Chapter 14: Good Night
"Sing us a song, you're the piano man," Anna sung quietly as she and Kristoff walked down the street, the redhead giving a small twirl as she went, her face flushed, "Sing us a song tonight. 'Cause we're all in the mood for a melody, and you've got us feeling alright."
"She's definitely feeling alright, that's for sure," Ralph muttered to Elsa as they followed along behind the couple, earning a muffled giggle from the queen.
"I think the mead may have been a bit stronger than Anna was expecting," Elsa observed.
"Ralph, you sing the next part!" Anna exclaimed as she spun on her heel and pointed at Ralph, the action almost causing her to fall over until Kristoff grabbed her shoulders and steadied her.
"Sorry, but I think I've done enough singing tonight," Ralph replied with a shake of his head.
"Aw, come on!" Anna whined before a mischievous grin spread across her face, "I know Elsa thought you were the best singer all night."
"Anna!" Elsa hissed in warning, her cheeks coloring as Ralph scratched at the back of his neck and focused his gaze on the ground in front of him.
"It's true," Anna replied with a shrug before she turned and continued down the sidewalk, wrapping her arms around one of Kristoff's as she went.
"I'm sorry about her," Elsa said with a sigh, her cheeks still red as she looked up at Ralph, "She's-"
"She's your sister?" Ralph finished for her, grinning as he did, "I mean, I don't have any siblings, but from what I've gathered, it's kind of common practice."
"I suppose it is," Elsa replied with a smile and a shake of her head, "Sometimes I think Anna is trying to make up for lost time."
As Ralph chuckled at this, Elsa expression turned bashful once more.
"I do think you're a very good singer though," Elsa admitted.
"Thanks," Ralph replied with a smirk, "But, if we're being honest, I'm nowhere near as good as you."
At this, Elsa's eyes went wide and her face paled, leading to Ralph immediately conclude he had made a mistake.
"Was….Was Jessica telling the truth?" Elsa questioned quietly, her expression nervous, "Did….Did millions of people really see me sing?"
"...YYYeah, probably," Ralph cringed.
"Oh God, I can't think of anything more…." Elsa said, putting her face in her hands as she walked before throwing her arms into the air in frustration, "I don't believe embarrassment is a strong enough word for what I'm experiencing!"
"Yeah, I'm sure that was something of a private moment for you," Ralph replied as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry for bringing it up."
"It's fine," Elsa sighed as she pulled her cardigan tight around her and crossed her arms over her chest, "I just….I wish I had had some choice in the matter."
"Boy, do I get that," Ralph replied with a chuckle and a shake of his head, "I know I've told you all this before, but that right there, that's my life story."
Elsa smiled at this before she worried her bottom lip.
"Is….Is the other part true too?" Elsa inquired hesitantly, "Did….people really like my singing?"
Looking down at Elsa, Ralph couldn't help but smile at the worried but hopeful expression on the queen's face.
"Yeah, of course," Ralph answered with a smile, "You brought the house down. I catch Vanellope singing that song every once in awhile."
"What did you think?" Elsa questioned, a warm smile spreading across her face.
"Me?" Ralph asked as he flashed his best charming grin at Elsa, "I thought it was the best singing I'd ever heard."
"Oh, please," Elsa replied, rolling her eyes even as she smiled and blushed at the comment, "Now you're just trying to flatter me. I'm not that naive."
"Maybe," Ralph replied with a helpless shrug, "But the fact of the matter is that I think I'm in the same boat as everyone else. I'd love to hear you sing again."
"Well, I can't see myself singing for a big crowd of people," Elsa said, looking up at Ralph with half-lidden eyes, "But just for you? You might be able to convince me."
At this, Ralph blinked in surprise and slowed in his steps as Elsa looked away from him and continued onwards. Noticing this, Elsa looked over her shoulder at Ralph and flashed him a smile at him that the wrecker could only describe as mischievous. Chuckling to himself, Ralph shook his head and picked up his pace to catch up with Elsa.
He wasn't certain, but Ralph felt pretty sure the Queen of Arendelle had just flirted with him.
Later,
The streets of Arendelle were largely empty at this time of night, but the few people who were wandering the cobblestone roads all stared and whispered amongst themselves as the royal sisters and their dates walked past.
"You didn't have to walk with us all the way back to the castle, you know," Elsa said as she looked up at Ralph.
"It's no big deal," Ralph assured her with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Personally, I'm happy you walked back with us," Anna declared, turning to face Ralph as they reached the drawbridge leading into the royal castle, "So that I can thank you for showing us such a good time."
"Aw, you don't have to thank-" Ralph began to say but was interrupted as Anna stepped forward and hugged Ralph as much as her arm span would allow, slamming her forehead against his chest in the process, causing the wrecker to let out a small grunt.
