It was taking every scrap of Elsa's considerable willpower not to crush the entire castle beneath a glacier of ice so large and so cold, that it would instantly freeze the lungs of anyone who was unfortunate enough to draw air within its cursed walls. In such an event, those who did manage to hold their breath for more than thirty seconds or so would then get to enjoy the horror of watching themselves slowly be consumed with hoar frost, until their very bodies resembled mummified snowmen and their freezing brains and organs finally succumbed to blissful, frozen unconsciousness… and death, obviously. She really would have to insist on the whole "gruesomely dying" part of this hypothetical scenario.
Ah, but it was a pleasant fantasy! They might make her a slave and steal her freedom, but they couldn't take away a girl's dreams.
The door to the princess's chambers swung open, revealing the alarmed face of her reluctant mistress, and she forced herself to hold her tongue as the leader of the trio of guards spoke. Somehow, by the grace of the old gods, she also resisted the urge to stick very long, very sharp needles of ice deep into the meat of the fat, sausage-like fingers of the two imbeciles currently holding her by her upper arms.
She'd put them right up underneath their dirty fingernails, she decided, where she knew it would hurt the most.
She couldn't do it. Was she growing soft, here in the warm spring air of the south? The Ice Queen was not in the habit of suffering under the grotesque touch of common soldiers such as these. Especially not the touch of men.
A bit of rough handling from an attractive woman, now… That could be quite pleasant, under the right circumstance. Though, in her experience, she was usually the one doing most of the handling, rather than the other way around. This debasement of being picked up and tossed around by brutish Arendellian louts in green uniforms was something she was being forced to become all too familiar with, these past ten days.
In answer to the guard's question, she watched as Princess Anna – still finely dressed and bejeweled from her earlier dinner, though looking a bit tired now around her eyes – took a sharp breath and drew herself upright, her eyes blazing. In but a second, the princess transformed before her very eyes, becoming someone both more regal and more commanding than Elsa would have thought possible of her. The young woman before them suddenly looked every inch the royal heiress, and not at all like the cheerful girl with twin auburn braids who had led Elsa by the hand around the castle earlier that day.
"What is going on here? Of course she is mine! How dare you put your hands on her! Let go of her at once!"
Anna's voice cracked with authority, along with a heavy dose of royal outrage, and Elsa had to smile as the previously stoic guard took a half step back from her in obvious surprise.
By the gods, Elsa couldn't help but stop to marvel, but she has some real potential! If only…
This young Princess Anna of Arendelle was a true wellspring of untapped, raw talent. She supposed most people only saw her kindness and her happy, guileless energy, and didn't bother to look beyond it to what she might someday become. It was there though. Natural charisma, empathy, determination, intelligence, and most importantly as far as Elsa was concerned, an open curiosity about the world. Anna didn't just accept things as they were; she questioned the status quo. She lacked experience and confidence in herself, but that would come in time. Elsa certainly knew that for herself.
If Anna was given the right support and guidance? Were someone with, say, the proper eye for these sorts of things to just nudge her in the right direction? Well… Yes. Yes indeed. She would blossom into a ruler greater than any her nation had yet seen, if given half the chance.
She is wasted on Arendelle. This country is rotted to its core. They will ruin her, before long.
"But, Your Highness!"
The guard looked a bit frantic as he hurried to explain. Clearly, he had not expected the princess to be so enraged by his treatment of her errant slave. At either side of Elsa, the two guards holding her began to shift uneasily, looking at each other over her head. Elsa felt their grips slacken from bruising to just firm, and she was impressed they hadn't yet succumbed to Anna's demand they let her go. She might find them repellent, as a rule, but these castle guards were certainly committed to performing their duty.
"Forgive me, but," the first guard was saying. "Well, you see, your slave was found skulking about near the entrance to the West Wing! She has no business being anywhere near there, and especially not at this late hour."
"Really? Did you even bother to ask her what she was doing there, before you snatched up my trusted personal servant and frog-marched her here like a common criminal?"
Again Elsa was impressed. Anna managed to lace those words with as much polite derision as she had ever heard, implying without saying so directly that the three men were both incompetent and stupid.
"Yes! Yes, of course we did. We asked her straight away, Your Highness. It's standard protocol to question anyone we encounter out of place in the castle after hours."
"And?" Anna demanded, still glaring.
