Wings of Ice
Chapter 10 - Making a Connection
- 250 years ago -
Two more days. Just two more days. Anna tried hold onto that thought, but watching her girlfriend strain herself to conjure yet another block of ice was making it hard. Anna willed herself not to say anything, not to pick another fight. She simply stood next to Elsa, an arm wrapped around her waist supportively.
Elsa finished the current ice block and went to start on another, but Anna pulled her hands down. "You need a break. We're almost done for today, a few minutes of rest won't make a difference."
"But..."
"Elsa, no." She sat down on the blanket, smoothing out her dress. "You're going to sit with me and relax for a bit, and when I think you're ready, we can go back to it and finish the rest for today."
"When you think I'm ready?" Elsa frowned a little at her, but sat down next to her anyway.
"Yes." Anna reached out, brushing her fingers lightly across Elsa's lips. "If you behave, you just might get a reward when we're done."
"That's blackmail!" The blonde protested with a smile.
"Yep..." Anna gave her a smile of her own. She pulled the other girl's body against herself, sighing happily at the contact. Elsa made a pleased noise as well, snuggling up closer to Anna. She could feel the other girl's breath on her neck, and Anna tilted her head towards her girlfriend's. Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna's waist, hugging her.
"I like this." Elsa murmured and kissed her neck.
"Me too." Anna replied softly.
They sat together like that for a while, then the blonde girl stood up, only slightly unsteadily. Anna bit back a comment, instead deciding to help her girlfriend up. She held onto Elsa's waist, supporting her as the other girl held out her hands, getting ready to call up her magic once more.
Anna brushed her lips along Elsa's neck, not wanting to distract her but unable to resist at the same time. The blonde shifted against her. "Stop that..."
"I can't help myself." She whispered, before planting another kiss on that deliciously pale neck.
"I'm almost done, let me finish and then we can..." Elsa whispered back.
"Can't we do both?" Anna nipped her neck, drawing out a soft moan from the other girl. "I did promise you a reward."
"You do very bad things to my concentration."
"Or maybe very good things..." Anna's hand slid up to cup one of Elsa's breasts through the cloth of her dress. They both froze in place. While there had been small touches and brushes, this was the first time either of them had ever gone so far. Sure, they'd kissed - okay, they'd kissed a lot - but this was taking things to a whole new level.
Anna held her breath. Would Elsa be angry with her? Break things off? Was she pushing things too far, too fast? She hadn't been thinking at all about any of that, it just sort of... happened. She'd wanted to, and she'd been holding Elsa, and the other girl smelled so good, and Anna wanted more than just kisses with her...
Anna felt Elsa's hand cover her own, but not in an attempt to move it away. The other girl pressed it firmly against her, and Anna could feel her heart pounding through the fabric. Anna's own pulse matched the blonde's as she waded further and further into uncharted territory. Her fingers lightly squeezed the warm, soft flesh of Elsa's breast, eliciting a gasp from the blonde. The other girl ground her hips back against Anna's, and she took it as a sign that she was doing it right.
Anna could feel the moisture gathering between her legs as she continued to touch Elsa. She brought another hand up, cupping the other breast. Elsa's eyes shut, a moan escaping her lips. A slight sheen of sweat covered the blonde's face, and Anna could not recall ever seeing her look so beautiful. Her mouth found Elsa's collarbone, her tongue teasing the soft skin. She bit the sweet spot lightly, causing Elsa to quiver against her. The blonde's movements were driving her wild.
Anna's left hand wandered to the top edge of Elsa's dress. Anna gulped, not sure that she was ready for this next step yet unable to stop herself. She slipped one finger under the cloth, then another. Soon, her whole hand was sliding under the top of the fabric. Elsa moaned, and Anna echoed her. The soft skin beneath her fingers felt heavenly. Ever so slowly, her hand inched down... down... down...
