Well then. Another chapter from Elsa's and Anna's childhood, with a bit more supernatural stuff mixed in it. This time Elsa is 5 and Anna is 2 and both are still adorable... maybe too much. Tell me, is the story becoming too sappy? I hope the fairy tale I wrote sounds right, it's a bit hard to write a formalized genre in a foreign language.

The Snow King and the Spring Maiden

It had taken way more time than Elsa had thought. In her first year of life Anna couldn't walk, so play was pretty much limited to Anna's nursery. So Elsa's wish to show her new sibling the joys of winter didn't come true that year. Strangely enough the white-haired girl wasn't all that disappointed. Maybe it was their parent's constant reassurance that Anna very would soon be old enough to walk and talk with her, maybe it was the fact that she now had someone to play with at all since the people who lived around the castle knew she was the princess and barely allowed their children to walk up to her, let alone play. Perhaps it was also the fact that Anna had warmed up to her sister very fast and nearly always was delighted when Elsa came to play with her, even if it was only very simple games like rolling a ball between them or Elsa improvising a story with her dolls for Anna. Both of them loved stories, even when Anna couldn't really understand what her sister was telling her, but her laughter was enough reason for Elsa to make up even more fantastic tales.

Sadly their parents had found out about Elsa's mysterious "magic", as they called it and they had told her in a very serious way that Anna was very vulnerable and that Elsa should not use these powers around her little sister. But since Anna had already seen what Elsa could do and absolutely loved small showers of snow, ice flowers on the window and the tiny ice statues Elsa made for her, Elsa sometimes couldn't resist. Anna adored her older sister's skill and mostly a little bit of begging with her cute little bit of language was enough to make an exception of Elsa's promise to her parents. And well, nothing had happened, so what was the harm?

And since Anna had now reached the glorious adventure age of nearly two years, she could finally accompany her sister outside, even if a grown-up was always with them. Now it was winter again, and to Elsa's utmost delight they had discovered that Anna liked real snow nearly just as much as Elsa – especially because of what Elsa could DO with it, when the grown-up wasn't looking –, even though the baby didn't like the cold that came with it and couldn't stay outside as long as Elsa would have liked. Still it made Elsa enjoy the company of her little sister even more.

The only sad thing was that grown-ups nearly always were around. Especially their mother. Not that this was a bad thing per se. Elsa loved her parents and no thrilling, tragic or sappy doll play she could imagine could compare to their mama simply entering the room in case of immediately catching Anna's attention. And Elsa was thrilled when their mother took the time and read a story to both of them – from one of the big books in the library! But when grown-ups were present, Elsa didn't dare to use her powers in front of Anna, which was a bit frustrating for both of them – Elsa not being able to relish in her sister's adoration and Anna often beginning to cry, which was hard for Elsa to explain.

But all in all it was a great childhood. Elsa couldn't even imagine anymore how she got by in these three years before Anna came along and Anna couldn't be more happy to have "Esa" as a sister. Well, she'd learn Elsa's real name soon enough, at least their mother was convinced of it. Today it had been a sunny day and both of them had been allowed to play outside in the snow for a while. Anna had been ecstatic when Elsa had allowed her to help her older sister building a snowman – although she hadn't really been much of a help, but it was fun watching her try to roll a snow ball around –, and Elsa had even been able to do a little snow magic when Gerda had her eyes elsewhere. And now both of them were in Anna's room and Elsa was currently telling Anna the epic tale of Elsa the Sneaky and her daring raid of the kitchen today.

"... and then Alva turned around and Elsa hid under the table. And Alva asked 'Who is there?' and Elsa was very, very quiet. But then someone came into the kitchen! Do you know who, Anna?"

Anna giggled at her sister's antics and clapped her hands. Elsa was trying to imitate their mother, who always used her voice dramatically when she told them a story, soft most of the time, but low and suddenly loud and pronounced in dramatic scenes, but with her five years she still hadn't quite figured out how it worked. Fortunately Anna didn't really understand what Elsa was telling her, but was quite pleased by the performance altogether.

"My, my," an amused voice suddenly made itself known behind them. "It seems you don't need me to tell a story today, do you?"

"Mama!"

Her story was forgotten. Elsa jumped on her feet and ran into her mother's embrace, Anna following her a little slower, but with just as much enthusiasm.

"My little angels," their mother said warmly after some hugs and kisses. "Have you had fun today?"

"Fun!" Anna announced excitedly. She pointed at her sister. "Esa sow!"

