Author's Note: Whew. Sorry this is a bit later than I had planned, but I'm into the last third of working nineteen days straight. Not much time for writing, sadly. I can thank this latest winter storm for giving me a bit of extra time to finish this chapter, though; how funny is that? So, a funny thing about our intro music for this chapter. I originally had the music planned out for the entire story, but that was when it was five chapters. I then decided to use a different song so I could save my first choice for a later chapter where it will be PERFECT. Then I changed my mind again to go with an ice and fire theme for all the songs, because I like weird little touches like that which I never really call attention to. I just enjoy them and hope other people spot them and enjoy my weirdness too. And now while I'm writing the last few pages of this chapter, my Winamp throws up a song from the heart of the 1980s... and it's so, so right for this chapter. If you want to listen to it the modern way, I'm sure it's on the web somewhere. If you want to listen to it the old way, find your "Ghostbusters" Soundtrack cassette tape!
Cover Art for the story is by the incredibly talented Trixdraws from DeviantArt. Thank you again, Trix!
Here are my standard disclaimers: I make no claims on any of Disney's trademarks or copyrights, and no infringement is intended on them or those of any other artist or publication mentioned. Be forewarned that this story most certainly will contain femslash. If love and affection between two consenting young adults of the same sex bothers you, I suggest you turn right around and find something else to read. Keep any flames to yourself and remember that what our world needs now is more love and acceptance, not more hate. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated! Some of the themes (well, one theme in particular, really) might make readers uncomfortable. I understand that. If you really don't like it, please stop reading and walk away from this story. I promise I won't be offended.
Feel, Don't Conceal
by Jo K.
Chapter 4: Magic
I'm here for you, that's what you said
I've never felt like this with a woman, any woman
Strangers meet, strangers dream
Some call it love, I call it magic
Now I'm in you and it feels so right
So hold on, hold on tight
Yes it's true
I believe, believe in you
I believe it's magic
-Mick Smiley, "(I Believe It's) Magic"
The buzz of conversation and bustle of activity throughout Arendelle Castle was quite reminiscent of a giant termite mound, if anyone present had been so inclined to consider the comparison. Nobles and royalty from over twenty countries milled through the castle and its courtyard, each attended by a retinue of servants and assistants. It was a mass of colors clashing and complementary, a buzz of languages dancing through the air, enough to give observers headaches... or to give a particular princess a giddy sort of joy.
"Princess Anna!"
Anna ignored the voice calling her name. It wasn't Elsa, so it couldn't have been too important. She continued to peer between the velvet drapes covering her room's window with the best view of the courtyard, taking in the bustle and flow of the hundreds of people making their way through the castle gates. She probably would have been there all night, or at least until Elsa personally came and retrieved her, had it not been for the audacity of a sixteen-year-old handmaiden.
The cracking tip of a rolled-up towel sent a firm sting into Anna's rear, making the young woman shriek and nearly fall off of the chair she was standing on. She spun around in time to see her handmaiden Idunn standing perfectly still, the picture of innocence save for the white towel fluttering to the ground several feet away from her. "Idunn!" Anna shouted, rubbing her stinging bottom while she tried to decide whether to be angry or laugh.
"Yes, your highness?" replied Idunn, her face remaining perfectly calm, if a bit red.
"You just smacked my butt with a towel!"
Idunn swallowed, gathering her courage. "Y-y-yes, I did!" she said firmly. "Your highness, you have been ignoring me for half an hour, and I'm supposed to help you get into your gown for the ball!" Bracing herself for an angry reply, she waited for several seconds with no response from Anna. Idunn risked a peek at Anna, grimacing internally at the angry young woman facing her. The princess was rather mad, judging from the way the veins in her neck were visibly pulsing as she jumped down from the chair, so Idunn abandoned all subtlety and went for her strongest weapon. "I have orders from Queen Elsa herself to see that you arrive properly dressed and on time!"
At the mention of her sister's name, Anna's face relaxed, her scowl softening into a neutral expression. "Really," she said, her voice calm with the barest hint of disbelief.
Idunn nodded vigorously. "Y-yes, your highness. Queen Elsa sent me a note just an hour ago." She reached into one of her dress's pockets and produced a folded-up piece of paper.
Anna crossed the distance between them with three quick strides, snatching the paper from Idunn's hand and making the handmaiden jump slightly. She unfolded the paper and read it quickly, recognizing Elsa's elegant script instantly.
Idunn- Please make sure that my sister is dressed and downstairs BEFORE the ball starts. If she tries to stall you or ignore you, you have my permission to get her attention. -HM Elsa, Queen of Arendelle
And below it, in smaller letters but with the same prim handwriting:
And still YOUR big sister, Anna! Get dressed! -E
Anna looked up at Idunn, whose terrified face was now turning a worrisome shade of mauve. "Breathe, Idunn," Anna said, relaxing when the younger girl visibly complied. "Sorry," Anna said hesitantly. "You were just doing your job, weren't you?"
Idunn nodded again. "I'm sorry, your highness, but I— I was running out of ways to get your attention."
"Well, that was creative, at least," Anna muttered, giving her butt one last rub. "Hopefully you didn't leave a mark," Anna said as she started walking across the large room.
Idunn had bent over to retrieve the offending towel when she heard Anna's words. Oh gods, she thought desperately. What if I DID leave a mark? How will I explain that? Odin's one eye, how will I explain that to the QUEEN?
She grabbed the towel and ran across the room, catching Anna right as the young princess was reaching for her dark green gown. Anna yelped slightly as Idunn slid to her knees while she simultaneously yanked up the back of Anna's long skirt.
"Idunn, what in Freya's name are you doing?" Anna shouted, trying to twist her upper body enough to see what the handmaiden was up to.
"Just checking to make sure I didn't leave a mark!" Idunn shouted back, her voice muffled slightly by Anna's skirt covering her head. "I am so sorry, Your Highness!"
As Anna felt her undergarments drop, she nearly came off the ground. "IDUNN!"
