Sorry! It took longer than I'd expected to get this chapter finished. I'm trying to maintain a 1-2 times a week update, but work gets in the way. Still, better late than never, right? RIGHT?
Well, regardless, enjoy my lovelies! MAIB has reached over 200 followers and I'm truly touched! I hope my pacing isn't too slow, I'm just trying to build the relationship at a reasonable pace. I swear things are to come, good things, good wonderful things that you deserve!
Well, enjoy!
Mending An Icy Break
- Chapter 6 -
It took Elsa's mind longer than she'd care to admit to process what was happening.
She was so taken aback by the suddenness of the kiss that she barely had time to register it before her body began the arduous process of reacting to the physical contact with another living being. Years of isolation had taken its toll on the Queen's body; she was hypersensitive to touch, any sort of touch, and she bruised easily.
The lightest of hands on the shoulder, or the most tentative entwining of fingers, still left the blonde shaken. It felt so new, so foreign, and her body often quivered from the simplest of touches. Thankfully, being Queen of Arendelle, it was considered improper for most to touch her. And even then, the countless dukes and princes that lined up to meet Elsa learned quickly that gestures of kisses to the knuckles were to be replaced by courteous bows at a safe distance.
The only person that seemed to be permitted to touch the Queen was Arendelle's Princess. Anna was quite literally the only person Elsa let in, and certainly the only one she allowed to touch her. Anna was mindful, extremely gentle–usually–and any time she touched Elsa it was charily.
Now, mind you, this was a bit overwhelming.
Anna was invading Elsa's senses rapidly. Not only was the kiss sudden, and somewhat unexpected, but the Queen had not yet recovered from the general closeness of her sister's body to her own before it occurred. Elsa's body attempted to acclimate itself to Anna as he mind was being bombarded with a plethora of sensations. The warmth of Anna's lips, their softness, fullness, and firm presence on her own made the blonde whimper – it was so soft a sound that it faded before it escaped the Queen, going unheard.
Elsa could clearly smell the vaguest lingering scent of her younger sister's perfume – something akin to lilacs, she mused – which mixed surprisingly well with the chocolate that was still on the redhead's breath. The two fragrances melded together into a summery-sweat sort of scent that Elsa dubbed to be Anna's unique brand of aroma.
"Mmm," A soft pleasured sound managed to escape the monarch as the kiss deepened steadily, their lips meshing together clumsily. Anna's brow furrowed and her nose scrunched as she turned her head slightly and pressed her lips more firmly to Elsa's. She breathed through her nose in hopes that she'd be able to prolong the kiss.
Elsa, meanwhile, was still being overtaken by the undeniable presence of Anna's lips against her own. Her senses were heightened by the closeness and not only had her sister garnered the complete focus of her sense of touch and smell, but the Queen's other sense as well. She could hear the soft mewls and breathing of her sister, which made her all too aware of a growing sensation between her legs. The Queen writhed a bit, twisting so as to squeeze her thighs together, attempting to squash the pestering feeling at her core.
It, too, was foreign to her.
Even with her sister's twisting movements, Anna was not deterred. She shifted, moving closer to, and pressing her lips fervently to Elsa's. Somewhere in the back of the Queen's skull she entertained the idea that the kiss was going to bruise her lips, but it was quickly dismissed in favour of being so desired by her sister.
The blonde was sure if her eyes hadn't mercifully fluttered closed, she'd be lost in the sight of her sister's face so close to her own; she could envision though, her mind painting a cruel picture before her closed eyes. Anna's own eyes sinfully half lidded, with her teal stare gazing at her through thick black lashes; her cheeks, dusted with freckles over sunkissed flesh, tinted crimson with blush; and her beautiful auburn hair falling partly into her face, giving her a wild an untamed look that was oh so desirable.
A soft mewl from the Queen was silenced against her sister's mouth, just as Anna parted her lips and tentatively probed Elsa's with her tongue. The blonde's eyes shot open and were met with Anna's face. Their kiss was abruptly broken when Elsa snapped her head away, turning and gasping audibly, while gulping in greedy breaths of air.
Anna shifted back slightly, her eyes opening and her lips tingling. Her eyes fell on her sister and her chest tightened painfully.
"E-Elsa, I'm sorry, I didn't–"
"Anna," The Queen began, cutting her sister off, breathing heavily still, "it's alright… I'm not mad." The redhead relaxed a bit and fiddled nervously with a patch of Elsa's dress at her waist, twisting it between her fingers and thumbs. After a few more moment s of needy inhaling, Elsa settled back down and sat quietly, watching Anna's nimble fingers toying with her gown.
