Anna stood alone in front of the mirror, her hair up in the royal braid. The look was foreign on her, as it was one that had belonged to her mother. The Queen's Braid, Elsa had called it. Their mother had worn it as long as Anna could remember, and Elsa had copied her for much of her life. And while Anna had worn braids like this before it wasn't quite the same and tonight it carried much more weight.
Elsa had still worn a braid, Anna remembered. Even after … everything … Elsa had still worn a braid, for every day of her time as Queen of Arendelle. It wasn't until she'd found another calling that she'd let her hair down.
And now here was Anna, with her hair up and no longer down. She stared into the mirror, seeing her mother staring back, wondering what her mother would think of her right now. All of Anna's life, she'd worried she wasn't useful, that she was just there in case something happened to Elsa, that she'd never find her calling.
Had their mother looked at her as a child and wondered what kind of life she'd have? Would she have ever expected a crown on her youngest child's head outside of, perhaps, an arranged marriage? God, but she was glad that had never come to pass, even if just a few years ago she might have found a reason to think it romantic.
Anna realized she was shaking a little and closed her eyes, counting until her breathing had steadied.
She'd had to be helped into her dress; similar to Elsa's coronation day dress, but a little larger in the chest, with a different pattern to the bodice and probably about as constricting as Elsa's was. That didn't really bother her, actually. If anything, the longer she looked at herself, the better she felt. While she didn't have Elsa's ability to magically alter her attire and wouldnt mind a little tweak here and there, she didn't need it.
"This is where I belong," she murmured, a smile forming on her lips. Oh, she was still terrified of the day, but she felt good about it too.
"It really is."
Elsa moved into view of the mirror, and Anna whirled around. She jumped on her sister, hugging her tightly, "You made it!"
"Did you really think I was going to miss your big day?" Elsa asked, her return hug just as tight.
"A small part of me was worried," Anna admitted. She took a step back, hands on Elsa's shoulders, getting a better look at her. She thought of Elsa's new look as 'fairy queen' from the moment she'd seen it. Elsa had modified it slightly, returning to a long skirt, with a short, joined cape. But the color and style and general sparkly-ness remained and her hair hung in elegant golden waves. "You dressed up for me! And you're wearing heels again?"
"I think you deserve more than forest cryptid today," Elsa replied, reaching up to fix a stray bit of hair from Anna's braid. "I never hated what I wore before, Anna. I just love who I am now more. And a part of who I am then and now is your sister."
"You're going to make me ruin my make-up," Anna complained, but she didn't mind. She'd needed the reassurance of having Elsa here, of knowing that Elsa was a Nokk-ride away and on the days that she truly, desperately needed her, she'd be there. Her coronation. Her wedding. And sometimes just to be there.
Elsa hugged Anna again, then stepped back and gave her a critical look-over, "Have you spoken with the dressmaker yet about your wedding?"
"Not yet, I kind of was hoping you'd be there for that."
"I'd be delighted to."
"That reminds me though, I've gotten the preliminary sketches for a statue of our parents in the town square." Anna chewed on her lip, "I'm going to make commissioning that my first act as Queen."
Elsa's gaze softened, "Oh Anna. That sounds like a lovely thing."
"I'm expecting you for my wedding, but if you can't make the unveiling of the statue, that's quite all right."
"There are probably a lot of things we still need to talk about." Elsa reached for Anna's hand, "Though I don't think now is the time."
"It's clearly bothering you if you're bringing it up now." Anna squeezed back, "We'll make it tonight, once we're all danced out and have some wine in our bellies. Promise?"
Sighing faux-dramatically, Elsa nodded, "I promise."
"Speaking of dancing,"
"I don't dance."
"Oh no, you are not getting away with that this time." Anna waggled her finger in front of Elsa's face, "You're going to dance, Elsa. With at least one dignitary. Or at least someone. Anyone."
Anna had invited quite a few people, including the Northuldra. Maybe she could get Elsa to dance with one of those ladies. She'd noticed things about her sister, okay?
"You're not Queen yet and you're already ordering me around."
"I'm your little sister and that's a much more important position to lord over you."
Elsa laughed, and it was probably the happiest sound Anna had ever heard come out of her, "Since my Queen insists, I might find it in me to dance with someone tonight. And then we'll sneak some chocolate, a glass of wine, and have that talk I promised you. Deal?"
"Deal." Anna was already drawing up plans in the back of her head.
"It's almost time." Elsa glanced at the clock, then snapped her fingers. Magic twisted and spiraled around Anna, altering her dress in subtle but significant ways. Some sparkles to the crocus designs, a little snowman hidden on her belt; and a tiny snowflake on the inside wrist of her sleeve.
Anna looked at that for a long moment.
"That will change," Elsa explained. "When you're crowned. From a snowflake, to the sun. Because you're my sun, Anna. And Arendelle's sun. If that's okay?"
"Like passing the torch?" Anna struggled to keep from crying, pulling Elsa into another hug, "I love you, Elsa. It's perfect."
"I love you too." Elsa squeezed her, "I'll be front and center, but you don't need me, Anna. You've got this."
"Oh Elsa." Anna shook her head, "I'll always need you. Just the ways we need each other have changed."
"I suppose you're right. They'll change as we get older too." Elsa nodded, "I'm proud of you. Mother and Father would be proud of you too."
Anna sniffled, then started to push Elsa towards the door, "Okay that's enough emotion, you're going to make my make-up run."
She shoved Elsa out of the door and closed it as her sister's laughter rang outside the room, and turned and looked in the mirror again. This time it wasn't Queen Iduna or Queen Elsa looking back at her.
Queen Anna smiled at herself, "Yeah. I've got this."