Chapter 11
The snow glowed bright on the mountain's summit as Elsa walked to its highest point. From there she could turn in any direction and nothing obstructed her vision all the way to the horizon. No peak in sight came close to the height of the North Mountain, so she was able to see everything. If it was a little taller she might have even been able to see the distant sea beyond the far ridge of mountains.
Here at the top of the world the wind blew fiercer than it did down at her palace, causing her cape to billow and whip in the air around her as she slowly turned to look around. Everything in sight was covered in ice and snow, which gave her a great deal of concern. She'd first truly noticed how far her powers stretched when they'd visited Aaron's home the previous day, and even that valley had been filled with snow. But at least there was no way her snow could reach Arendelle so far away on the shore of the sea. After all, it was over eighty miles away.
Remembering the previous day she turned to look at the towering Winter's Peak. Like the North Mountain it stood alone from the mountains around it with long sweeping shoulders that stretched down from its pinnacle, even if it was a little shorter. Unlike the North Mountain, however, it had a much broader base with multiple false peaks rising around the tallest one, making the mountain itself look much more imposing.
It was hard to believe that Aaron had lived much of his life in such a wondrous place. With the towering cliffs around the edges of the valley and the large lake at the center, it had been one of the more serene places she'd ever been to. But the things that had happened there, particularly what she had done, raised questions that had plagued her mind all the way back to the palace and well into the night. As a result, she hadn't slept very well.
They'd both risen late that morning after a long day yesterday. After breakfast Aaron had said that there were some things he needed to take care of and promptly left without explanation, only to show up again a few hours later. He'd then asked her to make him a few dishes, platters and other various things in the dining room before shooing her from the room and asking that she not go back in until he said it was okay. When she asked what this was all for, he had simply smiled and said, "It's a surprise. I'll let you know when it's ready," before closing the door.
So Elsa had decided to go for a walk. She'd always wanted to see the views from the top of the North Mountain and that was where she'd gone. The climb wasn't easy, with the slope getting so steep at times that she had to make ice stairs just to move forward, but it was worth it for the view.
Elsa had to admit, she was getting kind of excited for the surprise. With Aaron's range of talents and abilities it was hard to say what it could be, but she was sure she'd love it no matter what.
Once she reached the top and saw the world around her, though, her thoughts and questions from last night quickly returned. The events by the lake had caused her to start questioning the nature of her and Aaron's relationship to one another. Did he only do what he did because he saw no alternative, or was there something more happening? She was inclined to believe the latter but couldn't shake the doubt that lurked in the back of her mind.
If only there was someone else up here, someone she could confide in other than Aaron. He was always there for her, it seemed, but she wasn't about to discuss her feelings for him directly to his face. Oddly enough, the last person she'd spoken to about these sorts of things had been her sister Anna. Unfortunately, that hadn't ended so well.
It had been Anna that had caused her to reveal her powers. When she'd said that she wanted to marry that prince from the kingdom of the Southern Isles after only knowing him for a day, Elsa hadn't known how to respond. She'd been so shocked her guard had lowered so when they argued her frustration had gotten the better of her and… well, she remembered what happened.
Anna's reasoning for her desire to marry was because it was supposedly true love and Elsa had immediately dismissed that notion. Ignoring the fact that Anna didn't actually no anything about true love apart from in stories, it was impossible to fall in love with someone in a day.
But now she couldn't help but wonder if there had been some truth to Anna's words. After all, she herself had only known Aaron for a few days now and in that time she'd somehow developed deep feelings for him. She couldn't describe nor explain them, but when she thought of him she felt a strong yearning in her heart to be with him. To talk to him. To see him laugh. To feel his warm arms wrapped around her.
Was this love? No, Elsa thought with a shake of her head. We haven't known each nearly long enough for actual love. However, if that was true, and what she felt wasn't actual love, it was certainly well on its way to actually becoming love. Of course, that only served to raise more questions.
Would it become true love? How would she know? Would that change anything between them?
Ultimately there was one question that loomed high above the others and quietly pulled at her thoughts. How did Aaron feel about her? Even if it turned out that she did love him, it wouldn't matter if he didn't love her in return. He'd never actually been very subtle in hiding the fact that he clearly found her attractive, but there was a large difference between attraction and infatuation.
Anyone could find another person to be pretty or even beautiful, while to actually have emotional desire for someone and have them respond in kind was much harder to come by. At least for her, anyway. Aaron was always very cautious with his words and actions, careful to never reveal too much.
No matter what, though, she could take heart from the events of yesterday. She'd decided, in that moment beneath the tree, to actually put her feelings out in the open and he hadn't rejected them. In fact, he'd even put his arm around her and pulled her closer. It had been so nice there, nestled beside him in his embrace. So safe and peaceful. As though she didn't have a care in the world.
Elsa realized she'd closed her eyes and was smiling as she relived the memory. Giving a small frown of concentration, she tried to refocus on the question at hand. So Aaron liked her. At least of that much she could be certain. Of course, that only raised the question of how much. Was it just a mild crush or was he hopelessly in love with her? Or, was he more on the level that she was? Unfortunately, the only way to know that was to ask him.
Sighing, she sat down in the snow and looked up at the sky. There was no way in hell that she'd actually get the nerve to ask him such a thing directly. But, maybe with a little luck, he would tell her. Or, better yet, show her. She would just have to be patient.
The snow began to swirl around her as she absentmindedly lifted it into the air and brought it together into a shape as she focused on her thoughts. Realizing with a start that she'd made accidently spelled out Aaron's name on the ground, she quickly wiped it away and started again.
She ended up staying at the summit for several hours, forming random things from ice and snow and continuing to think about her feelings for Aaron. The sun was just beginning to approach the horizon when she heard a strange noise. Turning to look for the source, she saw a small ball of orange light go whistling up into the air over the palace before it exploded in a shower of glittering sparks.
Whatever Aaron is working on must be done, Elsa thought as she climbed to her feet and began to make her descent. And even if it wasn't, she'd been up here long enough anyway. It was time to see what this surprise he'd spent so long working on was.
