Anna rested her head on the heels of her hands. She let out an anxious groan as she stared out the window.
"It's only been a day since you two last saw each other", Kristoff deadpans, half his attention on his video game, the other on Anna.
With a sigh, Anna admitted, "I know, I know... but she's always so tired whenever we see each other." A bittersweet feeling tossed and turned in her stomach.
Kristoff paused his game, giving Anna all of his attention, "you were the one that wanted her to practice. She is pushing this hard for you, you realize that, right?"
Another sigh fell from her lips, her eyes glued out the window like a child waiting for the rain to clear up, "I do… I just wish that I could see her at the same time."
Kristoff could feel the apprehension built up inside her, the burning desire to get to the mountain, find Elsa, and spend as much time with her as possible.
The past week has been just as hard on Anna as it's been on Elsa. Whenever Elsa would come by the house after a day of practicing with Bulda, she would fight just to stay awake. Her and Anna would eat together, talk about what they did that day, and then head to the den to watch a movie. Without fail, before the movie was even half way over, Elsa would have her head collapsed on Anna's shoulder, sound asleep.
"We could take a ride down there and hang out with her and Bulda while they do heats", Kristoff suggested.
Anna hesitated, her body wanted to go but she knew it would be better for her to stay put. "If we head down there all I will do is distract her. You can see it on Bulda's face whenever they're practicing and we're there."
Deep down, Kristoff knew that and didn't want to disappoint Anna. The two times they met up with the snowboarding girls, Elsa spent half the time playing around with Anna instead of training. Bulda wore her emotions on her sleeve, but she never outright said anything, most of the time. Anna wanted to be able to challenge her girlfriend the same way Bulda did. She wanted to be as experienced and as talented as their new friend, but she wasn't… and it killed her inside.
"How about this?", Kristoff suggested, "come play my game with me for a bit and, later on, we can head up and we can work on our own snowboarding. It will be a surprise for Elsa to see how much you've improved."
She half-smiled, glanced out the window once more, a forlorn expression painted across her face, and lifted herself from the sill, "alright."
Kristoff patted the spot on the couch next to him, "cheer up Anna, the preliminaries start tomorrow. It won't be much longer before you two are damn near inseparable again."
Finally, Anna let a laugh slip through her lips, "yeah, yeah, you're just jealous of my ten out of ten girlfriend."
"Lesbians and bi girls everywhere wept when you two started dating", Kristoff joked and garnered a punch in the arm from his cousin.
The sun hung high in the sky above North Mountain. The slopes of the Arendelle Ski Resort were slick and crowded. Elsa had just finished a timed run down the black diamond course.
"How was that?", Elsa panted, hands on her knees.
Bulda smiled, "fastest one yet! We're gonna kick so much ass when we get out there!"
After a huge stretch by Elsa, she looked up at a giant display they'd been building for a few days now, "the prelims start tomorrow… You'd think they'd tell us what courses they are gonna use by now."
"They probably want to keep it a surprise so no one gets an unfair advantage", Bulda replied as she skated towards Elsa. "Besides, we've done heats on every single course so far. No matter where they put us, we're ready."
Elsa's normal rush from a good snowboarding run set in as her heart lifted in her chest. Anna drifted into her mind and a dreamy smile curled across her face, "yeah, I can't wait…"
Bulda snapped her fingers in the blond's face and broke her daydream, "come on lover girl, we still have a few more runs to do before we call it for the day. Keep your head in the game, falling into your dreams ain't gonna win you no metals."
"I know, Bulda, I know! I just miss her", Elsa stared off into the distance. "Whenever I have a good run though, I can't help but think about her", Elsa confessed, "she's the reason I'm pushing as hard as I am. It's strange, I wanna make her proud. To me, it's like winning this will somehow show that I'm good enough for her."
The look on Bulda's face showed just how done she was. She crossed her arms, "do you even understand exactly how that sounds?"
Elsa felt a bit silly, "it might sound stupid..." She fiddled with one of her snowflake hair ties, "but she's so confident and happy, it makes me feel like I need to be better just to be on the same level as her."
"You've got it bad, girl", Bulda told her as she shook her head.
Confusion hit Elsa, "what do you mean I've 'got it', got what?"
Bulda clasped her hands together and she wiggled from side to side, "oh! You cuties are in love and it's so adorable!"
The red on Elsa's face darkened as a blush broke out, sparking a very un-Elsa like reaction. She waved her hands back and forth rapidly while shaking her head, "n-no! We're not! I mean, I'm not! I mean... We could be! B-but I wouldn't know!" The way she rambled scarily resembled Anna in a panic.
"Elsa... She's rubbing off on you", Bulda smirked. "Change that braid to pigtails and make the hair red and I wouldn't be sure who I was talking to."
Elsa slammed her lips shut as soon as Bulda said this, grabbed her hands, and dragged them down as she tried to regain her composure. "What I meant was, I have never been", she used finger quotes, "in love." Her voice quieted to just above a whisper as her shyness broke through, "s-so, I don't know what it feels like."
"Trust me here, lover girl", Bulda's smirk grew larger, "it's something you can't describe, it's a feeling you can only know when it's there."
The pressure she had felt in her chest, the way her heart fluttered whenever she saw Anna, Elsa wondered if this is what Bulda meant.
"When you are in love", Bulda became just as starry-eyed as Elsa had been, "just seeing the person makes you smile like an idiot, and their smile makes you happier than you knew possible."
