A/N: Hey! Yeah, slow update huh? I've slowed down a lot, i guess I'm burning out. Still, I should be able to keep up with one chapter a week for the rest of this month at the very least. Anyway, enough about me, onto those lovely reviews.
Lance58: I feel like if i tell you, I'd be spoiling, so I wont. :3
Guest: Yeah I was a bit nervous about doing the introduction to the family, was worried I'd write it all wrong. People seem to like it though, so I guess I didn't fail too hard xD. Also you were right about the burning out thing, geez I didn't think about it when i was writing like 1 chapter every day or so and now I'm struggling to get one out per week. I'll manage though.
Nara375: Hey! I don't think its spoilers at this point to say that Elsa did freeze. I've dropped a lot of hints to that. How she thawed? Well that might be spoilers so I'll keep that to myself for now. As for the blood... hmm, once again I can't spoil. I'll also see about getting Anastasia in, I haven't watched the movie since I was a kid, but i'll manage somehow.
Laryssa1234: Yes... hopefully we will have fun for awhile. Who knows, maybe I'm done being cruel and everyone gets to live and be happy =)... you don't believe me do you?
DreamWalker: Yes, I agree. With how well she's done with the family, who knows who else Elsa could begin introducing her to. (Well I know, but we'll pretend I don't.)
Alright, that should be everyone, ty guys for the reviews as usual, always puts a smile on my face to see what you guys have to say. I won't trouble you anymore with my ranting though, onto the story!
"You will wear them!" Elsa said forcefully.
A growl was the response she got.
"You want to play that way? I'm not kidding Anna, you're going to wear them and you're going to like it." Elsa told her sternly,
A challenging growl from someone on Elsa's old bed.
"You asked for it!"
Elsa dove onto her, fingers aiming for Anna's stomach. Gales of laughter filled the bedroom as Elsa had her way with Anna's toned stomach. She tickled away at Anna for several minutes, tickling until the girl had no fight left in her. Once she was satisfied, she took the instruments of torture and began applying them to Anna's feet.
Anna groaned as she had no strength to fight back, not to mention she was scared for another tickle attack.
"There. Not so bad now is it?" Elsa asked.
Anna growled as she looked at her feet, seeing a pair of Agnarr's old shoes on her feet. Anna wiggled her toes, finding the footwear highly uncomfortable, especially with her claws tucked in so close.
"You'll thank me once we step outside and you're not stepping in snow anymore." Elsa told her. "And don't you dare try to take them off." Elsa warned, fingers curling menacingly as she eyed Anna's stomach.
Anna wrapped her around her stomach, smiling as she shrunk away from Elsa, worried for another attack.
Elsa decided to spare her. "Now, come on." Elsa said, extending a hand to Anna to help her off of her old bed. They were in Elsa's old room, Elsa having taken her here just in case she had to fight with her to put the shoes on.
She was glad she did.
Anna took her offered help and stood. Elsa, the foolish girl, had used her injured right shoulder to help Anna up. She winced at the pain that spiked in her shoulder. Elsa quickly grabbed at her wound, grimacing.
"Wish I had more of your healing remedies. I'm sure this is going to leave a scar." Elsa said jokingly, but she was partially speaking the truth. She couldn't say she wanted a scar on her shoulder.
Anna reached up and touched softly at the injured shoulder. She gave Elsa a smile, one that told Elsa she knew what it was like to be in pain. There was a bit more to it, something else that Elsa didn't see. Anna honestly found it attractive, the wound that is. It meant that Elsa survived a battle, that she had bested her foes. While Anna may have taken care of them for her, she was still proud of Elsa for enduring and not running away.
She wished she could express it.
"Elsa, talk?" Anna asked.
Elsa's eyebrows raised. Since when did Anna learn that word?
"You want to talk?" Elsa asked.
"Elsa, talk." Anna said again.
Elsa could only imagine that Anna wanted more lessons on speech.
"Hmm… not right now. Once we get back to the castle though, I'd be glad to teach you a few things." Elsa told her kindly, smile in place.