Elsa melted against her when her fingers brushed the pert nipple. The blonde's breathing was heavy, ragged, and Anna knew her own must sound similar. It felt... Anna had no words to describe how it felt. All she knew is she wanted more. Needed more. She grasped the nipple, gently squeezing it. Elsa whimpered, reaching back with one hand to grip Anna's thigh.
Anna could not stop. She kept rubbing Elsa's nipple, kissing her neck, biting her collarbone. The beautiful blonde had lost all her focus, her eyelids flickering, her mouth moving in low, meaningless sounds. Elsa had one of Anna's legs between her own and was grinding against it. Anna was trembling now, her body reacting to Elsa's, aching to be even closer to her... to not have anything between them, not even the thin fabric of their clothes. The way Elsa was grinding herself on Anna's leg... Anna bent her knee, pressing her leg up tighter against the gap between Elsa's.
Elsa moaned, the scent of her arousal now heavy in the air. The heat of the blonde's body ignited a fire in Anna, a fire that begged for release. Elsa's nipple pressed against her fingers, and Anna squeezed the soft mound of her breast harder. There had been dreams before this, fantasies, yearnings... but the reality of Elsa, here and now, was more than she could stand. It was greater than those fantasies. She needed to see the ecstasy play across her girlfriend's face.
Elsa kept rubbing herself on Anna's leg, using the pressure there to bring herself closer and closer. Anna bit down again on her collarbone, knowing how much she liked it. Elsa's answering gasp told her to continue. Not that Anna had any intention of stopping. Her hands roamed over Elsa's breast and nipple. She knew that she would not reach her peak this time, but she didn't care - she was determined to bring Elsa there. She wanted to take her past that edge. The blonde was so close...
Elsa shivered, a yelp of pure excitement escaping from her. Her hand clenched Anna's thigh, her fingers digging into her leg. Her nipple stiffened and her body shook. Anna held her as she rode out her pleasure, and she could feel a touch of wetness soaking through Elsa's dress. She continued to rub and kiss the blonde, watching her in wonder as her orgasm consumed her.
When Elsa finally descended, Anna helped her sit on the blanket, though truthfully, her own legs were unsteady as well after... after that just happened. She hadn't really known what she was doing, instead just going with what felt right. And by Elsa's reaction, it had been right. Oh so very right.
"Anna..." Elsa panted, her gaze still fuzzy and unfocused. Her hand shakily reached out, grasping for Anna's, their fingers linking together. "...Anna..."
"I'm here, Elsa." Anna stroked her cheek. Looking at Elsa's flushed face, feeling the trembling of the slender body resting against hers, Anna swore to herself that she would do anything to make Elsa feel like this again. She couldn't wait to do it again.
Elsa cuddled against her, Anna wrapping her arm around her girlfriend possessively. Elsa kissed her neck, sending a shiver through Anna. The blonde turned to her, meeting her eyes. "I love you, Anna."
- Present day -
Anna waited outside Elsa's room, leaning against the wall while she waited for the blonde to emerge for dinner. Another day of weirdness had passed, and Anna was tired of it. Elsa was going to talk with her if Anna had to camp out in this hallway all night.
Today had been the last straw for Anna. She'd gone to the library to find Elsa piling book after book in a messy stack next to her backpack. The blonde was almost frantic in her search. When Anna asked her about it, she'd muttered an evasive reply about a new direction for her thesis before bolting out the door with the books. She'd all but slammed the door to her room in Anna's face, only replying with a hasty "Sorry!"
When Anna stopped by at noon inquiring about lunch, she'd been met with "Not hungry, go without me." An afternoon invitation for hot chocolate at Oaken's had likewise been refused. Well, Elsa would not be getting away from her now. She'd be joining Anna for dinner if Anna had to pry the damned door off with a crowbar.
The door opened, Elsa walking out still reading a book. She bumped into Anna with a surprised "Oh!" The blonde looked up to meet Anna's gaze. Her eyes widened. She backed up a step, preparing retreat to her room, but Anna got there first, dodging around her and pulling the door shut before the blonde could run. "Anna!"