"Well, she was… shifty, Your Highness. Looked down her nose at us, she did, talking all with airs like she's some highborn lady. Didn't want to give us a straight answer! Said she simply got lost on her way back to your rooms, but the entrance to the West Wing is a good walk from the kitchens, as you know, and not to mention it's clear on the other side of the castle from here! Doesn't add up, if you ask me… uhh… beggin' your pardon for saying so, Your Highness."
The man gulped as he finished his speech, then ducked an apologetic bow. Elsa gritted her teeth, watching as Anna listened to the whole sordid tale. She was such an idiot, getting snatched up by these bumbling guardsmen like this on her first night. What was worse, her little detour through the castle had achieved nothing, but might well cost her everything if it caused her new mistress to view her with suspicion from now on. Not only would it make escape harder, but she found she didn't like the idea of Anna thinking poorly of her, which was just a silly thing to be worried about at a time like this.
Elsa waited with as much uncertainly and curiosity as the guards to see what she would make of all this.
"Elsa? Is that true?" the princess asked in an even tone, shifting her attention from the guard who had spoken to her.
"I was not 'skulking about'. I went to the kitchens for my meal, just as you told me to, Your Highness," Elsa said in a measured voice, not bothering to hide her outrage. She might have tried to sound meek, if she thought she could have managed it in her current mood. Besides, it was natural for someone who was falsely accused to be angry, wasn't it? It was always the panicked, sniveling prisoners who had something to hide.
"Upon leaving the kitchens, I must have taken some wrong turns. I didn't even know there was a West Wing, much less that I was anywhere near it."
She was getting almost uncomfortably good at telling surface truths that hid a deeper deceit. It eased her guilt a bit, not telling Anna outright lies. When she had snuck out of the kitchens via an unobserved side entrance earlier, she had travelled through several twisting corridors before she took a narrow set of stairs up to the ground floor. She had hoped to emerge somewhere on the rear face of the castle, perhaps behind the great hall or the Royal Wing. Instead she had found herself in an unfamiliar section of hallway with nothing but locked doors and three very attentive, very surprised guards looking at her when she rounded the nearest corner.
So much for some light reconnaissance. In her defense, she was a Queen, not a spy. She had never had to sneak around in the shadows before. Certainly, she had also never had to get by without using her powers. After so many years relying on them, it felt like she was running blind through a field of spears with her hands tied behind her back.
Not that she really had a choice right now. Oh, she could have struck all three of those guards down with her powers in an instant, rather than let them take her. Then, in the very next instant, she would have shattered the nearby window and built herself a bridge of ice directly over the surrounding high walls, all while enveloping the castle and nearby countryside in a freak blizzard so dense with falling snow that none could have hoped to follow her. By three days hence, with the help of a small army of summoned constructs to carry her along, she would have been safely across the border.
There had been an obvious flaw in this plan, however. If she fled the castle this way, using her powers to assist her, she would be revealing herself completely. It wouldn't take long for them to realize that the now missing Northuldran slave had in fact been the Ice Queen in disguise. Her days of relative anonymity outside the borders of her own homeland would be over. Knowing now who she was, King Agnarr would be tipped off to the intensity of her interests in the Southern Islands. Perhaps even more disastrous than that, his certain outrage and paranoia over her ruse as a slave in his own household might drive him to even deeper depravities against her kingdom. His people, terrified by her intrusion into the heart of Arendelle's palace and frightened by the very real display of her powers, would no doubt rally behind him even further. She would be free, but the war would go on and on, her enemy's will to win only intensified, and more and more of her people would die because of it.
Of course, just killing everyone in the castle, as she had earlier fantasized, was also an option. At least her face would remain a secret if everyone died. The other unhappy results would be much the same, however, maybe even worse. Even with the king and all his closest retainers dead, the remaining nobility and common folk of Arendelle would rise up to avenge them in time. Besides, despite her often violent thoughts, that many innocent deaths would weigh her down like a millstone on her chest.
She'd end up sparing the princess, she knew, because the girl didn't deserve it, and because she had been kind to her when she had no real reason to be. With her life torn apart all in one single, disastrous night, her castle and everyone she knew frozen around her, Anna would be…
Broken.
Unbidden, images of flames licking at shattered stone played upon her thoughts. She heard her mother's feeble cry. Felt the scorching heat once more upon her skin, cooled only where the tear tracks streamed upon her cheeks, evaporating before they could reach the ground.
