About 9 years ago...
Anna stood in front of one of the many ever-closed doors of the castle. There were far too many doors that remained closed, all but one of them leading outside the castle. This was that one. The door that led to Elsa's room. Anna knocked five times in her usual pattern. After a few seconds of silence, she leaned back against the door and slid downward into a sitting position.
"Hey, Elsa." Anna said solemnly.
"I'm guessing by the fact that I'm talking to you rather than just knocking; asking you to come out; and leaving, that you know what day it."
"I'm 10 now. Happy birthday to me, I guess."
Elsa sat on the chair; leaning onto her desk; and trying as hard as she could to keep her sobs silent.
"Happy birthday, Anna." She whispered to herself through the tears.
"I got some cool things for my birthday." Anna continued.
"Well, not really. They would be cool, but they're the kinds of things that are best played with other people. So that part kind of spoiled them."
"I was hoping to get a card from you. I guess that was too high of a hope."
Elsa's tears had began to freeze on her face as a constant reminder that, besides being a monster for abandoning her sister and best friend, she was a monster with powers that would hurt people.
"Mom and dad say you're studying to be queen, but that doesn't quite make sense to me. You studied before you locked yourself away, why do you have to be locked away now?"
"The alternative that you hate me makes more sense. If that's the case, I'm sorry that I'm bothering you. I'm sure you don't want to hear from me."
"You know, I haven't gotten a birthday present since you were locked away. I thought maybe I could ask for just one, and then I would never ask you to come out or talk to me again, I promise."
Elsa sighed. Anna was going to ask her to come out, to play with her just for this one day, this one special day, and Elsa would have to decline.
Her face wore a mask of frozen tears.
"I... I want an answer."
'What?'
"I want to know why. Why you shut me out. Please answer. And don't lie."
'That's all she wanted? An answer? An easy explanation for why I've put my sister through all these hardships over her last five birthdays?'
'I'm not supposed to tell anyone about her powers.'
'I don't have to. I could just say that I was cursed. I was a monster. A monster who would hurt people. Anna would understand. Anna would leave me, understanding what had to be done to protect everyone! That would make it easier for everyone. I wouldn't have to exercise the self-control of keeping Anna out; Anna wouldn't go around thinking everyone in her life hated her; and her parents wouldn't have to lie to Anna anymore or keep her away from me because she would do that herself, knowing it was a necessary sacrifice for the good of everything!'
'It's so easy, it's so simple, and it will fix everything.'
Anna heard what she hadn't heard for a very long time: Words from her sister that weren't telling her to leave.
"Anna... I'm cursed. I'm a monster. I'll hurt people. I'm sorry."
There was a short pause.
"Happy birthday."
Elsa had spoken! Not, "Go away" or, "I can't" or anything like that!
"I love you, Anna."
If Anna wasn't already sitting she would have fallen to the ground.
Elsa thought she heard footsteps running away from the door. She smiled sadly. The tables had turned. Instead of Anna thinking Elsa hated her. Anna hated Elsa. It was sad, but necessary. Elsa could handle being hated far better than Anna could, or so she thought.
'I'm stronger than she is. I need to protect my little sister in any way that I can, including my imprisonment.'
Anna was running through the halls towards her parents room. Maybe she'd finally get attention from them too. Since Elsa had gone into her room, never to come out, it seemed that her parents did the same, only leaving when they had meetings or to go to Elsa.
'Why am I not allowed to do that?'
Anna thought to herself as she skidded to a stop.
Then Anna realized something.
It wasn't Elsa who had been shut off from the family. It was her.
Anna began stomping back to her sister's room.
Elsa heard steps coming back... angry steps. Anna had told their parents? No, the steps were to light. A voice came through the door, a very sad voice.
"I said, 'don't lie,' Elsa."
"I didn't." Elsa said, now not caring if her sister heard her tears.
"Don't give me that! I figured it out. You seem like the imprisoned one, but you're not. It's me. You, mom, and dad have all shut me out. You still talk and hang out with each other. You did imprison me, you just didn't want it to seem like imprisonment. I mean, who could feel caged when they have an entire castle to themselves? But can I leave? No. Can I hang out with anyone? No, not even my own family."
Elsa hadn't realized the pain she'd put Anna through. Anna was far more scarred now than when Elsa struck her, but at least she was alive, right? Elsa shook her head. She was emotionally dead or dying. Elsa looked around. her room was entirely frozen over.
"I'll prove it." Elsa's want of her sister's happiness betrayed her need for secrecy.
'Did I really just say that?'
