Words on Paper

by RinWyn

TWO-SHOT - Modern AU. Elsa gets a job at a bookstore, and although this raises a few eyebrows, she's happy to exist among the books she loves. As the owners of the "The Bookstore" accept her into their fold, however, they begin to realize that something is amiss. Who is this Elsa Snø? What is she looking for? [Snow-Sisters]

2. Part II

Disclaimer: I often pretend that the canon characters in this story belong to me, but pretend is pretend, and this is reality. Canon characters belong to Me. Wait, I mean Disney. Yes, Disney.

Author's Note: Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. ^_^

~x-X-x~

Words on Paper
Part II

Twelve days until Christmas…

It was snowing. Large clumps of snowflakes drifted just outside the window, and Elsa leaned against her broom with a smile of content forming on her lips. It wasn't the first snow of the season, but it was fluffy and drifted leisurely in the afternoon sun. She found that this window was a good distraction from the door—that old, sealed wooden door with its rusted lock. This morning she had mustered the courage to approach it. She had pulled on the handle. She knew it wouldn't open, but she had felt a measured satisfaction in being able to touch it.

It has to be in there… because it's nowhere else in this shop.

She held onto this hope as she leaned her broom against a shelf and picked up a stack of children's book. She manoeuvred through the crowd—the bookstore had gotten increasingly busier over the past week—and tried not to knock into the bubble of kids running between the shelves.

'Careful, I nearly got a knee taken out.'

Elsa froze as a pair of mothers moved aside to let her pass, and there, tagging books in this very aisle, was Honeymaren. Elsa bit into her bottom lip as she moved beside her and began to slip the children's books onto the same shelf.

For a moment neither spoke. The sound of bustling customers flooded their silence in waves of excited murmurs.

'Hey.' It was Honeymaren who broke the tension between them.

'Hey.'

A beat of silence.

'So… that's pretty.' Honeymaren pointed her chin at the snowflake hanging from the string of pearls Elsa always wore.

'Oh. Thank you.' She cast a side-ways glance at Honeymaren, trying to supress her surprise at being addressed so directly. 'It used to be my mother's. My father gave it to her on the day I was born.'

'It's beautiful. That was kind of your mother to give it to you.'

Elsa frowned as she turned and looked directly at Honeymaren. Honeymaren raised an eyebrow as she stared back into those large, blue eyes.

'Honeymaren, I'm really sorry about your rock-chime. I didn't mean to offend you.'

Honeymaren blinked, but then she smiled with a shrug of her shoulder. 'Oh, don't worry about it. Yelena explained everything to me. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that. I should be the one apologizing. I'm sorry.'

Elsa, slightly taken aback by such an unexpected apology, returned the smile. 'So, your mother made that chime?' she asked, because she wasn't sure what else to say.

Honeymaren turned back to the shelf and continued her tagging. 'She used to make a lot of beautiful things. Her mother taught her. She was supposed to teach me.'

Was supposed to…?

Elsa didn't ask, but there must have been something in her silence because Honeymaren shrugged a shoulder and added, 'it's the ten-year anniversary of her death. Drunk driver.'

'Oh, Honeymaren. I'm sorry.'

'I mean, it wasn't you behind the wheel. But thanks.' She had finished tagging. She reached over and grabbed a few books from Elsa's pile and began to help her shelve them. 'I guess this is why I haven't really been myself lately. It's not an excuse, but I've been dealing with a lot.'

Elsa nodded. She knew this feeling. 'I understand.'

'Do you?' She raised a brow, her expression skeptical.

'My parents died when I was eighteen.' She could still smell the searing stench of burning books. 'It's just been me and my sister ever since.'

'Just the two of you?!'

Elsa nodded.

'Wow, that's a lot of responsibility. If Yelena hadn't taken us in, I don't know what would have happened to me and Ryder. In our community we take care of each other. Our young are raised not just by one's parents, but by the whole clan. We were just fortunate that we ended up under the wings of our mother's closest and dearest friend.'

'There's definitely a lovely warmth between the three of you.'

'Is there?' Honeymaren grinned. 'It's a lot of me just rolling my eyes at Ryder, and then getting lectured by Yelena for rolling my eyes at Ryder.' She chuckled.

