Love Can't Be Denied Chapter 3: We Know Better, a frozen fanfic

Here's where we get a little musical! In this chapter, Elsa finishes telling the story of the Freeze and also tells the girls what makes a true lady - and then, of course, Anna comes in dripping wet and dirty! But all turns out well as they sing to the girls about how they know better.

This chapter pays two homages to deleted moments from Frozen: the "dressing room" scene and the song "We Know Better," which I've rewritten some to better fit with this situation. And there's a Disney Easter egg in here. See if you can find it!

PS: In "We Know Better," the characters singing are as follows: Elsa: Italics; Anna: Bold; Both: Bold italics

"And here's the best part of the story. Because Anna sacrificed herself to save me, it proved to be the act of true love needed to thaw her heart. I found out that I couldn't control my powers on my own. I needed love to help me do it. So I focused on all the love I had in my heart: for my mama and papa, for Arendelle, and most of all, for Anna, and I thawed the winter and brought summer back to the kingdom. And the gates were never closed again, and Anna and I became true sisters, and everyone… say it, girls!"

"Lived happily ever after!" the girls chorused, clapping their hands as the story came to an end.

Elsa likewise applauded. "Great job, girls! I think you know this story better than I do!"

Ingrid inched closer to the throne where Elsa sat. "You really love Princess Anna, don't you, Queen Elsa?"

Elsa smiled. "Yes, I do, Ingrid. Very much."

"Even when you guys were locked in your rooms and didn't see each other for forever, did you still love each other?" Lisbeth asked.

"Even then, Lisbeth. Anna loved me so much that she didn't stop trying to see me or asking me if I wanted to build a snowman, and the reason I didn't come out of my room was because I couldn't stand it if I hurt Anna again. That's how much I loved her. And, of course, Anna's sacrifice for me was the greatest love anyone could've ever shown."

The girls' eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really. If you love someone so much, their life can mean more to you than your own. And sometimes, it's seeing somebody else in trouble that makes you realize just how much they mean to you." Elsa grinned at the girls. "So, despite what you might read about in fairy tales, it's not all about true love's kiss. True love is about caring for someone more than yourself, and about the bonds that hold a family together, no matter what. After all, what does family mean?"

Livi bobbed up and down, pumping her hand in the air. "Ooh, I know! It means nobody gets left behind!"

"Or forgotten," Elsa finished, beaming a warm smile upon the little girl. "Family's always there for each other."

Ingrid giggled. "Like Princess Anna was there for you when she punched Prince Hans in the face! Kapow!" she cried, punching a fist into her hand.

While Elsa and the other girls laughed, one lone girl spoke up, as solemn as could be, "But a princess isn't supposed to punch anyone in the face. She's supposed to be a lady. That's what my mama told me."

A rather sly smile graced Elsa's lips as she cast eyes upon this little one. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Annelise."

"Well, Annelise, you're right. A princess is supposed to be a lady. But let me ask you this, girls." Elsa rose to her feet and spread her arms. "What exactly is a lady? Most people think she's supposed to be calm, collected, quiet," she said, lowering her voice to a whisper, "And poised." Here, she struck a rather dramatic pose, which made the girls giggle again. "She's not supposed to think for herself, give orders to anyone, or tell jokes, and she's certainly not supposed to punch anyone in the face, heaven forbid it should be a prince." Elsa looked round at her little subjects. "Does that sound like a true lady to you?" She beamed when she was greeted with a resounding "No!" "No, of course not! What fun is life if you can't think for yourself or give some orders? A real lady can stay calm, know her own mind, defend herself and her family, and command an army if she wants. Look at me. I'm the queen of Arendelle. I think for myself, defend my kingdom, and give orders every day!"

"That's 'cause you're cool, Queen Elsa!" Livi burst out, causing the other girls to join her in giving their queen admiring smiles and cheers of assent.

