I own nothing!
Warning: This story contains child abuse.
FYI: Anna is about 18, Elsa is 20, and Kristoff is about 19 (just saying)
Jimmy's abrupt departure worried the girls as they sat with Todd and Nelly. Part of Elsa's mind was telling her to grab Anna and run, but another part reminded her that Kristoff trusted these people. Elsa trusted Kristoff, so she and Anna were safe, right?
"So," Anna began tentatively, "how long have you known Kristoff?"
Elsa sat back in relief, thanking God for Anna: social, awkward, lovable Anna. Elsa relaxed in her seat as Nelly began to tell stories of a much younger Kristoff. The girls simply listened, with the exception of Anna's speech on the virtues of strawberries. Although Todd did not speak much, he did not seem threatening in the slightest, and Elsa was slowly being put back to ease.
Jimmy came back thirty minutes later, with a large man in tow. All eyes were on the pair. "Do you recognize them?" He asked the large man behind him.
The man gazed at the girls, but it was Anna who broke the silence. "Kai?"
The hard gaze melted into a warm smile. That was all the acknowledgment Anna needed to jump out of her seat and embrace the castle cook. "Yes, this is Anna." Kai answered Jimmy's question. "And that," Kai glanced up at the shyly smiling blonde, "is most certainly Elsa," the cook finished. This seemed to be enough for Jimmy, who retook his abandoned chair.
The younger girl pulled away after a moment. "Oh Kai," Anna said as she remembered the last time she saw the kind chef. "I never got to apologize. I really hope you didn't get in trouble about letting me help in the kitchen!"
"Don't worry about it, Princess." Kai replied gently.
The younger girl blushed at the use of her old title. "Oh, uhh, Princess? Well, I suppose, but please, just Anna. It just been a long time, and, you know?" Anna trailed off.
Elsa chuckled, "Forgive us, Kai. We have not used out old titles in a long time."
The cook inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Which brings me to my next question," he began tentatively. "It was announced that you had died."
Anna, who was still standing next to the cook, answered. "We ran away, and a boy, Kristoff, let us live with him."
"Then, is the Queen still alive?" Kai asked quietly.
"We don't know." This time Elsa answered.
Kai nodded, then, taking a seat on the work table, he asked, "Ok, so what's the plan?"
"That's why we're here." Anna replied as she reseated herself in the chair beside Elsa. "Kristoff told us about the new laws, and we felt that it needed to be stopped."
"Although we are looking to do this peacefully," Elsa added.
A topic came to Anna, "Nelly, you mentioned a cause."
"Yes, Jimmy, I think you would explain it best." The elderly woman redirected the comment.
The vender bowed his head for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "There is a group of people, mostly venders and craftspeople, who work to sabotage the new laws. It's never anything big, but enough to be irritating. Now, with you two returning, we have someone to rally behind. The people will fight for you to be on the throne."
"Elsa," Kai began, "I have an idea, but," the cook faltered for a moment. "Did you show Anna what you wanted to show her that night?" The blonde's eyebrows creased for a moment, trying to understand Kai's question. Realization struck her and she dipped her head in affirmation. Anna and the others looked between the two in confusion. "Would you be willing to make your… gifts public knowledge?" Kai ventured.
Anna's eyes widened as she understood what they were talking about. "You know about it?!" Anna exclaimed indignantly.
"All of the senior staff knew. We were sworn to secrecy on pain of death." Kai replied. Anna scowled for a moment, feeling the pain of the old wound caused by the secrets in her childhood.
Elsa looked at the other inhabitants of the room. "Please, don't be alarmed," the blonde pleaded. Before anyone had a chance to speak, Elsa swirled her hand in the air above the table. A small ice sculpture of the castle appeared.
Nelly gasped, and Jimmy eyed the creation suspiciously. Todd slowly got out of his seat to inspect the work of art more closely. "Is ice the only thing you can work with?" Elsa flicked her hand in the direction of the sculpture and a light snow began to fall.
By this time Nelly had regained her wits. "It's beautiful." The old woman commented.
"Thank you." Elsa murmured as she waved her hand for a final time to make all traces of the frost disappear. A little louder she asked, "Kai, why did you ask about my powers?"