Elsa slowly walked over to the door, and gently placed her bare hand against it. It froze instantaneously.
Elsa heard her sister gasp.
'Good, a step in the right direction. Better to be afraid of her than think she's hated.'
"Elsa..." She heard Anna whisper.
'Here they come, the cries of fear.'
"That's so beautiful!"
'What? She... thinks it's beautiful? She likes it?'
'Of course she likes it. She loved it before the accident. Why would I expect any different now?'
"No, Anna, it's dangerous. I'll hurt people."
"Never."
"I've already hurt you."
"...Elsa, I just found out about this today."
"Actually, you've known about your whole life. I accidentally struck you with my magic, and dad took you to the trolls to wipe your memory and remove the magic."
"Trolls don't exist."
"You said to the girl who just froze the door to her room." Elsa sighed. "Either way, Anna, I can't hurt you again."
"You're right." Anna confirmed her sisters words. "You can't, so let me in."
"Anna, look, I-"
"Elsa. I will make you a deal. Well, another one. I am going to try the door. If you truly, wholeheartedly don't want to see me, lock the door. I'll try the knob; It won't open; and I'll be on my way, fulfilling my end of our first deal. If there is some part of you that wants to see me, unlock the door. I'll come in; give you the biggest hug of your life; and if I freeze to death, I'll die during the happiest moment of mine."
Elsa grabbed the key to her door and placed in the keyhole. She held her hand over the key, but she couldn't bring herself to actually lock the door.
After about a minute, the doorknob was disturbed. It slowly rotated and Anna cracked the door open.
Elsa made eye contact with her sister for the first time in over five years.
Anna was absolutely stunned by her sister. Elsa was gorgeous even while still a child of thirteen years.
Elsa thought the same thing about Anna.
Anna bolted through the door, and brought Elsa into a firm, loving hug. Tears ran through Anna's closed eyes; from her face; and onto Elsa's dress as they remained in their embrace for several minutes. Elsa kept her eyes closed as well, though no tears escaped her.
When they finally ended their long-awaited show of affection for one another, Elsa opened her eyes and looked in wonder at the room around her, now completely thawed. The door was thawed as well.
"How did..." Elsa was at a loss for words, so Anna didn't use any. She simply made up for lost time and wrapped her arms around her sister once more.
They separated again and talked for quite a while.
Well, they also played a bit with Elsa's powers. She seemed to be in complete control of them.
"This is great! It means that I can come out! I can't wait to tell dad- Dad." An unsettled look crossed Elsa's face. She passed a quick glance to the clock on the wall, then she turned back to her sister.
"You have to go, Anna. Dad will be here soon, and if he finds you here-"
"If dad finds me here we can tell him you have control. We can tell him together."
"Or he can take you back to the trolls and have your memory wiped again."
"He would never do that."
"I'm not so sure, Anna. And that scares me. Please, just for me, leave and don't tell mom or dad you were here."
"But what happens after that?" Anna was scared too. Scared that her sister would shut the door once more, never to open for her for another five years at least.
"I promise. I swear. That I will keep the door open to you, Anna. I'll let you back in, but for now, leave. Please."
Elsa pushed Anna out the door and latched it behind her.
Elsa was nervous that her father might discover that she had broken their agreement, and that he would force Anna away from her again. She was going to do everything in her power to prevent that. It wasn't going to happen again. Elsa looked down to the ground and noticed that she had made footprints out of frost and ice in her fear, which only made her fear stronger, until she felt arms around her. The arms retreated and Elsa once again saw her sister. They hugged again and Anna whispered into her ear.
"Don't be afraid."
They parted and Anna went back through the door, willingly this time, but before Elsa could shut it Anna said three more words to her sister.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Anna. See you soon." And the door latched once more.
Anna leaned back against the door and slid downward into a sitting position once more, hardly believing what had just happened.
WOO! I don't know about you, but I LOVE this if I do say so myself... and it only gets better from here... or, is that the opposite? I don't know. Actually, I do, but I don't want to tell you just yet. :P
By the way, any suggestions for minor plot points? I would consider them as I want to have this story be twice as long (chapter wise, it's already over twice as long word count wise.) as "A Queen's Nightmares." I can't promise I would do any, but I will promise to, at the very least, write them all down and consider placing them into my story.
Have a great day... or night... or morning... or evening... or dusk... or dawn... or twilight... or... midnight... or... noon... or afternoon... I can't think of anymore. Thanks for suffering through my ramblings on here even thought they don't contain ANY useful information. See you in the next chapter. Actually I won't. BYE!