Her girlfriend crept into Elsa's mind, and she tried to contain the smirk radiating off her. Just thinking about Anna in a good mood was more than enough to make all her work worth it.
"Being together is enough to overcome every obstacle in your path", Bulda continued, "you pick each other up and pretty soon,falling doesn't seem so scary cause you know… you know you've got someone looking out for you."
Elsa still second guessed both herself and her feelings as she listened to Bulda, unsure if she should trust the feelings in her heart or the logic burned into her head.
"The best sound in the world is the sound of his breathing when my head is on his chest", Bulda seemed in her own world now. "When we're not together, the best thing ever is having his shirt that smells like him", a heartwarming glow radiated from her.
The way she talked made Elsa smile, she knew there was someone who made Bulda as happy as Anna made her. "Talking from experience Bulda?", the blonde taunted playfully.
As she realized what she was doing, Bulda cleared her throat, "maybe… but seriously Elsa, enjoy what you two have. The greatest part of being together is knowing that you care about the person in your arms more than yourself. So just love every single second of it."
Elsa laughed slightly at her friend, "so what you are trying to say is, I should know if I'm in love."
"No…", Bulda said impassively, "if you're in love, your heart will know... IF your head doesn't get in the way."
The glance Elsa gave her must have tipped off Bulda to her confusion.
"You'll overthink everything and it'll just confuse you", Bulda added, unaware of how much more she just confused Elsa. "Trust yourself in your relationship as much as you do snowboarding and you'll be fine."
Elsa's eyes fell towards the snow and she whispered under her breath, "that's easier said than done."
With a smirk, Bulda scoffed, "is it now? I want you to close your eyes and think about her smile, or her smell. Think about the sounds she makes when she sleeps, and for crying out loud, let go of that death grip you have on your emotions."
Her eyes fell shut and she did as told.
She pictured Anna's beautiful smile, warm and bright. Her kissable lips around brilliant white teeth, always poised to give a reassuring grin at to Elsa.
She imagined her alluring scent, like fresh hot chocolate. A sweet aroma that begged for someone to drink it in after a cold winter day.
She listened for the comforting sounds, a rhythmic symphony played just for her. The melody of Anna's breaths, that lulled her to sleep on more than one occasion, popped into her mind.
Then the realization hit her, everything Bulda told her to think about, Elsa had an example for. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered restlessly, her emotions swirled around her head. Feelings of love, uncertainty, and optimism tossed her concentration from one point to another. The more she thought, the more restless she grew.
She thought about the freedom and empowerment that coursed through her when she was snowboarding, every bit of joy and excitement she gained from landing a difficult maneuver or completing a great run.
Then about how every single time she saw Anna, every one of those emotions overpowered her tenfold.
Sure of this, she opened her eyes. She felt Anna empower her, give her joy and make her life exciting. Anna challenged her to live free and never change for anyone. Her head fought with her heart over what the meaning of love is, and she asked, "when I figure it out, when is it okay to tell them?"
Bulda beamed at the blonde, "that's just it, lover girl… you don't have to say anything." She hooked her arm with Elsa's, "actions are what tell someone you love them, and you and Anna couldn't act more in love."
Head and chest still at war inside her, Elsa settled on knowing that she missed Anna whenever she was gone, and if she won this tournament, she would use the strength it gave her to figure it out.
Almost dragged off her feet, Bulda pulled Elsa back towards the lift, "okay, we took a long enough break, now let's get back to work!"
Kristoff and Anna beat another level of the video game together. The only way Anna could have displayed her lack of desire to play more would be to write 'bored' across her forehead. She liked playing with her cousin, he had a lot of games that required quick decision making and had fast paced action, but her mind was up North Mountain with a certain blonde snowboarding instructor.
Anna stifled a yawn and glanced at the window.
"Okay! I get it!", Kristoff conceded.
A confused expression stuck on her face as she looked back at Kristoff, "huh?"
He placed down his controller, stretched, and said, "you've been moping all day, let's go to the lodge, even if we don't see Elsa we can at least get some fresh air."
Anna's face lit up at the thought of going to the mountain. The chance of seeing Elsa brightened up her day. Elated, Anna could only make a sound of approval, the ability to form words was beyond her at that point. She ran upstairs to get ready.
She ran into her room and locked the door behind her. Elsa swam through her mind as she danced a bit in front of the mirror. Her shirt was halfway off when she caught a glimpse of herself and smirked, "oh hi, Elsa, didn't see you there." She winked at her reflection and talked to herself more, "oh what am I doing? Just getting changed, why? Wanna watch?" She gave the dirtiest smile she could, "oh my, what a naughty girl you are. What? You want me to take my shirt off the rest of the way? Okay, but just for you."
Anna slowly tugged her shirt up and watched as she revealed her stomach inch by inch. She imagined Elsa watching her.
Wanting her.
Asking her to go slower so she could enjoy the view.
She turned her back to the mirror, slipped her shirt the rest of the way off, and used it to cover up her front as she looked over her shoulder. A gasp escaped her as she spun back towards her reflection and dropped the shirt, "oh no, I dropped it." She giggled seductively to herself as she felt a pull in her stomach.
She reached down, unlatched her belt, and tugged it out of her pants as she licked her lips. When she tossed it to the side and cooed, "uh oh, without that you might be able to see something you shouldn't." Everything inside the room started getting hot, and she wanted more and more of her clothes off. Without meaning to, her arms slid behind her head and she pushed out her chest. Anna glanced down and saw that her pants had fallen a bit.