"Was it wrong of me to do that?" Anna asked suddenly, her voice small. Elsa shook her head.
"No."
"Was it wrong for me to have liked it?" The Princess lifted her head a bit, her eyes on her sister's shoulder, unable to raise her gaze any higher. Elsa hesitated, and Anna noticed.
"No," The blonde answered finally, "it's not. I…," She trailed off, "I enjoyed it as well." The tiniest of smiles found Anna's lips.
"Is it wrong for me to want to do it again?" The Queen breathed softly, though it shuddered out, while she screwed her eyes closed.
"I…I wouldn't say it's wrong to." Elsa managed, though she cursed herself inwardly for admitting such a thing aloud to her sister.
"I know that we shouldn't kiss like that," The redhead's eyes slid down along Elsa's arm, "but it feels…good or…right? I'm not entirely sure," Her eyes ran back up the length of the blonde's arm to her shoulder, "but, I mean, it can't be all that bad if we both like it. Right…?"
Elsa knew that Anna was fishing for validation. She knew her sister felt troubled by her feelings, perhaps even a bit scared, and she needed to hear her older sister – her protector, the one she admired most, and aspired to be like – tell her that everything was going to be alright. Then, a sudden realization dawned on the Queen: how many times must her sister have faced struggles like these without anyone to confide in or seek comfort from.
A lump, dry and thick, formed in the Queen's throat and she struggled to swallow around it. Her eyes stung and her lashes glazed with watery beads. Her poor sister needed her now, needed her to hold her and console her, to let her know she wasn't facing these confusing feelings alone.
She needed to be there for her, and not be the stoic and distance Ice Queen for once.
"Anna…" Elsa spoke suddenly, her voice barely a whisper. The redhead sat up attentively, her wide innocent eyes falling on her sister's face for the first time in minutes, taking in the way it contorted with a mixture of guilt and sympathy. "No matter what happens, between the two of us," The blonde's hand found her sister's and she took hold of it, giving it a gentle squeeze, "we'll face it together. I know it's scary to feel this, but you're not alone. You're not wrong, and I'm right here, I promise I'll never treat you strangely for any feelings you have. I'm going to always be here for you if you need me."
Anna sat in stunned silence for a moment, processing the whole of her sister's sudden declaration, and felt her body quiver. She wasn't sure when she'd started crying, but silent tears were pouring freely down her cheeks and she could only sob through a watery smile; a very appreciative one.
"E-Elsa," She hiccupped, throwing her arms around the Queen's shoulders and burying her face into the blonde's neck. Elsa froze at first, quickly adjusting to the embrace, and immediately returning it with tentative arms winding around her baby sister.
"Anna, shh," Elsa soothed sweetly, rubbing small circles into Anna's back, holding the younger girl while she cried, "it's alright, I promise, you're here with me no matter what." It took several minutes before the Princess had calmed enough and her sobbing had subsided. The two sat in silence for a long while, held together in their warm embrace, cuddling together on the old chesterfield. Elsa knew to be patient, hold still and give her sister all the time she needed. As much as the embrace was starting to get heavy and warm, she held strong, never once even so much as loosening her grip around the younger girl. No matter how much her leg ached pressed into the wooden edge of the couch, or how her arm had long since fallen asleep, sandwiched between their two bodies.
"Thank you," Anna murmured, her lips pressed into the collar of Elsa's dress, and her voice muffled against the fabric, "I know that sometimes I'm troublesome." Elsa smiled a bit and slid her hand up, stroking the hair on the back of Anna's head.
"You aren't–"
"Don't lie," Anna interrupted, smiling a bit, "it's very unbefitting for a queen to lie." Elsa couldn't help the small chuckle that bounced Anna lightly against her chest, which the redhead was pillowing her body against.
"Alright, maybe, sometimes," She admitted softly, resting her chin against Anna's forehead.
"Better." Anna nuzzled her sister's throat through her high collar affectionately, while shifting until she could slide her arms around Elsa's waist, hooking her hands around behind the Queen's back. "Well, not better, but more honest–or, well, yeah… yeah–honest is right. It'd be better if I wasn't troublesome, right?" Elsa tried to stifle another fit of giggles, but failed miserably.
"Anna, it's alright," She assured, craning her head to press her lips to the top of her sister's head, kissing the strawberry blonde locks of her hair. "You don't need to be any different from how you are. I love this Anna, the one that's my silly, spontaneous, spunky sister…who rambles and flails her arms while she talks. I think that's my favorite Anna." The redhead found herself blushing again.
"Really?"
"Mhmm."
