A/N: It pains me to say this, but my school is starting again tomorrow (oh noooo!) so I might not be able to update with as much frequency but I'll do my best!
Rating: T for swearing.
The more Elsa found out about Cora, the more time she wanted to spend time with her. Everything about her just made her go crazy. The way her auburn hair fell around her face, how her full lips curved into a crooked smile when she was amused, how her nose crinkled when she disagreed with something, how she brushed her fringe out of her eyes only to have them fall back to the same place again, the velvety huskiness of her voice, and how her warm eyes reminded her of chocolate.
The feeling appeared to be mutual as Cora was finding any excuse at all to visit the palace. She had moved out of Frida's home, not feeling comfortable taking anymore resources, although she still helped out at the bakery refusing to accept any payment except for delicious homemade meals from time to time (and the pleasure of Fiona's company of course). She had saved up some money and bought a very cheap and very small cottage on the outskirts of town. But it was lonely so she only ever came back to the house to sleep, preferring to spend the day with Fiona or Elsa.
Cora didn't know if she could afford to stay much more time in Arendelle and it was starting to worry her. And by "afford" she didn't mean money.
It was hard to think at the prospect of leaving. Sure, she had gotten attached to other places, but not this much. Cora didn't know if she should be happy to have found a nice place or sad. She knew she would have to leave someday or else her past might catch up to her. Bad things might happen to the people she loved...
You know what they say: We have a choice between choosing the right way and the easy way.
But instead of packing her things and leaving, she put on her plain green dress and made her way to the palace for the third time that week.
Because her life had already been much to hard.
"I love your braids."
"What?"
"You're braids. They suit you. I've never actually known how to braid hair." Elsa's eyes widened a bit at that comment.
"Really?" Cora nodded.
"Would you like to learn?" Elsa asked, looking up from her book and eyeing the other girl from behind her spectacles.
"Sure."
Elsa set down her book on the lamp table beside the big armchair in her room. She took off her reading glasses and put them on top of the book. She went over to her vanity and took a brush. Cora moved from where she was lying down on the middle of the bed to sit down on the edge of it. Elsa sat behind Cora and began brushing delicately. It was a bit tangled but not enough for it to be impossible to comb. When she was done, Cora's hair looked like it glowed reddish-brown.
"Turn around." Cora did as she was told and turned to face Elsa. The blonde took Cora's long hair in her hands and began explaining the mechanics of weaving a simple braid. Cora's attention however, was elsewhere. She idly counted the faded freckles on the other girl's nose and the way her pink lips moved as she talked. Fuck, she's beautiful.
"You see?" Elsa turned up from Cora's hair to look at her brown eyes, which were visibly not looking at what she was doing to her hair.
"Were you even listening to me?" Elsa asked. The other girl just shook her head smiling stupidly. She tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear, pleased when Elsa didn't shy away from the contact and actually leaned in to it. Her blue eyes flickered to Cora's lips then to her eyes again. Cora noticed but didn't lean in until Elsa did, to make sure she wasn't pressuring her.
Elsa was finding kisses to be strangely pleasant and weirdly addictive. Her first kiss had been far from perfection like how she read them to be in her books. It was messy, fast and wet. She still winced at her clumsiness remembering how she banged her teeth in to Cora's.
But, with some practice, kissing became an easier and much more fun task.
She felt Cora smile slightly against her lips and felt her hand grabbing her neck and pulling them closer together. Elsa's hands somehow found themselves awkwardly on top of Cora's thighs, not knowing exactly what to do. Again, her brain was on overdrive with the overwhelming senses that greeted her at the same time. Cora's warm breath, her wooden smell, her lips, her tongue...
Elsa needed more.
Both their hearts quickened even more as Elsa pushed the other girl down on the bed, breaking their kiss for half a second and rearranged her hands so they were on either side of Cora. When their lips found each other again, the pace was faster.
Holy shit Cora thought. I was planning to go slow but if this is what she wants I wont complain.
Cora's hands found Elsa's braid and undid it. When her hand found the back of her head she closed her fist a bit roughly around her blonde hair, enticing a whimper from the girl above her. A very thing layer of frost crept up from were Elsa's hands were but neither of them noticed. Cora's other hand began traveling down her back onto her waist..
knock knock kn-knock knock
Elsa yelped and rolled off Cora and fell with a thud onto the floor. The other girl quickly put a hand to her mouth to avoid laughing but ended up just snorting the laughter out with her nose. Elsa fumbled to get up, graceful demeanor momentarily knocked out of her body.
"Hey, Elsa! You in there?"
"Y-yes! Yes I'm here."
"Oh.. uh... can I come in?"
"No. Wait, I mean yes! Of course!"
Cora was having a very difficult time not bursting out in very loud laughter. Elsa slapped her arm and shushed her while quickly fixing her dress. Anna opened the door and greeted both of them.
"Hi sis, hey Cora."
"Hello, princess." Cora responded still lying down on the bed, a tone of amusement still very present in her voice.
"What is it, Anna?"
"Oh, it's just that you have another- what happened to your hair?" Elsa's eyes widened and her hand instantly shot up to her disheveled blonde locks.
"I-um... I wanted it loose today." Cora snickered at that. Elsa's face flushed.
"Right..." Anna eyed her suspiciously. "Well anyway, there's someone very special waiting for you down stairs." She said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Anna!I told you already: I don't need a husband!" Anna pouted at that and Cora's grin just got wider.