"Good! You recognize me." Anna refused to let the blonde escape. "Considering how you've been acting recently, I've been wondering about that."
"I haven't been feeling well." Elsa mumbled.
"Well enough to move half the library to your room." She retorted.
"It's for a personal project." The other girl replied defensively.
"And that's why you've been avoiding everyone?" Anna asked her angrily, but continued on, not letting Elsa speak. "You haven't been hiding from us because of a project. I mean, even Kristoff noticed something weird is going on with you. So we're going to talk."
"Anna, now is not really a good time..." Elsa started.
"Too bad." Anna opened the door, but stood in it to one side so that Elsa couldn't shut her out. "Get your coat, we're going to Oaken's."
"Um, okay?" Elsa looked confused. Anna couldn't really blame her - she wasn't sure where that had come from. But now that she'd said it, it felt right. If she hoped to get Elsa talking, she needed the other girl to feel comfortable. Whatever Elsa was hiding, it was clearly bothering her. She needed to talk about it, no matter how much she didn't want to, and Anna wanted to help her.
Stopping by her own room, Anna grabbed her coat too, and they started off on the trail to Oaken's. The walk there was quiet, their usual small talk gone. Anna missed the Elsa from before, the one who'd made up a stupid little story just to make her feel better. She wanted that Elsa back, and hopefully, if she could get her talking, she'd find her again.
"Elsa..." The blonde only gave her a quick glance, but Anna continued. "I know something is bothering you, and I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I'm worried about you, really worried. Whatever it is, I can help you. I want to help you."
"You don't know what you're saying, Anna."
"You're my friend, Elsa. I care about you, and I'm not just going away. So either talk to me, or until you do, I'll be sitting outside your door. Every. Single. Day." Anna glared at her friend. "So start talking."
Elsa didn't reply to that for a while, and Anna didn't push her. The blonde had her head down in thought. She looked like she was trying to figure out how to tell Anna about whatever was bothering her, not like she was going to shut her out. She would shoot Anna glances from time to time, glances Anna pretended not to see. She wanted to know what was bothering Elsa, but she was afraid if she pushed her right now, she'd be closed out.
"It's... I don't know how to talk about it." Elsa finally told her quietly. She saw Anna's questioning look. "I'm not trying to hide from you."
"I know." Anna gave her what she hoped was a supportive smile.
"I... You're right, Anna. There is something going on." Elsa stopped walking. She hugged herself, sounding more nervous than Anna had ever heard her be.
"Tell me," She put a hand on Elsa's shoulder.
The blonde was shivering. "I'm scared!"
"I'm here for you." Anna pulled her into a hug. "Please, talk to me."
"If I do, you'll think I'm crazy." Tears pooled in the corners of Elsa's eyes.
"I promise, I won't. Whatever it is."
"I... I..." Elsa trembled. Anna hid a sigh - she could practically see the walls going back up again. But to her surprise, the blonde spoke to her again. "Give me some time, please." Blue eyes pleaded to her. "It's complicated, and when I tell you, you're gonna think I'm weird."
"Elsa, you made up a fairy tale about the local dry cleaners, I already think you're weird." Anna smiled.
- Later in the evening -
"Well, I talked to her, sort of." Anna told Kristoff when they'd reached a break in the journal entry for the day. They still had a bit more to go, but Anna wanted to tell him about the afternoon's events.
"You 'sort of' talked to her?" He asked, skeptical. "What does that mean?"
"It means, I told her that I've noticed how weird she's been acting recently and that avoiding us isn't the right way to handle whatever is bothering her. And then I said if she didn't talk to me, I'd camp outside her door until she did." Anna shrugged at his look. "What? It seemed logical at the time. Anyway, whatever's wrong really has her scared. She didn't say what, but she promised that she'll talk to me when she's ready."
