** Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Frozen, I do not own any of their art, songs or characters. What I do own is all of my OC's, any couplings, situations, or plot points that I create in My story. Cool? Cool! Let's do this. **
HEY! Guys, chapter two is up now. When reviewing the first chapters upload date, I realized that I had actually uploaded it on a Friday, so chapters will be hopefully regularly coming out every Friday, that is about how long it takes me to write, proof read, edit, and then edit again the chapters that I post. (Sometimes I even re edit and re post previous chapters in the middle of the week lol.) So just remember this story is constantly being uploaded, and I hope you all enjoy, thanks for favoriting and following.
(P.S Don't worry, this is the last flashback/ back story chapter for a bit, there will be a good few throughout the story though, cause I'm gonna be throwing a lot of Adgar and Idun into this story, anyway I'll just shut up now.)
"Cold … I am so cold."
Anna was long past the point of being able to control the trembling of her limbs, or the chattering clatter of her teeth. The ice crunched noisily underfoot; the creaking of the frozen fjord louder than a thousand trees being felled. Clouded breath burst in jagged gasps from a pair of frozen and chipped lips, Anna groaned, her tongue sticking to her throat as she attempted to swallow. It felt as though the marrow had been scraped from her bones and replaced with ice, as though her muscles and skin had all frozen solid. All that remained were her eyes to see and her heart to feel.
Ships stood like castle turrets, completely encased in frost, previously impressive triremes now nothing more than oversized ice sculptures sat upon the worlds largest ice rink. Chunks of ice and snow whirled in a seemingly never-ending frenzy around Anna, she could feel her heart clench painfully as she continued her trek through the torrential blizzard surrounding Arendelle. Her body crackled as she pushed herself to take another step, the curse continuing to plague her with its icy touch. Body numb to the cold raging around her, Anna scanned the bleak landscape for Elsa, she didn't know how and yet she was sure that the aching of her heart was leading her toward her sister. "Keep going, just a little further Anna, you can make it. You can push yourself just a little further, for Arendelle … and for Elsa."
Lips now sealed shut by the permafrost creeping along her body, Anna could only think these words of encouragement, repeatedly mulling them over in her mind as she continued on. Suddenly a flash of platinum, Anna's heart nearly stopped, then a flash of red. Brows furrowing in determination, she pushed her body past it's limits, her limbs creaking loudly in protest. Finally, she came into view; Elsa was kneeling, one arm wrapped protectively around her midriff, mouth slightly agape as she sobbed quietly into her opposite hand. Tears clearly could be seen running down the proud Queen's face, dripping from her chin and shattering once reaching the icy ground.
"Do what you've come to do … Prince Hans. Seeing as I am a witch and a murder … I think we can both agree that I should not be the sole ruler of this Kingdom."
Anna's nearly frozen solid heart began to throb relentlessly in her chest. Slowly she turned her attention to the flash of red that she had seen in pursuit of her sister, what she had believed was only her imagination. It was Hans, if it had been possible for Anna to sneer at that moment there is no doubt, she would put all her energy into sneering and snarling out expletives at the villainous prince. Instead she only struggled to quicken her meager and gradually declining pace. "Elsa … No!"
A loud sound of metal sliding against leather filled the air, followed by a righteous harrumph. Hans allowed a smirk to grace his fox like features, he rested the blade of his sword against his shoulder as he prepared to swing at the kneeling Queen. "Quite right Your Majesty, I am glad that until the end you upheld your noble and honest countenance in light of everything. Now are there any last words you wish to say before I dispatch justice?"
For a moment, silence filled the clearing, snowflakes hung like low orbiting stars in the sky, Elsa almost seemed to glow in the stillness of her surroundings. One deep breath, and a whisper, "I am so sorry, Anna." Hans smirk widened imperceptibly, his eyes glowed with a feverish light as he raised the blade from its resting position and sucked in a breath through his teeth.
"Don't worry "Your Majesty," you'll be able to tell her in person soon enough."
A battle cry, tears shed, teeth marring a red lip, eyes burning with unfiltered hatred, a heart yearning to be understood, a girl yearning to at last be close to who she loved. The blade came down with a resounding clang encasing itself in the icy shoulder of Princess Anna Oldenburg. Hans eyes widen with first fear, and then rage boils over in a fiery tide. Behind her Anna could hear a choked sob followed by the unbelieving utterance of, "Anna?"
