WOW! 200 reviews in one month! I can't thank you guys enough for all the support!
I wasn't actually waiting to post this until I hit 200; I'm running out of chapters and I like to be a few ahead before I post. Right now, I have three more ready after this one.
Anna walked back to her room, struggling to keep the tears off her face. Finally, it was happening. Her fantasy had come to an end.
The last thing she wanted to do was leave the Palace. The luxury, the food, and above all the Queen had made her time in the Castle the best period of her life. But it had to happen. She couldn't contain herself around Elsa much longer.
In any event, it didn't matter. The Queen's reward had been quite clear; a room in the castle and training in combat until she could hold her own in competitions. And now, Anna had proven that she could.
Unfortunately.
She made her way into the upper wing and entered her former bedroom. Anna ran her hands over the velvet sheets, resisting the urge to lay in them one last time. Drell had been clear. If she was to make it to Hammerfest on time, she would have to leave within hours.
Resisting the urge to sob, she began to pack her few belongings.
\
"Elsa, stop!" Rapunzel moved into the doorway of study, blocking the Queen's way out. "What are you planning on doing?"
The monarch paused before her cousin. "I'm going to tell Anna that she can stay in the Castle, of course. That surprises you?" she questioned. Her cousin's resistance shocked her; Rapunzel had made it quite clear that she supported Elsa's feelings for Anna.
The Princess shook her head. "Of course not. But you have to do it right," she explained.
Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Do it right?" she asked.
Her cousin nodded. "Be honest. Don't make up any excuses. Tell her why you want her to stay."
"Anna's not ready; Drell doesn't know about my magic. She should stay and continue her training," the Queen replied instantly.
Rapunzel glowered at her. "And what will you do when that's finished? If you want her to stay forever, then you'll need a lot more than that."
Forever. The word echoed in her skull. Did Elsa want Anna to remain in the Castle permanently? It was a ridiculous thought, but then again, hundreds of people lived within the Palace Walls. Few would notice one more. Elsa tried to imagine what it would be like if Anna left. Going back to the way things were…
The Queen had been starved of real human contact for too long. Anna had brought a breath of fresh air into her life, a happiness the monarch hadn't possessed in over five years accompanied her presence. The thought of enduring the rest of her existence without Anna by her side, either as a friend or...something more...filled her with dread.
"Why do you really want her to stay?" Rapunzel pressed. Never before had Elsa seen her cousin act so forceful. In a rare moment, the monarch crumbled under another's gaze. The Queen's eyes fell to the ground.
"If you can't admit it to me, you won't be able to admit it to her," the Princess pointed out.
Elsa sighed. "You know why. But what makes you think I have to tell her that? Don't you think she'd jump at the chance to remain in the Castle? Nothing she wins in a tournament could ever give her the lifestyle offered to her here."
"That's true," Rapunzel agreed. "But Anna might be too proud to stay just based on that. You told me she barely asked for anything when you offered to reward her. Now you think she'll accept a permanent life here in exchange for, well, nothing? I'm sure that part of her would want to, but whether she actually would is a different story."
Elsa's teeth clenched. Her cousin was right. The redhead wouldn't accept such blatant charity.
"So I'll tell her that I enjoy her company," the Queen huffed. "I'll say that having her around makes me happy, and that the cost of her living expenses is worth the emotional stability that her presence gives to Arendelle's monarch."
The Princess rolled her eyes. "Even to me, that sounds ridiculous. It you want to make certain that she stays, you have to tell her how you feel."
"Tell her how I feel?!" Elsa demanded. "If she doesn't reciprocate my feelings, than all that will do will make sure she leaves!"
"That's a risk you have to take. Even if she doesn't like you back, she might buy the 'emotional dependency' argument if she knew you liked her as much as you do. And if she does, then she'll stay for sure. All in all, it's your best chance," her cousin explained.
Elsa sighed. "How do we even know that she wants to live here?" she asked, doubt suddenly filling her mind. "Maybe she'd rather be making her own way in the open world, fighting in tournaments for a living. It's less comfortable, certainly, but probably more exciting."
Rapunzel crossed her arms. "Did you see her face when she told you she was leaving?" the Princess demanded. "She was struggling to hold back tears. No, she definitely wants to stay here. All you have to do is give her a good reason."
"And what if she does return my feelings?" Elsa asked. "There's no way we could..."
Rapunzel smiled. "Why not?" she asked.
The Queen grimaced. "The monarch in a relationship with another woman? And a commoner to boot! It would anger too many people. And that's not even taking into consideration Anna's past."
"Anna's past?" Rapunzel questioned.
Elsa sighed. She'd made up her mind not to tell anyone of the redhead's former life, but Rapunzel was worthy of an exception. There was no one she trusted more.
The Queen told her the entire story.
Rapunzel's reaction wasn't what she expected. The Princess laughed. Laughed.
