A decline in update, one chap a time... any guess why?

A MATCH MADE IN ICE

Chapter nine

[The next day]

Princess Anna woke up on her matrimonial bed and was surprised that her hulk of a husband wasn't beside her snoring, or even calling out Sven in his slumber. The princess shook her head before she ran a hand through red mane which was tousled from sleep. Kristoff. After the debacle happened some ten years ago, when he decided to return to the castle to try to save her despite the harsh , onslaught of Elsa's power, she thought maybe she doesn't have to marry or fall for a guy he met not more than a day, but two or three would probably suffice.

But Kristoff was not the usual guy, he wanted to wait longer, wanted for them to know more of each other, and she was happy to find such a man. Then at the market place, she wondered, would his kiss be different from that of Hans? So she had to try, and guess what she find out...

Nothing.

It was the same, unfeeling, unromantic, no spark flying kind of kiss which she also got from the Prince who ascended from hell. Then she thought, maybe because we are in a public place? So she tried again, in the confine of her own room, still... nothing. Maybe she shouldn't expect anything from a kiss... she hasn't known anything about it anyway. Her first was Hans then Kristoff... not much of a comparison for an inexperienced woman like her.

Speaking of which, where is her husband?

Just as she thought of him, her door opened and a pair of sky blue eyes peeked, "I hope I didn't wake you up?" Queen Elsa asked timidly,

The princess smiled, "I just woke up by myself, so no you have nothing to do with it."

Her sister grinned, "Am I allowed to come in?"

The red headed princess frowned, "Why would you not be?"

"Well..."

"Come on in Elsa, your fiancé was whining about how Arendelle women loved to interview people from the corridor." She slid herself off the bed and stepped to the wide open space that receives her guests and servants.

The Queen pushed the door farther and went in, then she slowly closed it before meeting her sister half way. "Well she loves barging in unannounced, what should she expect?" she said, the grin still pasted on her face. "So you two talked?"

"Yes," she turned and went straight to her private rest room,"

"Anyway, Did you and Kristoff fought?" Elsa asked worriedly. She knew her sister had her temper tried yesterday and she can't fault her sister, she did the same when Anna came to her on the night of her coronation to sprung the news of her getting married. She frowned at the memory of the prince.

"Why?" Anna asked as soon as she went out of the rest room, hair combed, face wet and mouth bubbly, "Due she him?"

Elsa smiled at her younger sister's antics, "I saw him went to the cottage last night..."

The princess slumped her shoulders, "He probably slept with Sven."

"... rather than you? Oh Anna, that style of his should end! You are his wife after all."

The princess waved a hand, "It's okay, besides I'm kicking him off the room if he comes here smelling worst than that reindeer of his." Then a frown creased her forehead, "But he usually tells me if he's sleeping there." then she shrugged her shoulders.

"You should talk to him." Elsa insisted.

"I will," she returned inside the rest room and when she come out again, she was ready. "But I need to talk with you first."

The Queen smiled sweetly, "I thought you'd want that, I mean, either to berate me for letting Merida come here or ... just berate me."

The Princess chuckled, "Sorry Elsa, I think I got some sense beat to me last night,"

"She did a good job then?"

"Why she didn't tell you?"

Platinum blond covered head shook, "No matter how I threatened her, she won't budge."

Silence

"Can we sit?" Anna asked eyeing the regal couch inside her room.

"Of course!" The older woman said as she turned and made her way to the couch, Anna followed and sat beside her sister.

Nothing was said at first. Both women were into deep thinking of what to say to each other. There was this awkwardness between them that hasn't been there before, and it's making both women crazy. "I was scared,"

Elsa laughed suddenly stunning the princess, "I think before I left, we had a heart to heart too, and that was exactly my line!"

Anna smiled in memory, "I remember," she looked at her sister, "I was scared she's taking you away from me for good."

"You mean..."

"Well, just like before, when you shut me out of your life, I'm afraid it will happen again." Princess Anna slumped when warm arms embraced her, her sister's face on top of her shoulder.

"I'd promised you that I'd never shut you again remember? Don't you know by now that you are the warmth that thaws the ice in my heart?" she said smiling.