"I know you don't need one but... I just don't want you to be alone for the rest of your life." She paused. "Yeah but I guess you're right, I should've listened to you I-I'll just send him away-" Elsa panicked.
"N-No, it's fine. I'll go see him." Anna's face instantly brightened up again but Cora's face fell slightly.
"Really? Oh wow, you won't regret this!" Anna then looked at Cora apologetically.
"Sorry, Cora. Is it okay if I borrow her today?"
"It's.. it's fine. Have fun with your suitors, Elsie." She shrugged it off with a smirk as Elsa rolled her eyes. Cora got up from the bed and left the room with the sisters but went towards the castle doors as the sisters went down to the ballroom. Elsa looked at her apologetically as well.
Cora's nonchalant smile faded into a scowl as soon as she turned around.
She flew threw the air like a bird. Her auburn locks were woven into an intricate bun and her face was full of blue make up. The world spun until it stopped and then she grabbed onto another swinging bar. Swing, flip, swing, flip, soar. That was the routine.
Suddenly there were no bars anymore but she was still soaring through the air. Then she landed with a roll, then she was running on the rooftops. There was also lightning in the distance and cold water was prickling her tan skin.
Light, thunder, footsteps.
When she jumped a gap she grabbed on to the bar again. Beneath her wild cheers. Cheers then became screams. Distracted, her hand slipped and she began falling. The smoke suffocated her before she touched the ground.
Cora gasped for air, coughing at the imaginary smoke. Tears burned her eyes. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. She repeated to herself. Except it wasn't a dream. It was reality. Maybe twisted and shattered in the fragments her subconscious put together for her own personal torture but it was still true and almost as equally frightening.
Cora jumped in her bed as thunder boomed outside her window.
Elsa wondered how Anna knew all these royal eligible bachelors.
First there was the stuttering mess from the Northern Isles, the very cheesy romantic one from Costa Luna, and last but not least, the extremely loud redhead twins from somewhere named DunBroch. Not even Anna had the energy for those last two. Elsa was officially losing it.
It's a good thing Cora served as a wonderful distraction.
Cora snickered smugly at the thought of someone finding out that The Snow Queen was snogging a peasant girl while a seemingly endless spree of royal suitors arrived and left the castle almost every week.
Elsa however was getting worried. She had no idea as to why she was feeling all these things for a girl. Wasn't she supposed to kiss men? She already tried to shove the feelings away but you can see how that had backfired. She couldn't help it, Cora was just too... everything! The way she held herself with alarming confidence was envious. She was a bit coarse but walked with surprising grace. Even though she never really cared much for her appearance she managed to look pretty... beautiful even. Her eyes were playful, mischievous but still hid something. Something Elsa found herself wanting to know. On one of their encounters, it struck her that she knew almost nothing about Cora. (Except maybe for the fact she had a thing for raspberries.)
"Where did you get that necklace?" Elsa asked, pointing the chain with a little red bird attached to it. They were both lying down on Elsa's bed side by side, their fingers intertwined.
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're implying." Cora joked. She wanted to evade the question but when Elsa looked at her with expectant blue eyes, she caved.
"A... friend gave it to me." She paused and fiddled with it. "Well, I say friend but he was more like a brother."
"Oh, I see." Elsa rubbed her thumb gently on Cora's hand, liking the contact. "What's his name?" Cora cringed. This was getting way to personal. She's been trying to bury the memories and the pain resurfaced a bit too quickly for comfort. Then she remembered she was talking to Elsa. She could tell her this... she should tell her this. The blonde had already practically told her life story to her, something that mustn't have been any easier for her. So Cora continued speaking.
"Qiang." She muttered in one heavy breath. Elsa's brows furrowed.
"What a strange name." Cora gave a nostalgic laugh.
"Yes, very strange." She sighed. "He was from from the far east."
"How did you meet him then?"
"I-" She started but the words got stuck to her throat. Elsa turned and lied on her side, facing the other girl.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
"N-no it's... it's ok." Cora turned on her side to face Elsa as well. "I'm just... I haven't really talked to anyone about my past before. It's hard." The blonde gave her a sympathetic face and squeezed her hand.
"I used to work in a circus." Elsa's eyes widened a bit in surprise.
"That's incredible." She had always wanted to see a circus as a child, but never had the opportunity. Cora smiled fondly at her... friend? She wasn't sure anymore.
"Yeah, it was." She sighed but continued. "Qiang was my act partner on the trapeze." Elsa never ceased to be impressed by the new things she discovered about Cora almost everyday. It made sense looking back now. No doubt the girl who fearlessly scaled Arendelle's castle walls used to be a professional acrobat.
"We were known as the Blue Jay and Cardinal. Quite the hit, if I do say so myself." Her tan fingers fiddled with her necklace again while Elsa smiled fondly.
"What... happened?" Cora made eye contact waiting for the queen to specify what she meant. "Why did you leave the circus?"
She tensed. She couldn't tell Elsa the truth. Because it hurt to much and because... she was ashamed.
"I- I guess I wanted to experience new things in life." Elsa nodded understandingly.
Liar. Cora tried to evade her thoughts by snuggling closer to Elsa, wrapping an arm around her waist and laying her head on her chest, avoiding eye contact. She felt the girl sigh contently into her hair.
You can't evade the past forever. She told herself. Well, nothing can stop me from trying.
And with Elsa's chilly fingers softly running through her auburn hair, she almost believed herself.
Almost.
