Happy New Year, everyone! Here's my first Frozen fanfic of 2015! Since a lot of people are writing Christmas fics, I thought I'd write one of my own. I was busy at Christmas, so I wasn't able to post then, and then I was hoping to have it done by New Year's, but that didn't happen either. Oh well, here it is! This is the first Christmas since the opening of the gates, hence the title of the story. I figured that Elsa would wanna do something special for this one, to kinda make up for all those years she lost with Anna. I know, it's quite long, but I hope you enjoy it, anyway! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Frozen or any of its characters.
Anna was so excited. Christmas was only a few days away and she couldn't wait. Not only would it be the first Christmas since the gates had been opened, but it would also be the first Christmas she and Elsa would spend together since their separation. They had had a small blizzard the night before, which had covered Arendelle with a fresh blanket of snow. When Anna had woken up that morning and seen the new snow, she had jumped up and down in excitement, like she had when she was a little girl. The few inches they had gotten overnight was the perfect amount to build a snowman.
She had quickly dressed and was now on her way to Elsa's study, because she knew that Elsa was always up before her. When she got there, she knocked her signature knock, then burst through the door without waiting for a response, startling Elsa as usual.
"Elsa!" she said in her high-pitched, excited voice.
"Anna, you startled me," said Elsa, standing up and quickly shuffling the papers she had been looking through into a neat pile on her desk. Thankfully, Anna was too busy bouncing around the room in excitement to notice.
"Elsa, guess what?!" she was saying. "It snowed last night!"
"Yes, Anna, I noticed," said Elsa calmly, walking around to the front of her desk, partly to give Anna her full attention, but mostly to hide what she had been working on before Anna had burst through the door unannounced.
"Sooooo," said Anna, sidling up next to her and looping her arm through hers. "Do you want to build a snowman?"
Elsa hated to disappoint her sister, especially when it came to building snowmen, but if she was to get everything done in the time span she had set for herself, she would have to turn her down.
"I'm sorry, Anna," she said, gently detaching herself from Anna's grip and sitting back down behind her desk. "I wish I could, but I have so much work to do before Christmas. I have the decorating of the castle to oversee, meetings and visits to set up and prepare for, and I have yet to talk to Gerda about the menu for Christmas dinner. I'm sorry, but I just won't have time for much else."
"Oh," said Anna, and her face fell in disappointment. (Elsa immediately felt a twinge of guilt.) "That's okay. I guess I'll just find Kristoff and see if he wants to do anything. I'll see you later." And she shuffled out the door, her head down and her hands twisting in front of her.
Elsa sighed and went back to what she had been doing, which was organizing a special surprise Christmas party for Anna. It would just include family and close friends – Kristoff, Olaf, Sven, Kai, Gerda, and herself, of course. She hated seeing Anna so sad and hated not being able to spend time with her, but if she wanted to get all this planning done in time for Christmas, she had to refuse any and all invitations. Shortly after the Great Thaw, she had made a vow to herself that she would do everything in her power to mend her and Anna's broken relationship, and she felt that this was a good first step, to give Anna a real Christmas celebration, one that she would remember for years to come.
Once she had the guest list sorted, she started working on the menu. She figured that Anna would want nothing but chocolate, but she thought it would be good to include some actual dinner food, as well. So she decided to put in an order for Anna's favorite meal – Fiskesuppe, roast lamb, and, of course, ice cream.
Elsa had just set aside the menu selection and had just started thinking about decorations when there was another knock on her study door. She quickly shuffled the papers back into a pile before saying, "Enter." She almost hoped it wasn't Anna back again.
But instead, she saw a little cloud with flurries floating down from it bob through the door. She stood up and saw Olaf, who was his usual, boisterous self.
"Hi, Elsa!" he said cheerfully, raising one of his little stick arms in greeting. "Whatcha doing?"
"Hello, Olaf," Elsa said, smiling. "I'm just working on the plans for the Christmas party."
