A Snowball's Chance in Hell
Chapter Nine
Anna's plans were sadly foiled by the simple fact that Elsa had a country to run. Anna had wandered the halls of the castle, checking room after room without finding hide nor hair of her sister. Eventually, she had given up and stormed off to the Portrait Gallery to vent with Joan. Dinner proved to be equally fruitless, with Elsa's chair remaining empty throughout and no one having any idea of her whereabouts.
The next morning, Anna nearly screamed in frustration when she arrived at breakfast to find her sister's chair still empty. Thankfully, Kai entered through the servants' door before she could. "Good morning, your highness," he said, bowing. "Her majesty wanted me to apologize on her behalf for missing dinner last night and to tell you that she will be in negotiations for most of the day today."
"Negotiations?" Anna repeated, her brow furrowing. "With whom? Where?"
"My apologies, your highness," Kai replied, clearly a bit uncomfortable. "But her majesty requested that the negotiations be kept closed for the time being. She stated that she did not want to be bothered by anyone, not even myself." He swallowed nervously at the look of irritation that crossed the princess' face. He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper, which he handed to Anna. "She asked me to give you this."
Anna snatched the paper a little more roughly than necessary. She paused for a moment and took a breath. "Thank you, Kai," she said, offering him a smile. The butler visibly relaxed before bowing and retreating from the dining room. Anna sat down in one of the chairs and opened the note, revealing her sister's precise handwriting.
Anna,
I'm sorry that I didn't see you after our game yesterday. I had to make some last minute changes to preparations for my meetings today with—
There was a blot of ink on the page where Elsa had been about to write something, but instead skipped down a line.
—I don't think that it's something, or rather someone, you should find out about in a note. Again, I'm sorry. I meant to tell you yesterday, but I forgot. I promise I'll come and find you as soon as I get out of my meetings to let you know.
Elsa
There was another blank space before her sister had made a hastily scribbled addition.
P.S. We're going to be hosting a formal dinner tonight for our guests, so keep that in mind before you go climbing any trees. I don't want you showing up covered in scratches or bruises.
Anna read the note again, then stared at the blot of ink where her sister had been about to write something before giving up. She turned it at all different angles, trying to figure out what letter Elsa had been about to write. It looks like her quill was about to go up, she thought, bringing the parchment closer to her face. She turned it a bit and squinted at the tiny ink stain. No, wait, down. Definitely down. After another few seconds of analysis, she dropped the note onto the table and leaned back in her chair. Her gaze drifted over the table and the food spread across it. She'd been decently hungry when she had arrived, but the news that her sister was meeting with some unknown party somewhere in the castle pushed her hunger to the back of her mind.
Who is she meeting with? Anna wondered, grabbing a piece of toast and nibbling on it. Who could be so… shocking that she wouldn't be able to tell me in her note? Her eyes darted to the parchment, the skinny black letters offering no new information. She took another bite of toast and was halfway through chewing it when she had a thought that nearly made it spit it out. Oh God, what if it's some foreign prince who wants to ask for Elsa's hand in marriage? Or mine?
She dropped the toast back onto her plate, suddenly not hungry anymore. She grabbed the note and stood up again. She didn't really know what she was going to do, but she felt the need to do something. Making her way out into the hall, she tried to compose a mental list of places her sister might meet with potential guests. The throne room, her study… maybe the gardens?
Anna stopped and doubled back, retracing her steps for a moment before turning down a side hallway that would lead her to Elsa's study. A few more turns brought the study's door into sight, but she paused a good distance away from it. Her eyes dropped down to her shoes, simple light green flats that she wore most of the time. Eying the door again, she carefully slipped her shoes off and crept toward it. She listened carefully for any sound coming from the other side, but none came. Her hopes dropped a bit with each step she took. Once she reached the door, she pressed her ear to the small crack between it and the frame, but she heard only the sound of air rushing through the gap. Carefully, she turned the handle and opened the door just a crack, only to be met with an empty room on the other side.