"And you believe her?"
"I do." Anna nodded. "Like I said, whatever is going on with her has her scared. She needs someone to talk with, someone to support her. I'll give her the time she asked for, and when she's ready, I'll be here for her."
"I hope you're right." Kristoff sighed. "But you might want to get your sleeping bag ready, just in case. It took forever for her to open up when I first met her. If this is making her withdraw, you're probably gonna need a lot of patience."
"What did happen to her back then? I know you say to ask her, but at least give me a hint. I feel like I'm going into this blind."
"Like I said, a lot of it is personal, so I really can't say, not without betraying her trust, but, well... Let's just say she doesn't get along with her family."
"Oh?" Anna asked, curious.
"Yeah, as far as I know, they haven't spoken at all in years." He held up a hand, forestalling her next question. "And no, I can't tell you why. That's her choice, if she wants to tell you."
"Fine." She grumbled.
They resumed reading, this particular entry longer than usual. When she got towards the end of it, Anna wished she was in her room. Somewhere to hide her blush. Or at least where she could take a cold shower. She almost felt guilty for reading it, despite everyone in the book being centuries dead by now.
"Um, I think I'll call it an early night." Kristoff mumbled, a bit red in the face himself. "We... ah, covered everything important, probably."
"Yes, that sounds good." Anna seized on his excuse. She hurried back to her room, still clutching the copy of the journal page. Once the door was safely shut behind her, she sat on the bed, spreading the page out in front of her so she could read it again. Rapunzel's more recent entries had described the two princesses getting closer, but this one... Apparently the girl had looked for her friends and caught them in a rather... compromising situation. She took some relief in that their clothes had stayed on, but there was little doubt that they'd been pushing the boundaries of that.
"Wow..." Anna sighed dreamily. Why can't I have a relationship like that? Someone who gets me that excited just touching them. They're so lucky they found each other. If only... She rolled over on her back, staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day, and this journal entry haunted her thoughts. She thought back on Gaston and Hans. Neither of them had elicited even a fraction of what Rapunzel wrote about. She wanted more. She wanted...
Anna yawned, setting the copy aside. She wanted to stay awake and think on things, but it really had been a long day. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her...
Anna dug into the sundae. Triple fudge delight... so appropriately named! With chocolate sauce and a cherry. Life didn't get better than this. Mulan and Ariel had their own desserts, and the three of them were relaxing after a long week. They were finally done with the last of their midterms for the semester, and the three of them had decided they'd earned a break.
Anna leaned back in her chair, pleasantly full. As per usual, she'd finished hers well before her friends. It had been a good day so far, and she knew it would only get better when she was confirmed as a finalist for the undergrad slot at the Arendelle site. She was the head of her class for the archaeology department, and she knew in a couple month's time, she'd be picked for the expedition.
The three girls chatted for a while, discussing the upcoming party that night. It was a costume party, and all three of them had been looking forward to it for a while. Mulan had her eye on one of the ROTC boys, Shang. She'd decided a rather odd dragon costume, but Anna thought she could pull it off. Ariel was planning on some shell bikini thing. Mulan and Anna quietly agreed that Eric was doomed.
Anna herself was going for the classic princess look. She'd been a bit busy studying, so she hadn't had as much time to shop as her friends. By the time she'd gotten around to looking for a costume, the shop had been pretty empty. It was the only costume left that didn't show off more skin than she was comfortable with. And she liked how the green of the dress matched her eyes.
They'd agreed to meet their dates there, so after they got changed, they headed to the party. Ariel spotted Eric and split off, the boy's eyes nearly falling out when he caught sight of her costume. Mulan stifled a laugh, and Anna hid a smile of her own when he practically ran after her. Doomed indeed.