There was a fleeting pause, less than a second, before the young handmaiden's head full of long blonde hair popped out from beneath Anna's skirt. "Your Highness, I have helped you with your bath since you were ten years old and I was eight! I have seen your bare ass more than once!" The blonde head then disappeared beneath the skirt again, leaving Anna dumbstruck.
After a few more seconds of silence, an audible sigh of relief could be heard, then Anna felt her underpants slide back up her thighs. She reached back and adjusted them properly, turning around warily just as Idunn got to her feet. Anna fixed the handmaiden to the spot with a stern gaze as she tried to decide what to say.
"No mark, your highness," Idunn said with visible relief. "Well, other than the slight redness, but that'll fade within an hour or so."
Anna regarded Idunn with slightly more curiosity. "And you know this how?" she asked calmly.
Idunn's fair complexion reddened notably. "Well, mm... You're not the first one I've snapped with... a towel."
Anna considered her words before she let a smile slip across her face. "Well, I suppose I should be happy you were skilled enough to not leave a mark. Although with all the bruises and scrapes I got growing up, I really wouldn't have cared that much."
More at ease due to Anna's now-friendly expression, Idunn quickly said, "Oh, it wasn't you I was concerned about noticing it, Your—"
She froze, knowing instantly she had said too much, a fact confirmed by Princess Anna's face turning a bright crimson, intense enough to make the freckles on her face nearly disappear. Anna ran past Idunn to the doors to her rooms, glancing out in the hall nervously. Seeing no guards within the immediate distance, she pulled herself back into the room before slamming the wooden doors with a significant crash.
Idunn stood terrified as Anna stormed her way back across the room, a look somewhere between shock and fury flashing across her normally happy visage. Despite all her training, despite the eight, nearly nine years the girl had waited on Anna, Idunn broke down into tears at how utterly she had just failed the young woman she adored.
At the sight of Idunn's tears, Anna was taken aback; when the handmaiden fell to the floor, her body convulsing in sobs, Anna was there with her, holding her to keep the girl from cracking her head on the cold, hard slate. "Hey," Anna said, trying to calm Idunn down, but with no effect. "Hey, Idunn. Please stop crying. Please." Seeing that her words weren't registering, Anna shifted to simply hold the teenager, trying to console her from whatever had devastated her. As the two of them sat there, Anna's own thoughts were whirling, trying to grasp exactly what Idunn's words had seemed to imply. Was she being paranoid? Had the girl simply meant something entirely different than what Anna was thinking? But if so, why was she so upset to have let her words slip out?
Anna considered what she knew about Idunn. She had been an orphan, like all the handmaidens in Arendelle had been for centuries. Idunn had no family left, losing her parents, brother and sister to a fever that had ravaged their small farming village. The girl had been the closest thing to a friend Anna had known after Elsa had been sealed away in her own chambers, with their closeness in age helping build a bond between the two as the years passed. She trusted Idunn implicitly, a trust earned by the quiet blonde through her discretion, service and honesty. She kept mostly to herself, although she seemed friendly with a few of the other handmaidens. Otherwise, she did a remarkable job of remaining unobtrusive while still carrying out her duties efficiently and respectfully, which is why her slip of the tongue was so shocking.
Anna realized at this point that Idunn's sobbing had slowed. "Idunn..." she said carefully, prompting the slightly younger girl to sit up. Her face was splotchy red, her eyes bloodshot from crying, and she angrily pawed at the tears running down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, your highness," Idunn said, her lower lip visibly shaking as she struggled to maintain control. "I would never tell anyone, I swear to you. I would die first. I would kill myself first."
Anna closed her eyes. She knows. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, reaching out to take Idunn's hand and hold it gently. She opened her eyes as she said, "How long have you known?"
"A... A little over a week," Idunn replied. "I never meant to..." She shook her head. "I wasn't trying to spy on you, Your Highness. I had told Ygrit that I'd clean the queen's room for her that night, and I was running late after cleaning your room as well. I was finishing up in Her Majesty's bathroom when you and the queen came in. I didn't expect you to go to bed so early, and before I could make my presence known, you and the queen were already... engaged."
"Interesting choice of words," Anna muttered. She felt Idunn squeeze her hand; she looked up to see the younger girl leaning toward her, her fair face full of concern.
"Your Highness," Idunn said, "I... I'm happy for you."
Anna blinked. "You are?"
Idunn nodded. "I am. Unusual as your circumstances may be, the queen loves you just as much as you love her. I know it. And you both deserve to be happy." Idunn looked down at Anna's left hand. "I also know that neither of you has any plans on finding a husband tonight." She gently rubbed her thumb over Anna's unadorned ring finger. "Though your finger is bare, I know you're already pledged in your heart."
Anna felt a tear slide down her cheek as she looked into Idunn's red eyes, which were starting to water again. "You're right," she whispered. "How did you know... that?"
Idunn smiled again. "Because I've seen the way you look at her, and she at you. I-I'm very familiar with... that look."
It took a moment for Anna to consider Idunn's words. "You're..."
"In love with someone I shouldn't be? Someone for whom others would not understand my love? Yes." Seeing a look of concern flash across Anna's face, Idunn quickly added, "It's not you or the queen, Your Highness. I would never presume to even consider that!"
"Okay," Anna said with a smile as she looked into Idunn's gray eyes, an unusual color in Arendelle. "Because she's mine, you know."
Idunn nodded with a small laugh. "And you are hers. I know very well, Your Highness. Years ago I pledged to serve you and care for you, and I consider protecting your relationship with the queen to be part of my duty. I have never seen you as happy as you have been the last two weeks, and I will do everything in my power—limited as it may be—to safeguard that happiness."
"Thank you," Anna said softly. "For everything you have done and continue to do for me, Idunn." She leaned forward and hugged the handmaiden, who hesitantly returned the hug after a few seconds.
"You're welcome, Your Highness," Idunn said.
