There were two things that bugged Anna as she arrived at the Northuldra campsite, deep within the heart of the Enchanted Forest. Surprisingly, neither of them had anything to do with how unseasonably hot it was, at the moment. Well, actually no, on second thought, maybe they did.
One was the fact that her sister had been apparently feeling unwell for some time, and it had taken Gale delivering a letter from Yelana for Anna to learn about it. The other was that there seemed to be at least one newly adopted custom within the village that Elsa had neglected to mention in any of her previous letters. As Anna made her way to Elsa's hut, shyly greeting some of the more evident practitioners of said custom, it dawned on her that both of those things stemmed from a single, very familiar issue: a lack of communication.
So it could be argued that only one thing was bothering Anna, but it happened to be the one thing that had worried her more than anything else in the whole world. When her sister had first announced that she wouldn't be returning to Arendelle with her, Anna's primary concern was that Elsa would eventually shut her out again. Make no mistake, Anna's mind was not solely on herself in this scenario. The thing for her to remember was that Anna would still have Kristoff, and Olaf, and Sven, and now even General Mattias--who had been kind and gracious enough to escort her to the forest on such short notice while the others took care of her queenly duties in her absence. But Elsa? She would have the spirits and the Northuldra...up until she decided not to.
Anna knew she would always love her sister no matter what, and vice versa, but man could that girl give off some serious loner vibes. The kind of stuff that once led her to believe that staying in an ice palace on a mountain in the middle of nowhere could be a sustainable lifestyle. So when Anna had learned that there was now a ready-made glacial fortress, filled with enchanted ice memories and disembodied singing mom walls, floating out in the middle of the vast state of nowhere that was the ocean, which neither Anna nor anyone else could ever easily access on their own… yeah, she worried. And situations like these really weren't helping.
Once Anna reached her sister's dwelling, she knew she had a decision to make: go with her well-intentioned but majorly nagging, 'why didn't you tell me you were sick' sisterly vibes, the stern and overbearing, 'sit back and do nothing while I nurse you back to health' sisterly vibes, the more soothing but slightly condescending, 'no worries Doctor Anna's gonna make it all better' sisterly vibes, or some nuanced combination of the three. Anna decided she'd just play it by ear, raising a hand to knock on the wooden frame of Elsa's hut, only to be greeted by the sight of her sister opening the tent flap to show herself… All of herself… Her body, as bare as the day she was born.
Yeah. So. It looked like Anna would be going with the awkward, openly gawking, 'I feel very confused but also wow my sister is hot' sisterly vibes, which she kind of hoped weren't an actual thing, right up until she passed out.
Elsa supposed that could've gone worse, as she dragged her unconscious sister into her humble abode, offering a reassuring smile and nod to any concerned onlookers as she did. Once inside, the former Arendellian queen carefully laid her successor onto her bedding. With Anna situated, Elsa looked down at herself, noting that her state of undress was largely responsible for her sister's state of unconsciousness, so she grabbed a blanket and draped it over shoulders, wrapping it around her naked form just as Anna began to stir.
"Elsa…?" Teal blue eyes fluttered open, scanning their surroundings before landing on Elsa's… um…
Before landing on Elsa. Her face. Yes, that was a good spot to land.
The blonde lifted a hand out from under the Northuldran blanket to wave. "Hey," Elsa said with a slightly pained grin.
Anna looked her sister up and down as she sat up. "Hey," she said in return.
After an awkward pause, Elsa broke the silence with a sigh. "Anna, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "If I had known you were coming, I would've sent a note out with Gale to give you a heads-up, or I don't know, something."
Anna smiled despite herself, instantly putting Elsa more at ease. "Would it have said something like, 'Hey sis, me and a few other Northuldra are gonna be naked when you get here, please don't freak out'?"
"Something like that," Elsa replied, returning the smile.
"So," Anna began, smoothing out the wrinkles in the skirt of her royal dress with her hands, "when Ryder told me some of you guys were trying out this 'naturism' thing, I never would've guessed you'd be into it."
Elsa looked away, suddenly searching for something interesting to stare at within the undecorated confines of her goahti. "Yes, well, why wouldn't I be?" She asked rhetorically. "I'm the one who started it."