Shang was there too, but Mulan didn't want to seem too eager, though from the way other girls hung around him, Anna figured her friend better act fast. She nudged Mulan forward, nodding towards Shang. Her friend glared at her before nervously approaching the boy. Anna sighed. At this rate, they'd graduate before Mulan ever made a move. Walking up behind her friend, she gave her another shove, nearly knocking her into Shang.
Resisting the urge to shout "just kiss him already", Anna turned to find her date. She scanned the room and was about to pull out her phone when she felt a tap on the shoulder. Smiling, she spun to face her date.
Elsa cupped her chin, her other hand on Anna's waist, pulling her in close. She only had a moment before Elsa's lips were on hers, drawing her into a soft, warm kiss. Anna felt her arms snake around the blonde's neck, pulling herself closer to the other girl's body. The kiss deepened, Elsa's tongue probing Anna's lips...
Anna's eyes snapped open. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her breathing came in short bursts. Where the hell had that come from? The dream had started out just the way it had really happened. She'd gone to the Halloween party with her friends. But she'd been meeting Hans, and there had been no kiss, certainly not one like that.
"This is all your fault." Anna glared at the diary page lying on her desk.
She checked her alarm clock and winced. Maybe an hour and a half before she'd have to get up anyway, not really enough time to go back to sleep. Plus, even if she did fall asleep again, she wasn't sure she wouldn't pick the dream back up right where it left off. The fact that a part of her was curious to see where it might have gone...
"Yeah, cold shower time." Anna grabbed her robe and kit, squashing down that last thought ruthlessly. She was not curious about another girl, and certainly not about her friend. She did her best to convince herself of that over the course of a long shower. Her best... wasn't quite good enough.
The journal entry received another glare when she got back to her room. Stupid Rapunzel making her wonder about things. Stupid Joan for having the journal hidden behind her portrait frame. And stupid Elsa invading her dreams and making her think about things.
Of course, her day didn't get any easier. She ran into Kristoff and Elsa in the break room for breakfast. Kristoff had a folded piece of paper in front of him, and Anna didn't even need to see it to know it was his copy of the diary. She really hoped he hadn't shown it to the blonde. Elsa still had those gloves on - Anna was dying to ask her why, but she had promised to give the other girl time, after all - and was talking with Kristoff. They both turned to look at her, and Anna fought the urge to run out of the room. Or hide. Hiding would also work.
Elsa gave her a wave and a small smile. Anna did her best not to stare at the other girl's lips. Just because she kissed me at the party - No, damn it! Stupid dream! That didn't happen! She looked up, unaware that Elsa had spoken to her. "What? Sorry, I was a bit distracted."
"Are you okay, Anna?" The blonde asked her, concerned. "You're really pale."
"And you were mumbling something. What 'didn't happen'?" Kristoff added.
"Nothing!" Anna practically shouted, waving her hands. "Nothing happened! Not that it would have. I mean, if it didn't, then it doesn't count. So it doesn't matter." Elsa and Kristoff were both staring at her now, and Anna's face flushed as she tried to think of something to rescue the situation. "Anyway, I'm not wearing my princess costume and it's not Halloween, so it's not like it could happen." Come on, brain, help me out here! "So, right, I'm just going to go. Back to my room. Not to the party." Okay, Frostad, just making it worse now. "So, uh, see you later!"
Elsa watched Anna rush out the door, then turned to Kristoff. "That was... different."
"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen her skip breakfast. Or any meal, for that matter." The boy agreed absently.
"I meant, what was she talking about? She kept looking at me like I was going to attack her or something." Elsa leaned back in her chair. "Was there something we were supposed to do? She said 'nothing happened' a few times there."
"I really don't know." Kristoff thought about the brief, bizarre conversation. "She also said she wasn't going to a party. Did we miss something there? I don't think it's anyone's birthday this week."
Elsa mentally went over the students at the site. No one had a birthday for at least another three weeks, and there were no major projects close to done. Something was definitely up with Anna. Not that she had any room to talk right now. She looked down at her hands, the gloves mocking her. She was pretty sure that whatever was bothering Anna was nothing nearly as complicated as her... problem.
