The Girl You're Always Meant to Be

After the dismissal of the minister of commerce the rest of the council had been "wary" of Elsa and "very" respectful of Anna. In a way Elsa was quite happy with the arrangement. The council was much easier to deal with these days. As for Anna, Elsa had immediately moved them back into the same room in order to keep an eye on her.

"Elsa you don't have to do this. I mean I know how much you enjoy your privacy, and I know I can be irritating sometimes" Anna had rambled but stopped when Elsa had wrapped her in a tight hug.

"You never irritate me" Was all she said. To be truthful she had been wanting to move back into a room with Anna, not only to make up all the time they missed, but because the girls very presence and warmth helped keep the cold away. Listening to the agricultural ministers give a report about the expected crop yields she looked at her sister out of the corner of her eye. Ever since Elsa had found out about Anna's secret and had moved back in together Anna had been taking a more active role in the kingdoms affairs. She helped Elsa with her paper work, went to her meetings with her, and overall tried her hardest to help her rule, and Elsa was grateful. While Elsa was good with facts and figures, it turned out Anna's people skills were just as important, seen when Elsa had taken the third meeting with a diplomat from Cuzco for a coco bean shipment. They had been at an impasse until Anna had started talking to him, impressing him with not only her love of but knowledge of chocolate. After that they had begun negotiating and by the time they were done Anna had worked out a better deal with the man than Elsa could have ever hoped for. She frowned as she remembered the look Anna had given when she had turned from the ambassador and started when she saw Elsa as if just noticing she was there. Before Anna could open her mouth Elsa had put down paper and ink.

"Ha, where have you been hiding this one your majesty. She has skinned me and I am trying not to thank her for it" The man said laughing as he signed the trade agreement. The man left and Anna stood next to her hands clasped looking down, blushing in shame.

"I'm sorry" Anna mumbled before racing off. Elsa had run after her, but Anna had always been good at hiding when she wanted. Elsa had searched for her until she was almost late for the council meeting and had to race to the meeting room to find Anna waiting next to the door. Elsa had opened her mouth to scold her sister when she saw Anna still had her head down.

"She still thinks she messed up somehow" Elsa thought shaking herself. She breathed and took her sisters arm causing her to start. Anna looked up then away, but Elsa just led her into the council room. They sat down side by side and the meeting began. It was also boring, an update of current projects and affairs with other kingdoms at least until the foreign minister brought up a new issue.

"Your majesty, there have been a number of interested inquiries concerning the princesses marriage state" He said and both girls stiffened.

"As you know the tale of your sisters heroic actions have spread quiet far, and many of the young nobles have been rather charmed by her at the most recent celebrations" The man said and Elsa saw Anna blush, and couldn't help but smile.

"She never thought her friendliness and warm heart would leave her with a line of men trailing at her heals?" Elsa thought.

"Of course she wouldn't. She's so enchanted by Kristoff thank heaven that no one else will be more than a friend" Elsa thought. She was about to reply when her sister stood.

"I understand, and apologize to any of the young noblemen if I gave them the wrong idea. I already have a suitor that I am fully in love with, and am looking for no others" Anna replied with a straight back and clear thoughtful speech she only showed on the fjord during the thaw, right before she decked Hans. She stared at the foreign minister with a hard glare that made the man take a step back and cough.

"Of course highness. I shall make your decision known" He said meekly. Elsa looked at Anna as she sat down, blushing again, beaming with pride. Anna was a different story

"This is awful. Did I mess up? I don't think so. Elsa doesn't look mad" Anna thought as she looked sidelong at her sister to see Elsa smiling at her. She felt a cool hand slip into hers, and sending comfort. Anna smiled and squeezed back.

Over the next few weeks, Anna became more confidant in her governing ability. She always learned better by doing than at a desk, and as she took on more and more duties, all the boring stuff she had never understood when explained by her tutor started to make sense. She still quailed at the documents and missives that Elsa dealt with so easily, but more and more she found she was an excellent debater and negotiator. She may be naïve in some aspects, but if she knew what she was facing she could talk down almost any delegate or difficult businessman that came their way. She found out later that she had in fact undone some prickly situations that Elsa herself had gotten the kingdom into with a few traders. Anna scheduled meetings with them and one by one got them to reverse their decisions, and every time she heard the same thing, that Elsa had been elegant and diplomatic, but also aloof, cold, sometimes condescending, and prickly. Her last meeting of the day had her signing an agreement with a Spanish shipping magnet about spices.

