A/N: The song mentioned is the one from Brave that Merida and her mother sing together during the storm. I got the title from the soundtrack
"… and you should have seen Kristoff's face when he stood up, completely covered in mud," Anna said around a laughter she couldn't hold back any longer.
Elsa was sitting against a tree with Anna leaning against her between her legs. Elsa's arms were wrapped around the auburn haired girl as Anna told her about her trip. Now that she was seventeen her father had allowed her to travel with Kristoff to a nearby town on village business. Anna admitted to not having a clue as to what the point of the trip was, she was too excited to worry about those details.
"But by far the most entertaining thing happened at the tavern," Anna said with a huge grin.
"Would it be easier for you just to show me," Elsa asked with a smile. She loved seeing Anna so happy.
"Probably," Anna laughed, "I'm not sure I could tell it without forgetting a few of the details." Anna closed her eyes and concentrated. Elsa had taught her how to project her memories in her dreams, it was easier sometimes for the excitable girl to show Elsa her memories and narrate them than to tell them.
The memory started with Anna sitting at a small round table near the back of a cramped, poorly lit tavern. There was a fireplace roaring off to the right, and the cluster of tables surrounding it was packed with men. Elsa's nose wrinkled as the smell of the place made itself known, a combination of stale beer and vomit with a touch of rotten meat.
"Yeah, that was my reaction when we first walked in," Anna said sympathetically as she looked up at Elsa.
"Lovely," Elsa responded with a grimace. How could anyone voluntarily visit an establishment like this?
The memory continued, showing Kristoff talking to the owner, haggling for a room to rent for the night. Anna had been distracted and hadn't noticed the man approaching her until he blocked her view of her brother.
"Now what's a pretty thing like you doin in a place like this," the obviously intoxicated man asked, leering down at her. Elsa instinctually tightened her arms around Anna and glared at the projection. She could sense Anna's thoughts and feelings towards the drunkard, how she wanted him to leave and how uncomfortable he was making her. The goddess vowed to remember his face.
"I-I'm just passing through with my brother," Anna answered uncertainly. She didn't want to cause any problems for Kristoff, but she wanted to distance herself from this man as soon as possible.
"You should come join me for a drink, girlie," the man said as he took the seat next to Anna and put an arm around her shoulder. Elsa was furious, she was barely able to restrain herself from leaving Anna to go after this sleaze. Barely.
"N-no thank you," Anna stuttered, hoping Kristoff would return soon.
"Come on, I promise I'll show you a good time," he replied, her hesitance not dissuading him in the least.
"The lady said no," said a voice from behind. Both the table occupants turned to see a short man with blue eyes and blonde hair tied back in a ponytail standing there. Anna recognized him as the bard who had joined their travel party shortly after they had left their village that morning. He had kept to himself as they traveled, spending most of the trip looking around and strumming the lute that was now strapped to his back.
Elsa immediately recognized him, and fought a smirk. She hadn't seen him in a long time and wondered when he'd show up again.
"Back off boy, the girl's mine," the drunken man slurred angrily. He stood up, towering over the bard by a good foot and a half.
The bard looked around the drunk to give Anna a once over before facing the man again. "I think she disagrees."
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you from way down there." He was laughing at his own joke before doubling over and screaming in pain.
Anna shifted to get a look at what was going on. The bard had wrapped the arm that was closest to the drunk around his shoulders while the other was in between the drunk's legs and had something in his hand that he was twisting. Realization dawned on Anna what he was holding and she crossed her legs as she was hit with sympathy pangs. She may not have the same parts as the man, but that didn't mean she couldn't pity him a little.
"Now that we're the same height you'll be able to hear me," the bard said conversationally as he led the drunk towards that exit. "Something to remember for future reference, no means no. Any questions," he asked as he stopped at the door. The drunk desperately shook his head no. "Good," the bard replied before kicking the door open and throwing him out. He turned back to Anna and gave her a wink before disappearing into the crowd. The memory faded as Kristoff approached the table to see what was going on.