"What's so funny?" Elsa demanded.
Her cousin grinned. "Elsa, I married a former thief, and he stole a lot more than Anna ever did. My country got over it, yours will too."
Of course. The monarch nearly slapped a palm to her forehead. How had she not noticed the parallels before? But still...
"Eugene's not a woman," the Queen pointed out. "And the two of you had the advantage of the goodwill brought about by the return of the Lost Princess. People were so happy to see you back they wouldn't have cared if you were dating a frog. I don't have that luxury."
"Perhaps," Rapunzel agreed. "But you have advantages of your own. There's still a lot of sympathy for the loss of your parents. And the threat of your magical wrath gives you a stranglehold on the throne. Being with Anna would create difficulties, but it wouldn't be anything you couldn't deal with."
"Maybe," Elsa admitted. Her cousin was smarter than she looked.
"Besides, that's not even your real concern here. Those are just excuses your mind is inventing to try and get out of telling her how you feel. You're so terrified she'll say no you're trying to rationalize not telling her," Rapunzel continued.
The monarch's eyes narrowed. Perhaps her cousin was too smart.
"Elsa?" the Princess asked.
"Yes?" the monarch replied.
"Go."
\
Anna took one last hot bath after she packed, savoring the steaming water. It might be years before she got the opportunity to wash herself in warm water again, if indeed she ever did. Trying not to cry, she stepped out of the water and dried herself off. Using the mirror one final time, she braided her hair into its usual style before putting on a set of clean clothes.
The redhead was just making sure she'd packed all of her armor into a bag when there was a soft knock on the door.
"Anna, may I come in?" asked the Queen's voice.
What was she doing here? Planning on telling her off for leaving their meeting so abruptly? Or perhaps she just wanted to say goodbye. Hoping it was the latter, Anna dashed to the door and flung it open.
"Your Majesty," she bowed deeply.
Elsa nodded, walking past her and into the center of the room. She stood facing the window for a good ten seconds, as if deciding what to say.
"I...I came to apologize, Anna," she said finally, turning to look at the redhead. At Anna's quizzical look, she continued. "For my words last night. I said I didn't care if anything happened to you, and...and I was wrong. I'm sorry."
The former thief stared at her in shock. "You're apologizing to me? I'm the one who should be sorry. I defied your direct orders, and you let me off with nothing more than an angry glare," she pointed out.
Elsa shrugged slightly. "I was angry, Anna," she admitted softly, "But I understand why you did it. In a way, I appreciate it, even if I still wish that you hadn't risked your life."
Anna wasn't sure what to say. "Uh...thanks, Your Majesty. I want you to know that I really appreciate everything you've done for me. The room. The training. The chocolate," she breathed. "Anyway, um...thank you."
"You don't have to leave yet, Anna," Elsa blurted out. The redhead stared at her. Of course she did, and not just for the reasons that the Queen was aware of. Besides, Elsa was probably just trying to be courteous.
The redhead really really didn't want to go, and that was why she had to leave now, before the temptation took over.
Anna shook her head. "You gave me my reward. I no longer have a reason to be here. You don't owe me anything anymore." Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Of course, if you want, I could always visit sometime when I'm in the area. There have been tournaments held within the capital, after all." And maybe if she only saw Elsa infrequently, they could continue their friendship without the Queen discovering her true feelings.
The monarch shook her head. "No. That's not what I want, Anna," she replied.
Anna's heart sank. She knew the Queen's reasoning immediately. Today had demonstrated the risks that her presence in the Palace posed. The longer she remained here, the more likely it became that she would embarrass the monarch. Regardless, Elsa's admission instantly had her battling tears. After all they'd bonded, the Queen didn't even want her around.
"I-I understand," she choked. Anna picked her bag up off the floor. "G-goodbye, Your Majesty."
She turned around to leave. Anna took a step towards the door...only for her path to be cut off. A wall of ice sprouted up across the entire room, seemingly raising up from the carpet. Within a second, a barricade of white reached up all the way to the ceiling, obstructing her view of the door beyond. Shocked, the redhead spun around to face the Queen.
"I don't want you to visit, Anna. Because I don't want you to leave in the first place," Elsa said firmly.
The redhead stared at her. "I told you, you don't owe me-" the Queen cut her off with curt wave of her hand.
"That's a matter of debate, Anna," Elsa asserted. Suddenly, the monarch bit her lip. "And that's not why I want you to stay. Not the main reason anyway."
Despite herself, the redhead couldn't help but feel an uproar of hope at Elsa's words. Was the Queen really suggesting...
Elsa sighed heavily. "You make me...happy, Anna. You've brought something into my life I haven't felt since my parents died. You...you mean a lot to me, and I...I don't want to see you go," she admitted. It seemed to be a struggle for her to get the words out, but Anna could tell they were genuine.
