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Mending An Icy Break
- Chapter 8 -
The rest of the day went by rather calmly.
Anna left Elsa to her work, and the Queen diligently reviewed and signed off on several land tenure renewals. Seeing as all the lands surrounding the kingdom of Arendelle were property of the Crown, every few years land tenants were required to renew their claims. Thankfully, this year Elsa was able to renew all claims, unlike previous years where payments weren't met and some of Arendelle's landowning wealthy were forced to move off the land.
It was something she had witnessed her father do, always with a heavy heart. Her parents were beloved monarchs for a reason – they were uncharacteristically kind for sovereign rulers. Rejecting a renewal meant evicting a family from land. It also meant a loss of jobs, for the numerous farmhands that worked the land, which caused a sudden surge of unemployment in Arendelle's economy.
It was never the preferred route, but it was law. And law was to be abided by above all else.
Elsa was raised knowing this, was conditioned to uphold it, and knew that her responsibilities were, ultimately, to govern and do what was in the best interest of her kingdom.
Still, between each signed contract, stamped with the Arendelle seal in red wax, Elsa's eyes fell on the drawer where she'd earlier stuffed that bothersome letter into. The Queen would find herself staring blankly at the drawer without even realizing it, then quickly turning her attention back to the task at hand. She would admonish herself for becoming distracted, and would silently return to her work.
Yes, it was important to do what was best for the kingdom, but to what lengths was she willing to uphold that?
Her world had changed so much in the last six months; she had gone from isolation to inclusion in everything. Her coronation was an extremely stressful event, and after the eternal winter and the thaw, Elsa was suddenly the beloved Queen she had never in her wildest dreams thought she would be.
The biggest change in it all wasn't the sudden limelight, or the increased weight of responsibilities on her shoulders, but her reconnecting with Anna; her beloved little sister, who she loved so deeply.
Perhaps more than she should.
She knew even as a child that she would remain in Arendelle and that Anna would marry a Prince from some neighbouring kingdom. During the years of withstanding Anna's pleas and unrelenting knocks at her door, she reminded herself over and over that it was for the best. If she continued to isolate herself that eventually Anna would find a husband to love her deeply and steal her away from this terribly lonely existence.
Elsa could still hear the rapping of Anna's knuckles against her door.
Knock, knock, knock-knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
A real knock at the door startled the Queen and she shot upright.
"Your Majesty?" It was just Gerda; the blonde breathed a sigh of relief. "Dinner will be served in the Dining Hall in fifteen minutes. Will you be joining us this evening?"
Dinner? What time was it?
"Oh, yes, I shall," Elsa's blue eyes flicked across the room to one of the windows; she could see the sun setting over the mountains and she bit her lip. She had certainly lost track of time, which was very unusual for her. Her icy gaze fell down to the desk, seeing that she'd deposited the quill into the inkwell, a reflex she'd developed after the first few times when she'd left the inky quill on the desk and it'd bled through pages and stained the wooden surface.
"Wonderful, then I shall go inform Princess Anna." Gerda curtsied outside the door, even though Elsa could not see it, she then turned and walked down the corridor.
Elsa stood slowly, tidying and organizing her desk quickly, her eyes falling on the drawer again. That letter was going to require an answer soon, she knew that, but for now it could be left alone. A whirlwind of conflicted feelings was swirling around inside her head, and as she'd had so many times before, the Queen suppressed them and strode towards the door.
It didn't take long until she'd walked to the Dining Hall, greeted by the widest smile she'd ever seen on the Princess' face. She swore that if Anna smiled any wider it'd get stuck that way. Still, that happiness was infectious, and Elsa couldn't help the small smile that spread over her own lips.
"Hey Elsa–erm, Queen Elsa," Anna bowed her head respectfully, having stood in front of her seat when Elsa entered the room.
"Hello Princess Anna," Elsa teased, bowing her head ever so slightly as she walked to her seat. A handmaiden pulled her seat out, head down, as Elsa gracefully took her seat and thanked the young woman. Anna stared for a moment and Elsa laughed again. "You may sit, you know." Anna's cheeks lit up with a bright shade of pink, hurriedly dropping into her seat and turning her eyes to her plate.
"S-Sorry, I mean, I know I could sit and–" Elsa lifted her hand dismissively.
"No more saying sorry, alright?" The Queen smiled fondly across the table to her younger sister. "You don't need to keep apologizing to me. You've done nothing wrong, besides be unnecessarily flustered around me." Anna's cheeks burned an even deeper shade of red.