She shut the door in a huff, then turned and stalked away from the door, pausing only to pick up her discarded shoes along the way. She wound a path through the maze-like corridors of the castle until she reached the throne room. She repeated her approach to Elsa's study, creeping along slowly so that her feet didn't make any noise on the smooth stone floors. In a repeat of the previous events, she pressed an ear to the gap between the double doors, but was once again heard only the wind rushing through the crack. She pulled the door open, abandoning subtlety and grunting when she found only another empty room.
Anna scoured the castle for any sign of her sister and her mysterious visitors. She tried to be silent to avoid giving herself away when she finally found them, but every empty room or uninhabited garden she found wore on her patience. After a handful of rooms, she abandoned stealth altogether, sure that the soft scrape of her feet on the floor wouldn't be audible over any potential negotiations. She thought that she had finally hit pay dirt when she heard hushed voices coming from the Grand Dining Hall, but all she found were a couple of servants discussing the weather while they cleaned the massive table that dominated the room. No matter where she checked, there was never any sign of the queen. Elsa's study, the throne room, the castle gardens, even the grand dining hall; all completely empty save for the occasional servant.
Eventually, Anna ended up back at her room. She tossed her shoes into a corner and stomped over to her bed, flopping face-down onto it. "Where is she?" she growled into the sheets. Anna had been all over the castle in her quest to find her sister, but was no closer to her goal than when Kai had first informed her of Elsa's secretive meeting. She had initially stuck to checking only potential meeting places, but after a dozen failed attempts, she had simply started opening every door she passed, including two bathrooms and a broom closet.
She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, wracking her brain for anywhere that she might have missed. "Ugh. Three hours," she moaned, laying and arm over her eyes. "Three hours running around the castle looking for her, and all I accomplished was making my feet hurt." The appendages in question started to ache now that she was finally off of them, so she sat up and lifted one into her lap to rub it.
A knock at her door startled her a bit. She stared at the wooden barrier for a few seconds, wondering who could be on the other side. Who would be looking for— The end of Elsa's note came back to her. "Elsa? Is that you?" she asked excitedly. She stood up from the bed, but immediately yelped and stumbled forward a bit, her body having decided to start moving forward before her feet had fully reached the ground. After righting herself, she scurried to the door. "Where on Earth have you been? I was all over the castle looking for—" Her words died in her throat when she opened the door to see Kai on the other side. "Oh, um… hi."
"Good afternoon, Your highness," Kai replied, bowing. "Her majesty wished for me to inform you that dinner is going to be earlier than normal this evening… or afternoon, rather."
"Dinner?" Anna said. In her quest to find her sister, she'd completely forgotten about the formal dinner Elsa had set up with their guests. "Of course," she continued coolly, hoping that her temporary confusion hadn't shown on her face. "When… and also, why?"
"Her majesty merely said that the… meeting she had been in had gone on even longer than she anticipated, and as a result all involved missed lunch." Kai saw the princess' brow furrow for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued before she could. "I'm sorry, Your highness, but I still do not know with whom she was meeting."
Anna let out an irritated huff and slumped against the door. "Ugh. Fine." She blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs. "So, what time is dinner, then?"
"In one hour," Kai replied.
"Okay, one—" Anna stopped and stared at the butler. "One hour?" she asked incredulously. When he nodded, she looked down at the dress she'd roamed the castle wearing. She lifted one of her twin braids to see loose ends poking out all down the length of it. "Alright," she said, already trying to pick out a dress from the incomplete mental inventory she had. "Well… I need to get ready, then. Thank you, Kai." She didn't bother to wait for his reply before closing the door and turning to head for her closet. After a few steps, she stopped and wheeled around toward the door. She pulled it open again to find Kai still waiting patiently. "Grand Dining Hall?" she asked, earning a quick nod. "Thanks."
Anna turned down the next to last hallway before she would reach the Grand Dining Hall. The heels of her shoes clicked against the floor as she walked, but they were the only thing to break the silence. The castle was eerily quiet, and Anna hadn't seen a single servant on the somewhat lengthy walk from her room. While she strode down the hall, she did one last-minute check of her appearance.