"You gullible slut, I swear only someone as ridiculous and naïve as you would drag yourself out of a safe castle onto a frozen fjord to save a sister who has tried to kill you, twice."
"Fucking pig, you're literal scum, I wouldn't wipe my shoe clean on you, stay away from my sister!"
Hans sneered and viciously wrenched the sword out of Anna's shoulder, she could feel every inch of the steel as it tore itself away, the pain was very real and yet somehow detached from what she understood about pain. In her current state it was almost as if Anna's body were her own and also as if it belonged to another. Hans growled, reeled back, and then flung his arm in an attempt to knock her aside and once again aim his sights upon Elsa. Anna took the beating head on once again, digging her feet in deeper into the ice below her.
"Anna, stop please! You don't need to do this for me!" Tears streamed down Elsa's face, frosty tear tracks marking the path that the drops traveled, she sniffled, reaching out toward Anna. "Please …"
Anna's heart clenched once more, pain wracked her at the desperate and broken sound of her sister's voice in her ears, attempting to bring her mouth into a smile Anna turned her head to the side, aiming her gaze at the kneeling figure behind her. It was difficult to see through the ever-thickening film over her eyes, and yet she knew, that her sister was looking right back at her, that she had all the love of the world for her inside her heart. She could feel it … she just knew it to be true …
"ANNA!"
A distant scream filled her ears, it sounded very familiar. A piercing pang struck her chest and Anna heard no more.
(*** Oh, another transition! **** I'm getting better right? ***)
"Anna … Oh Anna, Hello? Elsa to Anna's brain, come in Anna's brain, it's time to arise from your slumber now." Warm limbs wrapped themselves securely around Anna's waist, legs tangling easily with each other atop the sheets. Anna could feel the cool breath exhaling against her neck with every breath, a sharp contrast to the bright heated sunlight against her closed lids. Stretching her arms up into the air with a yawn, Anna could feel Elsa's body shift to match her motion, lips pressed now against the nape of her neck in a smile. "Good morning sleepy girl, any good dreams to recount to me?"
Allowing her eyes to flutter open slowly at the sound of her sister's voice, Anna allowed a soft sigh to leave her lips, her mouth cracked into a wide smile that stretched her face so much that it was very nearly painful. Elsa's hair was aglow with the mid-morning light, the azure walls of her bedroom reflecting their color did much to accentuate her light skin tone, she seemed to glow in such a dazzling manner it was almost hard to look at her. Though that may have simply been leftover sleepiness in Anna's eyes, briskly rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand Anna turned over to face Elsa, grasping her hands in hers.
"I feel as though it is a little early yet to be getting a wake-up call from the Queen of Arendelle, what have I done to deserve such a present?" Sleep still coated Anna's vocal cords, making the sound of her voice raspy and muted Elsa raised a brow in an attempt to seem stern, her mouth twitching slightly at the corners from her concealed joy.
"It has nothing to do with what you have or have not done Princess Anna, this wake up call was required simply because of the fact that you are sprawled across my bed," Shooting straight up into a sitting position with little warning, Anna quickly scanned the room with a much more alert eye. Heart thumping in her chest she turned her attention back to Elsa who still laid on the bed in a relaxed pose, raised eye brow now coupled by a much softer expression accented by a glint of worry in her blue irises. "It's alright Anna, come and lay back down, I won't bite I swear."
Anna allowed herself to sink slowly back into the mattress once more, the entire time she could feel her whole body humming with confusion as her mind raced a mile a minute, "Ok Anna, think now, use all those brain cells swimming in that head of yours, why are you in Elsa's bed. In fact, how did you get into Elsa's room, you haven't been in Elsa's room in maybe thirteen … fourteen years now?"
"You're thinking too hard about something … aren't you?" Anna jolted slightly from the sound, turning her attention outward toward Elsa, she noticed how Elsa cradled one of her hands in her own, the other reached up and tucked a wayward strawberry blonde curl behind her ear. "I missed being able to read your expressions so easily on your face, and I can make a guess as to what has furrowed your brow so adorably." Anna felt heat flood her cheeks with embarrassment as Elsa took her index finger and rubbed it betwixt her furrowed brows.
