Chapter 3: Breakfast Fix-ins & Fixer Uppers
Some moments later, Anna and Elsa were seated beside each other at the frankly ship-length dining table eating (specially requested) chocolate pancakes with maple syrup, hot chocolate and a small diverse bowl of fruits pertaining to the berry family. Olaf had finished his early and went out to admire the leaves as this was his very first autumn.
As has been status quo since they were old enough to feed themselves, Elsa sat with her napkin on her lap, very neatly taking delicate bites out of her subtly-syrupped pancakes and fruit. By contrast, Anna was wearing an apron to protect her outfit from stains and was tucking into her heavily-syrupped pancakes and fruit with mild gusto. Gusto that took the form of chocolate and syrup all over her mouth and chin.
Elsa took a sip of hot chocolate to hide her smirk at the difference between them. She knew that Anna had the ability to eat neatly, but she only really did so for public occasions like diplomatic visits and parties and when she did, she seemed like she had to focus on doing so like how a stage-frightened kid in the lead of a school play would struggle to remember their lines. Around Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and the castle staff, Anna would be her usual chipper, talkative, slightly messy-eating self. In a weird way, Elsa was kind of flattered that Anna now felt at ease around her enough to not have to worry about that kind of decorum, considering their awkward and disastrous reunion at Elsa's coronation party which ended in an argument, tears and a snowstorm that would have enveloped Arendelle in a perpetual winter had it not been for Anna.
Elsa returned to the present moment when Anna called her name as a question. She turned to Anna put down her now empty mug and hummed a "yes?" which indicated for Anna to continue, which she did while running her fingers through her strawberry-blonde hair as she did when she was nervous "Y-you don't have to settle anything, or go to any board meetings or do any big-diplomatic-important-queen stuff today, do you? I-I mean, it's ok if you do, I understand, but I was just wondering." Anna said apprehensively. Elsa gave her sister a smile of empathy before gently saying "No, no 'big-diplomatic-important-queen-stuff'. Kai said that he would handle things in the castle today and tomorrow. So I'm yours for the next 48 hours." Elsa then placed one of her hands over Anna's and with her other hand, she crossed her heart, averring in what Anna referred to as her "queen" voice", "I Super-Sister-promise.".
Anna immediately perked up at these words, to her they sounded almost too good to be true. Especially when accompanied with their unbreakable "super-sister-promise" which they haven't used since Anna was six. "Really, you are?" she said almost beseechingly. Elsa smiled and nodded. Anna had been desperate to spend some quality time with Elsa in this time. She was thankful that she had Kristoff, Olaf and Sven to share company and have fun with, but without Elsa (or any of their friends, really) there was a small, insatiable feeling in the back of Anna's brain that made her feel guilty that she was having fun when others weren't. It was like an unreachable mosquito bite.
But today that mosquito bite was about to be met with a hot spoon. Today, they were all going to be having fun together. At this thought, Anna smiled her trademark sunny "Anna-smile" and wrapped Elsa up in a bear hug while squeeing "Oh, thank you so much, Elsa. This is gonna be a blast! Whaddaya think we should do first?" Elsa gave a small, surprised "Aike!" upon contact as she felt her ribs being squeezed. Jeez, our super-sister-promise isn't the only thing around here that's super Elsa internally quipped, no doubt surprised at Anna's impressive though often-ignored strength. She managed to squeak out "Not cracking my ribs would be nice." Anna's smile momentarily vanished upon realization and released. She nervously giggled and said "Sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength." Elsa gave a small smile and said "That makes two of us."
Almost as if on cue, a giant, scruffy reindeer poked his large head between the two sisters. This was Sven, Kristoff's beloved pet and ice business partner. With a big smile with his tongue lolling out, he grunted out 'Good morning.', gave a giant slobbery lick to both Anna and Elsa before helping himself to the remainder of the pancakes. Anna laughed while Elsa managed to smile while wiping her face clean of the aftermath of Sven's greeting. Elsa loved animals, Sven included, but having a full-grown, often clumsy, reindeer popping up in your home whenever he wanted and giving you giant, soaking kisses took some time getting used to. At least for her. Anna was thrilled.
"Three. I still have a bruise from when she threw my lunch-bucket at me before I left yesterday." a deep voice quipped. Anna's eyes lit up as she turned around to see a tall, muscular blonde man around Elsa's age playfully smiling Anna's way. This was Kristoff, Anna's slightly reluctant travel companion during "The Great Freeze" and currently her loving, devoted and far-from-reluctant boyfriend. Anna gave a playful smile back as she walked over to Kristoff (swinging her hips a bit more than usual) "To you. Not 'at you'. And I thought you would have especially remembered your lunch-bucket that day since I packed you some of my homemade kjøttbollers." Anna teased pulling him closer by his black vest. It was slightly difficult grabbing his clothing given his muscular bulk, but Anna had garnered some skill in man-handling him if necessary.
