Note: All righty this was a prompt I've owed to someone all week as part of our rp deal on tumblr. The prompt was "jealousy" where Elsa and Kristoff have been spending time together and it's not Elsa she's jealous of, but rather Kristoff. Sorry about this update taking three days longer than I said but again, I work part time retail and it's the last week before Christmas. For those of you that read "Star Crossed" just know that I'm working on the next chapter but again...retail, and the next chapter does feature a pivot point for the story arc. Also, I've started working on another unnamed Frozen story that would basically be a retelling of the movie using the abandoned plot points from the demo cd (heir and spare arc, the prophecy, etc). Let me know if that sounds like something you're interested in.

"You promise you won't tell her?"

"Elsa, you've got my word as your Official Ice Master and Deliverer. This is between you and me."

Anna's brow furrowed from behind the door. She'd only caught the back half of whatever it was Kristoff was discussing with her sister. She pressed her ear harder to the solid oak door, just in time to hear shuffling in the room. She squeaked and practically threw herself across the room and into the alcove behind a window.

"You're a very good friend Kristoff," Elsa said and walked the opposite direction.

Kristoff just nodded and headed off the other way. Anna pouted from her hiding spot. What were they talking about that Anna wasn't allowed to know? It wasn't anywhere near her birthday and it sounded far too serious, regardless, for discussing gifts.

"Kai," Anna said, popping out as the head of household walked passed. He jumped and nearly dropped the pile of books in his hands.

"My goodness, Your Highness, you gave me a fright," he clutched his chest, "I do hope you're not planning on repeating your 'jump out and scare everyone' phase."

"No, no. Sorry. I was just wondering—I know it's kinda against the rules but I swear I won't tell a soul if you tell me—but did you happen to…overhear what my sister and Kristoff were talking about by any chance?" Anna asked.

Kai gave her a look somewhere between scolding and sympathy.

"I did not, Highness," he said, "And even if I did, you know the first rule in this castle: the queen's servants hear everything, but listen to nothing."

Anna nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. She sent Kai along to continue his duties for the day. She pouted again, walking slowly down the hall thinking. If she asked either Kristoff or Elsa she'd reveal her own eavesdropping. Elsa would scold her and use that as grounds to not answer, Kristoff would probably huff off annoyed. She wouldn't get an answer and would succeed in angering them both and embarrassing herself all at once.

New tactic: be as sneaky as possible.


It happened a few more times. Anna would be aimlessly walking by and she'd overhear them whispering to each other.

"Kristoff she'd be so disappointed in me if she knew," Elsa groaned.

"Elsa she wouldn't be disappointed at all," Kristoff said, "In fact I'm pretty sure it's impossible for you to disappoint her. She worships the ground you walk on. She has since she was like 5 years old."

"Yes that's exactly why she'd be disappointed," Elsa said louder it sounded as though she stood, "No one disappoints better than our heroes."

"Not for this, Elsa," Kristoff said, "She wouldn't be disappointed, she wouldn't blame you. She'd try to help you—"

"I don't want to see her pity me either!" Elsa said, "And she'd be angry to hear I'm still keeping secrets from her."

Anna's brow furrowed. Secrets. Elsa was famous for them. Never was there someone better at hiding things than Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. She was a human box with no key. The plunder she kept inside was worth more than a goldmine. And here she was spilling those secrets to Kristoff….to Kristoff…

Then Anna got angry.

"To Kristoff?!" she hissed.

Elsa was spilling her soul out to a man she'd only met a few months ago. A man who wasn't even really her friend. She'd banished Olaf from her office earlier today and even Anna yet here she was talking up a storm with Kristoff. It even sounded now like she might be close to tears, she never cried in front of anyone.

"Anna, what are you doing?" Elsa's voice said.

"What?" Anna jumped up and then away from the door.

Both Elsa and Kristoff were standing there staring at her, their face annoyed. Kristoff's arms were crossed.

"You were out here talking to yourself—" (damn that ramble apparently had come out of her mouth as well)"—and eavesdropping." Elsa said the last part very, well, icily.

"What? It's a free castle," Anna said, trying to be casual.

"It's my castle."