"Ooh! You mean the special, surprise one for Anna?" Olaf asked excitedly, forgetting to keep his voice down.
"Shh, Olaf, not so loud," Elsa shushed him.
"Oops! Sorry!" said Olaf, lowering his voice to a stage whisper. "You mean the special, surprise one for Anna?"
"Yes, that one," said Elsa, chuckling.
"Can I help?" Olaf asked, bouncing up and down on his little feet.
"Thank you, Olaf, but I think I have almost everything covered," Elsa answered, sitting back down at her desk and sorting through her papers. "I just need to come up with some decorations and maybe some music. I'm sure Anna will want to dance, with it being a party and all. But I don't really know anyone who could provide the music. I suppose I could always hire the band that played at my coronation, but it is a family party, so I want it to be a little more intimate and personal. I just wish there was someone close to us who could provide some music for us." She was talking mostly to herself now.
"What about Kristoff?" Olaf piped up, breaking into her thoughts.
"Kristoff?" Elsa asked, with a puzzled look on her face.
"Yeah, he plays an instrument!" Olaf said. "I don't know what it is, but it looks like a guitar or something."
"You mean his lute?" Elsa asked, her look of puzzlement turning to one of thoughtfulness.
"Yeah, that's it!" said Olaf.
Elsa thought for a moment while Olaf hopped around the room, humming to himself.
"I guess that could work," Elsa said finally. "It would make the party more personal, and it would definitely be a surprise for Anna."
"Yay!" said Olaf, bouncing up and down again. "We've got music!"
"Not yet, we haven't," said Elsa, standing up again. "We have to ask him first."
"Okay!" said Olaf and he scurried out the door, Elsa following.
"Olaf, wait," she said, trying to keep up with the energetic snowman. "Do you even know where he is?"
"Yeah!" said Olaf, turning his head around to look at her. "In the stables with Sven!"
Of course, Elsa thought. Why didn't I think of that? She continued to follow Olaf down the stairs and out the castle doors. As they approached the stables, she could hear voices coming from one of the stalls.
"And then, if you can believe it, she said she had too much work to do and practically kicked me out." That sounded like Anna's voice.
"Anna, I'm sure she meant well." That sounded like Kristoff. "She probably just didn't want to be disturbed."
"But since the Thaw, she's never turned down an invitation to build a snowman," Anna said. "She always manages to set aside a little time every day to spend with just me."
Elsa had entered the stables and could now hear their voices issuing from the very first stall. She poked her head around and saw them standing next to Sven, Anna with her back to her, still conversing with Kristoff. She had put her winter cloak on, but no cap or mittens, so she was standing there with her arms folded tightly against her chest. Kristoff was in his usual ice harvester gear. Elsa cleared her throat to make herself noticed.
Anna turned and saw Elsa standing in the doorway of the stall. "Hey, Elsa!" she said brightly. "We were just talking about—"
But Kristoff nudged her and shook his head, sending her a silent message to not say that they had been talking about Elsa.
"So, Elsa," said Anna, changing tack. "Did you change your mind about building that snowman?"
"Sorry, Anna, but no," said Elsa. "I actually came to talk to Kristoff."
"Oh," said Anna. "That's okay. Maybe I'll just go for a walk to the village or something." She smiled at Elsa as she walked past her out of the stables, but Elsa could tell that she was still upset that she had turned her down earlier.
Kristoff noticed Elsa's brooding expression. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Elsa sighed. "Do you think she suspects anything?" she asked quietly, even though Anna was no longer within earshot.
"I don't know," Kristoff answered, knowing immediately what Elsa was talking about. "She did express concern about you turning her down when she asked to build a snowman with you, saying that since the Thaw, you had never turned her down before."
"I know, and I feel bad about that," said Elsa, starting to pace back and forth, wringing her hands, something she hadn't done since she was young. A few flurries shot from her hands, which Kristoff noticed, but chose to overlook. She looked over at Olaf, who was talking to Sven and therefore completely oblivious to anything else.