For a brief instant, Anna thought she could fly. At that moment, she understood without a shadow of a doubt that she meant something to Elsa. The ruler of Arendelle valued her, and in a way that no one else ever had. It was a strange sensation, to be wanted by another person, but the knowledge that she made the Queen happy filled her with a joy she had never before experienced.
And then she came crashing back down to earth. Elsa viewed her as a friend. Maybe very close friend. But if Anna stayed, her attraction to the monarch would become all too clear, and the connection they shared would shatter so painfully that the redhead doubted she would ever recover.
"Y-your Majesty, I...you mean a lot to me too," she said softly.
"Then stay here," Elsa prompted. "It would cost me nothing to allow you to live here permanently."
"Permanently?" Anna sputtered. Her heart ached with longing. To live in the castle for the rest of her life...it sounded like a dream come true. She couldn't believe that Elsa was making the offer, but it was a struggle to not immediately accept.
Stop tempting me! she mentally begged. I'm trying to the noble thing by leaving before I ruin what we already had, but you're really not making it easy!
The Queen appeared to sense her hesitation. "Please, Anna," she pleaded, a light of hope appearing in the monarch's eyes.
"I-I couldn't," Anna managed. "What would...everyone would criticize you for it!" She knew the words were true. The nobles who lived in or visited the Palace had never been subtle with the looks of contempt they gave her. Anna's presence had been tolerated by many only because of the now common knowledge of what she had done for the Queen, but even that only when so far. Many still doubted her story, especially some of the more traditionally minded lords.
The monarch nodded. "Maybe," she admitted. "But they will get over it. No one's going to revolt against the Ice Queen because she gave a room to a peasant girl who saved her life."
Anna stared at the ground, trying to find the strength to say no. "I..." she stopped as the Queen walked forward, taking Anna's hands into her own. "This castle is mine, Anna. I can do whatever I please with it. It's my home...and I want it to be yours too," Elsa admitted.
Home. The word made her skin tingle. She hadn't had a place to live in two years, and had long since resigned herself to the reality that that would never change. Now here was the Queen of Arendelle, offering her a place to live for the rest of her life. A really nice place to live.
"Why?" was all she could say. It was getting harder and harder not to cry.
Elsa looked at her curiously. "Why what?"
"Why do you want me around? I have nothing to offer. You're the Queen, you could have the company of whoever you wish. You don't need me," Anna argued.
The monarch shook her head. "Yes, I do. Nearly anyone else would just see the opportunity to become friendly with me as a way to gain an advantage in life. You...you're different."
Anna sighed. "All I've been doing since I got here is take advantage of you."
"Never intentionally," Elsa pointed out. "Everything I've done for you, I've done because I wanted to. And it's cost me nothing. You've made me happier than I've been in years, it's only right that I return the favor."
"I'm an awkward peasant girl without a drop of noble blood in her body or a respectable skill to her name. What makes me so special?" Anna demanded.
To her surprise, Elsa laughed. She gripped the redhead's hands tighter, making the former thief's skin tingle.
"Anna, I don't care who your parents were. All I see is the woman who was willing to give up her life for the small chance of rescuing a stranger. You're kind and brave and funny…and one of the only people I've ever actually enjoyed spending time with."
The redhead smiled slightly at her words.
"So, will you stay?" the Queen asked, a warm smile breaking out on her lips.
Anna looked up, staring into Elsa's eyes. "I...I don't know," she said. It was true. She was so tempted...a furious battle waged between her head and heart.
"Why not?" Elsa demanded, her face hardening.
"I...I can't. It wouldn't be right," she said, her mind temporarily overpowering her emotions. "I get it...you want me around, but that's just because you've been isolated since your parents died. There are plenty of other people you could be friends with...who could make you happy."
The monarch's eyes narrowed. "Not like you have," she said, desperation now entering her voice.
"What do you mean?" Anna questioned uncertainly.
The Queen sighed heavily. Her face set into a look of determination, eyes filling with an emotion she couldn't identify. But what-
Elsa's hands reached up in a flash, grabbing hold of Anna's shoulders. The redhead barely had time to process the movement before the Queen pulled her close and smashed their lips together.
Anna's mind melted. She must be hallucinating, because this couldn't be real. The redhead had gone through a tumultuous life, but nothing had ever shocked her half as much as the sensation of Elsa's cool lips against her own. Her eyes saw stars.
The Queen was kissing her!
She was too stunned to react. Too stunned to even breathe. Anna tried to move, but she felt too lightheaded to even twitch her fingers. She could almost feel her blood pressure dropping dangerously as her brain continued to try and comprehend the impossible.
Her vision darkened as Elsa finally stepped back. The Queen said something in a soft voice, but Anna was already too far gone to hear. The redhead lost control of her legs, falling out of Elsa's gentle grip.
The world went black.