Hello best beloveds! I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I was simply distracted by lots of other things. Life gets in the way and if you couldn't tell from the stories dealing with mental health, well, I write from experience. I flit between fandoms with their own platforms and get new obsessions but I always did keep my WIP stories on a hard-drive. Now having watched Frozen II three times in about as many weeks I decided to put some of the finished but not published work online. Who knows, I might end up making something complete! I may even make a new story.
Lost
It was her birthday today. Elsa smiled and gently nudged her partner to wake; they had decided to see in her birthday with style and had been awake well past two in the morning but Elsa really did want to have her birthday breakfast before it became brunch or even lunch. "Wake up Freya, come on. I want my birthday kiss."
"You've had a kiss and a whole lot more besides already." Freya replied as she slowly sat up, heedless of her unclothed state. Elsa bit her lip and appreciated the view, noting several dark marks in places only she ever saw. Though, thinking about it, there were probably a fair few on her own body.
"True, but I think I should have another." Elsa said before lifting herself level with Freya and kissing her deeply. The interesting mewling noises Freya made demanded later experimentation. They parted finally and Elsa laid her head against the scarred shoulder of her lover.
"Love you." Freya mumbled, her lips were slightly puffed and she had snaked an arm around Elsa at some point.
"I love you." Elsa sighed happily. "But I must get to breakfast before Anna comes marching in demanding we join her."
"I thought she learned not to do that after the time she found us with your foot over my shoulder..." Freya winked and drew her hand across the small of Elsa's back.
"Mmm, Freya stop, really. I am expected to my own birthday breakfast." Elsa teasingly lowered the temperature and Freya glared.
"I get the message." She let go of her lover and left the bed to wash. Elsa laughed and caught up, it was easier to wash and dress with two if the teasing was minimal.
As they sat down for breakfast, a meal supplied by Gerda in the King's Breakfast so the women could indulge in affectionate contact, Anna didn't complain about their lateness. In fact the Princess had been too busy corralling gifts to the room to notice the time. "I got all the smaller boxes that have been delivered. I don't want to break the tradition!" Anna said as her sister entered.
"You royals get way too many gifts." Freya teased. "We had that many gifts at all if we were lucky!" She kept her voice teasing and Elsa just grinned.
"You won't let me get you anything big or exciting on your birthday!" Elsa countered with a pinch to Freya's side.
"I get paid to spend all my time with the woman I love." Freya leaned in and kissed Elsa's forehead. "I don't think you need to gift me." She pulled out Elsa's chair so she could sit and took her own beside her.
"Aww, you two are all soft today." Anna smiled from her place at the table, the family wasn't quite complete though, Kristoff had special plans for a gift, so he had set off early with Olaf and Sven. They would be returning soon if the clock was any indication.
Anna eyed up the pile of gifts she had brought in, "Are you going to open up any of the gifts now? I'm sure there are some candies..." Gerda bustled around with the serving trolley and put out the trays and rolled her eyes at Anna's request, placing a platter of sweet krumkakes and fruits on the table along with a jug of cream.
"Of course you want sweets for breakfast." Elsa giggled. She took up the smaller boxes to unwrap the coloured paper. One box revealed a selection of silk wrapped cubes. "Oooh, Turkish Delight." Elsa lifted one out and offered the box to the other two.
"That's the chewy thing right?" Freya asked, lifting a little parcel.
"It is chewy and sugar-dusty and amazing!" Anna said, grabbing her own and unwrapping the colourful cube. All three bit into their sweets at once. "Mmm, 'shgood." Anna devoured hers but Elsa looked a little put out.
"Spicy... A little more than I like." She poured some cream over her dish of krumkake and fruit and used a spoon to take some to sooth her tongue.
"Bad luck getting the cinnamon one." Freya had liked the slightly bitter-pine flavour of her selection. Elsa sighed in response and blinked away the slight water from her eyes. She did not like spiced things, probably something to do with her wintery nature.
After a nice breakfast with plenty of cream Elsa had escaped the slightly unpleasant tingling sensation from the spice. She had opened the other smaller gifts, more treats and candies alongside some trinkets and missives wishing her continued good health and an enjoyable occasion of her birthday.
Kristoff had returned from his task with a fresh bouquet of flowers for both sisters and a beautiful blue stone called an ice-crystal by the trolls. "The whole family sends birthday wishes. It isn't exactly something they are familiar with because they live so long, but Grand Pabbie understands it and explained. I wanted to get this for you, so I had to get going early."