There was a moment of awkward silence, which Kristoff broke by clearing his throat. "So," he said, looking around to make sure that Anna really had gone to the village and wasn't standing somewhere close by eavesdropping, as she was wont to do sometimes. "How are the plans coming along?"
"Plans?" said Elsa vaguely. She was still watching Olaf and Sven. Olaf was now laying on Sven's back and Sven was trying to catch snowflakes from Olaf's flurry.
"For the Christmas party," Kristoff said, gently laying a hand on her arm to regain her attention.
"Oh," said Elsa, and she turned back to face him again. She looked down at her arm where Kristoff's hand was resting and then back up at him, giving him a questioning look. He immediately drew his hand back.
"Sorry," he said, running it quickly through his hair, something he always did when he was nervous or uncomfortable. "So, how are the plans coming?" he asked again.
"As well as can be expected," Elsa answered.
Kristoff waited for her to go on, and when she didn't, he asked, "So, was there something in particular you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Oh, yes," said Elsa, suddenly remembering why she had come there in the first place. "I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you."
"Shoot."
"Well, I want to make this party as personal and special as I can," Elsa said slowly. "I already have the guest list sorted, which just includes us and Kai and Gerda, and I will be putting in an order for Anna's favorite meal. The only things left to do are the decorations and music."
"Music?" said Kristoff, giving her a puzzled look.
"Yes, you know how much Anna loves parties and dancing, so I figured she'd love it if there was music at this one, too," said Elsa.
Kristoff frowned. He could kind of sense where this was going, and wasn't disappointed.
"So, I was thinking," Elsa continued, sounding a bit hesitant, "that maybe you could provide some music?"
Kristoff started. "Me?" he asked. As much as he had expected this, it still surprised him that Elsa – the queen of Arendelle, no less – would ask him to play at a special, private party.
"Well, yes," said Elsa. "I think it would mean the world to Anna if you sang something special for her."
Kristoff was silent for a moment, then he said, "I suppose I could. I'd have to make something up, as I don't know very many songs."
"It's settled then," said Elsa, clasping her hands together. With the way things were going, this could turn out to be the best Christmas ever.
Now that Elsa had the guest list, menu, and music taken care of, there were just the decorations left. She knew Anna would want a Christmas tree, but she had no idea where to find one. She hated having to ask Kristoff for another favor, but he told her not to worry and that he knew where to find the perfect tree. He returned to the castle a few hours later with a towering balsam, which Elsa had set up in the great hall, as it was too tall to fit in the family's private dining room. Noticing Anna's extended absence, Elsa asked Kai if he had seen her. He said that he had seen her outside with Olaf, and Elsa guessed that Olaf was keeping her busy and out of the way while they worked.
Finally, it was the day before Christmas. Elsa had been worried that she'd still have so much to do that she wouldn't have time to spend with just Anna. But now that everything was mostly taken care of (apart from the food, of course, which would wait until the next morning), she had nothing but time.
She had woken up early that morning as usual and after a hasty breakfast and a quick check on the decorating of the castle and great hall, she went to Anna's room to wake her up for a day of sisterly fun.
"Anna?" she called softly, knocking on the door. There was no answer, so Elsa figured that Anna must still be sleeping, which was typical for her, as she had never been an early riser.
Elsa quietly opened the door and stepped inside. The room was in semi-darkness, the flowery curtains still drawn over the window. She smiled when she saw the lump of blankets that was Anna.
Knowing that Anna wasn't a morning person, Elsa decided to wake her slowly. She went over to the window and pulled back the curtains, allowing the sun to stream through the diamond-patterned pane and send rainbows of light dancing across the floor and walls. Usually, that would have been enough to rouse Anna, but this morning, she was so buried inside her blankets that she didn't even stir.