Dress? She looked down. Her dress was a long sleeve, floor-length design, with gold accents standing out from a deep maroon body. Admittedly, it was a little warm, but she had decided that she would rather over-dress than under-dress. Hair? A hand drifted up to the back of her head, making sure that the bun she'd done up her unruly hair in was still holding firm. Shoes? The steady clicking of her heels on stone let her know that her shoes hadn't mysteriously disappeared from her feet. Alright, we're ready.
Anna rounded the last corner and caught sight of Elsa pacing in front of the dining room door. The queen wore one of her ice dresses, though this one was sleeveless and she had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. After all of the trouble Anna had gone through looking for her sister, she felt her frustration bubbling back up to the surface. Her feet started to hit the floor a little more forcefully, her gait transforming from a stroll to a stomp while she prepared to give her sister a piece of her mind. "Elsa—"
Elsa stopped and turned at the sound of her name to see her sister coming toward her. "There you are, Anna," she said. She rushed over and pulled her sister into a hug. "I'm sorry I've been so busy the last couple of days. Something came up, and I had to scramble to make some changes for…" Her eyes flashed back over her shoulder at the door. "Our guests."
Anna paused. Her mounting frustration had all but evaporated when her sister hugged her. After all the years of isolation, the days and nights spent with that damned door shut firmly between them, she was shocked at how a simple gesture of affection could so thoroughly derail her train of thought. She eagerly returned Elsa's hug, relishing her sister's closeness for a few seconds before straightening up.
"It's fine, Elsa," she said, unable to stop the smile spreading across her face. "Though, a box of apology chocolate wouldn't have hurt." She saw a look of worry flash across her sister's face, so she hastily added, "I'm just teasing. It's okay, really." She took a small step back, reluctantly disentangling herself from Elsa's embrace. She linked her arm through Elsa's while gently turning the queen to face the door leading into the dining room. "So, don't keep me waiting. Who are our guests?" she asked.
Elsa flexed her free hand nervously, a few stray snowflakes drifting down to the floor. She quickly clenched it into a fist until her nails dug into her palm. "It's…" she started, but the words got stuck in her throat. She blew out a frustrated breath and tried again. "It's Hans' brothers." Anna's arm tensed against her own, and Elsa mentally cursed herself again. "I'm sorry, Anna. I meant to tell you before now. Truly, I did. I just… forgot."
It was Anna's turn to have words catch in her throat. She wanted to tell Elsa that it was okay, that it wasn't a big deal, but she couldn't. Truthfully, she didn't know if it was okay. After what Hans did to her, what he tried to do to Elsa, she wasn't sure she could stand to face anyone with even a passing similarity to him. "Right," she finally mumbled.
"They're nothing like him, I swear to you," Elsa said in a desperate bid to reassure her sister. "If they were, I would have blown them straight back out to sea."
"Them…" Anna repeated. Her eyes stayed fixed on the door in front of them, as if she expected it to spring open and unleash a horde of demons. "How many of them came?" When no answer came, she finally tore her eyes away from the door to look at her sister, who was busy looking at the floor. "Elsa… how many of them came?"
"Um, about… a dozen?" Elsa replied quietly.
Anna grabbed Elsa's shoulder and turned her so that they were facing each other. "All of them?" she said, gripping her sister's shoulders. Her chest felt tight, like something was squeezing the breath out of her. A bout of raucous laughter erupted from the dining room, causing her to jump. Twelve of them. Twelve. God, how many of them could be like Hans? What if—
"Look at me, Anna," Elsa said. She used a hand to gently guide her sister's gaze away from the door and locked it with her own. "I swear on my life that I will not let anything like that happen to you again. Not ever."
Anna stared into her sister's eyes, marveling at the sheer love and concern conveyed in them. Without saying a word, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Elsa's, sliding her arms around her sister's shoulders in the process. She held the contact for a few seconds, and she let the softness and warmth of Elsa's body soothe her. She never moved any deeper than a simple chaste kiss, even though she could feel Elsa pressing back against her ever so slightly. After a moment, she pulled back, instead letting her forehead rest against her sister's. "I know you won't," she breathed. "Thank you."