Anna was still giggling when the sound of a lute playing came from the forest behind them.
"That sounds like a song I heard in DunBroch," Anna exclaimed as her face scrunched up in confusion. "I think Alex said it translated to 'The Noble Maiden Fair.' Why would that be playing?"
"Something in the tavern must have triggered a memory of the song," Elsa lied. "I have an idea, why don't you start on our snowman while I go make sure it's nothing?" Ever since their first night together they'd always built a snowman until Anna had to wake up. It had become a tradition Elsa hadn't wanted to end.
"Ok," Anna agreed, although it was clear she wasn't happy about it.
"Don't worry, minn dýrr, I won't be long," Elsa promised, lightly stroking the back of her hand on Anna's cheek.
Anna's eyes lit up at the term of endearment and leaned into Elsa's hand before rising and heading off to the snow bank to get started.
Elsa watched her for a moment before heading into the forest. Sitting on a boulder not too far in strumming his lute was Beasal, God of Travelers in the same outfit he'd been wearing in Anna's memory. He liked to pose as a mortal and spend time among them. As soon as he saw her he smiled but kept on playing. Once the song was done, he put his lute to the side and faced Elsa.
"It's been a while, Winter Goddess."
"Yes it has," Elsa replied, trying to figure out what he was up to. "You've busy, I see, with your wandering. Taken a liking to taverns and picking fights with drunks?"
The shorter God laughed as he hopped down from the boulder. Standing at his full height he barely made it past Elsa's elbow. "You forgot rescuing damsels in distress."
"Clearly," Elsa deadpanned. "Tell me, what are you doing here?"
"I have good news, bad news, and the best news you could ever imagine."
"And that would be…?"
"Ok, good news: Odin is getting tired of Alderic's games and is almost ready to side with you on principal to teach that obnoxious shit a lesson. As long as Alderic or one of his brothers is the catalyst for war, you'll have his support and whatever neutral members answer his call to join you."
"That still has us going to war," Elsa said, frustrated. "I'm trying to avoid that."
"And I'm still trying to convince you to have sex with me, doesn't mean it's gonna happen," Beasal said with a smile.
Elsa let out a surprised laugh and shook her head. Anyone else and the Winter Goddess would have frozen them solid. "You've been trying that for two centuries, are you ever going to give up?"
"Probably not," he replied with a smirk.
"What's the bad news," Elsa asked, shaking her head.
The Winter Goddess got nervous when the smile disappeared from Beasal's face. He sighed before answering. "Alderic has sent someone after Anna."
"Who," the Winter Goddess demanded. "How do you know?"
"When I joined their group this morning at Vidar's request I sensed a presence following us. Whoever she was sensed me as well, because she never got close enough for me to get a good read on. She didn't reveal herself until we stopped for the night at the tavern."
"How do you know it was a she?"
"Because she left behind footprints," Beasal explained. "I don't think she expected me to come walking by so soon. I left the tavern to make sure the guy I threw out didn't do something stupid and harass some innocent girl."
"Did you find him," Elsa growled. She was still trying to figure a fitting punishment for the worm.
"Yes, he was dead."
"What," she demanded, "how?"
"He was eviscerated," Beasal answered. Elsa could tell by the God's face just how much he was down playing the brutality of the scene. "She left a trail behind her that I could follow. In the middle of all the blood and gore there were footprints, small and feminine. I followed them into the forest nearby where they ended and bear tracks took their place."
"A shape shifter?"
"That's my guess," he replied with a sigh. "I think she took on her human appearance to try and get closer to Anna and that sleaze thought he had an easy target to take out his frustrations."
"How do you know she was after Anna?"
"Mere days after Odin publically chastises Alderic for going too far and all but sides with your cause a shape shifter is following the girl the entire Pantheon knows you're trying to court. Do you really think it's a coincidence?"
