A/N Okay so welcome to my new fic. This takes place approx three months after the great thaw.
Anna and Kristoff are courting and Elsa is finding it lonely as Queen...that is until her and Anna find an abandoned baby.
Please read and let me know what you think.
Chapter One.
Queen Elsa of Arendelle awoke from her canopy bed. The sun shone through the large triangular window, bathing the room in a warm, yellow glow.
Clambering out of bed and crossing the room, she stared out at her Kingdom in its glorious morning state.
The people of Arendelle were already busy with their morning tasks, but nothing compared to Elsa's job of ruling an entire Kingdom.
Although she would never openly admit it, she missed her freedom. After being isolated for thirteen years, living out on the North mountain, however brief had been most liberating.
And even though she was no longer confined to her room or within the palace walls, she still felt extremely lonely. She felt like her people didn't really understand her. They had accepted her, yes and her unique gift, but no-one really understood the burden she carried... how arduous it was to fill her Father's shoes, and be the Queen he would have wanted her to be.
Perhaps that is why she admired Anna so much. She was an adventurer...a free spirit. But her sister and new love Kristoff spent many a day away from the castle, which only increased her loneliness. It was at that moment, when the need for companionship was so overwhelming, that she even felt a hint of jealousy at Anna's carefree life.
Yes, she had Gerda, Kai and the rest of the castle staff, and even Olaf when he was not busy getting up to his antics with his bosom buddy, Sven. But after the great thaw she had been looking forward to reconnecting with her younger sister whenever the opportunity presented itself. However, sometimes she felt like with the little they saw of each other, they were still almost strangers.
Elsa sighed as she twirled her fingers and made herself a new ice dress.I guess though, this is not the time for self pity. Now let's go out there and do what I was born to do, and be the Queen I know I can be. Maybe, I'll indulge in some breakfast first. Who knows, perhaps even Anna might choose to join me... now wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise?
As she sat alone at the dining table, enjoying her chocolate pancakes, she was suddenly interrupted by the clip clop of Anna's heavy boots.
"Elsa, there you are," her sister announced in a cheerful tone.
Elsa finished what was in her mouth, wiped her lips and then responded. "Yes Anna, I'm here, but alone as usual."
Anna seemed like she was out of breath as she panted heavily. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I was helping Kristoff load up his sled, and I forgot about the time. Are there any pancakes left for me?"
The blonde passed the plate to Anna who took one pancake and jammed it into her mouth whole.
"Eww, Anna please. You are a Princess, now act like one." She handed Anna a napkin and the young redhead swallowed the contents in her mouth before wiping it clean.
"Sorry, Elsa, but that was just too delicious. So anyway, I'm glad I caught you, because I was thinking...actually I was hoping, as Kristoff is going to be gone all day, whether you wanted to do something. You know, because we haven't been spending nearly as much time together lately as we should be...so what do you say?"
"I can't," Elsa replied curtly.
Anna's face drooped in disappointment. "Why not?"
The Queen stood regal and poised, before brushing past her sister. "I have work to do. The Kingdom isn't going to run itself."
The Princess rolled her eyes. "But it's not going to fall into chaos and ruin in one day. Only I'd be responsible for doing something like that. Come on, please...pretty please."
How can I pass up a rare opportunity to spend the day with my sister? "Fine."
Anna wrapped her arms around her sister, almost throwing them both off balance. "That's fantastic. I'll ask Gerda to make us a picnic. We can go wherever you want...oh I can't wait, this is going to be so much fun."
As the two royal sisters treked through the foliage of some nearby woodland, Elsa began questioning her sister, demanding answers.
"Are you sure this is the right direction? because ouch, I'd prefer not to get torn to shreds by these brambles."
Anna spun around to face her sister who was trailing behind, desperately trying to avoid the undergrowth. "Yes, it's this way. Kristoff showed me a shortcut."
Elsa yelped as a sharp thorn scraped her arm, cutting through her dress. "Just great, this is new on."