"It is not adorable! I mean … well not to say I don't appreciate your compliment. I-If that was indeed a compliment and well, I mean not to say that I am desperate for your compliments, because I'm not. Um, well see the point of what I'm trying to get across, if you could even call this a point at this point … Heh, point-point … Anyway, what I meant to say is, Elsa, don't worry about it."
During her rambling sentence Anna had unconsciously pulled her hand away and begun to watch as her hands clasped onto each other and her thumbs assumed a battle for dominance. Quickly she threw her hands forward scrambling to clasp hands with Elsa again and looking up with a sheepish smile gracing her face, "I'm sorry Elsa, I don't even think sometimes and I'm sure you remember how I can just go on and on and never get to the point. Anyway I just got so sucked up in what I was trying to say, I didn't want to let go of your hand or take up so much of your time with my rambling, and gosh you're probably busy right now and only stopped by once you were ready to let me know to leave your bedroom before you went on to do other "Queenly" business and I … Elsa?"
With the sunlight streaming through the windows behind her casting a shadow from the glare over her features Anna had not been able to clearly see Elsa's face, or the tears currently dripping from her chin. Laughter burst from Elsa suddenly, it was wet sounding and warbling, reaching up with the hand opposite from the hand holding Anna's she deftly swept under her eyes, catching the remainder of the tears on her fingers.
"Don't mind the tears Anna, these are not tears caused by sadness I swear," enraptured by Elsa's words Anna titled her head to the side in consternation, trying to look past what she was saying and truly open the enigma that was Elsa's mind. Elsa laughed again, this time it was more of a bark of laughter, significantly devoid of wetness or any lingering troubling feelings. "You look rather like a puppy dog when you do that Anna," Anna pouted and whined a bit, Elsa's smile widened as she squeezed Anna's hand tighter and brought the appendage closer to her chest. "Like I was saying, I know exactly what you're wondering. "Am I truly here in Elsa's room? Is this truly happening? Are the walls built between us finally melting away, can we be close like sisters should be once more?" Am I right?" Silence followed by a single nod from the strawberry blonde. A sigh from the platinum blonde in response, "I thought so, and if I am completely honest, I feel a bit in a daze myself. Yet it's true, you are here, we are on my bed together, last night we did dance and ice skate at that Impromptu celebration we had due to the vanquishing of the rather villainous Duke and Prince, which we now have in custody in the castle dungeons. You did indeed save me," Anna felt her cheeks light up at the mention of her rather lack luster rescue, Elsa only continued to smile. "You saved me with an act of true love, standing in front of me and taking the killing blow intended for myself, continuing to follow after me selflessly and clean up my mistakes even after I had hurt you so badly, Anna."
"Elsa," A finger jumped up between the two girls and pressed itself to the younger of the twos lips firmly, Elsa raised an eyebrow determinedly, "I believe that this is my turn to ramble about your heroics sister. Though I believe I have naturally reached the conclusion of my monologue, Yes. Yes, we are here in my room, on my bed together because after all of the heroics, and the dancing, and the talking we came back here early into yesterday's evening and passed out on my bed, together. The walls that were erected are finally crumbling and melting away and it is all thanks to you, thank you so much Anna." Anna could feel herself trembling slightly as Elsa brought her slowly into her embrace, closing her eyes tightly she could feel tears roll from the corner of her own eyes down her cheeks as she muffled a grateful sob into her sisters' shoulder. Elsa rubbed her back softly as Anna sobbed and finally let out all of the stress that still burdened her tired heart from this last week. Eventually the room quieted again until all that remained was the tweeting and chirping of birds outside the window and the gentle breathing of two sisters caught up in the moment of their embrace.
"Elsa?"
"Yes."
"Promise me just one thing,"
"Anything Anna,"
"Promise that well never allow those walls to get between us again."
"I Promise," Anna gently pushed Elsa back a tad so that their foreheads were leaning against one another, the breath intermingling between them.
"Elsa, please I am so serious about this one thing, because thirteen years has been far too long, and you are the only family I have left and the kingdom is in shambles right now … not that I'm saying that the kingdom being in shambles is your fault! We're the Royal family, and its equally our responsibility to rebuild this kingdom and assuage any issues that our people bring before us to the best of our abilities. I-I'm just saying that times are going to be hard right now and I feel like we really need one another and I just want you to assure me that you need me just as much because I … I just need that Elsa …"
"Anna, I promise, I promise on Mama and Papa's love, I promise on all the love that I have for you, that I need you and that I will never let that wall return between us ever again."