"I guess I can go talk to her." Elsa walked over to the counter, grabbing a cup of hot chocolate and a couple of Anna's favorite bagels. "Though, if this turns out to be some kind of surprise party, we didn't hear her say anything, right?"
"Right." He nodded.
She left him there and headed back towards the dorm area. Hopefully Anna was still in her room, so they could talk privately. She knocked on the girl's door and got a muffled "One Sec!" Soon enough, the door opened and Anna looked out hesitantly. "Um... Hi, Elsa."
"Hi." Elsa stared at Anna, neither of them speaking. The silence dragged on, going from awkward to uncomfortable to unbearable. The need to do something, anything, itched at Elsa until she thrust the bagels and hot chocolate towards Anna. "Here! You didn't get anything for breakfast."
Anna was still staring at her, but when Elsa spoke, the redhead turned her attention to the offered food. She looked at it like she'd never seen anything like it before. If anything, this was worse than before. Why was Anna not taking the food? She was starting to feel really stupid, standing in the hall like this holding out a cup and two bagels. "Anna?"
"What? Yes? I'm Anna." The redhead blinked and met her gaze at last. "Sorry." She hesitantly reached out and took the food, setting them on the table next to the door. "Thanks, Elsa." Anna paused and stepped back, gesturing for Elsa to come in the room. She shut the door behind the blonde, which only added to the weirdness of the morning for Elsa. "Elsa, can I ask you something?"
"Yes?" She replied cautiously.
"It's not about those." Anna pointed to her gloves. "Don't get me wrong, I'm sooooo curious, but I said I would let you tell me when you're ready, so I won't ask now." The other girl took a breath. "It's, well, it's..." She trailed off, her face red. "Never mind."
"What?" Elsa asked, confused. "You can ask me anything, Anna."
"Um..." The other girl was getting even redder if that was possible. "I can't... Sorry, Elsa." She turned her head away. "Can... can you just go?"
"Okay." Elsa tried not to let the hurt show. "See you later."
She heard the door close behind her and she sighed, her shoulders slumping. Of all the reactions she'd expected to get from Anna, this was not one of them. It seemed like things never really changed. She thought she was a better friend to Anna, one whom the other girl could open up to. But as ever, her best didn't seem to be good enough.
Kristoff was waiting for her back by the breakroom. He looked up at her, expectantly. "How did it go?"
"Just fine, Kris." Elsa replied flatly. "I shouldn't have expected anything different." She picked up her books and walked to library, ignoring her friend's worried expression.
Anna had followed Elsa, taking care to ensure the other girl didn't spot her. She needed to talk to someone, and it couldn't be Elsa, because that's what she needed to talk about. She waited until the blonde left the room, then ducked in. Kristoff greeted her with a frown. "Okay, what happened? Elsa's walking around like you ran over her pet. What did you say to her?"
"You don't have to tell me." She sank into one of the chairs. "I feel horrible enough already, okay?"
"No, not okay, Anna." Her glared at her. "I care about her. I don't like seeing her hurt."
"I know! I panicked, all right? I didn't know what to do. She shows up being all nice, she even brought me breakfast! And that just makes it worse."
"You don't like her being nice to you?" Kristoff stared at her.
"Yes! I mean, no! I mean, that's not the issue." She looked out the door to make sure no one else was nearby. "If I tell you something, you swear you won't tell anyone else? Especially Elsa?"
"I swear." He promised.
"I had this really weird dream last night. I guess I'm still a bit freaked out by it."
"Oh? A dream? That's why you were so mean to Elsa?" He was still frowning, but not as much as when she'd first walked in.
"Well, she was... sorta in it..." Anna blushed, remembering exactly how the other girl had been in it.
"Anna..."