Barely an hour later, after possibly the fastest job of changing clothes, lacing a formal gown and doing a princess's hair ever seen in Arendelle Castle, Anna carefully made her way down the grand staircase, Idunn trailing behind her. Anna's gown was a deep green, not as form-fitting as Elsa's gowns tended to be now, but still slightly narrower and just a bit shorter than traditional ball gowns. Her copper hair, done up in a crown braid, seemed to glow as the late afternoon sun streamed in through the windows, and the diamond and emerald necklace she wore completed her elegant look perfectly.
"You look amazing, Your Highness," Idunn said as she brushed the back of Anna's skirt, making sure that her princess's appearance was flawless as they reached the door to the parlor adjacent to the grand ballroom. Idunn stepped forward and opened the wooden door.
As Anna stepped into the parlor, she couldn't help but gasp as she saw Elsa. The queen was wearing the same spun ice gown Anna had seen earlier that day, hugging to her upper body, waist and hips before tapering down to her feet, but she had changed its color from turquoise to an aqua. The dress's slit up Elsa's right leg only went to her knee, but it still pushed the limits of decorum when it came to formal wear. The extra tint of green in the gown was striking as each facet of the dress caught and reflected the light, and when her sister smiled at her, Anna felt her heart skip several beats. "Elsa, you look..." She swallowed, then she began fanning herself. "Wow. Um, you're stunning."
Elsa stepped closer to Anna, enough for Anna and Idunn to see Elsa's handmaiden Ygrit behind her, busily untangling a sapphire and diamond necklace. "Not as stunning as you," Elsa said softly, just barely stopping herself from running her hand over Anna's freckled cheek. Anna blushed slightly at the doting look Elsa was giving her; it was just as hard for her to resist giving Elsa a warm kiss, both to visibly show her love as well as to provide moral support before they entered the ballroom. She had no doubt that had Ygrit not been there, the queen and princess of Arendelle would have lingered much longer in the parlor. But as the two sisters held hands and looked into each other's eyes, Ygrit quickly said, "I've got it, Your Majesty!" and smoothly slid the stunning necklace across Elsa's delicate collarbones, fastening the most elegant piece of Arendelle's crown jewels in place around its queen's slim throat.
Anna reached up and ran her fingers lightly over the masterpiece, laid out as interconnected sapphires and diamonds of various sizes, arranged as a snowfall of precious stones fully encircling Elsa's throat. "Funny how our necklaces resemble each other," she said, fingering an emerald on her own necklace as she examined Elsa's.
"Nothing funny about it," Elsa said, her voice growing tight as she leaned in toward her true love. "Your was made as the companion to mine."
Anna couldn't help but flash a girlish smile as she looked up at her sister and softly said, "Just like me."
Elsa leaned forward, lightly pressing her forehead and her nose against Anna's, her lips as close to her sister's as they could be without touching. She could feel Anna's warm breath, soft, short pants, against her mouth, just as Anna could feel her big sister's cool, controlled breaths against her own.
"You know Ygrit is still here, right?" Anna breathed, letting Elsa feel the whispered words as much as hear them.
"She already knows," Elsa whispered back, unable to resist lifting her bare right hand to run her fingers through Anna's soft red hair.
At the touch of her sister's fingertips against her temple, Anna shuddered throughout her entire body. Only through extreme effort did she regain enough composure to whisper back, "So does Idunn," before her own arms were around Elsa's shoulders.
"Thank Freya," Elsa mumbled as she pressed forward a fraction of an inch, letting their equally eager lips reacquaint themselves with each other.
Idunn and Ygrit quietly moved to stand together, blocking the door to the ballroom as they turned away from Elsa and Anna, granting their royal charges a modicum of privacy. They did their best to not look at each other or make the slightest sound until they heard Anna and Elsa turn and walk toward them. The two handmaidens smoothly turned, each quickly inspecting her particular woman. Idunn straightened Anna's necklace, deftly smoothing the silver links between the emeralds and diamonds back into their proper place, while Ygrit's quick fingers restored the few blonde hairs Anna's fingers had teased out of position on Elsa's head. When both were satisfied, Idunn unlocked the parlor doors leading into the ballroom. She and Ygrit each took a door, opening them in synchronicity while stepping out of the way.
As a page announced the entrances of Princess Anna and Queen Elsa, cheers and trumpets greeted the two remaining members of Arendelle's royal family. As all eyes in the ballroom followed the two stunning sisters during their entrance, no one noticed the two quiet handmaidens as they stepped back into the recesses of the small parlor, only daring to lace their fingers together and trade tender smiles once they were completely out of sight.
Anna quickly lost count of the different men she had danced with as the ball progressed. Thankfully, Elsa had previously declared the dancing would be formal, with the partners not allowed to actually touch. This significantly reduced the discomfort Anna had been worried about, although leers and come-hither looks still appeared too frequently for her liking. However, with so many people dancing at the same time, whenever a too-eager suitor made her uncomfortable, she simply moved to another partner. She occasionally caught a glimpse of Elsa moving in her shimmering aqua gown, but she never allowed herself to focus too much on her sister for fear of showing their guests just whom the princess truly had eyes for.
The third time Anna fell into a nearby seat, sweating but laughing from exertion, she could see the not-so-subtle jostling between a dozen young men, each trying to see who could be the first one to claim the cushion next to her on the elegant high-backed bench. However, the four in the lead all suddenly pulled up short just a few feet away, nearly falling on each other in their haste to stop.
Anna turned to look beside her, only to see Elsa standing in front of the vacant space on the bench, casting a withering look at the stumbling suitors before elegantly seating herself next to her sister.
"Nice trick," Anna said, giving her sister a weary but happy glance. "How'd you do it? I tried ignoring them, but it only seems to make them hungrier."
Elsa returned her sister's smile as she turned to look at Anna. "Yes, it seems the men think you're playing hard to get."
"Which I am."
"Which is turning them on."
Anna shuddered. "Ew."
Elsa leaned closer, although with the noise from the music and the dancers there was no chance of her being overheard. "It's turning me on too," she whispered.