"Y-You're, um… you're welcome," Elsa stuttered. Her eyes darted up and down the hall. As much as she enjoyed holding Anna so closely, she didn't want to risk being caught by a servant or, God forbid, one of Hans' brothers. She closed her eyes and took a breath, savoring the embrace just a little longer before pulling back. "Shall we?" she asked, gesturing toward the door.
Anna turned, linking her arm through Elsa's again. She still wasn't looking forward to dinner, but she also wasn't considering climbing out the window as a viable alternative anymore. "Okay," she said, nodding slowly. They started forward, and the doors sprung open at the last moment.
"Her majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle," Kai called from the other side. "And her highness, Princess Anna of Arendelle." The dozen men surrounding the massive table all rose, turning and bowing as the sisters entered. Anna's eyes scanned them quickly. While she could see small resemblances to Hans—a nose here, ears there, hair color scattered throughout—she had to admit that the men gathered before her looked almost nothing like the scoundrel. As they made their way over to the table, Anna was relieved to see that the space at Elsa's right hand was vacant, saved for her.
"It is an honor to meet you, your highness," said the man sitting to Elsa's left. Anna looked him over quickly. He appeared to be the eldest, judging by the fact that his hairline was already beginning to recede. He had the same green eyes as Hans, but a much rougher face otherwise. A powerful square jaw dominated his face, complete with a few days worth of stubble. His broad, flat nose would have looked odd on virtually anyone else, but it seemed to fit him.
"I am Prince Ullr of the Southern Isles, eldest son to King Wilhelm." He offered his hand, but pulled it back when the princess looked down at it warily. "I would like to apologize once again for everything that my youngest brother did to you and your sister."
"It's quite alright," Anna replied, forcing herself to smile. "It was vile, underhanded, and cruel… but it got me my sister back—" She glanced at Elsa, and her forced smile shifted into a genuine one. "—so I have a hard time being too upset about it."
"Y-Yes… quite," Ullr replied, a bit taken aback at the princess' frank words.
Elsa slipped her arm out from Anna's and took her place at the head of the table. She nodded to the assembled guests and sat down, followed swiftly by everyone else. A discreet door along the side wall opened to admit a stream of servants, who set plates of salad at each spot before quietly retreating.
Anna fidgeted in her seat for a moment while everyone else started on their salads or took a sip of their drinks. Her gaze shifted back and forth from Elsa to Ullr, the former seemingly content to nibble on a cherry tomato while the latter took a pull from the mug of ale in front of him. After a few seconds, her curiosity won out, and she turned to Ullr. "I'm sorry to be so blunt about this," she said. "But I need to know. What happened to… to Hans after he got back to the Southern Isles?"
Ullr nodded slowly before responding, "Of course, your highness. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that your sister hadn't already asked about him." He glanced briefly at the queen, whose face was completely impassive. "After Hans was… returned to us and our father informed of his actions, he was appointed as Lord Governor of Freya's Hold, a small island off of the coast of Greenland that is held by our kingdom."
"What?" Elsa blurted out, her fork dropping noisily onto her plate. "He… he tried to usurp our kingdom! He tried to kill me!" She clenched a fist, a small patch of ice spreading out along the table. She felt Anna's hand rest on top of her fist and took a deep breath to try and calm herself a bit. "My apologies, but… attempted regicide doesn't exactly seem like it should entail a promotion."
One of the princes about halfway down the table, a large and broad shouldered man with a shaved head, let out a bark of laughter, earning him a glare from his oldest brother. "Beggin' your pardon, your majesty, your highness," he said around a few last chuckles. "It's just that bein' dumped on Freya's Hold ain't exactly a fuckin' promotion."
"Language, Evald," Ullr growled to his brother before turning back to Elsa and Anna. "You'll have to forgive my brother Evald. He's always been upset about being the last, and unexpected, of a set of triplets."
"Wait, unexpected?" Anna asked.