Anna stood with her hands on her hips, gazing at her sister incredulously. "Seriously Elsa! what does it matter if your dress gets damaged. You can easily make a new one. I mean, you never have to worry about running out of dresses, when you have an infinite supply."
"Actually," Elsa replied, angrily, "I'm very fond of this one."
The redhead chuckled. "But it's identical to the one you wore yesterday, and the day before that. Maybe you could...I don't know, add a little more color to it. How about some purple...or yellow?"
Elsa hiked up her dress and continued following. "I like the color just the way it is...thankyou. Now let's just get out of here. I'm close to resembling a pin cushion."
Anna carried on, muttering under her breath. "If you say so."
"What was that?!"
Anna increased her tone. "I SAID IF-"
The blonde cut her off. "No, not that...wait, sshh."
Anna halted abruptly, pricking up her ears. "What? I don't hear anything."
Elsa crept forward, towards the high pitched wailing sound. "Anna quickly, follow me."
The Queen hurried through the trees, no longer caring about her tattered dress or scraped skin. As the two sisters finally reached a large clearing, Elsa froze.
"What is it Elsa?"
The older sister pointed shakily to a wicker basket that seemed to be gently rocking by itself. She shrank back, quickly clutching Anna's arm tightly. "Um...what is that?"
Moving closer, Anna knelt down to get a better look.
The Queen cautiously peered over her sister's shoulder at the little wrapped up bundle. "Is that what I think it is?" she screeched.
Gently, Anna pulled down the pink striped blanket to reveal a tiny baby with golden-blonde curls that framed her small, round face. She was wearing a pink, lacy dress and little booties. "Yes Elsa, it's a baby girl."
Elsa was astonished, yet somewhat confused. "What's a baby doing out here all alone?"
"I don't know." The Princess flicked her eyes around the surrounding area, before coming to a swift conclusion. "But it doesn't seem like her Mother is close by."
Anna reached down, before Elsa interrupted.
"What are you doing?"
The younger girl smiled. "What does it look like? I'm picking her up. She seems awfully upset."
Elsa nervously questioned her sister. "Are you sure that's a good idea. What happens if the Mother comes back?"
"Well, then she'll have to answer to me, as to why she's left this beautiful little angel out here all by herself," Anna stated as she gently lifted up the baby.
Elsa stole a glance at the tiny child that was now lying rather contented in Anna's arms. "It seems you have quite the touch."
"Well, there's certainly no harm in gaining a little practice."
A few flurries immediately surrounded the Queen. "Wait, what?"
Anna laughed. "I'm joking. Kristoff and I are no where near that level...yet."
Elsa's cerulean blue eyes widened in shock. "Yet!...what do you mean yet?! you've only been courting for three months."
"Relax. You really need to chill...no pun intended of course. Besides, I'm well aware of the Kingdoms tradition, so you can rest assure that you won't be becoming an aunt anytime soon."
The blonde breathed a sigh of relief, before turning her attention to their current predicament. "So, what are we going to do about this little one?"
"Keep her," Anna squealed, as she held the baby protectively close to her chest.
Elsa backed away. "Keep her? No, no, no. We can't. She doesn't belong to us, and I really don't know anything about babies."
"You'll soon learn," the Princess assured her. "Besides, we can't leave her out here. She'll freeze to death."
The Queen was still unsure that they should be taking this duty upon themselves. "I don't know Anna. What if she doesn't like me?"
"What's there not to like?" Anna countered. "Look, why don't you hold her."
Elsa stepped back even further, hugging herself tightly. "I can't...what if I hurt her?"
"You're not going to hurt her," Anna promised as she held up the baby girl.
Elsa hesitantly took the baby from her sister, but kept it at arms length. The child stared back at the Queen with her azure blue eyes, before it burst out crying. Panicking, Elsa placed the baby safely back into Anna's arms. "I still think this is a big decision, and one I'm not sure we're ready for."
"You just need practice," Anna reminded her. "Come on, let's get her back to the palace, she's probably hungry anyway. Maybe then we can concentrate on finding out who she actually belongs to."
A/N To be continued...