Apologies for the slightly shorter chapter here, but I just wanted to get this out tonight as I'm going to be pretty busy until next week, and so I'm trying my best to update as frequently as possible.
ps: Thank you so much for your reviews/favourites, they do make me smile.
Anyway - on to chapter 7, see you next week :)
"Elsa? Helloooooo?"
The waving of an impatient hand in front of her face brought Elsa back to earth with a thump, and she blinked several times at the impatient expression on her sister's face.
"Sorry?"
"Were you seriously daydreaming again? Jeez what is with you lately?" Anna huffed, stuffing her fork aggressively in her mouth. Elsa sat opposite her, the enormous space of their grand dining table between them, weighed down with several bowls and plates of steaming food. It was a rare occasion that the Queen would sit there to eat, let alone with company, and the staff had already begun whispering about it in the kitchen next door.
Anna had jumped on the chance, naturally, to have dinner with her sister, and had invited Kristoff to the occasion, knowing full well he had an enthusiasm for food that was even greater than hers. Whilst the two of them had all but nose-dived into their plates, Elsa had spent a great deal of time staring into space, her face wearing a funny little smile.
Fed up of watching her older sister push vegetables absent-mindedly around her plate, Anna brought her back to present day.
"I said how come you keep smiling so much today?" She demanded through a mouthful of potatoes.
"Am I smiling?" The queen asked, shrugging her shoulders shyly. "I didn't realise."
Anna's cheeks remained bulging as she attempted to clear them of the potatoes, but she gave a small hum in response, and looked to Kristoff.
"Has something good happened today Your Majesty?" He asked politely.
She raised a hand, brushing away his use of the title. "Please Kristoff, Elsa is fine, really."
He shrugged his broad shoulders and smiled, waiting for her to continue.
"And no, nothing in particular. I just feel… Good lately I suppose."
Having finally won her battle with the offending vegetable crammed into her mouth, Anna spoke up.
"Why? What's changed?" A slow grin crept on her face as she watched her sister turn a delicate shade of pink.
"Nothing! I just feel good. Am I not allowed to be in a pleasant mood?" She quipped playfully, praying their attentions would be diverted elsewhere soon.
"Of course you are, but there's being in a 'pleasant' mood, then there's being totally out of character. You never smile around here, and dinner with anyone else is like… An annual event only with you. Plus, you're sitting there all dreamy and gooey, and you…Oh!" She squealed in delight, her forearms slamming against the table as she leaned forward excitedly, Kristoff quickly slid her glass across the table and out the way, for fear of her exuberant actions sending it flying, most likely onto him, but she didn't notice. Her attention was now honed solely on the woman in front of her.
"You like someone!"
The glass Elsa had raised to hide her face returned swiftly to the table as she choked, covering her mouth to prevent the spluttering of red wine everywhere, she forced it down her throat and attempted to cover it with a cough.
"Anna, you do talk nonsense sometimes."
It did not fool the red head, her smile only widened as she leaned forward further still.
"You do!" She cried happily. "I can tell! You like someoneeee!"
"Anna.. Really."
"Don't even try to deny it!"
Elsa rolled her eyes dramatically, suddenly very interested in her plate, she kept her head down, spearing a tactically large chunk of steak to bide her time.
Anna was practically buzzing in her seat, though Kristoff still looked a little sceptical.
"Honestly, I don't know where you get these ridiculous ideas from." Elsa muttered, eyes still firmly fixed on her food.
Anna suddenly gasped and clapped her hands together. "Oh my god!"
Both Kristoff and Elsa looked up with startled faces.
"Is it someone we know?!"
Elsa's fork sat in limbo as she stared at her sister in disbelief.
"Anna! Are you seriously pursuing this?"
The younger girl pointed her own cutlery back at her.
"Deny it all you want Elsa, but you can't keep it from me forever! I'll have to meet him eventually! And when I do, he'd better be ready! Ooh! What does he look like?! Give me a clue!"
The deep crimson of Elsa's cheeks was signal enough for Kristoff to intervene. "Okay time out." He said, slinging a cheerful arm round the back of Anna's chair. "If she doesn't want to tell us she doesn't want to tell us. So let's leave it and focus on more important things. Like dessert."
Sending the giant man a silent prayer of thanks, Elsa promptly excused herself from the table, hurrying away from her sister's smug stare.
"See you later Elsa!" She called jokingly after the older girl's retreating form.