I will not become my enemy. I will NOT.
They were all still waiting for Anna to speak. The princess was looking at her with those big, earnest eyes of hers, her gaze seeming to be searching for something in Elsa. She made herself return the look without blinking, despite the tumult of her thoughts. Why hadn't she said anything yet? Elsa needed to keep her head in the game. She could be in real danger here. If Anna didn't get her out of this, then she would have to make some very radical, very permanent decisions very quickly.
Finally, the princess spoke. She spoke firmly and with conviction, holding her eyes on Elsa's.
"I believe her. Elsa wouldn't lie to me. If that is what she says happened, then that is what happened. Now, let her go, please."
She was relieved, but also… Ouch, that had stung a bit. Elsa knew she didn't have a choice, but having this young woman so earnestly give her all her trust, all while she was deceiving her about who she really was and what she was doing, just felt… bad.
I'm sorry, Anna.
"Your Highness! Surely you can't mea-"
"I mean exactly what I say!" Anna interrupted, then her manner completely changed once again, her features relaxing back into her usual easy smiles and casual familiarity.
"Sergeant Erickson, your dedication to duty is really very… umm… admirable, but this has honestly just been a huge misunderstanding! She is my slave and my responsibility, and it's my fault she didn't know about the West Wing. It really won't happen again, I swear. Oh! And I'll be sure to tell General Mattias all about how… how very professional and dedicated you have been. Did I already say dedicated? I'm sorry, but it is rather late and I had two whole glasses of wine at dinner this evening and I'm really quite tired so…"
The last bit was delivered all in one breath, the words tumbling together in a way that was somehow endearing.
The man clearly didn't quite know how to take all this. He seemed pleased that she knew his name, disarmed by all her earnest flattery, and yet still concerned by her insistence that Elsa was innocent.
The mention of General Mattias was a very nice touch though, Anna, Elsa thought, unable to stop herself from smiling as the girl prattled and charmed with all the subtly of a stampeding herd of reindeer.
She watched as the guard sergeant considered, his resolve clearly wavering, then sighed and accepted defeat.
Natural talent indeed.
"Yes, well, if you are certain, of course we will release her back into your custody," the man agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "Just doing our duty for the King, is all. We all take great pride in serving your family, and… well, a good word about us to the General would be… very fine indeed, Your Highness. If it isn't too much trouble."
The poor man was practically preening, his chest puffing up with self-importance as the princess quickly assured him that of course she would tell the General, that it was no trouble at all to make sure such fine soldiers as he got the recognition they deserved. Elsa wished she could roll her eyes at the idiot, but she settled for just stepping past him without comment when his two subordinates released her, knowing she couldn't afford to push her luck any further this night.
Fellow acts like he's never had a pretty girl give him a compliment before in his life! She thought. Some kind words from a beautiful princess and he's falling all over himself like a fool.
A warm pair of soft hands took hold of both hers, and suddenly she was confronted by Anna's anxious face just inches from her own.
"Are you okay?" the princess whispered, her voice as soft and welcoming as a gentle caress.
Gods she is pretty.
"Hmm," was all she managed, somewhat vaguely, her words escaping her. She let Anna pull her fully inside her chambers, regretting it when she then let go of her hands and turned back to the guardsmen.
Hypocrite.
"Thank you for your excellent service to the realm, gentlemen. Good night!"
With that cheery farewell, the princess slammed the door in their faces. Whirling back to face Elsa, she threw herself at her with a small cry, wrapping her in a hug tight enough to expel the air from her lungs with a little 'oofph!'
"Oh, Elsa! I came back, and you were just gone, and… I was so worried about you!" Anna wailed, the words muffled somewhat into Elsa's shoulder.
Completely mystified, and for the second time that day, the Ice Queen held the princess as the other girl began to cry.
What bewildered her most about it all, however, was finding that she kind of didn't mind.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Drat! No, no, no! Why was this happening again? She hadn't even realized how upset she was, how close she was to falling apart a little, until the doors had closed and the tension had left her body in a rush. Now she was blubbering all over Elsa and looking like a complete baby… again.
Anna sniffled and tried to dry her tears, embarrassed by her sudden outburst of emotion. It had just been such a day, honestly. The dinner had been terrible and long, and then the fear and worry she had suffered when she found Elsa gone! She was so exhausted and relieved, the tears just couldn't be contained.
