Tell Me About It
One of the small perks of having a sister for a best friend is that she will never hesitate to hear you out...
Princess Anna gaily skipped her way along the castle's staircase. When she reached the top, she abruptly stopped in front of the grand doorway that led to her sister's room.
Anna, aged eighteen, giggled like her five-year-old self again as she repeated the same tradition she followed all those years. She knocked loudly enough to catch her sister's attention and began singing in a sweet voice:
"Do you want to build a snowman?
Come on let's go and..."
The girl's song was cut off when the door swung open, presenting her older sister in the doorway. She had bright blue eyes, white-blonde hair that hung in an elegant French braid over her shoulders, and, as the most lovely part of her features, a sisterly and caring smile. Right now, with the spring slowly turning into summer in the kingdom of Arendelle, she currently wore a loose off-the-shoulder blue-green spring dress with a sequined bodice and a lightweight knee-length hemline. Yes, there was no doubt about it – now, with her ice powers under complete control, Elsa had changed, and so had the life around her and her sister Anna.
"Oh, Anna," she gently chided at the sight of Anna's disheveled appearance. " Why do you always show up in such a messy state?" Elsa spoke the truth – large chunks of Anna's hair, regularly pinned in a neat braided updo, hung loosely around her shoulders; bits of twig and leaves jutted out from every side. The hem of her gorgeous spring dress and her stockings were caked in dry mud and – Elsa frowned slightly when she peered over Anna's shoulder – did Anna just track mud on the floor when she came up here?
"Having fun in the sun again, aren't you?" Elsa clicked her tongue partly from amusement, partly from annoyance.
"Yes!" Anna's recently tanned shoulders quivered with delight as she proceeded. "I visited Kristoff up in the mountains today! Kristoff was so grateful that I came; he showed me where he lives and how he earns a living – he harvests ice, you know!" Anna lowered her hand to the side of her mouth to express how amazing she thought that was. " Then he let me feed Sven carrots which was kind of cute but I think Kristoff got bored-"
"You mean you talked him to death again?" Rolling her eyes in amusement, Elsa leaned against the doorway, ready for another one of Anna's chatter and very possibly, the tall tales she was about to relate.
"Wellll...I guess you can say that...because he invited me to ride with him to Oaken's and oh, to think that today it was SO romantic...ahhh..."
"But he takes you to Oaken's every other day! Isn't that what you two lovebirds are always doing?"
"But today was extra special, because guess what? He also showed me something he's been working on for months!"
"Annnd...?"
"Two ice sculptures that he's specially designed all by himself! A perfect replica of me and Kristoff together! Goodness, I cant believe all the time he's spent working on it; so I was about to turn to dear Kristoff and tell him how much I loved him for this when we heard those huge foot-stomps from the forest, which turned out be Marshmallow. And when he saw us he was like 'Grrr!' and we were like 'Aaaahhh!'" Anna babbled on breathlessly. "Then what do you know? As we rode away, Marshmallow smashed our statue in a lame attempt to get us..." Anna's lip hung at the memory, but she instantly brightened again. " Kristoff was sad, but I told him the only thing that mattered was him and cheered up again!"
"Ahah," Elsa nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll go talk to that Marshmallow bear soon as I can."
"It's ok, he's actually a sweetie once he gets to know you," Elsa said assuredly in response to Anna's terrified expression. "But if you were up in the snow, it still doesn't explain how you ended up in such a – er, unprincessy-like state."
"Oh, that," Anna burst out laughing. " Kristoff was busy, so after our little date I went sledding with Olaf on those cute little snow hills! And not just! All your little snowgies joined us too! The bummer thing is," Anna shrugged, " with the spring and all, it got so slushy I slipped off my sleigh and face-planted the mud piles at the bottom! And the funny part is, Olaf and all the snowgies came tumblin' right after me, so I'm not the only one in such a, um, mess. But yea, I don't think Olaf minded. He asked me what mud was!"
"I see," Elsa couldn't suppress a little smile as the thought of Olaf, that jolly snowman who loved hugs, passed through her mind. "Well, you must have a reason to drop by, besides chatting. What brings you here?"
"Well, why else?" Anna splayed her hands up with a jokingly exasperated air. " To spend time with you!"
"Oh, Anna, I know. But I just spent five minutes listening to you! And that's already more than enough time away from my work. After all, I am the queen, remember?" And through Elsa's guilty yet understanding smile, the usual regal posture in her that befitted her ever so perfectly came out in her once more. Anna couldn't imagine being in Elsa's shoes for one day, let alone one moment during the isolation she endured all those years.
"Yea, well..." Anna shuffled awkwardly. "I know how busy you are, and we don't spend as much time as I – we – would have wanted."
"Of course. I know how much you want this. And while shutting you out is the last thing I want to do, speaking for myself, I will make it up to you so that one day, we can be in each others' company all day. Trust me," Elsa told her sadly smiling sister, hoping she would understand.
Lucky for Elsa, Anna was an understanding soul. "Ok!"
She turned to Elsa as though to hug her but instantly drew away when she noticed Elsa squirm uncomfortably at the sight of Anna's muddy frock. Instead, Anna waved a cheery goodbye to Elsa before backing out into the hallway and skipping off to who knew where. Not as if Anna was off the hook from princess duties; she also studied hard and helped Elsa reign the kingdom; but Elsa didn't have to look deeper before she figured that her younger sister liked to procrastinate.
Elsa stared long at Anna's disappearing figure down the corridor. Anna's dirty figure, that is. Then an idea struck Elsa.
Why haven't I thought of this before?