"I think they will prove to be useful." Kai vaguely answered. "Did anyone tell you about Hans?" The cook questioned suddenly.
"Who?" Anna and Elsa questioned simultaneously.
"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, he came here to finish his royal training. The king took a liking to the boy and put him in charge of the royal guard. He can be quite dangerous."
"What does this have to do with Elsa's magic?" Anna questioned with a protective edge to her voice.
"As the main member of the cause within the castle, it is my job to find out what's brewing." Kai continued. "A guardsman tipped me off about a secret witch hunt. It seems that a blonde woman with ice powers and a woman with auburn hair called Anna were spotted at Wondering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna with a young man and his reindeer. All three have been deemed a threat and the guards were ordered to keep an eye out for them." Elsa began to speak, but Kai held up a hand, silently asking her to let him finish. The blonde closed her mouth and the cook finished. "If we are going to try something, we must do it quickly, before you are discovered."
"You said you had an idea, Kai." Jimmy stated rather impatiently.
"Yes, well, what if we got word out to other members of the cause to draw the guards out of the castle. I could sneak the girls in without having to worry so much about running into someone." The cook explained. "Perhaps we should bring one other, just in case there is some confrontation."
"Kristoff," Anna immediately declared, "it should be Kristoff."
"What is keeping an alarm from being sounded and the guards coming back?" Nelly asked.
Kai glanced at Elsa. "Would you be able to create a solid barrier to block the castle?"
"I'm not going to hurt anyone with my powers." Elsa warned.
Kai assured her that wasn't what he was asking of her, and the blonde agreed.
"When can we do all of this?" Anna asked no one in particular.
"Tomorrow night, we can use curfew to draw out the guards." Jimmy answered. "There is still a little time this evening and tomorrow to spread the word."
"Excellent," Kai said, standing up. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to make sure everything is in place; good night everyone." The cook showed himself out.
"We should go too, Elsa. It sounds like we have time to leave the city. Kristoff would be so happy to see us safe with him tonight." Anna said.
Jimmy rose from his chair. "I don't think that is a good idea. Kai said that you were declared witches, so you should stay indoors and out of sight as much as possible."
"You girls can stay here for the night." Nelly offered.
"Oh, no, we couldn't," Anna tried to argue. "What if we were found? You and Todd would be in trouble."
"It is a risk we are willing to take." Nelly countered.
"Kristoff will worry if we don't get home." Elsa countered. "He might do something irrational."
"Tell me where he is and I will bring him here." The vender relented.
"Past Wondering Oaken's, partway up the summit of the North Mountain," Elsa directed. "You will come to a sheer cliff with a pine tree and a pile of boulders. Go around the tree and there is a little clearing where we made our camp."
Jimmy nodded. "Todd, can you go start getting the word out about tomorrow night? Tell them that we are going to have a demonstration by breaking curfew."
"Yes, I'll leave in a little bit." The older man agreed. "You go now so we don't look as suspicious."
"Very well, I will see you all tomorrow." Jimmy said as he left.
Todd scurried up the stairs muttering something about a hat, leaving Nelly with Anna and Elsa. "Now, you two wait right here. I'll bring you some towels and soap so you can was up. By the time you're done, I'll have fresh clothes out and blankets so you can make a place by the fire." The older woman explained gesturing to the back wall where there was a small cast iron stove. "It won't be the most comfortable place ever, but you will be warm."
"Oh, please," Elsa said, "That really won't be necessary. Just a place by the fire is more than enough."
"Nonsense, I'll be right back." Nelly insisted.
Anna was about to argue as well when Todd came back down. "Please, do as Nelly asks, the pair of you smell like reindeer." The old man commented as he left.
Anna and Elsa were again left alone with Nelly, this time blushing profusely. "I'll be right back with that soap." Nelly said with a chuckle.
She came back a minute later with two towels and a bar of soap. Handing the supplies off to the girls, she led them through a door on the same wall as the stove. The wash room scarcely held the three women and contained a small water pump; a wide, shallow basin; and a low, wooden bench. "You can leave your clothes on the bench. I'll have the fresh ones waiting just on the other side of the door. When you're done, you can just dump the water in the back." Nelly pointed to the door opposite the one they entered.
