[TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains some dark and scary themes.]

Chapter Nine: Thoughts Happy and Fearful

Theme Songs: Flowered Rust by Myuu and Something's Wrong by Myuu

For the remainder of the day, Anna stayed with Elsa in her office. Occasionally, the princess would force her older sister to take a break and they would talk about various things such as what time they would go to visit their parents' memorials or when Kristoff would pick them up on Saturday… or the icy decorations that weren't there when Anna left.

Now it was evening, and the two sisters were curled up on the couch in the queen's office, the fireplace in front of them housing a large, warm flame. While Elsa leaned against the corner of the couch where the arm rest met the back, Anna laid nestled against her side with her arms wrapped around the older sibling's waist in a sideways hug and her temple resting against Elsa's collarbone. The Snow Queen had one arm draped around her little sister's shoulders while the other rested on the arm that the princess had wrapped around her stomach.

The two watched as the flames leapt and danced in the fireplace, the bright red fingers playing with the logs and giving them fleeting caresses while slowly but steadily burning them. Underneath the burning wood lay a bed of embers which glowed like bronze armor in the noonday sun—reminding Elsa of her sister's coppery braids. The fire caused shadows to dance and play about the room like fairies, prancing across the walls and ceiling which were still decorated with the Snow Queen's ice from earlier.

Anna stared into the fire, memories—or rather altered memories—dancing through her head like the shadows.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Dark storm clouds hung suspended in the night sky like massive war ships, the rain acting like the spray of the waves, and the thunder and lightning mimicking the firing of canons. Every Boom! of the canons echoed through the sky, while the lightning struck the tops of the mountains as if enacting the vengeance and rage of the mighty Thor. All the while, torrents of rain battered the roofs of the houses and castle below. The whole scene was chaotic yet majestic. Or rather, that is how the storm would have been perceived by the two princesses if they weren't so frightened. "Elsaaa!" the youngest princess cried above the storm with her hands over her ears, "I'm scared!" Her teal eyes were squeezed shut, tears streaking her face as she curled up even more underneath the covers.

The mattress bounced a little as someone hurriedly crawled up to the crying princess. "It's okay, Anna," came a reply as the blankets were yanked away to reveal the weeping child and a pair of cold arms tightly embraced her, "I got you." Truth be told, Elsa was quite scared as well, but she had to be brave for her little sister. She just had to be. "I got you, Anna," she quickly whispered as she held Anna in her arms while trying to keep back her own tears, "I got you, I got you, I got you…"

"Elsaaa," Anna whimpered into the front of the blonde's nightgown, "I don' like it when the sky's angry."

"I don't like it, either," the older sister admitted.

Suddenly, the door to their room swung open. "Girls, are you alright?"

"Mama!" the two cried out simultaneously.

"Mama, we're scared!" Anna wailed.

Their mother didn't waste any time and quickly crawled into bed with them, wrapping her arms around her precious children. Anna wrapped her arms around her mother while burying her face in the woman's nightgown, and Elsa huddled close to her sister as she hugged the girl from behind. Queen Idunn pulled the discarded blanket over the three of them before holding them gently yet securely in her arms once more.

An especially loud boom of thunder resonated through the castle and shook the windows, causing Anna to start crying once more. "Mama, I'm scared! Make it stop!"

"I'm sorry, Anna, but I can't make it stop," her mother gently told her while rubbing one hand up and down her back.

"But you're the queen," Elsa pointed out, finally letting her tears stream down her face since Anna wouldn't be able to see them.

"Being queen doesn't mean that I have the power to tell the storm what to do, Elsa," Idunn corrected while rubbing her free hand on her eldest daughter's back. "Only God can do that. But as king and queen, your father and I do have the power to make sure that the both of you have a roof over your heads, and food and drink to keep your tummies full, and clothes to keep you warm, but most of all," she smiled softly, "as your mother, I have the power to give you warm hugs and cuddles until you fall asleep again."

"And keep the nightmares away?" the older sister asked.

"Yes, Elsa."

"And make sure that the monsters don' get us?" the younger sister asked in turn.

"Yes, Anna, that, too. Now, I want the both of you to try and get some sleep, alright? I shall be right here the whole time, so don't be frightened."

"We'll try," Elsa answered for the two of them.