"Shh, I'm okay. I'm fine, Anna. We're fine," Elsa said, her voice low and soothing. Anna could feel the words through their firmly pressed bodies, as well as hear them close in her left ear, Elsa's exhalations tickling her slightly. It was the kindest and warmest the other girl had ever spoken to her yet, but instead of helping her calm down, it just made her sob again and clutch her arms around her more tightly.
"I just keep making you cry, don't I, Princess…"
She sounded a little sad about it, but there was a teasing edge to the statement as well. Anna snorted a choked laugh through her slowing tears, but didn't let go.
"Is this a normal day for you, Anna? I'd hate to think that's the case. Or do I just have a special skill for bringing it out of you?"
Now she was definitely teasing her and Anna laughed again, shaking her head against Elsa's shoulder. She was beginning to calm down already, her burst of tears being more a release of tightly held tension than anything else. She should probably let her go and step back, maybe find a tissue and blow her nose… You know, act like a normal adult.
But she was totally captivated by the way Elsa was holding her and talking to her right now, so warm and caring. Her thumb was gently stroking the back of Anna's neck, massaging the tight muscles there and rasping against the fine hairs at her exposed nape. The princess's pulse began speeding up again, her breath hitching, but it wasn't because she was crying now. It was because of how… right it all felt.
Why should she ever let her slave go, when holding on to her felt this good?
Elsa kept talking, kept holding her in her arms, and Anna let her, breathing in the scent of her skin and trying very hard not to think about all the feelings she was feeling, because those feelings were too raw, too new.
And scary. Like, scary-scary. Like, oh-gosh-what-the-hell-is-this-feeling-it-feels-so-nice-touching-her-please-god-don't-ever-let-it-end… scary.
"You really are the most unlucky princess in all the kingdoms, getting yourself saddled with a troublesome slave like me. If I keep making you cry like this, your father is going to have me thrown naked into the deepest part of the fjord."
Anna pulled back to give her an incredulous look, and Elsa returned her look with a lopsided smile, her eyebrow lifting.
"Oh? Are you done crying now?" she purred.
"Yes," Anna said seriously, frowning at her. "You're not troublesome. That's not… You know I wouldn't let anyone throw you naked anywhere, right Elsa? I promised you I would protect you."
"I am troublesome and we both know it, but… it's good to hear you draw the line at the 'swimming naked in a freezing lake' part," Elsa was quick to say, a grin on those devilishly charming lips.
"Uugh! You're impossible!" Anna said, thoroughly flustered now.
With this pronouncement, she finally let go of the other girl so that she could turn to hide her blushing cheeks and put a few paces between them. She hoped the increased space would calm her down. The emotional whipsaw of the last few minutes was really throwing her. She smoothed her dress and fiddled with her earrings, then looked back at Elsa once she felt like she could look at her without thinking about her pale, perfect, wet and naked body swimming in the cold, clear water of the fjord.
"I know," Elsa sighed, not denying her accusation. "Thanks for standing up for me just now, with the guards I mean. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure you would take my side."
"What? Of course I would," Anna said, a bit hurt by that. She took a step back towards her, closing the distance between them again. "Elsa, you saved my life earlier today! I'll always take your side. You didn't ask to be here, and you don't deserve to be mistreated because of your status in life. I wanted to slap those guards for treating you like they did. I know other people here might look at you and just see an enemy, or a slave, someone not to be trusted, but I'll never see you that way. I promise."
"Anna..." was all she said, shaking her head and looking at her with open exasperation, "Anna, you are making me forget that I intended to be very angry with you tonight."
This was unexpected. Anna blinked, confused. She pointed a finger at herself and looked around, even though there was no one else in the room but them.
"Angry with me? Why? What did I do?!"
Her slave glowered, her head lowering as she took an aggressive step towards the princess while piercing her with those icy eyes. Anna stepped back, feeling suddenly very small.
"What did you do? What did you do, Princess?" Elsa said, her words a growl. Anna gulped, heart starting to race. Elsa really did seem to be growing angry now, and her authoritative presence filled the room. Anna could even have sworn the temperature dropped colder by a few degrees, her skin bursting out into a trembling shiver of gooseflesh.
"Do you have any idea what I've been doing down in the kitchens for the past few hours, Anna?" she demanded.
