A/N - A beautiful chapter, I think. Maybe I'm biased. Everything in this chapter takes place before the events that started F2.
The sun was rising over the kingdom; the sky a thousand shades of red and purple. The sun itself was a large orange ball, flaring in every direction. The way the light illuminated the city; the waters; the trees; was enough to make a grown adult cry. It was an incredible sight to see.
They'd seen it a thousand times. It never got any less beautiful- it was, in fact, one of the few reasons they made this trip. They tried to go at least once a month; to sneak away during Elsa's busiest days (usually the middle of the week) throughout the year. The scenery changed as the seasons progressed. The December sky was the most beautiful of them all.
It was very cold out. A fire was essential when not moving. They were Nordic, filled with viking blood. The cold didn't bother them too much; Anna far more than Kristoff. She'd never quite gotten over the cold that hit her core when she froze a couple years back. On one hand, she felt more resistant, and on the other, she felt even more susceptible to it. Kristoff knew the cold; he lived in it; worked with it. He knew how to dress appropriately for the weather, and had taught her some tips.
Not that it worked. He'd learned after a few trips to bring an extra set of his clothes for her to wear. She preferred them; said they kept her warmer. "The travel clothes they make for princesses aren't as good in quality."
It was a lame excuse. She could order them to make her better, warmer clothes. But why on earth would he argue when she looked so good in an oversized tunic?
Their fire was burning bright; crackling behind them, offering them a decent amount of heat. She'd woken up a little before him. She loved watching the sun rise from the very beginning; when the sky was still dark. He wasn't as interested. He'd joined her after a while, catching the climax of the colours. He scooted up behind her, putting his legs on either side of her body, wrapping her in a loving embrace and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" she said in a daydream.
He smiled. "Second most."
She smiled, too. She rested her head against his. The colours from the sky gave everything a pink tint. It made them feel warm. "I wish we could do this more often," she whispered. She held onto his arms, which rested across her stomach. "Run away. See the world together."
"All in good time," he told her.
There was only one thing truly holding them back. Elsa. They felt more than ready to go, but didn't want to leave her alone in the world. Anna still felt attached to this place, in part- it was her home, after all. But the more she thought about the whole world itself, the more she wanted to run and never look back. She'd cursed this duty of hers; this birthright. She wanted to be normal. She didn't want expectations. She wanted to be free.
But she was free. This is freedom.
She took a deep breath of cold mountain air, and melted into her lover's arms. He nuzzled his face into the crease of her neck, breathing in her earthly scent. They'd been out here for days by this point; almost a week. It was one of their longer journeys. The days were leading up to the holidays; more importantly for them, it was almost Elsa's birthday. She was going to be twenty-four. They wanted to do something special for her, but it was difficult to find a balance when there were so many other things going on in the same week.
"If we could run away…" Kristoff wrapped his hand around hers, fiddling with her fingers. "...where would we go?"
She calmed at the thought. A million answers rushed into her mind. Everywhere. She wanted to go everywhere. She wanted to see the sky from every angle. She wanted to feel heat like she'd never felt before. She wanted to go further North and feel real mountain air. She wanted to go where she could feel as if she was the first person to be there; somewhere so desolate and hidden away that she could run free; sing at the top of her lungs; dance like nobody was watching. She wanted to chase waterfalls and swim in lakes. She wanted to boat down rivers and climb cliffs. She wanted to see Preikestolen. She wanted to see the glaciers. The northern lights, up close; in a world so dark and isolated that the only light were the stars. She wanted to keep moving. Constantly. She didn't want to settle. She wanted to be free.
And then she remembered him. And she remembered Elsa. And their people. And their home. The home they'd fought so hard for. The home they'd built together. And suddenly, she no longer felt the need to run. She wrapped her small hand around two of his fingers and sighed in relief. "I think… I want to stay right here, in this moment. With you."
He held her closer. The colour of the sky had faded as the sun began to rise higher. This moment was perfect.
She loved autumn. The colours, the atmosphere, the attired, the overall mood people seemed to have; it was becoming her favourite season. She'd always preferred summer before. Now, she was excited for the autumn festivals. The harvest. The food. They'd been preparing for a few weeks now. They were almost ready. If she'd known this was about to be the last normal week of her life so far, she probably would've appreciated it even more in the moment.
But the future was always a surprise. And Anna preferred to live in the now.
Now; she was happy. Now; she had her family by her side. Now; she was falling even deeper in love with her favourite man. Now; she was feeling healthy and happy within herself. Now needed to last for a while. She could get used to this.
