[sequel to day 17, "Salty"]
"I don't think I ever saw you with that hairstyle." Noted Anna.
Elsa lifted her eyes from the path they were walking along, surprised by her sister's intervention. Anna also had been the one talking after a long moment of silence. Even Olaf didn't dare to break the tension between the sisters.
The fact that the redhead chose to say such a thing with a neutral tone indicated that she wanted to soothe the situation, and Elsa had a tender smile.
"It's the first time." Admitted the blonde, passing her hand along her ponytail. "I thought that with such waves, I would slap my face with my braid if I kept it."
That wasn't necessarily funny, but Anna chuckled. Elsa couldn't help but laugh in turn, mostly because her sister's joy always was contagious. They then laughed longly together as they walked.
Olaf eyed them curiously. Didn't they yell at each other on the shore earlier?
"I'm sorry for getting angry at you." Said Anna, right after the snowman made his face, as if the sisters' love creation transmitted his thoughts to her.
"No, no, I'm the one who should apologize." Insisted Elsa, turning to her and lifting a hand. "I should never have sent you away like that, with no explanation, and it was egocentric and unfair. I... I'll try to never do it again."
Anna had a soft smile. "I understand that it's hard for you to put me in dangerous situations. Well, the canoe was dangerous too, but only when I did my stupid thing."
Elsa was about to reply that she was the stupid one, but her sister was not done.
"You're afraid that I get hurt, by your fault. Well, that would have been the water's fault, but... Yeah." Sighed Anna.
They kept walking in silence. Olaf noted that they were about to reach the camp, as several lines of smoke were seen in the distance, and one could hear people talking. He excitedly ran to join the people after such an adventure, and Anna was about to jog too, eager to see Kristoff.
But she first looked at Elsa.
"Look, we keep our deal, right? When you go back this afternoon or tomorrow to try again when the storm calms down, I go with you."
The Snow Queen sighed. "Yes." She only replied, since she made the actual promise this time.
Anna nodded. She then smiled. "Can I add another deal?"
Her elder gave her a frown. "Don't push it."
The redhead grinned. "You keep that ponytail while you do. It may be improvised, but it looks good on you."
Elsa blinked, lost and touched by the compliment. She couldn't add anything because Anna winked and ran after Olaf. The blonde smiled and breathed out.
Hopefully, the storm would indeed calm down to try to reach Ahtohallan again. And if not, she had the best supporter at her side.
Her first clenched as fear set into her heart once more, though, an image of Anna being splashed and pushed against sea stones engraved in her mind. But she then looked ahead with determination. In their deal, the siblings had agreed that as soon as it's too much, she brings Anna back to the shore.