"You know, you're very huggable," Anna said, her voice muffled by her face buried in Ralph's shirt, "I think Elsa's going to really enjoy th-"
"Alright, Feisty Pants," Kristoff said as he took Anna by the shoulders and pulled her off of Ralph before leading her away, "I think that's enough thanking for one night."
"You're right," Anna agreed before giving Kristoff a suggestive look, "We need to give them some alone time."
"Wow, I need to reintroduce you to the idea of "inside thoughts"," Kristoff commented, hurrying Anna away as he called back over his shoulder, "Good night! Thanks for the fun time!"
"Yeah, good night Ralph!" Anna said as she pulled herself free of Kristoff's grasp and began walking back towards the wrecker, forcing Kristoff to physically pick the princess up and throw her over his shoulder before carrying her away, "Make sure to tell Elsa she's pretty! She's weirdly self-conscious about that!"
"Okay, Anna," Ralph replied in bemusement, waving at the princess as Elsa buried her face in her hands in embarrassment, "I'll….I'll be sure to do that."
As Anna and Kristoff disappeared into the castle, Ralph ran a hand through his hair, largely returning it to its normal, disheveled state, before looking down at Elsa.
"Sorry about that," Elsa apologized as she lowered her hands and looked up at Ralph.
"It's fine," Ralph replied with a shrug as his face heated up, "Besides, she's right, you know."
"How so?" Elsa questioned as he brow furrowed.
"You are pretty," Ralph said, smirking even as his cheeks turned red.
At this, Elsa's entire face flushed at she averted her eyes.
"My, that was rather….forward of you," Elsa commented as she played with the hem of her cardigan.
"Yeah, sorry," Ralph replied, his smile faltering as he looked away from Elsa, "I'm….kind of a blunt guy."
"I've noticed," Elsa said quietly, "Thank you. For the compliment, I mean."
Blinking in surprise, Ralph turned back towards Elsa and found the queen looking him directly, a warm smile on her face. Seeing this, Ralph couldn't help but smile in return, before he squared his shoulders and faced her fully.
"Elsa, I, uh, wanted to say something," Ralph began to say.
"Oh," Elsa replied, blinking in surprise as a look of anxiety passed over her features, "Uh, I do as well. I mean, I think I know what you're going to say."
"You do?" Ralph asked in surprise.
"Yes, and I feel the same way," Elsa answered with a quick nod.
"You….You do!?" Ralph repeated in shock.
"Of course!" Elsa replied with a nervous laugh, "I had a lot of fun tonight too!"
"...You what?" Ralph questioned in confusion.
"I had a lot of fun tonight," Elsa repeated with a forced smile, "I-It was great, even. Really happy I came."
There was an awkward pause as Elsa looked at Ralph anxiously, while he stared back at her in confusion.
"Th-That's what you meant, right?" Elsa asked with a nervous titter.
Feeling a sinking sensation in his chest, Ralph sighed as the confusion left his features.
"Yeah," Ralph replied, his tone neutral as he forced a smile onto his face, "That's what I meant."
"Oh, good," Elsa replied, feeling disquieted by Ralph's response, "That….That's what I thought."
An awkward silence fell between the two at that point, making Elsa more and more uncomfortable.
"Well, good night," Elsa said with a forced smile as she gave Ralph a small wave and began making her way back towards the castle.
"Night," Ralph replied, a look of disappointment on his face that Elsa failed to notice as she hurried towards the castle, almost as if she was trying to escape the growing certainty that she had made a mistake.
Sighing, Ralph turned away from the castle and began making his way back home, sticking his hands in his pockets as he went.
"Are you freaking kidding me!?" Vanellope hissed as she stood up from the bush she had been hiding in and threw her hands into the air in exasperation.
Blinking in surprise, Ralph turned his attention towards the bush, just missing seeing Vanellope as Loki leapt up from his hiding place wrapped his hands around the girl's mouth and dragged her back into the shrub. His brow furrowing in suspicion, Ralph wandered over to the bush and looked inside.
In the bush, instead of Vanellope and Loki, Ralph found a pair of ducks. It was dark enough that Ralph didn't notice that one of the ducks had a strange teal and chocolate brown coloring, nor the fact that the black and green one had bright emerald eyes. As Ralph looked down at the ducks, they turned their blank gazes back towards him.
"Quack," the green duck said with a voice that Ralph briefly thought he recognized.
Grumbling to himself, Ralph shook his head before turning away from the bush and heading the way he had been going before. As he left, Loki, in his duck form, turned towards Vanellope and glare at her. Vanellope, however, paid him no attention, watching Ralph leave with a sad expression.
Inside the castle, Kristoff put Anna down not far from the front door.
