It's been a month! I'm sorry for the people expecting the second chapter to spring after the first, but after weeks of plotting, I just half-skidded my way here for the last three days. O_O Outlines are not helpful for me, apparently. It took three follow-ups for the beginning before it stuck.
I enjoyed the first chapter, but the second one feels forced on and the last ending might turn out cheesy, so if you thought the first chapter was a standalone, then okay, don't let this shatter the first! This was written with "What would Elsa do?" in mind. Containing her powers for the majority of her life and now freely forming them to her own desires makes her want to...do something about it.
I thought that she thought while humming, with the beat of Let it Go:
"This is nice, out of ice; it matches the great fjord. And now I, wonder why, I haven't done this before~!"
Now, moving along...
(4/18 - Reposted it with the final edit of the chapter! I'd uploaded the wrong one, sorry!)
Disclaimer: Disney owns Frozen and its awesomesauce characters.
Joy
Chapter Two
A two-shot
Knock, knock, knock-knock, knock.
Stirring, Elsa cracked open an eyelid. Within her morning drowsiness, she still picked up the particular five-beat tapping at her doorstep. That little rhythm was forever bored into her memory, driven too far for her to forget, and too stubborn to depart.
She folded the covers and rose slowly to a sitting position, muffling a yawn. Stretching her limbs absently and crossing her legs, she left the world of infinite possibilities to reenter a place with more…realistic choices. A few seconds of peace was what she needed for now. Glancing to her left, she caught the flicker of the curtains that veiled the sun, and her lopsided smile wavered slightly.
Her nightly pastime had slightly drained her for the morning bustle, but she pushed through, blinking and resisting the impulse to slip into the duvet's wonderful warmth. It had been worth the lost sleep, though, seeing the ice pave across the sky and water, sleek as silk, cascading into numerous forms with a mere thought, an inkling, giving birth to a greater pronounced image.
Her chosen flower was committed to her memory, from sheer volumes of books she read as a young girl. It spoke the new beginnings, and blossomed during winter. Amazingly, the details were distinct despite the distance, leaving her even in more pride of her own creation. She was certain now that oars and boat would be an easy feat for her. Or a myriad of snowmen.
That would be wonderful.
Then Elsa recalled the rhythmic tapping. She cleared her throat, sweeping her hair back across her shoulder. "Come in." she called. She spent the last seconds tidying her nightdress.
Whatever fatigue she still possessed was banished once Anna entered the room. In both senses, it was as if she brought the sun.
She did not account for the ice harvester to follow. Immediately she thrust away her imagination and musings from her mind, but her grim analysis did the rest. They wouldn't. She gave them each a tiny wave, straightening in her bed like a pin. "Good morning, Anna, Kristoff."
"Hi!" Anna's right hand fluttered madly, grinning. In a non-conspicuous way, she poked Kristoff's right side, sending her companion's lips thinning. "Why are you so stiff?" she whispered.
Kristoff shifted his stance, eyes darting to Elsa before they returned to the floor. To her surprise, he took a deep bow, his bangs falling over his eyes. If he had not removed his hat, it would have fallen along.
His first words were mutters. "Because, Anna, your sister's the queen of this very kingdom."
At this, Elsa felt her face reddening.
"I know that!" Anna huffed, feigning annoyance.
"It's great to see you, Your Majesty, although it's pretty early." Kristoff continued. Abruptly, he became flimsy around the ends, nowhere near the sturdy, mindful young man Elsa would glimpse within him whenever he kept Anna and her expeditions sane.
Elsa raised a hand, and it seemed the next words died on his tongue. He drew himself out from the bow, his towering height almost compelling her to shrink. "It's alright, Kristoff. You may call me Elsa…" she cleared her throat as quietly as she could manage. He's tall. And we're awkward—Anna's mannerisms are rubbing off of me! She's very influencing…I'll stop right here.
Kristoff seemed to seize Elsa's silence as the end, using it to burst through. "Could I?" He asked timidly.
"Certainly. I don't mind, Kristoff." Elsa paused. They were still on vague relations. Her footing around him felt delicate as a frozen lake in early autumn, stumbling away from the light spots on the water, fearing to shatter the surface. Taking after her younger sister, she blurted, "If you have time to spare, maybe we can share…tea once in a while?"
My life skills are excellent.
She inwardly smacked her forehead, going instead to smooth the imaginary wrinkles of her covers, wishing to sink in, but responsibility made her stay put.
Fortunately, the ice harvester brightened. "Yes, I would like to!" he replied, his enthusiasm wiping off her self-frustration. "I never had a sip of tea, but you could do the honors and show me your favorite brews, or…" he shrugged.
Elsa felt her lips lift. "That's the first thing we'll do." she replied assuringly. It nearly flipped when she glanced back at the drawn curtains. Hazily she recalled having things to do, in forms of corridor navigating and discussion with the parliament. Today was heavy business, and she would be staying inside longer than she favored. "Anna, what are you here for?" she asked.