Silence. "Alright,"
Elsa smiled and drew back from the hug with grace, continuing to keep her grip on Anna's shoulders, using the pads of her thumbs to rub soothing circles against her skin. "Good, because in addition to the Queenly duties that I have lined up for the day there are also a significant amount of duties that the Princess may be required to assist with. If she would be so inclined to allow her presence to grace the reclusive lonely Queen who is so unaware of her kingdom."
Anna smiled in return, "Gladly, I have personally always wanted Princess duties."
(** Two Years Later **)
Sweat ran in rivulets down the nape of Anna's neck and dripped from the tip of her nose, dressed in a gown and petticoats of which the material was immensely too hot for the weather in which she was wearing it in. Alongside her dashed Kristoff, his demeanor was much more relaxed as were his pores, because some how the towering man had not one drop of sweat on his body.
"How could I have forgot that the ruling was today, How? I have been marking this date in my journals, I have been preparing myself in my floor length mirror at night, I promised that I would be there to support Elsa. Gods I am such a let down when it comes to important matters." A tugging at her began at her elbow, seemingly slowing her down in her mad rush through the castle halls toward the lower throne room and court. Relenting to its pressure Anna whirled around to face none other than Kristoff, exasperatedly she made a variety of gesticulations that she hoped conveyed her rush before she uttered, "What?!"
Kristoff furrowed his brow and his lips became a white line, sighing Anna brushed her sweaty bangs back from her forehead and relaxed her expression. Just because she was stressed was no excuse for her to treat "the man whom she loved" in such an obtuse manner.
"I'm sorry Kristoff, it's just … well you know how important this ruling is for the Kingdom and for Elsa and myself. I'm just stressed, not upset at you."
Kristoff's demeanor also relaxed and he threw a sympathetic smile Anna's way as he dipped slightly at the waist, took Anna's hand in his and kissed her knuckles gently. "It's alright Your Highness, I completely understand if you may be overtaxed today in this situation. All that I wanted to say is," At this point he took another step closer and lowered his voice, "I know that you can do this Anna, you and your sister are going to make sure that everyone is aware of how truly horrible and just down right villainous Hans and that Duke of Weasel-town really are, and once you do the people will see that you two are justified in your ruling. Don't be too stressed, you are the current Crown Princess of Arendelle, you are Anna Oldenburg, the trial can wait for you." Anna felt her cheeks flush slightly at Kristoff's words. In the world they lived a relationship where a commoner would court a princess was already an unusual one, but Elsa had made it publicly clear that she supported this courtship, and Anna couldn't be more grateful for that.
Anna stood quickly to her toes and placed a small peck on Kristoff's chin as she disentangled her hand from his, smiling at him she looked back as she began to once again move off through the halls at an impressive pace. "Thank you, I needed those words. I'll find you after we adjudicate, alright?" With that Anna turned to face forward again, missing the wave Kristoff dazedly shot in her direction as she jogged off. After a few tense and continually sweaty moments, Anna arrived at the double doors of the Throne room. Swallowing the lump in her throat Anna closed her eyes for a moment in meditation, the crowd was lively inside the throne room, mentally Anna was preparing herself to come face to face again with that bastard redheaded "so-called" Prince. A deep breath in, she placed her hands on the two doors and began to push them open, the crowd was silenced abruptly as fanfare erupted, followed by the announcement of Princess Anna Oldenburg. At the far end of the room stood Elsa in her regal glory, dressed the same as her coronation ceremony, minus the gloves, her crown snugly fitted upon her head. Though she did not smile, Anna could see her sister's eyes light up at the sight of her as she slowly made her way across the room. Awareness of the crowd and the prisoners in the room melted from Anna's mind, her eyes stayed on her sisters as she made her way up the steps and took her place slightly behind her and to her right.
"All hail her Majesty the Queen and the Crown Princess; all adjourning may now be seated." With that final statement everyone in the room sat, barring the two prisoners in the center of the throne room. Filthy and unshaven, yet the two men were as recognizable as ever. Anna felt as though a cold fist had closed tightly over her heart.
"Let the trial begin."