Elsa smiled. 'Exactly. Isn't that a lovely thing?'

'Yes, I suppose it is.' She glanced down the aisle, where she could just make out her brother showing a small girl how to fold a paper airplane. 'Are you close with your sister?'

Elsa nodded, and Honeymaren instantly felt a softening in Elsa's demeanour.

'We've built a small family, she and I. She was fifteen when our parents died, so I'm sure she thinks I smother her…' Elsa lowered her eyes. 'She's all I have.'

Honeymaren's eyes softened for this too bright person who, with her eyes downcast and a frown on her lips, exuded an unassuming humility.

'Have you noticed that large circle hanging from the ceiling?' she asked, suddenly.

Elsa inadvertently looked up. 'Yes…'

'My mother made it. It represents the sun.'

'Oh!'

'My mother always said that we're all connected underneath the sun. In the same way that the earth feeds off the sun's energy, it also nurtures our existence. Each thread you see woven through the circle represents someone's story.'

'Someone's… story?'

Honeymaren nodded, her eyes glazing slightly with the memory of a mother no longer here. 'My mother loved people, and she always spent time listening to their stories. When she felt a connection forming with someone, she would weave a thread through that circle. She would say that through the sharing and receiving of stories, friendships were made. We're all inter—'

'—woven.' Elsa understood the large hoop now. This sun, with threads weaving in and out, documented the stories of people who had impacted Honeymaren's mother. And that's why it's incomplete… because…

Honeymaren smiled at her. 'Exactly. We are all threads woven together under the sun.'

'I love that. Your mother sounds like such an amazing person.'

'She was.' Honeymaren averted her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching ever so subtly.

'She is.' Elsa reached forward and patted Honeymaren's arm. She pointed her chin up at the sun. 'She's still here… woven in each thread.'

Honeymaren's eyes glistened in the dim lighting. 'Thank you,' she said, softly.

'Since when are you two getting paid to just hang around socializing?' It was Ryder. When he had skulked up the aisle neither Elsa nor Honeymaren knew, but Elsa lowered her gaze, her cheeks flushing, while Honeymaren crinkled her eyes at her brother.

'Remind me to take lessons from your stellar work ethic,' she retorted, with a smirk.

Ryder chuckled as he swung his arm around his sister's shoulders. 'So, you two best buds now?'

Honeymaren caught Elsa's eye and smiled. 'Don't you have an aphyllous tree to decorate?'

'An aphy-who-what-now?'

The two women chuckled, and Ryder let out a low sigh of relief. His sister was smiling again and somehow, he knew he had Elsa to thank for it.

~x-X-x~

Four days until Christmas…

The door chimed, and Elsa looked up to greet the first customer of the day. Her eyes widened when she found instead a large bouquet of balloons, a shower of confetti, and an ice cream cake being shoved into her face.

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!'

Elsa, clearly alarmed, paled as she looked nervously over one shoulder. 'Anna!' she hissed. 'What are you doing here?!'

'What do you mean? It's YOUR BIRTHDAY!' Anna plunked the cake onto the counter as Kristoff secured the balloons on the coat rack beside the door.

'See, I told you this was a bad idea,' he said, flashing Elsa an apologetic smile.

'What do you mean?!' Anna's lips plumped into a pout as she pulled her toque from her head. Wisps of hair stood up from the static of the wool hat, under which large, puppy-dog eyes peered at Elsa. 'Was this a bad idea?!'

'What?' Elsa was distracted by the cake. It was lopsided and definitely homemade, but it was also decorated with a pile of shaved chocolate and a messily scrawled "Elsa's Birf" in blue icing. It was nearly eight o'clock in the morning but she already had the urge to satisfy her sweet-tooth.

'You left before I could wake up and wish you a happy birthday… so I thought I'd bring the party to you!'

Elsa peeled her eyes from the cake long enough to give her sister an exasperated—but warm—smile. She reached forward and attempted to flatten Anna's staticky hair. 'I appreciate this… but I'm at work, Anna.'

Anna's eyes swept over the shop. 'But there's like no one even here.'

'We open at eight.' Ryder yawned as he emerged from a door labelled "Storage Room". He rubbed one eye with the back of his hand, his hair sticking up in every direction. When his gaze fell on Anna, he froze.

