Usual disclaimer. Am I a day late? Yes. Is it unfortunate? Of course. Could I help it? No. I had my cousin's wedding this weekend and a shit ton of homework, along with temporary writer's block. It was not a good mix. I would rather be day late and feel like I have given you the best possible content I can as opposed to popping it out always on time and having some chapters shitty. That said, thanks for bearing with me. I hope it was worth the wait!
It was nothing like what Anna had expected; or maybe, it was everything that she had.
In the moments that Anna was frozen with shock from Elsa pressing her beautiful, beautiful lips against her own, she memorized the feeling of Elsa's mouth against hers. How the contour of her lips fit perfectly against her own, how the blonde's lips were cool, but not nearly as cold as Ice; they were the kind of cold that's like walking into an air conditioned room on a hot day after having braved the desert; they were the kind of cold that feels like a clothed ice pack on a bruise; they were the kind of cold that reminded Anna of the feeling of gently falling snowflakes against her skin, kind and soft and gentle and wonderful. Elsa's lips were the kind of cold that made you thankful for the heat so that you can feel the cold.
And when it registered to Anna that Elsa was kissing her, the feeling that erupted in her chest was like an explosion, a firework of emotions that both captured her chest and spread throughout her body, the sparks igniting and firing every neuron and synapse in Anna's brain that she had to offer, and she promptly reacted.
Even though her mind told Anna to pull Elsa to her roughly and kiss her senseless, she knew this was not the time nor place to do so. So she responded with her heart, and began to kiss Elsa back – softly, gently, like the small winter sun melting snowflakes slowly on the sidewalk in January. She raised her hands, shaking from adrenaline and euphoria, and rested them like feathers over Elsa's own chilled hands, eventually sliding her left hand down the blonde's arm and around her waist. Elsa's breath frosted over her lips as she took a breath, resting her forehead against Anna's.
They stayed like that for a few moments, hot pressing against cold in peaceful quiet; the quick, shuddering breaths being drawn telling the other that they were both nervous and excited and scared and unafraid and free. The issue of Elsa's father had not disappeared, not in the slightest; but now the burden of the inevitable could be shared, could be dealt with. Now Elsa didn't have to sob to herself at night, crying tears that stained her pillowcase and left invisible scars on her face because of a fate that is impossible for one person to bear alone; now, she had someone she could talk to, someone that she could tell that she was scared and that she didn't want to face this alone. That she didn't want to be alone.
And now, she never would be.
The mere thought made her crash her lips against Anna's. There was more of an urgency to this kiss, more of an exploratory feeling. Anna was radiating warmth against Elsa, and it drove her wild. She settled herself in the redhead's lap, wanting to be as close to her as possible. She released the many emotions she had felt toward the redhead at that time – lust, happiness, relief, desire, gratitude. Elsa lightly bit on Anna's lower lip and Anna released a shaky breath, eyes fluttering closed at the sensation. Before Elsa could reattack her lips, however, she moved her head back slightly, reopening her eyes and locking eyes with Elsa.
The blonde's pupils were dilated, nearly black blown, only a tiny sliver of sky blue left.
Sky blue. They're back to their normal color.
Anna took Elsa's hand from her cheek and intertwined their fingers, peppering kisses all over the back of Elsa's hand and her fingers and knuckles. She removed her arm from around Elsa's waist and moved it toward her mid back, pulling the blonde closer to her and resting her chin on her shoulder.
"From hereon out, Elsa," Anna said, "I will always be here for you." Elsa pulled back and looked at her with the faintest hint of a smile.
"Always?" she asked. Anna felt tears come to her eyes as Elsa quoted what her parents said to each other on their first date. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nodded.
"Always." She pecked Elsa on the lips again, and again, and again, now starting to smile more and laughing at a raspberry like noise that accidentally came between their lips when Anna put a little too much air pressure behind a kiss. When she began to sweat a little bit, she pulled back and they both looked up; like how it was when Anna had hugged Olaf, there was steam steadily rising between the pair of women. The both tilted their heads back and released a peal of laughter at the occurrence.
