Back on a weekly updating basis, ya'll. Hope you enjoy this one! More flashbacks for fleshing out's sake.

1822 - Anna is a newly born, Elsa is 3-4
1828 - Anna is 6, Elsa is 9
1837 - Anna is 15, Elsa is 18

Anyway, enjoy!

Mending An Icy Break
- Chapter 11 -

April 20th, 1822.

The soft padded footfalls echoed through the expansive hallways as Elsa was lead towards her parents' bedroom chambers. Her tiny hand clung tightly to her father's considerably larger one, and she anxiously chewed her lower lip. By her side, towering over her, King Agðar turned his head to smile down at his eldest.

His eldest.

The thought sounded so wonderful in his mind. His family was growing, and with its newest addition, he was now the proud father of two beautiful young girls. At that moment his heart swelled with pride, and he stood tall, unabashedly smiling the widest grin he could muster as they passed several handmaids and sentinels on their way.

Each servant, in turn, bowed their heads and blessed the King's newly born daughter with warmth and happiness. The entire castle was bustling, and between congratulations and adulations, there was a low murmur that filtered through the corridors.

'Is the new princess…blessed as well?'

'Does the new princess have magic in her as well?'

'How is the Queen? Is the new child ordinary?'

Elsa squeezed her father`s hand nervously, eyes darting around ahead of her, glued to the floor. She did her best to ignore the comments, and the plethora of questions, focusing on how she would approach her new baby sister.

The last few weeks had been devoted to preparing herself, both physically and mentally, for this meeting. She practiced handling her dolls, supporting their heads and cradling them lovingly to her chest; she made sure to keep her powers in check, never allowing so much as a single snowflake to land on the dolls; and she spoke softly, mimicking the tone she'd heard her mother using when talking to the swell in her belly that was to be her sibling.

Elsa felt ready, she knew she'd be able to do this, and she finally raised her eyes from the floor. With newfound confidence, the young princess was ready now, and she turned to look up at her beloved father.

"Papa?"

"Yes, my little one?" Came the King's reply.

"What is my sister like?" They rounded a corner, nearing the foreboding room, which Elsa had to avoid these last few weeks. King Agðar chuckled.

"Well, she is small, and she wails quite loudly when she is upset," Elsa returned to chewing her bottom lip, her confidence wavering, "but she is quite beautiful, and I'm sure very excited to meet her sister." As they reached the doors, two sentries bowed to the King, and stepped aside to allow him entry. Elsa cast a gaze up to the armoured men, and then to the door, which opened agonizingly slowly.

"My love?" Agðar's voice was soft, a fond smile gracing his lips. Queen Iðunn raised her head, smiling warmly to her husband and eldest, while cradling a quiet bundle in her arms as she lay back against a mound of pillows, all propped up against a headrest.

The first thing Elsa noticed was that her mother was not adorning her regular attire; she appeared to be in a much simpler, less decorative, light gown. Her hair was undone, unruly yet still beautiful, falling in wavy brunette strands down over her shoulders. She was flushed, with tired eyes, but a proud smile on her pale lips.

"May we come in?" Her husband asked softly – their voices were very soft and tentative in general, perhaps afraid of waking the sleeping baby. The Queen nodded and adjusted the bundle in her arms, which began to wriggle as it was stirred awake. "Come, Elsa," Agðar coaxed, tugging on Elsa's hand and leading her to the bed as the sentries closed the doors behind them.

Elsa made sure her footsteps were near silent, as they approached the large bed, her eyes never leaving her mother. At the bedside, Agðar lifted Elsa and gently placed her on the bed beside her mother, running his hand through his daughter's blonde locks.

"This is your sister," He crooned.

"What is her name?" Elsa's wide blue eyes fell on her mother's lavender.

"Anna," Her mother sounded so tired, "her name is Anna." Elsa carefully scooted closer, peering over the blankets to see her sister's face for the first time; the baby – Anna – was wrapped up tightly, swaddled in a pink blanket, with only her arms and head free.

"Is she…like me Mama?" The question was almost hesitant. Her mother shook her head.

"No, my sweet one, she is not." Elsa breathed a quiet sigh of relief and smiled down at her baby sister.

"Hello Anna," The baby squirmed a bit and blinked her teal eyes open, falling on Elsa, "may I hold her Mama?" Iðunn and Agðar tossed one another unsure glances, and the Queen looked down to her daughter, smiling.

"Perhaps when she's a little older, hm?" Elsa's face fell slightly, and she entwined her hands together in her lap, nodding her head.