Elsa drove her actions, thinking about doing this for her girlfriend made her feel sexy, it made her feel confident. The tips of her fingers glided across the side of her neck and down over her bra. Electricity shot through her as her hands rolled up and over her body. Her hands pushed further, every touch igniting more fire inside her. They finally met with her pants and she undid the button. When her zipper started to fall, she turned away from the mirror again. "Do you want to see more, baby?", she asked as she let part of her pants drop, giving a glimpse of her panties. "Oh Elsa, it's so hot in here, maybe if I just take these off…", the pull in her stomach followed the heat as it settled right between her legs. Anna bent over and tugged her pants down. She peeked behind her into the mirror as she showed off her panties.
When she stood back up, she kicked her pants to the side. "You enjoying the show, baby?", Anna's mind wandered to their first date. How close they were to each other, and how good it felt to have Elsa's hands exploring her body. Her entire body shook with anticipation when she recalled how it felt to have her girlfriend so close to touching her more intimately than anyone ever had before. She couldn't deny this yearning anymore.
Anna faced the mirror, and let one finger flick over her lips and down over her breasts. While that happened, her other hand started at her hip and ran along the bottom of her panties to her inner thigh. Everything stirred up her excitement more and more. Thoughts of Elsa ripped through her mind; of her licking, of her biting, of her caressing. Anna's hand crept back up her thigh and she could feel the heat that was burning inside her. She wanted to feel Elsa all over her, to be doing this in her room, in her embrace. Anna panted and gasped, the closer her hand got, the hotter her inferno became. "A-are you r-ready Elsa? C-cause I'm so h-hot for you", Anna taunted to her reflection, hidden behind half lidded eyes. Steeled for the last push, she slid her hand over and-.
"Anna I'm ready when you are!", Kristoff yelled from downstairs.
Her eyes shot open and her hands flew up to her chest to try to cover up. Still out of breath, Anna stared into the mirror, face flushed, hands trembling. They shook as her hunger, once again, went unabated. "I'll be down in a minute", she called back down, not letting her frustration show. After a few calming breaths, Anna looked once more at herself in the mirror, "Elsa, please don't let me see you today… Cause I'm really not sure if I can control myself if I do."
Bluda pulled a pair of purple goggles over her eyes, "alright, lover girl. This time I'm not going easy on you!"
"The only thing that's easy here is gonna be beating you in this race", Elsa laughed as she placed her blue goggles onto her face.
Bulda lifted a stopwatch in the air, "this one decides who buys the hot chocolate."
A smug smile crept onto Elsa's face as she lowered her body close to her board. "The only thing better than hot chocolate", Elsa taunted, "is free hot chocolate."
Both girls smiled at each other, they enjoyed the friendly competition and smack talk. For Elsa, there were few people who actually just accepted her for who she is was, and even fewer who could challenge her in the same way Bulda did.
Bulda turned her board to face down the mountain. She rolled her shoulders in anticipation, the intensity of the imminent race written on her face. She called out, "here we go! Get ready…"
Lost in the suspense, Elsa's grin grew bigger, "get set…", . She bit her lip through her smile, concentrating on the slope in front of her.
"Go", a male voice yelled from behind before he whizzed by.
Elsa almost fell over as Hans flew by. The determined look she sent in Bulda's direction was returned as they simultaneously pushed off.
Hans had a head start of a few seconds, but the girls rapidly closed the gap. All of the practice they did really paid off as the girls zoomed down the path. Elsa never pushed this hard in anything before, her will unbending.
The course they were on happened to be the same one Elsa and Bulda first raced down, and the first two turns rapidly approached. They chased the blur of red hair and white coat in front of them. Every second they spent in pursuit was a second closer they got to him. He rounded the first corner with Bulda and Elsa hot on his heels. In the short straight between the turns Elsa could have reached forward and touched Hans' board, Bulda right behind her. All three hit the second turn faster than they expected, Hans took it somewhat wide, while the girls managed to skirt by on the inside. Elsa took the lead and Bulda was neck and neck with Hans.
As the moguls loomed not far away, Elsa glanced behind her and what she saw made her vision tint redder than their opponent's hair. Hans pushed and threw his body weight into Bulda, who fought back as best she could. Bulda struggled to stay upright, despite her superior skills and feisty nature, Hans was physically stronger than her. Elsa cut her board and dug in. Every moment mattered, if they hit the moguls and Hans knocked her down there, she would be hurt bad enough that she wouldn't be able to compete. Elsa's legs struggled against the snow as she slowed down and fell behind Hans
Resolve ripped through her, she leaned forward so far that she threatened to flip herself. Her mind and body reacted to her protective instincts. Hans' attention was on Bulda, so she had the element of surprise. She came besides him, sliced just enough, and clipped the front of his board. With his balance thrown off, Bulda gave one good push, and sent him crashing down into the snow.
"Hey Hans", Elsa yelled, "we'll see you later!"
The girls turned towards the path just in time to navigate safely through the obstacles in their way. Pride swelled in Elsa for the rest of the run, less than a month ago, she would have never done something like that.
When they reached the end, Bulda pulled in with Elsa right behind. The small girl raised her hand for a high-five, which Elsa gladly obliged.
