A/N- Hey guys! Thank you for the reviews, glad you enjoyed the last chapter!
Claire Cooper- It's good to be back! I missed you guys :)As for Elsa's reaction, I couldn't imagine it being good. .
AlphaWolfPride-Thankfully I managed to get another update in this week! I want to update again this Saturday (but its my niece's birthday!) I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thank you :D
Guest- I love awkward Anna, especially in these situations :) Perhaps one day Anna will...*sigh*
Alright, enough chit chat! Hope you all enjoy this next chapter!
-Talk Pillow
p.s- only..3..more..chapters (DUN DUN DUUUUH)
Fingers locked as Elsa felt herself slowly sink down onto the floor of the tent, her hair splayed out in a messy array. Above her the girl moved ever so slowly, placing a hand on each side of her body as she looked down in heated desire at the woman below her.
"Elsa.." she whispered as the girl brought her head against her own, touching their foreheads. Elsa gasped as she felt their breath mingle and she fought back the urge to push herself forward into the girl, breaking the small distance between them. "Elsa..." Anna breathed again, her right hand coming up to caress the girls face. Elsa slowly closed her eyes and her Knight brought her lips upon her own, kissing her softly. "Oh Elsa..?" she breathed into the kiss, "Elsa...Elsa?" she was repeating her name over and over again and soon the breathy moans started to change, sounding more like the girl was calling out to her, breaking her from the image she had of the two in her head.
"Elsa, hey...are you okay?" Anna said as the Princess' eyes shot up from her book, slamming it shut tight. Elsa's face was bright red, like she had been running, and her breathing was staggering as she practically threw the book to her side. Anna eyed the book as she did and questioned its contents. Elsa was always reading that green book, flipping back and forth throughout the pages every day and night as if she should be studying it religiously. But today was different; Elsa was trailing the end of the book when she suddenly grew quieter than Anna had ever seen her. Along with this the girl was fidgety, nervous, like she had been caught doing something terrible. Anna wanted nothing more than to reach over and pluck the book from where it now rested, reading a few lines. But that was something Elsa would never allow, especially for her precious books. The books were a very sore topic and Anna knew better than to allow herself one moment of sneaking just to hurt the friendship they had acquired lately.
Elsa nodded as she started to play with her fingers, a nervous habit that Anna was surprised to see again. "Yes of course, how long till we get to Nuriah?" Elsa asked eagerly.
They were a day or two away from Nuriah, but Anna had already said this numerous times already today. Elsa's eagerness to see her husband was becoming exhausting, truly exhausting. It was hard enough hiding her feelings from the girl, especially now more than ever. Touches were kept at a minimal if at all and the two only engaged in friendly discussion when they would talk, never venturing into the topics they had once before about her Parents or about personal things.
But whenever Anna did decide to talk about anything from life to God's or even just asking the girl about her day or what she was feeling, it all related back to her husband in some way. Confusing Anna from the once closeness the two had together, the girl seemed to be pulling away from her suddenly and closer to the idea of her husband as of late. The closer the two got to the kingdom of Nuriah, the closer Anna was to insanity as the girl refused to discuss anything else.
Anna stood and looked at the mountain around them, eyeing it as if she were debating the days again. "It will be about a day or two now...depending on how many breaks we take and how long we walk today..we could honestly arrive there by tonight" Anna admitted, looking down at Elsa as she retrieved her book and went to put it away. They had already reached a fair amount of distance that day, earning the two a break once or twice to recover from the mountain's terrains and the number it did on both girls as they walked, rode and led the horse around the difficult parts of the mountain. They weren't used to this much climbing, at least not since the beginning of their journey.
"We shouldn't rush though, honestly it wouldn't be a bad thing to wait three or four days to make sure we take our time on this mountain.." Anna added, her obvious distaste in wanting to hurry was being made apparent.
The time they had traveled, from the start at Adlai to this point now, they had traveled a total of four months or possibly more. Back in Adlai it would just be the start of spring, the waters still would have been frozen and the King and Queen would have expected the girls on the ship by now. They were about right on schedule, possibly earlier to Anna, and the month or two journey across the ocean would bring the season around the edge of spring and the beginning of summer in Adlai when the girls arrived. From there Anna would have to stay with Elsa for a almost a half a years time for the time before and after the wedding, returning to Adlai hopefully by the end of that Fall.