"Uh, sorry about that," Kristoff apologized, looking away from Anna as she steadied herself, "That was a little forward of me."
"It's fine," Anna replied with a giggle, "I know I can be a little much sometimes."
A suggestive look crossing her face, Anna stepped forward and laid her hands on Kristoff's chest.
"Besides, this isn't the first time you've picked me up, is it?" Anna questioned, lowering her voice as she leaned in closer to Kristoff, "I think they call that manhandling someone, right?"
"Uh, yeah I guess so," Kristoff confirmed, his cheeks reddening as he looked down at Anna with wide eyes.
"You know, something followed the last time you picked me up," Anna stated with a grin.
"I don-" Kristoff began to say but was interrupted as Anna stood on her toes and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did.
The two stayed like that for a moment, the look of surprise leaving Kristoff's face as he closed his eyes and placed his hands on Anna's hips. Eventually, the kiss ended and the two pulled apart and looked at one another with flushed faces.
"Wow," Kristoff whispered with a smile.
"Yeah," Anna agreed with a chuckle, "I guess that makes us even now."
"I suppose so," Kristoff allowed, "I had a great time tonight."
"Me too," Anna agreed before her expression turned guilty, "Sorry about bringing Ralph and Elsa along without telling you."
"Don't worry about it," Kristoff replied with a shrug, "I have to agree, I think they're pretty cute together. I think things worked out pretty well for everyone tonight."
At that moment, the front doors of the castle opened, drawing Anna and Kristoph's attention as Elsa hurried inside.
"Good night," Elsa quickly said as she passed them, her expression distraught and her arms wrapped protectively around herself as she made her way up the stairs to the second floor.
"Or not," Kristoff stated in surprise as he watched Elsa disappear around a corner.
Anna watched Elsa walk away as well, worrying her bottom lip for a moment before turning to look at Kristoff with a stricken expression.
"I should go check on her," Anna said, "Sorry."
"No, I understand," Kristoff replied as he flashed Anna a reassuring grin, "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course," Anna answered with a grin as she reached out and grabbed Kristoff's hand, giving it a quick squeeze before she turned away from him and began making her way up the stairs. Kristoff watched her go for a moment before turning away and walking towards a different part of the castle.
By the time Anna reached Elsa's room, her sister had already disappeared inside and shut the door behind her. Old anxieties welling up in her chest, Anna hesitantly stepped up to the bedroom door and stood before it for a moment, resting her hand against the wooden barrier. Then, squaring her shoulders, Anna knocked on Elsa's door.
"Elsa?" Anna called out, doing her best not to sound meek, "Can I come in?"
There was an abominably long pause after this, long enough for Anna's anxiety to begin tearing her up inside. Had this all been a mistake? Had something gone wrong? Had her forcing this situation on Elsa caused Anna to lose her sister all over again?
"Come in, Anna," came Elsa's response, abruptly yanking the princess out of her thoughts.
Blinking in surprise, a delighted smile spread across Anna's face. However, as her drink-addled mind processed what Elsa had said, Anna noticed the morose tone in her sister's voice. So it was with a concerned expression that Anna opened the door and stepped into Elsa's bedroom.
Glancing around, Anna quickly spotted Elsa sitting on her bed, resting a shoulder against one of the posters of her four-poster bed, looking at her hands as they rested in her lap.
"Hey," Anna greeted as she gently closed the door behind her.
"Hi," Elsa replied quietly, not lifting her gaze to look at Anna.
"So, pretty fun night, huh?" Anna questioned hesitantly, crossing her arms behind her back as she slowly walked towards Elsa.
"Yeah," Elsa agreed with a smirk, but then, just as quickly the smile disappeared and the queen's expression returned to its neutral state, "For the most part."
"Is everything okay, Elsa?" Anna questioned, quirking an eyebrow as she drew closer to her sister.
At this point, Elsa finally raised her gaze to look at Anna. For a moment, Elsa said nothing, clearly trying to think of something to say before her shoulders slumped and she sighed.
"No, it's not," Elsa replied with a dejected expression as she looked away from Anna again.
"Did something happen?" Anna asked as she came to a stop next to Elsa's bed, "When I left you and Ralph you seemed-"
Anna paused as a thought came to her, causing her eyes to narrow.
"Did Ralph try something with you?" Anna asked.
"What do you mean "Did he try something"?" Elsa inquired in reply, her brow furrowing as she looked up at Anna.
"Like, did he try anything...untoward?" Anna questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest.
At this, Elsa blinked in surprise before an absolutely scandalized expression crossed her features.
