Life in the Key of Elsa Chapter 2: I See You, a frozen fanfic

A/N: Similar to the first chapter. Set in a contemporary setting with the same canon-verse attributes.

Elsa is no stranger to loneliness. She has spent a great portion of her life alone. More than she would care to remember.

She knows the pain of feeling like no one in the world could possibly love you. The feeling of complete isolation and the struggle of carrying your burdens without anyone to help you. She cannot recall how many nights she would lie awake in bed wondering when it would all be over: all the pain and misery, the solitude, the bitterness. Even now, with the gates open, she still has her moments when all she can do is lie there staring at nothing in particular. Sometimes, she sits on the balcony overlooking her kingdom. Sometimes, she finds herself in the study or the library mentally wandering, losing herself in those negative emotions that are far too familiar to her. And the trips – to our world – don't necessarily banish those feelings.

But at least now, for all the times she feels lonely, Elsa finally knows this: she is not alone.

For her sister has known just as much if not more emotional pain.

Anna has known loneliness, too. She may have been able to enjoy familial contact more than Elsa did, but there was always that little voice reminding her that something was missing. The three years leading up to the coronation were especially hard. No one there for her. Not even her big sister when she needed her most.

It truly is a miracle that someone who had been alone for so long could show as much love and enthusiasm for life as Anna. In a way, it made perfect sense. Anna always had energy that could not be contained, and naturally it was bound to burst out at some point. Life in Arendelle was a thrill for her now that she could walk out those gates every single day. And the trips into our world brought so much excitement to her.

And yet…

Anna still felt lonely, especially when Elsa was away. There was nothing in this world – or hers for that matter – that hurt Anna more than Elsa not being near her. And Elsa knew.

Which is why one evening, Elsa decided to surprise her little sister with a gift. She hoped it would have some meaning for Anna; it certainly did when she found it, and it practically left her crying.

Anna was settling into the couch in her apartment, a cute upscale place she and Elsa rented out in Manhattan whenever they visited from Arendelle. Elsa sometimes had business at the UN; Anna loved to tag along for the sights and sounds of the city. Both loved the cultural wonders of the greatest city in the world. Tonight, Elsa was away on official business in another city. Anna had opted to stay behind, and right now she really regretted that choice.

As she tried to find something to amuse her this evening, her laptop dinged with an incoming call. Elsa. Opening the video chat screen, Anna smiled brightly at the sight of her sister. She giggled a bit at the unkempt appearance of her hair; Elsa had undone her braid as the hour was very late and sleep was imminent.

"I have something I wanted to share with you," Elsa said. "I was listening to a song the other day and…well, it made me think of you."

Anna brimmed with excitement. She loved – seriously loved – hearing Elsa sing. It was perhaps the most beautiful sound in the world, second only to her sister's strong heartbeat. Elsa did not sing as often as Anna would have liked, though. So she got nice and cozy waiting for her sister's performance.

Elsa sat up, took a deep breath, and began:

I lie awake looking back
God knows this life goes fast
Each day harder than the last
Breaking down in the dark
I don't know how I fell this far from heaven
Can't put the pieces back together
So you lie there and dream

Here's to the lonely
To the broken-hearted
I want you to know I feel your pain
Here's to the hopeless
The almost forgotten
To those who got lost along the way
I see you
I see you
I see you

City streets and no one sees
We all just try to make believe
That it's all better than it seems
Black and white we color in
We see the world the way we wanna see it
You either take it or you leave it
Is it all just a dream

When you're alone
And you can't go back home
At the end of the day
I'll remember your face

Here's to the lonely
To the broken-hearted
I want you to know, I know, I feel your pain
Here's to the hopeless
The almost forgotten
To those who got lost along the way
I see you
I see you

As Elsa finished, she watched through the camera on her laptop. Her heart squeezed painfully at the sight before her. Anna, sitting in her apartment far away, was trying to hold back tears. She placed one hand over her mouth, sniffled a few times, and…she broke. The sobs came out, and Elsa's heart broke.

After a few minutes, Elsa tried to apologize. "Anna, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

But Anna shook her head vigorously. "No *sniff* it's not *hiccup* it's not your fault. I *hiccup* loved it. I'm just *sniff* overwhelmed by that song." She wiped her eyes and took a few breaths to get herself under control. "Thanks for sharing that. I guess it meant a lot to you too, huh?"

Elsa nodded. "I cried after hearing it. Story of my life, right there."

"Hey, Elsa?"

"Yeah?"

"…Please come home."

Elsa responded with a watery smile of her own. "I will, I promise."

Lyrics from "I See You" by Idina Menzel. From her self-titled album idina.

I am grateful to her for writing this song as it speaks to me when I have lonely moments. This sounded like something Elsa would or should sing. If they included a song like this one from the idina album in the Frozen sequel (which they won't), I would be over the moon.