'You need to stop sleeping in there,' said Honeymaren, emerging from an aisle. 'Who takes a nap one hour after waking up in the morn—'

''Maren, look! The other Snø-sister!' He bounded across the floor and scooted behind the counter to stand beside Elsa. 'Hey,' he said, nudging Elsa with his elbow. 'Introduce me.'

Anna beat Elsa to it. 'You must be Ryder,' she said, her eyes crinkling. 'I'm Anna. How'd you know I was Elsa's sister?'

Ryder made an attempt to smooth out his hair, but failed miserably. 'My ways are secret,' he said, with a wink. 'Thanks for proving that the younger sibling is always the cuter one.'

'Oh please,' Honeymaren groaned, rolling her eyes.

Anna raised a brow while suppressing a chuckle. 'Uh, this is my boyfriend, Kristoff.'

Kristoff nodded his head from where he was still standing by the door. 'Hey.'

Ryder gawked at him. 'Wow, you're… really strong-looking.'

'Um, thanks? Hey listen, I parked Sven out on the sidewalk. Is that okay?'

'What's a sven?'

'Oh, that's the name he's given his scooter,' Anna supplied, pulling off her mittens.

'Whoa, you have a scooter?! Can I check it out?' Ryder's eyes were wide with excitement.

'Yea, totally,' Kristoff responded. He was trying to sound nonchalant, but the prospect of showing off his Sven to another appreciative individual was colouring the edge of his words with utter delight.

'Make sure you check on Olly!' Anna called after them, as the two men stepped outside.

'Whoa, what's an Olly?' they could hear Ryder ask, before the door closed behind them.

'Please forgive my brother. He's a dork.' Honeymaren approached Anna with a smile. 'I'm Honey—'

'Honeymaren! FINALLY!' Anna grabbed the startled woman's hand and gave it a hearty shake. 'I've been dying to meet you, like you don't even know!'

'Ah, so this whole birthday celebration was just a rouse to meet my colleagues, hmm?' Elsa folded her arms over her chest, her eyes dancing.

'Nooooo! That's not fair!' Anna unzipped her parka and patted the pockets on her paint-stained overalls, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth as she concentrated on her task. 'Hold on.'

Honeymaren's eyes moved from Anna to Elsa, and then back to Anna. The sisters were similar in features and head-shape, and they both shared those large, expressive blue eyes. However, she had never experienced two siblings who radiated such different energies. Elsa's stoic, mild, and carefully poised demeanour was balanced by the coloured vivacity that was Anna. The Snø-sisters were balanced in their auras, and Honeymaren could sense the strength of the bond between them in the way that Elsa looked at her sister—with such tender affection.

'Aha! There.' Anna slapped a worn blue button on the counter and slid it towards her sister.

'Thank you,' Elsa said, and tucked the blue button into her pocket. 'We gift each other the same blue button on our birthdays,' she added, to answer the puzzled look on Honeymaren's face. 'Anna accidently tugged it off my favourite stuffed toy when we were little—'

'—and I was so devasted I balled my eyes out. So, to make me feel better, Elsa said that the button had magical powers that brought the keeper of the button good luck. And then she gave it to me.'

'Wait, so you broke your sister's toy, and then she comforted you about it?' Honeymaren was grinning.

'That pretty much sums up our childhood,' Elsa said, deadpan.

'ANYWAY. So, when Elsa's birthday rolled around, I gave it to her as a present. And then when my birthday happened, she gifted it back. So, this way, we share the responsibility of being keeper of the lucky button.'

'That's the cutest thing I've ever heard,' Honeymaren said, chuckling.

'I know, right?! We're such dorks.' Anna leaned over the counter and made an attempt to kiss her sister, but Elsa swatted Anna's efforts as she saved the cake from being mercilessly squashed by Anna's chest.

'I'll just pop this into the fridge,' Elsa said, coveting her cake.

'Or, we can eat it right now,' Honeymaren suggested, taking the cake from Elsa. 'I'll slice it up.' She turned before either sister could protest—(as if they would protest)—and disappeared into the storage room.

Anna grinned at her sister. 'Ooooooh, I like her already! So, where's this Yelena?' Her eyes swept over the shop for the one she was most anxious to meet.