Elsa froze for a second – thank god not literally –, but her mother didn't seem to notice it.

"Did Elsa play in the the snow with you?" the queen asked Anna, the gentle smile never leaving her face. She faced Elsa. "And you, dear? Did you have fun too?"

A true smile formed on Elsa's face. "Yes," she confirmed. "Anna helped building a snowman."

The queen kissed both the strawberry-haired and the white-haired head in front of her. "Ah, you are both growing up so fast," she sighed and pushed her daughters away gently. "Soon you'll both be beautiful young women... and then you won't need me anymore to read stories to you."

"No, we always want mama's stories!" Elsa objected, looking at Anna. "Right, Anna?"

"Sory!" Anna agreed, proud to be included in the conversation.

"Oh, this means so very much to me," their mother exclaimed theatrically and then picked up Anna, placing her on her lap while sitting down on Anna's bed. Elsa immediately took place right next to them. And then their mother opened the book she had brought with her, a big tome her daughters had already seen quite often, full of great stories. "Then let's see what we will read today!" She opened the book and smiled. Elsa looked at the page, eager to anticipate what the story would be about, but sadly she could not yet read. She made a mental note to remind her parents again that she wanted to be able to read as soon as possible. Her mother was a great narrator, and Elsa was eager to be just like her one day.

"'The Snow King and the Spring Maiden'", their mother read. "Ah, that is a beautiful story. Perfect for a winter evening."

"Who are they?" Elsa asked eagerly.

Their mother smiled, patting her head. "Patience, dear," she softly reprimanded her daughter. "Maybe Anna isn't ready yet."

"Read!" Anna demanded though, pointing at the page, pouting at her mother.

Their mother laughed. "Alright, alright," she gave in. "So, once upon a time there was a man and a woman, and they loved each other very much..."

"Love!" Anna interrupted excitedly. She knew this word! Mama, papa and Elsa said it very often! It was a good word!

"Yes, love," Elsa interjected, amused. "Anna loves mama and Elsa, right?"

"Ahem," their mother coughed and squeezed the shoulders of her daughters gently to get their attention. With two growing children she was long since used to such distractions. "Shall I stop reading?"

"No, please read, mama," Elsa quickly said, with Anna wondering what the two were talking about.

"Alright, and the man and the woman were still sad because they had no children. And one day, when the woman went outside, she saw an old woman. And this woman was a witch." The last sentence she whispered.

"What is a witch, mama?" Elsa asked. She knew it that she shouldn't interrupt her parents too much, but somehow this word seemed interesting to her.

"A witch can do strange things other people can't do," her mother explained. "Most of them are very evil."

That somehow disappointed Elsa. "Is this witch evil?" she asked.

"No," the queen said. "This witch was sad, because she was dying."

Elsa shut up. She hadn't fully grasped what death was yet, but she knew it was nothing good.

"Mama?" Anna asked. She understood way less than her sister, but she wanted some attention too.

Her mother smiled at her. "Of course, let's continue. Well, the witch was dying. And she told the woman: 'Woman, this is my end. But I want to do one last good deed before I die. So tell me, do you have a wish?'" When she said that, she changed her voice and screwed up her face enough to make Elsa flinch and Anna whimper. "And the woman was very afraid. But then she took heart and said: 'My husband and I love each other very much. But we have no children. So if you can help us, dear woman, please do so.' And the dying witch smiled. 'That was a good wish,' she said. 'Worthy of fulfilling. And so I say: In one year you shall give birth to a boy. And three years later your wish shall be fulfilled.' And with that, the old witch died. And the woman and the man buried her, as it was tradition."

"Mama, what is a wish?" Elsa asked. She was already five years old and understood many things her mother told her, but many of these stories her mother narrated so well were difficult to grasp.

"A wish is when you want something very dearly... like you wanted Anna to be born two years ago," the queen explained. "And a wish fulfilled is a wish that happens." She pulled both of her daughters closer. "And Anna is here now, isn't she? So your wish was fulfilled."

"I understand," Elsa exclaimed proudly. "Please read, mama."

"Well then. The woman didn't really understand what the witch said. The witch had said the woman would have a boy. That was her wish. But the witch had also said the wish would come true three years later." The queen looked at her two daughters questioningly. "That's strange, is it not?"

Elsa thought that she had interrupted her mother often enough, so she stayed silent and tried to follow the story. Anna didn't really have a clue, but just like her sister's before she loved her mama's antics, so she mimicked the queen's face and looked back questioningly.