"I must say your highness, it has been a pleasure doing business with you" The man said as they finished a rather delightful tea that had also had hot chocolate with among all things chili in it.

"Chocolate first came from Mexico after all" The man had said.

"I know, and the Aztecs were the first to drink it with chili added in. I've always wanted to try it" Anna said delighted as she took a small sip, the sweet and spicy liquid coating her tongue as the man laughed.

"I understand you are one for straight talk. May I make a comment without you getting offended?" He asked his eyes twinkling.

"I'll try" Anna said suspiciously.

"It is nothing, but I and many others as well, have enjoyed negotiating with you. You're sister the queen, she is a strong, wise, and just ruler, but talking with her, is like talking to a glacier, with just as much chance of causing an avalanche with the wrong word. You, you are tough but fair, reasonable, and quit the splendid companion" He said sipping his own drink. If you were not already tied to a man, I would perhaps throw my hat in for your hand. As it is, I can only curse your mans good fortune and pray he knows just what a prize he has pulled" He said laughing.

"Um…thank you. I think I should go…and give this to my sister." Anna said blushing and standing quickly, trying not to overturn everything. The man just stared at her, a contemplative look on his face.

"So the rumors that you do not take praise well are also true" He said as he stood a kind look on his face.

"Do not doubt your own worth princess. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Your sisters is that she's as prickly as an urchin, and I won't apologize for saying so" The man laughed with such good humor that Anna could not help but giggle in return.

Elsa was sitting at her desk when she heard Anna's personal knock.

"Come in" Elsa said smiling. Anna had been in meetings and negotiations most of the day, and not only had Elsa missed her, she had been slightly worried about the girl overworking herself. But Anna stepped in a bright grin on her face as she silently walked over and put a small pile of papers on the desk. She stood silently, fidgeting as Elsa looked through them, her eyes going wide in shock.

"These are all the trade agreements that I thought were gone" Elsa thought.

"So, how did I do?" Anna asked nervously. Elsa got silently to her feet and coming around the desk wrapped Anna in a warm tight hug.

"How?" Elsa asked looking at the papers.

"Um…well, I was just me. I sat with them, we talked, hade tea together, bargained, it was actually fun" Anna said putting a phantom hair behind her ear, her nervous tick.

"But there's something you're not telling me" Elsa said raising an eyebrow. Anna took a deep breath before sighing.

"Elsa, you're a great queen. You smart, and wise, and confident, and a million other things I could never hope to be, but when you negotiate, you can't just sit with them for five minutes, give them a few cool stares and expect them to bow to your will" Anna said. Elsa blinked twice before responding.

"I don't do that, and I know how to negotiate. Father taught me" Elsa said defensively.

"Did he teach you how to sit with someone, talk with them over lunch? Get to know them on a personal level?" Anna asked. Elsa blinked again and remembered that yes her father had taught her such things, and then recalled her own negotiations with that didn't go so well, negotiations that consisted of light snacks, small talk she had been quick to push through, and terse offers that had been met with stony looks and equally terse counter offers that had caused tempers to flare and the meeting to end quickly.

"I hate to say this Elsa, but you can be, touchy, especially when you don't get your way" Anna said wincing at the way she said it.

"No wait, that didn't come out right" She tried to back track, only to have Elsa begin giggling, leaning on her desk.

"Oh Anna, I'm sorry" Elsa sighed.

"For what?" Anna asked.

"For thinking that you had nothing to contribute, just like everyone else" Elsa said wrapping Anna in another hug.

"Your right. I may be queen but I'm not that good with people, not like you are. You can walk into a room and be everyone's best friend in an hour, something that is essential for a negotiator" Elsa said making Anna blushed.

"Well, I can't stand your paper work, and I couldn't compose one of your elegant wordy treatise if my life depended on it" Anna shuddered and then took Elsa's hands.

"So, why don't I deal with the people? Not just the traders, but the ambassadors and visiting dignitaries. I mean, I don't have any real power so I can't promise anything you wouldn't approve of, but I can keep them charmed enough to remain open to negotiations" Anna said winking causing Elsa to laugh.

