I have Elsanna on the brain and a heavy metal cover of "I'm So Excited" (if you know, you know) on my playlist. Let's see what happens!
-IEA-
Iduna stretched, watching the water ripple and slosh up against the sides of the tub. The water was starting to cool, and she needed to get out and dress herself. Elsa's little 'end of summer' party was the next day, and so a few of the guests had already arrived to spend the night in Arendelle (all part of Elsa's smoothing things out, for any who couldn't make the re-do of her coronation in a couple of months time). Some had come a fair distance, and left a bit early in case of unfavourable conditions, or arrived early because of favourable conditions. While it wasn't really Iduna's job to do anything in particular, there were some in attendance she hadn't seen in a while, and who (like everyone else) had believed her dead for three years.
She sighed and ensured no soap lingered anywhere before climbing out of the tub, reaching for a towel and giving her body a cursory once-over as she dried off. The alarmingly thin stage was thankfully long gone, though Iduna still felt a little... delicate when undressed. Perhaps that was due to what had happened... shaking those thoughts away, she slipped on her fresh underlayers before leaving the bathroom. They clung a bit on missed water, but that would dry and nobody would notice once her dress was on. Feeling much less vulnerable with her soft jumper and ankle-length dress on, she sat to put on her shoes. Truthfuly, she appreciated being able to dress herself without getting tired, still aware of the time after her return when she was so frail even simple tasks left her winded.
Still... she was alive and, all things considered, well. Alice knocked at the door and waited to be invited in, coming to check on Iduna's hair and nails - after years of being broken and dirty, and her body being undernourished, her nails were a little brittle and needed care. Her hair had recovered quite well though, and Alice soon had her looking as well groomed as could be. A light coat of make-up brightened her features more, and Iduna actually half-recognised herself in the mirror for once. There was no doubt her time fighting to survive had aged her, but she no longer looked sickly, and she could no longer see her bones jut out through two or three layers of fabric.
"I suppose that will have to suffice."
"Oh don't be daft, you look absolutely lovely Iduna. Now come on, time for you to go and mingle with the masses."
Rolling her eyes, Iduna straightened up, brushing a few creases out of her dress before she left her room. Her dress was one of a few gifted to her by Elsa - while she was regaining weight, they'd not bothered to have too many made as it was a waste of fabric, but now she was more or less back to her old size, Elsa had gotten Alice to take her measurements and commissioned several lovely gowns and frocks, some for every day and others for special events. Today's one was one that seemed inspired by Anna's birthday, varying shades of green and yellow, but a little more muted and reserved. Not like the bright and colourful ensembles Anna enjoyed (and could pull off much better than Iduna could).
"Hi Miss Iduna!"
She was, at long last, entirely used to (if still slightly bewildered by) the talking snowman, Olaf. He was tottering around the hallways, and seemed to be looking for something.
"Hello Olaf. Are you alright?"
"Yeah! Having a great day! There's new people! Some of them don't like me much, but they'll come around. But Kristoff sent me to find Elsa and Anna, cus they're meant to be with the new people and they're not. Do you know where they are?"
Drawing in a deep sigh, Iduna had some suspicions what it might have meant for the two to disappear. She just hoped she was wrong and Elsa wasn't shirking important responsibilities for...
"I don't, no, but why don't I help you look?"
If they were skiving, she'd definitely be taking them to task about it. Of all the times...
"Okay! How about I take this way and you take that one? They can't have gone far!"
Slightly bewildered by the slightly surreal situation she found herself in, Iduna nodded and went left while Olaf went right. On the one hand, if her suspicions were right, she didn't really want to see it, but could only imagine how Olaf would have reacted if he saw such a thing.
As she headed along, peering into each door she found after a cursory knock on any she thought were occupied. After disturbing a cleaner catching a nap - Iduna left before they felt the need to apologise, and saw said cleaner hurry away seconds after she cleared the door - Iduna encountered a living room, and was quite sure she heard sounds she'd rather not hear from behind the door. After checking there were no staff nearby, Iduna opened the door.