Elsa had been a bit detached lately. Anna figured it was due to the stress of planning these events, though she was a bit concerned for her sister's wellbeing. She'd urged her to take breaks, but Elsa insisted it wasn't the work- she hadn't been sleeping well these days. She told Anna it was a bad sleep habit that she was trying to break, and that was the end of the conversation. Elsa was then off to a meeting, and Anna found her way back outdoors where she belonged.
Kristoff was tidying up Sven's shelter rather aggressively with Olaf talking his ear off. Anna stood in the doorway watching the scene unfold. It amused her; his grumbling as he swept. It wasn't long before Olaf noticed Anna, and greeted her gleefully. She smiled at him, and Kristoff seemed to sigh in relief. "Thank god you're here."
"We were just talking about the festival!" Olaf told her, bounding over to her side. "Did they finish making your dress?!"
She laughed lightly and knelt down to his level; "yes, Olaf. They finished yesterday! We're all set." She looked at Kristoff with satisfaction. "Are you looking forward to it?"
He went to answer, but caught himself, cleared his throat, and answered differently; "it should be fun."
She cocked her head to the side, "you are coming with me, right?"
"Yes!" he quickly assured her, giving her his full attention. "Yes. I'll go with you. It's just…" he put his hand on the back of his neck; "well… y'know. It's not necessarily my scene. But it'll be fun if you're there."
She smiled. "I'm sure we'll all have a great time."
"And Elsa will be there too, right?" Olaf intervened. Before the princess could answer, he continued joyfully; "ohh, I just love it when we all get to spend time together as a family!"
The couple exchanged a warm smile. "Me too," Anna said. She took hold of Olaf's stick hands. "This is the third of many more to come! And we'll make each one more special than the last." She looked at Kristoff again, with pride and content in her eyes. "Together."
He smiled, placing a hand on Sven who gave her the same look. "Together."
She was exhausted; fingers pressed firmly into her temples. She muttered a few curse words under her breath.
"Elsa?"
The blonde sat up, turning towards the door that connected her room to the hall. Anna was there, leaning in casually, but with a look of concern. "Are you all right?"
She nodded. "I'm fine, Anna. Thank you for the care," she said pleasantly. She held up a pen and indicated towards the papers on her desk; "I'm really busy right now. Can we catch up later?"
The redhead seemed to deflate slightly, but nodded in understanding. "Sure!" she said; her joy a bit half-assed. "You know where I'll be." She closed the door quietly; respectfully as she left.
Elsa sighed, hanging her head in defeat. She looked towards her bedroom window, staring beyond the glass. She couldn't ignore it; that voice. It was burning into her brain. Even when it wasn't there, she could still hear it echoing. It was driving her mad. If she'd had a kroner for every time she'd debated or nearly told Anna about it, they'd never face any kind of debt for a thousand years. But she didn't want to worry her. Life was too good right now. She couldn't bear to be the one to ruin it. Again.
She sat up, shaking off her exhaustion, holding the pen firmly in her left hand. She let it slide to her fingertips as she pressed it to the paper- but no words came. She couldn't think. She stared at the paper for a while longer; the voice echoing in her mind. She was going to scream.
Elsa doesn't scream. She threw the pen, unintentionally launching a blast of ice at the wall in the process. Frustrated, she forcibly stood up, knocking the chair over as she walked towards the window; fingers running through her hair to claw at her brain. Get out of my head… Her eyes shut tight as she swayed back and forth, fingers massaging at her scalp. It wouldn't stop.
She opened her eyes; hands falling in defeat as her eyes met with the frost that covered the window. She was slipping. Falling into old patterns. She got angry at herself- she'd discussed this countless times with Anna. She knew it was okay; this was normal. It wasn't the end of the world; no damage was done. And yet she was so entirely disappointed with herself. It made her feel out of control.
Fuck.
She turned around, brushing her hair back out of her face. Her bun had nearly fallen out completely by this point. She grabbed the ribbon that had once kept it in place and tossed it aside; her light blonde locks falling just past her hips. She rubbed at her eyes, thankful that she'd decided that morning that it was not a day for makeup. Her bed was calling to her; she was desperate to sleep. And then that voice came again.
Maybe Anna was right. Maybe she needed to take a break. Maybe she was overworking herself. Stress can cause hallucinations, right? That's all it was. She needed to take a break. Then she'd be able to sleep.
Anna and Kristoff were tossing rocks into the water of the fjord. They were bantering back and forth when they noticed Elsa approaching. They turned their attention to her. "Hey, Els," Kristoff greeted casually. "You okay?"
Her body language showed her exhaustion; despite her tired eyes and crossed arms, her shoulders were straight. She smiled slightly. "I'm okay. Mind if I crash your party?"
