Author's Note: Well, here we are, after many months of waiting and production. I must thank all my readers who made it this far, and even those who only read part of the story. It was a pleasure writing for you, and I hope to see you back sometime.
The bed was hard. Elsa sat up and her hands pushed into solid earth. She was sleeping on the ground. Right.
The cave felt clammy and cramped. There was almost enough room to stand, but when she got up her head brushed across the ceiling of craggy packed dirt. She bent a little and noticed a beetle crawling along a root a few inches from her face. Instantly her stomach rumbled.
Here we go.
Anna lay by her feet, face spoiled by the tiniest of twitches. She was on her side, and somehow her hair had undone its braids to revert to its signature bird's nest. On instinct Elsa ran a hand through her own hair. She got down and rifled through her suitcase for a brush. The top felt heavy when she unlatched it. Did we really carry these all this time? I need to get a satchel. Anna's was in her hand. The redhead showed no signs of waking up. Elsa found her brush and began using it, only to realize there was something vain about bringing it along when she just ran away.
She opened Anna's suitcase, deciding to organize the mess. The latches burst open with a comically loud pop, screaming relief after being held together by the seams. Elsa laid things out in her lap, repacking to make the rest of their trip easier. Anna hadn't packed a brush. Yep, she was vain.
Elsa folded things neatly and stored them away in the suitcase. Much better. There'd be less of a hassle carrying it now.
Anna murmured something unintelligible and curled into herself. Elsa hesitated. A very sinking feeling crept down her mind as she finally had the time to think. She'd abandoned her kingdom, again. She couldn't go back. Even worse, Anna was with her. Anna was with her and she was going to pay for Elsa's rashness. They were women and lovers and society would never accept such a thing. Elsa sat the next hour with her knees huddled together, watching Anna and swallowing the lump in her throat.
Anna stirred. Elsa wiped her eyes and shifted to her knees. Her sister frowned as she felt the ground. "Wha—where am I?" she said, sitting up. Her eyes opened. "Oh…right."
She looked dejected. Elsa scooted closer, balling up the clump of hair that had caught in her brush. "Here," she said, dropping the hair along the cave wall.
"I don't need it," said Anna as the bristles started smoothing through her tangles.
"Yes you do."
Anna had already stopped protesting. She leaned into Elsa, eyes slipping shut. Elsa brushed with her hand around Anna's back, right between her shoulder blades.
There weren't any more knots. Elsa pulled back to gaze upon her sister. Anna snorted, feeling for her. Elsa put the brush back into her suitcase. "Stay here," she said. "I'll find us something to eat."
"I'll go with you," said Anna sleepily.
"No. I want you to stay here."
"But I can help."
"Not now. You're exhausted."
Anna made a noise then, and complacently laid back down. Elsa foraged not too far away, gathering plants she knew were safe. She pulled a root from the earth and a grub came with it, wriggling and thrashing under the falling dirt. She wasn't that hungry yet. Elsa shook the grub off and returned to the cave.
In the afternoon they continued traveling. Elsa stumbled as they climbed the steep mountain range. She had not packed much, but was weighted by her suitcase nonetheless. Halfway up the first incline she could feel her chest heaving for breath. Growing up she hadn't spent too much time outdoors. Even so, she couldn't help but freeze at every rustle, swivel at every fallen leaf. She didn't believe the kingdom would just let them go. They were being followed. She knew it.
"Made it," said Anna.
They were at the mountain's peak, an entire vista before them. Despite the sun's glare panning across the sky, it felt colder than usual. A drop dipped into a mass of green, undulating along an even bigger mountain a mile away. The forest below would provide cover and ample opportunity for food. Elsa saw the path below them had eroded into a sloping curve.
"Want to get down the fast way?"
"Sure," said Anna. "What is the fast—"
She slipped on ice and tumbled down a magical slide, screaming as her suitcase bounced down the rocky trail beside her. Both hit the bottom with a whump. Elsa giggled and came to meet her.