Anna flushed slightly. She retrieved a fan from the accent table beside her, snapping it open with a quick flick of her wrist. She began to fan herself aggressively until she felt cool, long fingers gently grasp her forearm. She stopped and looked at Elsa, who began to trace a lazy line through the air with her right index finger. As her finger moved, a small swirl of ice formed, following the slim digit's movement as it spiraled its way around Anna's neck and head, bringing a refreshing chill to her warm skin.
She closed her fan as she closed her eyes, reveling in the cool breeze circling her head. "That feels really good," she said. "Thanks."
Elsa smiled as she stilled her hand, letting the icy draft make a final circuit around Anna's head before vanishing into vapor. "You're very welcome." She looked around, seeing several tables on the other side of the ballroom being attended by the castle staff. "Dinner's going to start soon."
"Well, good," Anna said. "Definitely worked up an appetite." She turned to look back at her sister. "You're playing hard to get too, aren't you?"
Elsa gave her a slight nod.
"Soooo... why are they all over me for it and not you?"
Elsa turned to look at the crowds, now making their way over to the dinner tables in droves. "I think 'accidentally' freezing the Duke of Kaltenstein's hand when he dared to touch my arm had something to do with that." Elsa stood, then turned, extending her hand to Anna. Anna graciously took her sister's gloveless hand, accepting the slight boost up as she stood. "Shall we move to dinner?" Elsa asked pleasantly.
Anna smiled. "We shall."
However, as they approached the largest table, an impressive rectangular mass crafted with wood stained so dark as to be nearly black, their enthusiasm waned slightly. The only seats remaining were at the far ends of the table, separated by at least forty other guests, all prospective suitors.
Anna looked sad at the seating arrangements, but a serious glance from Elsa told her what she needed to do. She forced a smile on her face, but Elsa could see the unhappiness in her sister's green eyes as she turned and walked the length of the table, drawing quite a few interested looks as she did so. Elsa wasn't particularly happy about the way some of the men looked at her little sister like a trophy stag to be hunted, but she really couldn't blame them. If they weren't here, after all, she'd have been watching Anna that way as well. She sighed as she sat, letting one of the servants move her chair forward for her.
As they ate, Elsa found herself not paying much attention to the conversation going on around her. It was far more interesting watching Anna fend off the advances of the small crowd of eligible princes, barons and dukes seated nearest to her. Silently Elsa wished she had adjusted the seating arrangements to place Rapunzel next to her or Anna, but that would have been improper for a spouse-hunting dinner such as this. Having a friendly party to deflect some of the conversation would have been lovely, though.
The sight of one the men on Anna's end of the table spitting his wine out onto the table immediately drew Elsa's attention. Was he sick? Had he been poisoned? However, before Elsa could decide on a course of action, the sound of laughter making its way down the table implied that whatever had happened had been more benign, and seeing Anna grin gave Elsa even more reassurance.
"The Princess is quite surprising," said the young man seated on Elsa's left. He was a prince, explaining his coveted position next to the Queen of Arendelle. She thought quickly, trying to remember his name. "Did she truly slay an elk this morning with a bow and arrow?"
"Thank you, Prince Soren," Elsa said graciously. "Yes, she did." She risked a glance down the table, unable to keep from smiling at the sight of Anna laughing. "My sister is a very remarkable young woman. And the most beautiful woman in all of Arendelle."
"Not that I would disagree with the monarch, Your Majesty, but I do believe the Princess might have some competition for that title," Soren said with a voice betraying only a slight hint of nervousness.
Elsa gave the young prince a long look. He was polite, he was charming and he was very handsome, with his light brown hair and honest smile. Elsa might have been interested in him in the past on his looks alone, but she also respected his family. The Baltains had long been trading partners with Arendelle, with the two countries on good terms for centuries. She gave Soren a polite smile as she replied, "Do you have eyes for my sister, Prince Soren?"
The young prince—he couldn't have been much older than Anna, maybe a year at the most—blushed slightly. He cleared his throat quietly before taking a drink of wine.
He's smart enough to not speak before he's taken the time to think. He might have made a good husband for Anna or me, indeed. And this was what bothered Elsa. He would make a good match for either of them, but obviously his family had their eyes on him marrying Elsa; not a surprise, as a queen was a step up from a princess. Turning him down would upset the royal family of Balta, but not terribly so. However, turning him down in order to marry Anna, well, that might have a different outcome.
Elsa hoped not. She liked King Gustav and Queen Trysn, and Balta was a good ally, both economically and militarily. She looked down the length of the table, making mental notes of the potential repercussions that could come from offending each suitor seeking either her and Anna's hand. Many of them were minor, with little risk of seriously impacting Arendelle. However, some of them were significant, and more than one could pose a true threat to Arendelle on the battlefield.
However, Elsa had already come to the conclusion that she really didn't care.
She would do her best to be diplomatic, absolutely. She had already started on a few letters politely declining the offers of marriage from a few of tonight's attendees, although she had hidden them in her personal chambers where only she or Ygrit could find them. The young handmaiden had offered to help Elsa write some of them, but Elsa had politely declined. Each letter had to be in her handwriting, sealed with Arendelle's royal seal, or suspicions would be raised.
Elsa's further thoughts were interrupted as the doors to the ballroom slowly opened. A crier stepped in, ahead of a tall, broad-shouldered man who appeared several years older than Elsa.
"Prince Wilhelm, of the Southern Isles!"
Within seconds all conversation at the dining tables ceased, as everyone in attendance turned to regard the late arrival, whom Elsa most certainly did not invite. And judging from the confident smile on his face and the way he carefully walked into the massive room, he was quite content with all eyes on him. His elegant white uniform with gold piping and red accents was far too reminiscent of the traitorous Hans, and seeing how calmly he entered only made Elsa's blood boil even more.
"Queen Elsa," he said, stopping a more-than-respectable distance from Elsa's seat. He bowed slightly, offering a friendly smile as he rose back to a standing position.
It took all of Elsa's self-control to not throw her plate of food at him. She quickly ran through a list of things she could freeze that "Prince Wilhelm" would miss, followed by interesting places she could display his frozen body. However, as the seconds of silence ticked away, Elsa finally decided that she should wait until at least the third day of the royal gathering to cause an true international incident.