"No! Please join us," Anna said gleefully. She skipped over to her sister, linking arms with her. "We were just talking about the holidays."
"Bit early, isn't it?" Elsa gave Kristoff a look of surprise that he was engaging in this. "We haven't even celebrated autumn yet…"
He shrugged. "Gotta have things to look forward to."
Anna nodded. "Besides," she leaned in closer to the queen, "it's hard not to celebrate when we're all together."
"We did celebrate these same holidays last year," Elsa reminded with a light laugh. "And the year before that."
"And not for so many before that," Anna countered. She threw one hand out as she spoke; "getting excited for what we get to celebrate is just as exciting as celebrating!"
The older adults shared a chuckle. Their love for this woman was mutual, and endless. "Aren't you excited?" Anna asked her sister, holding onto her arm. There was a tinge of uncertainty; insecurity in her voice. She wanted reassurance.
Elsa gave her a warm smile. "Of course. As long as it's with you." She gently booped the tip of Anna's little, freckled nose, getting a giggle in response.
"The real celebration is in New Years," Kristoff chimed in, tossing another stone into the water.
"Only because of the drinks," the princess retorted. "But some of us aren't interested in that. Right, Elsa?"
The blonde raised a brow. Kristoff had to cock his head at her, "don't deny it."
Anna looked back and forth between them before her gaze settled on Elsa. "You… drink?"
She shrugged half-heartedly. "Maybe a few here and there," she replied, swallowing the fake guilt. They stared at each other for a moment. "Only for special occasions," she added as a disclaimer. "And… you drink wine, don't you?"
She held up a defensive hand; "barely. And that so doesn't count."
"Yes, it does," the other two agreed simultaneously. "You can get drunk on wine," Kristoff told her.
She scoffed. "Please." She brushed them off. "Do you have any idea how much wine you'd have to drink to get drunk?"
"Not much if you're sensitive to it," Elsa replied. She let out a breathy laugh and placed her hand on Anna's arm. "We're grown ups, sis."
"Aren't you worried about being drowsy at a ball or something?" She seemed genuinely concerned, though was trying to play it off with casualness.
The blonde shook her head. She and Kristoff exchanged another glance. "Of course not," she told her. "I wouldn't be so irresponsible. But one glass isn't going to affect my ability to focus. Don't worry about it."
Anna nodded a bit then forced a smile. "Okay. No more worrying."
They were in silence for a brief moment before Kristoff spoke up to spare them. "We were thinking maybe a game night after the festival?" he told Elsa. "Spend some time as a family and relax from the day that we all know will be busy…"
"That sounds lovely," she smiled.
Anna held her a little tighter, and reached out, taking Kristoff's hand to keep him close as well. "A perfect date, with my two favourite people."
Elsa rested her head against Anna's, whilst Kristoff gave her hand a squeeze. It was going to be another perfect end, to another perfect year. Together.
A/N - Hello, all. Been a little while.
Reviews:
Zucch1n1 - "beautifully haunted" sounds so lovely... Beautiful word choice. :') I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback!
elenasmcanonico - Anna definitely deserves a break, huh? Unfortunately, things are only looking down for her right now, but surely things will get better soon! And thank you for your support. All will be well in time xx
Susan - Her trials are difficult, but she is tougher for sure. I'm so glad you're still enjoying what I write! Thank you for your continued support. It means a lot :)
BadEnglishSpeaker - Real life comes first! Don't apologise for being busy, though I'm very glad you're still here. Anna is a tough woman and will figure things out in time, but it will not be easy. I also really appreciate your advice! I don't have any friends to talk to (everyone has their own stress to deal with), which is why I find an escape in writing, I suppose. I'm just hoping that my own darkness doesn't seep into the tale :') Your words truly mean a lot to me. Thank you for your care. xx
Element 37 - Sleeping hours? You mean, people sleep?! I wish! Haha but thank you; I've made this choice to work for myself, and I shall suffer the consequences. It will be worth it in the end. And don't apologise for English; mine is lacking, too. To answer your question: Iduna's secret room is located from a hidden entrance in an old library/office on the ground floor of the castle. Behind the hidden entrance (disguised as a bookcase) is a long tunnel leading to the room, which is built into the mountain (so it wasn't destroyed by the wave). Hopefully that makes sense!
Sorry if my responses are lacking; your words truly mean so much to me, I'm just lacking in language lately. I am slowly working on another chapter, but updates will still be a bit delayed for the time being. Thank you for being so patient and understanding. Much love to you all. Jeg er glad i deg. xx