Anna lay sprawled on her stomach, holding her head. "Warn me before you do that," she said.
"It was fast though, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, well, now that I've freaked out we've scared off all the animals. And someone might have heard us."
Elsa's face fell. "Sorry."
They hurried into the trees, taking shelter beneath the dense undergrowth. The resinous tang of pine needles hung in the air. The earth's loamy fragrance seemed to waft up from the soil. It was strangely soothing, and Elsa walked ahead more slowly.
"We can't go back, can we," said Anna.
Elsa stopped. "No. No, we can't."
Her arms folded across her chest. Anna went to comfort her. "Don't touch me," said Elsa, shunting away from Anna's fingers. "This is my fault. I did this."
"How is it your fault? They're the ones who overreacted."
"No, I should have been quieter. I should have just…not done anything. Ever." Elsa was shaking. Nearby trees groaned from the ice crackling up their trunks.
"Elsa—"
"Don't," said Elsa.
A twig snapped somewhere to the left. Elsa rushed in front of Anna, her arm poised.
There was a smooth dragging noise along the path, and just in front of it, soft padding hooves. Anna leaned to look above Elsa's shoulder. A reindeer came into view.
"Sven?"
"Anna!" Kristoff leapt from his sled. He went to them, wide-eyed and confused. "Where were you? Everyone said you ran away last night."
"We did," Elsa said weakly, and she saw Olaf and Gwen peek up from the seat of the sled.
"Why?" said Kristoff. "We saw the whole kingdom freeze, and everyone was saying different things."
Elsa concentrated on the ground, wishing for it to swallow her up. She could feel her lips churn together and a painfully familiar tightness in her chest. Maybe if she didn't say anything, Kristoff would give up and go home.
"Well, what is it?" Kristoff demanded. "It was really hard to sneak out of the kingdom this morning, because everyone knows we're friends."
"Kristoff…oh god," said Anna, wiping a hand down her face. Olaf and Gwen were silently getting out of the sled. Anna stepped away from Elsa, taking in a breath to steady herself. "Elsa and I are…we're together," she blurted. "Together. Like, a relationship. And the kingdom found out."
Kristoff stared at them for a full minute.
"Don't be mad," Anna said meekly.
"Wait a minute," said Kristoff, taking a step back. "You mean to tell me you guys have been dating?"
"In a loose sense of the term," Anna muttered.
"Hang on. So when you told your sister you loved her, you actually meant it?"
"It wasn't in that way back then!"
"But you mean it now."
"Yes!" Anna shouted.
"Whoa, whoa, I'm not upset, calm down," said Kristoff. "I'm just…a little weirded out right now. I'm gonna have to think about this for a while. But right now, we need to get you somewhere safe," he said, making Elsa look up from her cringe.
"You're going to help us?"
"Why wouldn't we? We're your friends," said Gwen, picking up her suitcase.
"Yeah, we're gonna take you to a cabin," said Olaf. "And after everyone's not mad anymore, you can come back to Arendelle."
Everyone stopped to turn to him, smiling in simple confidence. Elsa bit her lip first.
"Olaf," she said. "It's more complicated than that."
"It is?"
"Yes." Olaf's arms lowered as Elsa explained. "People don't like it when two men or two women are together. That won't change. We ran away to save ourselves."
"But everyone loves you," said Olaf, and Elsa felt a twist in her stomach. "What you're doing isn't hurting anyone."
"That's the same thing I said. And they didn't take to that too kindly," said Anna offhandedly, trying to diffuse the tension.
"But…does this mean I won't see you anymore?"
"You will," said Elsa. "But not as much as before."
Gwen finished putting Anna's suitcase in the cargo of the sled. "Well, come on," said Kristoff. "I want to cover a lot of ground before nightfall."
Olaf turned to watch them get on the sled. They squeezed in between Gwen and waited. "Oh!" said Olaf, jumping into the cargo bed. Kristoff snapped the reins, and Sven galloped into the mountains.