"Yes," Ullr replied, nodding. "The doctors, nurses, and midwives all assured our mother that she would be having twins. Edward and Erik arrived as planned, but a few minutes later Evald popped out as well."
"As amusing as that is," Elsa said coolly. "Could we please get back to Hans being made Lord Governor of an island?"
"Callin' the Hold 'an island' might be a bit too generous, your majesty," Evald replied, pausing to drain the last bit of ale from his mug. "It's more of a shitstain in the middle of the fu—" He glanced at Ullr, who looked ready to throw a butter knife at him. "—the bleedin' ocean. There're more birds livin' there than people."
"Then why keep an outpost there?" Elsa asked. A bite of salad sat skewered on her fork, completely forgotten. "Why send Hans there?"
"It's a punishment position," Evald answered, grinning. "The outcroppings of rock surroundin' the island are chock full of oyster beds, and we harvest the pearls. It's the Lord Governor's job to oversee the collection and make sure that none of the pearls go missin' before they're shipped off to the capital." He paused to chuckle to himself. "Long story short, your majesty, Hans gets to spend hours every day standin' on some rock and bein' hit with ice cold ocean spray, all to watch people pryin' open oysters to look for pearls. Once he's done with that, he has to count all the tiny bastards."
Elsa had to admit that the mental image of Hans standing on a narrow strand of rock and getting sprayed with freezing water was thoroughly satisfying, and judging by the smirk on Anna's face, her sister felt the same way. Even so, there was still one thing that she couldn't figure out. "But is a whole military outpost really necessary?" she wondered. "Surely the same could be done with a purely civilian operation."
"Oh, aye," Evald said, nodding. "It could be, and it was for a few hundred years. The only problem was that without any sort of protection, any old pirate could sail up and demand the pearls. It's valuable enough to whomever holds it to station some sort of defensive force, but it's not valuable enough to mount an assault and risk losin' men to take it." He shrugged. "So, over the years it's turned into a punishment assignment, generally given to captured deserters or men who are chronically insubordinate."
"Oh," was the only response Elsa could muster. Thankfully, the side door opened again to admit servants carrying the main course, braised lamb in a red wine sauce. Conversation died down for a few minutes while everyone started to work on their dinner. Eventually, some murmurs started to rumble at the far end of the table, with some of the younger princes shoving one another or tossing bits of food at one another.
After a minute or so of watching, Anna turned to Ullr and asked, "Why did all of you need to come?" A beat passed before she realized her question could be misconstrued. "Oh, not that we're not glad to host all of you, I just… well…"
"It's quite alright, your highness," Ullr replied, waving away the princess' attempted backtracking. "Originally, only myself, Victor, and Harold were going to make the voyage here, but Frederick overheard us talking about it, and he told Freyr, who told Edward, who told Erik…" He sighed and shook his head, casting a defeated look along the table. "My father and I put our feet down at eight of us making the voyage after Erik told Evald… but, like the rascals they are, the youngest four stowed away on board, regardless."
"Wow," Anna said, watching the younger princes interact at the end of the table. She grabbed her wine glass and turned back to her sister. "Suddenly I'm glad there were only ever two of us."
"Indeed," Elsa replied, slipping a foot out of her shoe. She waited a brief moment for her sister to take a drink, then extended her leg and brushed her bare foot up Anna's leg. Her sister immediately started sputtering and coughing into her glass, and Elsa lifted her own glass to her lips to conceal an impish grin.
"Are you alright, your highness?" Ullr asked. He watched warily as the princess beat a fist against her chest, trying to clear the last few drops of wine from it.
"Y—Yes, quite al—" Anna brought a hand to her mouth to cover up one last bout of coughing. "Quite alright. I just need to make sure not to drink and breathe at the same time." She smiled, casting about for a change of topic. "How was the voyage from the Southern Isles?" Ullr chuckled and launched into a recounting of the trip, but Anna didn't care. She pretended to pay attention to the prince's story, but secretly stole glances at Elsa, who appeared to be studiously ignoring her. Part of her wanted to retaliate, to try and launch some stealthy attack under the table that would shatter her sister's assumed mantle of poised calm, but she knew that with her luck, she was equally likely to end up hitting Ullr's leg rather than Elsa's.
