So,
A have a question for you - Do you prefer shorter chapters frequently or longer chapters not-quite-so frequently?
I hope you're well, and thanks so much for reading!
ssg.x.
CHAPTER 2
SOMETHING HUMAN
It was a gorgeous spring day in Arendelle. The sun was out and the fresh air was deliciously revitalizing, as evidenced by the number of townspeople bustling in and out of the village square so early on a Sunday morning. It was a wonderful thing to see, but Elsa couldn't help but feel a sad little twinge in her heart. The kingdom was clearly trying to make up for lost time after the endless winter she'd inadvertently set off before abandoning her subjects just a few short months ago.
Anna herself had just returned from a walk with Kristoff through the woods and along the perimeter of the fjord. She'd left a trail of muddy footprints throughout the castle as she ran from room to room, excitedly calling out Elsa's name. When Anna had burst through her chamber doors, Elsa couldn't help but notice the look of dismay on her sister's face.
"Geez, Elsa. Haven't you left your room at all today?"
Elsa shrugged her shoulders and quickly tried to hide the contents of her hands in the skirt folds of the teal dress she was wearing. Elsa wasn't quick enough for Anna, though, who swooped past her, startling her and causing the crumpled up letter she'd been trying to hide to fall to the floor.
There was a long, silent pause between the two sisters before they both dove for the balled up piece of paper at the same time. Their skulls clunked together dully, stunning Elsa just long enough for Anna to scoop up the letter. She crossed the room and flopped down on Elsa's bed, opening up the letter and squinting to try to read it through all the crags and creases.
"He didn't," Anna gasped.
"He did."
"He didn't!"
"He did."
"He di-"
"Anna, stop it!" Elsa laughed, picking up a book she had been trying to read earlier in an effort to get her mind off of –
"'Bite me'?!" Anna laughed in utter disbelief, hanging backwards over the side of her sister's bed, rereading the letter, albeit upside-down this time. "Good to know he's using his punishment as a time for self-reflection and personal growth."
Elsa tersely turned a page in her book, "What did you expect? He's an arrogant, manipulative sociopath."
"The way this letter reads, the only thing that's done any growing is the size of his head," Anna replied, wryly, crushing the letter between her hands.
Elsa glanced at her sister over the top of her book. Anna truly was something. That punch in the jaw she served Hans must have been incredibly cathartic. There were some days, like today for instance, when she would actually be able to crack a joke or two about her faux fiancé. Whenever Elsa thought about Hans and what he almost got away with, however, nothing within inches of her fingers was guaranteed any safety from the freeze. Every day Elsa was getting better and better at keeping her powers from being ruled solely by her emotions. Rather, her powers had become an extension of them, the same way a paintbrush would act as an extension of an artist's emotions. And, like an artist, Elsa had learned how to keep her paint, as it were, on the canvas.
Yes, Elsa was well on her way to becoming the quintessential poster girl for self-control.
"Elsa."
"Hm?"
"You're snowing."
Except when it came to thoughts of Hans.
Elsa looked up. Sure enough, a light snow had settled on the crown of her head. Elsa sighed and rolled her eyes, looking embarrassed. Anna smiled warmly at her as she stood up from the bed. Elsa put down her book and turned to look at her reflection in the vanity's mirror, frowning. Anna approached her and started dusting the snowflakes off the top of her platinum-haired head and shoulders.
"Thanks," Elsa said sheepishly.
"If it's bothering you so much, why haven't you thrown it out yet?" Anna asked, her tone just a little too reproachful for her taste just then. Elsa bristled noticeably. Anna's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Elsa. It's just that I hate that he's still on your mind. It's been beautiful outside, the townspeople have been asking about you, and the staff – they worry about you. But it's like that man's still got you locked up in a cell."
Suddenly distracted, Anna's eyes widened and she bounded across the room towards the windows. "A cell with fabulous new drapes! When did you get these? Do I get new drapes, too?" she asked eagerly, grabbing a panel of the lightly-patterned champagne curtains and wrapping herself up in it.
Elsa giggled. Anna did, too. She approached Elsa and held Hans' letter out to her. Elsa took it and began trying to smooth it out against her lap, hoping it would still be legible after being crumpled up for the second time that day, though still not entirely sure why she cared so much. She hesitated.
"Anna, if it means so much to you, I'll get rid of —" she began carefully.
Anna smiled, wrapping her arms around her sister and meeting her bright blue eyes in the mirror. "No, Elsa. You keep it. Just…don't keep your reasons to yourself for too long, okay?"
Elsa nodded, "Promise."
"Good," Anna replied, satisfied that Elsa was telling her the truth. She straightened up and flexed her fingers, cracking a few knuckles. "If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen. The cooks are going to show me how to bake bread today."
"Call me if you need me to put any fires out," Elsa replied drolly.
"Har har," Anna sniffed before flouncing out of the room and closing the doors behind her.
Alone again, Elsa reread the letter for the thousandth time.
Why was she keeping it?
Hans was a jerk. More than a jerk - a malevolent, soulless monster who had almost succeeded in killing both Elsa and her beloved sister. But there was something in that letter that had been eating away at her. Buried deep in all that arrogance and feigned apathy was something human.
More than human.
Something like… herself.
While it's highly unlikely that I will ever be a free man in the way I always wished I would be one day, I now consider myself to be one in at least one respect.
"A free man…" Elsa murmured. "A free man in the way I always wished I would be one day."
Whatever could that mean?
