The Protector
February 19th, 1836
A yawn exited out of Anna's mouth as she stretched her arms. She sat up as she rubbed her eyes. Anna placed her hands on her back to stretch it out. Sleeping a stone bed wasn't very comfortable, but Anna would not complain about towards Elsa, especially since she done already so much for her. Anna was still in her tired state and probably on the verge of falling asleep again.
"Morning Anna!" came a sudden cheerful voice.
Anna jerked back and let out a small shout. But she only managed to calm down once she saw the origin of the voice.
"Oh. It's just you Olaf," Anna said as she took several breaths to calm herself.
"Has anyone told you that you drool?" Olaf asked.
Anna was confused for a moment. That is before realizing the trail of saliva on the corner of her mouth.
"Uh, several people have." She quickly wiped the saliva off. "My mama often said that I get it from my papa.
"Elsa drools when she sleeps too. Only, I don't know if she got it from her papa or mama for the matter," Olaf then held out a bowl. "Here's your breakfast."
"Um, thank you." Anna took the bowl, which was filled with nuts this time. While she preferred the berries, the nuts were okay enough for her. "So um, what brings you here, Olaf?"
"I just to ask if you wanted to play with me and the Snowgies outside after you eat."
"Outside? Would Elsa be okay with that?"
"Maybe. She's not here at the moment so I can't ask her. But I don't think she wouldn't mind."
"She's not here?"
"Don't worry, this is a normal thing for her. She and Marshmallow will back later. In the meantime, it's just you, me, and my brothers. So, do you wanna play outside~?" Olaf sang the last sentence.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Anna agreed, though was still unsure. Technically however, Elsa didn't say that she couldn't go outside. "Just let me finish my breakfast first."
"Alright! I'll be waiting near the doors when you're ready."
The snowman left the cave, leaving Anna alone. She seemed to notice how happy and outgoing Olaf is. It had reminded Anna herself when she was a small child. After she finished eating, Anna got up to leave the cave. Anna went through the ice tunnel and headed towards the foyer. There, she saw Olaf waiting near the doors.
"There you are!" Olaf exclaimed while he was walking towards her. "I was worried that you had already forgotten."
"Don't worry, I'm ready now."
"Hold on a sec. Let me get everyone else."
Olaf put his stick hand in his mouth and made a whistle. A cluster of squeaky noises were heard. Several snowgies came running down the stairs.
"Anna, meet the rest of the Snowgies! You've already met Slush, Sludge, Slide." Olaf made his way around the rest of them while giving their names. "This is Ansel, Flake, Flurry, Fridge, Powder, Crystal, Squalor, Pat, Sphere, and William."
"Is there more or…"
"This is all of them."
"Okay. Just wondering." Anna can see them small snowmen looking at her with smiles on their faces. "Hi there, little guys. I'm Anna. It's nice to meet you all."
"Okay, now that we all know each other let's head out and play," Olaf declared, which was followed by the happy squeaks coming from the Snowgies. Anna couldn't help but find that rather cute.
Olaf went towards the doors. Anna watch the snowman pull the handle and watch the ice doors slowly open, making a loud swish as they did. Light from the outside emulated the room. The lack of natural light for several days cause Anna to wince her eyes a bit before she re-adapted to sunlight. Once the door was fully opened, Olaf and The Snowgies started to head out, with Anna not far behind.
Once outside, Anna got accustomed to his the area around her. Surrounding their location were ranges of mountains. At the exit of the icy structure was a grand staircase made of ice, with Olaf and the others walking on it. Anna followed the snow beings as she walked on the stairs. Just down below looked to be a huge gorge, which the ground looked to be several hundred feet below. The young princess mentally took note to not fall down there.
When she reached the end, Anna decided to see what the outside of the ice structure looked like. The building itself seemed to resemble a palace. Anna gazed at the beauty of it. As she looked around, Anna soon realized she was at The North Mountain, a landmark familiar to those in Arendelle. But Anna was still busy looking at the ice palace and would've probably continued to stare had Olaf not called for her attention.
"Hey, Anna! What are you waiting for?"
"Oh right! Coming!" Anna ran towards Olaf, who was standing at an edge. "Sorry about that. So what do we first?"
"We slide!" is what the snowman said.
Anna looked confused at that statement. There wasn't anything around that remotely resembled a slide.