Anna didn't understand, but she understood that it couldn't be now, as Elsa grabbed her hand and pulled her along. They exited Elsa's old bedroom. Well, truthfully the bedroom belonged to all three siblings. Elsa remembered times when she'd tuck her brothers into bed before walking to her own bed not far away.
She felt a small pain in her chest, not realizing how much it would hurt to have to leave them again.
"So you're leaving, dear?" Her mother asked as Elsa left the room and entered the living room that was also the dining room.
Elsa gave a nod. "I have a room at the castle." She admitted.
"She's got a room, Iduna." Agnarr said, trying to contain himself, not wanting to stop his daughter if she had to leave.
"I heard her."
"In the castle, Iduna."
Iduna turned a glare to Agnarr. "I heard her."
Elsa chuckled at their banter. "I should go, it's already nightfall." Elsa said.
Agnarr grimaced at that. "It is. Maybe I should go with you, just in case." He said, already preparing to get up.
Elsa raised her hand that was still holding Anna's. She gave it a shake and raised an eyebrow at him, her point coming across clear. Not only did she have Anna, but she'd even be holding her hand.
"Ah… right. Well don't let this old fool keep you. At least grant me a hug before you go though." He rose.
Elsa did give him a hug. In fact she gave one to every member of her family. No one tried to hug Anna, at least no one tried until Olaf decided to show them how it was done.
"Goodbye, Anna." Olaf said, walking up and hugging Anna around her waist, seeing as that was as high as his tiny arms would go.
Anna looked to Elsa.
Elsa shrugged. "He likes warm hugs." She said with a smile.
Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly as Elsa was beginning to learn, Anna reached down and let her hands rest on Olaf's back, returning the hug in the best way she could from her position. Olaf was the first to let go, Anna staring at him in seeming disinterest. The rest of the family stared at Anna, no one saying anything.
Well, until Agnarr smiled. "Oh, come here girl!" He walked up and threw his arms around Anna.
Elsa shrunk back at the sight, almost expecting Anna to lash out. All Anna did however was reach up and let her arms rest around his back. Elsa wondered if she should feel bad that she always assumed Anna would tear into someone for the slightest offense. Elsa decided she'd trust Anna a bit more, especially after seeing how well she did with Elsa's family.
Marshall did not walk up to give a hug, his young mind thinking it was sappy and uncool to do so. He was growing up was all, finally hitting an age where he felt embarrassed about certain things. Elsa wasn't surprised by that, but rather her mother who withheld on giving Anna a hug as well. She wondered if her mother still didn't trust Anna. It couldn't have been that bad, she certainly let Anna near Olaf and Marshall, which spoke volumes on how much she trusted Anna not to hurt them.
She never really thought that maybe her mother trusted her more than Anna.
Elsa left the home, calls of goodbyes exchanged between both her and her family. She even managed to get Anna to say it, hoping to teach the girl that it was a friendly way to leave someone. Once outside, and once the door closed, Elsa and Anna set off for the castle. Anna walking a bit funny thanks to her shoes.
"We can find a pair that fit you better next time, but I will not having you walking back to the castle in the middle of the night with no shoes." Elsa told her, giggling at the way Anna was walking.
Anna merely growled back, understanding when she was being laughed at.
Elsa, having been introduced to Anna's kinder side, decided to play a bit.
She imitated Anna's growl, directing it at the redhead.
Anna's eyes widened at the sound.
A curious growl.
Elsa furrowed her brows and growled at Anna. Her angry facade quickly melting when a smile split her face and she laughed.
Anna paused, staring at her before a small smile graced her face as she realized that Elsa was playing. She gave Elsa nudge with her shoulder, not enough to knock the blonde off balance, but enough to show her that Anna understood a playful gesture.
"Maybe in exchange for my teaching, you'll teach me to be scarier someday." Elsa said.
Anna made a small noise in the back of her throat.
The two journeyed back to the castle, walking through the snow, leaving footprints to tell of their existence. Elsa decided that she didn't have to wait until the castle to start teaching Anna, so she began to as they walked. She started off by pointing to things and naming them, making sure Anna repeated her as they went along. It was fun, and Anna caught onto words fast, making things easier.
