Hi. I don't own anything. Thanks for your reviews and such, it's heartening to see that each time I post a chapter I get a new follow or favourite. I guess the Disney fandom is much bigger than the Virals fandom... but I'm not sure how it's bigger than the Hunger Games fandom. Nice long chapter. Enjoy!
Birdsong accompanied the sunlight that woke Anna in the morning. She didn't normally wake up before at least eight o'clock, but the Queen could return home at any moment and Anna had to be prepared. That in itself was strange, as the princess was normally more of an improvisation, on-the-go sort of young lady, but today was special.
Today was April Fools Day! Anna sprang out of bed, prepared to rush off, and immediately tumbled to the floor, wincing. She'd forgotten about the minor injuries she'd sustained from her fall last night. More cautiously this time, Anna dragged herself upright and took a careful step forward. Encouraged, she twisted around to check the time. To her surprise, Anna discovered that it was only ten to seven. Elsa would be proud, Anna reflected. Her older sister often bugged the princess about waking up on time.
Speaking of Elsa, Anna made her way to the door, wincing every time she discovered a movement that jarred her injuries. She had work to do, and not much time to do it.
It was still dark when Elsa woke. Overnight, her snow had settled into the most comfortable position and, being the snow queen, she wasn't cold. It was the most comfortable she'd been since last week when she and Anna had curled up together on a sofa, in front of the fire, and covered themselves with a blanket. Elsa snuggled further into her frosty bed, then sat bolt upright. Anna! She had to get home to her sister. Elsa jumped off her snow pile and gathered her possessions. Hurrying out the door, Elsa glanced over to check that Phantom was still present and accounted for, then turned back to her shelter. With one last, rueful glance at her bed, Elsa swept away the snow with a sweep of her hands.
Mounting her stallion, the Queen sneaked a single glance in the direction of Wandering Oakens and urged Phantom south.
She had a prank to prepare.
Anna perched on the railing, sliding down the staircase to the dining room in one swift motion. It was one of the only things Anna could do better than her sister: the others were eating quickly and handling animals. They always seemed to shy away from Elsa's ice powers, with the exception of Phantom, Elsa's horse.
The princess sidled into the dining room. Nobody was in there, but a tiny buffet was positioned off to the side of the room. Anna sighed in relief and rushed towards it, her progress only halted by the reminder of her injuries. For a princess so eager, it was hard to remember not to rush everywhere she went.
Finishing her meal, Anna placed her plate on the side of the counter and headed off. Up to her room, to get changed and braid her hair, to Elsa's room to check for any incriminating evidence, and then down to Kristoff's room to give him back his shoe. Her boyfriend wasn't in at the time, but Anna knew he'd be fine with her visiting, if just to return a boot.
Then Anna headed out to the garden shed, to see Erik. She knocked, but nobody was there. Anna searched the grounds out the front of the castle, then the back, then the sides. Still no sign. The princess finally found Erik in the herb garden, tending to a small leafy plant.
"Basil," explained Erik by way of greeting. Then he seemed to realise who he was talking to. "Oh, M'lady!" he exclaimed, bouncing upright so that he could bow. Anna waved him off.
"That's okay, Erik. Is basil common?"
"It's common for cooking, yes. Most of your lunch or dinner foods would have basil in them, if we've plenty to spare. It doesn't grow here, as such, we have to import it."
"Where from?" Anna questioned. She had never considered taking up gardening as a hobby, but there seemed to be more to it than she'd originally thought.
"The Southern Isles, mostly. That's where it's cheapest because it's plentiful over there. Not so much here, or out west."
Anna nibbled her bottom lip, her thoughts fluttering to Hans. She returned her attention to the task at hand. "Listen, Erik, I just wanted to reassure you that I'm okay. I know you were worried about me."
Anna ended up spending a good twenty minutes in the herb garden with Erik, long enough to miss her sister as she arrived back at the castle.
Elsa squeezed Phantom's sides, urging him from a canter into a gallop. He transitioned easily; Elsa knew he'd been longing for a good gallop the whole time they'd been riding as the woods had been too thick to rise above an extended trot. A few citizens clamoured for the Queen's attention as she thundered through the village, and she responded with a wave.
The guards seemed to hear her coming, and they opened the gates before Elsa even signalled them. She didn't have to slow Phantom's gallop until the last minute. Puffing, panting and grinning like a fool, Elsa slid off her horse's back and began to remove his tack. She was just taking off the saddle cloth when a voice behind her asked slyly, "Good run?"
Elsa turned, damp sponge in hand, and replied, "Brilliant. Was Phantom a racehorse for Arendelle at any time?"
Kai, leaning over the stable door, responded. "Don't think so, but he was by Cebrus and Bree, and they ran for Arendelle."
Elsa nodded, sponging down her horse. "Kai, how is Anna?"
"Fine, your Majesty."
...
The first thing Elsa did when she entered the castle was to set up Anna's prank. Since her younger sister hadn't had much social experience as a child - a surge of guilt penetrated Elsa's heart- she wasn't sure whether Anna would remember the special occasion or not. The Queen held out her hand and created a frosty rose flower in midair, then closed her fingers and the flower vanished. Elsa turned and wandered into the conference room that she and Anna used whenever Elsa had to appear in court. A gold-framed mirror hung on one wall. Elsa created an image of what she could see in the mirror, using her power. Then she pressed the image over the glass of the mirror. When Elsa stepped in front of the glass, she saw the false reflection she'd created, using her ice power, but not her own face.
Elsa's lips curled upwards in triumph. Perfect.
Latching the little white gate behind her, Anna glanced forwards and froze.
Not literally, of course. She just stopped, very still.
That was Elsa's horse, being lead around in cooling laps. Which meant that Elsa was home. Which meant that Anna could kickstart her plans.
"Showtime," Anna muttered to herself.
But how to get Elsa into the conference room?
Elsa sat restlessly on her bed, disturbed by the state of her room. Why were her gloves all over the floor? She hadn't left them there, had she? Ice began to form under her fingernails as the thought occurred. Now that she thought of it, Elsa couldn't remember exactly what she'd been doing when she'd left to go to Wandering Oakens... was this mess Elsa's doing?
She piled the gloves back in her drawer, and put the idea to the back of her mind. Concentrate on Anna. Make today fun for her.
But how to get Anna into the conference room?
It turned out, she didn't have to.
Anna had retrieved the gloves from the ice box in the kitchen and slid them inside another pair of gloves to mask the coldness at first touch. Now, she had to time this bit exactly right or the whole scheme would crash down around her shoulders. Anna all but ran to the conference room, standing next to the spot under the snowfall target area. Oooh, I sound so professional, Anna thought with glee. She glanced in the mirror to make sure everything was hidden from view.
Stopped.
Looked again.
Nothing there. Well, there were some things there, like the walls and the roof and the black canopy if you looked hard enough. But there was no Anna in the mirror, and that was very, very worrying.
"Elsa Elsa!" She shrieked. She waited a few seconds for an answering call, then tried again. "Elsa!"
The door swung open, and her sister's panicked face appeared, followed by lots of ice on the floor. "Anna?!"