So Elsa decided to have some fun with her. She walked back over to Anna's bed, sat down on the edge, and pulled back the covers. It was hard to tell which way her head was turned, as her hair was all over her face. Elsa gently brushed back Anna's rat's nest and saw that she was turned towards her. Anna stirred slightly at the contact and mumbled incoherently, but still didn't wake. Elsa smiled and watched her for a moment before leaning over and blowing a puff of cold air in her face. Anna scrunched her face up but didn't open her eyes. Elsa did it again. This time, Anna peeled her eyes open just enough to see who it was.
"Mmm, Elsa," she mumbled sleepily, closing her eyes again, but then they snapped back open a second later. "Elsa!" she said, sitting up upon realizing who it was. "Where – how – what are you doing here?"
"Well, since I don't really have anything to do today, and since it's Christmas Eve, I thought we could spend the day together."
"Wait, what?" said Anna through a big yawn.
Elsa chuckled. "I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day together."
"Really?" said Anna in disbelief. "But you said a few days ago that you were too busy to spend time with me. You said you had 'stuff' to do." She put air quotes around "stuff" to emphasize it.
"I know I said that," said Elsa. "But then I felt bad, so I asked for some help and was able to get most everything done by today."
"Really?" said Anna again. "You did that for me?"
"Of course," said Elsa, smiling. "Now, what would you like to do first?"
Anna didn't need to be asked twice. She already knew what she wanted to do. She told Elsa, who smiled in agreement. Anna squealed and jumped out of bed.
Ten minutes later, they burst out into the courtyard, Anna dressed in her heaviest and warmest wool dress, wool stockings, boots, cloak, cap, and mittens, and Elsa wearing just a light cloak. Anna's hair, now tamed into her two signature braids, bounced on her shoulders as she ran around, looking for the perfect spot for what they were about to do. Finding it, she shouted to Elsa, and they started rolling and stacking three balls, one on top of the other. Anna found some coal for the eyes and a carrot for the nose, and drew a mouth beneath with her mitten-clad hand. Then Elsa added some embellishment with her magic, and they stood back, admiring their work.
"Best snowman ever, wouldn't you say, Elsa?" Anna asked, looping her arm through her sister's.
"Definitely," said Elsa, smiling. Despite the fact that the cold didn't bother her, she shivered a bit. "Anna, it's getting cold. What do you say we go inside and warm up with some hot cocoa?"
She started walking back to the castle doors, but she had barely taken a few steps when she felt something cold hit the back of her right shoulder, causing her to jerk forward a bit. She heard Anna giggle behind her and turned around. Anna's mittens had remnants of snow on them; it appeared she had made the mistake of starting a snowball fight with her sister, the queen of ice and snow. Deciding to play along, Elsa smirked playfully as she formed a giant snowball with her magic, holding it suspended over her head. She started chasing Anna, who squealed and ran away from her. She let her snowball go, and it landed on Anna with a flump, causing her to topple to the ground.
Elsa stopped in her tracks, suddenly horrified at what she had just done. "Anna!" she cried, running over to her sister and kneeling down next to her. Anna was very still. "Oh no, what—what have I done?" she whispered.
Before Elsa could think what to do, there was a rustling noise and she received a faceful of snow. "Ha ha, got you, Elsa!" she heard Anna's voice say. She coughed and spluttered and wiped the snow away to see Anna sitting in front of her, looking just as giddy as she had just a few moments ago, as though she hadn't just been hit over the head with a giant snowball.
"Oh, Anna!" Elsa cried, pulling Anna to her and hugging her tightly. "You're okay!"
"Of course I'm okay, Elsa," said Anna, straining a bit from Elsa holding her so tightly. "What made you think I was – oh." She suddenly realized why Elsa was so upset. She had lain still on the ground to fool Elsa into thinking she had beat her. She hadn't thought that Elsa might worry that she had hurt her. Again. She felt stupid and ashamed. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I was just playing. I didn't think—"
"No, it's okay, Anna," Elsa said, pulling back to look at her. "I guess I just overreacted, that's all." Then, to reassure her, she grabbed her own handful of snow and thrust it in Anna's face. Anna coughed and spluttered, spitting snow out of her mouth, but when she saw that Elsa was smiling, she smiled, too, and started laughing. Elsa joined in, and for a long time, they couldn't stop.