Anna's eyes went wide. "You are? Wow! Really?" She asked, not expecting that at all.
Elsa's lips pressed together pensively. "Mm-hmm," she hummed in affirmation.
"Man, I didn't see that coming," Anna mused, leaning back on her hands.
Elsa shrugged. "Neither did I," she said as she shifted uncomfortably beneath the blanket.
Anna seemed to pick up on her sister's discomfort. "I want you to know, you're fine -- it's fine, I mean -- though you are fine, let me tell you--"
"Anna," Elsa interjected softly, prompting her sister to focus on her words more carefully.
"What I'm trying to say is that I'm totally fine with it, if you wanna..." Anna paused, gesturing with two hands out toward Elsa's blanketed form before spreading her arms out, "You know."
Elsa breathed a sigh of relief once she understood her sister's meaning. "Oh spirits, thank you," she said gratefully as she shed the makeshift garment, folding it onto the floor next to Anna before sitting down.
Anna averted her gaze for a moment, trying to distract herself from the heat rushing to her cheeks. But while her mind and eyes wandered, she found herself feeling a bit self-centered. Anna realized that she wanted to appreciate the degree of confidence and contentment her sister was putting on display along with her body, and not let the moment be marred for the sake of her own sense of decency. After all, how often had she encouraged her to be more open? This was about as open as one could get. So, she turned to face Elsa, grinning without an ounce of shame.
Elsa remained positioned sideways, regarding Anna's change in demeanor from the corner of her eye. "What?" She asked the auburn haired monarch. Elsa had her legs drawn up to her chest, with her forearms folded across her knees and her platinum blonde hair spilling over her shoulders and down her back, which maintained perfect posture despite being otherwise relaxed.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Anna replied, still smiling. "So, this is new -- well, new to me, anyway. I feel like this would've come up at some point, if it wasn't. Is this new?"
"It is." Elsa said with a chuckle. "What brings you here, Your Majesty? I assume you've taken time off from your busy schedule -- unannounced-- for a reason?"
"Oh, right!" Anna had forgotten all about that. "Yelana asked me to check up on you. She said you were sick or something."
Elsa looked confused. "Wait, she did?"
Anna nodded. "Well yeah. She specifically wanted me to talk to you about your 'condition'. Have you not been feeling well?"
Elsa evaded the question. "I don't understand why Yelana would do that."
"Elsa…"
"I'm perfectly fine, Anna." Elsa insisted, turning away ever so slightly.
Anna scrunched her face, appearing skeptical. "But are you? Yelana doesn't seem like the type to just make stuff up."
Elsa sighed. "I don't know where Yelana got the impression that I needed to be 'checked up on', even if I'm sure she had my best interests in mind, but health-wise, I can assure you there is nothing to be concerned about."
"Health-wise," Anna repeated, squinting out of one eye as if she could somehow see through her sister's story. "Is there some other kind of wise I should be concerned about?"
"Anna, please, I'm telling you--" Elsa stopped, scooting away as she saw Anna reach out to her.
"Come here," Anna instructed, inching her hand closer to the apprehensive blonde's face.
Elsa side-eyed the redhead. "Whyyy...?" She drew out.
Anna stretched her hand out farther. "Just let me feel you for a second."
Elsa put a hand up to block her. "You're making this weird."
Anna stared at her perennial-shut-in turned forest-dwelling-nudist sibling before rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I feel like we crossed that bridge awhile ago."
Cerulean blue eyes narrowed. "Anna…"
"I'm just going to touch your forehead!"
Elsa leaned away some more. "That isn't really an effective way to check a person's overall health."
"...You're sweating."
"It's hot," Elsa deadpanned.
"You rarely ever sweat."
"I'm rarely ever hot."
"I don't know if I agree--"
"Anna."
Anna tsked, putting her hand down. "All right, fine. I'm taking your word for it."
Elsa relaxed again. "Thank you," she said, returning to a relaxed posture.
"But I'm keeping my eye on you!" Anna immediately declared, pointing a finger. "Not in, like, a creepy way."
"I didn't take it as creepy."
"Good…'cause I mean, it'd only be creepy 'cause you're--" pointing her finger up and down "--you know--"
Elsa cracked a smile. "Yes, I know. I get it," she assured her, before Anna suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. "W-what?" Elsa asked.
