Wow, this took me so long. Is it me or am I just writing ridiculously slow nowadays? But anyway, thank you to all those who have favorited or followed this story, and to those who take the time to read it. Also a BIG thank you to those who reviewed, they really give me motivation to continue. I'm sorry the chapter is so short, it I had made it longer this wouldn't have updated for about another month so thank you again for your patience. I'll try to make the next chapter longer.
Just a side note, after the first scene the story switches to Anna's point of view.
please enjoy.
Sleep had been hard to come by, Anna lay as still as possible- so not to disturb Elsa. The drapes were left open to freely view the night sky, stars shone threw the darkness and lit up the room. Anna hadn't spoken to her father in quite some time, occasionally when she roamed the castle she could see the king conversing with queen , it wasn't very often she would see him by himself.
Anna turned in her sheets, her back facing the illuminated window. She eyed the sleeping form of Elsa from across the room. The title of 'sister' hadn't stuck yet, shes known the girl for not nearly a week. She doesn't even consider her a friend, let alone a sister.
Shutting her eyes, Anna tried once more to dose off. "Anna?" a soft voice gently echoed in throughout the room.
Slowly, she opened her eyes once more to the dimly lit room.
"Yes?" she replied in an even softer whisper. Elsa went quiet for a moment- it was as if she was not expecting the younger girl to respond.
"Can you sleep?"
"No."
Elsa didn't respond, though if Anna wasn't mistaken she could hear the faint noise of sheets crumpling and the deep thud of feet bouncing onto the wooden floor. She was getting up. Anna felt a weight fall at the edge of her sheets, sitting up, she could clearly see Elsa situated at the end of her bed. She suddenly felt the need to initiate a conversation, though she can honestly say she had absolutely nothing to bring up. Both girls sat in silence, neither knowing what to say, neither willing. Anna could only spout the first thing that came to mind.
"Your room is a lot bigger than my room." Realizing suddenly, and hurrying to correct herself, the girl stuttered on her words. "I-I uh, mean my old room." Anna laughed nervously. Smooth.
Steadily gaining the courage to open up more, the girl sought to continue the interaction. "It's a little hard to get used to, b-but it's not like I don't like staying in your room or-"
"-Our room." Elsa corrected the girl, it seemed Anna spoke without realizing the words she uttered. Flustered, the young girl apologized. Feeling like a fool already, she brought her hands to her face and groaned aloud.
"Sorry, it just... Hasn't sunk in yet."
Elsa smiled understandingly, inching even closer to Anna and gently pulling away the hands that hid her face. "It's okay Anna, you don't need to apologize. I understand this will take some time to get used to." Elsa soothingly stroked the younger girls palm, Anna found it to be a rather familiar touch. It was motherly in a way, she instantly became nostalgic. Anna returned the smile gratefully, letting it linger briefly before breaking eye contact with Elsa. It wasn't an awkward silence like before, it was as if the two had a mutual understanding which they were more than happy to uphold.
It seemed as if the castle staff were in a state of absolute panic, or was it excitement? One of the nursery maids had woken both Elsa and I up a number of hours ago, she was quite motivated to get us prepared for the upcoming festivities. The wedding was today, white and gold were evident in almost all of the decor. I'd stuck of off a while back, sneaking into the bustling ballroom full of busy staff where I'd nearly been trampled on. I took in the scent of various flowers which adorned the many tables and surfaces, the queen must have ordered to pick every flower in the gardens, never before have I seen so many flowers in one room.
"Anna? Come now, show yourself child."
Uh oh. How did she find me? I tried to duck behind tables, hoping to lose sight of the woman. I poked my head over the table briefly, hoping to catch a subtle glimpse of the wretched nanny. Hands on hips, glasses firmly situated at the bridge of her nose, she took in every inch of the room looking out for me. retreating back behind the table, I grasped the tablecloth hoping the frazzled mess of my hair wasn't a dead giveaway. Hearing footsteps coming my way, I ducked under the tablecloth, holding my breath as they immediately came to a halt. Another series of footsteps came closer, but these were more hastily in their movement- and were accompanied by heavy puffs of breath.
"Bodil- She's gone. The princess-" Came a voice not quite strict like that of the nanny, but panic was evident in her voice.
The older woman scoffed- as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Of course I know that, why else would I be here? Not for a quick pot of tea, I'll tell you that." Peeking under the tablecloth, I could only see the feet of the two woman.
"How could you have known? She just left my sight not a minute ago." The nanny took a step back in confusion, I wondered if she was referring to Elsa- the girl never struck me as someone who would disobey order.
"W-we are discussing Princess Anna, are we not?"