During this time was going to be the hardest, watching Elsa grow accustomed to her new husband while she waited for her parents to arrive. Eventually marrying him. Anna just prayed the wedding and their departure back to Adlai all happened in the month of Fall, and she would return back to the Kingdom instead of spending another year waiting for the waters to freeze. At least back in Adlai she had Kristoff and Sven, keeping her occupied while Elsa and her new husband ruled.
Elsa shook her head, the motion snapping Anna from her thoughts, "Nonsense, we aren't rushing...we will be fine getting there in a days time!" Elsa laughed as she started to walk on. Anna watched her go, unsure why she was allowing the girl to have a hold on her heart so. Breaking it every chance she got with the discussions they had. But then she followed and the two fell into silence, Elsa only talking when it came to her new life or about the mountain and how she wanted to get over it as quickly as possible.
"Elsa, so I know I asked this before..." Anna said suddenly, needing to truly try to understand the girl and her ambitions. "But so...why did you decide you were going to get married to this Southern guy...?" she asked, Elsa refusing to turn as the two continued to walk up the mountain. At one point she kicked a small pebble out of her way and Anna worried she might be mad, especially since it followed with a huff.
"I want to make my parents happy...my kingdom happy, I am not fully fit to run the kingdom alone.." Elsa admitted, downing herself, "I will be much more capable with him...both of our kingdoms will benefit from this marriage."
Anna chewed the inside of her cheek, "But will it make you happy?"
Elsa paused.
"I mean do you really want to meet your new.." Anna trailed off, knowing she was prying to get the answer out of Elsa. She knew how she felt, she couldn't truly be this happy with the decision. How could anybody? "Do you really think this is how your story is supposed to end?" she added, trying to explain to Elsa what she was feeling.
Elsa continued to remain quiet, earning a small smile of victory as Anna's questions seemed to floor her. She felt deceitful and vile for trying to change the girl's mind, try to allow her to see the error of this whole marriage, especially since she was doing it so Elsa could see how much she wanted her to belong to Anna. Maybe Anna wasn't supposed to belong with Elsa, maybe the whole marriage thing was indeed the right thing to do and maybe Anna's prying was going to get her hurt. Badly. But as Elsa turned around, her eyes screaming for Anna to continue advising her against her decisions, Anna knew this would be worth the pain of another argument in the end.
"I just want you to be happy Elsa..." Anna admitted. That was indeed true, regardless of Anna's feelings. She only wanted the girl to be happy.
Elsa smirked and Anna bit her lip as she spoke, "I am happy..Anna I…have..feelings for..." she trailed off "I really do want to be with..".
Anna looked down at her feet, knowing what the girl was going to say next. She was going to tell her that she was happy, that her new life would make her happy and that her new husband would as well. Anna couldn't stand to hear the words anymore and she wanted to scream as the girl continued to talk, the words like poison in her veins.
"Elsa please...just..." Anna said, starting to interrupt the Princess, but flinched as the horse suddenly jumped up onto his hind legs and whinnied loudly. Anna's eyes tore from the ground to the horse and then to Elsa, her heart stopping as she saw a man coming up quickly behind her as the Princess eyed the horse. A knife raised above his head.
"Elsa!" she screamed, dashing towards her and drawing the dagger on her belt.
The man was fast, but Anna was faster, and before Elsa could process what the girl was doing, Anna had effectively stabbed the man right in his shoulder and the Princess had been pushed back. Elsa hit the ground, rolling, only to rise again as she realized they were being attacked. "Anna..!" Elsa cried, hands reaching out as Anna kicked the man back.
"Augh!" he screamed, falling as Anna withdrew her dagger and went to Elsa's side.