As she raised her blue goggles, Elsa wondered out loud, "wonder how bad that wipe out sucked."
"He friggin' deserved it", Bulda spat, "the prick."
The weight of what just happened finally started to dawn on Elsa, "h-hey, you don't think we really hurt him, do you?"
"Nah, he's gonna be sore as hell, but it's nothing he won't recover from", Bulda tugged off her own headgear and shook her hair free.
Elsa bit the inside of her cheek, "do you mind if we stop? I don't really want to keep going with him on the same slope."
As her hair poofed out and spiraled in every direction, Bulda chuckled, "yeah, after all, you owe me some hot chocolate."
Elsa looked at her expectantly, "I would have gotten here first if I didn't need to save you!"
"Details, lover girl, details", Bulda let out a loud laugh as they started to walk back to the lodge.
"It feels weird being here without Elsa…", Anna admitted as her and Kristoff hopped on the chair lift.
Kristoff gave her a pat on the head, "who knows, we might end up running into her."
She mumbled to herself, "I hope not…", still stuck on how badly she pined for her girlfriend.
The chair lift dropped them at the top of the blue square course and Kristoff skated off in front of her, "come on, I'm no Elsa but I bet I can teach you a thing or two."
Anna smiled, she enjoyed her time with Kristoff but part of her felt guilty about being there without Elsa. "U-umm, Kristoff?", she needed to ask someone or she was going to explode.
The way her voice wavered made him wonder what he was in for, "I'm already worried."
"W-why?!", Anna belted out.
He dropped his head down and stared at her, arms crossed, "what's the matter, Anna?"
Snow crunched beneath her feet as she shuffled her foot in a circle. ""Well…", she trailed off.
Like father, like son, Kristoff remained silent and compelled Anna to start to ramble.
"So you know that Bulda girl we met the other day?", she started pausing briefly for a breath. "Well, Elsa and I met her inside the lodge, and we were heading up to Elsa's room to-", Anna paused for a second too long, "hang out. But when we got into the elevator, Bulda came in with us and started talking to us about feelings and emotions and things."
Kristoff listened to Anna, but let his head fall into his hand when she paused. He shook it for the rest of the time her mouth was open.
"Well, we started to talk about love, and I don't know how much you remember about my last boyfriend, but he was a jerk", her voice shot up and down as she began to recall bad memories. She continued to prattle off to her cousin, "anyway he broke up with me because I wouldn't put out and it hurt… like a lot! I don't want to pressure Elsa, but what if Bulda was right? I mean I like Elsa, and I thought I loved him, but I don't know if it's too soon." The more she spoke the more her arms began to animate the scene for Kristoff. "So, after she left, Elsa was acting strange and I am worried that I am pushing her too far, too fast. What do you think?"
"Yes", Kristoff states adamantly.
Confusion furrowed Anna's eyebrows, "yes?"
He nodded his head slightly while his hand stroked his chin, "yes!"
Anna's eyes darted to the side then back to Kristoff as she desperately tried to comprehend, "I'm sorry, I'm lost. What?"
"Stop over thinking everything!", Kristoff offered his cousin a kind smile, "you and Elsa are together, and you two work! Where you are over the top and clumsy, she is controlled and poised, and where she is reserved and quiet, you are outgoing and loud." He plopped a big hand on her head and messed with her hair through her hat, "don't put so much emphasis on the timing. Three little words don't matter, its the feelings behind them that do."
His words gave Anna more relief than anything else could have. One last thought still nagged at the back of her mind though, "what about the… other parts… of a relationship?" Kristoff surveyed her for a second, she blushed as her shoulders rose to her ears. Her foot drew circles in the snow a bit faster and an awkward smile drawn on her face. Anna thought the moment couldn't get any more uncomfortable, until Kristoff's face showed that he figured out what his cousin meant.
Her eyes slammed shut and she shied away as he screamed, "oh God! I did not need that visual."
"Sorry", Anna muttered, ashamed, "I don't really have anyone else to talk to about this…"
Both his hands rubbed the thought from his eyes, "so you picked me… We're related Anna, I don't want to think about you in that situation."
"I can't help it!", she exclaimed, "it's almost happened twice now, and whatever the female equivalent to blue balls is, damn it, I'm there!"
"I will give you advice on this, on three conditions", Kristoff held his hand up to stop her before she could start. "One, we never talk about this again. Two, we never talk about any sexual exploits with ANY of our significant others. And three, you use the term "clam jammed"correctly next time you ever speak about this."
Anna let out a minuscule giggle, "deal." She fell back on the snow, "teach me, oh wise one!"
"Talk to her…", Kristoff said plainly.
She used a finger to write on an imaginary notepad, "okay! Step one, talk to her." Eyes shifted back up as she stared, expectantly.
A sigh fell from Kristoff, "no step one, just talk to her."
"Talk to her?", Anna asked, repeating him again.
"Talk to her", he confirmed, "knowing you as well as I do. I can safely assume this topic has never come up."
Anna jumped up, "well the conversation part never came up, but-"
"Stop!", Kristoff interrupted, "you want this to work?"
Blush returned to her face as she was forced to admit out loud, "more than anything."
He looked her in the eyes, "then learn to talk about things like this. You should be having this conversation with Elsa, not me." After a pause, he shuddered, "God, anyone but me." When he noticed how intently Anna fixated on the ground, face redder than when she brought Elsa to dinner, he offered her the most sincere smile he could, "just practice once or twice and you'll be amazed at what you can do."