As if on cue, a short, stout woman with long white hair and a firm expression emerged from an aisle with a basket of plants in her hand. When she saw Elsa standing with another girl she didn't recognize, she changed route and walked towards them.

'What's with the balloons?' she asked, placing the basket on the counter.

'I'm sorry, I'll clear this right away,' Elsa said, quickly, and moved from behind the counter towards the coat-rack.

'No no, they're fine. So, who's the Winter Solstice baby?'

Elsa blushed. 'Oh, me. I'm sorry, my sister decided to surprise me with an impromptu—'

'Hi, I'm the sister!' Anna interrupted, taking a few steps forward. 'You must be Yelena. I've heard so much about you. All good, of course. I'm very grateful that you gave Elsa this job. She's obsessed with bookstores, you know—but of course you've probably figured that out already. Anyway, please forgive her if she makes any mistakes. I'll make sure she works hard.'

Yelena stared at this young girl with the bright eyes and large, toothy grin. For a moment the words failed her, because in her face she saw the face of another—another such girl with a radiance that spread through the world around her. Yelena blinked, her heart thumping distantly in her chest. Her eyes shifted to Elsa. The same eyes… why hadn't she noticed before? Two sisters… two daughters… the Snø family…. No, it can't be. The fire….

'Cake, everyone!'

Honeymaren's sudden appearance with a tray full of melting slices of ice cream cake cut through Yelena's reverie, and jolted her back into the present.

'What did you say your name was?' she asked of the girl, who had paused her tirade of words to gaze inquisitively at the older woman.

'Oh, right. Sorry. I'm Anna.' She grinned—a grin that instantly charmed those who encountered it.

'It's very nice to meet you, Anna,' Yelena said, slowly. 'There's a dog tied up to a tree outside. Is it yours?' She was looking out the front window, where Kristoff and Ryder could be seen bent over a red scooter.

Anna nodded. 'Yup, that's Olaf.'

'You can bring him inside.'

'Oh! Can I?!' She grabbed her mittens from the counter.

'Yes. It's quite cold, and I'm sure he'll want to participate in the celebrations of Elsa's birth.'

'He'd love that. Thank you!' And like a tornado of ginger fire, she was out the door.

'She's very sweet,' Yelena said, fixing her eyes on Elsa. She took her time observing the face she hadn't taken the time to notice before. Yes… in the eyes….

'I apologize for my family's sudden intrusion,' Elsa responded, returning to her position behind the counter.

'Nonsense. Family must always be valued above anything else. Especially on birthdays.'

Elsa smiled.

'Now, tell me,' she added, as she accepted the plate of cake that Honeymaren passed to her. 'What would you like for your birthday?'

Elsa blushed. 'Oh, please don't worry about it. I don't need anything.'

'Oh, come on. Stop being so humble and proper and make a request,' Honeymaren urged.

Elsa lowered her eyes and tugged on her braid. There was only one thing she wanted. 'Can I…' she inhaled slowly, '… have access to the restricted section?'

Her eyes were downcast, so she didn't see the sudden look of shock on Honeymaren's face, nor the shadow that crept into Yelena's eyes.

'No.' The response was short. Curt.

'Just for today… not even for today. For an hour? I just need to see if—'

'No.'

Elsa looked up and instantly regretted her request. Something lurked just at the edges of Yelena's eyes that rendered Elsa's confidence obsolete.

'I'm sorry,' she said, frowning. 'I didn't mean to—'

'It's quite alright, this isn't the first time I've been asked for access.' Yelena's eyes flitted to Honeymaren, who grimaced nervously. 'But sometimes one's private space should be respected, don't you think?'

Elsa nodded, suddenly feeling quite ashamed for overstepping yet again.

'Good, then let's enjoy this delicious—' But before Yelena could finish her sentence, the door burst open and three people—with a very excited puppy—tumbled through the entrance.

'We call it the Festival of Beaivi. On the Winter Solstice a white female animal is sacrificed in honour of Beivve in the hopes that she'll return to the world and put an end to the long winter. So, if this winter goes on forever, I recommend we kidnap Elsa and—' Ryder stopped mid-sentence at the look on Yelena's face. 'What? I'm just sharing some cultural happenings.'

'Fill that mouth of yours with cake,' Honeymaren said, shoving a plate at her brother.