This was a much different sensation than anything that Anna had ever experienced; she had kissed others before, so it wasn't the actual act that had taken her by surprise. It was the sheer power behind every emotion that she felt pass between their breaths and words and lips. She had a few people in her past that she had experimented with, and some that she had even really liked; but none of them could hold a candle to this indescribable feeling that Anna felt for Elsa.
They just sat there for a few moments, basking in the other's presence and the knowledge that they had each other now. Elsa pressed her right hand to her heart, and the snowflake insignia glowed bright between them. Elsa smiled, leaning in to place a kiss on Anna's forehead.
"Thank you, Anna," she said. Anna cupped her cheeks gently and made their eyes meet, giving her a warm smile and bringing Elsa's hand over her heart.
"Never thank someone for something that was always yours."
When Olaf caught wind of their kiss, he (for lack of better term,) freaked the fuck out.
"I kneeeew that you liked her, Elsa!"
"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"
"You kept telling me that I was being silly, but I knew that I was right!"
"Alright, Olaf! I get that you knew it," Elsa yelled, eye twitching. Anna watched bemusedly from the couch, an entertained expression dancing across her face. She chuckled quietly, watching the creator and the creation banter with one another about the fact the Elsa had, indeed, liked Anna this whole time.
"Yeah, but you always told me to be quiet about it! What's the jig with that, Elsa?" he asked. The blonde's face grew more and more red with every passing moment.
"I mean, whenever she wasn't around, you talked about her, like that one time she caught you before you went out the door and you guys landed on a tuft of snow? You wouldn't stop talking about that for weeks! Or when you found out that you were going to be her mentor? By Vita, that was an exciting time for you," he said. At this point, Elsa was comparable to a tomato. Her exposed fawning over her pupil was something that she didn't ever want to be discussed.
Though, she thought, telling Olaf wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had…
"Olaf, shut. Up." She said, voice low and dangerous. He took no notice, the obliviousness that he always had making him closer and closer to the edge of Elsa's temper. There was a loud snort from the couch, and Elsa looked over at the current occupant.
Anna's lips were pressed into a line that said that she was clearly fighting a smile, since the apples of her cheeks were almost up, along with the corners of her mouth, and making her eyes scrunch. When her eyes met Elsa's she looked like a young child that had been caught stealing the cookies from the jar. Elsa extended her left palm and wiggled her fingers, a ball of Snow and slush forming quickly. Anna's eyes widened comically, her jaw dropping open and the her hands coming up to protect her from the onslaught that was about to happen.
"C'mon now, Elsa, no need for that…," she began, only to be cut off by the flinging of the ball in her face. She flew backwards a few inches, legs pointing skyward as she let off a great "oof!" Elsa released a peal of laughter at the new position she found her pupil in.
"Aw, Elsa; you can really see how much you like her– Ouch!" Olaf was soon discombobulated by the Ice ball that was hurled at his midsection, his head falling onto the bottom partial of his body.
"Guys, I think you got a little taller," Olaf said matter-of-factly, "I didn't think growth spurts happened that quickly in humans." Anna sat up and wiped the slush from her face, her sweatshirt now soaked with melted snow; Janders decided to help with the process, licking the droplets from Anna's arms and hands. Noticing what happened with Olaf, Anna rolled her eyes at Elsa and got up to help the poor snowman.
"They don't, Olaf. Here, let me help you out." She retrieved his midsection and repositioned his head atop his now-full body. He giggled that cute little giggle he always did, taking note that the two people before him were now back to their normal sizes.
"There we go," he chortled. Anna moved back over to Elsa, a hand on her hip and face determined.
"Take it away, or else I tackle you." Elsa's face donned a smirk.
"You act as if I would be opposed to that, Anna." The redhead's face turned as strawberry as her hair. She mumbled something under her breath, huffing and jutting her lip out in an adorable pout. Elsa eventually conceded with a laugh and poofed the water in Anna's clothing away, pouring herself a glass of water.
"So, are you guys girlfriends now?" Olaf asked. Elsa choked on her drink, almost sputtering the contents in the air. As soon as she recovered, Anna spoke in her absence of speech.