Anna glanced up, "c-can I practice with you?"
"God damn it", Kristoff cursed as he sighed again.
Elsa and Bulda sat by the fireplace for hours as they drank from their mugs. Bulda laughed loudly as her and Elsa swapped stories. They shared almost more things in common than they differed on. Besides being an expert snowboarder, Bulda explained that she worked as a trainer at a resort over twelve hours away. She told Elsa about her work, and how she met her boyfriend. Cliff. at her job. They talked on the phone at certain times so she could focus on her snowboarding, but he couldn't get the time off from work to come cheer her on.
"So then, he said to Cliff", Bulda spoke in a deep, mocking voice, "if you love 'er so much why don't you fuggin marry 'er!" Her voice returned to normal, "and my Cliff is so stubborn, he dropped down to one knee, took my hand, and proposed."
Drawn in, Elsa listened intently, "oh, wow! What did you say?"
A sharp laugh pierced through the lodge, "at first I couldn't say anything! I was so stunned, I just stared at him. It was surreal!" Bulda clapped her hand to her forehead, "after what felt like five minutes, I just shook my head, opened my mouth, and said yes!"
Elsa covered her mouth as she laughed right along with Bulda, "talk about mixed signals, you shook your head but said yes."
"I know! My Cliff is a lot of things", Bulda explained, "he is romantic, fun, energetic, passionate, and business smart. Man can take a skeezy bar and turn it into a ritzy cocktail lounge with a line out the door in less than six months. Common sense wise though, if I don't remind him to turn the stove off each night, I won't have a house to come back to."
Eyes on Bulda, Elsa begged her to continue, "so what happened?"
Another loud laugh ripped through the air and Bulda continued, "he was more than a bit confused. He just tilted his head and said, 'wha?'." The girl clapped her hands as she rolled with laughter, "the way he looked at me, it was so adorable but so funny. I snapped out of it after a second, and this time, nodded while saying yes, over and over"
The smile that broke out on Elsa's face bordered on ridiculous, "that's great! He sounds like an amazing catch." Her eyes glanced over to the seat next to her. It had been where her and Anna traded questions a few weeks earlier. A rosy glow on her cheeks, Elsa looked into her mug and tried to hide how her grin changed to a lopsided, lovestruck one.
"Call her…", Bulda said, pulling Elsa's attention back to her.
Elsa's head snapped up, "I wasn't… I mean, um…"
"Just call her", Bulda repeated, "you miss her so much, I can see it in your face. I'm gonna head upstairs to bed anyway, just call her."
Numerous thoughts ran through Elsa's head, she bit her lip, pulled out her phone, and looked up at Bulda, who gave her two thumbs up as she got up and walked towards the elevator. After dialing Anna and hearing a few rings, an earnest, yet clearly excited, voice picked up, "hello there, Princess!"
Once again, Elsa's cheeks burned as an expression of pure joy spread across her face, "hey, sweetie. What are you up to?" Her coy simper made her want to hide her face. The feelings and reactions Anna managed to pull from Elsa were all so new to her.
It was allowing herself to be happy.
"Kristoff and I are hanging out. You know, quality time with my cousin and all that", Anna said deceptively, "why, what's up?"
Elsa could have sworn she heard Kristoff whisper for help through the phone. "Well...", she held her breath, "the preliminaries start tomorrow, and with a last name like Arendelle, I've gotten used to going first in most things. I am gonna get to bed early tonight, but tomorrow, will you come out and cheer me on?"
A gasp from the receiver made Elsa's heart stop. Anna screamed, "Oh my God, of course I will! Oh wow, I can't wait! What time should we-", she cleared her throat, "I mean, if her majesty requests that of me. When should we arrive to meet you, Princess?"
It was being who she was without censoring herself.
Whenever Anna called her Princess, a name created to taunt her, to hurt her, to make her feel cast out, it had the opposite effect. It amazed Elsa how one word could sting so much from one person and kiss the pain away from another. "You are ridiculous", Elsa giggled, "my qualifier is at one o'clock, but if you wanna get here a bit early, I'd love to see you before I go."
"Eeeee!", Anna squealed into the phone, reverting to her normal self, "you are gonna kick everyone's butts!"
Elsa didn't have to try hard to imagine her jumping up and down.
When the screeching subsided, Anna's voice bubbled as she spoke, "okay, I really can't wait! I miss you."
Elsa rolled her head to the side to hide her blush, "I miss you, too."
"Get some rest, and text me before you go to sleep!", Anna's plea sounded more like a command.
A laugh jumped out of Elsa, "now is that anyway to talk to the Princess?"
All she got back was a, "dork"
Elsa held the phone to her ear with both hands, "talk to you later, babe."
"Talk to you soon!"
It was feeling like she was normal, for the first time in forever.
Anna rocked back and forth on her snowboard as she put her phone away. Her cousin trudged behind her, looking thoroughly defeated. They stood at the bottom of the slope, and the temperature had fallen rapidly as twilight set in.
Anna hummed contently to herself, "okay, so where were we?"
"No", Kristoff's voice drowned in exhaustion and mental horror.
Her braids almost smacked her in the face as she spun towards Kristoff, "oh, come on! We were just getting to the-"
"No…", he reiterated, a bit more adamant this time.
Crossed arms and a scrunched face did nothing to change Kristoff's mind, Anna tried a different approach, "come on, cuz! You said you'd help me."
