Chapter 1: Last Minute Birthday Surprise
Sometimes, things don't need to go as planned to be perfect.
Anna heard footsteps down the hall. She glanced at the clock which showed about 15 minutes to midnight. She cuddled her Elsa doll closer and turned her attention back to the book. She thought, "It's probably just a guard on patrol."
There was a knock on her door. "Pssst... Anna... are you awake?"
She sat up upon hearing her sister's voice. "Elsa! You're supposed to be resting!"
Flinging the covers aside, she bolted toward the door which opened and hit her. "Ow!"
"Anna!" cried Elsa in alarm. "I'm so sorry, Anna!"
She rubbed her forehead and smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. See? Anyway, enough about me!" With a hand on her sister's forehead, she checked her temperature. "You should be in bed! You still have a fever."
"I'll go to bed after I show you one last thing."
It was then that she noticed the telescopes in Elsa's arms. "Why do you have those?"
"You'll see..." Elsa tugged on her hand and attempted to pull her but ended up leaning against the door.
Quickly, she supported her beloved sister. "Elsa, don't force yourself. Just show it to me later."
Her sister shook her head. "No... no... it has to be today! We don't have to walk too far. And it'll be quick. I promise!"
Deep blue eyes pleaded with her and her resistance crumbled. She put her arm around her sister's waist. "All right, make it quick."
Elsa gestured down the hall. "This way!"
Together, they walked to a castle tower that looked over the city. At the top, her sister opened the window and adjusted a telescope before giving it to her.
"We can see the clock tower from here."
Anna looked through the telescope and found the clock tower. That afternoon, Elsa presented her last gift, two wonderfully carved wooden dolls in their likeness. However, the dolls were nowhere to be seen. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"
"You'll see in a couple of minutes. Just watch the clock face."
In less than two minutes, the clock hands would show midnight. From the corner of her eye, Elsa leaned against the window sill. She put her arm around her shoulders. "Here..."
"Thanks..." Her sister leaned her head against the crook of her neck and watched through the telescope.
She kissed the top of her blonde head and resumed looking at the clock face. Elsa felt warm against her and a mixture of joy and guilt filled her heart. On one hand, she was happy that Elsa put in so much effort for her birthday. On the other hand, she felt ashamed for not stopping their date earlier and letting Elsa rest.
Eventually, the hands of the clock aligned and the tower chimes echoed through the city. The little doors at the bottom of the clock face opened and their dolls came out. The dolls moved towards the center of the platform. Fascinated, Anna watched as the Elsa doll lifted its arms. At the center, the dolls' faces touched, their painted red lips meeting in a kiss. The dolls stayed in that position until the chimes stopped ringing. The dolls turned around and moved back through the little doors which closed behind them.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Anna... you turned too much! Your doll, I mean. I totally missed your cheek... uh... no, wait... My doll missed your cheek. Your doll, that is... I'm so sorry! I'll tell the Royal Timekeeper to adjust it before tomorrow night!"
"Tomorrow night?"
"Yes. I'll have him fix it before then so it works at midnight."
"Wait, how often will the dolls come out?"
"Every midnight."
Anna stared at her sister with exasperation. "Elsa, you didn't have to show it to me tonight if they're going to come out every night!"
Her sister blinked several times before admitting sheepishly, "Oh... you're right..." She giggled in embarrassment.
She tapped the tip of her flushed nose. "You silly! Let's get you to bed."
They made their way back to the Queen's bedchamber. Anna tucked her beloved sister in. "Thanks for making my birthday a perfect day, Elsa. Oh, and you don't have to adjust the dolls. They're perfect as they are." She leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I love you, Elsa. Good night."
Elsa leaned forward and returned the kiss. Warm fingers caressed her cheek. "I love you, Anna. Thank you for taking care of me."
With that, her sister closed her eyes and rested against her pillow with a contented smile. Anna doused the lights and blew one last kiss from the door before returning to her room.
From then on, couples would kiss under the clock tower at midnight hoping to get the blessing of True Love from the Queen and the Princess of Arendelle.
To be continued in Chapter 2: Snowgie Cure