Sure enough, she found exactly what she'd expected. Averting her eyes somewhat, Iduna slammed the door shut behind her. Opening it hadn't even gotten their attention, but they leapt apart quite quickly at the sound of the door slamming. The temperature in the room dropped immediately.
"Mother!"
Elsa's voice was rough and breathy, and when Iduna turned back she was struggling to pull her dress straight. Of all the times her dress seemed to be made of fabric rather than magic, it was the time (well, the second time) she needed to cover herself up after being caught by Iduna. Anna, while fully dressed, had guilt and heightened arousal written all over her, freckled cheeks redder than her hair.
"You're supposed to be out there, entertaining important visitors. Not... this!"
Iduna watched Elsa attempt to pull fabric up over her chest, difficult when she was still panting, flushed and dishevelled. The skirt of her dress was rumpled, creased where Anna had obviously bunched it up.
"I know. I just needed a minute to collect myself and..."
"I came to check on her and we sorta got carried away and forgot we had somewhere else to be."
Anna picked up as Elsa trailed off, and Iduna looked away in the hopes Anna would go and help Elsa straighten herself out.
And honestly, because she felt she'd been looking a little too long herself. It had to be shock that left her following the rapid rise and fall of Elsa's chest, that kept her eyes lingering on Anna's flushed cheeks and swollen lips.
"How on earth did they do this dress up? It came open way easier."
"Anna!"
Iduna chided; she didn't need to hear that.
"Sorry."
Anna did not sound the least bit apologetic, but the huffing sounds behind her stopped after a couple of minutes. She dared look around, and found Elsa smoothing the front of her now-righted dress down. Then she lifted her hands to Anna's face, and Iduna prepared to chastise them.
"Elsa-"
"I'm cooling her face down. I did it for you, remember?"
Iduna watched Elsa brush her cold thumbs over Anna's cheeks, and the deep flush faded to her usual rosy-cheeked pink, which made her look more composed already. Anna reached to fix Elsa's hair in return, and Iduna fought a strange shiver at the memory of when Elsa had cupped her face so tenderly.
"Alright, guess we should get back to work."
"You two go ahead. I need a minute to... calm down."
Elsa requested, and Iduna supposed she couldn't get into much trouble alone, so she nodded and pointedly waited for Anna to reach the door first before following her youngest daughter out. Anna couldn't meet her eye. As she lifted a hand to tuck loose hair behind her ear, Iduna noticed Anna was wearing the bracelet Elsa had gotten her for her birthday.
Her arrival was enough of a distraction that most people didn't realise Elsa wasn't back right away, so Iduna hoped nobody suspected anything and did her best to greet those she hadn't seen, trying to avoid in depth questions about her disappearance and survival. They weren't really pleasant memories.
Elsa rejoined them before long, looking much more composed than Iduna had found her. Her eyes ran over the front of Elsa's dress again, and Iduna told herself she was just checking that Elsa was properly put together again. That was all it was.
Oh, Elsa hated parties. Anna's birthday was one thing, because celebrating Anna's life was an absolutely vital event. But the event of the day was more about buttering up people Elsa didn't particularly like, so they wouldn't be offended if the date they couldn't make was chosen for her coronation re-take.
At least the early part of the day was something she could handle - mostly it was just hanging out with the citizens of Arendelle, and it wasn't too far removed from ice-skating days, with the magic and frozen treats and generally upbeat atmosphere around her.
There was still some frosty atmosphere, but for once it was aimed at Elsa, rather than coming from her. Their mother was still a little upset about catching the two of them the day before. IT really hadn't been intentional, Anna was trying to help Elsa keep her head because she hated hosting, and then one thing led to another and they'd pretty much forgotten they had somewhere else to be. It was definitely foolish to have not even locked the door though, and their mother had certainly been right to scold them about that. Elsa should never have been caught avoiding important guests for sex with anyone, even if she'd been wed to a well-chosen husband and caught with him, it would have been seen as pretty rude.
Although, Elsa was pleased to note Iduna did appear to be having fun. She'd certainly settled in to events better now she was recovered physically, and was stood talking with Kristoff over bowls of ice cream near the table, occasionally looking down to smile at nearby children. And she looked lovely, wearing a pretty summer dress, soft on her figure and a shade of blue that really brought out her eyes. After yesterdays... incident, Elsa had returned to forming her own clothes. They were much easier to put back on.