Anna felt her face get redder and redder and she just might pop steam from her ears. Forget casual, she jumped right off the wall she leaned against and marched up to Elsa, not quite eye level with her, she glared.

"Yes and in your castle you've been sneaking around and whispering, the both of you," Anna gestured to Kristoff. He looked ready to say something but Elsa held a hand up.

"It's the queen's prerogative to sneak around and whisper about anything I desire," Elsa said.

"Well I—

"And I am curious what has gotten into you."

"If you would—"

"You're awfully temperamental."

"I'm not temperamental, I'm jealous!-Wait what?"

She threw her hands over her mouth and Elsa gave her the most incredulous look she'd ever seen. Off to the side Kristoff had opened his mouth a few times to try and get in on the conversation but was halted by Elsa again.

"You're jealous?" she asked, amused.

"Not of you," Anna said in such a way that Elsa almost looked offended. Anna pointed to Kristoff, "Of you."

"What?' he said.

But off to the side Elsa sighed, grasping what he did not. She stepped between the two of them, turning to Kristoff.

"Kristoff could you give us a minute," she said.

"Well, I'm a part of this too you know," he said. She placed a hand on his shoulder, then she turned to face Anna very seriously.

"Give me a minute to speak to my sister," she said. She clasped her hands in front of her and never broke off eye contact with Anna, even if Anna found it hard to maintain it with her.

Kristoff sighed, mumbled in Anna's ear about talking to her later, placed a quick kiss on her temple, and exited the room. Anna was left alone with only Elsa's cold blue eyes staring at her, and, she couldn't help but feel, judging her.

"I should have known," Anna said, "After all these years, you still keep secrets."

"I'm a queen, as cliché as it is, my secrets have secrets," Elsa said calmly.

"Not from me."

"Even from you."

Anna felt her anger turn into something calmer but far more aching. She dulled her edge into disappointment.

"I had hoped," Anna said quietly, "I was…more important."

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed. She sat down in a chair at the head of the table and motioned for Anna to join her. She stared at the hardwood while she spoke to her.

"Perhaps, a better way to phrase this is not that you are less important, but that you are the most important to me," Elsa said.

"Then why don't you tell me?" Anna said. "I like that you and Kristoff are getting along, I really do. He says you're the closest thing he's ever had to a sister and honestly Elsa I thought I might cry right there because I was so happy but…I'm your sister and I'm the one who is suppose to be keeping secrets for you," Anna said.

"Anna," Elsa said, sitting forward, "I was afraid you'd be disappointed in me. I'm still afraid of that, in fact."

"Elsa I wouldn't be—"

"Don't even, you have no idea what I'm about to say how would you know if you'd be disappointed or not?"

Anna turned red and got quiet. She made herself small and looked at the table.

"I lied to you."

Anna waited.

"I told you I got rid of my gloves."

Anna looked up.

"I didn't. Not all of them."

Anna couldn't stop her face from frowning. Not in disappointed way, she realized, but rather in pity. She pieced together the other bits of conversation she'd overheard. These were the types of secrets Elsa kept from her? That was the disappointing part. Over thirteen years later and Elsa still hid the magic from Anna. It was only fitting, in an unfortunate way.

"I love you more than anything Anna," Elsa said, "But in Kristoff I have someone who is more level headed about the situation. You would react a certain way because of how you feel. Kristoff wasn't there to experience most of this and has an unbiased opinion. I asked him if it would be awful if I kept a pair of gloves just in case and he said he thought it was a good idea. When I realized if it had been you I had asked you would have told me 'no' immediately…I had to keep it a secret from you."

As Anna's head rose, Elsa's bowed in shame. And Anna realized it would always be this way. No matter how far she and Elsa got there was too much damage done to be completely free again. Elsa would always hide these things from her. She would confide in Kristoff, in Olaf, in Kai, in however she could to release the tension while keeping Anna innocent.

"Okay," Anna said.

"What?"

"I said 'okay', keep your secrets, I won't stop you or get mad at you," Anna said. "But I will always try and find out what they are. You can't fault me for that."

Elsa smiled.

"No I can't…I never pegged you for the jealous type."

"You're my sister."

Elsa smiled brighter and finally met Anna's eye. They'd be all right, not perfect, not whole, not completely healed, but all right. And it worked for them.