Elsa sat in her study, slaving away over yet another royal decree. She was surrounded in a sea of books, ranging on topics such as stories on history to the mysteries of science. The day was warm and bright, and she could faintly hear the sound of Anna laughing outside. Elsa didn't have time to relax, however. She wouldn't allow herself. She had to stop herself from gazing longingly out the window, where the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the sea was sparkling, taunting her.
Elsa almost leaned forward to open the window, but stopped herself, clutching the arms of her chair tightly. No, doing that would only make things worst, and distract her more. She needed to stay focused. She just had so much to do. There were laws to pass, galas to plan, dukes to meet, civil suits to settle, and ceremonies to preform. Elsa didn't have time to enjoy the summer day, no matter how perfect it looked.
Elsa had been up here all morning, she hadn't even stopped to have breakfast. She stared down at the page again, but all the words seemed to blur together, causing her brain to ache terribly. She stared at it longer, but it was no use. It suddenly seemed like every word was in a whole other language that she had never heard of. Her hand was shaking from writing so much, and the ink from her now frost-covered quill was dripping sloppily on the page she had been writing.
With a growl of frustration, Elsa pushed everything off the desk, a flurry of snowflakes bursting from her hands in the process. She could hear the sound of the ink bottle shattering, leaving a mess all over the carpet no doubt, but for once she didn't care. With a sigh of defeat, she folded her arms across her desk and lowered her head.
She hadn't heard anyone come up from behind her, but a few moments later, there was the unmistakable feeling of a hand coming to rest on her shoulder. She jolted up, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw it was Hans. He had a concerned frown on his face, and Elsa suddenly found herself feeling very nervous, not to mention ashamed. "Is everything alright, your highness?" He asked.
Elsa blushed, promptly bending down to pick up the mess she had made. "Yes, of course." She said as calmly as she could. She couldn't believe he had seen her in such a vulnerable and nasty state. "I was just….working."
"That's not what it looked like to me." Hans said, smiling slightly as he bent down to help her.
Elsa blushed and said nothing. She finished collecting her things and stood up at the same time that Hans did, which caused them to stumble into each other awkwardly and mumble incoherent apologies. Elsa felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach as she realized that they were now standing very close. There were only a few books separating them as she looked up, eyeing him cautiously. He was looking at her as well, a warm smile on his face. Elsa suddenly had the sudden sensation to flee, but she didn't know exactly why.
"Anna told me you would be here." Hans said, placing the items back on the desk. "She'd said you'd been up here for hours."
Elsa straightened up. Of course Anna had. "I've just been preoccupied." She said stiffly.
"Aren't you tired?" Hans asked, staring at her in disbelief.
Elsa turned away from him, biting her lip. Yes. "No."
Hans brushed a hand across her cheek softly, causing chills to run down Elsa's spine. "You deserve a break." He said.
Elsa suddenly found it hard to speak. "No, I don't." To be truthful, she had been keeping an eye on Hans for some time now, but she never knew why or what to even do about it. Now things were even worse as she could hardly manage to look him straight on, let alone carry on a conversation with him.
They were silent for a moment, averting their eyes from each other as they listened to the soft sound of the waves hitting the rocks of the fjord. Hans looked like he was thinking something over, his brow was concentrated in a determined frown and he kept scanning her up and down, almost as if he wanted to ask her something. Elsa opened her mouth to question him when Hans suddenly grabbed both of her hands in his. Elsa jumped, startled by his boldness.
"Come with me." He said, a hopeful glint in his eye.
Elsa frowned. "I can't! I have to-"
"Please?" Hans pleaded, sticking out his lower lip slightly.
Elsa blushed again as she felt herself crumble inside. What was he doing to have this affect on her? "Ten minutes." She said coldly. "That's it."
Hans beamed. "That's all that I need."
The wind was blowing faster and stronger as the pair climbed the hills of the fjord, still hand-in-hand. "Careful." Hans said, guiding her away from some unstable rocks.
Elsa felt so light-headed and anxious, and her heart was pounding with excitement. "Where are you taking me?" She asked.
"You'll see." Hans replied, turning to grin at her.
Elsa rolled her eyes, slightly perturbed by his secrecy, but she still smiled all the same.
They ascended further until Hans turned to stand in front of her, blocking her path. "Alright, we're almost there, but I need you to close your eyes." He said.
Elsa raised an eyebrow coyly. "Why?"
Hans sighed. "Because I'm trying to surprise you."
Elsa felt her heart skip a beat. "Well, if you insist," she complied.
She felt his arm link with hers as he guided them, moving at a cautious but steady pace. Finally they came to a halt. "Alright," Hans said. "Open your eyes."
Elsa took a deep breath and did so. What she saw wasn't unexpected, but still amazing it it's own sense. She felt her jaw drop open slightly as she took in the sight before her. They were standing on one of the highest peaks of the mountainside, the sun glistened on the horizon, and beyond it hills and valleys stretched for miles. Arendelle looked so small below, with all it's ant-sized residents and buildings. The clouds drifted slowly by, taking all sorts of whimsical and fluffy shapes. The air felt so crisp and clean up here, and when she looked down, she saw the grass was blanketed in a layer of wildflowers. From up here, she felt like she was on top of world.
"It's beautiful!" She breathed, an involuntary smile spreading across her face. She turned to Hans, who was watching her with an amused smile on his face. "How did you find this place?"
Hans shrugged, moving to sit near the edge of the ridge. "I got bored."
Elsa laughed despite herself, going over to sit beside him. They were silent for a moment as they took in the view, enjoying the feel of the warm summer breeze. "Well, it's beautiful." Elsa mused, clearing her throat.
"So are you." Hans said softly, blushing. He then turned behind him and plucked one of the flowers out of the ground and handed it to her, a shy smile on his face.
Elsa felt her cheeks grow warm and she fought back the urge to….well, she didn't know exactly what. She tried to think of something to say, but was too flustered to think properly. Instead, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, surprising both him and herself. "Thank you," She murmured. She took the flower and tucked it in between a lock of her hair, not really minding how improper it might look.
Hans' face turned even redder as he smiled, looking very giddy.
The pair sat side-by-side, blushing profusely as they both tried to think of things to say to each other. Elsa usually knew how to handle every situation, but for once, she didn't have a plan. She didn't know how to act around someone who made her feel this way-whatever "this way" was. So instead, she told herself, she'd just go with it. For once she wan't going to think about every little last thing she had to do, every step she had to make, every event she had to plan. She was just going to take these few precious moments, and savor them.
She shut her eyes and sighed, smiling as she felt Hans' hand come to rest on hers. She laced her fingers with his, loving the way their hands fit together. She didn't know where this fuzzy feeling was coming from, the one that spread through her body like wildfire, from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair, the one that made her want to laugh and jump and squeal, the one that Anna got a bit too often. But whatever it may be, she wasn't going to lie.
She didn't mind it.