Elsa hummed and rubbed the neck of the horse she rode on as they climbed up the mountain. The ride so far was peaceful and she was enjoying it very much. The serene atmosphere and fresh air did a lot to help clear her head, though it would take more than fresh air to free her mind entirely from what was troubling her. For now at least, the scents and sounds of nature was enough to distract her.
Of course, it wasn't meant to last…
Elsa was listening to a bird chirping merrily from the top of a snow-covered tree when it abruptly stopped as if something had disturbed it. She waited for it to resume, and when it didn't she listened closely and became uneasy, sensing that she was no longer alone.
She heard indistinct shouting and a horse neighing in fright, followed by a thump as if something large had dropped clumsily into the snow. "UGH! Not again!" a loud but all too familiar voice screamed.
Anna, of course. Elsa shook her head and sighed. She turned her horse around and directed them to the scene of the commotion. She caught sight of another horse running off opposite them. She dropped her eyes to the lump semi-buried in a deep snow drift. The lump was Anna and she was struggling to get up.
Anna grumbled, cursing the horse as she wiggled in place, trying to free herself from the snow's clutches. Each time she attempted to push herself up her arms would sink uselessly into the snow, and so she was unable to get leverage to lift herself out. Feeling helpless, she glanced up and yelped, not expecting to see the horse looming over her or her sister on top of it. "Elsa! Ha. Fancy meeting you out here!"
"What are you doing?" Elsa climbed down from the horse.
Anna took in her surroundings. "Oh, I'm… just hanging around," she responded light-heartedly. But Elsa was clearly not amused.
Elsa reached out and grasped Anna's wrist. She tugged, helping Anna out of the snowy bed she made for herself and said tersely, "Why are you following me?" She quickly assessed her sister's body visually to make sure she wasn't injured and fought back a chuckle that threatened to escape seeing her sister covered from head to toe in white powder.
"You're mad at me?" Anna asked warily.
Elsa ran a hand through the front of her hair and sighed in exasperation. "No, I'm not mad." But I came up here specifically to be away from you! "You shouldn't be out here. You should be in bed resting. What if you fainted again? You could have been hurt," she said pointedly, gesturing at the hole Anna's body had left in the snow.
Anna held up her hands to calm her sister. "I'm fine! And this was nothing, trust me. I've fallen from worse heights." She dusted the snow off her arms and the front of her body and Elsa hesitantly helped her with her back, where she couldn't reach. "I just came out here to make sure you're alright. You shouldn't be this far out alone. Not that you can't defend yourself or anything but- ow!" she exclaimed when Elsa swiped a bit too hard around the area the scratches the tree had given her were.
Elsa pulled her hands away sharply and snapped accusingly, "You are hurt!"
"No! I'm not! I'm perfectly fine! My back…it was… it's totally unrelated," Anna explained, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. Oh, god, just get it over with. "Elsa, I have to tell you something." She sucked in her breath and gathered the courage she needed to say what she was about to say… and her mind went blank.
"What is it, Anna?"
"Um.. It… er," Anna stammered pathetically.
"Today, Anna…" Elsa pushed, her hands on her hips.
Eventually, actual words came to Anna's head and she let them out before they could disappear on her again. "I know why you came up here. I know what's on your mind." She saw Elsa visibly stiffen and felt the snow beneath them harden suddenly. She tried to take a step towards her sister but her legs were trapped in place and Anna decided it would be best to reconsider talking about that specific subject now when they were in the middle of nowhere. She didn't think anything bad would happen, but she figured it was best to be cautious. "I… I was thinking the same thing you were!" she finished lamely.
"What?" Elsa didn't seem to notice what she'd done to the snow around them and was staring intently at Anna with doe eyes, her breath ceasing.
"The castle of ice!" Anna blurted out. She bent over and tried to wrench her leg free from the snow, but the top layer had turned to solid ice and she would need a pick axe to get out. She continued, "After all this time, is it still there?"
There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch forever until finally Elsa let her breath out in one big gust. She saw Anna straining to free herself and realized with horror what she'd done and quickly thawed the hardened snow.
Anna fell backwards, having yanked particularly hard at the very moment the snow weakened. "Oof!"
Elsa looked in the direction her ice palace would be, wanting to visit it but deciding it was best to return home. With Anna by her side and the two of them alone together, she wasn't risking the chance of having another fantasy that felt too real springing to her head. Or another accidental, actually real incident… She mounted her horse and extended her hand to Anna. "Come on. We're going home."