"Sor–ahem, okay. Yeah. I'll work on that. I'm just a little awkward." Elsa smiled warmly and Anna relaxed a bit. She loved when Elsa looked at her like that.
Gerda walked over, a cloth draped over her forearm, as she smiled to both young women. She was so happy seeing the girls getting along once again.
"Shall we begin dinner now, Your Majesties?" Elsa turned her head and gave a small nod.
"Yes, please."
Dinner this evening was much better than the night before. Between mouthfuls of food Anna would regale Elsa with stories from her childhood, which made the Queen laugh several times. The bubbly sweet laughter filtered through the dining hall into the kitchen, which made the several handmaidens and chefs smile. Truly, this was much better than the years of silence and darkness that had taken over the castle.
"More water, Princess Anna?" Håkon asked, holding a water jug above Anna's glass. The redhead smiled to the older man and nodded.
"Please." And he replenished her glass.
"More wine, Your Majesty?" Håkon inquired, having wheeled his tray to Elsa's side of the table, lifting a dark emerald bottle in his hands.
"Yes, thank you," And he refilled the Queen's wineglass. Kai watched from the kitchen doors, a smile on his portly face. He wasn't sure what had transpired between the girls, but this was certainly much better than the previous evening. Even some of the handmaidens that were serving dishes and collecting plates were allowed to laugh at some of the Princess' jokes.
"I hope things stay this way," Gerda walked up to her husband and smiled, "they seem much happier, don't they?" Kai gave a small nod in agreement.
"It certainly seems so."
It was half past eight in the evening when both girls finished their dessert–a plate of diced strawberries and some imported chocolates. Elsa, as always, was first to excuse herself. Anna remained in the Dining Hall for another fifteen minutes, talking to two of the handmaidens as they cleared the table in preparation for being wiped down. It was a habit Anna had developed at a young age; she never hurried out of meals because when the servants came out to clean, it was one of the rare times she had someone to talk to.
And old habits die hard.
Around ten to nine Anna excused herself and made her way towards her bedroom chambers. She took the walk slower than usual, afraid that any extra exertion to her already rapidly beating heart might cause it to burst. She could swear her heartbeat was loud enough to be heard, or at least it was certainly loud enough to create a soft symphony of thuds in her ears.
"Breathe Anna, breathe," She inhaled deeply, held it and then breathed solemnly, "you're just going to your room. For a sleepover, it's harmless." The Princess began ascending the staircase, passing several doors before reaching her own and entering. As soon as she stepped inside she heard the sound of water sloshing. Turning her head she looked across the room to the two doors adjoining her room to her private garderobe and washroom.
'Someone's in my private bathroom,' She thought, her eyes widening, 'your PRIVATE bathroom.' Cautiously, Anna walked towards the door and reflexively went to grasp the handle before stalling. 'Someone's using your private washroom, you can hear water, that means they're…they're–' Anna's cheeks darkened quickly, the blush creeping across her face to her ears. She withdrew her hand, balled it into a fist, and gently knocked at the door.
"Is…someone in there?" Anna could hear water sloshing again, followed by silence and then a soft reply.
"A-Anna? You're earlier than I'd expected," The redhead gasped softly. It was Elsa. "I'm sorry, but you asked for me to join you here this evening, so I drew myself a bath in your room so that I wouldn't be seen walking over here later in the evening by anyone."
"It's okay!" Anna replied quickly, and loudly, with much more volume than she'd intended. "I mean, yeah, that makes sense. And there's nothing wrong with sharing a bath, we did as kids! I mean, we're not, like, sharing a bath, but you're using my tub. So that's kind of like sharing, just not at the same time and–" The redheaded Princess trailed off and tried to steady her breathing, or lack thereof.
Breathe, you need to breathe!
Anna inhaled sharply and exhaled. She was getting flustered again.
"I'm rambling again," She laughed nervously, Elsa could hear it through the door; she could practically hear how heavily her sister was blushing.
"It's alright," The Queen called back, sliding down in the tub, lowering her body deeper into the cold water, "I invaded your space without asking. It's my fault."
"N-No, no!" Anna stammered quickly. "I don't mind!" A small smiled graced Elsa's rosy lips.
"I'll be done in a few more minutes, so you have time to change if you need." Elsa called back.