It was fun all the way until she made it to the hallway that contained her room in the castle.
"That's a statue. Statue." Elsa said, repeating the word she wanted Anna to say.
"Statue." Anna repeated easily, happy to learn from Elsa, but more happy to see Elsa smiling.
"Hmm… that's a painting. Paint-" Elsa paused.
There was someone outside of Elsa's room, sitting on the floor outside her door. She of course knew who it was. There was only one person in the kingdom of Arendelle with such long and vibrant blonde hair.
Queen Rapunzel sat outside her door, looking especially not regal with the way she was sitting and kicking her feet up and down to fight off boredom.
The queen noticed them after Elsa stopped a dozen feet away, Anna of course stopping with her.
A bright smile lit the queen's face. "Ah! There you are! You know I've been waiting here for three hours!" She said, looking as though it were a happy three hours.
Elsa scrunched her eyes in disbelief.
"Why were you waiting for three hours outside of my room… your majesty." She tossed in the title at the end for good measure. Truthfully, Elsa was still upset with the queen over what had happened this morning during the meeting.
Rapunzel looked like a giddy child as she stood up, hands behind her back.
"Well… I heard an interesting rumor that has been spreading throughout the maids of the castle." Rapunzel said, eyeing Anna.
Elsa took a look at Anna who was subtly sniffing at the air, her senses picking up on something apparently.
"A rumor?" Elsa asked.
"The famous Beast-Tamer's beast is supposedly not so hard to tame." Rapunzel said, walking closer to them now.
Elsa eyed her as she walked up, feeling uncomfortable with the queen's approach and the way her eyes never left Anna's.
"I assure you… she is not so easy to control." Elsa said, wondering who was spreading rumors. Had someone figured out her secret? Did someone know that she didn't actually tame Anna in any way? How could they have known? Had they seen something? Had Elsa slipped up somewhere?
So many questions ran through her head that she did not realize that the queen was now face to face with Anna, barely a foot apart.
"You're supposed to be terrifying… But I hear you're a big softy." Rapunzel told Anna.
Anna's brows furrowed, not understanding the queen, but understanding her tone was off. She growled instinctively, warning the queen to back off.
"Your majesty." Elsa finally took notice after hearing Anna. "I must insist that you back away. Anna can be very dangerous." She tried, trying to strike fear into the queen.
Rapunzel laughed at that.
"Oh, really? Because what I heard was…" Rapunzel suddenly revealed her hands to Anna, the sudden gesture making Anna lunge towards her. However she quickly stopped, barely moving two inches in her lunge as she saw just what was in Rapunzel's hands. "You love chocolate!" She finished.
Rapunzel was quickly relieved of the chocolate in her possession as Anna snatched it away, devouring it with all the manners of beast. Elsa just watched, not knowing who deserved the scolding more, The queen for walking up to Anna without knowing what she was capable of, or Anna for snatching away chocolate from the queen of all people. Elsa furrowed her brows as the queen began to pull chocolate from places that Elsa never imagined you could hide in a dress.
"That's right. I hear you're just a big choco-holic. You are aren't you? Yes, Yes I believe you are." The queen said as she fed more and more chocolate to a greedy Anna.
"She's not a dog." Elsa said, still upset with the queen and not liking anyone treating Anna like an animal.
"I'm well aware." Was all the queen had to say, smile on her face.
Elsa watched as she literally fed a treat to Anna, the queen raising her hand and Anna opening her mouth and taking it from her. The scene made Elsa angry for some reason. She didn't know why, but she chalked it up to her earlier aggression towards the queen. She was still mad about being used as bait.
"Don't you have… royal duties to attend?" Elsa asked, trying not to be offensive, but not really wanting to deal with her right now.
"No." Another treat was fed to Anna.
"Where is your bodyguard? Sir Flynn." She asked, wondering if she could talk him into making her leave.
"Don't know." Another treat was given.