"How lovely, thank you Kristoff." Elsa admired the stone, it was a wonderful shade of blue. "I will have to visit them sometime soon." Elsa added, Freya made a note for her; the more secretive aspects of her schedule were kept by her partner over any record book, for safety.
Olaf had a big hug for his creator and a big hug back (because it was his birthday too after all).
Later in the morning Elsa was ready to greet the populace. She had made it a new tradition to take a walk through the streets to meet and greet people with Anna, Kristoff and Olaf. Freya would join them in her official capacity as a guard; full uniform, hat and all. She didn't mind, no one locally found her presence intimidating and it was just as much fun for her as it was for the public royal family.
"Ready?" Elsa asked everyone as they stood in the doorway of the palace. She took a sideways look at Freya and smiled to her, it really was good to see her in uniform. Uniform just looked excellent, even more-so on Freya.
"Let's go see the people!" Anna smiled and grabbed Elsa's hand. The doors opened up and the group left the palace and walked out through the gates to the town. A small presence of guards followed behind, mostly to look impressive.
Olaf immediately saw his friends and was pulled into some game or the other. "Bye guys! I'll see you later, we're going to go play!" Olaf shouted before small hands led him away. His little flurry bobbed along in time to his pace.
"That was fast." Kristoff commented.
"I like to think Olaf gets to live the childhood we missed." Elsa said softly, smiling over the melancholy memories. "So he has to live twice the childhood, for two little princesses." Anna hugged her and smiled.
As they took in the town Elsa received many birthday wishes and a fair few toasts to her health. Some of the children not playing gave her little posies of flowers or drawings of her using her powers for them to play. She took them with a smile and a kind comment and Kristoff politely offered to carry them as the gifts increased.
The councilmen were gathered near the City Hall, ready to present the official message to the Queen, a crowd had collected too, while the real celebration would be in the castle courtyard later that afternoon, plenty of people wanted to cheer for their Queen.
Elsa took a path near to the line of townspeople, to greet and shake hands with those she knew, to share an exchange of pleasantries or comment of conversation. She wanted her rule to be remembered as the opposite of her father's for many reasons. So far she had been doing well.
A ruckus in the back caught her attention briefly. Someone was forcing their way through the crowd, a man she didn't recall from her earlier times in the town. The man pushed to the front of the crowd, it was rude but not uncommon, some visitors and newcomers were eager to see the Queen when she visited.
The gasps of fear from the crowd though, as he got closer, the looks of horror and the shout of "He has a gun!" were uncommon. Unwanted. Frightening.
Their words came too quickly for Elsa to do much, certainly nothing before Freya had swiftly put herself between the gun and the Queen. She moved with speed and grace, 'It's her athleticism, our dancing...' Elsa shocked mind thought as the gunshot sounded out. Freya still stood between the Queen and the Assassin. At point blank range.
The bang was nearly deafening, Elsa's ears rang, her eyes had flown shut at the sound. Then there were some noises; shouts and objects hitting the floor, Elsa opened her eyes.
Little time had passed since the first shout of "Gun!" but so much had occurred. Kristoff had laid the gunman out with a hard punch and others in the crowd had wrested the gun from the would-be assassin but Elsa didn't see it. All her world was made up of Freya, Freya lying on the ground breathing weakly, so very weakly as far too much blood pooled around her. Panicked, Elsa knelt on the ground beside her, covered the wound with her hands in a desperate attempt to stem the flow. "No, no... Oh no... Freya." Elsa whispered and sobbed. "Don't leave me."
Freya was looking right at her, mouthing words she couldn't speak. Words Elsa couldn't repeat. Words last exchanged as they embraced in their bed. Words they may never be able to say again.
"Your Majesty." Strong hands picked her up and began to pull, they were taking her away. "We must get you to safety." Elsa struggled, reaching out to Freya who still lay on the ground, they were taking her away from Freya. She was leaving Freya, they were parting them.
The hand outreached was red with blood.
Freya's blood.
Her ice came then; as she was hustled away into the palace, covering her still red hands with a layer of clear frost as if to preserve the last touch of her lover. It went trailing at her feet as fears and worry and sadness stormed through her. The sky above began to darken grey then was closed off from her as she was hurried into the palace and the doors closed.
"Elsa!" Gerda was there, taking her elbow, supporting her from collapsing. The guards told the head housekeeper what had occurred. Her own stifled sob told Elsa there was little hope.
Gerda helped her to her room and sat her on the bed but the sudden blast of frost and icy wind drove her away from Elsa. It was an instant transformation of a normal room to frozen tundra, snowflakes suspended in the air.