"Alright," Anna nodded, walking over to her changing screen and stepping behind it. She'd dressed herself this morning, so thankfully she wasn't wearing anything she needed assistance to get out of. Undoing the laces, and sliding off the layers of fabric, Anna reached for a long nightgown she kept hung over a nearby chair at her vanity. She slipped it on over her head and walked to the mirror, taking a seat and undoing her braids. She freed her hair and combed her fingers haphazardly through it. The Princess caught her own eyes in her reflection and took the moment to look herself over. Nervously, she raised a hand and tucked some hair behind her ear. "What's wrong with me?" She asked softly.
"Nothing from what I can tell," Elsa answered her through the door. Anna jumped a bit and blushed again.
How loudly had she said that? Why couldn't she control the volume of her voice around her sister?
Anna could hear Elsa's soft footsteps on the tiled floor of her bathroom and she jumped out of her seat, quickly scurrying to her bed and diving under the covers. She drew the heavy blankets up to her head and covered herself, blushing madly. The sound of her bathroom door opening made her tense, and the sound of Elsa's approaching footsteps practically made her start to sweat.
"Anna?" Elsa's voice was soft, sweet and so gentle. Anna tentatively lifted the covers enough to see her sister–and she immediately felt her face get uncomfortably warm. There the Queen of Arendelle stood, wearing a long blue nightgown, with her blonde hair loose and falling in wavy pale streams over her shoulders, she seemed to practically glow in the moonlight that streamed through Anna's window. Elsa hands came together in front of her, tangling together as she stared nervously down at her younger sister. "Are you…having second thoughts? I can go back to my room." Anna bit her lower lip and shook her head, which looked a lot more like blankets and pillowed shuffling about to the Queen. Elsa couldn't help but smile a bit at that. "Then may I join you? I can't very well sleep standing at your bedside now can I?" Anna immediately raised the covers.
Elsa bit back a gasp at the sight; her baby sister was wearing a nightgown much like her own, only with less lace and in a soft yellow colour. It complimented the loose red hair that fell around Anna's face, framing it so perfectly. Both girls might have noticed the other staring at them if they weren't so absorbed in taking in the sight of the other.
"It's getting kind of cold," Anna smiled shyly, "if you're coming under than you need to do it now or I'm not letting you in." Elsa smirked a bit and slid onto the mattress, squirming her way under the covers, pressing partly against Anna while the redhead lowered the blanket over them.
"Better?" She asked softly. Anna nodded and gingerly pressed her body against Elsa's side, giving her sister ample time to shift away if she was uncomfortable.
"You comfy?" Teal eyes met blue. Elsa smiled and turned to face Anna, rolling onto her side.
"Mhmm. Your bed is very comfy," The Queen's head fell onto the pillows and she stared lovingly into the wide teal eyes that returned her gaze.
"May I…hug you?" Anna felt silly asking, but she didn't want to startle her sister. Elsa smiled shyly and gave a small nod.
"You may." Carefully, Anna moved forward until their torsos were touching, biting her lower lip as their breasts accidentally brushed together. Hoping Elsa hadn't noticed –though, how could she not? They were in nightgowns! – Anna slipped an arm around the Queen's waist and rested her hand on Elsa's back. Both girls were blushing profusely, and their eyes were locked, neither able to look away.
Anna felt her heart beating rapidly against her ribcage, threatening to burst free at any moment, while her fingers twitched lightly against Elsa's back. The Queen's own heart was racing, and the longer she stared at her sister, the more she felt herself getting lost in that ocean of aquamarine. Neither knew what to say, or what to do, or what they wanted. But something about this position, this closeness, felt right.
"I love you," Anna blurted out suddenly, not entirely sure where that came from. Elsa smiled sweetly and leaned forward, kissing the tip of Anna's nose.
"I love you too, Anna." She answered in earnest. Anna's face grew even hotter, the blush creeping down her neck and from ear to ear. She could barely handle this overwhelming feeling, it felt like she was going to burst. Elsa, all the while, continued to smile sweetly at her baby sister.
She's so cute, the blonde thought, while she leaned in closer, and closer, and closer. Then, suddenly, her lips were on Anna's and she heard the redhead gasp. All at once that feeling that had been growing in her stomach dropped down, and Anna felt the warmth pool between her legs. She whined softly, though it was clearly a pleasurable sound, while she squeezed her thighs shut tightly.
Elsa felt her sister shift, the younger girl's legs brushing her own as they squeezed, and the sound of that soft mewl made a warm tingling pulse between the Queen's own legs. The blonde squeezed her thighs together as well, trying to quell the growing feeling of arousal between them, but with Anna's lips on her own and the redhead's body moving so close to hers, it was proving a futile effort.
Neither knew what was happening, nor what the feelings between their legs were, but something urged them onward to deepen the kiss further.