*Authors Note* I do not own Disney or any character of! Wish...but...yeah...no.
Sorry for the re-post, I made some corrections to my first three chapters but, hey, I also posted chapters four and five. Life has gotten in the way and sucked up inspiration so I'm finally trying to get back on track now that I have a more regular work schedule! I hope you enjoy!
Chapter One
"Elsa?" a soft voice came from behind the Queen of Arendelle as she watched the fluttering sails of the Southern Isle's ship vanish from sight. She stood and watched it leave from the time the anchor was pulled from the depths of the fjord. She had to make sure that Hans and his treachery were finally gone.
"Elsa?" the soft voice said more firmly as a tender hand rested upon the Queen's shoulder. Elsa flinched, a sharp intake of breath sounded before slowly being released. She turned her icy blue eyes to meet with a pair of teal ones that stared worriedly at her.
"Hello, Anna." Elsa relaxed and spoke tenderly while a small smile graced her lips. "I thought you would be with Kristoff, inducting him into his new title." She held mild surprise in her voice, expecting whole-heartedly that the young princess would be with her new friend. So far, what she had seen and heard of Kristoff, she liked. 'If Anna chooses to marry him when the time comes, then I think I will give them my blessing,' she found herself thinking. A twinge of sadness pricked the back of her mind but she quickly shed the feeling as Anna spoke.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay first," Anna admitted while she moved in to wrap her arms around her elder sister's neck in a hug. Elsa stiffened, feeling Anna's arms slip around her and she almost pushed her away. Biting her lower lip, she pushed herself to embrace her sister in return. She couldn't help these stiff reactions and hesitations. She had been alone for so long, locked away from people, that this physical contact was new and intimidating.
"I'm alright. I just wanted to be sure he was gone for good," she spoke as she pulled from her sister's embrace and glanced back to the open waters to which the fjord led out. Satisfied with the disappearance of the ship she turned her attention back to her sister, the smile gracing her lips once again.
Anna nodded gently with a small smile. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean..." her voice trailed off and she looked to the ground quietly. She was unsure of whether or not to bring up the moments they had both endured with it being so fresh on their minds already. It was a moment she, herself, wanted to forget and never again dwell upon.
"Anna," Elsa spoke softly and caused her sister to look up at her and meet her own surprisingly warm gaze. "I'm alright," she repeated. "I assure you," she added and looked up to the castle that towered over the rest of Arendelle. "Our home and our people are free from Hans's influence. You especially." She looked to Anna once more. "He'll never hurt you again." She started to walk towards the castle, Anna quickly following in her wake.
"Or you, Elsa. I mean," she hesitated for a moment while absentmindedly winding a braid around her index finger. "He did just try to kill you." Her pace quickened so that she was now walking beside Elsa. Anna glanced at Elsa's face, trying to read her expression which, to her disappointment, was expressionless. The silence her sister held began to bother her and she stopped, catching Elsa's hand in her own. Another flinch came across Elsa's delicate features as she felt Anna's fingers enclose around her slender wrist. A sigh escaped the elder sister and she, too, halted and turned to look at Anna. "Elsa, please, talk to me. You're worrying me," she mumbled quietly.
Elsa's eyes fell to her wrist which was caught in Anna's left hand. Memories flooded her mind, taking her back to the Coronation Ceremony where the very same hand tore the glove from her and all of the chaos that had ensued after. Her fingers twitched uncomfortably and clenched into a fist. "Anna," she spoke in a whisper. "Don't worry about me. I'm perfectly fine." She eased her hand from Anna's grasp and interlinked her own fingers together, ringing her hands in a self-soothing gesture. She tried to allow a smile to ease on her features to at least comfort Anna.
"I can't help it, Elsa. You've been through so much I just can't not worry about you." She sighed in frustration. "But I guess I can't force it out of you either." Her eyes dropped back down to her feet which shuffled glumly in the dirt.
Elsa withheld a sigh, watching her sister's sad display. "Anna, I'm going to be okay. Please don't worry about me. Go see Kristoff and give him his gift and his new title." She spoke calmly as Anna raised her gaze back to her sister's. "You don't want him to think his help went unappreciated, do you?"