Elsa raised her majestic sleek hand; magic in a state of ice crackled and formed in midair. She waved her hand at Anna, sending the blue streak of magic trailing after her. Elsa was pleased when she heard a gasp, then a delighted squeal at the other end of the corridor; the magic had done its work.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH, ELSA!"
Without another world Anna flew down the corridor to Elsa and threw her arms around her mildly bemused sister. Amid the moment of frantic scrabbling in a attempt to support the sudden weight hanging at her neck, Elsa looked over Anna's dress and admired the work. Yup, just like she imagined it to be: Anna was completely rinsed of the dirt, and as a bonus, sparkly blue spirals trailed around the dress.
"You will remember to change your clothes before hugging the queen, won't you?" Elsa said with an amused smirk.
Two o'clock in the morning. The sky glowed with the radiance of multicolored auroras dancing outside of Elsa's window. But Elsa didn't take notice. Right now, she was slumped against the desk with stacks of books, inkwells, quills and various parchments piled up beside her reposing head. It had been a weary day; Elsa spent hours in confrontation with irritable authorities sent by the Duke of Weselton. After a previous scandal, he and his thugs were sent back to their own country with a proclamation that Arendelle has cut ties with him in trade. Apparently the Duke couldn't take no for an answer. Nasty business ensued. It took Elsa several hours, and a good amount of temper control on her part, to get her message across: no trading. That, and she spent the rest of the evening in her room, her preferred place of work, writing a plead to the local advisors and legislature on why snowmen shouldn't be banned, hurt or swept off for scientific investigation in general. Cute friendly innocent snowmen who could walk, talk and freely associate with the citizens, that is. And Olaf, not to mention the rampant snowgies, definitely made the top of her list.
And there was so much more to ruling a kingdom, excluding those factors...
Knock knock knock.
Elsa jerked awake. Lifting her head groggily, she vaguely wondered who was calling in so late. She glanced at the grandfather clock – a quarter past two.
"What?" she rasped.
No answer.
Elsa drowsily got up and slowly opened the door a crack. There stood Anna, who looked a mite hesitant but determined.
"I-I just want to say goodnight, since you stay up so late," she said, shivering slightly in the wake of the gentle sliver of light pouring from the doorway. She looked up expectantly at Elsa for a reply.
Elsa's disgruntled face lit up. What a relieving change – her sister was kind enough to stop by. But wait – what was that?
Through her younger sister's shy smile, Elsa could observe her red blotchy face, not to mention dark wet spots that stained her silk nightgown.
Something was not right with Anna, that much was clear.
"What's wrong?" Elsa's voice was full of concern.
Anna sniffed – tears welled in her eyes. "Well, it's nothing really...except in case you never knew this about me," she sniffed again, "I keep having nightmares. Dreadful ones. Where everyone I love has disappeared. AND I MISS YOU SO MUCH, AND I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT KRISTOFF AND HOW MUCH HE MUST MISS ME BY NOW- AND- A-A-NND..."
Anna needn't have said more. Elsa took hold of her now shaking sister's hands and tenderly wrapped her arms and warm cape around the sobbing figure. Anna's tears were now streaming as she buried her tear-streaked face into her guardian's shoulder.
"There, there...Elsa murmured, stroking the figure's back as comfortingly as she could. " Just because I can't always see you doesn't mean I won't always be here whenever you need hearing out."
"Oka-a-ay..." a shaky sob answered her. "I j-just – thought..."
"Well, now you know."
Then another idea struck Elsa.
She lowered herself to Anna's level and lightly shook her by the shoulders.
"Hey Anna...want to build a snowman?"
"I can't believe I don't remember this...whee-hee!" With another squeal of delight, Anna threw herself deep into a snowy pile and enthusiastically rolled off it before she plopped down, all covered in the cold fluff, and sighed contentedly. Elsa, now in the mood for a little fun herself, slid off a small snow hill and landed beside the happily reposing figure of Anna.
The two were in the grand ballroom, where Elsa "did the magic," as quoted by little Anna many years ago, by covering the entire ballroom floor with the fluffiest, whitest type of snow imaginable; raising several snow hills to act as the slides; and making snowflakes constantly flutter down from the high ceiling.
"So tell me again: was I really playing here with you when you accidentally cursed me?" Anna looked over at Elsa sitting next to her, as she formed snow angels in the freezing-cold goodness.
"Yes...this was when it all started." Elsa looked melancholy when she said this; that fateful day, many years ago, had served a bittersweet memory to her. However, the look was replaced with a determined smile. "But, this time I will make sure nothing happens. No more jumping off snow hills, ok?"
"Whatever you say, Elsa!"
"Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, Elsa."
Sighing in relief, Elsa plopped down next to Anna. Neither said anything for a while. Each girl was thinking the same thing: the same situation that eventually separated the two happened to reunite them here.
And as though to guarantee that nothing would tear them apart again, Anna grasped Elsa's outlying hand; it tightened under her grip.
Nothing but nothing would ever separate them again. Not their royal, if not boring, duties. Nor fear. Nor nightmares. Not even frozen hearts.
They will always look after each other. And they will always hear each other out whenever they needed to.
And within their silent vow, an everlasting magic greater than any other sealed and manifested itself in the hearts of the two girls, protecting them of any future incidents and misunderstandings they may ever have.
Love.
Annndd my first fanfic ever! Ya, I know, I'm still an amateur in fiction writing, so hopefully my writing skills will improve as I upload more stuff.
Like, don't like...comment, review, whatev. Feel free to send me requests! Also, you are more than welcome to provide me feedback on my writing or tell me where I made a mistake. That would be helpful.
Cheers!
~KoolKat