'I mean, c'mon. Look at that hair.' He pointed his chin at Elsa's braided platinum locks. 'It's so frosty it's practically whit—'

'Ryder!'

'I'll help with the kidnapping,' Anna said, shivering from the cold that drifted in through the open door. She cuddled Olaf close to her face to an attempt to warm herself. 'I'm SO over these freezing temperatures.'

'And who better to sacrifice to calm the winter than Dr. Snø?' Kristiff winked at Elsa, who raised a perfect eyebrow at him.

'People, seriously,' Honeymaren interrupted, firmly. 'Eat some cake before it melts.'

'Let's throw 'Maren in for good measure,' Ryder whispered loudly to Anna from behind his hand.

Honeymaren caught Elsa'a gaze and gave her an exaggerated roll of the eyes.

'Children, please. Leave your older sisters alone.' Yelena smiled at Elsa, and her gaze was kind.

Elsa let out a sigh of relief, comforted that Yelena seemed to bare no hard feelings over her selfish request. Her mind flitted momentarily to the door of the restricted section as she took the plate of cake offered to her. Her birthday cake.

She felt disappointed, but more strongly she felt an anxious ache. Her eyes drifted towards her sister, who was trying to protect her own slice of cake from Olaf's hungry mouth. Although the scene managed to make her smile, her heart felt heavy. Christmas was fast approaching.

She was losing time.

~x-X-x~

'So that was pretty bold of you.' Honeymaren stepped up to the sink where Elsa was washing the cake-smeared plates. 'Asking Yelena for access to the restricted section? Brave.'

'I shouldn't have asked,' Elsa replied, frowning. 'But I had to try…'

'What are you hoping to find?' When Elsa didn't respond, Honeymaren nudged her softly with her elbow. 'Come on, you can tell me. I know you've been looking for something.'

Elsa paled, the crease in her brow deepening. 'Have I been that obvious?'

Honeymaren chuckled. 'I'm just an observant person.' She grabbed a towel and began to dry the plates as Elsa washed. 'You don't have to tell me, of course. But maybe I can help.'

A moment passed, and Honeymaren could tell that Elsa was contemplating whether to share her secret. Then, 'I'm looking for a book.'

'A book?'

Elsa nodded.

'Well, that's disappointing,' Honeymaren said, with a wry smile. 'I thought you were going to say something like "I'm looking for a map that marks the location of a secret, magical glacier".'

It was Elsa's turn to chuckle. 'Now you're sounding like Ryder.'

'Oh, ew,' Honeymaren scoffed. 'Okay but seriously, what kind of book?'

'It was a book that belonged to my mother. When we lost our shop to a fire, the books that survived were donated to the different bookstores in the community. There were only two other bookstores that existed at that time. This is one of them.'

Honeymaren tilted her head to one side. 'So, you think it's here somewhere?'

Elsa nodded. 'It has to be. I've already checked the other bookstore out and it wasn't there. So, unless someone's purchased it…'

'That's doubtful. We don't tend to sell used books. We just store them for people to peruse. I'll help you find it.'

'Thank you, but I've already looked through every shelf—every nook and crack and cranny. The only place left is that restricted section.'

'It must be there, then.'

Elsa gave Honeymaren a small smile. 'You must think I'm very foolish to chase after something that may no longer exist.'

Honeymaren shook her head, her expression softening. 'It was your mother's. I know what it's like to want to hold on to something a mother loved.'

Elsa felt a lump rise in her throat. Honeymaren understood. It was not just about the book. It was about the fact that this book had been her mother's most cherished possession. Elsa had raided the debris searching for it in the days that had followed the fire—it had been a way to distract herself from the inevitable, and painful, truth that her parents were gone, and that she had been left behind to protect a most precious sister. Whether Elsa had ever properly grieved was uncertain. She had never found the book, but her hope had been kept alive with the information that salvaged books had been donated.

She now lifted her eyes to Honeymaren, to the face of the girl whose brown eyes conveyed a companionship Elsa hadn't realized she needed. 'Thank you.'

Honeymaren reached forward and squeezed Elsa's hand. 'Of course.' She then furrowed her brow in thought. 'So, let's make a plan, shall we?'

'A plan?'

