved to unlock the door.
Once I opened it, she and my father slipped quickly inside and closed the door behind them. Glancing between themselves, the seemed to decide on something. It was as though they were steeling themselves.
"Elsa," my mother began. "This isn't healthy. This… isolation."
I stared at her. I knew I shouldn't, my gaze tended to make people uncomfortable. Tired, hollow eyes surrounded by dark, shiny bags did not make for the most settling thing to be focussed on you. "What other options do I have?" I asked her. Because, really, what else could I do?
"Well…" My father trailed off, seemingly unsure of how to continue. I looked to him, knowing that the pleading was visible in my eyes, no matter how hard I tried to suppress it. It was better not to feel but… I'm only human.
"Elsa, we've approached an academy and-" His words faded, my mind elsewhere, racing at a hundred miles a second. An academy? As in, the places like Beacon where Hunters trained? As in the places where having insanely dangerous powers was actually a good thing?
I slowly came back to the world around me, realising it was snowing. Damn. Oh, Dad was still talking. "-Signal."
I forced myself to speak. "S-sorry, what? I… zoned out." He sighed.
"Honey, Signal Academy have said they'll accept you onto their two year Hunter crash-course. It starts next week, so you'll need to decide today." He said it gently, waiting until he finished to brush the snow from his shoulders.
I considered. I actually thought about it, weighing the pros and cons for all of about three seconds before I gave my answer. The only answer I had any right to give.
"Yes."
You'll be okay Anna. I won't be a danger to you ever again. I'm leaving.
A week later, I found myself stood just inside the door, my bag weighing down my body. My mind was barely supporting the weight of the past and future. All the pain of history, all the pain that could come.
"It's okay Elsa," my mother said quietly from behind me. "You'll be fine." I turned my head to look at her, somewhat happy that I'd taken the time to put makeup on this morning. It would never cease to amaze me how much better I felt when my sleep issues were less visible. People didn't flinch when they saw my face…
"I know. Goodbye." I walked forwards, out of the house and into the snow. It was unseasonal, almost a month before the snows normally came, but it eased my mind a little. I'd always loved the snow. Soft flakes of such incredible complexity and intricacy.
Rapidly, the snow became heavier until I walked in the midst of a blizzard. The suffocating airborne ice shrouded the streets in driving curtains of blinding white, reducing visibility to almost nothing, yet still I walked. Others would struggle, blinded by the flurries, frozen by frigid air. That was what happened to normal people.
I sighed, quickening my pace. I might not be bothered by cold, but if I didn't hurry I would be late.
Pushing open the main doors of Signal Academy I sighed, feeling the wall of heat wash over me, leaving an unpleasant, prickly feeling. The cold was nice while it lasted, but nothing that good can last for very long.
Moving to the reception desk, I announced my name and purpose, then waited. Apparently I would be paired with another new student, some kind of young prodigy.
A surprisingly short time later, I heard the rapid patter of footsteps approaching. Looking up, I beheld a young girl approaching. She looked about thirteen, maybe fourteen. Hell, she was younger than Anna!
Before she had even reached me she was talking loudly and happily. "Hi! I'm Ruby, it's so cool that we're going to be training together, I can't even wait to start, I was so amazed I got onto this programme, 'cos, you know, I'm really young, but I'm really good and-" she paused for breath. I was impressed. Rambling for that long, at that volume with a single breath? That was one hell of a pair of lungs. "-and I know you're going to be amazing as well, because you're like, really pretty and your hair is white and it's SO COOL, I mean, not cold, more like awesome and…" she trailed off, looking embarrassed.
I simply stood for a few seconds. She was so much like Anna. I shook myself mentally. She wasn't Anna. I hadn't hurt her yet, and I wouldn't. But she still wasn't Anna…
I forced a smile onto my face. "Hi Ruby. I'm Elsa. And I'm looking forward to training with you as well." The smile I got in return was so bright and happy, I was a little stunned. Had I forgotten that much about emotions?
A/N: Right! Okay, that's the first chapter, hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews are greatly appreciated and will be hoarded lovingly. I hope I got across that Ruby is basically a squirrel with ADHD on speed. And you haven't even seen her on sugar yet…
Yeah, I imagine that I'll be making Elsa quite the damaged character. Depression, insomnia, auto-mutilation and various other issues are on her horizon, so if these upset you, you may not want to read further.
I hope you don't mind that it's written in first person. I just find that I enjoy writing from Elsa's point of view. If you notice issues with the story, continuity, grammar, spelling etc, give me a bell. I'm tired as hell so this has probably got more than a few. Anyway, if you've got this far, go grab yourself a cup of tea, pat yourself on the back and read something better. I recommend Naruto Genkyouien by Daneel Rush, or Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Less Wrong. And Arendelle's School for Boys and Girls by frostbittenDesire, because it's awesome if you need a Frozen/Elsanna fix that isn't painfully depressing.
Anyway, that's it, I'm out.