Kristoff grabbed Anna by the shoulders, "I cannot say this clear enough." He lightly shook her, "if I hear one more damned thing about you, Elsa, your lady boning, or how God damned horny you are, I am going to strangle you…"
As Kristoff jostled her back and forth, Anna worried, "but what about Elsa? How will I know what to say?"
"Do you understand how many mental scars I have from the friggin pictures you've put in my head?", he stopped shaking her and let his hands fall to his side. "I'm not Elsa", he lifted his head and stared into her eyes. "Any responses I give to your… questions", he shuddered, "are null and void because I am not her."
Anna raised her hand, "but-".
One of his hands covered her mouth, "we are going home now. You will sit in the car, you will be quiet, and rules one and two are officially in effect."
He plodded towards the lodge, Anna on his heels.
Everything seemed like Elsa wanted the same things she wanted, had the same desires. After last time though, something made her rethink what exactly Elsa wanted. She wanted to find out, she needed to, and the only person she could ask, was Elsa herself.
The night rolled on, Kristoff had just finished his third shower, attempting to wash the conversation Anna and he had from his mind. Anna said goodnight to her cousins, uncles, and finally Elsa. She tossed and turned for a bit, the word, 'free', stuck in her mind. Whenever Elsa snowboarded she mentioned she felt 'free', she then said the same thing about when she was with Anna. What made her the most curious, was what Elsa meant by that. She wondered this for a while, until she inevitably fell asleep as well.
The next day, Anna and Kristoff returned to the lodge and walked out to the slopes as a loudspeaker boomed names and times in the background. The droves of people standing by spectating or waiting for their turn to compete was astounding. A quick text to Elsa later, they met up with her and Bulda in the lessons tent. No one besides them were in the tent, so Anna gave Elsa a kiss for luck.
Elsa grabbed her board, walked to the entrance to the tent, and looked back beaming, "wish me luck!"
"I'm gonna wish everyone else luck who has to go against you!", Anna joked, as she gave Elsa one last big hug.
A simple nod came from Kristoff, "you're gonna do great out there."
Bulda cracked her knuckles, "knock 'em dead and I'll see you in the finals!"
They watched Elsa walk to the chair lift, hand over a participation form, and start towards the top. The blonde turned and smiled as she waved down to her girlfriend and Kristoff.
The crowd started to rumble, "is that that Elsa girl?", "I think it is", "she's one of the ones to worry about this year", "bet her time is better than anyone else's today."
Impressed by how well-known Elsa was, Kristoff asked, "she's got all these people watching her and she really isn't worried at all, is she?"
"Why would she be?", Anna's pride swelled in her chest, "she's the Black Diamond Princess."
Right before she disappeared from sight, Elsa blew a kiss back at Anna, put her goggles down, and turned forward and put her concentration on lock. When she arrived at the pinnacle, an official looking man asked her name. She gave it to him, he punched a few keys into a device he was holding.
"Your number is '32', be ready to go when your number is called", he turned from her and waited for the next person to come up.
A loudspeaker called someone's name and they said, "number '29', you are due to launch next."
Elsa stretched herself out a bit, waiting her turn. After a few minutes another name rattled off, "number '30', you are due to launch."
She briefly contemplated how terrible it had to be to have to listen to the same thing all day.
Another few minutes, one more name is announced and, "number '31', you are due to launch."
Her mind cleared and steadied, Elsa took a few deep breaths as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. Finally, it happened, "Elsa Arendelle, number '32', you are due to launch."
The starting position was a small open hut that had two bars just inside the door. She skated over, and got ready to launch. Positioned between the two bars, another official looking man approached her and instructed, "you have ten minutes in total to complete the course. If you have not completed it in that time, you will be escorted off the slope. Do you understand?"
Elsa nodded, the intensity in the air was tangible. Words would not do any good at this point, everything she and Bulda prepared for was about to come together. Something inside her was different, everything she had done up to this point in the past three years was to gain her parent's acceptance, their love. In her mind, it was no longer about that.
She wanted to win this for the lodge.
She wanted to win this for Anna.
More than anything though, she wanted to win this for herself.
"Watch the lights", the official pointed out at a portable light board and continued his explanation, "when the light turns green your time will begin. Good luck, Ms. Arendelle."
As he stepped away, the lights on the board blinked to yellow. Elsa's heart threatened to beat out of her chest. It blinked yellow again. Elsa pushed and pulled on the bars to try to catapult herself as best she could. It blinked yellow, one more time. Something changed at that moment, the world moved in slow motion as she watched the light.
Her entire body calmed.
Her spirit soared.
She was ready… She was free.
Green!
All her practice, all her long days and exhausted nights started to pay off in that moment. Her arms ripped her body out of the hut and flung her onto the slope. The instant her board touched powder, fire ignited inside her. Every crinkle of snow beneath her board melted in the heat of the moment. Each gust of wind fanned the flames alive in her chest. She was one with her board, and together they tore across the slope like a wildfire.
She had run this course with Bulda dozens of times now, each time had been faster than the last. And here it came, the first turns. A normal reaction would be to slow down to take the turn.
Elsa sped up.
All her weight on her front foot, she hit the curve at top speed. The way her snowboard cut against the drift showed her skill and experience. Her passion charged from every last nerve ending, sending wave after wave of electricity up her spine. The quick second turn dragged her to the edge and back. She took both turns so incredibly close, her braid came inches from the ground. Sparks danced behind her goggles when she righted herself without losing any speed.