The door was closed and barred to keep Elsa in, to keep Elsa safe, or so they called into her as she beat at the barrier with her fists. Sobbing and pleading slowly fell in volume until Elsa could do no more than murmur and weep.
"Elsa I'm so sorry." Anna's words reached her then. Someone had been near from the moment the door was closed but only now did Elsa realise who. "I want to come in with you. Will you let me? I can't say this through a closed door." Her voice was small, weighed down by something terrible.
With the greatest of effort Elsa drew away from the door and crawled to her bed, the ice-solid sheets blanketed in soft snow. She curled up in the drift, her crimson dyed hands laid out in the space Freya would occupy.
Anna must have heard Elsa move from the door for the sound of the bar being removed reached through the silence.
The doors were frozen shut and coated thickly in her ice, but Kristoff must have been there to help as an ice saw breeched the seal and sliced through. Only Anna entered though, looking at the room held so like the moment she had stood before a sword. Her movement sent the flakes spinning in her wake only to settle once she was gone. "Elsa..." Anna was at the bed and reaching out but Elsa could only focus on her blood stained hands. Anna covered her mouth to stifle the gasp of shock at the sight, but it escaped anyway, a small cloud of condensed breath. "Elsa, I'm sorry... There was nothing anyone could do." The words confirmed all of Elsa's fears.
"Freya..." Elsa didn't scream or shout. It was a word that cracked and crept from her with a breath she so wished could be final. The ice in the room darkened almost black, thickening into cords and bulbs tear-like in their structure. Bitter tears streaked her skin once more and Anna could only sit beside her and run tentative fingers through the strands of blonde hair.
Blackness overcame her at some point, mind and body worn by grief.
Elsa must have fallen asleep, she was surprised as she woke, but why did her body ache as much as her heart? A gentle hand at the back of her head was lifting her slightly and the rim of a glass was touched to her lips, instinctively she opened them and cool liquid was poured in. She swallowed with a throat that felt raw from more than just sobs. She began to cough.
"Careful, careful now." The voice was caring, loving and utterly impossible.
"Freya?" Elsa croaked, her skin felt slick and tight all at once. "You... you died." She kept her eyes closed; not wanting to see if this was a dream.
"Died? Oh Elsa!" The gentle hand moved downwards and she was lifted higher, brought close to a warm body, heated breath caressed her face. "You've been sick for days Elsa." The warmth of living breath gave Elsa such hope she opened her eyes. The lids felt heavy and her eyes sandy-dry but the sight that met her was worth it. Green eyes, worried but lively, black curls escaping a knitted hat. Freya was there and holding her.
"Freya." Elsa smiled and lifted her hand to her lover's cheek. The effort was great but she had to touch her partner. "You're alive."
"I should be saying that to you." Freya whispered, her hand brushed some hair from Elsa's face, it was gloved and Elsa grimaced. "Sorry, it is just a little cold here for those of us who are not Snow Queens." Freya's laugh was so full of relief. She laid Elsa back on the bed but was still holding her hands. Lying back Elsa could see just how wintery the room looked, every inch coated in ice to such a thickness, the doorway was cleared revealing the foot thick ice beside it. Freya was wearing a very big coat, her movements looked like she had plenty of layers on.
"What happened?" Elsa felt ill, she rarely felt ill without paired anxiety, never suffering viruses or fevers.
"Someone poisoned you with a herb called frost-bane." Freya was blunt, but the way she scrubbed at her eyes and the hollows under them told a story of little sleep. "Grand Pabbie said it is a very rare plant, a spice or pepper nearly, that is so hot that no frost can form on it or snow settle on it." She gripped tighter on Elsa's hand. "It was put into something you ate, though I won't say what because we don't want to scare you away from it, just know that we'll be checking things for a while."
"What did it do to me?" her voice scratched and her eyes felt too hot in her skull. She grimaced again and the water was returned for her to drink.
"You ate and complained it tasted too spicy. Then a few moments later you fainted. I caught you, so nothing should be damaged from a fall, but then the ice started to form." Freya blinked a long moment, it was obvious she was tired out from worry and watching over her. Elsa slipped her hand up to grip her partner's arm.
"The ice and cold started pouring off you and you had a fever. You were so hot to the touch but all around it was snowing." Freya sounded forcefully light; it was obvious she was very worried. "So we hurried you to the nearest room with a bed and called the doctor."
"Was he any help?" Elsa was beginning to feel better than her first waking but there was still a dull ache in her joints. To know the terrible events had been a nightmare, not real, was healing but she had suffered a sickness.
