Anna awoke with a dreary yawn and a mop of ruffled red hair. She hadn't slept well. Thoughts of what today would bring had swarmed her mind, causing her to toss and turn in anticipation.
Today was her sister Elsa's 19th birthday.
Any other year this day would have been a very normal, even mundane day for Anna. Normally she would simply cast a forced "happy birthday" to her sister after dinner and watch from the other side of the room as their parents presented her with a new gown or set of fancy gloves as a gift that Anna had little to do with.
This year would be different, though. There would be no expensive gifts. There would be no special dinner for Elsa. Anna wasn't even sure her sister would leave her room today.
The King and Queen had been gone for nearly 6 months now, lost at sea, and the teenage Princesses found themselves with only each other's rare company in the seemingly infinite hallways that made up the castle of Arendelle.
Anna couldn't help but feel like she was responsible for making today special for her older sister and letting her know she wasn't alone. She wanted Elsa to know she still had some family left and Anna had not given up on her. It was something that she had attempted to no avail the night of their parent's funeral, but Anna felt determined as she got out of bed, dressed, and fixed her hair before heading into the hallway feeling refreshed and optimistic. Today Elsa would finally leave her room.
Anna's cheery attitude faltered as she made her way to Elsa's blue patterned door. This would be the first time Anna had knocked on it since the night of the funeral, and the two girls had barely seen each other since then, Elsa only appearing when she absolutely needed to eat or attend some formal meeting in preparation for becoming queen.
Anna suddenly felt her nerves get the better of her and considered walking back to her own room for a moment before reminding herself that it was only her mild-mannered sister on the other side of that door. She steeled herself and knocked.
"Elsa? It's me, Anna…I just wanted to say happy birthday!" She paused, waiting for a response. When none came, she continued. "I know you probably want to be left alone, but…I was thinking, because it's your birthday, do you want to maybe have dinner with me tonight? There's something I want to show you, if you're interested…" She trailed off. There was silence for several seconds and Anna started to feel she was being ignored, until finally there was a soft noise from the other side of the door and Elsa's quiet voice came through.
"Thank you, Anna…I had almost forgotten it was my own birthday, how silly of me…a-and yes, I would love to get dinner with you." Then, to Anna's astonishment, the door opened ever so slightly revealing half of the blonde girl's face, eyes full of timid joy and gratitude at her sister's invitation. "I'll tell Kai and Gerda that we will not be joining them tonight. Just come get me when you want to go, alright?" Then the door was closed and the enigma that was Elsa had disappeared into her room once more.
Anna blinked, amazed at just how well the interaction had gone, and couldn't wipe the goofy grin from her face as she skipped to the kitchen to get things ready for their dinner.
That night the girls climbed the steps of a long forgotten tower in the far corner of the castle.
"Anna, I don't know if that's such a good idea…" Elsa said lamely, holding a picnic basket as Anna jumped up onto the window sill and sat with her legs outside, preparing to climb out onto the top of the tower.
"Oh come on Elsa, it isn't hard! Just two quick jumps. It's totally worth it, this tower has the best view in the entire castle. I found it a couple weeks ago and have been dying to show somebody." She looked down at Elsa and couldn't help but grin at how awkward the girl looked in her formal blue gown and gloves, holding the basket Anna had prepared in one hand and looking utterly terrified at the concept of any physical activity. "You'll be fine. I'll help you up, okay?" Anna reassured her.
The window wasn't far from the roof of the tower, but it did require Anna to grab the stone ledge and hoist herself up with a grunt, throwing her legs to the side awkwardly before letting her feet land on the roof of the enormous tower that dwarfed over the rest of the castle. "Okay, now sit on the window sill and pass me the basket. Then it's your turn!" she called down to her sister.
Elsa mentally berated herself for agreeing to this, but seeing no way out of the situation and wanting nothing more than to appease her eager sister, she carefully brought her legs over the edge of the window, trying not to look down at the lethal drop to the courtyard below. Once she had steadied herself she lifted the basket for her sister to snatch before standing up ever so cautiously, biting her lip and trying as hard as she could not to let the fear get to her.
Don't feel, don't feel…
"You're doing great! Here, take my hand." Anna said as she leaned over the edge and offered Elsa a steadying hand. The blonde recoiled at the gesture instinctively, averse to any physical contact with her sister that could reveal her powers. Or worse… she thought. But seeing no recourse and wanting desperately to get out of the position she was in, Elsa reached up and clasped their hands together. Even through the silk gloves, Anna could feel Elsa's hands were as cold as ice.
She hoisted herself over the ledge using her other hand to grab the stone and surprised herself by landing almost gracefully next to her sister who was beaming with delight. "See? That wasn't so bad!" Anna squealed, grabbing Elsa's other gloved hand. "Look!" She gestured pompously over the edge of the tower, exhibiting the reason why she had subjected her sister to that act of unladylike adventure.
