Summary: In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own.
Plot things start to happen in this chapter, yes. This is absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button now, okay bye, enjoy.
Elsa grumbled, letting out a frustrated breath. The blonde queen leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead. This is harder than I thought. On her desk rested a mess of ice shards and a dusting of snow. The far left corner, closest to the door to her study, was occupied by her grey cat, Icicle, whose curled form was also lightly coated in flecks of white.
Icicle lifted his head, mewling pathetically at his sorceress owner. His uneven whiskers twitched in annoyance.
"I know you're cold and I'm sorry," Elsa said, letting herself pretend he could understand. "Apparently making a tag for your collar is much more difficult than building an entire palace or living snowmen or even Olaf's flurry. Who knew?" The queen shrugged, fighting a smile as her cat huffed and hide his face in his paws.
"Elsa?" Anna pushed the door open and leaned around the frame.
The blonde looked over and grinned. The sight of her sister always brightened her day. Waving the redhead in, she asked, "How's my favorite snowflake this afternoon?"
Anna felt her face go pink at the queen's greeting. "I'm fine, Els. Spent the morning goofing off with Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven," the younger said, smiling. "You know, the usual." Walking over to the desk, she reached a tentative hand out to Icicle, thinking better of it when the cat growled, keeping his face hidden from both women. "What's up with your desk?" Anna redirected her hand with a small wave toward the snow and ice.
Elsa groaned, slouching in her chair and splaying her fingers against the rime. "I'm experimenting, but it's not going well. I wanted to make the tag for Icicle's collar with my powers. A little disk, simple, with his name surrounded by a snowflake design, but it seems doing something on such a small scale isn't my forte. I've been trying for days." Elsa leaned her head on one hand, flicking bits of ice off her desk. Never mind that I've been obsessing over it as an excuse to hide away in here half the day, she added silently.
Anna frowned and tapped her chin, crossing the room to sit in the armchair near the fireplace. "Huh, that's strange. You'd think smaller would be easier." The princess sent a sympathetic glance at Elsa, who grunted in frustration.
"I did think so, but clearly not," the queen replied huffily.
The room was quiet for a few minutes as Elsa stewed over her failure. The queen was slowly adjusting to life with the gates open, but it was so hard to be around people all the time after so many years alone. The only people, loosely defined, that she could stand were Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, Marshmallow, Icicle, and of course Anna. Even Kai and Gerda, servants she'd known all her life, grated on her nerves easily. Elsa rolled her eyes as Icicle flicked his tail, scattering snowflakes. This isn't working at all, nor is it the distraction I'd hoped for.Elsa looked over at Anna, seeing the younger woman staring in her direction, face pensive.
"You okay over there feisty pants?" The queen asked, unable to resist teasing the younger woman as a means to ease her temper.
Anna snorted. "That's only okay when Kristoff says it. And yes, I'm fine, your majesty," the princess returned, knowing her sister hated the formal address from her or their Royal Ice Master, even in official court settings.
Predictably, the queen frowned. "Stop that."
"Oh, hush. I have an idea," Anna grinned, leaning over the arm of her chair toward the blonde.
Elsa found herself momentarily sidetracked by the low cut of the redhead's dress, and blinked repeatedly, hoping to reorient herself. Growing up away from everyone may have messed with my head more than I realized.
"What's your idea?" She asked, clearing her throat loudly.
Anna quirked a brow, but let the dazed look on Elsa's face, and sudden awkwardness, pass without comment. "Why not try making it, the tag I mean," the princess leaned back in her chair again, gesturing as she spoke, "big to start with? Maybe see if you can shrink it, instead of just starting with the size you want." The younger shrugged, consciously keeping her mannerisms contained as Icicle eyed her warily from his spot on Elsa's desk. "Since a larger scale is easier, you know…?" She trailed off, feeling a blush creep back up her neck as Elsa sat in silence, her eyes lost again in some middle distance.
"That's a fantastic idea, Anna!" Elsa's face split into a grin and she waved an impatient hand when Icicle hissed at her for speaking so loudly. Standing from her desk, the queen picked up him up and held him at arm's length. "I'm making you a special, wonderful collar so the whole kingdom knows how much I love you, Icicle. You can put up with a little noise. Honestly."
Icicle and Elsa stared each other down, with Anna giggling from her place by the fireside, until the cat relented, reaching one paw out to swat at the queen's nose.
"Good boy," the sorceress chuckled, setting him back on the desk and gesturing to Anna. "Come out, let's go down to the ballroom and test out your theory."