'We need to get passed that locked door.'

'Oh… I don't think breaking and entering is such a good idea…'

'No, it's definitely a bad idea. And you know who's really good at bad ideas?'

Elsa raised a brow, her expression uncertain. 'Ryder...'

Honeymaren grinned. 'Yup! This will be a piece of cake.'

~x-X-x~

Christmas Eve…

Somewhere in "The Bookstore" a clock ushered in the new hour. It was four in the afternoon, and instead of being at home in the midst of preparing dinner, Elsa was partaking in a criminal activity.

'Um, I don't think this is a good idea,' she whispered, looking over her shoulder at the empty store.

'The shop is closed. Yelena went out to run an errand. This is the best possible time.' Honeymaren pulled a pin from her hair and passed it to Ryder. 'I hope this works. That lock's pretty old.'

'It's downright grungy,' Ryder said, bending down and inserting the pin. 'Just gimme one… sec…'

'What a waste…' Honeymaren shook her head.

'Hmm?' Elsa was tugging at her braid.

'Yelena renewed your contract today, but once she finds out you broke into her restricted section, you're definitely fired.'

Elsa groaned. 'You're not making me feel any better about this…'

'AAAAAND we're in!' Ryder jumped up with a triumphant look on his face. In his hand was the rusted lock.

'Well, that was easy,' Honeymaren said, surprised.

'I mean, all we had to do was pick a lock, right? This was barely an espionage.' He grinned. 'So… who wants the honour of opening the door?'

The three of them stared at each other. Now that the door had been unlocked—with the mystery of the unknown right at their fingertips—a certain nervousness overtook them.

'I'll do it.' Elsa held her breath. This was it. Just behind this door lay her final shred of hope. She took a step forward and ignored the guilt that surged through her body because she knew: this was her last chance. She refused to allow her fear to let it go.

She reached for the door knob with shaking fingers. A final inhale of breath.

And then she pulled open the door.

Ryder and Honeymaren peered over her shoulder. 'Well?!'

'It's dark,' Elsa said, sounding disappointed.

'Turn on the light, silly,' Honeymaren replied, exasperated. She pushed past Elsa and fumbled against the inside wall until her fingers made contact with a chain. She tugged, and the room was immediately set aglow by a dim light.

The three guilty criminals entered slowly, three pairs of eyes taking in the scene before them. The room was completely empty except for an old rug on the floor atop which sat a single desk and chair. On the desk was a stack of yellowed paper.

'You wouldn't happen to be looking for a pile of paper, eh?' Ryder said, walking around the table. He glanced at the words on the top sheet. They were written in a language he didn't recognize. 'Hey, check this out.'

Honeymaren crossed the floor to her brother, but Elsa stood frozen just inside the door. There were no books in this room. She was expecting shelves with rows and rows of books. She was expecting an hours-worth of digging through discarded fairytales. She was expecting to find her mother's book.

A wave of disappointment overtook her. On the outside she remained poised and collected, but on the inside, she could feel the momentum seep from her being, leaving in its wake a wave of devastation.

Devastation… and loss.

It was as if she were losing her mother all over again.

'Elsa?' Honeymaren took a step towards her. 'Are you alright?'

'I'm fine,' she lied, a hallow smile appearing on her lips. 'I guess it's not here.'

'Well, don't lose hope. We can—' Honeymaren's words caught in her throat just as Ryder's jaw dropped.

Elsa paled as she felt a presence behind her.

They had been caught.

'Well.'

She turned slowly, and there stood Yelena with a parcel tucked under one arm.

'I—' Elsa started, but Yelena held up her hand, instantly silencing her.

'I guess it was only a matter of time.' Yelena stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

'Oh no… she's going to kill us…' Ryder whispered, nervously stepping behind Honeymaren in an attempt to shield himself from Yelena's pending wrath.

'I'm not going to kill you. At least, not for this.' She walked to the desk and, pulling out the chair, took a seat. She then beckoned to the floor and all three intuitively sat down on the rug by her feet.

'Yelena, I'm so sorry—' Elsa tried again to apologize, but Yelena again raised her hand. Honeymaren placed a gentle hand on Elsa's knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

'It was foolish of me to believe that children will always listen to their elders.'

'I mean, we're not children,' Ryder said, a slight whine in his tone.