There was silence for a moment, I wondered if they'd gone into shock. I quietly crept out from under the table and moved amidst a hoard of scampering stewards, unfortunately for me- this nanny just happened to have sixth sense. "THERE!" She bellowed- pointing her finger in my direction. "Quickly, someone grab her!" Oh no. In an instant, a considerable number of staff advanced towards me.
Shutting my eyes tightly, I made an incredible dash towards the open doors. It was obvious people were hesitant- even unwilling, to lay a hand on the princess of their kingdom. So rarely was it that I ever collided or was actually stopped by anyone.
"Princess! Princess Anna, stop this foolishness!" I could hear her voice behind me, though I could tell she was struggling to keep up. She wasn't the most fit woman I'd ever met. I kept my eyes shut, it wasn't until I could feel the wind hit my face and hear the rustling of leaves under my feet I knew I was outside. A sprint soon fadeed into a slight dawdle. My eyes opened to the most remarkable array of greenery I'd ever witnessed, what a sight to take in. Breathtaking. For a moment I'd forgotten where I was, or- where I was meant to be.
I'd never had the chance to explore these areas of the castle, time was not on my side- and neither was the nursemaid.
Reality soon hit as cold hand roughly grabbed my arm, startling me so, that I stumbled on my own feet. "Got you now!" Speak of the devil. "Don't think about pulling that stunt again miss or you'll-"
"Bodil! Over here!" The nursemaid turned, searching for who called for her. Curiosity got the better of me and I found myself searching too, much to my surprise- there the most unlikely of people stood. Elsa. I wan't too sure if the words actually left my mouth or not- as the next set of actions seemed to happen in a blur. Elsa just- bolted, she ran towards me, the nanny hadn't looked as if she'd processed any of this yet.
Elsa didn't have to try very hard at all to pull me from the confused woman's grip, our fingers intertwined- her grasp was more delicate. It was as if she were grasping a porcelain doll but was afraid to break it. Tentatively, she began to break into another run, with me in tow behind her. An enchanting giggle escaped her lips as she turned briefly to face me. "Come on Anna, lets go faster- don't let her catch us."
A grin could help but etch itself onto my features, it was infectious- her laugh. I didn't bother to look behind me, it was as if my eyes had been glued to the captivating girl pulling me along. Elsa always looked so exquisite, no matter what she did- she really was a queen in her own right.
A sudden tug to the left pulled me back into reality, Elsa had stopped- ducking and pulling me to sit along with her. She placed on of her fingers on her lips, in a 'shooshing' motion. Nodding silently, I continued to follow the girl- she crawled towards quite a large shrub. I almost let out a shrill panic when I saw her fall into the mess of leaves. "Elsa." I whispered into the large plant, "What are doing? Are you okay?"
A hand emerged from out of the shrub and beckoned to me, I took it in my own- and it gently led me into the unkempt plant. I was met with the soft tenderness of Elsa's face, I returned the smile she gave me whilst looking around at the strange place. Surprisingly, it was hollow, small, but relatively comfortable. Books were scattered and in precarious piles, I could also smell something- oh yes, chocolate.
A whisper from behind me brought my attention back. "This is where I go when I want to be by myself." I stared. Averting my eyes after a few moments. "No one really wants to be by themselves."
I glanced at her, she seemed to look at me disbelievingly- but a smile was still perched on her lips. "When I'm here- I'm not Princess Elsa. I'm just me." Her smile faltered a bit, and for a moment she looked distraught. "That's something I can't be anywhere else."
I hesitated to do so, but I gave her hand a gentle squeeze in reassurance. I couldn't exactly relate- but then again, who's to say this wont be me in the distant future. cradling her hand in my own, I inched closer to the girl- trying to pass through the most sincere emotion in one look. I watched for any sign of discomfort on her face, but was met with none. She only stared at the hands that held hers- with an almost distant look upon her exquisite features. "Elsa" I started. Her gaze turned to meet mine. "I like you better now than I did when we first met- and that was because then, you were just Princess Elsa. When we talk as friends- or sisters, you open up more and you're so much fun. And now- you don't seem like you're so far away."
As soon as the words had left my mouth, it felt like the small space had just warmed significantly. The silence that followed after did nothing to douse my nerves, but the way Elsa seemed to grip my hands more tightly was the only reassurance I needed. I was also quite aware of the growing pink tint on her cheeks, turning bashful suddenly- she adverted her gaze even further away, dipping her head to hide her burning cheeks.
I smiled gleefully, it was as if I had some sort of- new found admiration for her. "Elsa?" I inquired once more. She didn't look up, but she gingerly gave my hand another tug. "You're not alone anymore."