Elsa grit her teeth. "Your majesty, Anna and me are quite tired. We would like to-"
"I." The queen said.
"What?"
"Anna and 'I' are quite tired. That is how you say it." She told her with a smile, eyes never leaving Anna.
That was the last straw.
"Your majesty, unless there is something you need of me, I would like to go to sleep." Elsa finally said.
The queen finally looked to her. "Oh. No, there is nothing I need. You may go." She looked back to Anna.
Elsa just stared, flabbergasted at being dismissed and yet the queen continued to feed Anna.
Doing her best not to rage at the queen, she turned to leave. "We're leaving, Anna." She commanded, a foot going in front of the other as she began to walk away.
Elsa made it five feet before she realized that Anna was not following.
"Anna!"
"There is no need to shout." The queen said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "You may go ahead, I still have a few chocolates to give." She said as she reached into yet another area of her dress before magically pulling out yet another chocolate delicacy.
Elsa almost screamed, but she settled on simply turning on her heel and marching away back into her room, feet pressing into the ground a bit harder as she went, creating an echo in the hall. She went into her room and closed the door. So angry was she, that for a few seconds she simply stood by the door, fingers curling and uncurling in anger as she growled to herself. She couldn't believe that Anna refused to follow her, lured in so easily by treats to the woman that they were supposed to despise right now.
Well… maybe Anna had no reason to be mad.
Elsa scoffed at the thought, Anna would surely be mad if she found out that she was actually bait and that she nearly died because the queen forgot to mention it. There was also the fact that she never mentioned the rumor of the southern isle's possessing demons in their ranks. The mere thought of these things made Elsa want to strangle the queen. And who did she think she was feeding Anna? Anna was dangerous, Anna wasn't some cute little dog that you got to pet and feed treats to. Anna was a monster, Anna was-
Elsa suddenly stopped at that.
Had she really thought that? Even if it was only brief, she had considered Anna a monster. She shook her head, realizing that she was just angry. Yes, she was angry with Anna as well. Anna should have been ashamed of herself to be so easily pulled in by mere chocolates. Elsa liked chocolate too, but she wasn't so easily impressed by everyone who possessed it. She needed to have a talk with Anna, to teach her that she shouldn't go around trusting everyone who gave her chocolate.
Elsa seemed to forget that she once planned to have people walk around with chocolates to avoid Anna's wrath if need be.
Elsa went and fell on her bed with as much rage as she could, which wasn't much in appearance. She fell down on the bed with her light body, barely causing a bounce to occur. For some reason this too angered her and she sought vengeance upon an innocent pillow, smacking it once and then twice. Really, how could Anna so easily leave her for a few chocolates? It infuriated her. Anna was supposed to follow her, supposed to need her.
Something bumped into the door before the knob was fiddled with.
"Elsa?" A muffled voice outside.
Elsa turned on the bed, still angry with Anna who was on the other side of the door. She listened as Anna continued trying to fiddle with the knob. At first Elsa didn't know what she was doing, that is until she realized that Anna could not open the door.
The girl didn't understand how to twist the knob.
Suddenly Elsa's anger melted as she giggled. She shook her head though, feeling that she should be angry. So, she forced herself to be angry, scrunching up her face with annoyance as she got up to open the door for Anna.
She opened the door to find Anna indeed on the other side, no queen in sight. Elsa poked her head out just to be sure. It seemed that the queen had left after feeding Anna. Elsa turned her dark gaze to Anna, staring at the girl who was oblivious to Elsa's mood. Anna just looked at her, still licking chocolate from her teeth. Elsa noticed that her face was a mess from stuffing chocolate into her gullet. The chocolates had likely partially melted as well from sitting in Rapunzel's… 'pockets' for so long. Elsa still didn't know where she hid all that chocolate in her dress. Elsa looked down to find Anna's fingers had chocolate on them as well.
She sighed, annoyed look fading. Perhaps it was the big sister in her, but she couldn't stay mad at the sight of Anna. It only reminded her of cleaning up a messy Olaf and even a messy Marshall when he was younger.
