Hey you guys! :) It's Anais, back for the first time in forever with a Frozen fanfic! I based it around the song "Where Are You, Christmas?" from The Grinch That Stole Christmas ((C) Mariah Carey, James Horner, and Will Jennings), just replacing the word "Christmas" with "Elsa". This is a sisterly plot bunny that has been bugging me for a few days and I just had to get it out! Enjoy!
Where are you, Elsa?
Why can't I find you?
Why have you gone away?
"It's snowing!"
Seven-year-old Princess Anna toddled down the front castle steps on lanky legs, her plaited hair bouncing on her purple woolen cloak and the chilly winter wind stinging her face. There was no way she was going to miss the first snowfall of the season, after she had waited all this time for those beautiful snowflakes to pass by her window. She had a little bit of the sniffles at the time, but that was no deterrent for Anna. Ill or not, she was ready for snow.
The white powder crunched under her feet and the sun shone down placidly on her as she gathered a pile in her hands, making a decent sized snowball. With a smile, she threw it as hard as she could, the little ball landing just shy of the ever-closed gates. She wished the gates could throw back; that would be more fun than just flinging snow around at nothing.
With a shrug, the ginger girl started to roll up a base of a snowman with her hands, already chilled from the weather. Lamentably, she wished Elsa would come out with her. She had knocked on her door this morning, as she had always done, only to receive no answer yet again. She missed Elsa bunches and bunches, so much that her heart hurt at the thought. They had had so much fun in the winters earlier; she could only wonder why Elsa seemed to hate the season so much now…
Furtively she glanced up at Elsa's window as she rolled, only, to Anna's surprise, to see her sister standing there, her long white hair in a regal braid. Immediately Anna froze in her place, the ball cold under her hands. Had Elsa taken a peek out, maybe to see if Anna was there? Would she come down, to build a snowman just like when they were small?
Anna waved with a smile at her sister, but just as quickly as she had appeared, Elsa hid from view behind the drapery.
Nope, Anna thought with a sigh. Not today. And she continued to roll all by her lonesome.
My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Elsa changes too?
Little feet pattered on the floor as Anna, now ten, ran down the hallway from the ballroom toward the great hall for dinner. Her dancing lesson had gone over time, and now she was sure she was going to be late, even more so than normal. Her parents would get mad at her again… and she certainly did not want that. So she pushed on, flying past her room and Elsa's – they had been separated for five years now, and Anna was still wondering day after day what had happened to her gracious sister – and she opened the hall's door with a slam.
"Sorry I'm late!" She called, relishing in the warmth of the room and sliding into her chair next to father the king and across from Elsa. "My ballroom dancing lesson ran over time…"
Her dark-haired mother, sitting next to Elsa, smiled with understanding at her youngest daughter. "That's quite alright, dear. I'm just glad you arrived when you did, or else the salmon would have gotten cold!"
"Salmon today?!" Anna said excitedly as a servant came over and began lathering the royal family's plates with food. Anna got her piece of fish first, and she inhaled deeply, taking in the smell. They almost always had salmon, but she loved it no matter how many times she had to eat it. "It smells amazing!"
"I certainly hope so. We received our new cook today and I believe she did an excellent job," added her father, having already taken a bite of his fish along with the vegetables and cranberry sauce.
Anna giggled at her father, and looked over the table at Elsa, who was staring at her solemnly. She wondered if she should say hi, but her mouth was smiling at Elsa out of habit. The eldest princess managed a small smile back, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
"So girls," began her mother, "How was your day? I hear you had fun with horseback riding, sweet Anna."
"Mmhm! You wouldn't believe how fast I went…" The child replied with a mouthful of food, as she swallowed and began her tale.
Conversation bantered happily around the table for a while, though Elsa herself remained reticent save for a few interjections about her vocal lessons, as Anna noticed. Her sister was a teenager now and certainly was showing it, with her gaining more advanced tutoring classes every day. She wondered how she was handling the workload… only three more years for Anna herself…
"Elsa, dear, I think you might want to eat your dinner in your room."