Anna smiled, "What of Princess Merida?"

The older woman pulled and her face suddenly has a faraway look. "I am happy with her Anna, when I'm with her, I feel free." she looked at her sister who nod her head. "I think if I accidentally cover her with ice, instead of getting angry or running away, she'd be shouting more..." she laughed to herself.

"Don't you feel the same with me?"

The older sister raised her hand and played with the younger woman's tidy hair, "I am happy with you Anna, always am, you are my dear sister and I love you, my love for you will never wither... but I need more, there is something in here..." she said pointing at her heart, "...a kind of a hole that not even you had filled,"

"She did?"

Elsa smiled, "I think so, I can't feel it now." She frowned, "Don't you feel the same with Kristoff?" the blank look on her sister's face said it. "Oh Anna,"

"I love him, I know I do." her face dropped, "I don't even get it if there's a whole in mine that needed to filled."

"You know, I only knew of that void during my time in Dunbroch." Elsa said in her mellow voice, "All throughout my time traveling by ship, I was thinking of you," she bit her lower lip, "I overheard your conversation with Kristoff and he's asking you live with him, and I was sure you'd say yes..."

Here Anna's eyes widened, "So that's why you left without any notice?" A nod of platinum blond hair.

"I got scared I'd lost you forever."

"You'll never lose me!"

"I know that now, I was being my stupid, selfish self." they both smiled at each other. "Anyway, I thought I had my heart frozen again, but no it's not, I figured it was longing."

"What do you long for?"

Elsa eyed her sister and in a sad tone she answered, "Acceptance, freedom."

"But I accept you,"

"That's different, in your case you have to because I'm your sister, just as mother and father accepts me, but I need it from someone else."

"Princess Merida did?" The bright smile on her sister's face was sign from the gods that she had finally found what se was looking for,

"That and a lot more."

Anna's eyes widened, "Elsa..." she stood up and her smile stretched, "You are in love!"

Queen Elsa took a deep breath, "Maybe,"

"With a woman! A beautiful woman!"

"She is," another smile this time from reminiscing her days in Dunbroch, "When I was competing in the games, when Princess Merida told me I don't have to hold my powers back, for a brief moment in time, I was free."

Her sister bit her lip, "I think I mess that up for you,"

Elsa tapped her sister's arm, she looked up on her sister's green eyes, "You didn't messed up. I was already messed up then because of my own doing," she stood up, "When I knew I was going to lose, that was when I've gotten what that freezing feeling in my heart was – a void. I was ready to accept it but guess what?"

"She made you win?"

Elsa's eyes shone bright, "More than that Anna, she offered me her freedom. The one most thing in her she valued the most, she freely gave to me."

"Precious..."

Silence

"So have I alleviate your fear?" she watch her sister nod her head, "What are you going to do with Kristoff?"

She took a deep breath, "I don't know, I am married to him..."

"And yet you still long for something you can't name?" Elsa hazard a guess, a simple nod of her sister's head answers the Queen. "Tell Kristoff, you two should work on finding what it was locking."

"I should huh?"

"Yes, you should."

XXX

Princess Merida was at the Castle's training ground meant for the soldiers to train. After the General showed her the weapon storage, she asked if she could practice her archery here and the General was non too pleased to acquiesce, for him, a woman has no room in the training ground, what more in learning Archery. He pride himself for being the best Archer in Arendelle.

"Why don't we make a wager Princess?"

"A wager? What are we betting then?" The princess asked with a smile pasted on her face.

"How about..." he looked around and smiled when he saw his approaching Queen and her sister, Princess Anna. "Well, you heard about this banquet that will be held this Saturday in your honor, and to announce your engagement with our Queen?"

"I did,"

"First dance with the Queen then?"

One reddish eyebrow rose, "So the winner gets to have the first dance with the Queen?" she asked, mirth on her face. She watch the General nod his head. "Tell me this, are you in anyway interested in the Queen?"

The blush in the man's face said it,

"Very well, we could wager on that." she smiled. "Who will shoot first?"

The General bowed and then, "Lady first, of course."