"Slide...what?"
"Just watch what we do." Olaf turned his attention towards the Snowgies. "Go ahead, guys."
One by one, each Snowgie jumped off the edge and were sliding down the snowy steep hill that looked to be many many feet below. Each one giving a happy squeak and smile as they did. Anna didn't know how to react to this.
"Go on, slide," Olaf chimed.
"Oh, I'm not so sure though," Anna said in an uneasy tone. "Have you guys done this before?
"Lots of times! And it's fun!" Olaf then slides down the hill on his belly. He shouted back at Anna as he did. "C'mon! Give it a trrrrryyyy!"
Anna was hesitant for a moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted to slide down or not. The hill looked awfully to steep. Olaf did say he and The Snowgies have done this several times so she figured it must've been safe. Then again, she didn't know whether those outcomes were good or bad. If her father was here, there was no doubt would've been against this idea.
"But papa isn't here," Anna mentally reminded herself.
Soon, the adventures side of Anna took over. Without a thought, she jumped on her bottom and slid down the snowy hill. She slid down at a fast speed and was shouting incoherently. Yet, she couldn't help but love the adrenaline that fueled her. Before she knew it, Anna stopped at the bottom with several snow-covered trees around the area. She took that moment to gather her bearings. As she did, she saw Olaf and the Snowgies approaching her.
"So, how was it?" Olaf asked.
"That was...actually fun," Anna replied.
"See! I told ya it was."
Anna looked back at the snowy slope. The ice palace was still in her view. The distance wasn't as big as she anticipated. Yet she had a lot of fun sliding down.
"You want to do it again?" She heard Olaf asked.
Anna didn't take long to think of her answer. Before they knew it, that had spent most of the morning sliding.
Not Far from the North Mountain, Marshmallow was running through the wooded area, before he started climbing on a hill. On his back was a figure that had her head covered in a cloak and a scarf covering her face. The figure was Elsa riding his back.
Throughout the 10 years Elsa had spent living on her own, she had learned several things about herself and her magic abilities. One thing was that her powers had allowed her to have a mental connection to her live creations. It wasn't anything telepathic, but it allows her to form a close bond with her snowy creations. Her bond with them had been helpful in many ways.
One of which was riding on Marshmallow's back. When they separated like normal, each had their own individual mind. When they were together, however, they were one. This had been useful for Elsa. It made traveling through the wilderness easy, be it for foraging or hunting for food. Other reasons were just to get some air.
It was the latter was the reasoning for the pair to be out. While Elsa loved to be at her ice home, she can admit that it can get very boring up there sometimes. Every now and then she would explore the wilderness around and test out her abilities whenever she wasn't looking for food. Sometimes with her creations, other times alone.
Today, it was just her and Marshmallow. Elsa held onto his back as he ran across a huge hill. Marshmallow was happy to oblige to be out and be with his creator. After minutes of climbing up the hill, they had made it to the top. Elsa got off his back and walked over to a cliff's edge. It wasn't a very tall cliff, but Elsa would have to guess to be several hundred feet. Down below she can see a snowy slope surrounded by some snow covered trees. This gave her an idea.
"Hey Marshmallow," she called to the snow creature. "You want to go for it?"
Marshmallow perked up his head. Seeing Elsa near the cliff's edge and his expression had changed. One that expresses annoyance.
"You're not serious, are you?" Marshmallow said.
"It'll be fine. Besides, it could our last chance to do this outside of the mountains before spring arrives," Elsa said. "Y'know you want to."
"Alright."
"Great!" Elsa then positioned herself several feet away from the edge. "On three, we go. Ready?" Marshmallow nodded his head. "One. Two. Three!"
The girl ran towards the edge and jumped off, with Marshmallow soon following. She let out a scream, not one of fear, but of sheer joy and excitement. The wind pressed against her skin was a great feeling that she enjoyed. Elsa looked back to see Marshmallow still falling behind her. The ground was getting closer, she knew now was the time.
Elsa position her feet to be pointing down. She then pointed her hands towards her feet and an icy blast came out of her hands. Underneath her feet, a flat, round object that resembled a dish had formed. She also shot small bursts of snow to help slow down her falling speed. With that, Elsa safely landed on the ground and was sliding down the snowy slope on the ice dish. Marshmallow also made a safe landing and sliding on his icy feet.