"No. No, I suppose not," she muttered gently, slowly letting the shadow of a smile twitch upon her lips. "He and Sven will be very happy with their new sleigh." The smile became full blown suddenly. "See you at dinner!" She broke away from Elsa, making her way excitedly to find Kristoff.
Elsa watched her sister disappear and she sighed, grasping her upper arm with her left hand and caressed it absentmindedly. She knew Anna meant well, really she did, but she didn't want to burden her with her fears and thoughts. She followed the path her sister had just taken and went within the castle's boundaries, nodding to the guards whom stood on either side of the great doors before continuing up the cobble path to the castle doors. A guard nodded to her and opened the door for her.
"Your Majesty." He spoke respectfully as she passed, bowing to her.
Elsa took a deep breath, walking through and into the foyer of the castle. She was back and this time she would not run away. She walked up the stairs leading in to the next floor, heading for her bed chamber. She rested her hand upon the silver door handle and allowed a sigh to pass her lips.
Elsa's eyes shifted to the door on her right that led into Anna's room just down the hall. She smiled, letting her mind wander to the past when she and Anna shared that bedroom. It had been thirteen years but the memory still warmed her. 'Life was great until The Incident,' she thought. This brought Elsa back to the night she was shut away into another bedroom and away from her sister.
Elsa sighed and turned the handle gently and slipped inside of her bedroom. She shut the door behind her and crossed to her bed where she rested upon the silken sheets. She was exhausted and knew that it would be better to rest now before dinner than try and rest over the week. She had much to catch up on and her duties as Queen of Arendelle would begin tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Anna had wandered the castle grounds to the stables where she knew Kristoff would be with Sven. Sure enough, there he was passing a carrot back and forth between the reindeer and himself. When he saw Anna approaching he stood, Sven snatching the rest of the carrot from his slackened grip.
"Kristoff!" She smiled, running towards him only to throw herself upon him in a hug. "Thanks again for everything you've done these past few days," she said gently, looking up at him.
Kristoff's face turned slightly red and he returned the hug, smiling. "Heh, no problem." He chuckled a bit and grinned stupidly at Anna. Suddenly her hand grabbed a hold of his and she gave a quick tug causing him to stumble but resist.
"Come on!" She tugged again trying to get Kristoff to follow. The second tug got him moving as he allowed the young princess to lead him through the courtyard and back out into the city. She took him down to the town's center and immediately slipped behind him and covered his eyes.
"What is it, Anna?" He asked, bewildered at her uncaged excitement and the sudden blackout as her hands remained clasped over his eyes.
"I, Anna, Princess of Arendelle with the help of Queen Elsa, hereby appoint you to-" she exclaimed, un-shielding his eyes, "Ice Master and Deliverer!" She grinned from ear to ear as a new model sleigh was revealed to the stunned mountain man. A medal baring an almost platinum snowflake in a steely silver backing was draped around a crimson bow topping the sled. The sled itself was a navy blue adorned with icy blues and whites. A snow flake was emblazoned on the very front of the sleigh. "It even has cup holders!" She giggled excitedly. "Do you like it?" She looked at her friend who still hadn't said or done anything but gawk at the gift. "Kristoff?" she asked, her smile faltering. Quickly Kristoff shook his head, bringing himself back to reality.
"It's fantastic, Anna!" He beamed brightly as he embraced her tightly. "Thank you so much but I can't accept this." He broke off the hug only to meet an aggressively shaking head.
"No returns by order of the Queen." She giggled girlishly and stretched. "You deserve it after everything you and Sven did for us. Besides, I owed you a sled after that hike up the Northern Mountain."
"Thank you again, Anna." He couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he approached the sled, studying every detail.
"I'll leave you to your new toy." Anna smiled. "I think after these last few days a nap is well deserved." Her words earned a smile from her friend and he turned back around to look at her.
"Bye Anna! Thanks again!" He spoke as he waved. He watched Anna disappear into the bustling city towards the castle. He gave a soft sigh before going back to taking in the details of his new sleigh.