"Man," Anna stressed, still laughing, "you really threw the 'conceal' part of 'conceal, don't feel' out the window, huh?"
"I guess I did," Elsa replied, before her little sister's laughter became too contagious for her to contain her own.
The two sisters laughed together for a moment before Anna finally asked the question that had been left hanging ever since her sister decided to let it all hang out. "So what exactly brought this on?" She asked Elsa, gesturing to her -- well, her.
Elsa shrugged noncommittally before answering, "I don't know. Since I became the Fifth Spirit, I've been searching for ways that I can be more in touch with nature, and I guess, what could be more natural than going 'Au Naturale', right?"
Anna nodded slowly as she processed. "And the others?" She asked, glancing toward the door.
"The Northuldra were surprisingly supportive, to say the least. Some, very enthusiastically so. Ryder, in particular, loved the idea so much he wanted to try it for himself. And you know Ryder pretty well by now."
"Well yeah," Anna agreed, "he and Kristoff are practically besties."
Elsa nodded. "Ryder has that effect on people. He convinced a few of his friends to join him, and all of a sudden, he's organizing hikes, picnics, swimming sessions… more and more of the Northuldra decide to join in… and it's like, the next thing I knew, I was the founder of this whole 'movement'. Crazy, huh?"
Anna didn't answer right away, causing Elsa to feel somewhat anxious. Perhaps the person who knew her best had seen through this whole charade of hers and was currently contemplating the best way to judge her for it. "Elsa, that's…" Anna finally responded, lip quivering as she smiled as brightly as ever. "...That's amazing!"
Elsa wasn't sure what she expected Anna's reaction to be, but this wasn't it. "It is?" The elder sibling felt her anxiety build even more as Anna's eyes started welling with tears. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" Elsa turned her body to face her sister, sitting up on her knees.
Anna began to laugh and cry simultaneously. "Nothing's wrong! I just -- I'm so happy for you!"
Elsa didn't understand. "You are? But why?" She grimaced as Anna wiped her nose on her sleeve in an unqueenly manner. Ordinarily, Elsa would've materialized an ice handkerchief to offer her sister, but unfortunately that option was not available to her at the moment.
"I'm sorry," Anna apologized, sniffling. "It's just -- it's silly. Not -- I'm not saying you're silly. Nothing about this is silly. I'm being silly."
"Anna--"
"No, listen," Anna said in a more commanding tone than Elsa was accustomed to. "I have a confession to make. When you decided you were going to live in the forest with the Northuldra, I didn't think -- I wasn't sure how it was going to work out."
Elsa nodded along. "Did you wonder how I would adjust to going from being waited on hand and foot in a castle to 'roughing it' on my own in the woods?"
Anna shook her head emphatically. "No! No, that's not it," she insisted. "I mean, you're you. You're amazing. I knew you'd manage. Hell, you spent over half your life in that castle sealed off in a single bedroom, hardly interacting with anyone. But that was part of my worry. The 'on your own' thing."
Elsa began to understand. "You thought I'd seal myself off again."
Anna nodded. "And not just from me," she rushed to add. "I don't wanna sound clingy or anything." She continued before Elsa could object to the notion. "I was worried initially that you might not fit in here, with the Northuldra. I know they're mother's people -- and they're our people too -- but it's still an entirely different culture than what we grew up with. Different customs and ways of living…"
"You were worried I wouldn't connect," Elsa surmised.
"And now I see I couldn't have been more wrong! Elsa, this goes so far beyond connecting. You've truly bonded with them!"
"Look, Anna, this isn't what you think--"
Anna continued, overflowing with emotion. "You've inspired them in a way that's so... personal, and profound! You're not just adapting to the culture, you're adding to it!"
Elsa looked away, guiltily. "Anna, please listen--"
"You've come such a long way! I'm just so proud of you!" Anna reached out to take Elsa's hands with her own, but Elsa quickly pulled them away.
"It's a lie!" The Snow Queen abruptly confessed, holding her arms tightly against herself.
Anna stared blankly, confused. "Elsa? What's a lie?"