Kristoff, taking initiative, wrapped his arms around Anna and arched one of his eyebrows "You actually cooked?" he said playfully with an iota of doubt. Anna was a lot of things (many of them wonderful), but a top-chef she wasn't. In the past year that he'd known Anna (and from the castle staff's testimonies), her past experiences with gastronomy aside from simple things like krumkakes, toast and sandwiches have been less than stellar in both presentation and taste.
Anna slightly defensively said "Yes!" but upon seeing Kristoff's still-arched eyebrow and unconvinced smile of mischief, Anna looked at Kristoff's chest as she admitted "Ok, No." But she looked back into Kristoff's brown eyes and trying to save face replied "But I was in the kitchen at that time to read the recipe to the chefs and I did put those little basil leaves on the top and I did write you that napkin note; so there." Kristoff smiled lovingly at Anna's tenacity and said "Fair enough" before they both kissed as a truce. Elsa slightly grimaced at the fact that she was now spying on their intimate couple moment and walked her now-empty breakfast plate to the kitchen.
Anna took Kristoff's hands and walked him over to the large window already ecstatic at the day ahead "Today is gonna be absitively perfect. Making fall crafts, petting some farm animals, singing campfire songs, collecting leaves, stuffing our faces with anything chocolate and pumpkin spice flavored.". Kristoff smiled dopily before remembering "Uh, yeah. There's been a slight change of plans." Anna turned to him, still smiling (albeit now a bit straned) "'Change of plans'? What kind of change, exactly?" she asked. Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck and as tactfully as he could explained "Well, … I unfortunately won't be able to spend the whole day at the festival with you."
Anna's eyes widened in shock and mild disappointment was now written on her face. "Wait, what? W-why not?" she almost implored. Anna knew she must appear terribly childish to be upset at this revelation, but for weeks it seemed that Kristoff had been almost as excited about the festival as she was. And now he was saying he won't be with her for the whole thing? It made her feel like she did something wrong. Did her excitement for the festival creep Kristoff out? Was she being too clingy? Did she have chocolate or 'Sven-slobber' on her outfit?
Kristoff stroked his index finger under her rounded chin in an attempt to cheer her up. "Because I may or may not have to tend to something that I think you might like." He said with a smile in a lovey-dovey voice he only used for her. Anna's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she excitedly gasped "Really, what is it? You got me a puppy? A new horse? A horse-drawn carriage full of puppies? Tell me!" she almost hounded happily. Kristoff gave her a smug smile "Uh-uh and uh. You'll find out what it is when and only when we're at the top of Rose-Haven Bluffs at 7:00 tonight." He propositioned. Anna looked at Kristoff with a look of playful suspicion but acquiesced nonetheless "You run a hard bargain, Mountain-Man. But I accept." She said. Kristoff smiled at the affectionate nickname she'd given him once they became an item and leaned in to kiss her before she stopped his lips with her index finger "But only if you promise to make it to at least half of the festival. This is the first Autumn Festival we've had together and I'm not gonna let you miss it even if I have to drag you by the ear." Anna declared.
Kristoff looked at her not sure if she was kidding or being legit. On the one hand, Anna wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone she loved, but then again remembering the damage she doled out to that jerk Hans made him think twice before messing with her. "Yes, ma'am." Kristoff said with an admiring smile. Anna returned the smile and said "Then it's a deal." Both Anna and Kristoff sealed their deal with a long kiss as Kristoff lifted Anna in the air, all while not breaking lip contact. Anna and Kristoff released each other from their embrace, Kristoff suavely said "To be continued." Anna handed Kristoff his duffel bag asking "Do you know what time you guys will be back?" Kristoff slung his bag over his shoulders and replied "Uh, probably around three. Shouldn't take long." Anna also handed him his and Sven's snack (who was currently dancing around the princess, hoping for a bite, giving his best "Sven Smile": mouth open, tongue out).