The view was absolutely breath taking and Elsa couldn't help but let out a small gasp. From the girls' vantage point they could see every inch of Arendelle. The castle below bathed in the gentle glow of the full moon and twinkling stars, the northern lights spectacularly painting the sky in green and blue. Lights from houses where families were enjoying their dinners dotted the mountainside and the sails of the ships in the fjord gently swayed as they rocked back and forth in the calm water. A cool breeze brought a calming sound to Elsa's ears as she drank in the sight, momentarily letting go of her anxiety and truly appreciating the beauty of the land that she was soon to rule.
Anna took a deep breath and sighed, still grasping her older sister's hands. "Pretty amazing, right?"
Elsa recovered from her bewilderment and smiled at her sister. "Wow, Anna, I… I've never seen anything like it." Anna looked amused for a moment. "I know, silly, that's why I wanted to show you! Now…" She pulled the blanket that was stored in the picnic basket out and spread it over the rooftop before sitting down and patting the spot next to her, inviting Elsa to sit down.
"Let's eat. I made sandwiches! I know it's not much of a birthday dinner, but I wasn't sure what you liked and I'm not exactly a gourmet chef and so…" She looked down embarrassed but quickly lit up again when she remembered their dessert. "Oh yeah! And I brought chocolate for later!"
Elsa wasn't sure what to say. This was the nicest thing anybody had done for her in years and she was floored with Anna's thoughtfulness for a sister who had barely said a word to her even after their parent's deaths.
A feeling of guilt welled up inside her as she knelt down properly next to the cheery redhead who offered her a sloppily made sandwich and began to eat with unprincess-like vigor. Elsa simply grinned as she took a polite bite and peered out at the view with wide eyes.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Anna spoke again. "There's one more thing…I got you a present, and I know it's nothing fancy like mom and dad would have given you…" Both girls' faces dropped at the mention of their parents. "But I've been working on my knitting and I know you've always loved your gloves, so I made you these."
She reached into the picnic basket again, this time pulling out a pair of pink wool mittens with an expertly stitched blue letter on the back of each that Elsa guessed were meant to be the initials of the two sisters, the left with an 'E' and the right with an 'A'.
"They aren't perfect, and I don't expect you to actually wear them because I don't think they would really fit with your usual outfits, but I just thought…"
Elsa suddenly let out a stifled sob as she accepted the gloves from Anna's hands. The younger girl looked up and realized that her sister was crying, her eyes shining and cheeks wet, makeup beginning to run down her face. "Elsa? A-are you okay?"
Elsa nodded and pressed her lips together. "You didn't… have to do all of this….for me..." she managed through an onslaught of tears.
The guilt that the young Queen felt for shutting out her sister was becoming too difficult. Elsa found herself feeling more emotions now than she had ever allowed in the eleven long years since Anna had forgotten her powers.
The younger girl just smiled and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I wanted to! I know we don't see each other a lot, but after mom and dad died, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still here, I'm still your sister, and I love you!"
Elsa broke down and sobbed at the words. Anna said nothing, simply scooting closer to let the blonde cry on her shoulder, placing comforting arms around her waist.
The two stayed like that for a long time. Elsa's sobs subsided eventually and she began to think about what would come next. She had allowed herself this time with her sister because it was her birthday and she decided to be selfish, if just for one day. Elsa cherished it more than anything, but it occurred to her that it could not last.
Tomorrow she would have to go back to her room.
Tomorrow she would have to keep her distance again.
It was only a matter of time before she slipped up and revealed her powers, she knew, and after what seemed like hours of sitting in Anna's warm embrace, the fear started to come back. It grew inside her like a burning fire and to Elsa's dismay, she soon felt the familiar chill of frost beginning to coat the inside of her gloves and slippers. The blanket beneath her foot grew cold and stiff.
Elsa knew that her time was up.
She ripped herself away from the redhead and quickly stood up. "Elsa? Are you okay?" She asked but the older girl couldn't answer. Her throat closed up and she felt like she would implode if she even tried to speak.
She quickly picked up the gloves that were Anna's gift, meeting her eyes with a look of a thousand unsaid apologies and thank yous before quickly climbing down from the roof of the tower and through the window in an act of athleticism completely unlike her.
Anna just sat in shock staring at the stars above her, wondering if she would ever understand the eternal mystery that was her older sister.
Anna's birthday fell just two weeks after Elsa's. Anna couldn't remember the last time she had received a gift from her sister and when she woke up on her birthday morning, she expected nothing from the older girl. Elsa had once again locked herself up in her room and had not spoken to her even after the night on the rooftop.
It came as a huge surprise, then, when Anna opened her door to find a shiny pair of brand new boots sitting in the hallway complete with a large pink bow and a piece of parchment with a carefully written note in handwriting that could only belong to the future Queen.
'Happy Birthday, Anna! I'm no knitter, but I thought you could use these for all of your climbing adventures around the castle. Be careful and have fun. Always know that I'm here, I'm your sister, and I love you too! – Elsa'
Anna could hardly contain a joyous sob when she inspected the boots and noticed the large golden 'E' and 'A' that were embroidered on the side of each one.