Once Ullr's tale about the rather uneventful trip from the Southern Isles concluded, Evald took the opportunity to regale Elsa and Anna with a story of when he, Victor, and Harold had pretended Hans had been invisible, and the lengths to which their youngest brother had gone to force them to acknowledge him. After that, the floodgates opened and every one of Hans' brothers trying to one up each other with embarrassing stories.
"And so father sits Erik down, puts a hand on his shoulder, and says, 'Son, that wasn't a frost giant… it was your mother.'" The entire table erupted in laughter as Evald finished his story, with Anna clutching at her stomach and even Elsa needing to hide her chuckles behind a hand.
"I still say it was a frost giant," Erik muttered, crossing his arms.
Once the table had calmed down again, Elsa turned to her sister. "I hate to say it, Anna, but you nearly married the runt of the littler, it seems." The table erupted into another storm of laughter, though Anna herself focused intently on the scraps of food left on her plate, her face nearly matching the shade of her dress. The laughter died down again after a few moments, but some hushed teasing persisted at the far end of the table. Elsa stood up, and all noise stopped nearly instantly as all eyes turned to her.
"Well, gentlemen," Elsa began. "As enjoyable as this has been, I'm afraid Anna and I must excuse ourselves." She spared a glance at her sister, who was pouting like a child who had just been told it was time to come inside. She couldn't stop the enamored smile that tugged at her lips. God, she's adorable. She turned back to their guests. "You're more than welcome to stay as long as you like, and our servants will tend to any requests or needs that you have." She paused, momentarily unsure of whether to say the next thing that had come to her.
"Try not to overdo it, though. You don't want to be hungover for the party tomorrow." The table erupted into another round of laughter, with several mugs raised in approval. Elsa smiled gratefully and turned to Anna, offering her a hand up. Her sister took it and followed her out into the hall.
"Party?" Anna asked once the doors to the dining hall closed. She gripped Elsa's arm a little tighter, a grin spreading across her face. "What party?"
Elsa smirked. She hadn't meant to keep Anna out of the loop, but she had to admit that it was cute to see her so excited. "We were going to have a small get together to celebrate the mending of relations and re-establishment of trade between Arendelle and the Southern Isles. But then…" She paused, shaking her head. "That's actually why I was so busy yesterday and today. During my meeting with Mister Eriksson, a letter arrived that had been sent ahead of the princes' ship from the Southern Isles, informing me that eight of them would be arriving, rather than three. Even then, all twelve of them walked off of the boat."
They reached the door to Anna's room. "So, what was supposed to be a small get together is now going to be a bit larger of a party." She glanced back down the way they had come. "Though, now I'm not sure we ordered enough ale."
Anna chuckled and rested her head on Elsa's shoulder. Her eyes drifted down to Elsa's hand where it hung at her side. She let her arm drift down and took hold of her sister's hand, lacing their fingers together. She felt Elsa tense for a brief instant, then relax and lean against her. They stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying each other's company.
After a couple minutes, Anna straightened up, but kept her hand linked with Elsa's. "It's still pretty early," she said. "Do you wanna, I don't know, go for a walk or something?" Her mind immediately went back to what Elsa had said during their walk from the dining room. "I mean, I'll understand if you're busy or something. I'm sure you still have lots of stuff to do for the party tomorrow or starting up trade with the Southern Isles again. You know what? Just forget I said anything. I'll find something to do and you can—"
Elsa smiled and used her free hand to tilt her sister's head up a little bit, then leaned in for a quick kiss that cut off Anna's rambling. "That sounds lovely," she said. She turned and started down the hall again, pulling her sister along by the hand. "Come on. I think a walk through the gardens is just what I need right now."