Anna was visibly satisfied with this response, no doubt relieved he wouldn't miss out on all the fun she; Elsa and Olaf would have. "Ok." She then pointed at him and said mock-seriously "I'm holding you both to that." Sven nodded and gave Anna a nuzzle and slobbery 'goodbye-kiss' before trotting a few steps back to the table. Kristoff gave her a smile with a salute and said "You got it." He then opened the door l but stopped in his tracks as though he forgot something. "Oh, uh… 'bye Elsa." Kristoff awkwardly yet good-naturedly bid the queen who had just reappeared now that the romantic stuff was done for now. Elsa gave a smile and just as politely beckoned "So long, Kristoff. I'll see you at the festival. I hope you get everything you need sorted out alright." Kristoff, still unused to calling the queen Elsa and a bit intimidated by how effortlessly eloquent she seemed all the time, smiled shyly and said "Thanks, uh you too. I-I meant you too at seeing you at the festival, not you too at getting everything sorted out, 'cuz you always do a great job at those." Elsa smiled assuredly and said "I get it."
Sven was currently nuzzling Elsa and giving her a slightly less-slobbery kiss goodbye as Kristoff called for him. He turned his head and trotted out the door to their sled-turned-cart to be hooked up. Kristoff turned his smile back to Anna as he walked out the door and headed to the cart clarifying "Yeah so, 3 o'clock I'll meet up with you." He then popped around the corner to cockily add "The ruggedly-handsome Royal Ice-Master and Deliverer with the reindeer, alright?" before jumping into the cart, but not before saying "I love ya, baby! There ya go, I said it!" and chuckled as Sven pulled the cart towards the fjords. Anna leaned against the doorframe with a loving smile at her dorky, sloppy, ruggedly-handsome, perfect boyfriend. "I love you too, Mountain-Man." She said under her breath. For a minute she forgot Elsa was in the room as her eyes widened with shock when she heard her spoke.
"You know, sis. I gotta give Kristoff credit. Letting Sven in the castle wasn't such a bad idea, after all. I have a new morning greeting committee and he really knows how to get the tough stains out of our dining ware." Elsa good-humoredly said while holding up her plate (using a napkin) which had been cleaned of all the syrup, chocolate and fruit and given a shiny coat of reindeer slobber. Anna arched her eyebrow at Elsa and playfully smiled as she walked her dirty dishes into the kitchen to be washed. "Well nerts to you, Stinkerbell. You're just jealous that you could never clean dishes as well." She quipped back friskily. Elsa gave a slight eye-roll and smiled, enjoying the sisterly banter she'd been craving for so long. Then Elsa looked down at the floor and aimed a gleefully mischievous grin in Anna's direction who was now in the kitchen. Once Anna left the kitchen, she took Elsa's hand, walked towards the door and said, in her most regal voice she could muster, "Now enough of this poppycockish gobbledygook. Come dear sister, we must fetch young master Olaf from the courtyard so we may partake in some serious autumnal amuse-MENT!" As she made it to the door, she slipped and fell on her chest with her weight pushing the door open. She looked under her to see a small patch of ice. Anna glared suspiciously at Elsa who was now faux-innocently looking at the ceiling with her hands behind her back.
Elsa looked down and did a melodramatic gasp before saying in a high-pitched faux-innocent slightly English-accented voice "Goodness me, my dear. Wherever in the world did that horrible ice come from?" Anna, not buying it for a second, quipped back "More like 'whoever'" as she tried to stand up only to keep slipping. Elsa watched with mild amusement before crouching down, pouting her lips and asking in a voice used to talk to an infant "Does my wittle baby-sister want uppy-ups?" and with those words she held out her hand with a smile. Anna, temporarily bested by a combo of Elsa's magic and Earth's gravity, flatly said "yes" and took Elsa's hand who unqueenly grunted as she heaved Anna to her feet. Elsa, satisfied with her prank calmly said in her regular voice "Now we're even for the tarantula thing." Anna gave a small smile and calling a truce said "Touché."
As Anna headed out the door with Elsa close behind, she heard a small "Hm". Curiosity piqued, she turned to her sister and still walking asked "What's up?" Elsa crossed her arms arched an eyebrow and amusedly replied "'Gobbledygook' I guess someone's been paying attention in her elocution class, after all." Anna shrugged and chucklingly admitted "Yeah, I kinda remembered it because it sounded like a turkey hiccupping." Elsa smirked a bit. To prove her point further, Anna gave an imitation "Gobble-De-gook" At this both sisters laughed like they did when they were kids. As far as both sisters were concerned, if anyone told them there was a better life than this, they wouldn't have believed it for a minute.
;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;- ;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;
Hey guys, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm sorry for the delay for this one. My work is unfortunately not the most consistent, but it will be present. In case you're curious Kjøttbollers are basically a Norwegian version of Swedish meatballs typically served with mashed potatoes and cream-sauce. Please let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments and stay tuned for more Frozen II: The Coolest Adventure.