"I don't think it's such a good idea to tease her too much you know." Kristoff suggested.
Anna waved a hand in the air. "Oh she knows we're only joking. And besides, I'm so right about this!"
"Maybe not about all of it."
She turned to face him. "What do you mean?"
Kristoff sat back, scratching his stubble thoughtfully, he answered. "Well, notice how awkward she got when you said 'you're gunna have to meet him?'"
Anna's face slowly fell as realisation dawned. "Oh my god… It's not you is it?!"
Kristoff's scoff caught in his throat and he coughed. "No! Do you think if it was me we might have noticed by now? Come on Anna."
The redhead sucked in her cheeks as she thought. "Soooo… What then? Because I said I'd meet him? She doesn't want us to?"
Scruffy blonde hair caught in the light as he shook his head. "Mmmmm, I think it was more your choice of words."
Anna's eyebrows travelled down then up again as impatience and frustration merged to realisation. "What?... Oh! Him? Because I said 'him?'"
Kristoff blinked a nod.
The frown on his girlfriend's face only deepened as she sat back, looking highly offended. "So? I was just assuming! She knows I'd be happy with whoever!"
"Does she?" Kristoff raised his eyebrows. "Has she ever shown any interest in… Anyone… In that way? Ever?"
Anna opened her mouth to protest, but he continued. "Has the topic ever come up? Have you guys ever talked about it? Have you ever made it clear that you'd be happy?"
Anna bit her lip. "No…. Maybe I should have said 'they'. I just assumed.. That was pretty stupid. You're right, it's the first time in forever that Elsa has even shown any sign of even having a sexuality… And I immediately assumed it was a guy.. I'm such an idiot."
The lines in her face pulled up into concern, and Kristoff could practically hear the blame forming in her mind.
"Hey, it's not your fault. Who knows what – or who - she likes? I could be wrong... She just seemed mighty uncomfortable about it that's all."
Anna placed a hand on top of his much larger one, resting them both on the table.
"Yeah… Yeah!" Suddenly her enthusiastic spark was back. "We just need to show her we're okay with it that's all! There's no way she'll ever talk about it otherwise, it'd be like pulling teeth. So until we're sure we just have to let her know we don't care!"
"That's an awful lot of 'we's.'" Kristoff said, scratching his head.
Anna's only response was to elbow him lightly in the ribs. "Oh shut up, you were the one who noticed it! We're in this together now!"
He heaved an accepting sigh as he turned his attention back to his meal. Once Anna got an idea in her head, he knew full well there was no subduing it.
Elsa breathed a sigh of relief as she closed her door, pressing her back against it. She let out a long, drawn out sigh as she surveyed the room in front of her.
I wonder if Rapunzel would like it here.
Her mind's first thought caused her to blush again, and she was extremely grateful she was now in the safety of her own room, away from the suspicious eyes of her surprisingly perceptive sister.
She wondered briefly what Anna would think if she knew. A whole host of horrifying scenarios sprung up instantly in her ever doubtful mind, most of which involved Anna screaming at her with disgust, and she quickly shook her head of them. Sinking to the floor, she brought her knees to her chest and rested her head against the cooling surface. She raised an arm lazily, balancing it on her knee, she twirled her wrist in no particular direction, and the icy patterns that spouted from her fingertip decorated the air around her for a short time.
Finding comfort in the gradually cooling space around her, she cleared her mind of the previous embarrassment, and directed her musings to the solution she knew she needed to find: How to get Rapunzel's mother temporarily away from the tower.
Her lip curled into an angry snarl even at the thought of the woman. Though she wouldn't let Rapunzel know it, Elsa harboured an immense dislike of the woman, bordering on detesting her. But, still, it was her mother. A mother she would therefore have to deal with sensitively, and appropriately. The ice spout took on a slightly sharper edge as she considered the hateful woman. If it wasn't for Rapunzel's maternal bond she would be taking a far less kind approach. Although never one to abuse her power, she still gained some satisfaction in the thought that she could have the old woman arrested if she really wanted to. Have the whole kingdom after her in just a snap of her fingers.
She sat forward suddenly, the gentle ice trail bursting next to her at the flash of her idea. That was it! She stood up swiftly, the idea churning around her brain as she began to pace quickly back and forth, heels clicking against the floor, their rhythm setting the pace for her mind.
