Pictures - Anna's Quiet Moment
Author's notes - I had meant for Quiet Moment to be a one shot. But, Anna insisted she get to tell her story. How could I refuse the feisty little princess?
Princess Anna of Arendelle was happy. For today, all was right in her world. Her spot, upon the gallery floor, provided a nice view of the paintings hung throughout the room. Stocking covered feet, rested on a cushioned bench, bouncing in time to the cheery music in her head. Folded hands made for a soft pillow.
From her comfortable spot she smiled up at familiar friends. Since the Great Thaw there hadn't been time to visit the gallery. With Elsa back in her life, the need to converse with her old friends had faded. It was nice to have someone who answered when she asked questions. Well, most of the time.
The thought of her sister brought a wave of warmth to her heart. She began to hum, rocking her head and feet from side to side.
Caught up in her happy moment, she didn't hear the gallery door close. It was not till soft footsteps stopped near her head that she realized she wasn't alone.
She smiled at the blond hovering over her. "Hi." The smile widened when Elsa smiled back.
"Hi, to you." Elsa replied. "What are you doing?"
Anna shrugged. "Just enjoying the paintings."
"From the floor?" Elsa moved to the bench to sit, looking down at the young woman.
"Sure, I like the view from here. Besides, it's comfortable."
"Is it now?" Elsa gave a stocking covered toe a playful squeeze. She giggled at her sister's surprised yelp.
"Don't do that." Anna couldn't keep the laughter from her voice as she tried to scowl at her sister.
"How did your visit to the orphanage go?"
"Good. The repairs are going well. They should be finished by next week. I was thinking we could schedule a 'Royal visit' the week after that." Her gaze settled on Elsa. "The children want to see you."
A delicate eyebrow arched. "Do they now? Why pray tell, would they be eager to see me?"
"Well, you are the Queen, ruler of all the land. Defender of the realm. The face on the krones in their pockets."
"I doubt orphans have krones in their pockets."
Unamused by the interruption, Anna gave a decent impersonation of her sister's arched eyebrow. She was rewarded with a snorted giggle from the Queen. "Anyway, I may have promised them some magic snow." She cringed at the frown Elsa leveled at her.
"Anna, we talked about this. You know I don't like performing for people like some trained monkey." There it was, that tone Anna hated. Between a reprimand and worse, disappointment. Reprimand she could handle. Disappointment, not so much. Not from Elsa.
"Please, Elsa, the children love your magic, and this is for the orphans. You can't turn away orphans."
The Queen's defenses held a moment, only to crumble with a bowed head and heavy sigh. "No, I can't turn away orphans. Fine, I'll have Kai schedule it."
With all forgiven, Anna's happy mood returned. "So how was your council meeting?"
It was Elsa's turn to shrug. "Long. Poul is still pushing hard to reopen trade with Weselton."
"Jerk, doesn't he understand, we don't need those creeps?"
"He's looking to increase profits. More trade, more profits." The young Queen shook off the discussion. "Enough about that." A slender hand patted Anna's leg. "I promised you a shopping trip. Are you ready to go?"
Yes, had almost left Anna's lips, when she noticed the slump in her sister's shoulders. The fatigue she tried to hide behind a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Would you be upset if we stayed in?"
Was that a flicker of relief she saw cross Elsa's face?
"Are you sure? You've been going on for days about the new dress shop."
A halfhearted shrug raised Anna's shoulders. "The kids kind of wore me out." She lied. "I thought we could find a quiet place to hide out for the evening. Somewhere Kai will pretend he doesn't know about and steer people away."
Blue eyes searched Anna's face for something. Anna offered up a good puppy dog look, not her best, but more then enough to sway Elsa.
Laughter echoed through the room, causing Anna to startle at the unexpected sound. Was it really that shocking to hear Elsa laugh? Some days, yes.
"Okay, so what would you like to do?" Elsa slumped against the wall, stretching out her legs.
"I don't know." Anna looked around. "I'm kinda comfortable here."
Elsa glanced over the room. "It's not a bad place to hide."
"Yeah."
A comfortable silence settled over them. Each sister lost in her own thoughts. "Do you still create stories for them?"
Anna's eyes widened at the question. "How did you know that?"
The corners of Elsa's lips rose. "I have my ways. There were times when I overheard you. At first, I didn't realize what you were doing."
"You were listening?" Fear crept up Anna's spine at memories of shared moments of anger and despair with her painted friends. She wondered how much of that Elsa had heard.
"Sometimes." Unable to meet Anna's gaze she focused on the pale hands, folded in her lap. "I liked hearing your voice." Before Anna could comment, she pointed to a picture with a small group gathered around a table. "So tell me about that one."
As Anna's eyes settled on the painting, a smirk spread over her lips. "Oh, that's the West Mountain Gang."
"West Mountain Gang?" Elsa began to chuckle.
"Don't laugh. They are some of the most feared bandits in the realm."
"Those people, are feared bandits?" Elsa eyed the odd assortment of characters. "They look like a group of lost merchants."
"That's just their cover." Anna defended her creations. "See the guy in the middle with the big hat? He's the leader."
As Anna shared one of the gang's many adventures, Elsa began removing the hairpins from her bun. In a moment, her braid fell across a shoulder, covering her heart. She ran a hand over her hair, pushing back her bangs.
From the corner of her eye, Anna watched her sister shake off the rigid airs of a regal queen. The Queen's signature ice dress had been skipped for the day, having been replaced by a more traditional black and purple skirt, blouse and bodice. As much as Anna loved the ice dresses, she found it strangely comforting to see Elsa in regular clothes. She wasn't sure why, but it did.
Elsa slipped off her shoes, tucking them under the bench. Without a word she knelt to the floor, laying down at Anna's side. She propped her stocking covered feet on the bench, tapping her sister's foot.
Several taps later a brief foot war broke out. Which in turn escalated into a tickle fight. Shrieks of laughter echoed through the room as each sought to find the other's weak spots. The battle ended with breathless giggles as the girls collapsed in a truce.
Elsa's hand sought out Anna's, interlocking their fingers as she pulled the hand to her. She placed a kiss upon it before resting the entwined hands upon her stomach.
There was something comforting about the cool skin pressed against Anna's. She felt safe at the touch.
Elsa rolled to her side, snuggling against her sister. She rested her head on a soft shoulder.
"You wanna go lay down?" Anna asked.
"No, I'm good." Elsa snuggled in, wrapping an arm around Anna's waist. "Tell me about the painting with the dancers."
"Oh, that's a good one." Anna launched into another story.
"I think he kinda looks like Kristoff." She waved a finger toward the painting. "See, around the eyes?" When there was no reply she looked to her sister. "Elsa?"
Soft breathing was the only reply. She twisted enough to see her sister's face. It was obvious the older woman was sound asleep.
Anna rested her head against the one on her shoulder. A smile on her lips.
Princess Anna of Arendelle was happy. For today, all was right in her world.