The palace's elegant ballroom was filled nearly to the brim with people. Arendelle's finest were all present, dressed their best and acting to the best of their abilities. The ball had been an apology gift from the Southern Isles, an order directly from the eldest prince in an attempt to receive Arendelle's forgiveness for the acts of his incompetent little brother.
Elsa, after discussing things with Anna, had decided to let bygones be bygones just this once. Besides, a party was a perfect excuse to take a bit of a break from her inevitable royal duties. But with thoughts of what had occurred during the last special evening, the snow queen had silently been hesitant about attending this time.
...
The princess Anna found herself circling the refreshments table from a distance, scanning the hor d'oeuvres from the corner of her eye, looking for one specific thing. Trying to be discreet, though failing miserably, Anna would throw a glance or two over her shoulder occasionally, checking to see if anyone had noticed what she was planning. The over-enthused sly look on her features had caught several attendee's attention, and they could only wonder what was going on inside her head.
Yes. There it is.
Anna slid her eyes side to side before casually approaching the far end of the table. She slowly reached a hand out, palm as close to the table as possible, to grab a fistful of small chocolate candies. Just as a satisfied smirk graced the redhead's lips, a hand clamped onto her bare shoulder. With a girlish yelp, Anna's hands shot out and the candies went flying, skittering across both the table and the floor, with several pieces assaulting nearby guests.
Witnesses shot the girl quizzical and surprised looks. Anna could only smile and wave back, an aura of embarrassment so thick about her, one could nearly see it. After a moment, Anna whirled around with her meanest glare, only to face a very amused Kristoff. The man's face was split into a smile, he was obviously satisfied with what he had caused, and his free hand held a half-eaten carrot.
"K-Kristoff! You... why did you...!"
"You know, you being the princess and all, I don't think you have to sneak around to get a bit of chocolate."
Anna huffed lightly and crossed her arms at her friend. She tried to focus on making the red tint leave her cheeks.
"Don't tell me something I already know. Is it such a crime to have a bit of fun at this party?"
Kristoff chewed his next bite of carrot slowly and thoughtfully. "You're not having fun? We are talking about you, right?"
"Well, no. Elsa's been busy speaking with Southern Isle representatives. I haven't seen much of her. And... she's wearing those gloves again, Kristoff."
The blonde looked towards the front of the ballroom, craning his neck this way and that, to get a look at the queen. Sure enough, there Elsa stood, hands clasped firmly together, light blue gloves covering said hands. Kristoff felt the woman had adorned them just as a precaution, he knew she wouldn't want to be accidentally impaling anyone with a large ice shard, but he couldn't tell Anna that. He didn't want his redheaded friend worrying herself to death.
"Maybe she's just... cold. That's it. It's a bit chilly in here." He shivered to help make it believable.
The blank look Anna gave him was far from amused, so he only shrugged slightly. In an attempt to cheer the girl up, he took several pieces of the chocolate candy between his fingers and offered them, alongside his half-eaten carrot stump. The redhead smiled smally and grabbed for the carrot, only to chuck it out the window with a laugh.
...
Elsa stood at the front of the room, hands clasped, observing her quests. Everyone was undoubtedly looking pristine this evening, and the queen was no exception. She had conjured herself a stunning gown that shone like icicles in the sun, adding electric blue highlights along the hem. The split along the side ended modestly at her knee, so that just a sliver of her tempting porcelain leg could be seen. Elsa had been bombarded by men all evening, and she was beginning to fear it was not just because she was queen.
Now that the blonde had a moment to herself, she swept the floor for the only person she cared to see. She spotted her sister near the refreshments just as Kristoff laid a large hand on her shoulder and candy flew everywhere. Elsa had to stifle a laugh with a gloved hand when she saw the horrified look upon Anna's freckled face.
That's my sister for you.
She continued to watch as the princess turned and flailed her arms comically as she gave Kristoff the what for. The tiny smile fell from her lips when she caught sight of Anna as her mood dropped away to a sadder one. Elsa was seconds away from going to her sister when Anna motioned toward her and touched her hands together. Kristoff then looked over and the two locked eyes briefly, Elsa turning away quickly to pretend to admire a close by couple.
Anna had noticed the gloves. She should have known.
...
"Look, Her Majesty is free," Kristoff nudged Anna and pointed. "You can go talk now. You could've anyway, just tell people to get out of your way."
"If you were royal, you'd be very rude and I would be ashamed."
Anna said as she looked at her sister. Indeed, the blonde was alone and looking ever so slightly... forlorn? Elsa usually stayed perfectly stoic or held a polite smile in front of others. Even with the sad look gracing her features, Anna still thought she looked so beautiful. The princess took that moment to secretly admire her sister from afar and revel in the even more secret feelings she harbored for her. A blush spread warmly across her cheeks unbeknownst to her. It didn't take long for the ice master to notice his friend had begun daydreaming, and he could easily guess about who.
