Originally posted for the Frozen Light and Love Challenge on Tumblr
Elsa had never really thought too much about what her pilots actually did before. She knew them, of course. She tried to know something about all the people on her staff. Their given names, their backgrounds, the names of their spouses and children, if they had them. She appreciated her pilots, appreciated their skills, but until now, sitting in the co-pilot's seat and watching Anna run through the complex startup procedures, she realized that she had never given a lot of thought to what they actually did.
She jumped a little when a clipped female voice came through her headset: "RAAF Ground, Puffin One, VFR departure from the Castle at or below 2000 feet, Snow Queen onboard."
If she hadn't known it was Anna, she never would have guessed.
"Puffin One, RAAF Ground, departure from the Castle approved, TFR in effect, cleared for takeoff. Have a nice flight."
They lifted smoothly from the helipad, banking out over the fjord away from the Castle before turning north toward the mountains. As they crossed over the shoreline, Anna's voice came through her headset again, telling the tower to close out her current flight plan and open one for Grontfjell.
Elsa frowned; Grontfjell was beyond the North Mountain. "Anna, I'm scheduled to go to Gjoheim."
Anna grinned at her. "No you're not. I got Aggie to put some bogus stuff on your calendar so you wouldn't get stuck in meetings. You don't have anything scheduled for today except me."
But those have been on my calendar for – Suddenly suspicious, Elsa asked, "How long have you been back in Arendelle?"
"Um…about a week?"
"A week? And you couldn't contact me? I haven't heard from you in over two weeks, Anna, I was starting to get worried!"
Anna didn't reply. She just reached out and flipped on the cockpit heater. Elsa bit back a curse. Silence stretched between them as Anna concentrated on flying and Elsa mentally berated herself for hurting her. Again.
She hadn't seen her sister in months, and the first thing she did was jump on her case for a minor lapse. No wonder Anna stayed gone most of the time.
After a while, Anna said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I just wanted to surprise you on your birthday."
Elsa's heart ached at her forlorn tone. She reached over and touched Anna's shoulder. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I didn't expect to see you for another couple of months, but you managed to get a leave after all?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"I'm so happy you're here." Elsa squeezed her shoulder. "Best birthday present ever!"
Anna looked at her for a second, her expressive eyes hidden behind her sunglasses. Then she flashed an impish smile. "Well, it took some work, but it was more than worth it."
"Revel must be having a fit," Elsa said, remembering her bodyguard's unhappy expression as he helped strap her into the co-pilot's seat. "How in the world did you get him to agree to this?"
Anna's grin grew wider. "I just told him that it was happening one way or another. He had a choice - I could get checked out in a Puffin, with all of its advanced communication and safety features, or I could go to Oaken's Rent-a-Bird and get an old R-22 with a walkie-talkie and a questionable maintenance history. It's not like he could have me shot down for flying into the Castle's restricted airspace."
Elsa gaped at her for a second, then burst out laughing as she pictured that particular battle of wills. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Anna," she gasped between snorts, "you never cease to amaze me."
"Well, I am pretty amazing, if I do say so myself."
That mischievous smile again. The smile of a pig-tailed little girl who yelled "FREEZE MY BUTT!" in the middle of Market Square and denied stealing cookies from the kitchens while her face was still covered in chocolate.
Oh, how Elsa had missed it!
They passed over the edge of the city and into Arendelle's mountainous countryside. Elsa drank in the scenery. While she often flew from place to place in the course of her duties, she rarely got to appreciate the views; she was always surrounded by people and buried in papers.
The majestic peaks, the snow-covered forests, the mirror-like lakes – she had almost forgotten how beautiful her land was. Especially in the winter.
I spend too much time in the Castle. I need to get out here more often.
She looked over at Anna. Even with the sunglasses, she could see the contentment – no, the joy – on her sister's face.
She really loves this. She really loves this dangerous job that takes her so far away from me.
The next thoughts came before she could stop them: You were so caught up in yourself that you could barely bother to make time for her. If you hadn't pushed her away, she wouldn't have joined the Army in the first place.