"Okay," Idunn pressed a loving kiss first on Anna's head and then Elsa's before whispering, "I love you, my silly little reindeer."

"Love you, too, silly big reindeer," the two princesses replied at the same time.

The three giggled a little before their mother whispered, "Goodnight, dear ones."

"Goodnight, Mama."

"Night-night, Mama."

Anna felt a pair of lips gently pressing against the back of her head before a whisper met her ear, "I love you, Sunshine."

"Love you, too, Elsie," Anna whispered in reply before she felt her sister giving her a loving squeeze around her middle. The younger princess smiled and her eyes began to droop, she didn't fight it as her mother started to hum a soft lullaby and the storm was beginning to wear itself out. She wasn't scared as the last few bolts of lightning and thunder made their presence known… because her mother and sister were with her.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

A sad smile graced the princess's face as she continued to gaze into the fire.

She missed her mother…

She had missed Elsa…

Anna gave the queen next to her a squeeze around her middle, and it was acknowledged by a cool hand moving from the princess's shoulder to run through her ginger bangs, brushing them out of her face. Looking over at Elsa, she was met with her sister giving her a loving smile, which she returned before they both continued to idly watch the fireplace. The slight coolness of Elsa's fingertips contrasted with the warmth which radiated from the hearth as the older sister's digits continued to slowly stroke through the younger sibling's strawberry blonde bangs.

Reveling in the affection that she had been starved of for years, Anna hoisted her feet up onto the couch and leaned more of her weight against her sister before murmuring, "Elsa?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you feel different temperatures?" She looked up at her sister. "Like the cold?"

"Yes," the Snow Queen answered without looking away from the fire, "I can feel different temperatures, such as the cold, but the cold doesn't bother me."

"Does heat bother you? Like, will you melt if you get too warm?"

"No, I won't melt," Elsa replied with a smile, "but if I'm too hot it will bother me as much as it would anyone else."

"Oh, darn," Anna jokingly began with a playful smile, "that means that I can't melt you to steal the throne."

"Oh, hush, you little goof," the other woman retorted in her own playful manner as she poked her sister in the side, causing her to giggle.

"Do you like the warmth?" Anna asked after her giggling subsided.

There was a pause as Elsa looked her sister in the eye with a loving smile, "Yes. The warmth always reminded me of you and your hugs, so, as ironic as it is, warm has always been my favorite temperature." She gave her sister a squeeze to emphasize her point.

Anna chuckled before closing her eyes and snuggling closer to her sister. "Elsa, you're the funniest snow queen I've ever met… Well… you're the only snow queen I've ever met. But still! If I ever meet other snow queens, I bet they wouldn't be as funny as you."

"Didn't I tell you to hush, you little goof?" the queen asked in a chuckle before giving the princess a kiss on the forehead. When there was no response from the younger woman after several moments, Elsa quietly asked, "Anna, are you sleepy?"

A small nod of the head in the affirmative was the only reply.

"Well then, let's head to bed."

The queen started to sit up but was stopped when Anna tightened her hold on her sister and gave a small whine in protest, "Nooooo…"

"Anna, come on," Elsa tiredly stated, "it's getting late, we should get to bed soon if we want to leave on time tomorrow."

"Noooooooo…" the younger sibling whined once more, "wanna stay here like this."

"Anna," the queen began again, her patience wearing thin, "if you don't get up now, I'll have no other choice but to carry you, and I cannot guarantee a smooth journey."

"Okay," Anna replied with a smile. She figured that if her sister was bluffing then they would stay where they were, and if she wasn't… well, she wouldn't protest to Elsa carrying her like when they were little. So either way, she would win.

Elsa huffed in frustration. "Alright, fine, you asked for it. Come here and sit on my lap." Obeying, Anna sat up and they repositioned themselves so that the princess was sitting in the queen's lap.

"Okay, now hold onto my neck," the older sister instructed as she slid one arm underneath Anna's knees and the other around her waist, holding her gently and—she hoped—securely. The younger sister did as she was told and wrapped her arms around her older sibling's neck.

Scooting to the edge of the couch, Elsa held her sister tightly and murmured, "Okay, one, two, three," and quickly stood up… or rather, she tried to. About half a second after her bottom left the couch, she lost balance and the two fell back onto the couch with startled yelps. "Okay, let's try something else." The Snow Queen thought for a moment. "Get up, Anna, and stand on the couch."