"Are you al..." Anna paused as her hand came to rest on Elsa's shoulder, her heart beating loudly in her ear as she heard something fly through the air. Turning she jumped as something flew by, grazing her barely across the cheek. She cursed loudly, bringing her hand up and touching the small cut that was pouring blood down her face already. Glancing down she spot an arrow buried deeply in the ground, reminding her of the ones from Calon guards. "Elsa stay behind me.." Anna growled, trying to ignore the pain as she searched every spot on the mountain for the next attack. She heard the girl gasp behind her, imagining that she was nodding her head slowly as the two fell silent. Both trying to find the archer, the guard, from Calon.
But as Anna glanced down to the fallen man she had stabbed she noticed a very different look about him. He didn't wear the colors of Calon nor did he wear any armory or bare any weapons that claimed to be of the kingdom. The man was different, attacking them for a reason Anna clearly didn't know.
"Show yourselves!" Anna yelled, holding her dagger before them, "Stop being a coward and come out and fight me!"
"Don't encourage them.." Elsa said, pushing Anna slightly, "For all you know they could just be thieves that want money..not our lives." Anna ignored the comment, knowing they could want much more than their lives.
Taking a wary step forward, Anna cast her eyes across the mountain, waiting for the man to attack again. As an archer he had the advantage here, clearly, as he could hide amongst the mountains ridges and rocks. In any moment he could have attacked, sending an arrow to either girl and killing them well before the two of them had a chance to realize his whereabouts. The key here was to find him before he decided to kill them.
Glancing to the right, Anna took another step forward, then another. Rubble moved, shifting, and Anna tore her eyes to the spot. A pair of feet fell across their vision before it disappeared behind a large bolder, the mistake in the slip would be the archers downfall. "Come out and fight me!" Anna yelled, refusing to look away from the rock the attacker had fallen behind. She took a few more steps in that direction, ready to dodge or protect Elsa if she needed. Never once noticing the footsteps that were coming from the other direction until it was too late.
There were three of them, from every direction, coming up behind Elsa and Anna as the two girls stared at the archer. Anna turned as she heard the horse neigh once more, alarming her of the intruders just a second before they grabbed for the Princess. Anna's eyes went wide and she brought her dagger up, "Elsa move!" she screamed, trying to get to her.
Elsa's eyes looked at Anna in confusion until she felt someone pull her back and a knife press coldly against her throat, cutting it ever so finely. Elsa's hands went still as well as Anna's movements and the man started to pull away. "Come any closer and I will tear her head off..." he demanded, his eyes glaring at Anna as she held up the dagger in preparation to fight. The other two men came to their sides, baring their swords as the man made his announcement, ready to fight should Anna choose to be foolish. Elsa flinched at his words and tried to see who the attacker was, whimpering as he squeezed her tighter.
As Elsa did, Anna practically lost control.
"Let her go!" she screamed, her eyes like fire. The men weren't like the guards they had faced throughout this trip. They was dressed from head to toe in a wrap that was all black, concealing everything but their eyes. There was a symbol on a necklace that he wore that resembled something she had seen before, although Anna couldn't make out what it was at this distance.
The man scoffed and whistled out, the noise flowing high above the mountain and causing Anna to shudder.
"I said let her go or I'll...!" she yelled, silencing as her eyes fell on more men of his kind. They were all dressed in black, all concealed except their eyes and they all had weapons that aimed at Anna as she stood gaping.
"Back down woman...you're in our land now, you will not survive this." The man said, bringing the knife closer to Elsa's neck. Anna swallowed as Elsa clenched her eyes tight, she was in pain and there was nothing Anna could do about it. "Once again...I will warn you, then this woman is dead...surrender." he spat, watching as Anna's hands trembled.
Anna swallowed and she found her grip loosening from the weapon slowly, her body growing weak in defeat as she saw Elsa stare back at her. She couldn't allow Elsa to die like this, not at the decision Anna had made because she was stubborn and wouldn't give in. "Fine..I surrender.." Anna spat, her face falling as she dropped the dagger and she felt hands grasp around her wrists, wrapping them tightly in a rope. The man laughed and he dropped his weapon as well, receiving ties from his comrades and binding Elsa as well. The girls were quickly shoved and brought away from their horse, away from each other, towards the men's group.