"Prince... Wilhelm, you said?" she said, remaining firmly seated. She was the queen and this was her realm; she would not rise to greet him. Anna, with her sweet nature and general trust of others, likely would have done so without thinking of how it would look. However, that seemingly minor gesture would have been sharply noted by the multitude of guests in the ballroom, nearly all of whom were well-versed in royal protocol. The last time a handsome prince from the Southern Isles had stood in this castle, Elsa had been terrified and unsure of her ability to rule. Tonight she was neither.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Wilhelm said, not bowing a second time. "I am here bearing the deepest apologies the Southern Isles can offer. My youngest brother's despicable actions at your coronation have brought extreme shame to all of the Southern Isles, and I am here to discuss reparations to rebuild friendly relations with Arendelle."
A soft murmur swept through the massive room, and Elsa could see heads nodding slightly throughout the room. She was still furious at this man's audacity to show up unannounced, and the last thing she wanted was for him to start to win some sympathy with the royals and nobles in attendance.
"I appreciate the Isles' wishes to rectify the animosity her last ambassador created during his brief stay here," she said with as thin a smile as her lips could make. She waited a few seconds before continuing. "However, I do not recall extending an invitation for this gathering to you or your country."
Wilhelm could see Elsa's gaze turn icy—quite literally. The marble floor between the two of them began to freeze as the air seemed to thicken and frost. Snow began to form in the air, sparkling flakes falling to the frosty tiles throughout the entire ballroom. As he felt the chill manifest in the air around him, Wilhelm reconsidered his opinion of the fledgling queen for the second time in as many minutes. So her powers do exist. Hans wasn't lying. No matter. All the more thrill of the contest.
He lowered his head obviously enough that it could be seen through the entire ballroom. "No, Your Majesty. I took it upon myself to extend this overture for peace between our nations, for the good of both our peoples."
Elsa opened her mouth to speak, only to stop when she heard a chair scooting far down the table. She turned to look at Anna, who had stood, eyes looking to Elsa with a silent plea in them. As Elsa felt her visage soften at the look of discomfort on her beloved's face, Anna began walking quickly toward Elsa, keeping the grand table and the guests seated at it between her and Wilhelm.
Elsa turned back to Wilhelm. "I will consider your request to discuss reparations between the Southern Isles and Arendelle," she said flatly. After a second's pause, she added, "However, I will not make that decision tonight." She gave a glance to her left, seeing Anna halfway to her at this point, and the look of discomfort on Anna's face added a touch of venom to Elsa's voice as she turned back to Wilhelm. "You may stay in Arendelle while I make my decision. I'm sure you will be quite capable of finding suitable accommodations in the town."
Elsa looked to the guard captain on duty. The soldier had already moved within his halberd's striking range of Wilhelm, so smoothly that Elsa hadn't noticed his approach. "Sir Ewen," she said, shifting her gaze to the veteran soldier, "Please escort Prince Wilhelm and his retinue out of the castle. This reception is for invited guests only."
Despite the pleasant smile still on his face, Wilhelm was not the least bit happy. However, at the moment there was nothing he could do. Arendelle's queen was proving to be surprisingly formidable, not the unsure coward Hans had described. Whether that was due to her being a quick study or his brother being an incompetent fool was of no matter at the moment. But before he turned to walk out of the ballroom, Wilhelm saw a young redheaded woman who could only be Princess Anna reach Queen Elsa's side. He watched as the snow flurries through the ballroom slowed and then disappeared when Anna spoke to her sister; similarly, the ice patch covering the marble followed the snow into nothingness as Elsa gently placed her hand on Anna's shoulder. With a slight lift of his eyebrows, he turned at that sight and slowly walked toward the ballroom's main doors, four of Arendelle's royal guards pacing him as he made his exit.
Elsa stood, protectively putting her left arm around Anna. As she stood, the noise of hundreds of chairs sliding filled the ballroom as everyone stood. Elsa waited a few seconds to let the din subside, then she said, "I regret that my sister and I must take our leave for the evening. This... unexpected intrusion has upset Anna, and I must tend to her." Before anyone could object, she added, "Please feel free to finish your dinner and enjoy the rest of the reception, as the music and dancing will continue as planned. My sister and I have enjoyed your gracious company and will see you again tomorrow." Without waiting to acknowledge the applause that followed her words, Elsa turned and walked out of the ballroom with Anna.
Anna was worryingly quiet as the two of them ascended the grand staircase. They were holding hands, a risk Elsa was willing to take given how upset Anna had seemed at Wilhelm's appearance. Ygrit was bounding up the stairs ahead of them, her shoulder-length mahogany hair bobbing up and down as she ascended two steps at a time. Idunn was following Elsa and Anna, making sure no one attempted to pursue or question them.
As they reached the second floor, Ygrit ran down the large hall, opening the doors to Elsa's chambers and quickly inspecting the rooms before Elsa and Anna entered. As soon as they were inside, Idunn closed the doors behind them and hurried to Anna's rooms, where she performed the same sweep through her princess's chambers before grabbing one of the soft shifts Anna liked to sleep in and returning to Elsa's chambers.
She saw Ygrit retrieving a modest nightgown from Elsa's wardrobe; the queen would need no help removing her gown, as she could simply dissolve it with a thought. Anna, however, was going to need a bit of help. Ygrit had already removed the queen's necklace, placing it on the table beside her wardrobe, and it only took Idunn a few seconds to do the same. However, as soon as Idunn started on the intricate lacing of the princess's gown, Ygrit's small hands were right there, moving swiftly in time with Idunn's own movements. As they efficiently worked, they glanced at each other. The two of them had noticed a very significant change between the two rooms, but other than two quiet smiles they gave no indication of their observation. Anna would discover it herself soon enough, and Elsa was likely already aware.
As soon as Anna's gown was loose enough, Idunn handed Anna the shift and pulled the gown down smoothly. As Anna stepped out of the green dress, Idunn and Ygrit picked it up, bundling it loosely as they quietly walked away. The two handmaidens stopped at the double doors leading back to the second floor hallway, turning as Ygrit said, "Is there anything else we can do for you or the princess, Your Majesty?"