Elsa breathed deeply. "All of it! I didn't suddenly become some fearless, free spirit, okay? I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"
"Didn't mean for what to happen? Elsa, what's going on?"
"I didn't decide to become a… nudist, or naturist, or anything. The only reason I don't have my spirit dress or any of my clothes is because my powers are failing!" She demonstrated by attempting to summon her magic, only to have a brief flurry of it dissipate into thin air.
Anna did not take this news well. "Oh my God… Elsa..." She covered her mouth with both hands, tears now freely flowing. "Are you dying?" As Elsa was taken aback by the sudden suggestion, the panicking queen continued, eyes darting around as her mind rushed to dire conclusions. "What do I tell Olaf?" She gasped. "Is Olaf going to flurry away again? Oh God, I can't believe I didn't bring him along--"
"Enough!" Elsa shouted. "I'm not dying! And neither is Olaf." She reached out to her sister in hopes of calming her down. "I told you already, I'm fine. This is just a… temporary setback."
Anna breathed a deep sigh of relief before pulling Elsa into a hug. "Oh thank God! Why would you scare me like--" the redhead paused before registering the heat radiating off of her sister's bare skin, forcing her to pull back from the hug. "Elsa! You're burning up!"
Elsa put a hand up to try and settle her down. "Anna, just hear me out--"
"Nope!" She refused as she stood. "I knew something was wrong! You have a fever!" Before Elsa could protest, Anna turned to exit the goahti. "Don't worry! I came prepared! I packed lots of soup. It's on ice right now, but I can ask Honeymaren if she'll heat some up for you--"
"No, wait!"
"I mean, if you'd rather eat it cold, that's fine too! Probably better, even, considering--"
"No, I'm saying I don't have a fever!" Elsa explained. "And... also, I think Honeymaren may be part of the problem."
"Okay, one -- you might be about to spontaneously combust--"
"I'm not, trust me," Elsa said coyly. "If I was, I promise it would've happened by now."
"Two -- wait, what does Honeymaren have to do with this?"
Elsa patted the bedding beside her. "Sit back down, and I'll tell you everything."
Anna did as instructed and listened to her sister weave together the story of how she became Elsa, the Accidental Nudist, starting with how she'd woken up from a dream, wet and naked (and no, she wasn't going into any detail about the dream because it wasn't relevant and she couldn't remember much of it anyway).
She explained how her clothes had melted off after she returned from Ahtohallan, and how she'd fallen off the Nokk because she couldn't maintain the water spirit's solid form (which also explained the light scrapes and bruises on her otherwise flawless skin). And then there was the morning after, by the waterfall, where despite the cooler and more relaxed conditions, she was still unable to produce her magical attire. Which, for some reason, led Elsa to explain to Maren that she'd decided to forego clothing altogether.
"Okay…" Anna drawled, "I stand corrected. This is totally silly." Ignoring Elsa's pronounced frown, she continued. "I mean, could you not have just told Honeymaren your powers weren't working? Why resort directly to 'welp, I guess I'll just be naked now'?"
Elsa cringed. "It's not that simple--"
"I'm sure the Northuldra would happily make you some new clothes. Hell, I could've brought you some clothes if you'd bothered to Gale-mail me about it."
"With how hot I am, real clothing might be even less bearable right now."
"And that still doesn't explain what Honeymaren has to do with it, other than she was there every time, and you started to get really… hot…" Anna trailed off, in thought. "Oh my God…" She leaned forward, grinning ear to ear. "You've got the hots for Honeymaren, don't you?" Elsa said nothing, but was blushing furiously. "You do! I can't believe I didn't see it before! My big sister has a crush!"
"I'm not sure I would categorize it as a crush."
"No, you're right! This must go deeper than that. This is yearning. Pining. This is head-over-heels in love!" Anna said, teasingly.
Elsa buried her reddening face in her hands. "Next time you wonder why I don't tell you more things? This. This is why."
"Oh, Elsa." Anna patted the facepalming forest spirit on the shoulder before nonchalantly shaking away the mild burning sensation in her hand. "You know I only tease you because I love you." She gasped as the next epiphany hit her. "Love! Of course! Your magic is on the fritz because love thaws! And this is just a… preemptive thawing!"
Elsa lifted her head from her hands to level a flat stare at her sister. "Preemptive thawing is not a thing."
