Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
Hi everyone! This is my second fanfic. I hope you all like it. All characters belong to Disney.
Anna sat on the edge of her bed and moved her legs back and forth. The workers bustled about carrying pieces of furniture out of the room. Elsa stood, busily gathering some trinkets from her dresser on the opposite wall. Anna hopped off the bed and ran toward her mother who stayed outside the room, directing the workers to a room down the hall. She tugged on her mother's dress. "Why is Elsa moving out? Does she not like me anymore?"
Her mother knelt down and placed both hands on her face. Anna looked into her mother's eyes in confusion. Why did she seem so sad? Her mother gave a small smile. "Elsa loves you very much. She's growing up, that's all. You don't need to worry."
Anna nodded and went back into the room, retaking her place on her bed. She watched the workers for a while, and then turned her attention to the window. Snowflakes lazily fell outside. She glanced at her sister, who still stood where she had left her. Jumping off the bed, she ran over to her and grabbed her arm. "Elsa, it's snowing. Do you want to build a snowman?"
Elsa jerked her hand away and stepped back. Anna took a step forward but stopped. Why was her sister acting so strangely? She looked up with the best puppy dog eyes she could manage. "Please?"
Her sister's eyes darted back and forth. "I can't. Not now."
Anna reached for her once more, but Elsa only backed further away. "Why not?"
"I just can't, Anna." Elsa quickly gathered her things and hurried out of the room. Anna stared after her and sighed. Maybe she was having a bad day. She would ask her to build a snowman tomorrow.
(Line break)
Day after day passed by, then years, and soon, Anna began to give up knocking on the door. She had tried again and again to coax Elsa outside of her locked room, but with no luck. Every time she asked her parents why, they avoided the question. What kind of secrets were they keeping from her? She longed to know why Elsa never came out anymore, and why she didn't want to hang with her. They had been so close, but the days of playing in the snow and having pillow fights in their room at night seemed like a distant memory from another lifetime.
Anna watched as her mother finished packing her bag and handed it to an attendant. Her parents were visiting a nearby kingdom, leaving her alone in the castle, again. The thought of not having anyone to talk to, scared her. She had almost gone crazy the last time. "Do you both really have to go?"
"I'm sorry dear, but I have to go with your father. We will be back in a week." Anna ran and gave them both a hug. A sick feeling churned within her stomach, but she tried to ignore it. There was no reason to be fearful. They would return, just like they had the last time and the time before. She felt their arms around her, and she squeezed tighter.
Father drew away first, then mother. Anna wished the embrace could have lasted longer. She walked with them down the stairs where Elsa stood, hands folded in front of her in the front entry. Anna smiled at her, but Elsa looked away, choosing instead to focus on the carpet underneath her feet.
"Do you have to leave?" Elsa asked.
Anna smirked. Even though they didn't see each other anymore, they still thought as much alike as when they were little. She waited for father to answer, expecting a similar response as the one he had given her. "You'll be fine, Elsa." Elsa simply nodded.
Anna cocked her head. What was that supposed to mean? She shook the thought away as father and mother turned to her once more to say good-bye. "Be good. We'll be back in a week," mother said, giving her another hug.
"I love you."
"I love you too." Her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked toward the door where father stood waiting. They both looked at Elsa, longingly. Anna waited for her to run toward them to give them a last minute embrace, but she just stared back at them. They turned, and Anna could see mother brush away a tear, right before they closed the door.
As soon as the door shut, Anna quickly turned her attention to her sister. It was now or never. Who knew how long it would be before she saw her again. "Elsa? I was wondering if..."
Elsa quickly cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Not now, Anna." She started to walk up the stairs, her shoulder slumped and her steps slow and tired looking.
Anna quickly rushed up the stairs and blocked Elsa's path. "Then when? I never see you anymore. You're always behind your stupid door. Why don't you want to talk to me?"
She could see Elsa's hands start to shake, and her sister quickly wrapped them around herself. "Please, not now, Anna."
"Elsa..."
"I said not now!" Elsa glared at Anna, her shoulders shuddering in anger. Anna drew back at the force in her sister's voice. Elsa's gaze softened, and she spoke in a softer tone. "Please, let me go upstairs."
Anna stepped aside and watched as her sister walked up the stairs and to the right. The click of the door as it shut echoed down toward her. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. Maybe someday, she would understand why Elsa stayed away. She shook her head. She was just trying to comfort herself. Maybe, it was time to give up on her sister.
(Line Break)
A week passed, and Anna sat alone at the long table eating her breakfast. The chairs sat empty, and all was quiet. She laid down her spoon and stared at the chair where mother would sit. She imagined her laughing at one of father's jokes. How she couldn't wait to hear their voices again. A man came hurrying into the room, and Anna knew by his black shirt and trousers that he was a messenger.
"Princess Anna?"
She nodded her head. The nausea in her stomach came back, and she pressed a hand against it to still the pain. "Yes?"
"I have grave news."
She heard him utter the words ship, sank, parents, dead, but didn't hear the rest. Her parents were dead. They were never coming back. That didn't seem right. He was joking; he had to be. She stood up and walked toward the messenger, peeking out the door behind him. "You're joking, right? Father is going to come walking right in here and laugh at how he got me this time."
The messenger looked at her, sadness written all over his face. "I'm sorry. I wish this was a joke."
Anna quickly reached out for the table to steady herself. "Please, tell me they aren't dead."
"Again, I am truly sorry." The messenger bowed and left. Anna crumpled in the chair next to her, and this time, she couldn't stop the tears.
(Line Break)
The funeral happened the next week. Anna looked at the empty spot beside her, where her sister should have been. She had told her the news, but there was never an answer. When asked if she was going to attend the funeral, she had just given an adamant no. Anna wished she could be standing next to her, both of them comforting each other. She felt so alone.
After the funeral, she slowly walked down the hall toward her room. She passed Elsa's door. She paused, and turned back. Raising a hand hesitantly, she knocked on the door.
"Elsa, please, I know you're in there." She waited expectantly, but the silence that was always present remained. "People are asking where you've been. They say have courage, and I'm trying to. I'm right out here for you, just let me in."
She collapsed onto the ground, and leaned her head against the door. "We only have each other; it's just you and me. What are we going to do?" A tear streaked slowly down her face. "Do you want to build a snowman?" And, as she continued to sit, with her head against the door, she could almost hear quiet sobs coming from Elsa's room.