"Oh, we were just casually watching the sunrise and saw something absolutely fantastic."
"What was it?" Elsa encouraged.
"I know you did it, Elsa—you're just as great!" Anna spluttered. Her spontaneity inspired her, bursting with vigor and all full-hearted. The sole reason for the sculpture's existence. "When did you do it?" her sister kept turning to look at her curtained window, as if she expected them to part and sear her eyes.
"Last night." Elsa replied. "Why?"
Anna rushed over, sitting across from her. "Come. On. If you wanna see your work at a better spot..." Elsa could not help but stretch the time, arching an eyebrow. She wound up gasping as the strawberry blonde plopped onto her chest, not holding back, alike to long ago. Kristoff watched them in plain amusement, the royal pair of sisters letting loose.
"Faster, let's have a look!"
Elsa smiled as she was dragged by her sister's hand, racing to the window. Nodding at her sister, she stepped towards the balcony, parting the curtains.
At first, she saw the sun and its position, reading the time. "…It's barely seven." She noted matter-of-factly. It meant only eight hours were spent. Stepping forward and basking in the sultry heat, she halted at the end of the balcony and looked down.
"You know, I'm pretty sure when everyone wakes up and sees it, they'll all go, 'Wow, that is the biggest non-flower flower I've ever seen!'" Anna was saying, and Elsa nodded to both acknowledge and agree.
Farther away, she held the benefit of the doubt that her angle facing her creation was dwarfed from her perch in the castle. Something light registered in her chest. It was a near replica of the flowers she would see by the window sill. She faced Anna, who was briefly joined by Kristoff.
"You recognize it?" she asked.
"Of course, it's the crocus!"
"Isn't that Arendelle's crest?" Kristoff guessed. Imperceptively, the sisters nodded; Anna vigorously, while Elsa did not seem to bob her head at all.
"The view here is even greater." Elsa said, lacking words. From the balcony, her creation could be seen in another angle, a different light. Perhaps a few lost hours were worth reviewing afterwards, in the morning.
And it was quite a spectacle.
The sunlight casting on the crocus made it appear like a thousand carat diamond, dazzling the water and nearby ships that were anchoring nearby, drawn by the soigné design. Little figures that bounded in a scattered formation to the sides of their ship adjacent to the flower were sailors running for a look.
Upon further examination, she drew a light breath.
Arendelle's full fleet had circled. They were giving her too much credit.
"Anna?" Elsa faced her sister while laying a hand on her right arm, taking note of the slight shiver the younger girl responded with. Smile faltering in awkwardness from seeing the pure awe on Kristoff's face, she asked, "What do you two think?" she ducked her face, "I know you two have seen my magic beforehand..."
Instead of a response, she was enveloped into a warm hug by the pair. She almost went slumping against their bodies to savor the heat that no duvets could rival. Lingering in each others' arms was what they did.
Anna, with warning, loosened up their hug and darted past her, dangerously near careening over the balcony fence as she drunk in the same view. "This is amazing, Elsa." she announced, gripping the wrought iron and grinning as wide as the crescent moon. "I mean, wow," her hands were askew, keeping up with her colorful descriptions until she finished with a blustery sigh.
"Thank you." Elsa replied, a steady smile on her lips, trying not to let her esteem swell. She loosened her shoulders and exhaled lightly. "This is the first time for a while that I've created something out of a pure idea." She cupped her hands behind her back, thoughtful. "I doubt I can't do any better."
"What do you mean? The castle—"
"Palace." Kristoff declared.
"Any word goes, but maybe it could be, well, like a humble ice cottage," Anna continued with a grin, and Elsa's eyebrows catapulted, "it had all these shapes, solid and all about measurements, and then the crocus is free!"
Elsa refrained from mentioning the massive headache she received upon finishing the structure in the mountains. She herself considered it as a shrine for her own meditation.
"I'd like to show you two what I've learned from last night." Elsa declared, convincing herself to be bold. Inwardly, the almost inbred trait to conceal tugged at her, but she strictly put it aside.
She stepped near the balcony edge besides her sister, aware that two pairs of eyes were honed on her back. With the ends of her dress whirling, she faced them. "Are you ready?" she asked softly.
She grinned as they nodded in unison.
Once again, Elsa found herself standing like a conductor waiting for the orchestra's attention, alert and composed. Instantly, her hands were the baton, billowing through the summer air. With an upward flick of her wrists, Elsa gestured forward, coaxing the swirling snow to whirl around the crocus, descending to the point it nearly skimmed the deep blue below, surprising her audience, she could hear, from their tell-tale comments.
Sustaining its flight she looked about, patient and focused as her control extended the white powder, tunneling into an arc. Elsa brought her hands to the front, waving them like a pair of joined gears and smoothly fanning them outwards, making four masses align themselves.