"And as the witch had predicted," their mother concluded, "the woman gave birth to a beautiful baby boy one year later."

"Birth," Elsa whispered. She remembered that word. Anna came after that. She shook her head, as her mother looked at her, wanting her to continue.

Her mother turned the page. "And the little boy was special. He looked just like everyone else, but he had hair white as freshly fallen snow."

"Sow!" Anna had spotted a crude picture of a human face with white hair on the page. Then she pointed at her sister. "Esa!"

This time both Elsa and her mother had to smile. Anna was simply adorable when she was excited.

"That is not me, Anna," Elsa said calmly, shaking her head. Anna looked at her, confused.

"It's not," their mother agreed. "That's the Snow King. And he had not only snow-white hair, but his skin felt like ice."

Elsa had never experienced how a chill down her spine felt. But if he had, she would have recognized the feeling now.

"But the woman and the man didn't care. The boy was strange, but they raised him as their son, and they were happy like never before. And three years later, another miracle happened: Because the woman gave birth to a daughter."

Suddenly, Elsa had the strangest feeling ever. She felt like she was looking through the eyes of another person... and this person, roughly as big as she was, was staring at an oddly foreign yet familiar woman, holding a newborn baby in her arms. "Look at her," the woman said. "This is your new sister." Elsa blinked and the vision was suddenly gone. But her mother's story had continued.

"... and when the boy touched his sister, his witch powers awoke! And suddenly a winter came into the small town like never before. So much snow fell that the strongest men in the small town had to use all the strength to move these white walls aside. And the man and the woman became very scared. They looked at the white-haired boy and they said: 'This is your doing! Begone!' And that white-haired boy just stared at them, and they could see that he felt hurt. And then he said: 'I will go. But the snow will not.' And so he left.

But as he said, the snow did not. Oh, the snow melted in spring, but in the next winter it came back, and it was more than before. And in the following year the winter was even worse. And it continued that way until the small girl had grown into a beautiful young woman."

Elsa felt strange. There were many words she didn't know in this story... and yet she understood everything. It was... as if she had known this story already... Her trance-like state was such that she didn't even notice that her mother ended her pause and continued.

"And the young girl was much beloved. Despite the horrible winters that came back year after year, the girl's compassion and kindness made the people believe that the next winter would not be so bad and that they could overcome everything. And one day, on a particularly cold winter evening, the man and the woman talked. And the woman said: 'This is our fault. This is our son.' And the young maiden heard that. And she asked: 'Whom are you talking about?' And the parents said: 'About our son. You are the sister of the Snow King.'"

"Sisser!" Anna exclaimed triumphantly. She knew what that meant! But when she looked at Elsa, the girl looked kinda strange. "Esa?" she asked.

The queen looked at her other daughter and she was alarmed. Elsa was looking straight ahead, but there was no doubt that she did not see what was happening right in front of her. The queen gently shook her daughter. "Elsa?"

"Huh?" Elsa made. She smiled, but somehow... it didn't seem right. "Good story, mama. Please read!"

The queen wasn't quite convinced, but she continued: "And when the young girl heard that, she felt very sad. 'How could you not tell me that I have a sibling!' she scolded her parents. 'He is probably alone out there, with no one who loves him!' And with that she packed her things and left her home to search for the brother she had never known.

It was not easy. The snow itself seemed adamant to slow her down at every opportunity. But the young woman was more strong-willed than mere snow. And finally, one day she was standing in front of the ice palace of the Snow King."

Elsa's eyes widened, but neither her sister nor her mother noticed.

"And when the young maiden entered, no one was there. But she was not afraid. She walked through the countless halls of ice until she finally reached the throne room, where the Snow King was waiting for her.

And the boy still had white hair, and his skin was still pale, but his eyes were hard. He was cold and dark, but the girl was still unafraid. And still he did not recognize his sister, and he asked..."

She knew this girl! Elsa was sure that she had never seen her, but nevertheless there was somewhat familiar about the girl that was standing right in front of her, in her own ice palace where no one dared to enter! Didn't she somehow look... like Anna? And without her consent her mouth started talking: "Have you come here to beseech me to spare your village, girl? Or do you seek revenge against winter itself?"

When she finally realized that the tale had stopped, she shook off the trance she had been in. Her mother was looking at her positively shocked, and even Anna seemed to be a bit worried.

"How do you know what the Snow King said, Elsa?" her mother whispered. Then she blinked. "Have I told you this story before?"