It would work. She could see no reason it wouldn't. And if Rapunzel was okay with it… Then it was perfect. But how to reach her?
Brought to a halt by this block in her mental path, she clicked her tongue as she gazed over to her ice covered windows.
She needed to know this woman inside and out. What she did during every second of every day. Where she went, who she was with, what she did, what she thought. If she so much as sneezed, Elsa would need to know about it, in detail.
She rested her chin against her chest, her eyes darted around the floor as her brain whirled.
I couldn't do it.. Not for that long.
A beat passed, then suddenly the solution hit her, knocking her head back up, and she clicked both fingers triumphantly. It was simple. Striding towards the door purposefully, a wave of giddy excitement shot through her as she flung it open. If this worked, she could take Rapunzel out of the tower. Show her the outside world, share everything with her. She could picture the blonde's face vividly in her mind, seeing her overjoyed reaction at the news that she would finally be free, albeit for a few days. Still, the thought alone was enough to make her cheeks ache, and she fought the smile off her face, slipping back into her neutral, regal persona as she strode through the halls. After all, Anna could be anywhere, waiting to catch her being 'dreamy and gooey.'
Rita was just clearing away the last plate, having polished it to gleaming perfection, when the double doors to the dining kitchen burst open suddenly, causing her to spin around wildly, and she had to do a double take to confirm it was, in fact, her queen standing there.
"Y-your majesty! Are you alright?" She asked, immediately worried at the perpetually pale woman's unusually flushed appearance.
Breathing heavily, Elsa ignored the question. "Rita! I've found you. Thank goodness. Tell me, does Alec still keep in contact with our guards here?"
"Alec?" The petite woman repeated, watching with slight bemusement as the Queen nodded back at her eagerly. This was the biggest display of emotion she had ever seen on the woman.
"Yes… Yes I believe he does."
"Great!" Elsa beamed, and her servant suppressed the surprise on her face.
"Could you reach him please? Tell him I need to speak with him, as soon as possible?"
Rita blinked a few times, but knew better than to question the young woman's strange behaviour. After all, her wages were too good. She bowed graciously.
"Of course your majesty. I will see to it at once."
"Thank you Rita!" Elsa replied, her smile warm. "And I don't care what time it is, the second you hear back from him – let me know!"
"I shall!" The bemused woman called as Elsa hurried away busily. Watching her go, she pondered it for a moment longer, before shrugging, and merrily returning the plate to it's rightful home, before she would make her way dutifully down to the guards quarters.
Landing with a thump on her mattress, Rapunzel stared up at the ceiling of her four-poster wistfully, hair splayed across her pillow in thick blonde waves. Pascal took his place next to her on the pillow, blanketing himself in blonde and nuzzling into her cheek. He had barely settled before she spoke.
"It's going to be amazing Pascal." She said dreamily, and he didn't need to react, sensing she was in a world of her own.
"I'm finally going to leave. I'm gunna do it! Can you believe that?"
He nudged her comfortingly.
"I wonder where she'll take me first! Maybe the forest – no! Her palace maybe? – Ooh, the towns!" He felt her cheek push against him slightly as she grinned.
She gasped suddenly, and rolled onto her side to face him, placing a hand flat under her cheek, her eyes were alight with glee.
"Do you think she would take me to see the lanterns?"
Raising a single sleepy eyelid, the chameleon nodded at her. Having as much confidence and faith in Elsa as she did.
A joyful noise escaped his best friend, and he felt content at the glowing expression on her face. Really, he wanted to sleep, but it was lovely to see her like this, and he didn't want it to end. So he lay still, not protesting at her desire to keep talking.
"She will, you're right! If I ask her, I know she will. I bet she'd be able to tell me about them anyway.. She knows everything. Well – nobody knows everything. But she's pretty close… I think she's more intelligent than even Mother! … I bet she speaks other languages.. Or plays an instrument – or all of them! Yeah, she could probably play anything.. I wonder if her kingdom has a music room.. I bet it does, and when I go there she can teach me, like a piano or something Mother couldn't fit in here – oh! I'd love to learn the piano! I'd be able to play my favourite song.. The one with…"
The little lizard drifted off, never hearing Rapunzel's song of choice, but it didn't really matter. Her happy rambling wasn't necessarily for his ears anyway, she was content in her own dreaming, leaving him to do his own, content in the knowledge that his best friend was the happiest she'd ever been.