"Take them to our Queen...if they struggle...kill them." the man called out as he watched the girls get dragged away, their feet trying to keep up as the men marched on. "Onward towards Nuriah!"
Nuriah was a kingdom of deep red. The town looked like it was on fire; like that the sun had sent its love upon the kingdom and burned its warmth into the decoration of the buildings and houses that lined the fair kingdom.
Given any other situation, Anna would have admired the kingdom. But with Elsa's life on the line, Anna couldn't tear her eyes away from the woman as she was pushed and pulled the entire way down to the kingdom. Eventually the two were brought to the kingdom's castle, through the doors and slammed onto the ground of a room that was open and large, reminding her of the room she was in back in Adlai. Anna turned to see Elsa's body next to her, her head being pushed to the ground as if she were being forced to bow to some tyrant before her. Anna went to speak out against her cruelty when she too felt her head being shoved, down to the ground, waiting for their sentence.
"What do you want from us.." Anna breathed, finding it extremely difficult to talk from her position.
No one answered, the room filling with silence, and Anna wanted to scream out her question again. But then she heard a door opening and then closing, followed by the sound of footsteps. Anna's eyes turned and a pair of golden boots found their way into her eyes as, what she assumed was a man, tapped his foot lightly.
"Well...what have we here?" he said, walking closer towards her.
Someone shuffled behind Anna, "Thieves sir...we found them on MountNuriah." he admitted, causing both girls to gasp.
"We aren't fucking thieves!" Anna cursed, earning her a kick as the man with golden boots observed her. The kick was from one of the guards, obviously being displeased with her outbreak. She would make sure he would pay for his petty attacks. "I am Anna of Arendelle Camp...and this is Elsa of Adlai, we only wished to come through Nuriah to find a safe harbor for my majesties trip to the Southern kingdoms!" Anna yelled out again, her eyes trying to find the man's as she spoke. "I am no thief and Miss Elsa is just as innocent"! she snapped, a growl coming from behind them.
"Silence you, Sir we…found them in the mountain, I am sure they were trying to plan an attack on Nuriah!" the same guard spat, angrily. "They even killed one of our men!" he added, slamming his foot down.
"Bullshit!" Anna screamed back, "You attacked us, I was defending my Princess!"
"You little..!" the man clearly was angry, especially since Anna was making him a fool in front of his own King. Anna flinched as she heard footsteps and she could practically feel the man rear his leg back for another kick, biting her lip to prepare herself for the pain.
"Is this true...commander?" the royal asked, halting the so called 'commander' before Anna could feel the tip of his boot make contact with her side. Silence filled the room, eerily, as the two girls heard the 'commander' man begin to breath in and out heavily, trying to formulate another lie.
"S-she's lying sir, we have evidence!" he yelled, his voice shaking as if he were afraid.
"Oh well show me said evidence then...?" the royal pried, flooring the man.
More silence came again and then Anna could have sworn she heard a snap, more shuffling, followed by a command of some sort from the royal. "Return to your posts...I will deal with these two." he spoke, his voice sounding very determined as Anna slowly but surely felt the men rise from around her and walk away. She lifted her head to look at Elsa, her eyes searching her for any marks from the men. Elsa smiled, ever so softly, and Anna noticed the scar on her lip but nothing else that marked the girl's beautiful face. The Princess seemed just as thrilled to see Anna unharmed, both of them quickly turning their attention to the royal who had saved them from the brutes who liked to call themselves guards.
He was a interesting looking man, his hair long and dark blonde. His face had a bit of facial hair and his eyes looked dark, commanding, like a royal. His outfit was an array of gold and blue; matching him perfectly for the kind of royal they'd expect to see. The man didn't seem old enough to be a King, especially since he looked to be their age, but as he bowed his crown showed proudly on his head and a smile fell past his lips.
"I am sorry if my men scared you...right now Nuriah is having a bit of a crisis with thieves lately, my men seemed to take every other visitor as a thief more than a human being lately..although I can't punish them for being wary" he admitted, coming around the two girls to untie their knots. Anna rubbed at her wrists as he came to her first, eyeing them for scratches or other injuries while Elsa simply folded her hands before her once her ropes were cut loose. He offered each of the girls a hand as they rose, although neither of them took it. "But please...just for the sake of my mind, was the story you spoke of before true..are you merely here for passage through the Nuriah port?" he asked again, a smile cracking as the girls looked to each other.