"What for?" the princess asked while hoping off her sister's lap and stepping up onto the sofa.

"Remember when I used to give you piggyback rides?" the queen asked while standing up herself.

"Mhm."

"Well, we're going to try that instead." Standing with her back to her sister, Elsa stood as close to the couch as possible and Anna wrapped her arms securely around her shoulders while the older sister put her hands behind the younger sibling's knees. Bracing one leg forward and bowing a little at the hip, Elsa instructed, "Okay, now on the count of three, jump onto my back and hold on tight, okay?"

"Okay."

"And please do try not to strangle me like you did when we were little."

"Oh, well, since you asked so nicely…"

They both chuckled. "Okay. One… two… three!"

One jump later, Elsa had her arms locked under her sister's knees and Anna had maintained her grip on Elsa's shoulders. They wobbled a bit as the queen tried desperately to maintain her balance. "Whoa… okay… I think we're good. Now, let's get to bed, okay?"

"Okeydokey."

"There are several doors that we'll need to open, so I'm going to need you to be my hands, alright?"

"I'm on it."

The two slowly made their way back to their room; Elsa carried her sister securely on her back while Anna opened every single door for her. Fortunately, their room was on the same floor as the queen's office, which was a relief for the older sister since—"Oh, goodness, Anna… you're a lot heavier than I remember," the queen huffed.

"Of course I am, Elsa, I grew up."

Nothing was said for several moments as the weight of the princesses words sank in, making the once happy atmosphere turn melancholy, and their smiles slowly disappear.

"Hey," Anna quietly began, breaking the silence, "where do snowmen keep their money?"

After thinking for a moment, the older sister replied, "I don't know, where?"

The princess smirked before answering, "In a snowbank."

"Pffffft…" Elsa quietly scoffed in a laugh, "that was horrible."

"The mark of a good pun."

Reaching the door to their room, Anna reached forward with one hand and turned the knob before pushing the door open so they could enter.

After changing into their nightgowns and saying their prayers, the two went to bed.

Despite what logic and reason told them, they were both still afraid that the other would disappear at any moment and that the past several days would end up being just a pleasant dream, so they agreed to cuddle in the princess's bed.

The two lay facing each other, holding their hands between them. Elsa had insisted that Anna lay on the side of the bed closest to the fire, since she wanted her to be warm.

"What time are we leaving again?" the younger sister asked with a yawn.

"We're getting up at seven-thirty and leaving at eight-thirty," the Snow Queen replied, knowing that the princess wouldn't be able to get up at the older sister's normal waking time of six.

"Okay," Anna acknowledged with another yawn, eyes drooping sleepily. "Night-night, Elsie."

"Goodnight, Sunshine," Elsa murmured before pressing a light kiss against her little sister's bangs. "I love you."

"Love you, too," the princess sleepily sighed before nestling herself further in the cozy blankets of the bed.

Elsa laid completely still as she waited for her sister's breathing to grow deep and steady. Upon hearing the princess let out a rather not-very-princess-like snore, she began to slowly—ever so slowly—move her hands from the younger sibling's grasp. Over the past thirteen years, the Snow Queen had grown very self-conscious of where her hands were and if they were being touched since they were the main point of exit for her powers, and thus, she would grow especially afraid if her hands were touched by someone or if she was touching something that could be easily damaged by ice, cold, or the water in snow. She was trying to grow out of that habit by occasionally holding Anna's hand for a short period time, but she still wasn't comfortable with holding hands for longer than a few seconds. She was used to hiding her hands, not… this.

After several minutes, she finally slipped the last cold digit from her sister's warm, protective grasp. Elsa then let out a barely audible sigh of relief—her sister's warm fingers were safe from the cold—before closing her eyes and slowly drifting off to sleep.

All the while, the steadily shrinking flames in the hearth struggled to continue their dance as their fuel started to run out and a cold draft began to chill their slowly dying coals.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Standing tall and regal in the ball room, the very picture of sophisticated grace, Elsa conversed with her councilors, advisors, and judges. This was her first time speaking to them as their leader and queen, and so far it was going rather smoothly. All the introductions had been made and they were about to discuss matters of importance about the kingdom.