"We don't have to be worried about being spotted by your neighbors?" Elsa asked.
Nelly shook her head, "the folks on both sides are part of the cause, and the ones behind can't see into the yard because of the hedge." The older woman turned to leave. "Oh," she added over her shoulder, "if either of you need a toilet, the outhouse is in the back as well."
"Thank you!" Anna called as the door shut behind Nelly.
The younger girl turned to see Elsa sink onto the bench with her hands covering her face. "And they want to put me on the throne? What? Am I supposed to be Elsa: the Pungent Reindeer Queen?" The blonde's complaints were muffled by her hands.
Anna giggled, "You would be the best Pungent Reindeer Queen ever. Outhouse first?"
Elsa glanced up at her little sister. "Outhouse first," she agreed.
When the pair returned, they took off their blouses and skirts and pumped some water into the basin. Elsa told Anna to lie down so the blonde could wash her sister's hair. Elsa was in the middle of rinsing the suds out of Anna's hair when the younger girl remembered something. "Elsa," she paused to make sure she had the blonde's attention. "What you did out there, showing them your powers, well, I know that must have been hard for you. You did wonderful, and I'm proud of you."
Elsa smiled softly down at her sister and kissed the younger girl's forehead. "Thank you, Anna. I'm proud of you too, with Kai bringing up some of the staff knowing about my secret."
A self-conscious smile spread across Anna's lips. "It's still a touchy subject, not knowing about your powers. It probably always will be."
"I have a feeling a lot of touchy subject are going to be brought up over the next couple days." Elsa remarked, then, to lighten the mood, she tapped her sister's nose playfully. "Alright, get up. It's my turn." The girls exchanged places. As Anna began lathering Elsa's hair, the blonde began giggling quietly. At first, Anna ignored it, but as the noises progressed into a full out laugh she couldn't keep from asking what was so funny. "I just realized I can't remember the last time either of us touched soap." Elsa said between breathes.
Anna sat back on her heels, thinking. "Was it last summer?"
"Something like that," Elsa agreed. "I suppose that's what you get for living with a boy who does all of the shopping and his reindeer."
The girls finished washing and Anna peeked out the door to see if Nelly had left them clothes. Sitting on a chair was a stack of folded cloth with a slip of paper reading Elsa & Anna. Anna grabbed the stack, shut the door, and placed the stack on the bench next to their old clothes. "What did Nelly leave?" Elsa asked, coming to stand next to her sister.
"Looks like nightshirts." Anna replied lifting the first one to hand to Elsa. Both pairs of eyes fell to the remaining nightshirt, and what were folded neatly on top of them. "And… undergarments." Anna added.
"How subtle," Elsa deadpanned.
"At least instructions to change aren't in writing."
Elsa chuckled at her sister's comment as she stepped back and began removing the undergarments she was already wearing. "What are you doing?" Anna slowly asked.
Elsa winked at her little sister. "I'm going to take the hint and wash a little more. I suggest you do too unless you want to be sent back here because you still smell like an animal."
Anna took her sister's advice and soon the two girls were leaving the wash room completely clean and changed. The sun had set and Nelly and Todd were sitting at the table when they came out. "Oh, good, you're just in time. The soup is almost ready." Nelly said, getting up and walking to a pot on the stove.
Soon, Nelly brought over bowls of steaming chicken soup and Todd pulled out a loaf of bread. Everyone ate their fill, with Anna and Elsa thanking the older couple profusely for their hospitality. Todd bid the girls goodnight soon after they had eaten. Once the dishes were clean, Nelly gave the girls a few blankets, and followed her husband up the stairs, leaning Anna and Elsa to make their bed on the floor. They laid the thickest blanket on the ground to lie on top of and folded a second one to use as a pillow. Once they were curled up together, Elsa draped the last blanket over them.
Anna snuggled into Elsa. "I love you, Elsa. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Honestly, I'm a little nervous, so, I want to make sure you know," the younger girl divulged quietly.
Elsa pulled Anna closer. "It's okay, Anna. I love you too. We can worry about tomorrow, tomorrow, sound good?"
Anna nodded, and soon, both girls were fast asleep.
Hope you all liked the fluff! Please review!
Heads-up: I'm thinking this story has two chapters left, three tops!