Anna was the first to speak, "Yes, Princess Elsa...she has to leave from Nuriah's port as soon as possible.". Anna turned to Elsa as if to emphasize this point, holding her hand out to explain to the King. "Her parents, the King and Queen of Adlai asks this of Nuriah...as we have business with another Kingdom to deal with"
The man's eyes shot between the two girls, quickly falling on Anna's necklace. The gold piece seemed to confirm her words, much to Anna's pleasure. But he still seemed wary as he brought his hand up to his chin. "Business...nothing of war I hope?" he asked, causing shock to fall on Elsa's face as she decided to speak.
"My Kingdom is a peaceful one, we are making a formal arrangement with the Southern kingdoms...all very well, you needn't worry about aiding a side in war your majesty." Elsa skillfully said, earning a smile from the man. Anna watched her as she spoke, pride filling her. She wanted to be Elsa's so badly. "We need to leave as soon as possible..is there any way a ship can be made ready for us?" Elsa asked, seeing that the two royals had already made a connection.
The King nodded and chuckled softly, "Of course, of course..well...maybe.". Both girls looked at the man with curiosity as he tried to find his words. "You see..I can guarantee you a safe trip to the Southern Kingdoms...with Nuriah sailors and all...but the captain of the ship would not be able to leave for another day." he admitted sheepishly. To Anna waiting a day would be perfect, be completely reasonable on such short notice, but to Elsa she was sure that was another story. Elsa only proved her right as she questioned the man on this. "You see..tomorrow my wife and I are hosting a party...and the captain of the ship is indeed my wife..." he managed to get out, earning a surprise look from both of the girls.
"Your wife is the...?" Anna started to say, a small smile finding its way to her lips. A royal Queen who went against the normality of this time and decided she would also be the captain of her own ship, Anna had to meet this woman.
"The Captain..." the man continued for her, noticing the girl's twinkle in her eye. "She has been sailing since she was a very small child and she is very skilled in it as well...it is one of the reasons why I fell in love with her." he admitted shyly as they gushed on about his wife, "I will need to confirm with her about the plans and until then I would love for you two to be a guest in my castle, especially for the party tomorrow night.".
Anna turned to Elsa who was already nodding well before she could figure out if it was a good decision or not to stay in the castle of Nuriah with this King and his Queen. "We would be honored." Elsa stated, her smile forming brightly as the man mirrored her and smiled as well.
"Excellent!" he breathed, looking past them as the sound of a door opening and closing came upon their ears. "Ah, darling!" he smiled, his eyes looking at the woman behind them with love. "Come meet our guests...we were discussing plans about you taking them on your magnificent ship to the Southern Kingdoms after the party tomorrow evening!" he laughed, a small giggle rising up with his as the woman approached the group. Elsa turned around first, her eyes training over the woman as she looked between her and Anna. There was something in Elsa's eyes that changed then and Anna wondered why she was giving her a confused look as the footsteps died and even the King looked to be troubled. But then she was turning around and her eyes went wide as the woman stood before her, smile widening as she took Anna in.
"Esmerelda?" Anna gasped, her mind unsure how to process the woman being there. She was just like she was from their youth, long wavy black hair, dark olive skin and a pair of gorgeous emerald eyes that flared as she looked at Anna. Her full lips were a bright red as they curved into a smile and Anna could have sworn she was about to cry.
"Anna oh my Gods...it's been years!" Esmerelda cried, rushing to the girl and bringing her into a tight hug. Memories of their childhood fell before Anna's eyes and she audibly gulped, remembering their last encounter. They were hardly old enough to know what was happening when the kiss occurred between them, but the effects of the kiss was what led to their kingdoms separating. The ultimate denial of her first crush from her parents that eventually led to her breaking contact from them all together. She hadn't thought about the girl in years but to Anna, as well as Elsa, Esmerelda had certainly thought of her. "Phoebus, this is my darling Anna..from my childhood!" Esmerelda stated proudly as she wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder, displaying her before the King as if he hadn't truly seen her.