Scrambling to her feet, Anna asked disappointed, "We're leaving? But don't you want to-"
"It's getting late," Elsa said, cutting her off. "You didn't bring clothes suitable for this weather. And besides, we don't need anyone panicking when your horse returns without you." She questioned how Anna made it out this far to begin with. She had made it perfectly clear…
Anna was adamant. "Please, Elsa! We came all this way, and we're literally almost there! Might as well make the trip worthwhile, right?" She had failed at her initial task but the trip wouldn't be a complete waste. While the ice castle hadn't necessarily been on her mind coming up here, she was intrigued to know how her sister's masterpiece had held up. "And as for the cold… I'm actually hot," she admitted.
Yes, you are, Elsa thought to herself. "You are so stubborn," she said to Anna as a small smile slipped onto her lips and she reluctantly relented. "You win." What Anna said was true, though. They were very close and it would be pointless to have gone this far without at least a quick glance. "Come on, princess."
"Yes!" Anna cried happily. She went to take Elsa's hand but stopped halfway there, getting quite distracted. The sun was directly behind Elsa, creating a radiant backdrop for the majestic queen, and Anna couldn't help but appreciate the rare, breathtaking view. She sighed dreamily. There before her was the most gracious, gorgeous, smartest, kindest, absolutely perfect-
"Anna," Elsa said, as the princess grinned stupidly, ignoring her outstretched hand. She snapped her fingers in front of Anna's face and when that got no response she pursed her lips and whistled sharply.
What an amazing thing she's doing with that lovely mouth, Anna thought as she tilted her head to the side in wonder.
"Earth to Anna!" Elsa called, waving dramatically. When all her attempts to grab Anna's attention failed she resorted to forming a small snowball between her hands with the help of her powers and lobbed it at her sister. That seemed to do the trick.
The snowball exploded against the top of Anna's head and she realized with a start that she had been openly staring at her sister! She blushed and nibbled on her bottom lip, lowering her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Elsa asked, growing very concerned. "Do you feel like you're going to faint again?"
That's certainly a possibility, Anna thought. "No, I'm great! I've never been better! Everything is peachy!" she chirped. She eagerly accepted the proffered hand, leaving no room for arguments, and the queen hauled her up. Anna settled in the space in front of Elsa and her sister's arms encircled her waist to keep her securely in place while her hands held onto the reins. Anna almost jumped out of her skin at the close proximity, from how good it felt. She guessed that Elsa was feeling the same way judging by the barely discernible hitch of her breath when she nestled back against her. And despite the layers of clothing between them, it did little to dampen the fierce pounding of Elsa's heart.
Oh yes, there was definitely something there.
Elsa tried to relax, trying not to let the closeness affect her too much. All she wanted to do was enjoy the moment, knowing it wouldn't last. Act normal, she told herself. It's just Anna. It's just my little sister.
But Elsa couldn't help but think back to their kiss at breakfast, and thinking about it immediately stirred the all too familiar feeling in her abdomen. Afraid of having more unnatural thoughts that seemed so natural to her, she leaned back, putting a few inches between them to give herself some breathing space. She was able to control her breathing and forced her eyes to look anywhere but at the beauty in front of her, which was nearly an impossible task. If her hands weren't so busy guiding the horse with the reins she knew without a doubt they would be on her sister in some way, and likely not in an appropriate one.
How cruel it was that she had come all the way out here to avoid one thing and there it was sitting directly in her lap…
They rode in painful silence. The horse's hooves crunching in the snow with each step it took was the only constant sound.
The tension erected between them was killing Anna and she couldn't bear the silence any longer. She whipped her head around, ready to initiate a conversation, and her twin braids smacked Elsa full on in the face. "Sorry! Sorry!" she apologized hastily. She pulled her braids in front of her to avoid a repeat offense. "I did not mean to assault you with my hair!"
Elsa laughed openly, her breath tickling her sister's ear, warming Anna greatly and causing her to squirm with delight. "It's quite alright."
This time being careful, Anna turned her head to gaze sideways at her sister. "You're the queen," she said brightly, stating the obvious.
"Mm hm," Elsa said distractedly, eyes skimming over Anna's back, wondering what the totally unrelated injury was Anna had mentioned. She couldn't see anything because the dress she wore was covering whatever it was Anna was hiding. But her eyes fell to her neck and the marks she remembered seeing earlier. Now that she was in a calm situation and not panicking over her sister's well-being, she examined them closely. They weren't anything to be alarmed about, she decided. There was no breaking of the skin, just faint indentations that resembled teeth marks.
Teeth marks? That couldn't be right, that couldn't be what she was seeing. If they truly were teeth marks that would mean that someone had left them there. And for someone to leave such intimate marks they'd have to have been uncomfortably close to Anna. Anger welled up inside her along with a twinge of jealousy at the thought of someone touching her sister, nipping at her, claiming her as their own. Snow whipped up and swirled around them wildly as if they suddenly stumbled into a random tornado.