They wound their way through the halls of the castle until the finally emerged out into the castle gardens. Elsa took a few steps forward, letting her hand slip out of Anna's. She sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air and let it out in a content sigh. She heard a poorly concealed giggle behind her and turned to see her sister trying her best to look innocent. "I'm sorry," she said. "But we met for negotiations this morning on board The Reef Runner, Prince Ullr's ship. It was very nice… but it was still a ship that had spent almost a month at sea. The room we met in smelled overwhelmingly like salt water, with an undercurrent of rotten fish."
Anna couldn't help but giggle again. She walked up to Elsa's side and threaded their fingers together again. "So, did you have somewhere you wanted to go, or did you just want to wander around?" she asked.
Elsa didn't respond, instead opting to simply start walking. Her sister followed wordlessly, smiling while their hands swung slightly between them. She couldn't help but smile back. They meandered through the garden while the sun slowly sank toward the horizon, taking in the beautiful arrangements the castle gardeners had created. As the shadows grew longer and longer, Elsa got an idea.
"Follow me," she said to Anna. Once again, her sister followed her without question, only offering a raised eyebrow to show her curiosity. Elsa led them further away from the castle, stopping at the base of the outer wall. She reluctantly pulled her hand away from Anna's and held both of them in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she summoned her power and sent out a wave of ice, leaving a staircase in its wake.
"Elsa, where are we going?" Anna asked, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.
"It's a surprise," Elsa replied. "You'll like it, trust me." She held her hand out again. Her sister took it, but almost immediately pulled back.
"Sorry," Anna said, smiling apologetically. "But your hand is freezing."
Elsa looked down at her hands for a moment. They didn't feel any different, but she'd never been affected by the cold in the past, so she couldn't be sure. Regardless, she turned back to the staircase and climbed up a few steps before pausing to look over her shoulder. "Come on, slowpoke," she called back playfully. She climbed the stairs with ease, never doubting her footing on the icy surface. However, she had to wait for her sister to slowly test her grip on each step before ascending. By the time Anna finally reached the top of the wall, Elsa was tapping her foot, feigning impatience.
"Sorry," Anna huffed in irritation. She stepped off of the top step and onto the sturdy stone of the wall, finally letting herself relax a bit. "I just didn't want to slip and bust my butt tumbling down the stairs."
Elsa giggled and moved to stand next to her sister. "Well, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your butt," she purred, dropping a hand down to smack Anna on her rump. She grinned as her sister jumped and let out a small yelp, then shrank back a bit when Anna shot a glare at her. "Sorry. That was too much, wasn't it?"
Anna tried to maintain her glare, but couldn't do it with the way Elsa was ducking her head with just the barest hint of a pout. She's too cute for her own good. Anna blew out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "It's fine. I just wasn't expecting… that. You caught me by surprise, that's all." She smiled reassuringly and held her hand out to her sister.
Elsa laced her fingers with Anna's again and pulled her sister forward. "Come on, we're almost there," she said excitedly. She headed for another staircase that she had created while waiting. This one wound up along the highest turret of the castle's outer wall, one that looked out over the fjord. She helped her sister climb the steps at a less glacial pace than the first set, and soon they reached a small platform that Elsa had created.
"Whoa," Anna breathed when she finally pulled her eyes away from the stairs. The platform looked out over the fjord. The setting sun cast the scattered clouds in fiery shades of red and orange, along with reflecting off of the water like thousands of precious jewels.
"Were you planning on just standing there, or would you like a seat?"
Anna blinked and looked around, finally spying her sister sitting a few feet away from her. She carefully crossed the small distance, but paused before sitting down. Seeming to read her mind, Elsa pulled the shawl from around her shoulders. She folded it over a few times to create a small cushion, then put it down next to her. "Thanks," Anna said before sitting down and leaning against her sister's side. She tried to watch the sun as it sank toward the horizon, but Elsa kept fidgeting next to her. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Elsa replied weakly. Her sister sat up and gave her a deadpan look. "It… it's nothing. Don't worry about it." Anna merely raised an eyebrow and held Elsa's gaze, causing the queen to shift uncomfortably. Elsa bit her lip to try and keep from speaking. It had been easy for her to keep her mind elsewhere during the day, but now that she and Anna were alone, it was difficult for her to avoid focusing on the nebulous nature of their current relationship. "I was… just wondering if you had, maybe… made a decision about… about us." She saw Anna's expression fall and immediately regretted mentioning it. "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything. I told you to take as much time as you needed, and I meant it. Let's just watch the sunset and forget I opened my big mouth." She reached out and gently pulled her sister back to her side.
