Content warning: Mentions of blood and gore, very brief. Happens some time after "Ride".
Slither
Anna may not be as used to the outdoors as her sister, but she'd learned to appreciate the many plants and creatures that inhabit the Northuldran forest. There's the reindeer, of course, but they're domesticated and completely used to human contact. Many species of birds occupy the canopies, many manner of reptiles slither along the ground. Elsa is not as fond of the various species of bug as Anna is, but she can't say she's afraid of them.
Once the queen finally becomes comfortable on the back of the Nokk, traveling from place to place with Elsa is an even more magical experience. When Elsa freezes a path through the ocean, Anna can't help but stare in awe. She remembers why she enjoyed horseback riding so much, before the last ride she took threw her off and scampered away.
The first activity Elsa suggests once her sister arrives is searching for critters, like they did as children. Anna has asked multiple times for Elsa to teach her how to properly skin and prepare food in the wilderness ('just in case', she argues), but the elder sister maintains that it's up to Honeymaren to get down to those gory details.
Elsa can do it, but she still struggles with not gagging when the animal's organs come wetly plopping out in a nasty pile.
"Elsa, look what I found!"
The elder sister chuckles to herself, thinking that the queen found some manner of creepy-crawly insect that she's so fond of. Her surprise is not only palpable, but audible.
Elsa is a quiet person by all standards. She generally speaks only when spoken to, and she rarely raises her voice. However, the bone-chilling scream she manages to raise nearly knocks Anna off her feet. The spirit yanks on her sister's arm, forcing the creature that was content to be coiled on Anna's other arm to the ground.
"Wh–whoa!"
"Get away from that thing!" Elsa cries out, covering her face as though the creature can't harm her if she can't see it.
"...the snake?"
Said snake is a mottled brown with a pale yellow collar around its head. It's nearly invisible in the grass in which it was unceremoniously tossed. An indignant purple tongue flicks out as the snake rearranges its coils and prepares to vacate the area, where some panicked spirit won't fling it to the ground simply for existing.
"Yes, the snake! I can't believe you just picked it up like that! What if it bit you?"
"Elsa, it's a grass snake. They're totally harmless. There's tons of them in Arendelle in the summer."
"Don't remind me!" Elsa cringes, her icy magic sparking against her will. These lapses in control are very few and far between, but faced with something she'd terrified of, it's little wonder.
Confused, but still concerned, Anna reaches out to touch Elsa's shoulder. She's not surprised when the blonde flinches, though upon seeing who initiated the contact, Elsa relaxes.
"Geez, you're that scared of snakes?" Anna tilts her head.
An angry blush floods Elsa's pale face.
"Yes, I am," she replies with a defensive edge. "Do you have any idea what some snakes can do?"
"I have several ideas, but I get the feeling you're going to tell me anyway."
"Don't get smart with me!" it's getting harder and harder to take Elsa seriously when she tries so hard to look angry, but only ends up looking adorable with her pink cheeks and set scowl.
"Hey, c'mon, just relax, okay?" Anna takes hold of Elsa's trembling hand. The intense remnants of Elsa's fear response squashes Anna's urge to giggle. "He's gone now."
The relief in Elsa's sigh can be felt. She passes her hands over her face.
"Anna-"
"Look, I know what you're going to say," the queen interrupts, more than a tinge of annoyance in her tone. "I wouldn't have picked him up if I thought he was gonna hurt me, and I definitely wouldn't have let him hurt you."
Elsa bites her lip with a guilty, sideways glance.
"I'm just...really scared of snakes," she admits. "When I was little, I got bit by one, and it wasn't harmless. I was sick for days."
"Wait, do you mean that one summer when Mama said you'd gone to some royal conference?"
The elder sister laughs softly.
"It wasn't her best lie, I admit."
"Yeah, what six year old goes to some conference when they're still learning how to spell?" Anna narrows her eyes. "How sick were you?"
Elsa looks away, weighing her options. She could lie and say that it wasn't too bad, or she could simply tell the truth. Anna would find out one way or another.
"I thought I was gonna die," she admits with a dark chuckle. "Fever, chills, my stomach felt like it was on fire. I threw up more than I took in."
Anna's horrified gasp strikes Elsa right in her heart.
"No wonder Mama lied."
"As much as I hate to say it, it's for the best she did. It would have just upset you. Even Papa couldn't take it anymore at one point, he just fell apart."
Anna can honestly say she had never seen her father shed tears before, but it's little wonder that Elsa's sickness would have been the breaking point.
"Elsa...I'm sorry."
"What for, Anna? It wasn't your fault, and it happened years ago," Elsa scrunches her brow with confusion.
"I mean, for not taking it seriously," the queen slides her hand down Elsa's arm. "I'm sorry for being insensitive."
With a roll of her eyes, Elsa opens her arms as an invitation to a hug. She beckons with her hands. Once Anna is in her embrace, she squeezes gently.
"Anna, I don't think it's possible for you to be insensitive," Elsa's affectionate declaration brings a smile to Anna's face. "Impulsive, maybe, but not insensitive."
"I can live with that."
"Yeah, I know you can," Elsa scoffs when they break away, grabbing at Anna's nose with a gentle tug. "Little devil."
Anna giggles, batting at her sister's hand.
"Takes one to know one."
"Really, Anna?"
Closing notes: Apparently, the Eurasian grass snake can spray a nasty smelling liquid from its anal glands as a means of defense (thanks, Wikipedia). As hilarious as that would be, I refrained. It can also make itself bleed from the nose and mouth, and play dead (again, thanks Wikipedia for the information I never knew I needed). There is one breed of venomous snake in Norway, the common European viper, whose bite will hurt, but it isn't generally enough to kill (Wikipedia, you rock). I imagine that a child getting bit would probably be more serious than a healthy adult, but she had access to the best medicine. Was antivenom a thing back then? I'll say it was for simplicity.
