CHAPTER 3

Elsa stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes slightly. A bright ray of the setting sun was shining directly in her face, waking her from a peaceful nap. Elsa groaned and rolled over, intent on going back to sleep, when she realized that she was no longer alone in the room. Anna sat in a chair by the door, quietly reading a book. Elsa looked back over her shoulder at the sun, and put together that she had slept through the entire morning and afternoon.

"You're awake," Anna said, closing her book and placing it on her lap.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Elsa slowly asked, rubbing her temple.

"I came in about two hours ago and saw that you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you, but I also didn't want to leave," she said, ducking her head at the last statement. "I hope you don't think that's creepy."

Elsa chuckled and pushed herself up to a sitting position. "No, it's not creepy. You were just being my guardian angel. Sorry for taking over your bed."

Anna smiled and stood up from her chair. She walked over to her bed and lightly sat on top of it. "It's okay. I missed seeing you in it. Did you miss this room?"

Elsa sighed and looked around the large space. "Yes. I missed the room and the memories it holds. But really, what I missed the most was the person who lives here." Elsa reached out her hand and grabbed Anna's. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have reacted to your comment the way I did. You were paying me a compliment, and I couldn't just take it at that."

"Oh, Elsa," Anna said, squeezing her sister's hand. "It's okay, I understand. You're still scared, and that's normal. You just have to slowly lose that fear and embrace your powers."

"I don't know if I can!" the queen exclaimed. "Every time I try to get a hold of my powers, they just get worse and worse!"

"That's because you're trying to keep them in," Anna explained, hoping what she was saying would make sense. "That 'conceal, don't feel' stuff kept you from being yourself. You have to just be you and let your powers be present. It's who you are."

Elsa stared at Anna for a long moment. Then she said quietly and tearfully, "But what if I don't like who I am?"

Anna felt her heart break. Sure, she didn't like every characteristic of herself, like how clumsy she was or how she rambled a lot. But she did like the person she was. But Elsa not seeing herself as somebody to like was a terrible thought.

"Elsa," Anna said firmly, causing the older woman to look up in surprise.

"You should like yourself for who you are. You are smart and strong and loyal and devoted, all qualities that a queen should have. You are very brave and determined; do you know how much I admire you for that? And you are so beautiful, even more so when you're confident in yourself. Yes, there are some things about you that aren't so great, but everyone has their own faults. Yours is that you are afraid of yourself. And that's not because you're a monster that should be feared, but because you don't have enough love in your life. Mama and Papa loved you, but they didn't allow you to be yourself. I love you with all my heart, but for thirteen years I couldn't display it. But most of all, you don't love yourself, Elsa, and you should, because you are amazing."

Elsa was crying now, and Anna worried that she had caused Elsa even more pain. Suddenly, Elsa reached out to her sister and hugged her tightly, burrowing her face in Anna's neck. She was sobbing heartfelt tears. Anna started crying too, rubbing her sister's back and memorizing the way it felt to hug her.

Finally, the older sister pulled away just enough to look Anna in the eye.

"When did you become so wise?" she asked, a small smile on her face. "I feel like maybe you should be queen instead of me."

"Oh, no!" Anna exclaimed. "Me being queen would be a disaster! I'm so klutzy, and I never know when to stop talking. I would ruin every alliance this kingdom has and burn the place down within a day."

Elsa stared at Anna for a long moment, and then burst out laughing. Not just a little giggle or a chuckle, but an actual laugh that filled up the entire room with joy. Anna couldn't remember the last time she heard Elsa really laugh, and loved that it sounded deep and full, like it was coming straight from the heart. Anna joined in on the laughter and ended up falling on her back and trying to gasp for breath.

"What-what's so funny?" she asked.

Elsa looked at her and said, "Was it you who messed up that suit of armor on the second floor?"

Anna widened her eyes and began laughing again. "Yes...twice...when I was-was nine, and on the day of your...of your coronation!"

Elsa stared at Anna with a bewildered look. "How did you manage to do that?"

Anna composed herself and put on a very serious face. "Well, by the time I was nine, I had gotten pretty bored with having no one to play with. Of course I had wanted you to play with me, but you wouldn't come out of your room. So, I decided to ride my bike one day and make it interesting. I stood on the seat with one foot and managed to wheel myself around, ended up riding down the stairs, and flew off the bike. But luckily, Jim was there to catch me, and thus, I was saved.

Elsa had slapped her palm against her face, and now looked at Anna from between her fingers. "You named a suit of armor Jim?"

"Yes! Jim seemed like a dependable name," said Anna firmly. "Unfortunately, in order to catch the precious Princess of Arendelle, he had to drop his spear. And being a suit or armor, he couldn't pick it back up, so I did it for him. But see, I was nine, and I didn't have the muscle I have now," Anna held her arm up and flexed her muscles. "So I put it back upside down, and thought it was good enough."

"And what about the incident on my coronation day?"

Anna blushed and looked at her hands, which were still holding onto Elsa's. "Remember, I was young and naive back then."

Elsa raised her eyebrow. "And you've matured since then? Which was what? A week ago?"

"Hey! I've been through a lot in the past week!"

Elsa's face flickered slightly, as she flashed through all of the recent events. Anna quickly continued with her story to distract her.

"So I was day dreaming about meeting a prince charming that night, and I was going around the castle dancing and singing, and I shook Jim's hand, like I was meeting a prince, and it sort of...came off. I think he's getting old."

Elsa laughed softly and shook her head. "And you did meet your prince, sort of."

"Yes, even after he ran his horse into me, I still fell for him. I should have sent him away as soon as he hit me though, or I could have avoided an entire fiasco! Stupid side-burns and charming smile," Anna muttered, remembering how Prince Hans had fooled everyone into thinking he loved her.

"But now you have Kristoff," Elsa said slyly.

"Yes, Kristoff..." Anna's eyes got a dreamy look.

Elsa's stomach growled loudly, and she placed a hand on her stomach.

"Think maybe you should eat?" Anna asked.

"Probably a good idea. Come on, have dinner with me." Elsa pulled Anna off the bed and the walked out of the room, hand in hand.

"Is your favorite meal still chocolate?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, but I've made some healthier choices since then," said Anna proudly. "I'm eating chocolate-covered fruit now."

"Oh, Anna."