It was moments such as these that Elsa enjoyed within her secluded life away from others. This type of lifestyle gave Elsa the chance to express herself on her own terms. Rather than be feared, or used, by someone else.
As she slides, several trees came into her view. With one quick move, Elsa swiftly dodges the trees. She couldn't say the same about Marshmallow though. Soon, she felt the end of slope as the ground gotten even. Elsa fully stopped without any issue while Marshmallow came tumbling down, but landed alright. Several tree branches were also sticking out of him.
"That was fun, wasn't it big guy?" Elsa came to him and help pull out the tree branches. "Your landing was good, but you really need to work on your dodging."
Marshmallow gave an irritated grunt. He picked a handful, or his definition of it, of snow and poured it all over Elsa. She shouted out "Hey!" while he gave a mischievous chuckle.
"Very funny…" Elsa said irritably as she wiped the snow off. "I'll get back at you for that."
"Whatever you say," Marshmallow said.
Elsa twirled her hand and made a small snowball and flicked it towards Marshmallow. She gave a satisfied smirk as Marshmallow's annoyed look came across his face.
"There. Now we're even."
Elsa took off the scarf covering her mouth and pulled down her hood. While technically she didn't need them since the cold have never bothered her, she still liked to keep herself covered just in case. She then pulled out her single braid that was tucked in her cloak, stroking it as she places it over her shoulder.
"But in all seriousness, you still had fun. And look, we're both still in one piece, aren't we? Just like always."
"You are right about that."
"Why are you being so...doubtful, Marshmallow? You're normally not like this."
"Truth to be told, it's not you. It's about that girl"
"Anna?"
"Yes... I do not think it was wise to leave her there alone."
"Olaf and the Snowgies are with her."
"And that's supposed to be reassuring?"
Elsa couldn't help but agree with that statement. Olaf does have a tendency to be...foolish sometimes. Whether it would be intentional or not.
"Okay, you may have a point there. But if Anna wanted to escape, I'm sure she wouldn't offer herself to stay with us."
"You seem to put in a lot of trust into someone you hardly know anything about. We don't even know where she came from nor why she was out in that blizzard in the first place."
"You sound like you don't like her."
"It's not like that. I still remember those awful stories you told me and Olaf. I don't want you to go through that again."
For a moment, Elsa didn't say anything. She had briefly dug back into those terrible memories. Marshmallow was right. Elsa had every right not to trust Anna. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't.
"I appreciate your concern Marshmallow. Believe me, when I say that you're right, I shouldn't trust her. And part of me is still wary and still keeping my distance." The last part was indeed true. It was one of the other reasons why she was away from her home. "But when I talk to her she was always friendly. Even after I showed what I could do, that didn't change. She actually showed interest. When I showed her some of my scars, she actually tried to comfort me."
Marshmallow didn't say anything, but he continued to listen.
"She cared about how I felt. She thanked me for saving her life. And...she actually cared about my well being. I don't think no other person has ever done that to me. For some reason, it felt...natural. I know it sounds crazy, but something tells me that Anna can be trusted."
"I still don't like this," Marshmallow stated.
Elsa couldn't help but feel disappointed at Marshmallow's statement. She knew it was in his protective nature to do so. But then, she got an idea.
"Why not I properly introduced the both of you when we get back? Once that's done, then you'll see how she is."
"I suppose there's no harm to that. It would be the only way I could properly judge her. However, if I see any sign that she means harm to any of us, I will not hesitate to do what it takes to keep you and the rest of us safe."
"I...I understand." Elsa knew Marshmallow's protective nature had naturally made him care deeply for his family. He would definitely go to extreme lengths to keep them all safe. She knew that Marshmallow may even kill others if it means protecting her, Olaf, and The Snowgies. He is their protector after all.
"I just hope it won't come to that," Elsa thought.
Elsa did not wish to take another person's life. Sure she killed animals before, but she did it to get food. A necessity for her survival. Killing a human being was a different story. She knew killing people was wrong and pointless. A killing machine is something she doesn't want to be. Neither by her will.
Or by force.
When Elsa and Marshmallow arrived back at North Mountain, they heard chatter near the base of the mountain. Wanting to know what is, they went to investigate. The chatter had led them to were several trees where. To their relief, it was Olaf who was making that noise whilst wandering around.