"As you say," The princess looked at the stash of bows in the storage and after trying each, she decided to use one bow that looked quite old, probably older than the Queen herself. It was of a black painted wood, the surface has marks from constant use, it was lighter than the rest and the string looked quite old. "I'll use this,"

The General's eyes widened, the princess chose the bow that previous King uses. When he died, none of them dared to use it. "Nice choice, that was the King's favorite."

Merida grinned, is this a prophecy or what? "I have to re string it though, will it be alright if I do that? It's not going to take long,"

The General looked at the princess blankly, "I could have someone re string it for you,"

"No, but thanks. I string the bow I use."

"Fine, suit yourself princess," he said before he took one of the new ones, "I will wait for you in the Archery ground then?"

"Sure, this will be just for a moment."

XXX

Princess Anna and Queen Elsa came to the Archery training ground where they spotted the General standing in a shooting position and practice the movement of pulling and releasing of the string.

"Going to practice Archery this time General?" Princess Anna asked with a tease. The General was closer to her than her sister, and he'd been her great help whenever the Queen disappears.

"Yes your majesty," He smiled back, "As a matter of fact I am to practice with Princess Merida."

Queen Elsa blew air from her mouth, "I hope you didn't make a wager with her General," she said, and when the young General wasn't able to answer, she knew she was too late warning the man. As to what they waged on that actually picked her fiancé's interest, she wants to know.

Before she could voice out her thought, she saw the curly, red head walking in their direction, the old bow her father used in hand.

"Oh, you two are here!" She said smiling, then her eyes shined at the platinum blond haired Queen, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Both Anna and Elsa replied in unison.

Merida chuckle, "This morning, I was drinking tea and by the gods, I swear, I haven't bitten my tongue that many times, I'm wondering, were you two talking about me behind me back?"her smile was mischievous.

"The world isn't all about you Merida dear," Queen Elsa replied returning the smile.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I hope you were telling Princess Anna something good about me, and not those lies you love concocting..."

"Oh?" One brow rose, "So when I told her that you're the best archer I've ever seen, it was a lie then?"

The younger of the red head laughed, "Well, I guess General arse here could prove or disprove that isn't it?"

"You never told me that," Princess Anna said grinning at her sister,

"Oh, I see you two made up. That's a nice one. Anyway, I better go and be beaten by him," she said laughing.

The two Arendelle Royalties nodded their heads and then they watched as the Princess stepped on the ground behind the red mark. She poised her bow and arrow in the direction of the target, which was a lot shorter in distance compared to the distance they use in the competition. She concentrated, pull and release.

SWAK

Bull's eye,

"Luck," The General mumbled.

"So how are we going to decide this anyway?"

The General looked at the princess, "Three shots, each circle corresponds to points and we total them."

"So there's a point system?"

"Yes, hits that are right through the red dot is 100 points, the circle line outside of it is 75, next to that would be 50 and so on..."

"So no one gets zero unless they hit air?"

"Absolutely." This time, princess Merida moves aside and the General took the place. He concentrated, pulled and release

SWAK

Bull's eye

Huh... I'm absolutely getting that first dance the general thought.

It was princess Merida's turn once again,

SWAK

another Bull's eye

The General's one dark brow lift, "Double luck..." the mumble this time wasn't as sure as the first. So he took position when the princess side stepped, pressured, he concentrated and tried to calm his nerves, pulled the string and released...

SWAK

The arrow hit outside of the red dot

"So that would be what? It didn't hit the red and not the 75 line mark?" Merida asked,

"Still a 75,"

"Oh, but General that would mean I'm 25 points ahead now,"

"You can't be that lucky," he said in a polite tone though deep inside he was seething. There's no way a visitor of Arendelle and a woman no less would beat him in his own game!

"My turn," the princess said and took position. No concentration needed, she pulled and released. The General almost pissed his pants when the princess arrow cut through his first one, right into the middle of the target. "Ohhhh, that means I get 300 points am I right?"

The General was dumbfounded, he was still and looking at the target, incoherent of what the Princess was saying,

"I mean, even if you get another hundred, that'll still be 25 points short on declaring a draw..." Princess Merida turned and faced the General, "Sorry, but I'm getting the first dance." She said then turned and walked towards the two royalties.

-End 9-

I should continue, but the words 2659 already, so next time...