"Of course not!" Elsa snapped heatedly, her hands curled into fists in her lap, "Anna, how could you even suggest something like that!? Ralph would never-"
"Okay, okay!" Anna interrupted, holding her hands out in front of her in an attempt to ward off Elsa's anger, "I was just worried that...I don't know…"
Elsa's anger seemed to abait as she crossed her arms and looked away from her sister. Sighing, Anna settled onto the bed next to Elsa, leaning back and resting her weight on her hands.
"Okay, Elsa," Anna began, her voice gentle and understanding, "What happened?"
At the question, Elsa sighed sadly.
"Tonight was great," Elsa began, staring off into space as she spoke, "It was so much fun. And Ralph….Ralph…."
"What about Ralph?" Anna urged with a small smile.
"He was funny, and charming," Elsa answer, a smile tugging at her lips as well, "He got dressed up, and took us to a place he specifically thought I would enjoy and…."
"And he sang for you," Anna added.
"Yes, he did," Elsa agreed, a blush coloring her cheeks as she played with her ponytail before she let out another sad sigh, "And then I ruined it."
"How did you ruin it?" Anna inquired with a concerned expression.
"After you left, we talked for a little bit," Elsa explained, "I think he was….the term is "flirting", correct?"
"I think so," Anna answered with a grin, "Did you flirt back?"
"I may have been the one who start flirting," Elsa answered with a blush and a small smile.
"Look at you!" Anna laughed as she playfully shoved her sister on the shoulder, "What happened next?"
"Well, Ralph kept talking," Elsa explained, her smile falling away again, "I'm pretty sure he was going to tell me he has….he has feelings for me."
"Really!?" Anna exclaimed before she leaned towards Elsa excitedly, "What did you do!?"
"I panicked!" Elsa moaned before she placed her face in her hands and flopped back onto her bed.
"You panicked?" Anna parroted in confusion.
"I didn't know what to do!" Elsa answered, her voice muffled by the hands still pressed to her face, "I didn't know how to handle the situation so I told him I had a fun time, bid him a good night and ran away like a coward!"
"Ralph told you he liked you and you ran away?" Anna questioned with a grimace.
"He didn't actually tell me how he felt," Elsa explained, lowering her hands as she spoke, "I interrupted him before he could."
"But you're sure that's what he was going to tell you?" Anna inquired.
"Pretty sure," Elsa confirmed with a nod.
"Oh Elsa," Anna sighed as she lowered herself onto the bed as well, laying on her side facing her sister with her head propped up by her hand.
"I know," Elsa groaned as she rolled onto her side so she could face Anna, using her hands as a pillow, "I'm hopeless at romance, aren't I? I just have no idea what I'm doing."
"I don't think any of us really know what we're doing with in that regard, Elsa," Anna reassured her.
"You seem to," Elsa argued, "You and Kristoff have no trouble talking about how you feel with one another."
"Fine," Anna relented with a roll of her eyes, "But I can't shoot ice from my hands so let's call it even."
Elsa chuckled at this, bringing a smile to Anna's face.
"What are you going to do now?" Anna questioned.
"I don't know," Elsa admitted, her expression turning forlorn.
"Well, you can't just let things stand as they are," Anna pushed, "You like Ralph, don't you?"
The questioned called a blush back to Elsa's cheeks and she rolled onto her back to stare at her bed's canopy.
"...Yes," Elsa admitted after a moment, her voice small, "After tonight, how could I deny it? But after what I just did, Ralph isn't going to want to have anything to do with me. He must think I'm some kind of….some kind of…."
"Flirt?" Anna suggested as she rolled over so she lay on her back while touching shoulders with her sister.
"I thought that was a verb?" Elsa questioned, raising her head to look at her sister in confusion.
"It's also a noun," Anna informed her, "It basically means someone who plays at being romantically interested in people, but never commits."
"Yeah," Elsa sighed as she laid her head back down on the bed, "That's probably exactly what Ralph thinks of me now. A childish flirt."
"I doubt he thinks that," Anna replied dismissively, "But if you want to fix this, you know what you have to do, don't you?"
"I'm going to have to tell him how I feel, aren't I?" Elsa answered with a groan.
"He tried to give you an opportunity, but you shut him down," Anna stated with a shrug, before she turned her head towards Elsa and grinned broadly, "Now it looks like you'll have to be the one to break the ice."
At this, Elsa looked back at Anna and narrowed her eyes, causing the princess' smile to falter.
"Well, I thought it was funny," Anna grumbled.
"So, now I need to figure out how to best approach Ralph," Elsa stated as she looked back at the canopy, "But I haven't the foggiest of notions on how to do that."
"Well, if you don't have any ideas, I think I might have one," Anna said as she looked upwards as well, a wide smile stretching across her face.
A/N: Quick chapter to close out the double date night. Betting it didn't go quite like you guys were hoping. Don't worry though, there's plenty more to come! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!