Her body felt so light, it was almost as if gravity itself began to lose it's grip on her as she glided and cut through the wind and snow. Elsa pressed her speed further. The moguls that she broke through against Bulda, and took Hans out on before, seemed like they were closer than normal. Each inch closer Elsa crept, her head screamed to stop pushing her luck, but her heart pulsed for her to ride the feeling. She bit her lip and narrowed her eyes, her concentration unbending.
Elsa's adrenaline surged.
Each hill barely registered in Elsa's mind, her board flicked back and forth between them using each one to propel her to the next. When she cleared the last mound, she wondered how long since she'd started. Her thought died as quickly as it surfaced, replaced by her desire to live.
Her body yearned for more speed to escape the judgemental stares.
Her mind craved the peace that washed out the discord in her head.
Her spirit hungered to hold onto the freedom she'd experienced over the last few weeks.
The finish line had every notion she wanted, every feeling she needed. It called her name, and asked if her resolve was strong enough to cross it. It presented her with everything and more.
It offered her comforting whispers and loving sighs.
It offered her unending tranquility and perpetual calm.
It offered her unconditional acceptance for as long as she could muster.
Spurred forward, Elsa lost her inhibitions as she entered a dead sprint. One turn separated her from her goal. End in sight, she drifted to the outside of the turn and hit the curve so tight, she worried she might not be able to finish the bend.
Midway through the turn, everything came into view, the home stretch, the final straight, the finish line, and everything it promised. Elsa's muscles burned against the strain, but her determination willed her back upright. The turn challenged everything, it threatened everything she wanted. Her unwavering persistence refused to give up, refused to give in. She had been hiding for far too long now, "but never again."
She heard the people cheering. It sounded louder than the wind that had whipped by her ear for the past few moments. Then she listened for it again, through the cheers she heard them…Anna, Kristoff and Bulda. In that second, she realized the finish line didn't offer her anything. Her friends below did.
Elsa finished the last bit and shot past the ending point, almost unable to stop before the wall. Anna hopped a divider, ran up, and jumped into Elsa's arms.
"You're so amazing", Anna whispered.
The smile on Elsa's face grew until she noticed the hush that fell over the crowd. Panic welled in her chest in the form of a feeling of all eyes on her and she pulled away from Anna remembering where she was. After a glance around, she found everyone staring up. Elsa glanced up at the leaderboard, she had beat out the next highest person by over half a minute.
A look of affection in Anna's eyes and a huge grin on her face couldn't begin to show her excitement, "I told you you'd be great!"
Elsa threw her arms around Anna's neck, pulled her close, and muttered, "I'm so happy!"
"You should be", Anna laughed, "you got a great time!"
The blonde just shook her head, "I'm not happy because of that. I'm happy cause I'm here with you."
Taken aback, Anna's vision borrowed Elsa's, the intensity that sparkled in her eye's could only be described as magical. Every pent-up emotion, gushed towards Anna's throat at once. "Elsa, I-".
"That was killer!", Bulda interrupted, "that time beat your best by twenty seconds! How did you pull that off?"
The intimate smile on Elsa's face shrank to a much shyer one, "I just pushed and thought about someone special to me cheering me on."
Kristoff nudged Bulda, "hey Bulda… Let's let Elsa enjoy her victory with Anna, besides isn't your heat coming up soon?"
"Nah, my run doesn't happen till tomo-", before she finished her sentence she noticed the look on Kristoff's face. "I mean, I'm not sure. Let's go check on that, Kris", Bulda grabbed him by the arm and started to drag him away as if he was the one disturbing them.
The girls giggled at Bulda dragging away the much larger Kristoff. He gave a thumbs up and Anna gave one right back.
"Hey Elsa?", Anna asked, "I wanted to talk about something."
The intimacy returned to her face, Elsa gave a coy smile and asked, "and what is that, lovely?"
Chills ran up Anna's spine, the zealous way Elsa said that pet name caught Anna off guard. Trying her best to keep her mind right, Anna looked into Elsa's eyes, "can we go someplace a bit less out in the open?"
No sooner had Anna finished her sentence, than Elsa had taken her by the wrist, pulling her towards the lodge. Elsa wore bedroom eyes every time she glanced back at Anna.
Elsa's tunnel vision stopped her from hearing Anna say, "Elsa, wait please… It's not like that." When they breached the lodge doors, Anna regained some footing. "Elsa stop!", she called, dug her heels in, and glided across the wet floor behind Elsa.
They hit the stairwell instead of the elevator and that is where Anna finally had enough traction to stop her crazed girlfriend. Elsa caught as Anna placed her foot against the steps refusing to budge, "what's wrong?"
"All of this…", Anna said under her breath. She drew in a deep breath, "Elsa, what are we to you?"
Elsa looked down at Anna, the few steps ahead of her causing her to tower over the red head. She sensed something big on the horizon, "what do you mean, sweetie?"
Unsure glances peppered Elsa, as Anna tried to look at her but kept looking away, "I just… We've gotten so close to… It! Two separate times now." Her confidence wavered, "what does it mean to you, Elsa?"
When Elsa slowed down and thought about it, she didn't have an answer… She thought back to Bulda and her's conversation, "I guess, it's me showing you that I appreciate you and want you and only you."