Finally, Anna sobered up enough to say, "Elsa, thank you."
"For what?" Elsa asked, startled.
"For giving me one of the best days of my life," said Anna, and she hugged her tightly. Elsa hugged her back, smiling to herself. Just you wait, baby sister, she thought. You haven't seen anything yet.
Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. Even though she had no official queenly duties to attend to (being Christmas, after all), Elsa woke early. It was a habit that was hard to break. But this would allow her to spend more time supervising the final preparations for the party that evening. However, it also meant that it would be a little harder to keep Anna away from the great hall for that long. Luckily, Olaf had offered to keep Anna busy until the party.
The dining room was empty when Elsa entered, but that was to be expected. She knew that Anna was still sleeping, and since she woke her up early the day before, she allowed her to sleep in today. After all, she would need plenty of rest for what was to happen later that day.
So after a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal, pastries, fresh fruit, and tea, she went down to the great hall to check on the final decorations.
It looked magnificent. Streams of garland and holly were strung from the ceiling, large wreaths hung on the walls, and bunches of mistletoe berries were scattered around the room. But the most magnificent decoration of all was the enormous Christmas tree standing next to the fireplace, which was adorned with more garland, tinsel, large glass balls of every color of the rainbow, and real candles, which, for safety's sake, hadn't been lit yet.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," said a voice behind her. Elsa turned to see Gerda, whose arms were full of boxes. "What do you think of the decorations?"
"Gerda, they're absolutely beautiful!" Elsa answered, gazing around at the hall again in awe.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Gerda, curtsying as best she could.
"But there seems to be something missing," said Elsa thoughtfully.
"Missing, Your Majesty?" Gerda asked in confusion.
"Yes," said Elsa, and she raised her arms and shot ice at the walls, coating them with sparkling frost and icicles. When she was done with the walls, she did the same to the tree. When she was satisfied, she dropped her arms back to her sides, smiling at her handiwork.
"What do you think?" Elsa asked.
"Your Majesty, it's beautiful," Gerda answered. "I'm sure Princess Anna will love it."
"Thank you," said Elsa, smiling. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go down to the kitchens to see about tonight's dinner."
Elsa left the great hall and started making her way down to the kitchens, acknowledging everyone she passed. When she got there, she found the cooks already bustling around preparing the meal, heating the stoves and ovens and chopping up vegetables. Satisfied that everything was going according to plan, she made her way back upstairs. She was halfway up the main staircase when she felt something soft and cold collide with her lower legs.
"Oh, hello, Olaf," she said, recognizing the little snowman. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Hi, Elsa!" Olaf replied cheerfully. "I'm looking for Anna so we can play together, but I can't find her anywhere."
"Well, I'm sure she's still sleeping," Elsa said, smiling. "Why don't you try her bedroom?"
"Okay!" said Olaf. He turned and started going back up the stairs, but Elsa caught him by his twig arm.
"Remember to have her back by 4:00, okay?" she said. "And tell her to go straight to her room when you get back. I'll leave a note later explaining why."
"Okay!" said Olaf again and he scurried back up the stairs and out of sight.
Elsa chuckled to herself and continued on her way. She loved Olaf and was glad that he was a part of her and Anna's lives. He made everything so bright and cheerful.
Elsa was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't pay attention to where she was going, and soon found herself outside the library. She glanced at the grandfather clock down the hall and saw that it was almost noon. There were still a few hours before the party and she had nothing to do. But she loved to read, so she decided to do that to fill up the long hours ahead. She opened the doors and walked over to one of the shelves. She perused for a moment before choosing a thick, black, leather-bound book. She slid it off the shelf and curled up in her favorite chair by the fireplace. There was no fire, making the room chilly, but she didn't mind. She opened the book and started to read.