"Not really, he was able to rule out any of the common poisons or drugs and a few of the uncommon ones." Freya scrubbed at her face, "All he could advise was the usual treatments for a fever. By then the room looked like the dead of winter but you were burning up. I stayed here Kristoff and Anna went to Grand Pabbie."
"I trust he was more useful this time." Elsa didn't resent the wise old troll, she was simply feeling unwell and cranky.
"They told him what happened, he knew right away and it is how we got a name for the herb." She stroked Elsa's forehead gently, relieved that Elsa was awake and felling well enough to make a grumpy comment. "He sent Kristoff up the North Mountain to find some Isfrukt berries."
"Ice fruit?" Elsa said, she had not heard of such a thing, even in all the ice and magic books she had poured over growing up.
"Fruit that only grows in the places of eternal ice and snow apparently." Freya said, "Marshmallow helped find them and we made a juice that Grand Pabbie advised we get you to drink a few doses." Freya let go of her hands turned and picked something up out of site of Elsa. When it was in view she saw a jug and cup. "You've had two already and I could see an improvement." Clear liquid was poured into the cup but a scent of the mountains left it. "Will you be able to drink it yourself now?"
"I'll try." Elsa accepted the help to sit up and took the glass. The liquid was cool in her mouth and quenching even as the first sip slipped by. A flavour of natural mint and the mountain air was just as refreshing. As the drink went down Elsa felt better still, the 'poison' had been fast acting but so was the antidote. When the glass was drained she handed it back to Freya, who was smiling almost like Anna did and was close to tears. "Freya?"
"Elsa. You look well already." Freya lifted a hand and stroked her cheek, the gloves were gone despite the cold. Elsa leaned into the touch. "I, we nearly lost you." It was virtually a whisper.
"I thought I had lost you." Elsa whispered back. Freya blinked, confused. "I know it was a dream but it felt so real." Haltingly she told the tale of what had occurred in her dream. By the end of it she was trembling, Freya had wrapped her in an embrace. "It all felt so real."
"It wasn't though. I'm here still." She kissed Elsa's temple, the closest skin to contact as Elsa was nestled into her. "Anna will be coming soon. She's been checking every hour."
"Really?" Elsa frowned, she hadn't wanted to worry her sister and if Anna deprived herself of sleep and filled up with concern she too would be ill.
"I think between us Kristoff and I got her to spend at least half the night asleep." Freya consoled. They were interrupted by the door opening. Freya was swiftly off the bed into a more neutral position, thankfully it was Anna.
"Elsa!" She threw herself onto the bed and at her sister. "You're awake, you're okay." She repeated herself a few times as she grabbed Elsa into a gentler hug than her usual embraces. Elsa returned the affection, glad that Anna had worn a coat in the cold and icy room.
"I'm feeling better than when I woke up." Elsa said, her voice still soft. She didn't want to add more upset to Anna, keeping back the terrible nightmare. Freya was back on the bed, sat beside the Queen and Princess as they hugged.
Later that day, the Doctor had agreed that Elsa was recovered enough to be moved to her room. "Don't worry about thawing this room for now." Kristoff had insisted, "I can even cut some out and take it off to the cold room, so there is less here to send away." He had been worried for Elsa, so very glad that he had been able to find the cure. "I don't want you to exert yourself when you're still unwell."
"Thank you Kristoff." Elsa had shared a hug with him before Freya had carried her to their room. Her partner had no intention of letting her walk.
Though she felt much better than her first waking, Elsa still felt drained, welcoming being cared for by Freya. Grateful for her family and their love.
That night, as they both settled for bed, Elsa spotted the knitted hat Freya had been wearing. It begged a question. "Why did you stay even when it got so cold?" Elsa asked quietly. Her throat was still sore so speaking up hurt. "I froze the room solid Freya."
"I would stay with you even if you froze the world Elsa." Freya whispered, she was lying on her side of the bed, just looking at Elsa with such happiness. She took a slender hand and delicately laid a kiss to each fingertip. "I love you and I won't leave you, come ice and snow natural and magic. Rain, sleet, fire, thunder... I would stay." She kissed the palm of the hand she had taken.
"I love you." Freya said softly. She pulled Elsa in close to embrace as they settled to sleep.
"I love you." Elsa replied. Knowing the nightmare from her fever would not return.
So, these two still have a few more adventures. But what is better than an OC to ship the character with? Oh, my, well it is an actual character from the canon to ship! But I will indeed carry on with the world I created here, canon is great and I am not disheartened at this not matching up in all details.