Her mother's tight voice shocked Anna out of her thoughts. She looked around the table with wide eyes, suddenly shivering and seeing a slight layer of frost on the table. Had it gotten colder in here? And how? Her mother's lined face and her father's sad eyes were unreadable, but only when Elsa ran out of the room in tears did something click with Anna. Was whatever was wrong with her, an illness or otherwise, suddenly flaring up?
"Elsa!" Anna called, springing out of her seat and scampering to follow, but her father's firm hand dragging her back to her chair kept her from going any farther.
"No, Anna. Leave her be."
"But Papa!" Anna shrieked, growing agitated as he set her back on the chair and the door slammed. "I want to help Elsa! She ignores me all day, and you won't tell me what's wrong with her! I want to help, please!" Tears started to roll down her chubby cheeks as her father stooped down to her level with a furrowed brow.
"I'm sorry, Anna-banna, but Elsa has to work this out on her own. It's best that you not know for your own safety."
The child sniffed as her father ruffled her bangs. She really didn't understand what he meant, but he and her mother would become upset if she tried to argue her point. "Okay… so does that mean that Elsa isn't coming to dinner with us anymore?"
"No, sweetheart," said her mother quietly from across the table. "She's not."
At that, silent tears started to roll down Anna's cheeks. Elsa…
Where are you, Elsa?
Do you remember
The girl you used to know?
She stood in front of the door with a trembling fist, the night from the hall windows at her back like a shadow.
Anna wasn't sure if she had the courage to knock, as she had done so many times before. She was seventeen now, way past the point of snowman-building being a pastime, but she really just wanted to talk to her sister again. After the death of their parents, Elsa had become even more locked inside herself, and she barely left her room. At times, Anna felt like an only child; especially today, where she had yet another birthday ball without Elsa.
With a sigh, Anna put her hand down and slid down the door frame with her back, fingering with the white strand in her hair. Occasionally she wondered if it was a problem with her, not Elsa, that made her sister so cold toward her all these years – but she could never think of anything that came to mind. If anything, she could talk through the door, and try to at least be cordial – that's what a princess would do.
"Hey there, sis," Anna started, low as she could, in order not to wake any of the servants sleeping in the other hallways. "Today was my birthday. I missed you at my ball; we had the best time. Cake and dancing and everything… You would have liked that…" She paused for a moment, wrapping her arms around herself. "Oh, Elsa, I miss you so much. I'm so lonely, with no one but the servants to talk to… if only you would come out, even for just a second, just to say hi, or even give me a hug… I'd be grateful. You don't even have to talk to me, if you don't want to… maybe I annoy you. I don't know." Anna giggled slightly, the noise fleeting. "I… I just want to have my sister back again. What happened to the snow days when we were children? Does all that mean nothing to you?" She felt herself shaking, growing with slight anger that she didn't want to let out. "Elsa, please, please, I don't want to be alone anymore! I don't want you to be alone anymore! So please…" She stood hurriedly, facing the door with teary eyes and a defeated posture. "Come out and show me you still want to be my sister… want to be my friend."
She waited, for what seemed like hours. She wanted to wait there all night. But after an hour and three servants having passed by suggesting she go to bed, she gave up. Elsa wasn't coming out.
Anna felt sad, even angry, that Elsa was acting this way. She didn't even hear her try to get up and come to the door! But if that was what she wanted, fine. Maybe Elsa would warm up someday. Just maybe.
Turning on her heel, Anna stalked down the hallway to her room and went in, shutting the door with a slam. She thought she heard Elsa's door open a few seconds later, but pretended not to notice. It was probably a figment of false hope.
You and I were so carefree
Now nothing's easy
Did Elsa change
Or just me?
Reviews are appreciated!
(P.S. I'm planning a multi-chapter Hansla/Helsa/Iceburns/whatever you call it fanfic soon, so stay tuned!
~Anais