"If I may ask, your majesty, but… exactly why did you freeze all of Arendelle?" one judge boldly questioned.

"It was an accident," she honestly replied, "I was scared."

"Do you know how much damage you caused the kingdom with that monstrosity of a blizzard?" a councilor snapped, the queen's answer to the previous question completely ignored and forgotten.

So much for things going smoothly.

"Well, I—"

"What do you intend to do about the damage you caused our local agriculture and economy?" another court member impatiently demanded.

"I—"

"Oh, I don't like the looks of this, my friends," an advisor commented to his colleagues. "I always thought it was a bad idea to let a woman govern a country, but to have a woman with magic rule?! It is preposterous!"

They all nodded and muttered in agreement.

"The queen has magic that means she is a sorceress!" one advisor proclaimed.

"We all know what we do with witches in this kingdom, don't we, gentlemen?"

They all nodded and voiced their agreement a little louder while encircling their queen.

"Yes, the same thing we do to all monsters."

"No…" the Snow Queen whimpered with her gloved hands clutched in front of her while slowly backing away from her subjects who were encircling her like wolves encircling their prey. "Please… it was an accident… I never wanted it to happen… I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it," a judge sneered.

"But I bet this will," came a familiar voice from the crowds.

Elsa craned her neck to see a patch of bright red hair coming towards her. "Anna?" she murmured before shouting, "Anna! Anna, I'm over here! You have to tell them that it was all an accident."

The owner of the red hair emerged from the crowds with a drawn sword in their hand.

Elsa gasped.

"Tell me, gentlemen," the redhead asked, holding up the weapon to admire it, "do you think this will cut it?"

"Oh, it certainly will, Prince Hans."

"We're so glad that you're here to straighten things out."

"You would make a much better ruler that this… this witch!"

At that, they lunged at her, and Elsa took off. She ran from the ballroom and through the many hallways and corridors trying to lose them, but her legs felt heavy, like they were moving through glue instead of air. Rounding one corner, she found a mirror and looked into it.

Her reflection was skewed. Her usually long, blond hair was now short and black and stood up in a sort of swooping cone shape, her once pale skin was now a sickly bluish-grey, and lastly… her eyes were crimson.

Where had she seen this before…?

Suddenly turning to look behind her, she saw the council members catching up to her, carrying pitchforks and torches and being led by none other than Hans.

She continued to run down the halls, her legs heavy as lead, until she came to her room and quickly locked herself inside. It was hard to tell if the mob had run past or where still approaching, but that was soon forgotten when there was a fierce banging upon the door.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Snow Queen jumped back in fright.

"I know you're in there, Elsa," a slightly high-pitched, yet demonic voice called to her through the wooden barrier. The door knob rattled. "Please, let me in… Come on… just open the door…" It—who or whatever it was—began to scratch and paw at the door, trying to find a way inside. "I know what you diiiihiiid…" it suddenly proclaimed in a sing-song voice. "I'm coming to geeeet youuuuuuuuu," it trailed off from a song into a low growl.

Slowly backing away from the door, the queen whirled around to try and escape… only to be met with the sight of her sister's frozen form staring at her with cold and bitter eyes.

"Anna!" the queen gasped in shock as she approached. "Oh, Anna… No… No," she pleadingly whimpered. "Please, no… Forgive me, Anna… Please, forgive me."

Tears formed in her eyes as she reached up to cup her sister's icy face in her hands, but she was stopped when the princess roughly grabbed her wrists, a look of pure disgust claiming her features. After being shoved away by her sibling, Elsa watched in shock as Anna slowly walked over to the door and took the doorknob in her frozen fingers. The ice princess pierced the Snow Queen's heart with a hate filled glare as she slowly rasped, "Long… live… the queen." She then threw open the door and a massive wolf made of jagged ice lunged at Elsa with a loud snarl.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Eyes quickly opening, Elsa was met with the sight of the dark bedroom… and a small layer of snow on the blanket surrounding her. She tried to think of Anna and her love for her little sister to make the snow dissipate, but only a very small amount of snow vanished, for her fear and the memory of her nightmare was still fresh and persistent in her brain.

Trying desperately to think only of Anna, but failing due to her thoughts being held captive by the night-terror, she rolled over onto her right side in mild frustration. There, she was met with the sight of her sibling mildly snoring in her sleep. Upon noticing that the princess's body was huddled in a tight ball underneath the blankets while a small pile of snow rested on her messy red hair, the queen realized that her sister was cold due to the snow.