"Yes Mama."

December 6th, 1828.

Knock, knock, knock-knock, knock.

"Elsa?" Anna voice was somewhat muffled through the thick oaken door. "Do you want to build a snowman? It's snowing outside!" The blonde stirred awake, eyes blinking as she sat upright in her bed. She stretched, yawning daintily, before slipping out of her bed and sliding her slippers on.

"It doesn't have to be a snowman, you know," Anna continued, chewing her lower lip as she waited anxiously; she never got a 'yes', and sometimes went without a reply entirely, but she was not deterred and still tried every day to get her sister out of her room.

"Please Elsa?" The redhead pleaded, her voice seeming so small on the other side of the massive door. Elsa frowned, ignoring her sister, as she walked across her room to her changing screen. Slipping out of her nightgown, she folded it and set it down on a bench, reaching for a pair of stockings and her day's dress.

Elsa could hear Anna's footsteps pacing outside her door, even as she slipped the dress on over her head and did up the buttons, and she hated it. But this was their routine: Anna would sometimes wake early, or sometimes sleep into the late morning, but regardless of when she woke her first stop would always been Elsa's bedroom door.

Over the last year Elsa had grown quite adept at dealing with her sister.

The first few weeks were the hardest. She nearly broke each time Anna would call at her door until hot tears ran down her rounded freckled cheeks, but the knowledge of the pain she'd caused kept her at bay, even when she felt a heaviness weighing down in her chest. She was doing this for Anna, to protect her, and that spurred her on to continue this cruel isolation.

Fully dressed, the young princess stepped out from behind the changing screen and walked to her desk, taking a seat and reaching for her ink quill. Today she'd practice manuscripts; that would take her mind off the sound of her sister woefully calling for her from the other side of the barrier.

"Elsa?" Anna's voice was so tiny. "Are you mad? I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" The blonde's grip on her quill tightened. "I don't mean to bother you." Elsa narrowed her eyes on the parchment before her, trying to focus. "I just miss you. Do you miss me?" Elsa's lower lip quivered. "Why can't we play anymore? I'll share my toys with you, all of them," Tears began to prick at her icy blue eyes, threatening to fall. "I have some nice new ones that Papa brought me, you can have those; can we play together now? Please?"

"Anna!" Both girls jumped at the booming voice of the father. The redhead whirled around to meet his stern eyes, and Elsa was rigid in her seat, ears burning. "What are you doing?"

"I…I just wanted to see Elsa…"

"You know you are not allowed to do this," The King's voice softened slightly; "please, come with me." He reached out, taking Anna's hand in his own, and tugging her along.

"But Papa," Anna walked alongside her father, despite wanting to stay by the door, "why can't I play with Elsa?"

"You just can't, I'm sorry," King Agðar's voice softened as they moved further away, as did Anna's protests. A hiccupped sob was the first sound Elsa made following that, as tears began flowing freely, and she folded her arms atop her desk and buried her face into them.

The parchment was ruined, and she got very little work done.

June 23rd, 1837.

Knock, knock, knock-knock, knock.

"Elsa? Hey, uhm, me again," Anna smiled at the white door, hand painted with decorative snowflakes and crocuses, "how are you this morning? Good, I hope." On the opposite side of the door Elsa moved around within her room, already dressed, with her hair tied back into a bun, and her arm full of books she was prepared to read today.

Anna laced her fingers behind her back and continued to talk; as much as she knew it was wrong, it was a guilty pleasure for her. She knew her sister would never answer her, but on occasion she'd hear the shuffling of her sister's feet, or a small cough, and sometimes even humming – if she was lucky. Just knowing her sister was still there, being able to hear her, made the Princess' day.

Elsa felt much the same. She relished in her sister's 'talks'; she'd often find herself smiling joyfully as Anna would regale the previous day's events to her, and often had to bite her tongue or cover her mouth to avoid audible laughter. Sometimes, she'd even imagine responding, talking to Anna through the wooden barrier. Oh the things she'd tell her, of her day, behind the door and entrapped in her room.

"So Mama and Papa are discussing all the things they need to pack for their trip next month," Elsa's gripped tightly at the binding of a book in her hands, "they have so much luggage, Elsa, you should see it! I'm not sure why Mama feels the need to pack so much, but she says that Papa would forget his medals if they weren't pinned to his jacket." The redhead snickered to herself and Elsa laughed silently.

