Rain
Elsa knows something is off when Anna drags herself into the dining hall for breakfast, even sleepier than normal, dark circles beneath her tired eyes.
"Anna, you look tired. Did you sleep okay last night?" the queen asks as she nurses her coffee.
"Mmyeah, yeah, just fine," Anna yawns through her sentence. "Never better."
Elsa raises a brow; this wouldn't be the first lie Anna told, but why did she feel the need to?
"Is there something on your mind?"
"No, nothing!" the princess replies too quickly, polishing off her tea in record time. "Well, I'd better go!"
"Wait, Anna!"
The door is already shut by the time Elsa calls her sister's name.
Lunchtime doesn't offer much more insight, only Anna appears even sleepier. She has attended a few meetings with Elsa, and while the princess normally has a good deal to contribute, today she only speaks when prompted. She doesn't even seem remotely engaged.
"Hey, Anna, are you sure you're alright? I hardly heard from you today."
"I'm fine, Elsa," comes the same placating response, this time with a bit more of an edge to it.
The queen bites her lip.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"What? N–no, you didn't do anything!" Anna's mild irritation ebbs away at the thought of Elsa blaming herself for her own mood. "I'm sorry, it's not you"
"But...something's not right, is it?"
The princess opens her mouth, but shuts it again quickly.
"I gotta go. If I don't see you at dinner, I'll see you tonight."
"Wait, what do you mean-"
This is the second time a door has been shut on Elsa today. She tries to think of what could possibly be bothering her sister. What's more concerning is why Anna isn't just telling her.
The evening brings with it a sudden, heavy rainstorm that batters the glass windows. Anna does not show up for dinner, and that is the final straw. Elsa can only eat a bit of hers before she arranges a small tray for her sister. She brings the food to Anna's door and knocks timidly.
"Anna? I didn't see you at dinner. I brought some food, but I really need to talk to you."
To her relief, the door opens, and Anna's eyes land on the tempting tray. They dull almost instantly at the restless expression on Elsa's face.
"Elsa, I'm just tired, really. It's not a big deal, it was raining last night and I had trouble-"
Anna clams up, then scrunches her shoulders up to her ears. Elsa shuts her bedroom door and sets the tray of food on her nightstand.
"Eat, then we talk. Please?" the queen clasps her hands over her chest in that nervous gesture she's never quite gotten rid of.
Predictably hungry, Anna devours the food Elsa brought, then prepares to make good on her end of the deal.
"Okay, so you remember when I was little and I used to think the sky was crying when it rained?" she begins.
"Yeah, you tried to talk to the sky to cheer it up," Elsa recalls with a fond smile. "Anna...I don't want to be judgmental, but you don't still believe that, do you?"
"No, no, I don't. It's just...the sound, I guess. I just don't like rain," Anna explains while her cheeks tinge pink. "I'm not afraid of it, it's just hard for me to sleep while it's raining, or when there's a thunderstorm."
Elsa tilts her head with worried brows.
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"Elsa, I'm not gonna bother you for that."
The queen sighs, shaking her head.
"Anna," she begins, and Anna can already tell that Elsa is disappointed. In what, she can't really say.
"Yeah?"
"Remember how I promised not to shut you out?"
"Yeah, but this is-"
"It's not different," Elsa finishes her sister's thought flawlessly. "Look, you can come to me for anything. It doesn't have to be because you're scared or sad."
"But it's silly!"
"No, it isn't," Elsa gently refutes, toying with one of Anna's braids. "If you can't sleep, just come to me. There may not be much I can do, but at least you won't be alone."
Alone. Anna has come to hate the word. Elsa spends a good deal of time alone, but the difference is, she can enjoy it. Solitude offers comfort to the introverted young queen, whereas Anna has simply learned to cope with it. Anna needs alone time on her terms, and very infrequently.
"You need your space, Elsa," Anna's eyes move upward, while her head remains low. "I can't just barge in whenever I feel like it."
"Anna, look at me."
An unusual severity colors Elsa's tone, startling Anna into complying on reflex. To offset her stern speech, she slips her hand beneath Anna's chin.
"If I truly need to be alone, I'll tell you, but you can come to me anytime, and for anything. There is no reason to suffer in silence. None."
There's a leap of joy in Anna's heart knowing that Elsa is taking her promise to keep her door open both literally and figuratively.
"Anytime?" Anna asks, as if she didn't already know the answer.
"Anytime," the queen nods. She kisses Anna's forehead with a maternal warmth she's always had, but could never use until recently. "Just because the sky's sad doesn't mean you have to be."
"Hey, I told you I don't-"
"I'm just kidding," Elsa smiles kindly. "You should get some sleep. You look exhausted."
Anna prepares to climb into her own bed when an awkward cough from behind stops her.
"It's raining out. Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?"
Anna leaps the short distance and wraps her arms around Elsa. She squeezes with a strength comparable to a boa constrictor, minus the threat of death.
"I'll take that as a yes," the queen laughs, patting Anna's back. "I'll even sing you our lullaby, how's that sound?"
"I love you," the redhead murmurs. It's not really an answer, but it's enough for Elsa.
"Love you too. Even if you snore."