Anna shook her head wordlessly, her timidity only seeming to increase Elsa's rage. She continued, her voice taking on a high falsetto as she imitated Anna's earlier words.
"'Oh, Elsa, just pop down to the kitchens for some dinner if you're hungry!' That is what you said, right? 'Cook will make you a nice bowl of soup and some herbal tea, if you tell her that you haven't been well!'"
It wasn't exactly what she had said, or the way she had said it, but it was close enough to get the picture. Anna was being backed into a corner of the room by this point, her shoulders hunched meekly as Elsa stalked after her like a hunting snow leopard after a rabbit.
"S… So?" she managed, pathetically. "Cook does make a special soup. It's the best thing for you when your stomach is acting up like yours. I don't understand! Why are you so mad?"
"I can only assume that by 'Cook', you are referring to that venomous old goblin who runs the kitchens?"
Venomous old goblin?
Surely she couldn't be referring to old Matilda Brenner, who had been the castle's head cook for so long that people barely ever called her by her given name anymore. The woman was old enough to be a grandmother, for goodness sake, but she was certainly the one who ran the kitchen. Her father always said that "Cook runs a very tight ship", and he seemed to find it funny to threaten members of his general military staff that he might replace them with her, if they kept insisting on disappointing him.
"Well, as it so happens, I did go down there like you suggested, and like an idiot, I asked your Cook if I might have some of her special soup, and do you know what happened next, Anna?"
"No," Anna said, miserably.
"She had me scrubbing pots and pans for hours! Scrubbing in boiling hot water with my bare hands until my skin peeled! Look at my fingers. I'm lucky I have any flesh at all left!"
This was all said with such incredulous outrage, as though she had been tarred and feathered rather than just made to wash dishes, that Anna now found herself smiling.
"Oh! Gosh. Oh dear, that's… That sounds terrible."
She snickered, biting her lips to try to contain it and making a real effort to look contrite, but it was impossible. Elsa wasn't even close to done. She seemed to be on a real roll now, and she paced back and forth in front of Anna as she vented her frustrations.
"Anna! It's not funny! Look at my hands. Just look at them! The soap she made me use might as well have been boiling acid! And anytime she thought I wasn't scrubbing fast enough, she'd hit me with that wooden club of her's that she insists on calling a spoon. Miserable old hag. I swear, if she had done it just one more time, I would have shoved it down her throat so hard she'd be coughing up splinters for weeks."
Her proud slave glared at her as she gave up and starting giggling. The indignant look on her face only made Anna giggle harder, until she was well and truly laughing, hands clutching at her sides.
"You know, I'm starting to regret saving your life," Elsa muttered, watching her with disgust.
"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry just… give me a second," Anna wheezed, holding up a hand and trying to get herself back under control. It really wasn't that funny. She shouldn't laugh. Elsa had clearly been put through a miserable experience because of Anna's advice, but she was tired and her emotions were pinging all over the place from all the stress and excitement of the day. The laughter felt good, even more of a release than the crying had been.
Elsa waited with a raised eyebrow and a scowl as she pulled herself back together.
"Honestly, Elsa, I really am sorry. I didn't know Cook would do that. She has always been kind to me."
"You keep forgetting, Anna. You are royalty here, while I am just a slave. The rules aren't going to be the same for me as they are for you. Not here."
She sounded sad and thoughtful now, her anger cooling a bit. Anna half suspected that she hadn't truly been that angry with her to begin with, not really. Upset with what had happened to her, yes, but not blaming the princess for it.
"I wish I could forget," she said, her good humor killed by the other girl's words. "I really wish we could both forget, but the world just keeps reminding us, doesn't it?"
"This isn't going to work, you know. We can't continue like we did today. I know you don't want to treat me like a slave, but… Anna, you have to give me work to do. The other people in this castle need to see me acting like a slave should, or we will both have hell to pay."
"I… I know," Anna croaked, her misery at having to acknowledge that truth making her throat catch.
"You should have seen the way the other servants looked at me when I walked into that kitchen. I've seen wolves give a baby lamb less predatory looks."
Anna gave her a sharp glance, and Elsa nodded, her elegant jaw set.
"Oh yes, you would be amazed. The world of servants in a big house is more cutthroat than the intrigues of a noble court. That pompous manservant from lunch… Roger, was it? Well, he's told every servant in the castle by now about how I ate lunch with you at your table, and now they all think the Princess's new slave is lazy and arrogant, thinking herself good enough to eat with royalty."