'Could have fooled me,' Yelena returned, deadpan. She turned her eyes on Elsa. 'I know you've been looking for a book. Your mother's book.'

Elsa's eyes widened in shock. She glanced at Honeymaren, who only shrugged with the same look of confusion written on her face.

'Oh, don't look so surprised,' Yelena continued. 'There was always something about you that I couldn't quite put my finger on. That is, until I met your sister.'

'Anna?' Elsa was finding it difficult to look at Yelena, her shame and guilt over selfishly breaking Yelena's trust overtaking her usually calm demeanour.

But at the mention of her sister, she found herself searching those aged, wise eyes for an answer she was beginning to realize Yelena may hold.

'Junne had a very close friend growing up. A young girl with a vivacious personality and bright, startling blue eyes that always seemed to see right through you.'

'A friend of mother's?' Honeymaren tightened her grip on Elsa's knee.

'They lost touch, as people do when they grow older and begin their own families, but Junne never forgot the time she shared with this friend. I saw this friend again, many years later, at Junne's funeral. She was a married woman then, with two daughters—the first not much older than Honeymaren.'

Honeymaren and Elsa exchanged looks.

'It's difficult to determine how much we observe and retain from our environment when facing grief, but…' she paused and gave Elsa an apologetic smile, '… but I should have realized. I'm sorry, Elsa, for not seeing that you are Iduna's daughter.'

The lump that had formed in her chest at the first mention of Junne's friend now rose and lodged in Elsa's throat. She felt her eyes grow wet as her heart lurched at the sound of her mother's name.

'You…' The words were difficult to get out, but she had to know. 'You… knew my m-mother?'

'Quite dearly. She was a breath of light, and I see this light in your sister's face… and in your eyes.' Yelena leaned forward the cupped Elsa's cheek. It was such a tender touch that Elsa could barely control the trembling of her bottom lip.

'Yelena…'

'Here.' Yelena held out the parcel. 'I believe this is what you have been searching for.'

Elsa took the parcel from Yelena with trembling fingers. 'Is it…'

Yelena nodded. 'When we received the donation box in the aftermath of that fire, I picked through the books for some semblance of your mother. This was the only one that carried evidence of her existence. I've kept it all these years, and now I know why. I was meant to keep it safe until you came for it.'

'Okay, so I'm going to cry some ugly tears now,' Ryder said, his voice cracking as he leaned his head against his sister's shoulder. 'This is so unreal…'

'Is it?' Yelena sat back in her chair. 'Are we not all woven together beneath the sun?'

Ryder choked. 'Okay, I'm done…'

Yelena chuckled, and when she stood up, the three of them knew that they were being dismissed. The conversation was over. 'Come. Elsa needs to go home. I'm sure her sister is waiting for her on this eve of Christmas.'

They all fumbled to their feet. Elsa held the parcel tight against her chest, her knuckles white. 'Yelena… thank you.'

'Of course, my child.' She motioned for Elsa to take the lead. Honeymaren followed close behind. She looked around and found Ryder staring at the empty walls. 'Are you coming?'

'I always thought you were storing some rare collection of old books,' Ryder said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

'Partly accurate. I use this room to write. I've been collecting stories and documenting them.' She pointed her chin at the pile of paper. 'Sort of like your mother used to.'

Ryder's eyes widened. 'Ohhhhh… well that's… kinda cool.'

'It is, isn't it?' Yelena smiled as she followed Ryder out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Ryder pulled the lock from his pocket and fastened it back into place. 'So, are you going to write down the story you shared tonight? Starring me, of course…' He grinned.

Yelena chuckled. 'This story was already written…' Her eyes trailed after Elsa, who was getting helped into her coat by Honeymaren. She lifted a hand to her chest. 'But now I finally have an ending.'

~x-X-x~

Christmas day.

Anna felt cold hands on her body, followed by a gentle shake. She groaned and turned over onto her stomach.

'Aaaaaanaaaaa…'

The shaking persisted.

'Whaaaaa…' She buried her head into her pillow.

'Wake up…'

'Nuuuuu…' She made an attempt to swat away this annoyance, but suddenly felt something hard bonk her on the head. 'OOF! WHAT!' She sat up, her tired eyes squinting in the bright, morning light.