Those words both hurt and relieved Anna. Every part of her tingled to continue upstairs and not come out till tomorrow, but memories kept her from moving till she heard what she needed to hear, "you get like this every time you snowboard incredibly well. I wanna know, are we heading up to your room because you want to share this moment with me… or because you just finished a good run?"
Once again Elsa wasn't sure how to answer. Something within her wanted to use three words, but she wasn't sure, "I finish an amazing ride, and it makes me feel like I can do anything." Her voice hushed and she continued, "even if that anything is standing up to the pedestal I put you on."
"Pedestal? Why would you put me on a pedestal?", Anna's curiosity piqued.
Flushed, Elsa halfheartedly replied, "because you're better than I deserve…"
Anna came up a step or two, "oh, Elsa…", she ran her hand across her cheek. "You deserve everything coming right now, your respect from everyone here, your winning first place in the tournament, and even the fun we're gonna have."
When she heard that, Elsa's ears perked up, "wait you mean you want to?"
"Elsa… I am probably the horniest I've ever been in my entire damned life", she paused to think, "but I care about you enough to want this to mean something and not just be mindless sex."
The blonde nestled into Anna's hand, "maybe we should hold off for a bit… I don't want either of us to have any doubts about our first time."
Anna raised up onto her tiptoes and kissed Elsa from the step below, "then let's have a good day together and whatever happens, happens. Okay?"
Elsa smiled and held Anna close, "okay!"
Elsa and Anna enjoyed their day together, Bulda even approved of the break, in celebration of Elsa's amazing time. The four played around and hung out all day. The girls traded secret kisses behind their hands, snuggled up to each other, and even snuck off at one point to make out. Every time it got a bit hot and heavy, one of the girls would change the tempo. They kept themselves in check, even if it further frustrated an already sexually frustrated Anna. Before they knew it, Kristoff and Anna had to head back home. Bulda had already gone up to her room, but Elsa walked the cousins out.
The girls secretly held hands as they walked towards the front doors, and Elsa pulled Anna to the side so they were hidden from plain sight and Kristoff gave them some privacy. She kissed Anna,and something about them agreeing to wait brought out more passion between them every time they touched.
"Maybe we shouldn't wait?", Elsa asked.
Barely under control, Anna nipped at Elsa's lip, "I would love to take you upstairs right now, and ride your slopes and curves."
Elsa moaned quietly into Anna's ear, "baby, I want you to take me so bad right now… Do you really have to leave?"
"Damnit! I have honestly never been so turned on", Anna let her nips and kisses fall to Elsa's neck.
Met by a few gasps, Elsa barely managed to murmur, "oh my God! Stop before I tell Kristoff he can't have you, and bring you upstairs."
Anna gave her a devious smile, "I'll call you when I get home, okay, sexy?"
"Can't wait, baby", Elsa gave her one last kiss and waved the two off. She turned with a smile as she made her way to the elevator, and pressed the button hoping to get back upstairs quickly.
As she waited for the elevator, someone approached her from behind, "well, well, well… What do we have here?"
Elsa spun and saw Hans, she just rolled her eyes and ignored him.
"It's cute", he laughed, "you know I hold an ace up my sleeve, but you still somehow try to get away with being an uncontrollable bitch."
With a sigh, Elsa asked, "you've known about Anna and me for a while now and have yet to say anything, either you realized the information is useless to you, or you just can't figure out how to use it, which is it?"
He laughed again, "good things come to those who wait, my dear Elsa." He rolled his shoulder, "ever take a fall down a black diamond course going top speed? It's not fun…"
"Riveting", Elsa commented as the elevator door dinged open, "if you'll excuse me, I have to go and be anywhere else right now."
A sly smirk crossed his mouth, "it is a great story isn't it, you want to know why I haven't said anything yet, Elsa?"
"Not really, no", she said blandly as the door began to close.
He caught it in his hand, "It's because you two hadn't had enough time to really be together. Why tear your world apart before you saw just what it could be?" His eyes looked crazy, "now that you two are comfortable, maybe you should consider being a bit nicer to someone who holds all the cards."
Elsa narrowed her eyes, "what do you mean?"
He rolled his shoulder again, "my back's been killing me since that fall, so I can't perform at my peak right now. So here's what's going to happen", he entered the elevator with Elsa letting the door close behind him. "When we both get to the finals, and I know we both will, you are going to 'accidentally' make a mistake and let someone else win."
"Bulda isn't exactly going to just give you second place, Hans", Elsa quipped.
Hans backed Elsa into a corner, "don't worry about your bitch friend, her I can deal with. You, however, are going to take a dive… Unless you want daddy dearest to find out you've been fucking one of the guests, again."
Back against the wall, Elsa almost punched Hans away from her. His hot breath ghosted over her cheek he was so close.
After a long minute, he pulled away, "remember Princess, you take a dive to me, cause if you think dad will just let this slide, well, I was at that birthday party too." He slammed his fist against the door open button. The elevator dinged as the lobby slid back into view and Hans walked out, "sweet dreams, Princess. And don't forget to tell Lesbianna and Bitchda that I said hello. Oh and keep our little deal to yourself, if any of your cavalry comes running I'll tell him anyway, got it?"
The doors glided shut with one last ding, and Elsa huddled in the corner, slid down to the floor, and wrapped her arms around herself. She wanted to call for help, but her voice had left her.
She wanted so bad to call for Bulda, for Anna… for anyone.