"I suppose not," Elsa sighed. "Were you able to find out anything else about this shape shifter? Could it have been the Goddess of the Forest?"
"Pocahontas," Beasal asked. "Na, she spends most of her time in the Americas painting with the wind's colors or something." At Elsa's raised eyebrow, he laughed and said, "Yeah that was my reaction when she told me. What can I say? She's always been a little crazy."
"Didn't you try to have sex with her?"
"I try to have sex with every woman," Beasal laughed. "Why do you think I pose as a bard? Ladies love the appeal of a soulful poet, constantly wandering, searching for a kindred spirit to spend his life with…"
Elsa groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I don't know what's worse; the fact that you have the audacity to pull that or that it works more often than I want to know." Beasal laughed at the Winter Goddess' discomfort as he picked up his lute and started strumming a tune. Elsa lowered her hands and looked him over for a minute before asking, "So what's the last thing?"
"Hmm?"
"You said there were three things you needed to tell me. So what's this last one?"
"Oh right," he exclaimed, mirth dancing in his eyes. "I'm joining your cause, so we'll get to spend even more quality time together!"
Elsa's eyebrows shot to her hairline as she asked, "You would make a commitment? You avoid those like the plague."
"Eh, I've always had a thing about legs and yours are by far the best I've ever seen," he answered with a smirk. As soon as the words left his mouth Elsa froze his hands to his lute. "Yup, I deserved that."
"Not that I don't enjoy being openly leered at, what's the real reason," Elsa asked as she unfroze his hands.
"Honestly," he sighed as put his lute to the side again, abnormally serious, "I can see what's coming."
"And that would be…?"
"Eventually, whether we want to or not, we will have to pick a side. I prefer to choose now instead of having the choice made for me later. Also, to reiterate an earlier point, your legs, total plus. That and Belle's chest, joining your cause was foregone conclusion," he added with his trademark smirk.
"You're an ass," Elsa huffed out, unable to hide her smile.
"You wouldn't have me any other way," he replied with a wink as he stood. "And don't you worry, my brother and I will be sure to keep an eye on your girl in case that shape shifter returns. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get to DunBroch. Promised that pretty niece of yours I'd teach her how to play the lute."
"You even make a move to sleep with her I'll make sure your member is frozen to your leg for the rest of eternity," Elsa warned.
"Relax, she's already shot me down," Beasal said with a hint of disappointment.
"And you listened?"
"No means no," he replied. "I may something of a man slut, but that doesn't mean I don't respect it when someone's not interested. Besides, I wouldn't want to cross her; she's got your brains and Vidar's temper. I pity the man who thinks he can handle her," he said with a laugh as he departed.
Elsa just shook her head with a small smile as she headed back to Anna.
Anna looked over the first giant snowball she'd made to serve as the snowman's base. She didn't want to get too much done, since the fun was not so much making a snowman as it was spending time with Elsa. She blushed as she thought of the beautiful woman who had become a large part of her life.
It had been six years since Elsa and Shadow had first entered her dreams. Both wouldn't always be there at the same time, but it was always one or the other. As time went on and Anna started to mature, so did her dream companions: Shadow grew as big as Kristoff predicted, if not bigger; Elsa grew taller and, in Anna's opinion, more beautiful.
She loved playing with Shadow, but it was the nights she got to spend with Elsa that she favored the most. She could tell her wolf sensed this, but didn't seem upset. On the contrary, she almost encouraged it. On the rare occasions they were both there, the dire wolf would lay on the ground quietly next to them, giving Anna and Elsa privacy, begging every so often for an ear scratch or a belly rub.
She started to consider Elsa to be one of her closest friends, and soon started to look forward to going to bed every night. She always shared anything that was troubling her, knowing she'd be able tell Elsa anything without fear of being judged. Whenever she was with her, she felt like anything was possible. And now…
My precious, that's what Elsa had called her. Could the blonde consider her more than a friend? Anna knew her feelings were starting to shift from friendship to something more, but was hesitant to give voice to them.