"I'm cool, huh?" Elsa said with a grin, an idea taking shape in her head. "You think I'm cool now, watch this." She swirled her hands and a flurry of sparkling snowflakes appeared, slowly taking the form of a snowball. The girls were entranced, oohs and aahs floating through the air as they watched their queen work her magic. When she had a good-sized snowball hovering between her hands, Elsa gave the girls an eager look. "Ready?" Nods and happy "Uh-huhs" answered her, and she threw the snowball into the air, where it exploded into snowy fireworks. Snowflakes and delicate ice crystals rained down upon the group, and the girls cheered and clamored for more, prompting Elsa to create even more magic with her ice powers.

By the time Gerda arrived with a big box in her arms, the throne room had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Snow covered the floor, Elsa's throne was decorated with beautiful ice sculptures, and a snowflake chandelier hung from the ceiling. Moreover, the girls were going to town with the magical snow, having snowball fights and sliding on their tummies across the floor. Gerda chuckled at the joyous sight. "Has Christmas come early?"

"Gerda! You're just in time!" Elsa swept over to her guardian, who was setting the girls' surprise on a nearby table. "Where's Anna?"

"The last I knew, comforting a crying child," Gerda said. "I heard of some big commotion in town, but I didn't see Princess Anna. Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'm sure she's on her way back to the castle even as we speak."

A trumpet fanfare sounded from outside, and a voice cried out, "Princess Anna has returned!" Elsa breathed a sigh of relief, and was prepared to greet her sister when she heard the familiar running footfalls in the corridor that led to the throne room. The door burst open and Anna skidded in, slipping on the icy floor and falling face-first into a snowdrift. She popped out two seconds later, sending snow flying in all directions. "Elsa! Hi!" she said with a huge smile, waving furiously as she trotted over. "I'm back!"

Elsa took one look at her sister and nearly choked on a laugh. Anna was soaking wet and reeking of salty brine and fish, with seaweed in her hair and what looked like strawberry slime all over her face. "Anna, what happened to you?"

Anna gulped in a great lungful of air; clearly, she ran all the way through town and back to the castle. "Pig, pie. Not a pig pie, but pig and pie, and fish. Ooh, and the ocean!"

Elsa managed to corral most of the monster laugh that was fighting to the surface, but still couldn't suppress a snicker. "Well, it sounds like you had a busy day."

"Yeah," Anna exhaled, chuckling weakly. "I guess you've been pretty busy too, huh?"

Elsa looked back over her shoulder at the girls, who were all still frolicking in the snow. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a little snow." Her eyes scanned Anna's sopping gown again. "Which will soon freeze your dress unless you change."

Anna looked down at herself and jumped, as though just realizing she was wet and filthy. "Oh, oh yeah!" She took off running through the snow, heading for the staircase in the opposite corridor. "Is my rose dress up in my room?" she called over her shoulder.

"No, it's still recovering from the last time you wore it," Elsa hollered, just before the door slammed shut behind her sister. Shaking her head, she turned back to the girls, who had surprisingly not noticed the princess's noisy entrance. Too busy playing and imagining, I guess. She smiled as some wonderful, distant memories emerged. Just like me and Anna when we were that young. Some things never change. She watched the girls playing for a few more minutes, lost in her own happy pre-Freeze thoughts, until the throne room door opened again and Anna entered, dry and groomed, her red hair styled in her favorite braids. This time, the girls noticed. "Princess Anna! Princess Anna's here!" Livi cried, making a mad dash for the princess and hugging her around the waist. The other girls followed suit until Anna was lost in a sea of giggling, hugging children, her fiery hair standing out among the blonde, brown, and auburn curls of the kids.

"Whoa, baby!" Anna laughed, extricating herself from the tangle of arms and legs. "I'm glad to see you all, too!" She finally got herself seated on the step near the throne and pulled Livi into her lap while the other girls gathered around, Elsa standing nearby. "So, has Elsa been having fun with you guys, or has she been cold and stiff?" she asked, shooting her sister a teasing look.