"So where are we going?" asked Anna over the whipping speed, putting an arm over Elsa to keep her still.
"Cabin," said Kristoff, his eyes trained ahead. "I would stay in it sometimes before I moved to Arendelle."
They were far from where they'd started by sunset. Elsa had spent most of the time silent, listening to Anna and Gwen talk quietly as she sat between them. "Made it," said Kristoff, and they saw a small wooden home, camouflaged within the towering trees. Sven stopped abruptly, panting; Kristoff rubbed his muzzle before taking a key to open the door.
"It's got all the basic household supplies, and a bed big enough for both of you," he said. "You aren't as broad as me, after all." He placed the keys in Anna's hand once they'd set down their suitcases. "There's two, just in case. Now, the trolls are a few miles to the east, and they'll help if you get in trouble."
"Maybe they should stay with them now," said Olaf.
Kristoff shook his head. "People know about them. It's best if they're completely hidden." He nodded to Elsa and Anna.
"This is amazing, Kristoff," said Anna. "Thank you."
Kristoff nodded again, a little wearily. "We should probably head back," he told Gwen. "And rehearse our cover story another dozen times before we reach the kingdom."
"It was a special delivery to a man many miles away…" Gwen turned to the door. "Oh. Hang on." She ran to the sled, coming back with a handful of jars. "Stocking up for when the hunting and gathering thing isn't working out so well." She set them on a table to her right. "The best thing is, none of these expire before you open them. The best kind of emergency ration."
"Thank you," said Elsa in awe.
"Totally. All right," she said to Kristoff. "We really should go now."
"I'll come visit you sometime," said Olaf, twisting his body to look at Elsa and Anna. "I'll remember the way." Despite the situation, Elsa smiled.
"We'll look forward to it."
A small rock of the sled and another sharp, snapping whip took them out of sight. In the doorway, Elsa and Anna followed the lantern floating into darkness before it blinked out. Anna edged closer to Elsa and put her arms around her waist.
They turned to the cabin. It was small, some parts of the wood cracked and splintered from neglect, but nothing worth any worry. A brick lining around the left wall secured a fireplace, kindling already there for use. A few other rooms held everything they need for a frugal life.
They carried their suitcases to the bedroom, found an old dresser and, indeed, a gray-blanketed bed that would fit them both. Even though they'd spent the latter part of the day resting, the sight of it suddenly made Elsa exhausted. She set her suitcase by the bed and started changing into a nightgown.
"It's really nice here," murmured Anna from across the room.
"It is," said Elsa, her back turned.
"It already feels like home."
"It does."
There was great relief at being in a bed again, and she sank the mattress. Anna settled in a few minutes later, and Elsa folded the covers over their shoulders. A moment later Anna scooted closer to hold on to Elsa's arms.
As Anna's eyes closed against her chest, Elsa frowned. For a long time she looked out the window directly above her line of sight, at the stars sewn in between the treetops. This was a generous offer. They were very lucky. But outside of the kingdom limits, they were so vulnerable. Every moment they spent outside they'd have to watch for animals, disasters, angry people out to get them. They could be followed back to their home. They'd have to be completely self-sufficient in finding food and other provisions. Their own friends would put themselves in danger to make sure things were going okay.
She got out of bed and paced the room. A glint from an open suitcase caught her eye. She paused, then tentatively stepped forward. Something she had not seen before was poking out from under a turquoise mitten. Elsa lowered it, and picked up a small ruby, delicate but brilliant red, reflecting her face in its many facets. It had been cut in half and placed with the greatest precision inside two tiny gold rings.
Something inside Elsa kept her from putting one on. Instead she set the rings back inside the mitten and closed the suitcase. She returned to the bed and lay still, thinking.
"Go to sleep, Elsa," Anna murmured beside her.
Her heart throbbed as all the tension left her body. Sleep, she thought as the world finally washed into nothing. It's time to sleep.
To be continued….