"That would be perfect" Elsa sighed. If there was one thing she truly hated about being queen it was actually dealing with people, of having to cater to egos and agendas when all she wanted was to freeze their mouths shut. At least on paper responses could be composed, received and responded too in a proper amount of time. But Anna, she could be awkward and rambly sometimes, but her pure charm and charisma more than made up for it, and Elsa knew from personal experience that her younger sister's wits were frightingly quick whether in thought or action. Sometimes that caused problems if Anna thought before she acted, but considering she always dug herself out of her own messes, and had dug Elsa out of her own self made mess, that was irrelevant.

"So, the queens right hand reporting for duty" Anna said clicking her heels together and saluting, making Elsa laugh.

"Okay right hand, I think you've done more than your share for today. Come on, time for dinner" Elsa said. Anna took her sister by the arm and led them toward the dining room. After dinner, despite Anna's comment about hating paperwork she helped Elsa with the last of it.

"If, heaven forbid anything happened to you, which I would sell my soul to make sure it didn't, I would have to do this. I may hate it, and I may not be good at it, but I should at least know the basics like I always should have" Anna said snidely as she read over another document sighing, when she felt a cool hand grip hers.

"Elsa?" Anna asked looking at her sister, to see warmth and love pouring out of her eyes.

"Thank you Anna" Elsa said.

"For what?" Anna asked.

"For being you" Elsa said softly.

"For being the brave, adorable, selfless, loving person who never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself" Anna blushed but smiled back.

"All I ever wanted was for you to be proud of me" Anna said softly.

"I have always been proud of you" Elsa said and Anna grinned as she put her hand over her sisters.

"Thank you for being the smart, responsible, caring person who always took care of me" Anna said.

"Not always, but I promise to be there for you from now on always" Elsa thought.

"And I promise to be here for you, always. If I marry Kristoff, and if we have children, even then I will be here to help you, so you might have to get used to the sound of kids running around" Anna said grinning. Before and during the coronation the thought would have terrified her, but the thought of having children, children like she and Anna had been filling the castle with warmth, laughter, and joy filled Elsa with a happiness she didn't expect.

"That would be nice" Was all she said. They continued to work until they finished then walked tiredly to bed.

"This is certainly easier with someone helping" Elsa thought as Anna brushed her hair. Due to her powers she had had the servants stop catering to her at an early age, taking care of her own dressing and maintenance. Her powers made dressing as simple as a wave of her hand, but it was nice having someone, particularly her sister brushes her hair.

"Try not to fall asleep. You still have to do me" Anna said in her ear.

"No promises" Elsa mumbled. Despite her words she still brushed out her sister's hair, enjoying the brushing almost as much as being brushed. Once Elsa was done Anna gave her a warm hug and literally collapsed into her bed. Elsa stood at the edge of her sisters bed, wondering if she should ask her, but also afraid that she would say no.

"Elsa, is something the matter?" Anna asked rolling over.

"Could I, sleep with you tonight?" Elsa asked, rubbing her arm. Yes she liked her privacy and silence to read or work, but she hated loneliness, and having her sister who was always there to keep her company even if it was silently had been the best thing about their reconciling. But there were still some nights when she feared crawling into her cold bed, not only because it was lonely, but because she often had nightmares about Anna freezing on the fjord and shattering, or never unfreezing, or Hans killing her, or Anna just giving up on her and leaving, never to come back. Ever since she had moved back into the same room, the nightmare's had mostly been driven away, but her cold bed still sacred her sometimes, and she remembered when she or Anna had crawled into each other's beds when they were younger, and how those were the only nights Elsa couldn't feel ice flowing through her veins. Anna didn't say anything just raised the sheet and let Elsa slide in. Anna turned and drew Elsa to her putting her head under the older girls chin. Elsa inhaled Anna's sweet summery scent as she drew her sister to her in return, reveling in the younger girls warmth that she hadn't experienced in a lifetime. Warm and comforted the rulers of Arendelle slipped into a warm slumber untroubled by nightmares, doubt, or trouble.

Okay, second chapter to what was supposed to be a one shot. This was also a bit of insight into Elsa. Most stories depict her as pretty much perfect, but her isolation and introverted personality might not make her the best with people face to face, while Anna is a social butterfly and "Princess meet and greet" which I also wanted to play up. Anyway, tell me what you think.