"Actually, Olaf, we hadn't discussed that much yet, but I'm sure that –"
"Yes, Olaf. We are. Girlfriends, I mean. Anna and I like each other very much, so I think that it's high time that we be in a relationship," Elsa said. Anna looked over at her, jaw slack and eyes wide. Elsa smiled uncertainly at the younger girl, looking for confirmation in her gaze. Anna nodded quickly, the slack in her jaw quickly transforming into a smile, one that could have lit up the entire world had she tried hard enough.
"Yeah, Olaf. We are girlfriends." Anna moved closer to her and wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
She noted to herself how nice it felt to finally be able to call Elsa hers and call herself Elsa's. Anna and Elsa, Elsa and Anna. Neither of them would have it any other way.
"I wish I had a girlfriend," said Olaf, but not sadly; he saw how happy his creator and her significant other were with each other, and wanted to be happy like that. Anna looked at him kindly.
"Don't worry, Olaf. As soon as I figure out how to, I'll make Ingrid come to life and you two will be boyfriend and girlfriend. No doubt about it," Anna said, smiling. Elsa admired how happy Anna seemed to perpetually be, and realized that it was now a possibility for herself as well now that she was with Anna. Olaf ran up and hugged both Anna and Elsa around the legs, snapping the blonde out of her thoughts. She reached down and patted his head.
"Look at us; you guys are like the moms I never had! We're like a great big family, huh?" Little did the snowman now that both of the women before him had tears well behind their eyes, the mention of having their own, small family causing the pair of them to choke up; the prospect of having something they never truly had made them emotional.
"Indeed we are, buddy," croaked out Anna, pulling both Elsa and Olaf closer to her.
"Indeed we are."
The twelfth strike hit, the chime reverberating throughout the hall and the land close to the Temple. The normally sunny island had a grey sky overcast, the rain threatening to pour down at any given moment. Servants lined the perimeter of the Atrium, the Magi seated at their respective thrones and the Heads of Houses sitting below them. In chains before them kneeled seven people, each of whom had various lacerations and bruises across their bodies. Warriors stood on either side of each of them, ready to take them down if need be.
By the door Oran stood, the body that was not his facing the scene before him and standing beside Jipalo, who currently had donned a forlorn expression on his face. It should not have come to possible death, he said, if only they had given the information over willingly, then their chances of survival would be much stronger.
Gita Ratulemen stood, as did everyone in the room. She looked around, eyes scanning the room to see if there was anything odd afoot before starting. Her eyes found Noa, the cook that had faithfully served her for his entirety of nineteen years. He stared back, face grim at the scene before him, and rightly so. She carried on, doing a final check, before she gave the okay.
"Nos incipere." Everyone proceeded to sit down at the same time as she did, the seats shuffling as the jury got comfortable.
"Today, we are gathered to decide the fate of these seven people before us, who go by the names of Ota, Inys, Cein, Ungus, Pearce, Lun, and Corisa. We have found out recently from them, that they are of the X-Rebels, the group that frequently attacks the Elementals, and that they have a different name: the King's Ranks. Unfortunately, we were not able gain any other sensitive information. We were, in addition, able to find out small personal details, such as what Element each person possesses. Ota, Water; Inys, Water; Cein, Earth; Ungus, Fire; Pearce, Lun, and Corisa, Air.
It is my hope that we judge fairly today. I am sure no one here wants to see a person die today, let alone seven. Today, we shall start with Cein.
You are here today under the accusation that you have attempted an attack on Lord Michael Luch as of five days ago. The evidence found outside of Lord Luch's house – for example: traps, snares, nooses, triggered knives – and the location of which each of you were found points to the belief that you and your crew had planned to attack Lord Luch. That said, on the charge of attempted murder of a Magi, do you plead guilty or not guilty?" Gita said. Cein bowed his head.
"Guilty," the light haired man said, "and I speak for all of us when I say that, Lady Ratulemen." Each of the seven people nodded in agreement. The Lady Ultimum Maleficus looked around at her fellow Magi, then nodded.