"Look at you… you're a mess." Elsa said, shaking her head in disappointment at Anna's eating manners.
Anna blinked her snake-like eyes before sticking out a tongue to lick at the chocolate around her lips.
Elsa groaned as she pulled Anna into the room. She stared at the chocolate covered girl, wondering just what she was meant to do about this. She searched the room for a rag, but found nothing. In the end she ended up using her old peasant clothes to wipe away at Anna's mouth and to clean her fingers. It took some doing, but it was overall an easy task to complete. Once she was finished, she threw away the old shirt she used and looked to Anna.
Anna licked at her lips, disappointed that there was no more chocolate to taste.
"Elsa, talk?" Anna asked.
She smiled at that, smiled at the thought of Anna needing her to learn the language.
"Okay. Let's see…" Elsa began.
Elsa went on to teach Anna several words, most of it being things in the room. She even tried teaching Anna to put together sentences. All in all the teaching went well, and Anna and Elsa ended up staying up much later than what would be considered a good time for bed.
This was to be regretted come morning.
"Mr. Larsa." Someone called.
Elsa continued to doze in her bed.
A knock before, "Mr. Larsa!"
Elsa snorted as she woke up, dazed for a moment as she gathered her surroundings.
"I'm awake." Elsa said, trying to rid her eyes of the crust from sleep.
"Oh, good. Is it alright if I come in, sir?" Someone asked from outside the door.
Elsa yawned. "Yes."
The door opened, revealing crimson colored hair and big blue eyes.
"I'm sorry to awaken you." Ariel said as she stood just inside the room.
Elsa shook her head. "No, no. I was just getting up." A lie, one easy to spot by her tired demeanor.
Ariel gave a small smile. "Of course, sir." She looked to see Anna still asleep beside Elsa, her hair thankfully not a mess thanks to the braids Elsa gave her. "Good morning, Anna." She called out, hoping to catch sight of the friendly girl from before.
A snore was the response she got.
"Good luck. She sleeps like a rock." Elsa muttered.
Ariel gave a nod. "I see."
"What was it you needed?" Elsa asked after a short moment.
"Sir Kristoff requests your presence out on the training field." Ariel told her.
Elsa looked to her. "So early?" Elsa asked.
Ariel chuckled. "It is noon, sir."
Elsa blushed, feeling embarrassed. She didn't realize that she had stayed up for so long with Anna last night.
"Of course. That is what I meant." Elsa tried to cover herself, though the smile Ariel wore seemed to tell her a different story. "I shall be there as soon as possible." Elsa said.
Ariel gave a bow as she exited the room, taking one last peek at a sleeping Anna before leaving. Elsa yawned once more as the girl left, stretching her arms as far as they would go. She was tired, no doubt, but she couldn't ignore a call from Kristoff.
Now to wake the beast.
Elsa reached over and placed a hand on Anna's shoulder, already shaking her, knowing that the girl wouldn't wake up otherwise.
"Anna. Come on, we have to get ready."
Anna grumbled in her sleep, her dreams consisting of chasing down animals back in her forest.
Elsa crumbled those dreams with another shake and a shout to Anna. Elsa watched the sleepy redhead sit up, looking around to see if there was any danger. Once none was found, she laid back down, looking to Elsa with a not so amused expression.
Elsa only raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, tell me about it." She agreed with Anna's silent thoughts at being woken up so early.
Elsa ended up getting herself and Anna ready to meet with Kristoff. The wardrobe still had new clothes to wear, and so both she and Anna partook. She thought to re-braid Anna's hair, but decided against it. She left her room and asked a few servants she passed how to get to the training grounds. They were happy to oblige, if only to get Elsa to hurry and leave with Anna. One maid, surprisingly, whipped out a piece of chocolate at the sight of Anna. The poor girl was frightened, obviously learning from Ariel about Anna and chocolate. She seemed to have the hope that Anna would devour the chocolate instead of her own body.
She was correct.
