"The hottest cold snap"
by jami
a _Frozen_ yuri fanfic/drabble-the characters are property of Disney. This story features a lesbian theme; please don't read it if it will offend you.
note: Jlenja is pronounced "ee-LAYN-yah"
oOOOo
Some of the servants were a bit skittish around Queen Elsa even a year after the "frozen summer." As the date approached for Princess Anna to be married, those servants took to calling Elsa "Queen Bridesmaid" when she and her sister weren't around. That didn't bother Elsa. She preferred it to "Queen Witch," the nickname some of the nastier staff had given her when she and she her sister weren't around.
Elsa was beloved by her sister and her soon-to-be brother-in-law, and by the majority of the citizenry. All the same, she knew many of those people feared her too much to get close to her. So far, that was no big deal as far as Elsa and Anna were concerned: they had both been very busy with long-neglected state visits, as well as royal appointments and official functions. Anna had traveled with a trusted embassy nine times in as many months. Her charisma had calmed many of Arendelle's upset neighbors.
The wedding of Princess Anna drew near, however, and romance was in the air.
oOOOo
Elsa wasn't idle as the date of her younger sister's wedding drew nearer. As queen, Elsa had met dignitaries, military leaders, and advisors. But she'd also met artisans, craftspeople, engineers, and designers. Many of them had been leery of meeting her face-to-face, but most quickly got over their fears.
There was one particular artisan, Jlenja. She was a stone sculptor, tall and strong. Her short hair was dark brown; her cheeks and nose were reddened from wind; her eyes were frosty blue.
There was attraction there. Elsa became a knot of nerves for the first several days after she realized her infatuation with Jlenja. But then she relaxed. She evaluated. Jlenja wasn't scared of her, and laughed at her jokes. The ice mage had learned from her experiences; she would be careful not to threaten Jlenja.
Luckily, Jlenja was commissioned for wedding decorations. When she decided she had to have a stone of olivine-rich basalt, Elsa suggested a place to find it.
oOOOo
"Black with a rich green sheen, it's volcanic in origin," Elsa told Anna. "I know where to find this stone, but it's inaccessible to most people. Would you mind looking after Arendelle for a day or two?"
Anna studied her sister's expression. There was something cunning or mischievous written in Elsa's eyes. Anna knew Elsa wasn't telling her everything. While many people would have been irritated in the same position, Anna welcomed trickery from her sister. Elsa was very responsible; she had a tendency to get worn out from work. Anna wished Elsa would take more chances to have fun! (In fact, she subtly tried to encourage the queen in that direction.) She was probably only thinking of something whimsical and playful, not at all serious.
"I will do as well as I can!" Anna said. She kissed Elsa's forehead and gently squeezed her hands. "Be careful, okay?"
oOOOo
Jlenja was quiet and deferential during the first hour or so of the magical sleigh's journey onto Freja's Glacier. She had been near the queen many times during the past year, but never alone with her. The queen seemed so competent and businesslike most of the time-on this sleigh ride, she revealed another side of herself. She was adventurous, and she liked fun. Jlenja grew more and more comfortable with her.
"Oh, most of the Northern Palace is still standing," Elsa said, disrupting Jlenja's thoughts. "I suppose I ought to take down what's left before it becomes a dangerous ruin."
Jlenja's eyes turned left. Her jaw dropped. High on the slope stood a magnificent crystalline castle. It looked like ice; but nothing so immense and intricate could be formed from such an unpredictable material. Could it? The many-spired, gleaming palace was a miracle, beyond human ability.
Except it might not be beyond the ability of one particular human. Jlenja gazed at Elsa with new admiration, and a little envy. The queen she thought she knew; this woman had built this incredible work of art?
Elsa raised her right hand, palm out.
Impulsively, Jlenja took Elsa's arm in her hands. "Don't!" she implored.
The queen turned to face her, eyes startled, mouth uncertain.
I've touched the queen without permission, Jlenja realized. She immediately let go of Elsa. She didn't dare look at Elsa. The queen had been kind to her, but she was the queen. She wouldn't forgive this boldness.
The sleigh slowed. Elsa showed a hint of a smile. "What do you mean, Jlenja?" she said quietly.
"It's beautiful," Jlenja muttered, figuring she had nothing to lose. "Please, Your Majesty, let it stand at least until I have had a look at it."
This was why she had taken the sleigh along this route, but Elsa pretended to be surprised. "You like it?"
"Yes, Majesty."
"Don't call me that all of a sudden, okay? It's very flattering to have an artist as talented as you appreciate my work. If you want, we could take a closer look at it."
Jlenja raised her eyes to Elsa's. "You aren't angry at me?"
"Not a bit!" Elsa said honestly. "I like you and not just as an artist. I think of you as a friend, Jlenja; we've had so many talks recently, I feel like I know you pretty well by now. I hope you think of me as a friend, too, or at least as a companion..." Elsa became aware that she was rambling, so she changed the topic. "Would you like to visit the Northern Palace now? It won't take long."
""Yes, please!" Jlenja said.
The queen grinned and gripped her friend's hand.
oOOOo
Jlenja and Elsa had grown much closer by the time they returned to Arendelle the next afternoon. Jlenja was a more and more frequent visitor to the royal castle, until Elsa suggested that she simply take a suite in the castle complex. Jlenja agreed eagerly. Anna and Jlenja also grew better acquainted; Jlenja became one of the four bridesmaids at Anna's wedding several weeks later.
oOOOo
Anna and her husband greeted Elsa and Jlenja at the castle gate the following summer. Anna beamed her brightest smile. Elsa smiled widely in return. She knew what her sister's smile meant. She let Anna say it, not wanting to spoil the moment. "We're going to have a baby!" the princess shouted, jumping into Elsa's arms.
"I'm so happy for you! I'm happy for all of us!" the queen replied.
oOOOo
The familiar, peculiar knock on the door spoke to Jlenja. "Come in, Elsa," she said, filling a tea mug with hot water. The tall artist was quite used to the queen's routine by now.
"What do you think?" Elsa asked, sitting in her favorite chair, furthest from the fire.
"It's great news," said Jlenja, putting two mugs on the little table between them.
"For them, and I hope for us too," Elsa said.
The way she said that-Jlenja looked at her friend in sudden alarm. Elsa's eyes were blinking rapidly. Her hand shook slightly as she grasped the handle of her mug. "I've waited for this day," Elsa murmured. "Now our family has an heir."
Jlenja gazed at the beautiful, delicate woman across from her. She stayed silent, knowing that Elsa had more to say.
"Jlenja...do you already know this? I hope you do. I hope you know that I love you."
"I had wished," Jlenja stammered. "I had dreamed."
Elsa set down her mug, stood, and went to Jlenja's chair. She put her elegant hand on Jlenja's cheek. Elsa's lips met Jlenja's in a brief, sweet kiss. Jlenja's arms wound around Elsa's waist, hugging her warmly.
At last, Elsa broke the silence. "I have learned from the past. We can't hide who we are. The people won't accept two queens, though. Will you still love me, when I am no longer queen?"
"Of course I will, Elsa! But what do you mean? What do you intend to do?"
"A little while after Anna's child is born, I will abdicate to her. Then we will leave Arendelle, find a new home, and live a new life together. Could you do this for me?"
Jlenja laughed. "For you? Why would I have to? I will do it for me! I will do it for us!"
"You're right; 'for us'," said Elsa.
The artist and the queen kissed each other again, for the second of many, many times that night.