"Alright lovebird, you better snap out of it and get up there before someone beats you to it."
Anna's blush grew stronger; she couldn't believe her mind had went off on a tangent like that... even though it always did.
"Okay, okay."
The redhead pushed her way politely through the crowd to where the queen stood. As she neared and could see the pale beauty up close in her gown, Anna's heart began to beat a little faster.
"Elsa!"
Anna waved as she broke free of the crowd. She approached Elsa more shyly than she would have liked, but it seemed she didn't notice any difference. Anna stood next to the blonde in silence for several moments, wringing her hands together.
"So, um... great party, huh?"
"It's nice. A lot of people, though."
"Oh, yeah. A lot of people! I don't really like a lot of people. I mean, I like a lot of people, but not a lot, a lot of people. You don't like a lot of people- I mean, I'm assuming you don't. Who knows, you might! And I... no, I'm going to stop talking."
Elsa smiled at her sister's rambling and let them both fall back into silence. The snow queen should have known that wouldn't last long, for just a moment later, Anna broke the silence again.
"Uh, Elsa? Can we talk? Like, maybe out on the balcony?"
...
On the balcony, Anna stopped in her tracks. In the moonlight, Elsa looked even more beautiful, if that was possible. Said light drifted through the woman's snowy blonde hair, causing it to sparkle like her gown. For a moment, Anna once again admired Elsa in her custom ensemble, a goofy, dreamy smile dominating her lips. She dropped it immediately when her sister turned to her with an expectant look.
"Um, I... what I want to say is-"
"I know why you brought me out here, Anna." Elsa said quietly.
Anna chose to stay silent even through her surprise. She wanted to see just exactly what the queen thought she wanted.
Without a word, Elsa lifted her gloved hands and watched as Anna's gaze dropped to them and her face softened considerably.
"You're wondering why I'm wearing these."
"...Of course I am, Elsa. Why?"
"I shouldn't even need to explain myself. I don't want any accidents to happen."
"Accidents?" Anna took a step closer. "Why would you be worried about something like that?"
Elsa couldn't stop the incredulous look that crossed her face. Was Anna being serious? Had she not been paying attention at the coronation when she was nearly stabbed by a sharp wall of ice?
"Don't do this, Anna. You know why. I just want everything to go smoothly tonight, no surprises. That's it."
With that, the blonde turned to go back inside, but was stopped by Anna's fingers wrapping around her arm. She looked down at her younger sister, who she expected to be upset, but was actually wearing a mask of determination. Slowly, the princess took Elsa's hand and peeled the blue glove off, running the tips of her fingers along the blonde's palm as she did so. She repeated this with the other hand, much to Elsa's silent dismay. The older woman's breath hitched when Anna brought her hand to her lips to press a soft kiss against the skin. Anna purposefully didn't meet her sister's gaze when her lips grazed the knuckles of the other pale hand.
"There. I've concealed your powers."
A sigh escaped Elsa's lips. "Anna, you can't-"
"Shh. Just play along with me, won't you? Until my lips touch your hands again, you have no more powers tonight. Go ahead, try."
Elsa's heart lifted considerably at Anna's words. With a hint of a smirk, she lifted a bare hand and gracefully waggled her fingers, and, much to Anna's delight, nothing happened. The shorter redhead wrapped her sister in an embrace, resting her forehead against Elsa's cool neck.
"Oh, Elsa. You're so much better at controlling your powers, and it's only been a couple of months since the coronation incident. You've got nothing to worry about, especially since I'm here. I'm sure I could help you if you ever need me to."
Elsa smiled genuinely and squeezed Anna tightly.
"I know you won't hurt me, or anyone, again. You've got someone who believes in you wholeheartedly."
Anna stepped out of the hug and gazed, once again, dreamily at the snow queen. Elsa blushed under the intensity of the gaze and nervously cleared her throat, inadvertently snapping Anna back to reality. The redhead mentally smacked herself for getting caught by Elsa; it was bad enough getting caught by Kristoff.
"Oh, uh... okay. Yeah. Let's... go back inside now."
This time, it was Elsa's turn to stop the girl from leaving. She turned her sister back towards her and stayed silent. Hesitantly, ever hesitantly, the snowy blonde gripped Anna's chin in her cold fingers and tilted her head back slightly. Anna sucked in a breath as yet another blush overtook her cheeks, all the while waiting for Elsa to close the gap. The redhead's eyes fluttered shut when Elsa drew nearer. She waited for the pressure to come against her mouth, but instead felt cool lips on her rosy cheek. Even that sensation was over too quickly, for Elsa pulled away and brushed passed her, ready to return to the ball.
"E-Elsa..."
The snow queen looked over her shoulder and gave Anna a knowing smile and a small wink. Slowly, Anna let another goofy smile come over her as she lifted her fingers to her cheek.
It was still cool to the touch.