'Merry Christmas!'

A rectangular present wrapped in green paper and tied with a red bow fell into her lap. She looked down at the gift, then up at her grinning sister. 'Wha—OH! OH! IT'S CHRISTMAS!'

'Yes.' Elsa laughed as she watched all sleep dissipate from her sister's body. She ran her fingers through Olaf's fur, periodically tickling him behind the ear. He sat on her lap, completely content with Elsa's morning snuggles.

'Tell me what it is!' Anna held the present up to her ear and shook it. 'No, wait, don't tell me what it is…' She tugged at the ribbon. 'Can I open it? Should we wait for Kristoff? I know you like to wait until we've all had our breakfast before opening presents, but… please let me open it!'

'Yes yes, I want you to open it before Kristoff comes.'

Anna raised a curious brow. 'Ohhhhh… this is getting interesting…'

'Is it? I mean, we can wait…'

'NO!' Anna untied the ribbon and ripped through the wrapping paper without grace or delicacy.

Elsa fought the urge to clean up the unceremoniously discarded paper and smooth it out for scrapbooking purposes later, but instead she grabbed the ribbon and loosely tied it around Olaf's neck. He licked at her fingers.

'It's… a book.' Unlike her sister, Anna had never learned to disguise her feelings. The disappointment was clearly written on her face. 'The Snow Queen? Elsa, we have like a-gazillion copies of this already…'

'I know,' Elsa said, unperturbed by Anna's reaction. 'Just open it.'

Anna stared down at the book. It was a very old edition of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale. The cover was terribly faded and the edges of the pages were singed. It was almost as if the book had survived a fire. Anna's eyes widened at this realization, and she looked up at her sister with lips parted.

Elsa, her smile soft, gently nodded her head. 'Go on.'

Anna opened the book and turned over the endsheet. She then turned another blank page. And then.

And then.

In perfect cursive from a delicate hand was written:

To my girls,

Because we love reading this one together.

~Mama

Tears welled in Anna's eyes as she ran her finger over her mother's inscription. 'Elsa…'

'Turn the page,' Elsa whispered, cuddling Olaf close to her chest.

Anna turned the page, her fingers trembling. There, she found another inscription—this one a little less neat, a little bit free, a little more real.

My greatest joy is living in the two stories I have brought into this world, because in these stories we will always exist. Like words on paper.

Together.

Elsa leaned forward and pointed at the page. 'See?' Below the word "Together" their parents had signed their names, accompanied by a childish but neat "Elsa" and a messy, barely legible "Anna". Elsa squeezed her sister's hand. 'We all signed it—words on paper. You were very little, so I don't know if you remember.'

The words on the page blurred as Anna sniffed back a sob. 'I-I remember…. Elsa, I remember.'

Elsa's heart constricted as she moved from the chair and slid onto Anna's bed. Olaf jumped from her lap onto Anna's, where he snuggled his head against her stomach. 'I've been trying to find this book. Because I wanted you to remember. Anna, I wanted you to remember mother's words to reassure you that our parents are always with us.' She wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

Anna looked up, her tear-stained eyes shining bright in the light that streamed in through her curtain. 'I love it,' she said, pressing the book against her chest. 'But Elsa, I'll always remember.' She sniffed. 'Because I have you.'

'Yes, but…'

'Because they're in your eyes. And in your smile. And in the way that you love me.'

'Oh… Anna…' Elsa's heart thumped in her throat.

Anna laughed—that laugh that charmed the world—and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. 'We're a mess.'

'No, you are.' Elsa grabbed a tissue from the bed-side table and dabbed at Anna's cheeks. 'Merry Christmas, sis.'

Anna leaned over and gave her a sister a wet kiss on the cheek. 'The Best Christmas.'

~x-X-x~

A few blocks away, behind a door with a sign that read "CLOSED – Come back Tomorrow!", two siblings worked together to weave a new thread through their mother's sun.

The thread was white.

And a little too bright.

But it represented a story that breathed life into words on paper.

~x-X-x~

Author's Note: THANK YOU for your very kind reviews, and for spending your time with this story! I had the sudden urge to write a short Modern AU, and although it's hardly refined and definitely a little rushed, I sincerely hope you enjoyed it.