Then she wouldn't be flying helicopters and jumping out of airplanes and getting shot at in the jungle, and all the other terrifying God-knows-what that Anna apparently got into but would never talk about. Things that Elsa could only guess at, revealed by brief glimpses of scars on Anna's body or the incoherent mumblings of her nightmares. All of which her sister would wave off with a quick smile and change of subject.
"Elsa?" Anna's breath was visible in the cockpit.
"Sorry." Elsa took a few deep breaths to settle herself. "What's it like?" she asked before Anna could say anything else. "Flying, I mean?"
"Hmmm…" Anna considered the question for a moment, then said, "I would say…it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on."
"Anna!" Elsa went to clap her hands over her ears and winced as she hit her earphones. "I did not need to hear that from my baby sister."
Anna's delighted laughter echoed through the headset. Before Elsa could retort, she found herself looking straight down, her harness digging into her shoulders as the helicopter went into a steep dive. Her terrified squeal was drowned out by Anna's elated whoop as they leveled out just above the treetops.
Anna kept the helicopter low, rising and falling with each undulation in the terrain. Elsa relaxed and began to enjoy the amusement-park quality to Anna's flying. It was so much more fun than her normal trips. Her regular pilots would never dare fly like this with her in the aircraft.
Maybe I should ask them to. She giggled at the thought of taking a few of the Nasjonsting's pompous councilors on an airborne roller coaster ride through the mountains. That could be a useful negotiation tactic.
She let out a delighted laugh as Anna banked hard, standing the helicopter on its side. They dipped down into a valley, flashing over an isolated farm surrounded by a herd of reindeer.
"Seriously, though," Anna said, picking up where she'd left off, "it's…intellectual, in a way, but it's also about balance - you, the bird, the winds, the radio, even the crew, everything just sort of merges together. You're thinking, but also kind of feeling your way, constantly adjusting from moment to moment."
"Sounds very…right-brain," Elsa said.
"It is!" Anna said. "Put your hands on your controls and I'll show you."
"What? Anna, no, I can't – "
"Just so you can feel it, silly, I'll still be doing the flying."
Anna explained what each of the controls did. Elsa put her hands and feet where Anna instructed. Oh my God… She kept her touch as light as she could.
Even though the helicopter stayed straight and level, Elsa still felt the subtle movements of the stick and the pedals. Anna made the whole thing seem effortless, adjusting for whatever input she was receiving while still carrying on their conversation.
" - and when you touch down, and you know that your skill just helped save someone's life…well, I'm not sure anything could be more satisfying."
Elsa let go of the controls, now completely content just to listen to her talk. She so rarely got to hear about what it was Anna actually did. Seeing the pleasure that flying gave Anna, and the obvious gratification she got from her work and her service, made Elsa's heart want to soar and sink at the same time. She was so happy that Anna was happy, but that happiness came at the cost of constant danger and separation from her family.
"…and maybe I can teach you someday. How to fly, I mean."
Me? Flying? "…I'd like that," Elsa said, meaning it. "But I would probably have to get a new chief of security, because Revel would have a stroke."
"He's probably having one right now," Anna laughed. "Hope you have a shortlist of replacements."
They crested a ridge, then dropped low over a frozen lake. A group of ice harvesters guided thick blocks of freshly cut ice along a channel toward the shore. They looked up as Puffin One passed overhead. Traditional ice harvesting was more for tourism now than anything else, but there was still a small niche market for lake-harvested ice, for people who were willing to pay a premium for it.
Anna circled over the men. One of them pointed, having apparently spotted the gold crocus on the fuselage, and they all started waving their arms wildly. Anna banked so that the harvesters could see Elsa clearly. Elsa gave them a little wave, giggling at their obvious enthusiasm.
One more circle and then they left the lake. They passed just to the west of North Mountain, and Elsa heard Anna talking to the Grontfjell control tower. To her surprise, though, they bypassed the airfield, instead swooping down over a small plateau just outside of town. There was nothing there but a single structure and a windsock.
"Anna, what are we doing?"
"You'll see."