"My fellow Lords and Ladies, before you are three tokens; one is a rectangle, one is a circle, and one is a triangle. Should you choose the rectangle, you vote for death for each of the prisoners. Should you choose the circle, you choose for them to have their Magic to be taken away and for their lives to be dedicated to the service of the Temple. Should you choose the triangle, you vote for them to be locked away in the dungeons for the remainder of their existence. Do remember that they plead guilty as you vote for their fates," she said.
One by one, the Magi had walked up and placed their tokens on the selected pike. Oran watched with disinterest, lingering instead on something that the bitch leader had said:
Should you choose the circle, you choose for them to have their Magic taken away.
While Oran knew that it was possible to suppress one's Magic, as shown with the cuffs that drained the Energy from those who bore it, but he didn't know this was possible. To have someone's Magic away? It just didn't seem to make sense.
"Jipalo," he whispered sideways. The portly man turned his head toward him slightly, not taking his eyes off of the scene.
"Yes?"
"How do they take away their Magic? That seems near impossible." Jipalo spared him a sideways glance before his eyes returned to the sight before him.
"I'm… not exactly sure, as it happens so seldom, but I'm fairly certain that they remove the Energy from the base of the Element." He grimaced. "I'd rather die than not have Earth within me." Oran nodded, feigning agreement.
When all the tokens were counted up, there was a lead in the circles. Oran watched with curiosity as the verdict was announced.
"So it is decided. Ota, Inys, Cein, Ungus, Pearce, Lun, and Corisa; you have committed crimes against the Order of the Elementals, as an attempt on any one of the Magi is a direct attack against our entire organization. You have been condemned to the removal of all Magicks from your body, and to live your lives as servants here," Gita said. She turned to one of the guards.
"Release them, Mando. I will take it from here." The said man released their chains, Gita coming up and forcing the seven of them into an uncomfortable position, their heads pointing skyward and their chest much the same. Starting with Cein, she pressed a thumb to the area between his eyes and over his heart, before her eyes began to glow yellow. Cein's face grew fearful, before a light exploded from his mouth and eyes. It shot skyward, and lasted for about thirty seconds. When the light diminished, he went limp, legs and arms falling hard to the floor.
Gita repeated this same process with the other prisoners, each of them slumped to the floor afterwards. Oran was amazed; if he had understood correctly, Gita had literally forced the Magic out of their bodies. This was something that he had never seen before.
He smiled internally, a deep pride filling his senses.
Something that we can use against them.
A/N: So, yeah. That happened. I took inspiration from the Lion Turtle scene in Avatar: The Last Airbender with the whole 'taking away the Magic' thing. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!
And now, for the reviews! (Thanks to everyone that favorited, reviewed, followed and PM'd this week. Y'all kick ass!)
Strasza: Ok, so right off the bat, I have three things to say. 1) this was an emotional rollercoaster, but I loved it. 2) this story has always been awesome, at least in my opinion. 3) its about time Elsa learns to trust someone else with her insecurities instead of bottling it up inside, having it become toxic. Until next, same bat time, same bat place. (Is that enough references to these reviews?)
Burns: 1. Thanks! It was for me writing it too. 2. Even so, I feel as if the first two chapters are nothing in comparison to what I'm capable of now. 3. I KNOW. I had been deliberating for a while how to finally get her to open up to Anna, and I felt like the diagnosis of her father would be enough to trigger her to do so. (Yes, that is enough indeed! Thanks for taking the time to read them (: )
PenguinVuelve: OOOH THE KISSSSS! :DDDD. I wonder what reaction Anna had when Elsa kissed her. Also it would be cute to see Elsa flustered with Anna and her Anna-ness :p. Soon
Burns: I hope I have done you justice, Penguin :)
MidnightNightm3r3: This was my favourite chapter to read... and aaaargggg you stopped at the best part! Hope the chapter continues directly from the kiss. | P.S. I think our awesome reviews deserve a double update ;P | P.P.S I can't wait for the next chapter!
Burns: Ayyye! I hope you enjoyed where I picked up from ;) | heh... :/ | I'm sorry I made you wait so long! T_T
Alright guys, that's all for this week. See you all next time! ~ Burns