"Whoa!" Anna cried. "Elsa, are you doing that?"
"Sorry." Elsa turned her anger down a notch and the mini snowstorm died. She dismissed the idea of the marks being made by someone's teeth, convinced that Anna was too innocent to partake in such affairs. She decided just to ask about it. "Anna, what is this from?"
"What is what from?" Anna asked.
"This." Elsa brought one hand up and touched the area in question, her cool fingers causing Anna to flinch.
Shit. Anna forgot that her ribbon was gone, the marks no longer hidden. She played with one of her braids, nervously twirling it around her fingers. Should she tell her now? "You..." She dragged out the 'you' and almost left it at that but chickened out and not so subtly changed the subject. She finished with, "…should get out more!" Coward. She laughed sheepishly. "I mean to get more sun. To get a tan. You'd look nice with one! Oh, not that you don't look nice the way you are now!" she said in a rush. "You look great! The paleness suits you! But a tan would make you look more beautiful!" She clamped her mouth shut to stop her babbling, knowing she probably sounded like a complete idiot to Elsa.
"Um… thanks, I guess? But Anna-"
Anna straightened up so fast she almost lost her balance and nearly toppled over the side of the horse. "Look! The ice stairs!" she cried, thankful they'd arrived at their destination before Elsa could probe further. She felt Elsa lean forward, and for a brief moment her breasts were flush against Anna's back, her hot breath at the side of her neck. Anna froze in place, thinking Elsa was initiating something between them and her body instantly readied at the thought, hypersensitive to her sister's touch.
But Elsa extracted herself from her spot behind Anna, swung her legs to the side and hopped off the horse.
Wishful thinking… Anna was surprised at how disappointed she felt at that moment and was pissed at herself for expecting her sister to be so forthcoming, especially regarding a highly sensitive subject that hadn't been approached yet. She suspected Elsa had a thing for her. Her body language certainly hinted at it and Elsa had reciprocated the kiss Anna spontaneously sprung on her at breakfast, there was no mistaking that. But truth be told she had no idea what Elsa was truly thinking or feeling, and it didn't matter how badly Anna wanted her to-
"Anna?"
"Right…" Anna jumped down less gracefully. She grabbed the reins. "I'll tie up the horse. You go ahead," she muttered.
The task should have been a simple one but Anna took her sweet time with it. While she tied the horse to one of the smooth, icy rails at the foot of the steps she thought about how to approach Elsa the right way. To get to the truth. And she was convinced there was no right way. But she wracked her brain relentlessly and a glimpse of an idea took form. What if she wrote Elsa a letter? The more she thought about it, the more brilliant it sounded, and as her brain churned up the blueprints outlining how her plan was to unfold, she watched her sister as she approached the first icy step.
Elsa said nothing as she gazed in awe at the palace before her, which strangely appeared to be in pristine condition. The staircase leading to the front doors, once damaged, was like nothing ever happened. Even the balcony, at least from where she stood, appeared intact. Were her eyes deceiving her? How was it possible? She ascended the stairs, her hand caressing the ice lovingly the entire way up. She reached the double doors with its giant intricate snowflake emblazoned on the front and glanced curiously at the door mat beneath her that had an enormous "Welcome" written on it.
Funny, I don't remember putting THAT there, Elsa thought. In fact, the last thing she would have done when she built the place was put an inviting door mat down. It went against what she had originally wanted, which was to be alone so she wouldn't harm anyone with her ice powers. So who or what put it there? She was both eager and hesitant to proceed further, not knowing what to expect. What if there was something dangerous inside?
She placed her palm against the crack between the doors and they opened automatically, as if waiting for her. She barely stepped inside when a large white hand with icicles for fingers encircled her and lifted her off the ground and Elsa found herself face to face with a giant beast that possessed hollow eyes and wore… wait, was that a tiara on its head? Her tiara?!
The hollow eyes inspected her carefully. Then the creature's mouth widened into a huge grin and it rumbled happily and nuzzled her.
"Hello, there!" Elsa managed a feeble greeting, caught off guard by the unexpected meeting. She'd completely forgotten all about the massive snowman and she felt terrible about that because he seemed really happy to see her. Elsa remembered Anna telling her the snowman's name, or at least what Olaf had called him. Marshmallow, was it? At the time, Elsa couldn't fathom how a menacing snowman, something she herself had created to scare Anna away, could be named after something soft, sweet and fluffy. But looking at him now, she saw he wasn't very menacing at all and was quite cute in a weird way.