At the moment, Elsa couldn't see much of anything; Anna was bringing the helicopter down next to the structure, kicking up a whirlwind of snow.
"Um, I'm not exactly dressed for…whatever it is that you have in mind for the middle of nowhere?" Elsa gestured at her business suit and pumps.
"Oh no worries, I took care of you!" Anna jerked a thumb back toward the cabin before unbuckling her harness and jumping out of the cockpit.
Elsa sighed as Anna disappeared into the still-swirling snow, then clambered into the cabin. There was a duffel strapped into one of the seats, where she found jeans, a sweater, and a pair of winter boots.
Looks like Gerda was in on this too. She changed and stepped outside, only to be greeted by the smell of wet fur. She found herself eye-to-eye with a huge bull reindeer. A warm slobbery tongue lapped up the side of her face.
"Ewww!"
The reindeer hopped around her happily, panting like an overgrown hound.
"Sven, no!" A big blond man in Sami clothing dragged the reindeer away before it could lick her again. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty."
Elsa blinked for a second before recognizing Anna's co-pilot. "Kristoff? What are you doing here?" She wiped her face on her sleeve. "And didn't I tell you to call me Elsa?"
"Yes, Your – um, Elsa. My family lives in Grontfjell. I'm visiting them for Yule."
"Oh. That's nice."
"C'mon, Kristoff!" Anna shouted.
Kristoff mumbled another apology and led Sven over to the harness and rope that Anna had hooked to the front of Puffin One. They dragged the helicopter into the building, which Elsa could now see was some sort of temporary hangar.
"Elsa, where's your coat?" Anna had added mittens, a scarf, and a wool beanie to her outfit.
"You know I don't need a coat."
Anna huffed and retrieved a parka from Puffin One. "I know you don't get cold, but wear it anyway."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want people staring at the crazy woman who doesn't wear a coat when it's below freezing outside."
Elsa shrugged into the parka and tried not to roll her eyes. "What exactly are we doing that I would be stared at?"
"We're going shopping!"
"Wait, what?"
"When's the last time we went shopping together? When I was ten, maybe?" Anna forced a scarf, gloves, and a knit hat on her as well. "In fact, when's the last time you went shopping at all? I mean, really shopping, not sending Aggie or Gerda to get something, or ordering off Amazon. You know, looking in store windows and trying on clothes and actually getting to touch stuff?"
Elsa opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. She and Anna had loved roaming through Market Square when they were little, gawking at the clothes and toys and traditional crafts, and overindulging in sweet treats. But they hadn't gone to Market Square together since the accident.
"So come on!" Anna grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward Kristoff's waiting sled.
Kristoff dropped them off at the edge of Grontfjell and they spent several glorious hours drifting from shop to shop, trying on clothes, eating from food stands, and buying gifts for their friends and family. Grontfjell was a small town, but drew a large number of tourists to its quaint shopping district. It had once been a Sami trading center, and people still came to experience the Sami culture, buy their traditional crafts and handmade clothing, and to wonder at the Northern lights.
Despite the number of people on the streets, they were able to roam in complete anonymity, helped along by the winter clothing that obscured their hair and faces. Tourists hoping for a glimpse of the Queen or the Crown Princess usually went to Arendelle City to tour the Castle or the Nasjonsting. No one was looking for them in Grontfjell.
Well, no one but Revel. Elsa's phone had lit up with angry texts as soon as she came into range of a cell tower, all from Revel demanding to know where she was and what she was doing. Apparently Anna hadn't shared all of her plans with him. Or Bit, if Anna's side of their phone conversation was anything to judge by.
Elsa couldn't help but feel a little thrill at sneaking away from her ever-present security, at being able to wander freely, to be among people without being the Queen. No wonder Anna was constantly ditching her bodyguards. Bit was better than most, but Anna's determination and expansive imaginative were too much for even him sometimes.
Now they sat in the back corner of a café just off the main street, munching on sandwiches and sipping hot chocolate. Shopping bags of every shape and size surrounded them. Elsa had wondered how they were going to manage them all, but Anna just shrugged and looped her arms through as many handles as would fit, rolling her eyes at Elsa's quip about her freakish strength.