The maid had her chocolate devoured as she wished and her body was left intact. Elsa wondered if she would have to put a stop to this, seeing how unhealthy it was for Anna to continue consuming so much chocolate. Either way, she decided it was okay for now, seeing as it eased the poor maid's heart to see Anna enjoy the chocolate so much. While she was still frightened, she did give Elsa directions to the training grounds which was not far, meaning she had followed the previous servants' directions just fine.
Elsa found herself walking out to the training grounds. Around her soldiers trained despite the climate. Truthfully, Elsa could never tell just how cold it really was, seeing as she never had much problem with the chill of winter. It would take a truly cold day to make her shiver.
Like the night before with Anna.
She shook her head at the thought, not wanting to relive that memory. She and Anna had already made up, there was no point in dwelling on it. She looked for Kristoff, having trouble finding him among so many soldiers. It was by sheer luck that she recognized his shiny breastplate off in the distance. She walked over to him, approaching him and finding him talking with a man with some strange… thing on his face.
"It's an honor to be called upon by you, Sir Kristoff." The man was saying.
Kristoff looked completely uncomfortable receiving such praise.
"There's no need for that. Consider us both soldiers right now." Kristoff said, noticing Elsa out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, Larsa, you're here." He seemed relieved, thankful even to divert the conversation elsewhere.
"Hello, Sir Kristoff." Elsa greeted. Kristoff went to speak, but Elsa suddenly looked to Anna and gave her a nudge. "Go on, Anna." She nudged her head towards Kristoff, eyeing Anna expectantly.
Anna looked to Elsa and then to Kristoff. The dissatisfied look on her face for what she was about to do was near comical.
"Hello, Kristoff." Anna said.
Kristoff's eyes widened. "Did she just-"
"Yes!" Elsa interrupted, looking like a giddy child. "I've been teaching her. She knows how to greet people now." Elsa seemed very excited and even proud of herself.
Kristoff stared for a moment, not knowing what to say. He eventually cleared his throat and gestured towards the man beside him.
"This is Milo Thatch." Kristoff introduced.
Milo was quick to reach out a scrawny arm to shake hands with Elsa. "Wow, so you're the Beast-Tamer." He was amazed. Elsa placed her hand into his, Milo beginning to shake as he continued. "Amazing. How did you find her? Has she always been capable of speech? No, wait, you said you taught her! That's amazing. What method did you use? How did you tame her in the first place? Is she really like a normal person? Does she have the same diet? How fast can she run? How long can she run? Can she-"
"Enough, Milo." Kristoff said. "And give Larsa his hand back."
It was then that Milo realized he had still been shaking Elsa's hand. He quickly let go, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just not everyday I meet someone so famous and for good reason."
Famous? Elsa? The blonde mentally scoffed at the idea.
"I'm just a normal person." Elsa said.
"Really? Because there's a rumor going around that you're some sort of beast as well. They say that's how you tamed her. The idea behind it being that only a beast could tame a beast." Milo said, excited to hear Elsa's side of the story.
Kristoff cleared his throat loudly to gather attention.
"I didn't call you out here to ask Larsa a million questions." Kristoff said.
"Sorry." Milo shrunk away a bit.
Kristoff turned to Elsa now. "You want to fight, right?" Kristoff asked.
Elsa raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you… questioning if I will fight for Arendelle?" Elsa thought it strange to ask considering she had been injured in a fight for Arendelle citizens.
Kristoff shook his head. "I'm not questioning your loyalty. The truth is that you can't fight." Kristoff said, his words stinging Elsa a bit. "However like any soldier, you will learn." He told her.
Elsa blinked at him. "Are you saying you will train me? In your condition?" Elsa was looking at the crutches he was still using.
"I will not personally fight you, no." Kristoff reached over and clapped a hand onto Milo's shoulder. "That is what training partners are for." He said.
Elsa looked to Milo who was smiling, looking like he still had a hundred questions to ask Elsa.
"I see… Um… how are we going to go about this?" Elsa asked.
Kristoff nodded his head between the two.
"You two will spar. I will watch and try to improve both of your swordsmanship." He told her easily.