Aminda, a handmaiden that waited on Anna, came bustling down the hall. She was several years the Princess's senior. She stopped at Anna's bedroom door and knocked two, three, four times. Getting no response she opened the door and slipped inside of the bedroom to find Her Highness sleeping.
"Princess Anna," she said timidly, approaching the side of the bed. When there was not even a twitch of movement she reached out and gently tapped the Princess's arm. "Princess Anna!" She said again only to receive a low groan while the ginger turned over and pulled the covers over her head. "Magni give me strength," she whispered as she continued to gently try and coax the princess awake.
Anna groaned and blinked her eyes open slowly. "Hmn? Oh, I'm sorry Aminda. It's just that I was having such a wonderful dream." She sat up and yawned, rubbing her fists against her eyes. Unruly copper hair had escaped her twin braids and stuck to her freckled face.
"Her Majesty requests that you come down for supper. She has held it off for as long as she could to wait for you to wake up on your own." Aminda spoke softly, a relieved smile on her face for completing part one of her task. She turned away from Anna briefly as she prepared a proper dinner outfit for her princess.
Anna glanced out the large window in her room to the starry sky. She jumped out of bed and slipped quickly behind the screen. "I didn't want to sleep until dusk! She's not mad is she?" Anna's voice was laced with worry.
"No, Princess. Queen Elsa was quite good-natured about it all." Aminda joined her as she assisted Anna out of her sleeping attire and into an emerald dress with gold trimming. Once the lace in the back of her dress was done she led Anna to the vanity where she sat her down and began to fix her hair. She put it into an up-do with a crown braid that encircled her head.
"There now, Princess Anna." She smiled as her work was done. "I will run ahead and let Her Majesty know you are on your way." She curtsied and left Anna's room, shutting the door politely behind her.
After a few moments of making sure she was definitely presentable for Elsa, Anna made her way down to the dining hall where dinner was being served. The smell of the fish and red meats hit her nose and she grinned brightly. Two guards opened the double doors leading into the dining hall for her and all eyes at the long oaken table shifted to Anna. Elsa was already seated at the head of the table, the seat to her right reserved for the princess whilst the other members of the Royal Council occupied the other chairs.
The council members stood as Anna approached the table. Elsa remained seated patiently in an elegant posture. "I'm glad you could join us, Anna." Elsa said with a small smile. Anna seated herself, nine chairs echoing her own. Marine, Elsa's personal handmaiden, pushed Anna's seat in for her before hurrying off to help with serving.
"I'm sorry, Els-Queen Elsa," she corrected herself and chuckled a little. "I was just going to sleep for a couple hours but I guess I was more tired than I thought." She sighed, meeting Elsa's gaze only to see her nod in understanding.
Once dinner was over and the maids began to clean up, Elsa excused herself from the table and headed back towards her room. She heard the now familiar rush of her sister hot on her tail which caused her to slow her brisk walk so Anna could easily catch up. "Running is very un-princess like," she teased to her sister who fell into an even pace beside her.
"Since when was I ever princess-like?" She looked at Elsa with a grin. "I know I've been given many titles but I don't think 'Princess' has been the highest standing one." She stretched a little and lightly bumped her hips against Elsa who stumbled, flinging her hand out to stop herself from toppling by catching the wall. Ice shot from her outspread fingertips and coated the wall in a gleaming frost. She flinched at what she did and jerked her hand away, trying again to regain her regal composure and allowing the ice to melt with a thought. Her jaw was set in a stern manner and her eyes wouldn't look at her sister.
'I lost control again,' she cried out in her mind, fear flooding her once again. She did everything she could to conceal it and keep her hands from trembling as she held them at rest against her. "Touché," she responded while forcing a small smile. They walked up the stairs towards their designated bed chambers. One of Elsa's hands rested upon the banister whilst the other gripped the material of her flowing dress during their ascent. Once in their hall in front of their bedroom doors Anna looked over to her sister.
"Elsa?" she spoke gently, all tone of childish nature dropped and replaced with that of a serious young woman.
"Yes, Anna?" Elsa replied, door partially opened as she was ready to slip into her room.