Elsa smiled over the rim of her mug as Anna talked non-stop, rambling from one subject to another and commenting on anything that caught her attention. Her hands were as animated as her voice, and Elsa had to duck several times to avoid being smacked by a wayward gesture.
" – and I kept piling the bags on 'cause I didn't know they burned that hot, and all of sudden the whole thing went whoosh!" – Elsa dodged again as Anna's hands flew up – "and then we smelled something weird and it turned out we were right under some power lines and they started to melt – "
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah!" Anna said. "And just any power lines, they were part of the main trunk and – "
"Wait, wait," Elsa interrupted, "it was you? You were the one who took down power to half of the city?"
Anna blushed. "Well, it wasn't just me, Fitzherbert was there too, and he was in charge, so technically it was his fault."
"Oh my God, Anna!" Elsa shook with laughter. "I was told there was a problem with the main trunk, but no one told me what caused it!"
"Yeah, that was one of my more spectacular screw-ups," Anna admitted. "Thank goodness the Army is long on forgiveness for idiot second lieutenants."
Elsa swiped at her eyes, then put her hand on top of Anna's. "Oh, Anna, thank you so much for this day. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
Anna turned her hand to thread their fingers together. "Well, it's a little tame compared to some of my birthdays, but I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"Tame is perfectly fine with me, we don't need any more attention from the paparazzi. Besides, I doubt we could top your twenty-first. It's still a tabloid legend."
Anna reddened even more, but grinned and said, "Consider it another gift. I'm keeping their attention off of you."
"Well, I'm not nearly as much fun as you are." Elsa squeezed Anna's hand. "This really was the best birthday present ever."
Anna squeezed her hand back, and Elsa tried not to wince at her grip. Then Anna waved for the check. "As much as I hate to say it, we need to go. I really don't want to try to fly out of here after it gets dark."
The waitress brought the check, and after a small scramble, Anna held it and waved it triumphantly. "No, no, no, your birthday, my treat."
"Anna, you do know all of our money comes from the same place, right?"
"Yes, but it's the principle of the thing." Anna's eyes widened as she looked at the check. "Uh-oh, we've been busted."
She showed Elsa the slip of paper. Scrawled at the bottom were the words Your Majesty, Your Highness, it was an honor to serve you. Thank you, Ingrid.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Anna said. "It was only a matter of time. I mean, your face is on all the money."
Elsa's eyes searched the café to see if anyone else had recognized them. All the other customers seemed intent on their own meals or were wrapped up in their own conversations. She spotted their waitress, a slight young woman with thin black hair, watching them from near the kitchen door. The girl saw her looking and turned beet-red. She started to turn away, but Anna signaled her to come to the table.
"How long have you known?" Anna asked her.
"Since you came in, Your – I mean, ma'am. But I didn't want to say anything. You seemed like you wanted a quiet meal."
The girl looked scared, so Elsa said gently, "We did. Thank you for your discretion, Ingrid."
Ingrid beamed. "You're welcome, Your – ma'am."
Elsa moved her hands under the table and as discreetly as she could, she used her magic to create a small medal emblazoned with her signature snowflake. She wrapped it in a bit of tissue paper and held it out to Ingrid. "A token of my appreciation."
Ingrid's mouth dropped open a little and she started to curtsey before catching herself. "Thank you, Your – ma'am."
Anna paid the bill, then she texted Kristoff. They slipped out of the café and lugged their shopping bags out to the edge of town to meet him. Once they had loaded everything in his sled, they climbed into the back to snuggle under a blanket that only smelled a little bit like reindeer.
Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa as they headed back to their makeshift airfield. "Happy Birthday again, big sister."
Elsa kissed her hair. "Best birthday ever. I think we should make this a new tradition."
A/N: Thanks to Olofa for the cameo from her OC, Ingrid Andersen.
In addition to being an excuse to write fluffy Snow Sisters, this two shot also helps serve as a transition to a longer story in this 'verse, yet another international adventure for Anna and Elsa.