"Olaf?" Elsa called as she jumped off of Marshmallow's back.
The snowman turned around and smiled once he saw them. "Elsa! Marshmallow. You're back!" Olaf ran over to them and hugged Elsa's legs.
"Hello, Olaf." Elsa patted his head. "What are you doing? Where's everyone else?"
"Where's Anna?" Marshmallow asked firmly.
"I invited her to play with me and the Snowgies out here. We spend the morning sliding down the slope. Then we rested for a while before we decided to play 'Hide 'n Seek'. Right now it's my turn while everyone else is hiding."
Elsa didn't see it, but she could feel Marshmallow apprehension rising as Olaf explained. Remembering of big snowman's distrust towards Anna, Elsa spoke before anything escalated.
"Have you found anyone so far?" she asked.
"Just a few of the Snowgies," Olaf answered.
"Why not me and Marshmallow help you find the rest?"
"Really? That'll be super helpful! Let's split up, it'll help us cover more ground."
Elsa and Marshmallow watched Olaf go in one direction. They waited until the snowman was out of an earshot.
"Marshmallow," Elsa started firmly. "No matter what happens, don't do anything drastic."
Marshmallow nodded his head. Soon, he and Elsa went separate ways.
Meanwhile, Anna was hiding behind a tree. She had been waiting for Olaf to find her in their game of 'Hide 'n Seek'. So far she hasn't seen any sign of him. It didn't take long until she started to get bored. She had entertained herself in several ways. Be it making tiny snowmen out of snowballs, or drawing in the snow. Other ways she had occupied herself were her thoughts.
"I wonder how everyone back home is doing?"
Anna knew there was no doubt that her father especially is probably looking high and low for her. He may have even gotten the whole kingdom involved as well. She kinda felt bad for staying up here, leaving her parents and the kingdom panicking about her whereabouts. But Anna didn't feel ready to go back home and face her father. The princess knew it was probably a matter of time before her father figured out about her secret trips beyond the hill, be it he figured it out himself or someone else telling him.
Aside from wanting to learn more about Elsa, the idea of starting to learn to be Queen was also the other thing holding her back. In most royal families, the heirs usually started their training at a younger age. For some reason, her parents never did start her training early on, which many considered to be odd. Anna knew it was inevitable for her to start learning. What makes her so reluctant is that she knew she wasn't a typical princess, or at least different from the princesses she had met. Those princesses were quiet, regal, and graceful, while Anna was the complete opposite of those things.
How can she be a good queen if she can't even be a proper princess?
Just then, Anna heard large thumps that sounded nearby. Getting back on her feet, she looked around to look for the source. Slowly, she looked around at the other side of the tree.
"Hello? Olaf is that you?" she called out.
There wasn't any answer, nor anyone there. The large thumps were no longer heard. After several seconds, Anna figure those were just her head playing tricks on her. Just when she went back to her hiding spot, she slammed into a big bulky object was in front of her and fell on her bottom. After a slight groan of pain, she looked up to see that the white bulky object was a big snow creature that was tall as the trees.
Anna seemed to guess that this was the famous 'Marshmallow' that Olaf told her about.
She did not get up from the ground. Instead, she continued to stare at the snow creature. Its big stature was definitely enough to scare the faint of heart. Anna doesn't get scared easily, though she can admit she did felt a bit intimidated.
"Um...hi," Anna greeted nervously.
Marshmallow looked at her with curiosity. Finding the girl was surprisingly easy for him. When it came to finding things, Marshmallow had to look high and low for them. The only things he could find with no issue was Olaf, The Snowgies, and Elsa. Due to her connection with her creations, they could always find her in places without her even telling them. She could've gone to the ends of the earth without telling them and they would still find her. Elsa's aura was almost like a signal that helps them, Marshmallow and Olaf especially, track her. The girl, Anna he remembered, had a similar aura coming off from her.
That was really odd to Marshmallow. He had never had that type of connection with other humans he had seen. Elsa had been the only one who gave off that aura that allowed him to find her. Anna somehow had that same thing. That just made Marshmallow even more curious of the girl.
Anna decided to get on her feet. Marshmallow never took his eyes off of her as she did. She soon returned the gaze. The big snow creature was looking at her like a curious animal or a dog to be specific. That gave Anna an idea. She remembered her father's advice on how to greet dogs before petting them. She had to stick out her hand and let the dog sniff it to see if she was friendly. If she passed, the dog would let her pet it. Obviously, this snow creature wasn't a dog, but she figures it was a worth a shot.