"I know you promised never to shut the castle gates again but," she hesitated and looked to her door. "Do you promise never to shut me out again?" She released her own door handle and turned to look at her sister, her blue-green eyes watered ever so slightly at the thought of her sister hiding away again. She couldn't take it happening again. Every day for thirteen years she stood or sat in front of Elsa's door begging entry. In the very beginning Elsa answered her, telling her to leave her alone. After, her attempts were met only with silence.
Elsa abandoned her door and walked down the hall to her sister. "I promise, Anna. I'll never shut you out ever again. I'll always be here if you need me, until you don't want me around." She smiled with a very faint hint of sadness. She felt horrible for all those years. She, just as much as Anna, wanted to be with her sister. How she wanted to speak and play with her just as they did as young children. She always found herself thinking about those days before, wishing she could always control her powers and, therefore, would never had hurt Anna.
"There will never be a day I don't want you around, Elsa." Anna looked up at her. "After all we've been through I never want to lose you again," she smiled. "I'll be right here if you need me, too. No more fear, no more loneliness, and no more secrets. We have each other again."
Elsa smiled gently and, with a little hesitance, gave Anna a brief hug before taking a step back, clasping her hands in front of her once more. "I wouldn't have it any other way then," she admitted softly.
Anna smiled back and slipped into her room and shut the door. She stood facing her own door and her hand rested against the wood. 'I just hope she can be true to that,' she thought, a smile creeping across her lips. Suddenly she was jarred out of her thoughts by the sound of humming behind her.
Her handmaiden was poking logs into place as a warm fire crackled to life in the grate. The summer evening had allowed the temperature to drop to a chilling degree and thought the Princess would love to have the comforting heat of a warm fire. Hearing Anna's arrival she stopped humming and turned to greet her warmly.
"Good evening again, Your Highness." She spoke very gently. "Dinner went well I hope?" She smiled, bustling over to the large frosted wardrobe and pulling a fresh sleeping gown from it.
"It was delicious as always." Anna almost skipped over to her changing screen where Aminda waited for her. As soon as she was behind the screen and still, Aminda unlaced the elegant dining dress and helped her into a creamy white, silk nightgown. Setting the dirtied dress aside, she undid the elegant up-do and allowed her locks of copper hair to hang unhindered, framing her face. She ran a brush through it to deter any tangles.
"All finished, Your Highness." She spoke with another respectful curtsey, setting Anna's brush back upon the vanity and bid Anna good night.
Anna stepped back from around the screen, absentmindedly threading her fingers through her hair and sighed. "She's quite efficient." She giggled a bit to herself as she crossed her room and sat on her bed. She lied down under the warmth of her covers and allowed the crackle of the fireplace to lull her to sleep.
Elsa, content to hear the handmaid taking care of her sister, went into her own room and shut the door behind her. She had only stood out in front of Anna's door for a moment but felt an all too familiar twist in her stomach. 'She stood in front of mine every day of her life.' Guilt licked her insides like fire, causing the discomforting feeling to worsen. She shook her head quickly and with a flick of her wrist her blue ice dress melted into a vapor and was replaced with a short frosty white nightgown that hugged her curvy, petit body. She slipped into bed and pulled the warm blankets up to her neck and closed her eyes.
After a few moments, Elsa's eyes flicked back open and stared up at the ceiling. Shadows were cast on her walls from the moonlight that shone into her room from the triangulated window. Realization that she was back in the same room she had been locked in since she was eight years old hit her and she glanced to the door. 'Only difference is I am free to come and go as I please,' she reminded herself. She sat back up in bed, the blankets falling to cover only her outstretched legs. Her pale skin was almost illuminated as it absorbed the moonbeams that filtered in onto her bed.
There wasn't much to her room she realized. Just a desk where she did most of her studies and personal book cases loaded with books that, for the most part, were so worn the covers were about to disintegrate from over-use. In the corner stood a white wardrobe with frosted glass fronts and a snow flake decorated changing screen in another corner by her personal bathroom.
Elsa felt sleep tug at her eye lids as they grew heavier. She allowed her body to lie back down on the soft bed and pulled the blankets back up to her neck and turned over. Slowly her eyes fell closed and she drifted to sleep with only the thought of change gracing the remnants of her mind.