"No, Ygrit," Elsa said, finally allowing a hint of fatigue to creep into her voice. "Thank you and Idunn both. Sleep well."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ygrit said as she and Idunn both curtseyed slightly, then turned and left the room. They signaled to the four guards coming down the hall that they should stay at the ends of the hall tonight, allowing the two sisters some privacy. As they watched the soldiers split into pairs and move to the ends of the hall, the two young women smiled at each other and quietly began their walk to the servants' quarters in the basement.
Inside the spacious bedroom, Elsa sat on the large bed as she waited for Anna to come out of the bathroom. Her nightgown was made of silk, a remarkable fabric they had obtained from distant China, but the way it fell against her skin tonight made it feel as if it were made of iron. She stood and walked to the window, looking at the stars glittering in the night sky. The torchlights in the city made it difficult to see all of the stars, but there were still more than Elsa could count. As vast as our world is, there must be room for mine and Anna's love.
The sound of the bathroom door opening made Elsa turn. Despite the darkness of their bedroom, she saw her sister stop halfway to the bed, and Elsa couldn't help but smile at what she had likely just noticed.
"Elsa?"
"Yes, Anna?" Elsa replied as she slowly walked over to her sister.
Anna didn't take her eyes off the empty space in the wall on the far side of the large room, even when Elsa came up behind her and gently wrapped her arms around Anna's chest to hold her tightly. "Am I imagining things," she asked as Elsa carefully rested her chin on Anna's right shoulder, "or is the door between our rooms... gone?"
Elsa smiled. "It's gone," she said quietly. "I had it removed while we were at the reception downstairs."
Anna reached up and covered Elsa's arms with her own, clutching them more tightly to her chest as she closed her eyes and tried not to cry. Elsa remained silent as she felt her sister's tears splash down onto her arm; she simply stood there and held the woman she loved, both as a sister and as a mate.
After a few minutes, Anna sniffled, then she lifted the top of her shift to dab at her eyes. With a voice slightly raw, she said, "As beautiful as that door was, as much effort as they put into making it magical and playful, I really fucking hated it." She turned to face Elsa, who loosened her grip to let Anna do so. As soon as they were facing, Anna wrapped her own arms around her older sister as she looked up into Elsa's eyes, themselves moist with frosty tears. "Why did you have them take it down?" she finally asked.
Elsa felt her own heart pound as she struggled to not cry. "Because..." she began, then halted due to a catch in her throat. She swallowed, then tried again. "Because," she said, "I thought it was time we stopped having your rooms and my rooms, and instead had our rooms."
Anna's jaw trembled, then she buried her head in Elsa's chest. As she cried, she managed to say, "I love you," between sobs.
Elsa cried her own tears, leaving them in the lushness of Anna's cinnamon hair. "I love you too, sweet Anna. More than anything, I love you."
Anna pulled back from Elsa enough to lift her head and kiss her older sister, lips wet with tears from both of them mingled together. As they kissed, their hands slid back and forth over each other's backs, uncertain of where exactly to be but content to just be there.
Anna abruptly pulled away from the kiss, leaving Elsa still leaning forward, the tip of her tongue still visible between her parted lips. Seeing the surprise on her sister's face, Anna smiled as she quietly said, "I'm ready."
Elsa's tears did nothing to lessen her smile. "I'm ready too," she said.
Anna ran her left hand over Elsa's face, trailing her index finger over her sister's pink lips. "Tonight, Elsa of Arendelle, I give you the most precious thing I have," she said slowly. "It's meant for you, and it always has been meant for you." She meant to say more, but emotion overtook her, leaving her ears ringing and her mouth quivering.
Elsa released her grip on her sister, moving to pull her nightgown over her head. Anna matched her action, pulling her shift over her head. The two women embraced again, this time with the electricity only felt when skin moves smoothly against skin. They both gasped at the new sensation before kissing again, this time with an urgency, an impulse that they had never known before. Both hearts were pounding as they awkwardly made their way to their bed, neither willing to relinquish the embrace. As their legs bumped against the bed, Elsa stopped, halting Anna's attempt to slide onto the bed.
Anna looked up, unsure if she had done something wrong, only to see Elsa's loving gaze.
Elsa stared at her sister, taking in the sight of her younger sibling confidently ready to take the irrevocable step into adulthood. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she truly deserved such a gift, but then she realized that whether or not she did wasn't important. It was Anna's choice, and she had chosen to share this moment with Elsa.
Elsa sat on the bed as she kissed Anna's bare stomach just above her navel, getting a playful ruffle of her now-loose blonde hair in return. She looked up at her sister's face, happy and loving and sensual all at once. "I'm just thinking how wonderful, how lucky, how special I feel right now," she said before kissing Anna's belly again. "All because of you." She smiled as she ran her left hand down Anna's torso, reveling in the feel of her chest, her ribs, her hip under Elsa's touch. "You are the most beautiful, amazing thing I have ever seen, Anna of Arendelle, and I offer you my own maidenhead in return. You are the only lover I could ever want, and the only lover I will ever have. I will know no one's touch but yours, and from tonight to forever I am yours in every way."
As Anna slammed her lips against her sister's, she pulled them both down onto the bed, dragging Elsa over the slick sheets until she was satisfied neither of them would fall off. She pushed Elsa onto her back, then moved her head down Elsa's chest. Her tongue briefly clucked inside her mouth as she contemplated where to begin on Elsa's body.
The cool touch of Elsa's fingers on her left breast made up Anna's mind, and she lowered her head to Elsa's own breasts, lightly kissing each, taking the time to appreciate the taste of Elsa's fair skin before she hesitantly took her first lick of Elsa's nipples. The sharp intake of breath and shiver through her sister's body made Anna giggle, then repeat her action on the other breast.
She slid up and kissed Elsa again, grabbing her sister's head with both hands and hanging on tightly as they kissed furiously. As she felt Elsa's hand slide down her body to tickle her belly button, Anna laughed, getting a loving smile from her older sister. "I'm sorry," Anna said, still smiling. "It tickled!"
