My collection of Frozen swag includes the lovely A Sister More Like Me. You should grab a copy if you don't have it just yet.
A checked blanket was folded into a woven basket to cover the paper wrapped platters; picnic food of sweet spread sandwiches, savoury pastries and tiny gingerbreads. The cook handed it over to the smiling princess. "There you are Princess Anna, everything as requested."
"Thank you Mister Nils." Anna smiled and took the basket. She was going to take a picnic with a very special person and everything had to be perfect. Okay, as perfect as Anna could ever manage.
"Oh! I almost forgot." The cook turned and indicated for Anna to wait and he bustled into the cold room, leaving with a ceramic bottle. "Sweet Tea made to the requested specifications." He smiled widely.
"Thank you so much." Anna took it and went off to continue her plan. There were a few more things to collect.
"There you are feisty pants." Kristoff said as Anna left through a side door of the palace. "I was just coming to meet you."
"Ah ha! I was coming to find you!" Anna smiled and wrapped her beau in a hug. "Did you get what I asked for?" She whispered conspiratorially despite the fact there was little point. For a start Anna's idea of a whisper was far from popularly held opinion.
"Everything from the list is all here." Kristoff held up the elaborately wrapped box "Can I trust you to not eat them all?"
"Of course, did I give you enough money?" Anna started off indignant but it was a true risk, she hated to send Kristoff on errands as he made it so awkward to take payment.
"It was more than enough." Kristoff said, beginning to rummage in his pocket. A hand to his stopped him.
"Nope, keep the change. Treat Sven to something, or you know, yourself. A guy night or something." Anna could tell that the money was indeed there, Kristoff wasn't stretching the truth about that. However she did like to just try and get him to indulge her desire to spoil him.
"Alright, fine." Kristoff took her hand in his. "Now, are you running on time?" Anna was always a little scattered for timescales.
"I'm fine..." The clock bells began to chime as she spoke and a dawning look of horror drew across her face. "Gotta go bye!" She ran off, only to sprint back and jump to kiss Kristoff on the cheek. "Thank you!" She yelled, already running into the palace, the box in her hand. Kristoff just smiled and watched as she left his line of sight.
Elsa heard the clocks chime, those from outside and the number of attractive devices belonging to the palace. She had been just about to lay down her pen, impeccable timing had been one of her father's requirements she had seen fit to keep hold of. Closing the ledger and capping the inkwell Elsa rose from her desk.
The expected aide did not arrive to knock her door and escort her to lunch however. Puzzled, for Elsa had made known her preference for punctuality, she went to her study door and opened it fully. (No door she was behind would be closed and latched, not when Anna was around.) There was no one in the hallway. She was about to ring the bell, even if it would be to find out some unforeseen delay meant lunch was later, when something on the floor caught her attention.
It was white, it was paper. A paper snowflake carefully cut, the folds to maintain symmetry making the edges just lift slightly from the floor. "What on earth is this?" Elsa picked it up and admired the crisp form. There was a message on the other side.
"Follow Me."
Elsa looked down the hallway, there was another paper snowflake laid upon the floor. Curious, she went after it, the first still in her hand.
There was a third just in sight of the second, a fourth further along. "Anna." She said her sister's name aloud, it was always so warming to say it, Anna had to be behind this little game. Picking up the fourth uniquely designed paper snowflake Elsa smiled and went after the next.
Elsa had about a dozen snowflakes now, she was on the uppermost floor of the palace having followed the paper shapes up stairs and along hallways. It was a puzzle as to what Anna was up to, but it was a puzzle Elsa was determined to solve.
The trail led onward down a passageway Elsa hadn't ventured down before. Though growing up she had confined herself to the palace and away from people at the best of times, she had wandered the halls when it was quieter and explored the castle and palace in solitude. This far in the palace building had been risky, she would have risked encountering someone on the way back. Glad that there were no such problems now, Elsa moved onwards.
A ladder was before her, a snowflake pinned to the rungs, another at the lip of the hatch it reached to. "The things I do for you Anna." Elsa chuckled to herself, glad that she had chosen a nice blue fabric dress not a more fragile ice creation. Climbing the ladder was simple enough, even with a number of paper snowflakes clasped in a hand.
When she reached the open hatch Elsa plucked off the last snowflake and looked into the darker space above her. It was the loft most certainly, the ceiling pitched with the roof and a number of sheet covered objects languished in the light. Light that flooded through a tall window that filled most of the space at the nearest end, it was too bright in contrast to the dim loft but Elsa could see a snowflake hung on the latch.
Clambering into the loft Elsa muttered about the dust. It was a distraction tactic she knew, a lot of old memories had been bundled up here with the items they attached to and she had no desire to recall them. Pulling the paper free from the latch, the window swung inwards, opening out onto what looked like a terrace on the roof with something set out upon it. "What is this?"
