Happens before "Family" and references a character from "Battles"
Grow
Since Kristoff proposed to her after their journey to the enchanted forest, Queen Anna has been flying high, riding on a cloud of bliss. Before their adventures together, neither she nor Elsa could have ever seen the former princess of Arendelle being wed to an ice harvester whose best friend was a reindeer and whose family consisted of rock trolls. Once their adventures drew to a close, the group couldn't imagine any other outcome but this one.
And Elsa can't imagine a better brother-in-law. Her sister and Kristoff are discussing the feasibility of inviting his entire troll family to the wedding, but she's hardly listening to the words, anymore. She chuckles at Anna's excited gasps when another idea enters her head. She imagines what her little sister will look like in her wedding dress.
It wasn't so long ago that the ice harvester stood before Elsa, when she was still queen, trying to find the courage to ask for Anna's hand in marriage.
'Elsa! Hey...uh, I mean, your Majesty," Kristoff bowed so low his forehead could have scraped the floor.
Elsa frowned; he hadn't addressed her as such since they were first formally introduced.
'Kristoff, didn't I tell you there's no need for that?' her tone started out soft, but a hard edge formed when she had more time to think. 'Has anyone been giving you trouble? I swear, if Sevek says anything else I'll-'
'W–whoa, no, nothing like that!" Kristoff waved his hands. 'Didn't you have him sacked?'
'As much as I wanted to, no,' she sighed. 'I know he's an ass, but we need his experience, especially given the economic climate right now.'
The ice harvester shifted. He suddenly felt far smaller in Elsa's presence. Sensing this, Elsa softened her demeanor.
'So...did you need me for something?'
'Uh, y–yeah, I mean, yes, I did,' Kristoff cleared his throat and forced himself to straighten out. 'It's...uh, it's a little weird to ask. I mean, not weird, but-'
Elsa's face was a mask of pure confusion.
'Is everything alright?'
'Y—yeah, it's fine. I mean, I guess that depends on your answer but, you know.'
'...no?'
'Okay, you know what? I'm gonna dive right in here,' Kristoff gets down on one knee. 'I uh...I'd like to...'
The puzzled look on Elsa's face didn't bolster his confidence any.
'Kristoff?'
'CanIhaveyourblessingforourmarraige?'
'… 'our' marriage?'
'I—I mean, mine and Anna's, uh, Princess Anna's! I mean, if she says yes, right? That's kind of the whole-'
Before Kristoff could embarrass himself any more, the queen crossed the room in less than three strides, pulled Kristoff to his feet with a strength she didn't know she had, then squeezed his midsection in the tightest hug she could manage.
'Kristoff?'
'Y–yeah?' his voice broke with nerves.
'Be good to Anna,' she delivered her ultimatum, patting his back. 'That's all I ask.'
The ice harvester smiled, gently returning the queen's embrace.
'And don't make fun of me if I cry at the wedding,' she added with a laugh. 'Because chances are, I will.'
'I hadn't planned on it,' he assured.
'Smart man.'
"Anna?"
Both the queen and Kristoff turn their heads towards Elsa's soft interruption.
"What's up?" Anna asks. There's a tinge of worry on her face. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Elsa gives a confident nod. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"
The last time Elsa asked that question, it was due to the fact that Anna was ready to marry a man she just met. The queen is wiser as a result of this endeavor, and she's confident that this is not a question of her judgment.
"Of course," Anna turns to Kristoff. "I'll be back, okay?"
The ice harvester nods, then sends Elsa a warm, knowing smile while Anna's not looking. The queen follows her sister to their old bedroom. When they enter the room, Elsa doesn't shut the door behind them.
"You're not gonna close the door?" Anna remarks.
"Do you want me to?"
"It doesn't matter to me," the queen shrugs. "So...what did you want to talk to me about?"
Elsa sits down on the bed, patting the spot beside her. Anna is instantly at her side, eyes expectant. The blonde's eyes soften, smiling with a wistful tinge.
"You look just like you did when Mama would tell us a bedtime story," her nostalgic recollection is delivered in a bittersweet note. "I know it's been years, but it feels like it wasn't that long ago now."
"I know what you mean," Anna agrees. "It's...been a crazy ride, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, it has. It's been tough, for both of us," Elsa drapes her arm around Anna's shoulder. "A lot of things happened that probably shouldn't have, and it was all because of my mistake."
"Elsa-"
A finger presses against Anna's lips.
"Anna, I wasn't there to watch you grow up, but even I can tell you haven't changed at all. You've gotten wiser, of course, but everything that you are has stayed the same. You have always been my loving, kind, brave little sister. No one had to teach you that, it just comes naturally to you."
Anna's gaze falls in spite of the wide, bright smile splitting her cheeks. She blinks rapidly to discourage the water in her eyes from escaping. For the first time in her life, the queen is rendered speechless by her sister's words. Elsa whispers a soft 'hey' to get Anna's attention once more.
"I love you, and I'm so proud of you," the elder sister runs her hand along the curve of Anna's cheek, lifting her face so she could look into those calm teal eyes. "This is what you've been waiting for, isn't it?"
The lilt in Elsa's voice and the swell of tears settled at her lower eyelids send Anna right into her arms.
"All of my life," Anna murmurs, her chin resting on Elsa's shoulder. She knows that her sister is referring to her upcoming wedding to Kristoff, but that's not all she's been waiting for.
Anna knows now that she had Elsa's love all along.