They sat in silence for a time, but Anna's mind was far from the gorgeous sunset playing out in front of her. She had been under the impression that her sister was content to wait for her to make a decision about them, but her halting query proved otherwise. She wants an answer. Hell, she deserves an answer, and I can't give her one… why? What am I waiting for? One word floated through her mind. She's my sister. Even if that doesn't matter to us, it will matter to others. What will the castle staff think? What will the people of Arendelle think? Her stomach dropped when images of people she loved reacting with disgust at the news of her and Elsa's relationship.
I… I don't know if I can handle that, she thought. She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry as visions of Kai and Gerda turning away in revulsion, but she couldn't risk showing her emotional state to her sister. Elsa… She cast a sidelong glance at the queen, who was quietly watching the sun dip toward the horizon. However, Anna now knew better. She knew that Elsa was worried and impatient beneath her serene facade. Her mind shifted, showing her Elsa's gorgeous visage while it fell from cautiously optimistic to utterly heartbroken. She saw her sister raise a hand in front of her mouth, nodding minutely as if to say that she understood Anna's rejection. Anna had to bite her tongue to keep a choked sob from escaping her throat. So that's it? I can risk alienating almost everyone I care about, or I can crush the heart of the one person I love the most.
"Is… everything okay?" Elsa asked, her voice tinged with concern. She turned to her sister, who had been staring at her for a while with an inscrutable expression. She was afraid that she'd gone too far and ruined everything by asking Anna about her decision or lack thereof.
Anna studied Elsa's expression for a few moments. It was anxious, but also a bit guilty, as if she blamed herself for Anna's internal struggle. She raised a hand and cupped Elsa's cheek, gently pulling her into a kiss. She held it for a few seconds, desperately hoping that something in the warm contact would give her the answer to her dilemma. Unfortunately, it didn't, and she had to pull away.
"I'm sorry," she muttered. She could see her sister gearing up to say something, so she held a hand up to forestall it. "No, I am, and I should be. Taking so long to figure out all of…" She gestured between them with a hand. "—this isn't fair to you. You deserve an answer, and I wish more than anything that I could give you one." She drifted into silence for a moment before making a decision. "Two days. I'll have an answer for you in two days, at the latest."
"Anna, no," Elsa replied, grabbing Anna's hands in her own. "I don't want you to rush to a decision about this. When you come to a decision, I want it to be one that you've thought about and that you know, in your heart, that you want. You can't dive into something this… risky like that."
"I know," Anna said, squeezing her sister's hands. "But I need to make up my mind soon or I'm just going to drive myself crazy worrying about it." She smiled, trying to lighten Elsa's dour mood to no avail. She settled back into a serious demeanor and tried again. "Look, you know me. If I don't set some kind of deadline I'll just keep pushing it off and pushing it off because it's a… crazy complicated decision, and there's no real 'right' answer, and I…" She felt the beginnings of tears sting at her eyes, but she forced herself to hold Elsa's gaze.
"I don't want to risk hurting you," she whispered. She swallowed to clear the lump forming in her throat and plowed ahead. "So, two days and I'll have an answer for you, and I promise that it'll be one that I'm absolutely sure of."
Elsa could only stare at her sister, trying to formulate a response. As much as she wanted an answer, she didn't want Anna to risk entering into a relationship that she didn't truly desire, especially one that could be so disastrous if they were discovered. Yet despite all of her worries and misgivings, she knew that there was no stopping Anna once she set her mind to something. Her sister would come to her with a decision in two days' time, whether she wanted it or not.
"Okay," she finally said. "In that case, I look forward to hearing it." She smiled, then turned back out to the fjord. Anna leaned back against her sister's side, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder, and they watched as the sun sank the final few inches to disappear below the horizon.