No! Anna wanted to protest and say surely Roger wouldn't spread such hateful rumors, but a part of her knew that what the other girl was saying was true.
"That would be bad enough, of course, but they're also all overworked and understaffed as well. Now here I am, someone with even less status and power than them, walking around without a care in the world, as they see it… Anna, every single one of them sees me as a possible outlet for some of their workload. They are just itching to give me the most foul, most dirty and difficult jobs in the castle."
This was a lot to take in. It had only been a day! Why couldn't the whole castle just cool down for one day and let her figure out what to do with her new slave on her own terms? Kai, her parents, Roger, even Cook… Everyone seemed to have a bloody opinion about her slave. It wasn't fair!
"Elsa, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how strongly the other servants might react to you being here. What do you suggest we do? Surely, as long as you are with me, they can't just order you around!"
"True, but I can't stay stuck on you like a lamprey every moment of every day," Elsa said, giving her a tired smile. "In the morning, we will discuss exactly how I can best serve you, okay? I can think of a few things that I should be able to handle without embarrassing us both. Besides, I've never liked being idle for long. If I am going to be your slave, and it seems I must, then I shall keep myself so busy working for you that no one would dare to look at me sideways."
"Okay," Anna agreed, thinking that this didn't seem so bad. "I have a couple ideas as well… My father's suggestions mostly, but I don't think you will hate them."
Elsa nodded, a determined set to her jaw.
"This will work, Anna. I will become the most proper, most obedient slave this castle has ever seen, even if it kills me to do it!"
The other girl's lip curled into a snarl as she spoke, and Anna felt a bit taken aback by her vehemence.
"Oh…okay?" Something concerning occurred to her. "But only around other people, right? I mean, we will still be… the same? I understand that we have to act a certain way in front of others, and all, but I don't want this to change! I know we've only just met but… You're my friend. Right?"
She was relieved when Elsa didn't laugh at her or give her a weird look at her declaring them to be friends, but instead flashed her a confident smile.
"Of course. We're in this together now, Princess. We just need to put on a bit of a show, let the good people of this castle see what they expect to see, and pretty soon no one will look at us twice. But when it's just us, well… we can act however we like, and the rest of them be damned."
The pleasure those words gave her was nearly improper. She knew she was smiling like a ninny but didn't care.
"Well then, you have yourself a deal… slave," she said, holding out her hand.
Elsa took it, shaking it once with a delighted, sly smile. Her eyes were deeply shadowed with exhaustion, but somehow they still managed to sparkle with mischief.
"As do you… my Mistress."
"God! I mean, good!" Anna choked out, heated by not just the words but by the way they were spoken, and she hurriedly dropped her hand. "I mean, let's just go to bed."
Elsa's eyebrows shot up, a snort of laughter apparently startled out of her as Anna clapped a hand to her mouth in horror and stammered.
"No! No, I didn't mean… I just meant, it's been a long day, and it's late. We should go to bed."
Oh god… What is wrong with me? I should just throw myself from the nearest tower!
"I know what you meant, Anna," Elsa said, still chuckling. "I am dying to go to sleep, but… umm… Where exactly will I be sleeping?"
Anna felt the blood drain from her face. Elsa stopped chuckling and looked at her with evident concern.
"I… I didn't think about that! Oh, gosh, Elsa… I'm sorry, I should have asked the head housekeeper to bring up a cot or something. I'm such a goose, I…"
The other girl was already eyeing the love seat in front of the fire, which was obviously not long enough for a person to sleep on comfortably.
Be an adult Anna, you can do this. You've always dreamed of having a friend over for a sleep over. Well, your wish has finally come true, god help you!
"Of course, you can sleep with me tonight. The bed is big enough for three, after all, and it's too late to have anything else brought up," she said, hoping that she sounded as unconcerned as she was trying to sound.
Elsa was looking at her very intently, and it was rather making her want to squirm, but she held fast.
"If you are expecting me to be polite and turn you down, I should warn you that I am too exhausted to argue with you and I haven't slept in a real bed for a month."
"Then I insist," Anna said firmly. "Come on, I'll give you one of my nightgowns to wear."
With that, Anna marched into her bedroom like she was going into battle, the other girl silently following along behind.