Kristoff then turned and tried to reach down and pick up one of the wooden swords he had brought with him and laid down on the ground. Tried being the word of the day. Elsa and Milo watched as he attempted to pick up a sword while leaning on his crutch. He found it impossible and decided to ditch the crutch as he bent down again, though the small cry of pain at moving his ribs and leg too much was enough to make him stop. He turned, feeling a bit embarrassed, to find Elsa and Milo pretending that they didn't see what happened.
Anna stared at him, a mocking smile on her face.
He narrowed his eyes at her before standing upright with his crutches.
"Milo and you will fight with wooden swords." He gestured to the swords. Elsa and Milo didn't need to take a hint twice and both went to pick up a sword. "I see you didn't bring your armor." Kristoff noted.
"I didn't realize I would be needing it." Elsa said a bit sheepish.
"I called you out to the training grounds… oh whatever. Milo take off your armor, I want this to be fair." Kristoff told him.
Milo was quick to begin removing his soldier armor. While he was doing that, Elsa decided to try and save some trouble by explaining things to Anna. She walked over to the girl and showed her the wooden sword.
"We're just going to be training, Anna. That means you're not supposed to get upset." Elsa told her, placing the sword in Anna's hands so that she could feel it. "See? it's not even sharp."
Anna fiddled with the sword a bit.
"Okay, I'm ready." Milo called out, his armor laying on the snow covered ground. He was wrapped up tightly in thick clothes, looking very prepared for the winter in comparison to Elsa who only wore two shirts and trousers. She wondered briefly just how cold it really was outside right now.
"Okay, Anna. No getting upset, okay?" Elsa said, taking the sword back from Anna and approaching her opponent.
"You will both be evenly matched. Milo isn't exactly the most trained soldier." He said to Elsa. "Larsa is new to the army as well." He told Milo. "You will begin when I say so. You will stop when I decide someone has struck a fatal blow. Try not to kill one another, remember its just practice." Kristoff said, though he was eyeing Anna.
At the sound of Kristoff's shout of 'Begin', both soldiers went at one another. Kristoff, while mostly watching the fight, kept an eye on Anna. To his surprise, Anna stayed where she was, watching the battle with interest instead of running to try and save Elsa.
What Kristoff couldn't have known was that Anna did understand that this was practice. Anna was aware of the difference between duels of practice and duels of death. Her first clue lied in how harmless this Milo person seemed. He seemed excited to meet Elsa, excited to talk with her, and Anna could feel no malice coming from him. It helped that Elsa also showed Anna the blade. She felt at it, realized it was dull and wooden and would not be harming anyone in a major way. She also realized that Kristoff was a sort of referee, something she had seen in her own village. Anna was a part of her villages scouts, and one did not become a scout without practice in combat.
She would not run to save Elsa because she understood that Elsa did not need saving right now.
"Stop!" Kristoff called out after Milo landed a hit to Elsa's sword arm. "That would have been your arm, Larsa." He told her. Kristoff gave instructions to both on how to better improve their combat. He told Elsa of the fact that she had no proper stance and that her swings were wild and unplanned. Milo received much of the same lecture, though he saw fit to tell him not to hit so hard as well. "Begin again."
The sounds of wooden swords clashing filled the area, though it was mostly drowned out by the real training going on around them. In truth, both Milo and Elsa were incredibly inexperienced, which made them a perfect match for one another so long as Kristoff offered instruction. Kristoff wondered briefly what the army was coming to when two scrawny young men were dueling one another with wooden swords. The training went on for some time, both soldiers giving it their all for nearly an hour before Kristoff decided they deserved a break.
"Okay, enough. Take a small break." He said, disappointed with how quickly both Elsa and Milo ran out of stamina, The two looked ready to keel over.
"Wow, you're good. But I guess you have to be to tame a mythical beast." He said, referring to Anna of course.
"Her name is Anna, not beast." Elsa corrected.
"Oh, sorry." He quickly apologized, not wanting to offend someone he seemed to look up to, or at the very least be amazed by.
"It's alright." Elsa paused for a moment to catch her breath, a question itching its way up her throat. "I'm curious." She began. "What is that on your face?" She asked.