Without further ado, she swung her arms back and clapped, its sound clear and resonant.
The ice split the blank silence as it rippled through the water and tapered in the air. The four spots were now glazed as translucent, curved arches enclosed around the flower's stem and froze above the petals, giving a more surreal quality, a larger than life depiction captured from Elsa's soul. More ice ricocheted onto the inlet like fireworks.
Astounded at her success, it was dormant compared to the loud cheer that applauded her from below and behind.
"You could do this as often as you like!" Anna exclaimed, slamming a fist into an open palm. "You're the queen, after all."
"Anna, my title doesn't exempt me from everything." Elsa said, hiding a cheeky grin.
"Yes Elsa, not everything, but some things…" Anna wiggled her eyebrows, and Elsa failed keeping her flat expression on; her earlier musings manifested and she burst into laughter, muffling it with a hand. "Not those things!"
"I'm not thinking whatever you're thinking."
"Well," Kristoff joined in, "Elsa…I love it—you and how you use your ice." His voice was gruff.
Elsa was beginning to nod, but halted at the sound of something she was no stranger to. She turned, and her hands clenched at the sight.
"What have I done?" Elsa asked Kristoff, surprised by how even her voice came. Worry wormed in her stomach and puzzlement clouded her mind, as the ice harvester muffled a sob escaping his throat. She took a step. "Kristoff, I'm sorry if I frightened you…" Involuntarily, she retracted a hand stretching forward. Slowly but surely, she was folding in on herself.
"Elsa," Anna darted her eyes behind her two. An uneasy smile popped onto her sister's lips, contrasting to the rising panic Elsa was feeling, "it's alright, he's—"
"No, there's nothing wrong!" Kristoff blurted, wiping his face. It was ruddy with tears and his voice strained, but underneath was a broad grin, throwing Elsa off course. Tears and mirth combined harmoniously, a sight she was unaccustomed to. They were separate feelings. Aren't they?
And yet the immense, invisible weight pressing on her lightened. "Then why are you crying?" she asked.
"Seeing what you do makes me…" the young man raised his voice through the tears. "…You're an extraordinary person, Elsa."
"Both of you, as well!" she blurted. The warmth overwhelmed her, and she wondered if the crocus would melt itself and shear into the lake, because by then, sweat beaded her brow.
Even if he was teary-eyed, the ice harvester glanced at Anna with his soggy grin. "Your sister needs hugs." And she remedied that.
Elsa maintained eye contact on Kristoff, going on. "I'm only starting." She admitted, holding tight to her comfort source. "My past is something else a problem that's persisted this whole time."
"Yeah." Anna agreed through the nightdress.
When?
Elsa sensed the unspoken question. She never doubted their connection, no matter how long they were apart.
"…Soon. I promise."
"Okay, Elsa, or I'll be hounding you in between breaks—but it has to be everything, and I'll tell you everything, too—Kristoff, do you need a tissue?" Anna produced it from areas unknown, and Elsa took the opening to glance down at the balcony. Her attention was diverted to below as her mind juggled her sleeping attire and abrupt use of her magic. Hopefully her hair did not look struck by lightning.
"Sven needs to see this." She heard Kristoff murmur from afar. It was followed by a snort, muffled by a hankerchief. She herself peeked at the gathering of sailors, who gave her their full attention once she noticed, waving their arms as they congratulated her out through the open air. The distant murmur pricking beneath the balcony had her mind teeming in ideas. The kingdom was stirring, and she could pick out other figures on land, drawing near the sculpture that shined unnaturally with the summer setting.
Previously, she felt the love of two people—only two that were close to her heart and mind.
Have I really included Arendelle into the mix? She returned their waves, smiling as wide as she could manage.
Her first impression of their cowering and gasps mixed with another, slowly learning, understanding, and now finally seeing who she truly was: the queen, both of royalty and snow.
They cheered…for her. Sided by Anna's smile, Kristoff's words, and the sun's gaze, they held her in high approval and love.
In the sunlight, this was a moment she truly reveled in, time-locked with her memories.
Perfect.
Thank you for reaching the end and completion of 'Joy'! Hopefully, it wasn't rushed, and I pulled off their characterization and wasn't too subtle-y. I have lots of references and symbolisms that are probably tiny. They were the crocus and Elsa's movement!
You know those first twelve platforms Elsa creates before the largest one supports her crocus sculpture? It stands as the years she's spent in isolation, painful and constricted, until the thirteenth, where she releases the length of her powers, and takes a big leap. And expression!
The alteration of the crocus references the castle's own, by showing how she feels secure and free and with her beloved people...I'm fangirling over here.
Also, the music I listened to while writing were Pavane for a Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel (no princesses were harmed in composition), Morning Mood by Edward Grieg, and the Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite by Paul Reade. I'm still trying to find my style, and Frozen has much to work with...
Okay, bye!