"Do you think we could sleep here tonight?" Anna's eyes flicked up to Elsa hopefully. The Queen mulled it over and then gave a small nod.
"Alright, we'll sleep here tonight," A warm smile tugged the corner of Elsa's lips, "but I'll need to leave early in the morning. I have another eight o'clock meeting." Anna yawned softly and nestled into a comfortable position above Elsa, her arms still around the older girl.
"Mhmm, 'kay," She replied sleepily, rubbing her cheek against Elsa's collarbone, "just wake me up when you need to get up and I'll get off." Elsa chuckled softly and began raking her fingers through Anna's hair, mindful of her still tied braids.
"I'm sure I'll be able to slide out without waking you." Anna merely scoffed, tightening her grip around Elsa pointedly.
"I doubt that very much." She challenged, closing her eyes and sighing contently.
"We'll see then, hm?" Elsa's fingers combed through Anna's strawberry blonde hair, gently scratching her sister's scalp with her nails. Anna murmured soft contented sounds and practically purred–she never imagined having your hair pet could feel so good.
"Mmkay," The tone in the redhead's voice sounded completely relaxed, "just…can you keep petting my hair? I like it…" Elsa smiled and gave a small nod, which Anna felt without having to see. "Good night Elsa, I love you." The Queen's pale cheeks tinted the slightest pink.
"I love you too." Anna fell asleep shortly, a smile on her lips, while Elsa remained half awake. Her eyes stared across the room at the fireplace, watching the softly glowing embers on the charred logs. Something about the slowly dying fire relaxed the Queen; she watched two small pops, followed by one of the logs falling, and the embers dimming until the room was black. With the fire extinguished Elsa's eyes had nothing to focus on, and they slowly fell closed, as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber with Anna in her arms.
The Princess awoke the next morning bundled up and snuggly tucked in under the massive quilt. She blinked blearily, her eyes adjusting to the light streaming in through the numerous windows of the Queen's private study. Slowly, as consciousness overtook her, Anna yawned and stretched out, shifting to draw her hands up and rub the heels of her palms to her eyes. She felt warm and nestled in under the heavy blanket, and was resisting having to get up. She did, however, fall asleep on top of someone, so it was only right she move off them.
"G'mornin'," She slurred tiredly, her tongue still heavy with drowsiness. "El-sa?" Anna's eyes blinked, her brain finally registering that she was alone, and that her sister had somehow managed to slip away without waking her. Impressive. Gauging how much sunlight was filtering into the room, Anna guessed it was somewhere between nine thirty and ten in the morning. She sat up slowly, shivering a bit as the heat escaped from under the cover and she was exposed to the chilly air of the room. Stiffening a bit, she slipped her legs out and touched her feet to the cold floor, taking her steps towards the door quickly. "Coldcoldcoldcoldcoldcold…" She muttered as she reached the door, grasping the knob and throwing it open.
It wasn't until half an hour later that Anna was dressed – in a fresh gown and stockings – and was wandering the halls. Her routine was normally to start the day with either a breakfast or brunch with the Queen, but seeing that Elsa was still held up in her meeting, it left the Princess' morning rather free. She opted not to eat until Elsa could as well, feeling some strange level of closeness from depriving herself of food when her sister was unable to eat. She couldn't quite explain it, but it was comforting to think they'd both be just as hungry – and, admittedly, more eager – for their next shared meal.
The Princess strode through the halls, arms behind her back, and fingers intertwined. She rocked a bit, her steps seeming more exuberant than normal, or that's at least what the several housemaids she passed thought. Heading nowhere in particular, Anna rounded the far corner of the corridor, and entered the southern wing of the castle. Her eyes were on the windows, watching as the wintery scenery passed by as she walked, smiling for no real reason in particular. She was just happy, in a wonderful mood, thinking about the moment she'd shared with her sister the night before.
"Yes, but Princess Anna…" The redhead perked up at her name and quickly threw her back against the wall. She peered to the side, overhearing a muffled conversation coming from the room next to her. Weighing the pros and cons of eavesdropping, the Princess quickly dismissed her internal dilemma and slinked over to the door to listen in, curious as to what the men on the other side were conversing about. She couldn't quite make the words out clearly, hearing only broken bits, she pressed her ear to the door and listened closely.
"It's only a matter of time," A man's voice came, and Anna couldn't put a face to it.
"Yes, but it's the Queen's duty to decide when and to whom." A second voice argued. Anna's brow furrowed as she tried to focus in on the conversation; something about their whispering voices and secret discussion was unsettling, and a growing worry was beginning to weigh in the pit of her stomach.