Milo laughed, reaching up and touching the two circles attached to what looked like wire on his face.
"I call them glasses. I invented them. They help those with bad vision to see… well right now they only help me." He said, feeling proud of his invention.
"Really?" Elsa asked.
"Yes. Those with bad eye sight do not need to continue seeing the world as a blur. It takes time, but I'm sure I could fit one onto anyone." He said.
Elsa seemed amazed. "Why become a soldier then? Surely you could make a living selling such things."
Milo blushed for some reason. "I uh… have my own reasons for joining." He said.
Elsa tilted her head curiously. "Reasons you can't share?"
"It's not that I can't… more like its embarrassing. You see there's this girl…" He said, stopping for a moment before gathering the rest of his courage to speak. "She's… amazing. But I know there is no way in a million years that she'd ever notice a guy like me. I'm weak, scrawny, more brain than anything." He flexed a scrawny arm to show his proof. "So, I joined the military. I'm hoping to bulk up, learn to fight and impress her with masculinity." He confessed.
Elsa giggled at that.
"My mother taught me that the best partner is the one you don't have to change for. They will accept you for who you are." Elsa said.
Milo opened his mouth, but quickly shut it as her words sunk in. "That's… that's not bad advice actually." He realized. "But I really want her to like me." He said.
Elsa nodded. "What's her name?" She asked.
"It's beautiful. Her name is Kida." He said.
"Kida, huh?"
That was not Elsa.
Both of the inexperienced soldiers turned to find a blonde woman standing there. She looked mature, older than the both of them. There was a beauty mark beneath her left eye. Her blonde hair tied into a single braid behind her. Elsa noticed she was in a maid outfit.
"O-oh! Helga, hello." Milo said nervously.
"Talking about a beautiful girl named Kida, how sweet." She drawled, looking like another word might make her vomit.
"I never said she was beautiful, just her name… though she is beautiful." Milo said, looking completely love struck.
"Right…" Helga said. "Dr. Sweet is looking for you. He says you missed an appointment. Something about stomach problems?" She looked to him, seeming completely bored, if not angry to be in his presence.
"Oh, of course. um-"
Helga interrupted him. "He went on and on about how you've been farting a lot recently. Something about soft stools and-"
"Hey, look at the time, I have to go!" Milo said.
Despite Kristoff's attempts to stop him, Milo ran off, not hearing a word of it, the poor boy embarrassed beyond belief. Helga smirked, satisfied with her work as she too went to leave. As she did however, she finally caught sight of Anna who had been standing off to the side. The Half-beast girl stared at her, watching her every move. Anna sensed something about her, something that was off in the way she moved. As for Helga, she merely stared back before muttering a quick 'ugh' and leaving.
Kristoff sighed as he realized that the training was now over.
"Well… I guess that's done for now. You're free to go, Larsa." Kristoff said.
"Thank you, for everything Sir Kristoff." Elsa said appreciatively, glad to have had a chance to actually train her swordsmanship.
Kristoff waved her off. "Wear your armor next time, and always carry your sword." He told her. Elsa gave him a nod. "Well, don't let me hold you up. You can go back to whatever you were doing." Kristoff said, adjusting his crutches as he went to leave.
"Goodbye, Sir Kristoff." Elsa called out to him.
He waved over his shoulder.
Elsa walked over to Anna, still excited after her hour of training. "Did you see me, Anna? I'm getting better. Soon I will be protecting you." She said jokingly, but it was a serious goal for her future.
Anna merely made a gruff noise in her throat, but she did smile at Elsa, happy to see her so excited.
Elsa really felt she could do this now. Kristoff had found her a perfect partner. She didn't think there was anyone in the army that was near her horrible level of fighting. Milo however was just as bad as her, maybe even worse. She pretending like she wasn't doing it, but she was counting the victories. She had beaten Milo by three wins. She felt triumphant, like she could really improve and be as good as a knight in combat. She could do this. Soon, she could protect Anna, protect citizens, and most importantly not need to be saved.
She would not be a coward, but rather a soldier.