Mama
The queen exits the meeting room with a note of optimism; it went far better than usual. It probably has something to do with the fact that it was the middle of the day and everyone got their second wind from the imported coffee received earlier that week. Even Anna, who bled optimism and energy on a normal day, was three times as engaged and alert.
After a long morning, Elsa knows her sister will probably be up for building a snowman. There's still time before dinner, and she's been promising it to Anna for the last week. Of course, matters of ruling manage to get in the way, but the princess remains patient with an understanding smile.
After checking all of Anna's usual places outside the castle, Elsa begins to worry. It's still only early afternoon, and she hasn't mentioned anything about going anywhere. The queen searches the obvious places within the castle walls; the reading room, the portrait room, the library. As a last resort, Elsa decides to check Anna's bedroom. Usually, the redhead only spends nighttime here, but where else could she be?
As she reaches the familiar door, she gives a soft knock.
"Anna? Are you in here?"
There's a brief silence, followed by a series of grunts and snores. It's far too early for bed, why is Anna asleep? As quietly as possible, Elsa turns the knob and inches into the bedroom. She slowly shuts the door behind her, cringing as the hinges begin to squeak. With the door firmly shut, Elsa walks over to her sister's side.
The first oddity Elsa notices is that Anna is still in her day clothes. A familiar maroon shawl is draped around her shoulders, the tassels on the ends threaten to tickle her nose. The second strange thing is that Anna is sleeping so quietly. The princess' impressive snores used to keep Elsa awake when they had sleepovers, but she's learned to tune it out, even get a little used to it.
Elsa places the back of her hand on Anna's forehead, checking for a temperature. There's nothing abnormal there. Her breathing is even, and as silly as she feels, Elsa places two fingers on Anna's throat to check her pulse. It's still beating strong as ever.
"Hey, wake up," the feather soft voice of the queen is just enough for the princess to open her eyes.
"Huh? W–what's going on?" the remnants of sleep cling to Anna's voice as she lets out a yawn. She sees a hand perched on her shoulder.
"You fell asleep," Elsa plainly states. She runs her fingers over the shawl occupying her sister's shoulders. "Anna, are you okay?"
With bleary eyes, Anna squints at her sister.
"Yeah, why?"
"It's just...I've never seen you wear Mother's shawl before," Elsa sits down on the bed, her hand stroking the princess' shoulder.
"Do you want it? Is something bothering you?"
"No, I'm fine, I just wanted to make sure you were," the queen explains. "I was worried I was rubbing off on your or something."
Anna looks at the hand running tender lines down her arm with a warm smile.
"Sometimes, I'll put this on, and it's like I can still feel Mama's arms around me," the redhead tucks her body closer to her sister's.
Elsa grins. It's wistful, but fond nonetheless.
"Totally unrelated, but I'm pretty sure I crashed from the coffee earlier."
That earns an honest laugh from the queen.
"So it wasn't just me," Elsa chuckles. "I thought it was stronger than usual."
"Man, I was buzzed for hours after that first cup," Anna recalls. "After the meeting, I came in here, but I don't remember why. Then I guess I fell asleep."
"You were sleeping so quietly, I had to check to make sure you were still alive," the queen brushes a few stray strands of hair from Anna's eyes. "Had I known that Mother's scarf would stop your snoring, I'd have done that ages ago."
Anna rolls her eyes, a sly grin curling her lips. Elsa yawns, stretching her arms.
"You're making me tired," the queen gripes.
"So? Take a nap," Anna suggests, lifting the shawl so Elsa could share it. "There's room for two."
"It's three in the afternoon," Elsa deadpans. "Little early to be asleep, don't you think?"
"Never stopped me," Anna shrugs, and Elsa swears she can sense some bitterness in the words. 'C'mon, I know you don't have any more meetings for today, and I'm cold now that you woke me up."
Elsa shakes her head with a crooked smile.
"Oh sure, blame me," she accepts Anna's invitation with a touch of sass. "How are you cold? The sheets are hot."
"They sucked the heat out of me."
"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Elsa nestles beside Anna, pleased by the warmth the shawl still holds. "Are you sure I won't be too cold for you? It is winter."
"It's cold without you."
That statement could have been heartwarming, had it not been for the haunted undertone.
"Anna?"
"I'm okay," the princess sweeps in with a placating reply before Elsa can worry herself any more. "C'mon, rest."
"Are you sure you're okay?" the queen searches her sister's face for some obvious clue. "You seem off."
"I'm fine," Anna maintains. She gives a wide smile to act as proof.
Elsa doesn't look convinced, but she knows better than to dig deeper, at least for now. It turns out the queen herself was on the way to crashing from the caffeine high as well. Cuddled up to Anna's warm body, Elsa is snoring softly within mere minutes, with the vigilant princess at her side.
Anna can't fall back to sleep. It's been so cold without Mama's arms around her. She can't think how she survived without Elsa's for thirteen years.
"Can you see us, Mama? Papa?" Anna whispers. Her heart breaks, even if she knows she won't get a response.
Elsa's arms wrap just a little bit tighter around Anna. The queen is clearly asleep. Rather than make sense of it, Anna cuddles close.
Closing notes: Anna's got depression. Plain and simple. She tries to cover it up and put on a happy face, and for the most part, she's a pretty optimistic gal, but she's got emotional scars just as much as Elsa does. She probably spends so much time making sure that Elsa's okay that she forgets to look after herself and acknowledge her own needs. Fortunately, Elsa will step in when she can, but personal space is very important to her. If Anna says she's fine, Elsa feels she really doesn't have the right to pry further, even if she thinks otherwise.
Also, sometimes, the prompt word will change at the end. I know it destroys the point, but if I feel it's just not encompassing the chapter as a whole, I'll change it. Originally, this one was called "Shawl" but I felt "Mama" fit it better.