"Momma!" Marshmallow bellowed in response, showering her face with icy spittle that ricocheted off her face and plinked against the floor below. Marshmallow let her down gently, still beaming, and opened his arms grandly. "Home!"
"Just visiting," she corrected.
Suddenly the snowman's expression transformed into one of anger and Elsa thought it was because of what she'd said until she noticed he was not actually looking at her but at something behind her. She turned to see what had upset him just as Anna entered the castle, trailing behind after tying the horse securely.
Anna immediately spotted the unmistakable hulking figure and came to a screeching halt, distinctly recalling their last encounter.
"DON'T COME BACK!"
"We won't!"
"Shit," Anna whispered.
Marshmallow was clearly not enthused to see her again. Anna gulped and willed her legs to run but they refused to obey her so she braced herself for the worst, squeezing her eyes shut and holding her breath. The ground shook as the giant snowman lumbered towards her. But instead of being smashed into a pancake like she envisioned, she felt warm arms wrap around her protectively. Daring to peek out from beneath her eyelids, she found Elsa was embracing her tightly and she relaxed against her sister, feeling absolutely safe, knowing no harm would come to her while Elsa was around.
"Marshmallow, no!" Elsa said sternly, shielding Anna from him. If necessary she wouldn't hesitate to melt the snowman into a puddle but she sensed the big guy would listen to her. "Whatever happened in the past is behind us. It's okay now. We're okay," she said soothingly. "Let's all be friends."
Marshmallow towered above them and appeared to mull the news over. He folded his thick arms and his mouth formed into a pout, or what Anna assumed was considered pouting for a snowman of his kind. To her it appeared more like a grimace. "Snowball," he grumbled, pointing accusingly at Anna.
The comment puzzled Elsa. She looked to Anna for explanation, relinquishing her from her grasp.
"I'm not certain but I think he might be referring to when I threw a snowball at him," Anna said, frowning. "It was a heat of the moment thing but it was totally justifiable! I mean, you had kicked us out and instead of walking us out nicely he literally threw us like we were garbage. It was rude, and of course I was angry so… I threw a harmless snowball at him," she explained, defending her action. She wanted to add that it was her most impressive snowball throw ever but doubted either of the two in her presence would care about that small detail and she wasn't one to brag.
The snowman huffed, agitated. Elsa tapped her lip thoughtfully and said, "I think he wants an apology."
Anna sized the snowman up. "What?" she asked flabbergasted. What Elsa was suggesting was ridiculous. "You want me to apologize for throwing a snowball at a snowman?" She placed great emphasis on the word snow before ball and man. "He's made of snow and ice! You can't seriously tell me that a tiny snowball-"
"Anna," Elsa warned.
"He should be the one apologizing!" she declared angrily.
Marshmallow roared at her, expressing his displeasure.
Anna threw up her arms in defeat. "Okay! Fine!" Pointless as it was, she figured it was best to have Marshmallow on her good side. She lifted her chin and met his eyes. "I am very sorry… for throwing a snowball at you. I didn't know it would affect you so badly. Really. I apologize. I hope you can forgive me."
The giant snowman nodded after she finished, showing his acceptance and backed off. His smile returned. "Friends!"
"Yeah, friends," Anna agreed, rolling her eyes. She was afraid Marshmallow was going to snatch her up and hug her to death now that they were 'friends' but thankfully he remained where he was. She stuck her tongue out at Elsa, unhappy that she had forced her to apologize. Anna wasn't mad, just more than slightly annoyed.
Elsa snickered at her sister's expression. She composed herself and for the first time since entering the ice palace, really got a good look at her surroundings. "Wow." She was astounded by what she saw. When she had built the place it had been devoid of any items, totally empty except for the frozen fountain and the grand staircase. But now it was fully furnished with chairs and tables and other knickknacks, and everything was literally made out of ice. "Who did this?" she whispered.
Marshmallow puffed out his chest proudly and thumped his fist against it.
"Huh. Wow. Who'd have thought a big snow monster would become such an excellent interior decorator!" Anna commented.
Elsa continued the tour upstairs. As she suspected while viewing the area from outside, all the damage done during her fight with the Duke's men was repaired, with no sign of a struggle having taken place. The smashed chandelier that she'd barely dodged being crushed by was gone and a new one hung in its place, sparkling brilliantly. This floor, too, was furnished, with a dresser, a vanity table, and a king-sized bed. There was a connecting bathroom with a toilet and tub, as well. Whether they actually were usable, she wasn't sure.
