A/N: I know, this is also a pretty boring chapter, but at least it's longer, right? ;-) The next chapter will be a lot more interesting. :D
I would really appreciate a few reviews if you have the time. :-) I am trying to make sure I write Anna and Elsa as they would be at 11 and 14, respectively. I always felt that Elsa got more withdrawn into herself as time went on, so I think perhaps at this age she might open the door if no one was around. Especially if she had a special, important reason. (Which I'll be getting to in the next chapter...;-) ) I would like to know your opinions on this, and suggestions are more than welcome. :D Ok, enough with my blathering. Enjoy the chapter! :-)
The next day, right after breakfast-time, Anna knocked on Elsa's door as she always did.
"Elsa, will you maybe open the door today? Please? I'd ask you if you wanted to build a snowman, but you haven't in 6 years...so yeah.". Elsa cringed on the other side of the door. She would have loved to build a snowman with Anna, even a 'normal' one not made by her powers, but she knew she couldn't open the door. She had to rely on her head, not her heart. It was too risky, and she might hurt Anna. Anna, oblivious to Elsa's tumultuous thoughts, continued to talk. "Would you rather take a walk, Elsa? We can do that. Or maybe even slide around in the ballroom? It's one hundred percent safe, I've never slid into the wall and fallen over...except, well, maybe 10 or 15 times.". Elsa had to smile at that.
'It sounds like she still likes to have fun without thinking too much about it first. It would be fun to go sliding in the ballroom. Except...". Elsa's thoughts flashed back to the horrible night when she had hit Anna with her powers. Anna had been having fun without a care that night too; at least until she started jumping too fast and Elsa couldn't keep up. Elsa's somewhat cheerful thoughts instantly turned despondent and sad.
"Oh Anna, please go away." she whispered, thinking she hadn't said it out loud. But Anna heard her loud and clear on the other side of the door, especially since she had her ear pressed to the crack underneath the doorframe.
"Um, Elsa, did you talk to me?" Anna asked tentatively. Elsa jummped up with a start in her room.
'Oh, I did NOT just do that!' Elsa thought. 'Tell me I didn't just do that!'. But Anna was putting her eye to the crack under the door, trying to see Elsa.
"Elsa?" Anna asked forlornly. "You did say something, didn't you? Please say something to me...I'm getting some sort of inferiority complex out here", Anna added with a goofy giggle. But there were tears covered up by the giggle as well, and Elsa heard them. Despite that, Elsa kept her mouth firmly shut inside her room. "Ok, Elsa, I get it. You don't want to say anything else. I'll leave you alone; I've got to go work on my schoolwork. Science...blech! Bye, Elsa!". The eldest princess let her head drop against her bedroom floor and proceeded to think about her parents.
'Great. Now not only am I stuck in here for going on 6 years, but Anna is feeling super bad out there. I mean, I know she's always felt sad and offended when I shut her out, but today hit an all time high. She was actually CRYING outside my door!' Elsa thought to herself. She was very irritated at this point, for even though she was still very frightened to use her powers, she was angry with her parents for upsetting not only herself but Anna.
'I know that they mean well,' Elsa continued thinking, 'but, well, this isn't exactly working well at all!' She let out a very small smile at her amusing use of copies of the same word.
Once Elsa was sure she'd heard Anna's footsteps fade down the hallway, and a very distinct thump as Anna landed at the bottom of the stairs, she carefully unlocked her bedroom door and peeked her head outside. She looked up the hallway...down the hallway. Then she stuck one foot out of the door. She stuck the other one out, then her whole body. Still there was no evidence of anyone being in the area.
"Wow." Elsa whispered to herself. "This is the first time I've been out of that room on my own in so long!". Pausing to enjoy that thought for a moment, Elsa stood still, and then continued down the hallway towards the staircase. There was one place that she wanted to go, and she wasn't about to be stopped.