Elsa kissed Anna again, using the motion to push her little sister onto her back, where she straddled her. It was the same position they had been in two weeks ago, but this time there was no clothing between their bodies. Anna lifted her head to look down the length of her naked body, and the sight of Elsa's pelvis hovering just a hair's width over her own sent a jolt up the back of her neck into her head, so intense it was painful for a second before giving way to an near-animal arousal. When Elsa leaned her body down until her lips were just above Anna's, the anticipation was mind-bending.
With a soft voice, Elsa said, "Anna, tonight there is absolutely nothing to be sorry about. Anything we do, anything we try, it'll be because we want to please each other. We'll learn this..." She smiled. "Together."
As Elsa's fingers laced with Anna's where her hands lay above her head, Anna felt her entire body tingle. It felt like she had been smiling for her entire life, and there was no way to stop, no reason to want to stop. "Together," she whispered back as she squeezed Elsa's hands, then her older sister's lips were on hers, and they began to make love.
It was awkward at first, as such things so often are, but the two sisters quickly found that with each other, there was no shame or embarrassment, only encouragement, pleasure and love. They took turns touching, tasting, kissing, licking, until there were no secrets left between the two of them. They fell asleep in each other's arms, only to wake again a few hours later, their desire and yearning rekindled. This time they were more confident, Elsa first taking control of Anna until she had been utterly satisfied, then Anna returning the favor until Elsa jerked and whimpered in ecstasy. They fell asleep again, this time with Elsa holding Anna snugly from behind, their bodies melded together like a sculpture as they lay on the bed and its sole remaining sheet; the blankets and furs had long been kicked or thrown into the floor to allow a better grip or more comfortable position for Arendelle's royal sisters.
Elsa awoke shortly before dawn, the soft pink quickening outside the window the only hint of light in the cool darkness of their room. She wasted no time, slipping her right hand down Anna's slender body and between her legs. Anna mumbled something in her sleep, but her body responded on its own, lifting a leg to allow Elsa's fingers smoother entry into her sister.
As Anna felt the delicious warmth of Elsa entering her, she stretched her right arm over her head and behind her, grabbing a handful of Elsa's long blonde hair. "Mmmm, good morning, my love," she purred as she pushed back against Elsa's hand.
Elsa kissed the back of Anna's neck, trying to bless every freckle present with her lips. "It's the best morning ever," Elsa said warmly, not slowing the rhythm of her fingers until she felt Anna's entire body stiffen, trapping her hand between Anna's legs until her orgasm played itself out. She curled her finger slightly and stroked a few more times, triggering another powerful orgasm in her younger sister.
As soon as Anna was capable of movement, she rolled over as quickly as she could without breaking Elsa's hand. She laid her head down on the pillow in front of Elsa, joyously taking in the sight of her sister's sapphire blue eyes just inches away, looking back at her with love and desire in the dim light of the early dawn. She knew she was grinning like a fool, but she didn't care. "Can we do that every night?" she asked, green eyes twinkling as she reached up and idly played with a tuft of her copper hair. "Please?"
Rather than answer with words, Elsa put her right hand in front of Anna's face, extending her wet fingers toward her sister's mouth. With a smile that made Elsa's stomach flip, Anna slowly leaned forward, taking each finger in her mouth, carefully sucking each one clean. When she was done, she slid closer to Elsa, relishing the feeling as their breasts brushed against each other. "I taste good," Anna said as she touched her nose to her sister's, "but you taste better."
"I have to disagree with you on that, Anna," Elsa said, her eyes snapping shut as she felt Anna's eager finger slide into her. "In fact..." she tried to finish, but her mouth wasn't cooperating with her at the moment. Elsa just focused on the crazy, wonderful sensation of her little sister's finger—oh, make that fingers—in her. She opened her eyes, fully intending to say something clever to Anna, but as soon as Elsa saw the expression of glee on Anna's face, tongue peeking out of her mouth as she focused on pleasuring her big sister, her orgasm blasted through her without warning. Her head shot back as her abdomen jerked once, twice, three times; her legs straightened out so forcefully that it lifted her hips off the bed. When Anna then started sucking on her left breast, Elsa was sure she was bucking so hard that the bed frame itself was going to break, then everything went gray before turning black.
Before Elsa could open her eyes again, she was aware of Anna's hand brushing lightly over her forehead, most likely moving her unruly morning hair out of her face. She could hear Anna humming quietly, a song she couldn't place right now but knew that she loved. She could feel Anna's naked body against her, the tip of a finger tracing lazy lines across Elsa's chest and abdomen.
"Are you with us again, sleepyhead?" Anna said teasingly.
Elsa didn't want to open her eyes, because Anna's gentle touch and comforting warmth simply felt too good to not focus on. "Did we break the bed?" she managed to mumble between lips that felt numb yet somehow still tingled.
Anna laughed loudly, ending the laugh by kissing Elsa on the lips. "No, we didn't break the bed, silly," she said. "But it does look like you had a good time last night."
Unsure what Anna meant by her last comment, Elsa sleepily blinked open her eyes, only to open them wide when she got a glimpse of their room, now better lit by the sun as it peeked over the horizon. She sat up to get a better look, not believing what she was seeing. The entire room, from floor to ceiling, had been covered in sparkling ice. Everything was still in its place, from the chairs to tables to portraits to lamps, all encased in a thick wall of ice. She looked down off the bed, only to see that the bed had actually been lifted off the floor by a pillar of ice, raising it nearly two feet higher than it normally was. "Oh my," Elsa murmured to herself.
"Looks like somebody got a little excited last night!" Anna said gleefully as she wrapped her arms around Elsa, squeezing her tightly.
Elsa reached up to cover Anna's forearm with her right hand, still surveying the room. "How... How long has it been this way?"
"Mmm, I'd guess at least a few hours, judging from how the icicles are forming on the ceiling." Anna planted soft kisses on Elsa's left ear, more than slightly distracting her sister. "Well, other than the bed. You did that just a few minutes ago, when you passed out."