"I think it was designed as a watch point." Anna' said, appearing at the corner, she had been out of sight to surprise her sister.
"I see, however I meant what is this?" Elsa gestured over a table and two chairs, rather ornate to be in so incongruous a place. There was a basket, a flask and a box set upon it.
"It is a picnic lunch, or early afternoon tea, or a late elevenses?" Anna smiled brightly and stepped up to her sister to take a hand. She guided Elsa to a seat. Too surprised, Elsa easily let herself be led and gently pressed into the chair. "Do... do you like it?"
"I'm still a little confused." Elsa cocked her head to look up at her sister stood beside her, still holding her hand.
"Well... You like to take 'proper tea' and sit inside at a tiny table and genteely sip small sips with tiny sandwiches and little cakes." Anna said, she let go of Elsa's hand and began to unpack the basket of its contents. Setting out the platters of dainty sandwiches, savoury pastries and the gingerbreads shaped like the heraldry of Arendelle along with the two tea trios packed for the sisters. "But I loved to picnic and because I didn't really leave the castle much - or you know, at all – I used to um, take to the roof?" Anna giggled nervously.
"So this is a compromise?" Elsa looked at the food, it all looked very appetising and it was time for lunch. She smiled and moved her teacup and saucer from the plate beneath them. The delicate china was decorated in a motif of tiny crocuses and snowdrops.
"I'd like to say it is a combination." Anna noticed the positive action and took her seat. She had a matching set to Elsa, they were part of a whole tea service gifted to their parents at some point in the past. "A fancy tea taking that is pretty much on the roof." Carefully, so as not to spill, Anna took the flask and, removing the stopper, poured tea into Elsa's cup and her own.
"Thank you." Elsa caught the scent of the tea, her favourite blend with just a hint of honey. "I see you put a lot of effort into this." Looking over the treats she placed one of each on Anna's plate and the same for herself.
"I wanted us to share a picnic we would both enjoy. It is too early to go dragging you off to all the places I want to sit on a blanket and eat big sandwiches washed down with lingonberry cordial." The look of apprehension on Elsa's face at the thought of such activity made Anna laugh a little. "See! I'm just describing it and you're not enjoying it." She finished a sandwich in two bites, "So I thought I would find somewhere private where I could easily set up a tea-picnic."
"Yes, I do see and I am grateful for the consideration." Elsa had started with the pastry she had picked, the sandwiches had a sweet filling and she preferred to have something savoury before eating sweets. "You do look overly concerned when we have tea in the parlour." It was true, Anna always seemed on edge and trying very hard to be 'correct' and imitate her older sister. The Anna sat before her was much more relaxed and natural. "I think this is an excellent combination, something we are both comfortable with." Anna had finished off her tea so Elsa poured more. "The snowflakes were an excellent touch." They were placed on the table beneath a saucer to stop them escaping come a breeze.
"It had to be a surprise and I knew you would follow them here." Anna smiled again, "I cut them all out, just like how you taught me when we were kids." There it was, a mention of their childhood before the accident. This time however Elsa didn't flinch and Anna did not feel too sad.
"I did, didn't I? But I could never trust you with the scissors. Elsa smiled. "It is a good job you learned well." The gingerbreads were swiftly disappearing to Anna's plate so Elsa quickly grabbed a few with a crafty grin at her prize. Anna laughed, her plan had worked wonders and they were having a good time.
"Save some room for these." Anna teased, taking the lid from the box she had sent Kristoff after. Inside were a dozen perfectly crafted chocolates. "Finest Chocolate Truffles." She spread the box sides, there were six each and no one would be pinching the other's. Elsa loved dark chocolate and Anna loved milk chocolate, so that was a self solving issue.
"Oh my." Elsa looked at the finely crafted confectionary. "Those look amazing..." Anna took the tray of dark chocolate treats and put them in front of her sister and slid her chocolate onto her plate.
"I know, I asked for all the best." Finished with the food Anna chose a chocolate. Elsa too seemed disinterested in her lunch now the tempting chocolate was revealed. With a conspiratorial look she picked one up and they took their bites in unison.
"Mmmm..." Echoed and the slightly chocolaty giggles followed.
Elsa couldn't recall what her schedule for the afternoon looked like and honestly couldn't care; she was having quality time with her sister. Anna had arranged the afternoon for this specifically and was very pleased that this surprise had been so well received.
It was fortunate there wasn't enough chocolate to spoil their suppers.
This idea was prompted by a page spread in the book. The illustrations are lovely and I was sparked off on this little story. I hope you enjoyed it. Writing sisterly interactions is a joy because it gives me a moment to consider times spent with my younger sister and baby sister (I say baby, she is a teenager now!).