"It is, now!" Anna argued. "But even if it isn't, maybe the thawing has already happened, and these are just the lingering effects of it. Like, maybe it happened during that dream of yours?" Anna suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.
"I didn't say the dream was about Honeymaren," Elsa stated defensively. When Anna gestured for Elsa to elaborate, she refused. "Remember what I just said about not telling you more things? That's starting now."
"Okay, fine," Anna relented, though she did pout a little. "Let's say the thawing happened before then. Wasn't it snowing here, not too long ago? And now it's all unseasonably warm for no reason?"
"Whatever the reason, it wasn't me," Elsa said. "I don't have that sort of control over the weather."
"You kinda did when you thawed out the fjord the first time, didn't you?" Anna asked. "And that was before you became an ancient elemental deity and moved to a mystical forest that was already home to four of them."
"I did not become a deity," Elsa pointed out. "I'm still just me -- with all the same flaws and hangups I've always had, apparently."
"The point is," Anna continued, "you were able to do something you didn't think you could do, all because you finally accepted our love for each other."
"Anna, I always loved you." Elsa emphasized.
"And I always loved you," Anna echoed. "But that was the first time since we were little that you allowed yourself to love, and be loved. And now you have the chance to allow yourself to love someone in a different way. Who knows what you'll be capable of then?"
Elsa slumped forward. "What if Honeymaren doesn't feel the same way?"
Anna slid up next to her sister and casually draped an arm over her shoulders, braving the heat to pull her into a tight side-hug. "And what if she does?" She asked, ever the optimist.
"Careful Anna," the overheated blonde warned, "I might melt you next."
The fiery redhead smiled sweetly even as she broke into a sweat. "As a wise snowman once said, some people are worth melting for." Elsa 'aww'ed at her sister's sentimental words, leaning in to wrap her arms around the shorter girl's stomach to return her embrace. "Know that whatever you choose to do, you'll always have me right there by your side. Even if you're frolicking around in your birthday suit like a little forest nymph."
Elsa laughed into Anna's shoulder. "I don't intend to do much frolicking. But thank you."
"You're welcome," Anna said, placing a kiss at the crown of the former queen's head. "Also, for the record? I wouldn't worry about whether or not Honeymaren feels the same way. She's totally stalking you."
Elsa's eyes shot up to meet Anna's with a disbelieving glare. "What?"
The reigning ruler of Arendelle snorted in an undignified manner, smirking. "Oh come on. She keeps track of when you wake up in the morning, where you like to watch the sunset in the evening, and she even followed you out to a place you went to take a bath. Those are some serious stalker vibes, sis."
Elsa scoffed. "Those were all purely incidental," she said, albeit unconvincingly.
"I'd bet you my throne that Honeymaren is right outside this tent as we speak."
Before Elsa could protest, a soft knock came from the doorway. "Elsa? Queen Anna?" It was Honeymaren. Anna arched an eyebrow at her sister with a look of smug superiority.
Elsa huffed in defeat. "I gave you that throne," she muttered under her breath.
"Yeah, and now you're not getting it back," Anna said before eagerly calling out to the Northuldran woman who had won her sister's heart. "Come in!"
Honeymaren stepped through the tent flap, carrying a tray of tea. "Your Majesty, are you all right? I heard you had a bit of a scare on your way in."
"It's just Anna," the queen said, trying to ignore her sister's snicker at the mention of that 'bit of a scare' from earlier. "And yes, I'm fine. I must be feeling a little dehydrated from all the heat around here," she stressed as she nudged Elsa with her shoulder.
"I'm glad I brought enough tea for everyone, then," Maren said, looking back and forth between the two snuggling sisters. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Nope! Just a nice friendly hug between me and my hot, naked sister!" Anna said, pulling away and wiping her forehead with her sleeve. "Man, is it stuffy in here to anybody else? I think I'm gonna get some fresh air." She stood quickly and scurried past Honeymaren on her way to the exit, stopping to grab a cup of tea from the tray. "Thanks for the tea, Honeymaren!"
Elsa caught her sister's eye with a quizzical glance, to which Anna responded with a wink, and by mouthing the words 'go for it' before stepping out of the door.