She opened the doors leading out to the balcony and surveyed the beautiful sight of the much smaller surrounding mountains below her. It was so quiet and calm up here and she loved it. If she could she would have stayed longer to admire the view, but looking up at the darkening sky and the dipping sun, she knew they'd have to start heading back home very soon.
While Elsa roamed upstairs, Anna remained on the ground floor, engrossed in the icicle-framed artistic pictures on the wall. They were ice slabs with designs chiseled onto them and they were magnificent! She paid little attention to the ice furniture. As a child she'd built furniture out of snow plenty of times, and while it was in no way comparable to Marshmallow's perfect craftsmanship, when it came down to it there wasn't much to look at. It was just furniture made from ice. The ice pictures on the walls, on the other hand, were unique and much more interesting. She wandered from picture to picture, hands behind back, examining each with amazement. There were pictures of animals and flowers and trees, and they were each so incredibly detailed. She was blown away by the superb quality. "You did these?" she asked the snowman.
He grunted and bobbed his head once. The tiara balanced on his big head, which Anna took notice of for the first time, remained perfectly in place.
Choking back a laugh at the ridiculousness of seeing the monster wearing a crown on his head, she blinked at him in surprise, finding it extremely hard to believe that Marshmallow, with his huge, spiky fingers, could be capable of creating something so delicate and beautiful. But the snowman had no reason to lie so she had no reason to doubt him. "Impressive," she said, envious, wishing she had a skill as awesome.
Anna stopped in her tracks. One picture in particular captured her full attention and took her breath away, and there was no question why that was. This one featured Elsa. Elsa in all her beauty and glory, braid down and swooped to her front, dressed in her famous ice gown with her hands clasped at her waist. A confident smile graced her lips and one eyebrow was cocked, giving her an alluring presence. Somehow, despite the carving being almost entirely white with a faint tint of blue due to being created solely out of ice, it still popped out and looked so life-like.
Anna was so focused on the picture that she was unaware of the table she was hovering over, which just so happened to have a nice glass-like vase complete with glittery flowers, all formed from ice, perched on top. She stood on tip-toe in an effort to get a closer look at the picture and slipped on the ice under her feet. She instinctively reached out for anything in order to stay upright on her two feet and her hands found the edge of the table. With all her weight pushing against it, the table slid smoothly away from her, allowing her to crash to the floor, and bumped against the connecting wall. The vase, unsurprisingly, toppled and broke into small shards that skittered in multiple directions across the floor.
"Shit." Anna checked to see how Marshmallow was taking the breakage. Judging from how actual steam rose from the top of Marshmallow's head and the way he stalked towards her in an unfriendly manner, she guessed he was pretty enraged. "Um… I'm gonna go," Anna said meekly, scampering to her feet. She spun around and came face to face with a spiky wall of ice that suddenly burst from the ground. "Or not."
Elsa came to her rescue just in time. She was descending the stairs when she heard the crash and witnessed the spikes protruding from the ground to block Anna from escaping. Her feet slid across the icy floor and she skillfully inserted herself between the two, raising a hand to hold Marshmallow back from making any more outbursts directed at Anna. "Whoa! Relax, big fella! Don't worry! I'll fix a new one."
With a twist of her hands, in no time she had a replacement vase and a bouquet of crystal-like flowers formed that were just as beautiful as the ones that preceded them. As Marshmallow examined her creations, Elsa pulled Anna close to her side and dragged her to the entrance. "I think it's time we left."
Anna didn't argue. The sooner she was away from Marshmallow, the better. But… she glanced longingly at the picture of her Ice Queen. "You don't suppose he'd let me keep a souvenir, do you?" Elsa shot her a look that basically said she lost her mind. "Okay! Never mind. Let's go!"
What was the point of having a mere picture, no matter how awesome it looked, when she had the real queen? Plus it was made out of ice and would melt upon returning to the Arendelle castle anyway, she reminded herself.
Elsa said goodbye to the snowman and promised him she'd visit again, likely without Anna next time to avoid any further altercations between the two. Marshmallow flexed his fingers in a gesture of goodbye as they hurried away. Once they safely reached their horse at the foot of the stairs they both burst out laughing.
"Anna, you are such a klutz!" Elsa said between her gasps for air. "I can't take you anywhere!"
"I know! I'm sorry! I wish I could be as graceful as you," Anna complained somberly.
"But I love that about you," Elsa said cheerfully, nudging her with her elbow and giving her a playful wink.
Her heart skipped a beat. Anna raised an eyebrow. "Really? You do?"
Elsa smiled charmingly. "Yes. I mean it. I wouldn't want you any other way."
Interpreting her words in another way, Anna smirked and turned her back on Elsa as she swiftly untied the horse and said quietly, "Oh, I wouldn't bet on that…"