Elsa wasn't quite aware what a lie was. She knew that her parents often got sad when she said something that was not right... but right now, in this moment, something told her that her mama would not be said if she said something false.

"Gerda," she said, looking straight into her mother's eyes and ignoring Anna's strange glance.

"Oh," her mother uttered and sighed. "So Gerda told you this story. You should have told me, dear. Well, I can read you another one if..."

"No!" Elsa herself was surprised by the force behind her voice. "Anna does not know!" she asserted, pointing at her sister. Her mother looked at her youngest daughter doubtingly, but since Anna did still not realize what the other two women were talking about, looking at her mother questioningly, the queen at last coughed and continued with the story.

"Well... and the girl told the Snow King, unafraid: 'I am your sister, your Highness. And I have come because I felt that you were lonely.'

The King was startled. Never before had someone talked to him like this before. And he looked into the heart of the young woman and he found no falseness in it.

'Very well,' the Snow King said. 'I see that you are indeed my sister. And it is my duty to offer you my hospitality for the night.' And he brought her to a big and beautiful room and told her: 'But be warned: Do not leave your room at night, my sister, or you will surely die.'"

But the girl was still not afraid. She waited until the king had left and then she followed him. And she saw that he went to bed. And soon he started to whimper and shout because he was having a terrible nightmare. 'Mother, father!' he shouted. 'Dont send me away!' And the girl felt great compassion for her poor brother, who did not look dark and terrifying anymore at all, and she sat down on his bed and she gently touched his face.

And in the same moment the curse of the heartless winter was broken and the spring came back and everything began to bloom. And the brother of the girl awakened and he finally recognized his sister as the Spring Maiden, who was destined to prevent his winters from getting worse and worse. And they both went back to their parents and they lived happily ever after."

The queen closed the book. "And it is said," she concluded the story, "that if there was a particularly cold winter the Snow King will be reborn as a human because his heart has been completely frozen. And if this happens, then the Spring Maiden is reborn too, so that she can teach him again that a loving heart will defeat even the coldest winter storm. The End."

The queen looked at her daughters. "What do you say, my angels? Was this a nice story?"

Anna clapped her hands. "Sory!" she shouted, seemingly being pleased. Elsa however looked worried.

"Oh dear, what's wrong?" the queen asked. Never before had Elsa shown such distress after listening to one of her stories.

Elsa pointed at her snow-white hair. "Snow King" she mumbled.

The queen smiled and hugged her eldest daughter. "No, no, Elsa, you are not the Snow King," she reassured the little girl. She was very proud and also a little bit worried that Elsa had even understood what this story was about. She'd have to talk to her husband later. "You are a beautiful princess. You are Anna's big sister. You are not evil."

"Esa nice sow!" Anna threw in, pointing at her older sister.

"See? Anna knows that you are nice. But it is your bedtime now. You need to go to your room."

But when the queen wanted to stand up, Elsa desperately clinged to her. The little girl looked like she was about to cry. The queen decided that she wouldn't use this book as source material ever again. But her daughter was still quite distraught right now.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" she asked her daughter in her gentlest voice. "Don't you want to go to your room?"

Elsa looked like she was about to cry. "Mama," she whimpered.

The queen was contemplating to take Elsa into her and her husband's bedroom for today, but then she had another idea. "Elsa, listen," she told the white-haired girl. "Would you like to stay with Anna tonight?" She looked at her younger daughter. "Anna, might Elsa stay with you tonight?"

"Esa Anna night-night," Anna agreed and patted her older sister's hand comfortingly. It was a bit strange, but somehow it seemed to the queen like the two-year-old knew exactly that her older sister needed comfort right now... and why. But since she already had much to think about, the queen let it go. And when her two daughter were finally lying in bed next to each other, falling asleep, she couldn't suppress a smile.

"Sweet dreams, my angels," she whispered and caressed their heads one last time before she stood up and left the room. This story had undoubtably been too grim for Elsa's poor mind. Next time she would try to find a better suited tale... maybe the one about the little mermaid?

Little did she know that this old tale was more than just mere legend...

I'm not sure... in the next chapters I have planned more visions from past lives while the sisters grow up, with different kinds of relationships. Although shorter flashes, I'm not sure how this will work either. Do you think such reincarnation stuff fits Elsa and Anna at all? And by the way, no, I don't plan to use the Snow King and the Spring Maiden again, I thought of them as just one past life in many... or should I rethink that too? Maybe as a cameo of Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians? Please tell me.