The blonde set the books down on her desk, with a small thump, and she heard Anna gasp from the other side of the door.

"Oh, are you reading again today? I'm reading too! I started this really great book," Elsa smiled to herself, "when I'm done I'll ask Gerda to bring it to you. Then, maybe, if you want to, you can read it too."

'I'd like that,' Elsa thought silently, 'to read something I know you've read also.'

"Elsa?" The blonde turned her head, noting how Anna's voice lowered somewhat, "I'm...glad you're staying here while Mama and Papa are away. I'm glad I'll still have you to talk to." Elsa frowned deeply and started moving the books over the top of the desk.

"Maybe…maybe while they're gone you could sneak out," Anna suggested softly, earning a chuckle from the blonde, which she grinned widely at hearing, "and then maybe we could sneak into the kitchens together and steal all the chocolate for ourselves!" Elsa smiled despite herself. The blonde turned slightly, hearing the shuffling of feet.

"Oh, I think someone is coming," Anna hissed softly, "I'll talk to you again tomorrow Elsa!" Without another word the redhead was gone and Elsa was once again alone with her thoughts. She walked towards the nearest bay window and glanced outside.

She couldn't quite explain it, but something about that trip worried her. She had never been away from her parents before, and she wasn't sure she was ready to have them leave, even if it was only for a few weeks.

But, when the time came, she saw them off.

For the very last time.

Elsa stirred awake slowly, eyes opening with several small blinks before she adjusted to the early morning sun. With a quick stretch, the Queen turned over in the bed, coming face to face with her softly snoring sister.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her rosy lips, and hesitantly she reached out, cupping one of Anna's sunkissed and freckled cheeks. She stroked the swell with her thumb, her mind elsewhere. She often thought back to their childhood, all the times she wished–no–longed to be this close to Anna.

Now, it felt so unreal. Like a dream she hadn't woken from yet, and that when she finally does she'll be back in her room, four walls enclosing her and Anna on the other side of the damnable door. The Queen chewed her bottom lip, an old habit she never outgrew, as she tried to push the heaviness in the pit of her stomach away. The weight was unmistakable, and she always felt it when she worried herself.

Anna was here now, with her, and she could touch, coddle and love her dearly to her heart's content. Her sister was with her, now and forever, and promised to always love her. And Elsa knew that Anna loved her, loved her so terribly that sometimes it scared them both.

'Enough to jump in front of a sword for me,' Elsa thought, her brow furrowing. 'But I'll protect you now, differently than before, because I'll be right here.' At that moment the Queen's heart ached for her sister, and she needed her desperately. Elsa leaned in, stealing a kiss from her sister's slightly parted lips, muffling a confused murmur as she roused her sister.

Anna awoke to a chill, a chill and softness against her lips. Blinking awake groggily, it took the Princess a moment to register that she was being kissed, but immediately she reacted and pressed back into the kiss as she was violently pulled into consciousness by the firm pressure of her sister's lips against her own. Not that she was complaining.

"Mmm–good morning to you too," Anna breathed softly, breaking the kiss to lick at the taste of her sister on her lips. "Sleep well?"

"Very much so," Elsa's cheeks were flushed, her eyes half-lidded, and her gaze narrowed on Anna's lips. She wanted them again, so she took them, recapturing her sister in another deep kiss before the redhead had time to react. The kiss was passionate, fervent, and oh so needy.

Anna couldn't help the moan that filtered into her sister's mouth, and her hands immediately reached for Elsa's sides, gripping at her nightgown. With a powerful tug, Anna rolled onto her back and pulled Elsa onto her, allowing the Queen to straddle her hips as their kiss deepened.

Soft sounds of contentment and pleasure swam between them, as Anna's hands greedily roamed her sister's lithe body, rubbing, cupping and groping at her sister's sides as she explored her body. Elsa reacted immediately to the feeling of her sister's hands moving along her sensitive sides by pressing her body down flush against her younger sibling's, grinding their torsos together with delicious friction, as the mounds of their breasts met and the peaks touched, causing both women had to break the kiss to cry out softly.

"O-Oh…!" Elsa breathed, her cheeks ignited with a deep crimson.

"Ah, that felt…so good…" Anna mewled beneath her sister, panting heavily, her own blush reddening.

"What…what was that?" Elsa turned her eyes down to her sister, and the redhead smiled back, shrugging her shoulders unsurely.

"I don't know…but I want to try that again…" Anna reached up; grabbing hold of Elsa's sides, she pulled her sister back down against her body.