Elsa turned to face her sister, catching the last kiss on her forehead. "And you're not cold? Anna, you should be freezing!" She fully turned to face her sister, but there was no sign of her skin turning blue or red.
Anna looked down at her arms, then her legs and feet. "No, I feel fine. Not cold at all. Huh."
"I know you told me that you didn't seem to be getting cold as quickly as you used to, but Anna! You've been lying naked in a giant icebox for hours! How do you not have frostbite or hypothermia?"
Anna thought for a minute before speaking. "I have a theory on that," she said, sliding to the edge of the bed and dangling her legs off the edge as she saw how high they were off the ground.
"Anna, that's ice below you, not like the sheet and the bed, which would have preserved at least a little bit of heat! Don't—"
But Anna had already slid off the bed, landing neatly on her bare feet. Her face was cautious for a second or two, then it gave way to excitement. "I feel fine," she said. "It's not even as cold as your ice gown was yesterday, when I held it. It just feels like the stone floor does in winter. I can tell it's colder than it usually is, but that's all." She cautiously pushed off with her right foot, grinning when she slid a short distance across the icy floor. She then pushed off with the other foot, pleased when she scooted back toward the bed, Elsa now perched on the side as she watched her sister closely.
Elsa got to her knees. She raised her right arm high above her head, and with a sweeping circular motion of her hand, she pulled all the ice in the room into the air, lowering the bed back to the floor and condensing the ice into a ball roughly the size of a healthy pumpkin before she dismissed it into glimmering vapor with a soft puff.
Anna hopped back onto the bed, sprawling out beside Elsa. "You have no idea how hot you look when you do that," she said quietly, gazing at Elsa's chest and abdomen, stretched long and lean by her position until she put her arm back down at her side.
"Anna."
"Elsa," Anna replied, a knowing smirk on her face. "Thanks for bringing the bed back down, by the way. Wasn't sure how I was going to get enough traction to get back up on it."
Elsa gave her sister a feigned look of disinterest. "I'm sure you'd have found a way."
"With you up here? You better believe it." She extended her left arm. "Freeze my hand."
"What?"
"I said, freeze my hand." She waved her hand a few times. "Go on. I want to see if I'm right." Seeing Elsa still looking unsure, Anna rested her right hand on her sister's bare thigh. "Elsa, you're not going to hurt me. I'm sure of it. If it does start to hurt, you can just unfreeze it. You know how to do it now."
Worries and fears began to race through Elsa's head. This was Anna, her sister, whom she loved more than anything. The last thing she wanted to do was try something that might hurt her, but she had developed better control over her powers. She pushed the worries aside and focused on Anna's hand. With a slight motion of her hand, a ball of ice sprang into existence around Anna's hand.
"See?" Anna said, holding her hand out in front of her. "It's not even cold on me. I can feel that it's cooler than I am, but it's not bad at all."
Elsa laid her hand on Anna's ice-encased hand, and at her touch the ice shattered, dissolving before it could touch the bed. "Okay, Anna. Explain."
Anna opened and closed her left hand, seeing how not even a hint of ice or cold remained. "Well," she began, "it's pretty simple, really." She reached out and laid her left hand over Elsa's right. "You're pretty much, well... the cold. And ice, and snow. And over the last two weeks as we've been getting more... intimate, I guess, the cold has been affecting me less and less. I had first thought it was me getting used to it, but yesterday when I was holding your gown, I knew that my hands should had been frostbitten from how long I held it, whether I felt the cold or not. So I started to think that maybe it's not me getting used to the cold, maybe it's the cold getting used to me."
She sat up, moving right in front of Elsa so their faces were just an inch apart. "And last night..." She grinned again, then she kissed Elsa slowly, lovingly. "Last night, my beautiful, beautiful Winter Queen, you claimed me completely as yours. That means I now belong to you, and by extension, I now belong to the ice, and the snow, and the cold."
Elsa kissed Anna, pulling her younger sister into her lap, Anna's legs spread around Elsa's waist as they embraced each other. "I'm okay with that," she said as they parted for a quick breath. "As long as you remember I belong to you as well."
"Elsa, you're my queen," Anna said, draping her arms over Elsa's shoulders. "And I'm fine with that."
"Ah, but you are my queen," Elsa replied, lightly poking Anna on the chin with a fingertip. "And I've decided that I am no longer content with continuing this masquerade of entertaining consorts for the two of us."
Anna laid her head upon Elsa's shoulder, sighing happily at being able to touch, to hold the woman she loved in exactly the way she wanted. It was confined to their chambers for now, but it was real, and it was her wildest dream come true. "Well, I'm not arguing with you on that, Elsa, but how are you going to explain that to the hundreds of nobles, royals and ambassadors who are here for that very purpose?"
Elsa allowed herself to smile, to relax for this fleeting moment that Anna was in her arms and everything was perfect. "I think it's time we changed things up a bit for our guests," she said finally. "But first, nothing is more important than taking a long, hot shower with the princess who took my virginity."
Author's Afterword: Confession here: I hate writing sex scenes. It's not something I'm particularly good at, it's not something that comes naturally to me, and there are tons of writers out there who do it much, much better. That said, sometimes it's part of a story, and as such it has to be written. I had no idea this scene would grow as big as it did, but I like the finished product. I do tend to leave much of the play-by-play out when it comes to sex, as I want people to use their own imaginations to a large degree when visualizing these scenes. Important details have to be there, but I love the simplicity and elegance of letting people build the scene as they read it in a way that resonates personally with them. I freely admit I enjoy reading the racier stuff, especially if it's well-written; it's just not my style of writing generally, and I'm okay with that. Those of you who do it well, you just keep right on doing it!
This chapter had a hint of what's to come in the rest of the story, with some foreshadowing more obvious (Wilhelm) than others (… you'll have to wait and see!). We're building to our first real taste of action soon enough, with quite a bit more yet to come afterward. See you soon, and if you do get snowed in, enjoy the quality time with Elsa and Anna!