Slowly, she removed the mitten from her right hand and tucked it away. She took several fast breaths as she stood. Then finally, she extended her hand towards Marshmallow. Nothing had happened as the snow creature just stared. Anna decided to close her eyes and turn her head away, hand still in the same position.
Marshmallow was...amused by Anna's gesture. So far, she didn't fail to impress him. He could feel that she was intimidated by him, but she wasn't full-on fear. Now she was doing this strange gesture to him. For a moment, he was confused. Until it clicked to him that maybe this was her way of hoping to gain his trust. Though he was skeptical at first, he's now starting to believe that maybe she could be trusted.
Making his decision, Marshmallow decided to give his answer. He lifted his left hand and look at it and Anna's right-hand back-to-back several times. Finally, he made his move. Mimicking the gesture she made, Marshmallow slowly extended his hand and pressed his palm against Anna's. While he touched it lightly, Anna felt some force move her a bit.
Lifting up her head, she saw Marshmallow's hand pressed against her own. Her hand was so tiny compared to the giant snow creature's. Anna then looked at his face. In the sockets that were his eyes, she can see that in them weren't intimidation but...acceptance. Anna gave a nervous but relieved smile. Marshmallow then slowly gave a smile back, to which she chuckled.
"Y'know...For a big guy, you're a real softie," Anna complemented.
"Th-Thank you," Marshmallow spoke in one of the few words he could speak in English.
Unbeknownst to the both of them, they were being watched from a distance by none other than Elsa herself. She had watched the entire exchange. When she saw this first happening she was apprehensive. She was afraid that something would go wrong, be it Marshmallow's suspicions being correct, or Anna being doing something to scare him. But neither of each scenario had occurred. Instead, it was filled with relief as she watches the two pressed their hands against each other. To Elsa, it symbolized that Marshmallow had accepted Anna as a friend. Even more shocking to her is when Marshmallow spoke in English towards her. That was truly rare. It had only meant one thing. Marshmallow had fully trusted Anna.
"You found her, Marshmallow!" the sound Olaf's voice brought Elsa out of her thoughts. Elsa saw the snowman approach the pair in the opposite direction. Soon, she decided to join them.
"I see you've met Marshmallow already," Elsa brought up.
"Uh yeah," Anna replied. "He's nice."
"He is," Elsa patted Marshmallow's leg. "He may look intimidating, but he is kind."
"Yep. So, where were you two at?" Anna asked. "I mean if you want to tell me that is. If it isn't any of my business, then you don't have to say anything."
"We were just getting some exercise," Elsa answered. "But now that we're back, I could use some rest."
"Yeah, I could say the same. Spending most of the morning and afternoon playing could really wear a girl down, y'know."
"Then I guess we should all head back to the castle then."
"You two can do that. I'll just stay out here for a little while," Marshmallow said in his language.
"Uh, did he say something or…" Anna trailed.
"Marshmallow doesn't speak much. He has his own language. Only Olaf and I can understand him," Elsa explained.
"Oh," Was what Anna could reply.
"I like to hang with Marshmallow for a while if you don't mind that Elsa," Olaf added.
"It's fine with me. Just be back in the palace before dark with the rest."
"Yes, ma'am! Come on Marshmallow. Let's find the rest of the Snowgies!"
The snowman then ran off, with the big snowman soon following. This left the two girls alone.
"So, shall we head back?" Anna asked.
"Of course," Elsa replied.
Who knew Elsa was a dare devil? Then again, 10 years living alone and having ice powers probably can give one some ideas how to entertain themselves (:P). I admit I might've gotten some ideas from How to Train Your Dragon...and maybe a little bit of Big Hero 6 as well...
Okay, I know I promised Elsa and Anna bonding, but I wanted to explore more of the snowmen (mostly Marshmallow). Olaf, I still have no clue if I'm doing his character right. Marshmallow is easier for me to write since he didn't get much screen time in the movie, so there's that.
No worries, there shall be Elsa/Anna bonding in the next chapter.
For those of you who are confused or forgot, Marshmallow doesn't speak much and has his own language (which is in Italics). Though every now and again he can speak a bit of English.
Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews. Happy Reading.