Phoebus stared and looked the girl over, causing Anna to blush as he took her in again in a new light. "The girl you received your first kiss from?" he questioned as Esmerelda nodded, "Oh Gods, that Anna!" he boomed and a laugh tore from him as well as Esmerelda. The two went on to talk about how Anna had done this as a child or how she did that, misbehaving for her parents and retelling the kiss incident while Anna stood in horror. Her eyes went between the ground to Elsa, noticing that with every memory the girl brought up her Princess grew more and more confused.
"Yes Anna was such a little spitfire back then...oh Anna do tell me how your parent's are, I have missed them so much!" Esmerelda pleaded, causing Anna to sweat nervously. It was bad enough that this girl was bringing up things like the kiss or the memories of how Anna used to be, but the information about her being Princess was becoming more and more obvious as the girl continued to talk. Elsa, Kristoff or anyone for that matter hadn't known she was a Princess and she'd be damned if she allowed this childhood friend to ruin things now.
Thinking quickly Anna turned to Elsa, who was still watching on in confusion, and pulled the girl forward. "Uh...Esmerelda this is Elsa...she's the Princess of Adlai!" Anna stated, practically shoving the two girls at each other. Esmerelda paused as she took the girl in while Elsa fell silent, her own eyes running over Esmerelda. For the first time since meeting Elsa, she noticed an air about her that was actually judging and rude towards another individual that wasn't herself. Her face started to go blank and she lifted an eyebrow at the woman as Esmerelda cocked a smile at the girl.
"Nice to meet you Elsa." Esmerelda said, her hand coming forward to shake hands with Elsa. The Princess waited, a moment that was far too long, before slowly shaking her hand. The motion calmed Anna, effectively moving the conversation towards Elsa related over herself. Anna knew she was being rude by not answering the Queen of all people's questions, but she couldn't allow the fact that she was a Princess to ever be brought up again. Especially the fact that they were still alive, in front of Elsa. As the girls hand's came apart Esmerelda turned back towards Anna and then back at the woman, "I know Anna can be a bit crazy sometimes but I'm glad she found someone so calm...she seems totally different but in a good way..I hope you two make each other happy.".
The words echoed and both of the girls blushed, "We're not together.." Anna laughed as Elsa stated, the two looking at each other as they realized they said the same thing. More blushing ensued.
Esmerelda seemed to have a go at that and turned to her husband who was equally smiling, "I think I will personally show the lovely ladies to their rooms dear..to make up for that awkward comment in the very least." she teased. The man nodded and the next thing Anna knew she was being led by Esmerelda down the red hallways of the castle, Elsa walking slowly next to her and avoiding all eye contact. The castle wasn't by any means larger nor smaller than what she had already seen when it came to castles, but the red made it so intriguing and different that she felt like she was staying at a grander castle as she came upon a guest room.
"They connect.." Esmerelda pointed out as she showed the girl's the rooms they would be staying in. She opened the door and Anna peaked in to see that it was indeed connected on the inside through another door. Going inside Esmerelda opened the door and showed how she could walk through to the next room. "If you need anything..please don't hesitate to come find me." Esmerelda smiled, looking at both girls. "It's nice to meet you Elsa, and Anna it's so nice to see you again...please come talk with me before our trip to the Southern lands." she pleaded, the words sticking to Anna like hot glue. The woman wanted to speak with her, alone, for a reason Anna would only guess was about their past.
"Of course.." Anna stated, smiling sheepishly. The short answer was all the woman needed before turning and disappearing down the hallway, leaving Elsa and Anna alone after the busy day. The ex Princess turned to speak with the current one but was met with nothing but the sound of the door being shut tightly, Elsa retreating to the other side, away from Anna.
"Elsa wait!," Anna yelled out, practically slamming herself into the door. She heard footsteps walking away from the door but Elsa didn't acknowledge her beyond that. Verifying to Anna that she was indeed upset with her; much to her demise. "Great..." she sighed, "Back to square one.."