Disclaimer: Frozen and its characters are not mine.
Chapter I
"What's this?" Elsa stared at the heart-shaped present Anna held out to her. It was wrapped in purple and green, with a red ribbon laced around it. The Queen took the present, abandoning her research work. "You shouldn't have."
"I would, for you," Anna replied, lips curling into a shy smile. She folded her arms behind her and looked at Elsa expectantly. "Open it," she prompted the Queen, who, curiosity getting the better of her, did so at once.
"Chocolates?"
"Dark chocolates," the Princess corrected, knowing it was a great favorite of the Queen.
Elsa saw that the dark confections were unshapely; their sizes and shapes were inconsistent: some were meant to be hearts, others as cubes, and the rest as balls—but all failed to take their supposed forms. They were poorly made, Elsa noted, and before she could ask as to where exactly the Princess had bought them from, Anna added, with a hint of pride, "I made them."
"Oh." The Queen didn't ask anymore. It made perfect sense to her then.
"Well?" Anna watched her, unable to contain her excitement. "Try one."
"Um." For a few moments, the Queen hesitated. That was not to say she didn't trust her sister, no. But the incident that had occurred a few weeks ago was still a sharp memory to her: Anna, who had endeavored to learn cooking and lend the cooks a helping hand, had…well, not been much of a help. It had been the exact opposite: she had spoilt the concoctions and caused a mess in the kitchen. This had not only delayed mealtime for nearly three hours, but had fooled the staff, the Royal Guards, and even the Queen into believing that there was a fire, causing uproar within the Castle walls.
Elsa knew she wasn't a good cook, and her sister didn't fare any better. But the eager sparkle in Anna's blue eyes drove her to take a chocolate and bite from it. As she chewed, Anna leaned forward slightly, eyes widening and smile spreading with anticipation.
There was a familiar, rich, bittersweet taste as the chocolate melted on her tongue, which surprised the Queen. And something else…a hint of something strange, yet delectable. It faded before she could savor it, which left her taste buds tingling.
"Anna," Elsa said in wonderment, "it's amazing! Thank you." She popped the rest of the chocolate into her mouth.
Obviously pleased, the Princess's cheeks tinged pink. "Oh, psh, it was nothing," she said, rolling her eyes and waving a hand dismissively. It was a lie, of course. If only Elsa knew how many days the Princess had worked strenuously on a recipe she had taken from a cookbook (which took her a while to find in the library), the hours she'd spent each day trying and failing and trying again, the utensils she'd damaged and the ingredients she'd wasted in the process, the cooks she'd upset with the frequent mess in the kitchen… She had poured her heart, time, and effort into every single piece, imperfect as they appeared.
Elsa took another confection and popped the entire piece into her mouth. She was definitely enjoying it, thought the Princess, elated. Her eyes strayed to the research materials strewn across the Queen's worktable: thick books, rolls of parchment, letters, unfinished papers… Her sister was a very busy monarch. "Um, so I guess I have to go," she finally said, stepping backwards, towards the door.
"I think so, too," agreed Elsa helplessly, albeit reluctant. Her sister's occasional visits were always enlivening, brightening the Queen's dull hours, and relieving her of her daily stress. The Princess' gift was a heartwarming gesture of her love for the Queen—shy and innocent love only Anna generated—and she knew she wouldn't ask for any more. Her sister was enough, more than anything anyone could ever ask for.
Before Anna left the room, she poked her head through the door and cheerily said, "Enjoy those for the meantime."
The Queen couldn't help but smile. Oh, she would. Her sister's radiance having improved the atmosphere in the room, Elsa returned to her work, leafing through the pages of one the books. Settling on a particular chapter, she leaned back on her high-backed chair and reached for another chocolate.
It was suppertime and Anna, who had arrived in the dining room first, saw Elsa enter and take her seat at the head of the table. To her delight, the Queen still held the present she had given her. The lid was removed, revealing a few remaining dark confections inside.
"You're obviously not enjoying them, are you?" Anna said, leaning a cheek into her hand.
"Not at all," replied Elsa casually, picking up on Anna's sarcasm and playing along with her.
The strawberry-blonde giggled. Elsa was about to take another confection but stopped, when Anna added in amusement, "Desserts come after the meal, Elsa."
"Ah, but of course," the Queen readily agreed, obediently placing the lid back on its container in a prissy fashion, and winking playfully at Anna.
"Good girl," Anna giggled.
Halfway through their meals, Elsa felt a creeping pain in her gut and clutched her stomach. She stopped eating for a few moments, which did not escape Anna's notice.
"What's wrong?" the Princess asked anxiously.
"This is nothing," the Queen lied, raising her free hand to halt the Princess, who had stood up from her seat to offer help. The pain sharpened abruptly, making the Queen double over and knock her cup of wine and spill its contents across the table.
"Elsa!" Anna was by the Queen's side before any of the present servants were.