The alternative was simply ensuring Anna never tempted her in to ill-advised trysts, but then Elsa had an awfully hard time saying no to her sister...
"Queen Elsa! Queen Elsa!"
Excitable children who'd finally escaped their parents long enough to get close to her soon crowded Elsa when they saw she wasn't talking to any official looking grown ups - the only ones near her were her guards, who mostly just existed to ensure nobody tried to (literally) stab Elsa in the back. She could take care of herself pretty well from the front, what with the ice powers and all.
She indulged them with the usual little gifts made of ice and snow, heart warmed by their innocent, pure joy. Children shouldn't have to live in fear, and Elsa was so glad they did not fear her any longer. When Anna sidled up to her side, beaming brightly, Elsa felt her heart grow even warmer at the sight of that beautiful smile.
"Having fun, Anna?"
"Yeah! I love parties, and sunshine, and the open gates! Have you noticed there's some passing traders here?"
"I have. I expected them. They often appear whenever there's a good chance of meeting several different rulers or nobles in one place. Increases their chances of finding someone to work for."
"Ah, good point. Mother seems to be having a good day too."
Anna couldn't say much more, since they were rather closely observed by Elsa's entirely visible guards that day, but she still slipped her hand in Elsa's and stood closer than anyone else was allowed to. Which was lovely all on it's own.
"She does. I'm glad she can enjoy these events more now."
Tiring somewhat of standing up out of the way, Elsa lifted the hem of her dress slightly so it wouldn't catch and made her way down the steps from her little 'stage'. Her guards followed closely, but kept quiet and left Elsa to her mingling in peace, which was all she could ask really. Parties weren't much fun for her, but wandering the streets of Arendelle when everyone was full of joy and Anna was holding her hand? That, Elsa was fine with. At least with her sister there, the whole 'centre of attention' aspect was somewhat diluted, as Anna's infectious, bubbly personality drew people to her like moths to a flame.
Elsa did indulge herself in some ice cream, tasting rich chocolate and sweet strawberry (Anna, of course, had all chocolate), smiling around a mouthful of icy treat when observing their mother sat talking with a couple of visitors over tall glasses of cold drinks with silly decorations like umbrellas that Oaken had made. Anna's idea for the party had of course turned out to be a roaring success, and there was the dinner and drinking and dancing in honour of their visitors themselves later on to round out the day.
As they were moving toward the afternoon, everyone shifting tables out of the castle courtyard so Elsa could craft the necessary platform for ice skating (to showcase her magic wasn't all eternal winters and frozen fjords, as well as entertain everyone), the sound of shattering didn't immediately raise her panic, assuming that someone had simply dropped something while moving it. Still, Elsa turned to look out of curiousity, and found a most peculiar sight over by one of the tables still serving snacks on the bridge. The source was Iduna, and Elsa frowned when she saw the posture of her mother, hunched over and shuffling away awkwardly.
Anna was closest, and a pointed look and subtle head twitch had Anna following her eyeline and hastening over to their mother. Elsa quickly made the shift of the ground to get everyone else's attention, and soon enough everyone was merrily sliding across the icy surface on magical skates. Which meant Elsa could cross to the side of the courtyard herself, where Anna was looking furious, and their mother was crying. Kristoff had noticed too, and because he was wonderfully helpful, he and Sven stood exactly in the way enough to block most people's view of them.
"What's going on?"
Elsa asked quietly, turning to gesture to her guards to stay a respectful distance away. They halted, and Anna managed to remember to keep her voice down.
"Mother said he's here."
Elsa frowned.
"Who?"
Anna gave her a slightly exasperated look, and as Elsa watched her mother shake, her brain finally caught up to what Anna was insinuating. Feeling anger rise up inside her and fighting to keep the ice within at bay, Elsa turned to look over where Iduna had been standing before she dropped her plate.
"Where?"
-IEA-
I wrote this largely in lieu of getting any sleep whatsoever. Worth it!