Her snow.

Anna could protest against being cold as much as she liked during the day for Elsa's sake, but while in the depths of slumber, her subconscious reaction of curling in on herself betrayed her.

Desperate to try and make the snow vanish, Elsa closed her eyes and focused on her sister's breathing while slowly reciting her new motto in her head in time to the redhead's breaths.

Breathe in. Reveal… Breathe out. …and feel. Breathe in. Anna's… Breathe out. …here for me. Breathe in. Reveal… Breathe out. …and feel. She was doing quite well so far, as some of the snow was starting to melt, but… Breathe in. Anna's… Breathe out. …here for me… the breathing stopped.

Elsa's brow furrowed and more snow fell before she worriedly sat up. Cautiously putting her fingers in front of the princess's mouth and nose, she tried to see if she could feel Anna's breath… but she felt none.

Her hand began to tremble in slowly rising panic and the snow started to fall more thickly until the princess gave a sudden and loud snore—causing the queen to pull her hand away in surprise—and rolled over onto her back before breathing normally once more.

Anxiously brushing a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear, Elsa laid back down again, still keeping a careful eye on her sister. Some of the snow had melted in her relief, but the woman was still rather scared—and not just of the dream anymore—so, after gaining some courage, she carefully started to scoot closer. Studying Anna's face for a few moments, the queen made certain that the princess was fast asleep before slowly and carefully resting the side of her head on the young woman's chest in search of the redhead's heartbeat. Upon finding it, she closed her eyes and allowed her stiff muscles to try and relax.

Some snow started to melt.

Scooting a little bit closer, the woman breathed a small sigh of relief as the princess's heartbeat played her a soft and constant lullaby, reassuring her that her sister wasn't a statue of ice and that she still alive in general. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. A tiny patch of snow disappeared with each pump of blood through Anna's veins. Elsa was so focused on listening to the heart beating against her ear that she didn't notice that the princess was waking up until she felt warm hands on her head and shoulder.

Eyes opening wide in surprise at the sudden contact, she sat up slightly and raised her head. The hand that the princess had rested on the queen's head moved so that it was draped over the back of Elsa's neck as she raised her head to look at her younger sister.

"Mm… Elsa?" Anna groggily murmured as her eyes opened a little. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Anna," the older woman quickly and anxiously whispered while more snow started to fall, "I didn't mean to wake you. You had stopped breathing and I wanted to make sure that you were okay. I'm sorry that I'm making you cold, I've been trying to make the snow go away but it's not working. I'll move further away if I'm just making you colder." She made to move away from Anna.

"Shhhh," Anna quietly hushed while gently pulling her sister closer so that the queen lay with the side of her head against the princess's left arm, which curled around to rest on the messy blonde hair, and her right arm draped over the older sibling's shoulder, resting on her upper back. "You're okay, Elsa," she softly reassured the agitated sister while resting her left cheek against her forehead. "I got you."

At that, Elsa carefully slid her right arm under the pillow that they now shared and wrapped her left arm around Anna's waist before scooting a bit closer once more, tangling her bare feet with the sock covered ones of her sibling. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out in a sigh of relief as she melted into the comforting embrace of her sister.

Anna pressed a quick kiss to her sister's brow before falling asleep once more and Elsa soon followed her into a land of happier dreams…

By now, the snow was gone.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Welp, there's chapter nine. I hope you liked it.

The inspiration for the last scene was inspired by the comics Pulse and Heartbeat by aka post dot tumblr dot com (take out the spaces). Both comics were written in a different language, but in my opinion, you don't need to read the text in order to understand what's going on.

Also, on a side note, the inspiration for Anna's nightmare in chapter six came from a comic posted by laikaken dot tumblr dot com (again, take out the spaces), also know as candied-dreams dot com. The name of the comic is WTF Hans, you d*** bag. (I know, I don't like the language in the title either, but I assure you that the comic itself has no foul language.)

So yeah, one place where I get ideas and inspiration is by looking at fan art (the more platonic Snow Sister fluff the better).

Please tell me what you thought of this chapter in the review box below.

Thank you so much for reading.

God bless you and your day.

Sincerely, The Professor