Truth was, she was embarrassed to have fallen in love with a figment of her imagination. She made the mistake of telling Kristoff about Elsa. He didn't say anything out loud, but she could tell from the look in his eye he thought she was letting her imagination get the best of her. Anna sighed sadly as she looked at her unfinished snowman.
"What's wrong," Elsa asked as she wrapped her arms around her waist from behind.
"Nothing's wrong."
"You're a terrible liar," Elsa replied, her mouth next to Anna's right ear. The foreign sensation caused a shiver down Anna's spine and she could feel Elsa's smirk in response.
"Y-you were just gone a while," Anna was finally able to get out. Not a total lie, hopefully Elsa wouldn't call her out on it. "I was hoping to spend more time with you before I have to wake up."
"I'm sorry minn dýrr, I'm here now." Anna tensed at the term of endearment. "Does it bother you when I call you that," Elsa asked. Anna was shocked when she heard the nervousness in the other woman's voice. "I can stop if you want, the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, Anna."
When Elsa got no response, she started to pull her arms back from Anna's waist. The movement helped jolt Anna out of the stupor Elsa's words had caused, and she immediately turned and wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck.
"It doesn't make me uncomfortable," Anna said quickly, looking into Elsa's eyes. "It makes me happy since I'm pretty sure I'm falling love with you and knowing you could feel the same causes butterflies to go off in my stomach, although it feels more like trolls rolling around. I just can't believe someone like you would want anything to do with me, it's completely awkward. You're not awkward, I'm awkward, you're gorgeous, but you probably already know that. I mean, look at you, you're practically a goddess!" Elsa smirked down at Anna she wrapped her arms around the rambling girl's waist. "I mean seriously, you're gorgeous, and got a great personality to boot, and what's up with that? People who are as pretty as you are stuck up. I mean, you're not stuck up, you're the nicest person I've ever met…"
"Anna, breathe," Elsa interjected.
"… but it seems like most girls who are as pretty as you just go out of their way to be mean, you know? Not that you surround yourself with mean people, you're too nice for that. I mean you might? Who am I to judge? I hang out with some strange people. You're not strange! It's just a dire wolf isn't a normal companion, and then there's my brother who has a really weird relationship with his reindeer. I'm pretty sure it's not natural to share carrots like they do. And then there's Alex, who's a princess, and who can honestly say they're friends with royalty? Well, other royals I guess-"
Anna was interrupted when Elsa brought her lips down on hers for a chaste kiss, causing her to squeak in surprise. Elsa pulled back a little to smile down at Anna.
"Thank you for the complements that were buried in there," Elsa said with a smirk as Anna's face exploded in a blush. "I'm here with you because I'm pretty sure I've also fallen for you. You help give me the strength I need to get through some difficult situations I'm dealing with. And yes, you can be awkward, but you have a beautiful soul that matches your beautiful face." Elsa's smirk morphed into a large smile as the blush on Anna's face deepened. "And no, I don't understand why those blessed with a pretty exterior seem to have a rotten interior. My closest companion also happens to be a dire wolf, and I may share much with him, I have never crossed the line your brother has with Sven," Elsa said, looking a little grossed out at the thought of their relationship.
Unable to contain herself, Anna threw herself into Elsa's embrace, burying her head in the taller woman's shoulder.
"And Anna," Elsa said softly, her mouth once again next to Anna's ear, "You cause trolls to start rolling around in my stomach too."
Anna squeaked happily as she turned her head to face the blonde. Elsa started to kiss her again, and Anna passionately returned it, opening her mouth when she felt Elsa start to run her tongue along her bottom lip. She moaned as the taste of other woman, a minty flavor, invaded her mouth.
They remained in their passionate embrace until Anna woke up, the taste of mint still on her lips.