A/N: It's been awhile, hasn't it? So, I had planned on getting straight to work on this fic after Burning Low. Well, I finished up BL and thought I'd take a couple weeks break from writing. And then college started back up. And I just couldn't get myself into the mood to write. This chapter is short, but it's all I got down before college started back up and I thought I'd leave it as is. I plan to start writing more often, but, I make no promises.
But I'm going to say this: I will not abandon this fic. I will never abandon a fic. Updates, however, may end up being completely random. I apologize for this.
Enjoy!
Small clouds of snow were kicked up with every step Sven took in his pace. Every breath he took was visible in the crisp mountain air, they came in a steady yet heavy bursts, it was obvious that he wasn't used to carrying such a heavy load. Still, he managed it quite well as the runners of the sled slid across the snow with ease. By this point, both him and Kristoff knew the wild around Arendelle exceedingly well.
"Not too much further, buddy." Kristoff reassured, reaching forward and patting the reindeer on the chest. "Take it at your own pace; we're not on any schedule." He was seated on Sven, able to feel the reindeer's quickened breath underneath him. Kristoff didn't mind it; he was accustomed to riding his life-long friend in this fashion. He actually preferred it in this case, not having to be squished in the actual sled itself with Anna and Elsa. If he had any complaints, it would be that Olaf couldn't sit still cradled between Sven's antlers. "I'm kind of excited for you to meet some of these guys, Elsa." He called back, turning his head and smiling at the sisters seated behind him.
"I'm… anxious, to say the least." Elsa replied, leaning forward and bracing herself on the sled. "I've met them before, very briefly right after…" Her voice trailed off, eyes falling as she leaned back into her seat. She rested her hands on her legs, and turned them palm up. Briefly making a fist, she opened her hands back up and let out a brief sigh. Although it's been over a decade, and her relationship with Anna was recovering, the memory of harming her sister still burned in the back of her mind.
Anna reached over and placed her gloved hand over her sister's, turning toward her with wide eyes. "Would talking about it help you?" She asked innocently, sensing her sister's distress. "I actually still don't really remember what happened and I've love to know – but only if you're comfortable with talking about it, of course." She finished, a weak smile forming across her lips.
Elsa's fingers curled over the fabric of Anna's glove with just the right amount of pressure to feel her hand underneath. She couldn't help but still feel guilty about the entire situation, especially with the knowledge that Anna had lost many of her childhood memories. "It was an accident, Anna." She replied weakly, eyes fixated on her sister's hand over her own. "We were just children, we were just playing."
"Elsa-" Anna started, curling her own fingers over the back of Elsa's hands. "What matters is that we're together now, right?"
The crisp air began to sting the corners of Elsa's eyes where she felt small tears begin to form. She quickly blinked and shook her head. "After the incident, I called out for mother and father and we rushed over toward the trolls." She started again, briefly clearing her throat. "One of them was able to like, pull my magic out of your head or something. And he replaced all of your memories of my magic."
"Now that you mention that-" Kristoff called back. "I think I remember that night. It was the same night that Sven and I got separated from the harvesters and the trolls took us in." He looked over his shoulder, but his smile soon turned solemn once he noticed Elsa's fallen expression. "Hey, Elsa." He turned his head back toward the landscape in front of him. "I'm sure Grand Pabbie could restore Anna's memories if you think it'll help."
Elsa's ears perked when she heard Kristoff's idea. With widened eyes, she slowly turned her head toward Anna who she found looking straight back at her with a similar expression. Elsa knew that having the memories back wouldn't come close to restoring the time spent locked in her room, but, her powers were a large part of who she was. In a way, she felt like some of the magic of Anna's childhood was lost with the removal of the memories, as well as the knowledge of who Elsa was. "Is that something you'd like to do?" She asked shyly, unsure of how Anna would respond. "It would probably be a lot better than me describing them to you myself."
"I'll admit-" Anna started sheepishly, brushing back a strand of copper hair with her free hand. "It would be nice to remember things how they really were." She briefly paused for a slight second, looking up at her sister and back down toward their conjoined hands.
"Get down!"