"I think I'll pass on the rest of the meals," Elsa said weakly, wincing from the gnawing pain in her stomach. The servants present stood close by, ready to provide assistance. But the Queen made no requests whatsoever and assured them, "I'll be fine. My sister can handle this." She nodded to Anna, who draped her sister's arm over her neck, and slowly lifted her from the chair. The Queen leaned heavily on Anna for support, while Anna tried to maintain her balance, planting her feet firmly on the floor. She wrapped a protective arm around Elsa's slender waist, pulling her closer to her body as they began walking through the threshold, the door held open by one of the servants.
"Maybe you can prepare something for the Queen," Anna told the servant before the siblings departed from the room. As they walked down the hallway, the Queen halted, pressing her fingers to her temple. "Anna," she whispered hoarsely, "my head is spinning."
"Just a little more, Elsa," Anna encouraged. It took them a considerable amount of time to climb the winding staircase, and down the wide, empty hall, and finally, to the room they shared. Elsa collapsed into the mattress as soon as they reached her canopied, curtained bed, and Anna helped her settle comfortably under the cool sheets. Afterwards, the Princess lit a candelabrum at the bedside table, sat at the edge of the bed, and placed a warm hand on the Queen's clammy forehead. "You'll be okay," she said soothingly, brushing the stray locks of hair from Elsa's face. The Queen merely whimpered as frost began to spread on the sheets.
There came a knock on the door, and Anna turned to see the servant from earlier, balancing a tea set on a tray. "Perhaps something warm can ease an upset stomach," she said, setting the tray down on a nearby table.
"Thank you," said Anna gratefully.
There came another knock and both turned to see a smartly-dressed, middle-aged man standing in the threshold with a Royal Guard right behind him.
"Her majesty is unwell?" said the man, who Anna realized to be an Apothecary.
"Yes," she replied, glancing down at the Queen, who was lying quite still in bed. The frost began to thicken, threatening to spread farther. But Anna's frequent caresses on Elsa's face and arms kept them at bay.
The Apothecary entered the room and stopped a few meters from the bed, not daring to come any closer. Was he like the remaining few people who feared the Queen and her ice magic? wondered the Princess, watching him as he stood there and examined the Queen, whose back was turned against him. He must have noticed the frost spreading on the Queen's sheets, for Anna saw him take a small step backwards. He did not stay long; he merely asked a few questions regarding the Queen's condition and took out a small vial from the pharmaceutical case he carried with him. After the servant took the vial to give to Anna, he bowed and took his leave, escorted by the Royal Guard who had stood outside the room during the entire visit. The servant took her leave soon afterwards, leaving the Princess and the Queen alone.
"Elsa?"
Elsa merely groaned in response.
"Drink this, okay?" The Princess supported the Queen as Elsa tried to lift herself. She leaned on Anna, her head nestled on her sister's shoulder. Anna uncapped the vial, and helped the Queen drink its contents. Elsa coughed and sputtered, disliking the medicine's taste.
"Stay with me," she whispered.
"I will." Anna eased her back into bed, and laid on her side, facing Elsa, who curled into her. "Feeling better?" she asked softly
"Much better," came an even softer reply.
"Sleep." The Princess planted a kiss on the Queen's forehead and hummed a song into her ear.
Anna swam in shallow dreams, and was about to leave the confines of sleep, when a particularly loud snort startled her awake. Unaware that it was her own, she sat up slowly, yawned, and stretched. Her movement awakened her companion, who sat up as well, rubbing a sleepy eye.
"Good morning, Anna," a deep, masculine voice greeted drowsily. Anna's eyes, drooped sleepily all the while, snapped open in surprise. The Princess turned to come face to face with a bare-chested, young man, who blinked drowsily at her, a languid smile spread on his face.
Anna screamed, and moved back so suddenly that she fell off the edge of the bed and landed on her backside.
The young man jolted awake, alarmed by the Princess's reaction. "What? What?"
Anna got up on wobbly legs, using the bed frame for support. She pointed at the stranger, demanding fiercely, "Who are you? Why are you in my bed? Where's Elsa?" Her voice shook slightly as she spoke.
"What are you talking about?" began the stranger, but he slapped a hand over his mouth, apparently shocked at the sound of his own voice.
Something else caught the Princess's eye: she saw pieces of ripped, blue cloth around the young man. What remained of white sleeves hung loosely on his muscled arms. Anna gasped, recognizing the garments. "The dress.."
The young man followed her gaze and, shocked to witness his own bare-chested-ness, slapped his arms to his chest in attempt to cover himself. "Oh my." He lifted his eyes to meet Anna's gaze with equal confusion and fear.
Snow began to fall from the ceiling, and frost spread quickly on the sheets that covered the rest of the young man's lower half. They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, before it finally struck her.
"N-No.. You can't be…" Anna's eyes widened with dawning realization. "You can't be Elsa."
The idea of an upset stomach and dizziness right before Elsa's transformation is taken from Disney's "Brave", and the last scene is loosely based from Elryne's Deviation entitled "...boy". I give credit to Disney and Elryne for this.
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