A few hours later, Elsa closed the book and set it aside, her eyes itching from tiredness and the fact that she had been staring at a book for an extended period of time. She glanced at the clock on the mantle of the fireplace and saw that it was now 4:00. There was about an hour before the party, so she figured it was time to start getting ready. She stood up, stretched, and made her way to her bedroom.
Meanwhile, in Arendelle village, Anna was leaving the chocolate shop, Olaf in tow. He was bouncing up and down in front of her as they walked.
"That was yummy!" he was saying. "I never had chocolate before but I love it!"
"You know, Olaf, this has been really fun, but I should really get back to the castle now," Anna said. "I haven't seen Elsa all day and she's probably worried about me."
"Oh, that's okay!" said Olaf, turning his head to look back at her. "I think now's the time Elsa wanted you back anyway!"
"Wait, what?" said Anna, confused. When did Olaf start learning to tell time? Then again, a lot of things about Olaf confused her.
Anna was so lost in her brooding that she didn't notice they had reached the castle until she heard Olaf say, "Hi guys!" to the guards standing outside.
"Olaf," said Anna once they were inside. "Did Elsa say anything else to you? About me, I mean?"
"Oh, yeah!" said Olaf. "She said that you're supposed to go to your room."
"My room?" Anna asked, confused again. "Why?"
"I can't tell you, but Elsa left a note for you in there," Olaf answered.
"O-kay," said Anna, drawing out the word. "I'll see you later, then?"
"Yep!" said Olaf, and he scurried off to find Elsa.
Anna continued up the stairs to her room. The first thing she noticed upon entering was a beautiful dress on the bed with a note in Elsa's neat and meticulous handwriting. She picked up the note and read:
Dear Anna,
Merry Christmas! I'm sorry I wasn't able to spend time with you today, but I had so much work to do. I hope you understand. Being queen is not all fun and games, you know!
Being that it's Christmas, I've had a special meal prepared, which will be served at 5:00 in the great hall. As it's a special occasion, I had Gerda go to the dress shop in the village to find you a new dress. I do hope you like it.
Please don't take too long getting ready, but do try to look nice. This is a very special day, after all.
I will see you at 5:00 in the great hall.
Love,
Elsa
Anna smiled at the note before laying it aside and looking at the dress that Gerda had laid out for her. It was dark red with a scooped neckline. There was green trimming on the bodice and ruffled three-quarter-length sleeves and rosemaling decorated the front of the bodice and the hem. Anna had never seen a dress so beautiful and perfect. She took off her winter outerwear and day dress and then carefully slipped the new dress over her head. It fit perfectly. She slipped on black flats and then went over to her vanity to make her hair and face look more presentable.
At about ten minutes to five, Anna left her room and made her way down to the great hall. She had put a little rouge on her cheeks and tinted her lips a dark pink. She had left her hair mostly down, but with a braided headband circling the crown of her head.
She reached the doors to the great hall at exactly 5:00. She opened the doors and was stunned at what she saw. Garland lined the walls and an enormous Christmas tree sat at the far end of the hall next to the fireplace. But what really got her attention was that every inch of the walls was covered with sparkling frost and glittering icicles, and so was the tree.
"Merry Christmas, Anna!"
Anna turned to see Elsa walking towards her, a big smile on her face. She was wearing another one of her icy creations, but this one was tinted green, and she had red and green ice crystals adorning her braid. She looked beautiful.
"Merry Christmas, Elsa," said Anna, reciprocating the hug that Elsa was giving her. "What's all this?"
Elsa pulled away, still smiling. "It's a Christmas party," she said.
"I can see that," said Anna. "But why all the secrecy?"
Elsa didn't anything. So Anna had noticed something was going on. Elsa had to give her credit. She hadn't been spying or eavesdropping on anyone, but she had to have gotten suspicious when Elsa had declined her offer to build a snowman a few days ago, and also when Olaf told her after their excursion that she was to go to her room without telling her why.