"It's this stupid diary!" Anna glared at the folded page in front of him. "I was reading it before I fell asleep, and I guess thinking about it made me dream stuff."
"You mean you and she...?" He trailed off, not wanting to embarrass her further.
"God, no!" Anna protested. "Nothing like that. But, well, it was weird, okay? It was like a memory, but it was different than what really happened. It really messed with me, I guess."
"So what did happen?" Kristoff asked.
"I was at a party. Halloween. I was with my friends and we were meeting our dates there. But instead of Hans, it was Elsa. And instead of hugging me, she... kissed me..." Anna whispered the last bit.
"So?" He looked puzzled. "You freaked out over a kiss? That happened in a dream? That's why you were so rude to her?"
"Well..." Anna struggled to explain herself. When he said it like that, of course it sounded bad. "I mean... she's my friend... plus, you know, she's a girl, and..." He was still staring at her. "I know, I messed up."
"Yeah, you did."
"Kris, I know you said to ask her, but I really need to know. What happened to her with her family? I want to help her, I really do, but I'm afraid I'm gonna just mess it up again at this rate."
"I shouldn't..." He hesitated, then sighed. "I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone I did, especially Elsa." He waited for her nod. "I told you before she hasn't talked to them in a long time, right?" Another nod. "It's been almost six years."
Anna gasped. She couldn't imagine going six years without talking to her parents. True, she'd only been able to call them every other week or so while she was here, but still, she tried to keep in contact as best she could. "That's... what did happen to cause that?"
"Her father caught her kissing another girl. He sent her off to some camp to 'cure' her, then dumped her in a boarding school when she got back." Kristoff paused. "They haven't spoken since, from what I know. Her parents just put money in her account once a month, and she stays out of the way."
It made sense to her now. Elsa had trusted her, and she'd just thrown that trust back in her face. She shut out the other girl instead of being her friend. "Oh god, no wonder she was so hurt." She looked over at him. "How can I fix this?"
"An apology would probably be a good place to start."
"Well yes, but beyond that."
"That's up to you, Anna."
"Great..." She grumped. She had no idea how to do that without messing things up again.
- 250 years ago, one day before the last of the shipment is due -
Prince Hans smiled behind his cup as the bishop. The man had leaped at the chance to host the prince for tea once he'd received the letter Hans sent. And now that he was here, he only needed to drop the right hints. "Thank you, Your Grace, for inviting me today."
"Of course, Highness. I must say, what you wrote in your letter was deeply troubling." The old man nodded to the letter sitting on the table between them.
"Yes, well, I didn't know who else to turn to." Hans replied.
"Accusations like this... you have proof of some sort? Other witnessess?" The bishop spread his hands. "We have heard such rumors before, though they always seemed like stories told by the peasants. I would like to help you, but without something solid, the church cannot interfere."
Hans would have grinned at this point if it wouldn't have ruined his plans. A few weeks of planting rumors had finally paid off. He pulled a pouch off his belt and unwrapped it carefully. The ice rose still hadn't melted, even after weeks of summer. It glinted in the light as the bishop stared at it.
"Princess Elsa made that. I didn't want to believe it at the time, but..." He handed it to the bishop. "It's real. Princess Elsa is the Ice Witch."
The bishop held the rose in front of himself. "How... this shouldn't be possible."
"Your Grace, I had the same reaction." Hans lied. "And it's clear that my fiancee is under her spell. I don't know how many others are, too. We must do something before it's too late."
"Yes, we must." The bishop set the rose on the table with a shudder. "We must find a way to stop the Ice Witch."
Next Chapter: In the past, the trade deal is finished while new troubles are brewing. Meanwhile, in the present, Anna and Elsa catch a break in a way.
A/N: So yeah, this one took a couple tries before I could get it where I wanted it to go. I have the next chapter about half done, so hopefully I'll have it up soon. And don't worry, I'm going to have some mercy on modern Anna and Elsa. It's about time they talked =)