"Anna," Elsa protested. "You know the cold's never bothered me. We've been having fun, haven't we, girls?"

"Yeah!" Lisbeth said. "Queen Elsa told us all the story of the Great Freeze."

"And she told us what a real lady is," added Ingrid.

"Oh, yeah?" Anna grinned. "Let me see if I can guess what Elsa told you a lady is. Someone who's always perfect, poised, and proper, right?"

"No!" the girls giggled.

"No," Elsa echoed with a sardonic smile. "Some of them thought that was what made a lady, but I told them what we think a real lady ought to be. And you know how that goes, right?"

Anna winked at her big sister. "Right." She smiled at Livi and the rest of the girls. "I think Elsa might've done a better job explaining this to you, but I'm gonna say it again anyway. Just because we're the queen and the princess doesn't mean we can't have fun and play, or even fight to protect each other and Arendelle. Heck, I just chased a pig through town, got smashed in the face with a pie and a fish, and fell into the fjord! Some people might think I'm not a very good princess because that's not ladylike behavior."

"But I don't agree," Elsa said. "Anna's a great princess, and it's all because she's who she is, not who somebody else wants her to be. We know better than that." The sisters shared a smile and motioned for the girls to follow them through the corridors and passages of the castle, where they told – or rather, sang – the reasons why they knew better.

Since we both were babies, we were raised in royalty
People think that maybe it's a pretty cool thing to be
But they don't realize just how much you've got to live up to
They say some things a queen and princess should and shouldn't do
But you and me, we... we know better

1, 2, 3 together, clap together, snap together
You and me together, knees together, freeze together
Rise and fall together, love will thaw together
Always be together, you and me

They say a queen must be sugar mixed with spice
She never builds things from snow and ice
They say a princess wears pink and frilly clothes
They say she never laughs and snorts milk out her nose
They say she's beauty and she's grace
They say she never breaks a vase or punches princes in the face!
But you and me, we, we know better

"Princess Anna, did you really punch Prince Hans in the face?" Livi asked, gazing up at the princess with admiring blue eyes.

"I sure did!" Anna replied proudly with a huge grin. "Nobody hurts my sister and gets away with it!"

Lisbeth hopped up and down to catch the queen's attention next. "Queen Elsa, would you ever punch someone in the face?"

Ever the proper little one, Annelise shook her head. "She can't do that, silly! She's the queen!"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure, Annelise," Elsa gently countered. "Just because I'm queen doesn't mean I can't fight."

They say a queen must be super-duper sweet
She doesn't fight; she doesn't sweat
And you never see her eat
They say a princess doesn't climb and scrape her knee
She never chases pigs through town and falls into the sea
They say she's poised
They say she's fair
She never mentions UNDERWEAR!
Or longs to see the world out there
But you and me, we, have great ideas of our own
Now that we are together, not alone

Now that I'm queen
And I'm your right hand
We get to travel
Throughout the land
I tell them of my sister and the magic things she can do
We take care of our people and they all love
Me and you
No one can tell us what true sisters should be
As long as we're together, you and me

After a romp through town and a meet-and-greet with Arendelle's people, the group headed back to the castle for the special surprise. "All right, girls, Princess Anna and I have a big surprise for you," Elsa announced, once they were all gathered in the throne room again. She opened the box and the girls gasped at what was inside: a triple-chocolate ice cream cake with a top layer of mint ice cream. "It's to thank you for being so wonderful every time you come to visit. And don't forget," Elsa added, smiling at all of the girls, "what a real lady, queen, or princess should be."

"Absolutely," Anna agreed. "You're all princesses to us. And now, let's eat!"

The girls whooped it up as the cake was cut and served, Elsa's enchanted snow helped to keep everyone cool and the ice cream frosty cold, and a happy queen and princess watched their youngest subjects with joy, believing that nothing could possibly get any better than this.

Neither one had any way of knowing that, at that very moment, someone was watching them, her fury growing with every passing moment.