Elsa sighed. "Well," she said finally. "It's also a party for you."
"For me?" Anna asked, startled.
"Well, yes," said Elsa. "I figured that you probably didn't have many real, decent Christmases after the gates were closed, but now that they're open again, we felt that you deserved a real one."
"We?" Anna asked.
"Me and Kristoff," said Elsa, gesturing behind her.
Anna looked where Elsa was pointing and saw Kristoff standing next to the fireplace, whom she hadn't noticed upon first entering the great hall. He, too, was dressed for the party, in dark pants, a red vest over a white shirt, and black shoes.
"You planned this together?" Anna asked, looking back and forth between Elsa and Kristoff.
"Yep," said Kristoff, coming over to her and taking her hand. "Elsa was worried that it wouldn't work out, that you'd be able to figure out what we were up to. But it did work out." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"Well!" said Elsa happily, coming over to join them. "What do you say we get started with dinner? I had your favorite meal prepared."
"Soup, roast, and ice cream?" Anna asked, perking up.
"What else?" said Elsa, smiling at Anna's obvious excitement.
Anna squealed and ran to the table, dragging Kristoff along with her. Elsa just chuckled and followed them over.
The next couple of hours passed in a flurry of excitement, mostly on Anna's part. There was much talking and laughter during dinner, while Anna related her and Olaf's excursion that afternoon. After dinner, Kristoff sang a rousing rendition of "Reindeer(s) Are Better than People" (words changed to make it more personal). When he finished, Anna was so touched that she had tears in her eyes, and she promptly kissed him on the lips, in full view of everybody. Finally, Olaf and Sven performed some tricks, most of which ended with Olaf falling splat on the floor (to uproarious laughter, of course), and the party quieted down. Anna, tired from all her exuberant partying, was leaning against Kristoff, who had his arms wrapped around her and was gently resting his chin on top of her head. Her eyes were closed and she was falling into a sleepy daze.
"So, Anna," said Elsa from across the table, startling Anna awake. "Did you enjoy the party?"
"Oh, Elsa," said Anna, sitting up. "It was the best Christmas party ever!"
"So you had fun?" Elsa asked, smiling.
"More fun than I ever had," Anna answered, and she got up, walked around the table, and gave her sister her biggest, warmest hug ever.
"I'm glad," said Elsa, hugging back just as tightly. "Now, then," she said, breaking the hug. "I have something special for you."
"Oh, Elsa, you've done so much for me already," said Anna. "I couldn't possibly—"
But she stopped when she saw what was in Elsa's hand. It was a beautiful snowflake necklace made entirely of ice crystals. Elsa smiled and clasped it around her neck. "There," she said. "How do you like it?"
"It's gorgeous. I mean, enchanting. I mean, I love you!" said Anna, hugging Elsa tightly again.
"You're very welcome," said Elsa, smiling again.
"Elsa," Anna whispered, just loud enough so only Elsa could hear her. "Thank you for doing all this for me."
"Well, you're my baby sister," said Elsa. "I'd do anything for you."
And they stayed like that for the longest time, neither letting go of the other. It truly was the best Christmas ever.
Whew! This ended up being my longest one-shot yet. I was totally not planning on making it this long. Sorry if the ending feels a bit rushed; I just wanted to get this finished and posted today 'cause I won't have much time to write in the coming week. But I hope you enjoyed it, anyway!
Sorry about the scene after the second page break, the bit where Elsa thinks she's hurt Anna again. I felt it was necessary to put that in there, as I feel that even though she can control her powers now, that she might have lapses now and then. Oh, and I got the idea for the snowball fight from the little clip released by Disney to promote the movie, which you can find on YouTube.
By the way, yes, I did use part of Anna and Elsa's conversation from season 4, episode 1 of OUAT, where they're talking in the attic. Did you catch it? It's right at the end. :)
Again, hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! :)