Here we are, a nice big helping of Awkward Anna with a side of totally Enamored Elsa. Enjoy and happy reading!
"E-excuse me?" this couldn't be happening, but when Anna spoke and the Queen's eyes seemed to twinkle just a tad brighter, the younger girl really didn't care if it was a dream or reality.
"Would you care to dance?" Elsa repeated and stepped a little closer, tentatively reaching out to and brushing her fingers against Anna's. Even through the gloves, the Queen could feel the warmth of the other girl's hand. It was surprisingly pleasant.
"Oh," Anna muttered, "Oh! I- I would love to! But…"
The older woman's face fell slightly, suddenly realizing how forward she was being. "I apologize. It was rude of me to…" she retracted her hand back to her side.
"NO!" the younger girl cut her off before she could say more, "I mean, I'd love to, really, I just don't know how to dance." The Queen looked relieved to hear that, and offered the redhead a small smile.
"Oh, wonderful. Just," she held out her hand which Anna accepted without delay, "Follow my lead."
Elsa led them back toward the open doors, through the crowd and to the center of the floor with perfect poise and grace, Anna trailing her like, well like a disoriented ice harvester who snuck into a castle and was asked to dance by the queen. The sea of people around them parted, and everyone pushed and prodded each other, eager to see what kind of person actually got the newly crowned Queen onto the dance floor. Imagine their surprise when they saw a pretty young waif whose rapidly coloring face was almost as red as her hair. Next to the Queen, Anna felt homely, ordinary; there was nothing fascinating about her. She could feel the eyes on them; she could hear the murmurs from the crowd.
This is wrong, very wrong; the Queen should be dancing with a prince or a lord or something… But she chose me, she sought me out… I'm a peasant; I'm not even supposed to be here. Anna's thoughts became so loud in her head that she couldn't help but respond out loud, "And yet I am."
"What was that?" the older woman asked politely as the current song came to an end, the band rummaging around in their vast stack of music for their next piece. She looked straight into the flustered girl's eyes, holding her stare, and when the music started up again, a moderate waltz, not too fast or too slow; Elsa placed a hand on the small of the girl's back and raised their already conjoined ones in the air. Anna didn't trust her voice not to come out at least three octaves higher, so she trusted that a hasty shake of the head would suffice.
They began to move about the floor in simple yet elegant movements, (Anna silently prayed that she wouldn't step on the other girl's feet), a series of spins and the dip that caught Anna off guard as she arched toward the ground just to be snapped back into the Queen's arms gave the simple dance they were doing a graceful air. The whole world could have very well ended right then and Anna would have had no regrets.
Neither girl noticed any of their surroundings until the elder of the two spun the other around, finally separating their gazes and Anna finally realized that no one else had resumed their dancing. No, everyone was too engrossed in their own stolen glimpses at the couple and hushed whispers to even think about partnering up themselves. Their gazes burned her skin; some judgmental, others simply curious, and all of them directed toward her.
Anna wasn't paying attention when the Queen tried to spin her back around; she felt a tug followed by her stumbling a bit before finally turning and bumping noses with a smirking monarch.
"Tell me, are you always so coordinated?"
"I'm sorry," Anna whispered, taking extra care to make sure her feet were nowhere near the Queen's, "It's just, everyone's looking." Elsa finally looked around the room and realized that every pair of eyes was indeed trained on the two of them. She subconsciously pulled Anna closer to her as the song's tempo slowed ever so slightly.
"Let them look," she brought a freckled hand to her lips and left the faintest of kisses against the younger girl's knuckles, "You're beautiful."
"You're beautifuller," Anna replied, immediately regretting her words, "Not fuller, not that you're a twig! Just- just more beautiful." The giggle that escaped those red painted lips silenced her.
"Thank you," Elsa managed to say, her voice much calmer than she actually was. She couldn't help but just admire the beauty of the girl before her, yet she knew there were prying eyes around. Anna glimpsed down at their hands, fingers interlaced, before locking eyes with the queen. The sovereign suddenly seemed shy, almost timid when she leaned a little closer and whispered, "Can I show you something?" Anna barely had time to nod before the Queen turned and made her way back to the passageways leading outdoors.
For the second time that night, Anna found herself following the Queen around like a lost puppy, except this time instead of leading her into a larger crowd, Elsa led her through the open courtyard and over to a secluded little niche that took the redhead's breath away. Partially hidden by some sort of tree that Anna couldn't name and tucked into a corner by the massive walls protecting the castle from the outside world was a quaint little fountain surrounded on all sides by hedges in full bloom, flowers blossoming in all colors. The water trickled from a jar held by a stone child in the center of the structure, the whole thing spotted with moss, the water littered with white blooms that must've fallen from the branches overhead. Anna was stunned that such a place existed in the castle grounds; the whole area always seemed so kept up and orderly, but this little corner seemed timeless, as if humans hadn't stepped foot in it for years.
"This was my favorite place to come and sit growing up," Elsa took a seat on the edge of the fountain staring into the shallow water.
"Oh, like to read, and stuff?"
"Yes," Elsa grinned as if remembering a long forgotten event, "Or to hide from my tutor when I fro…" she stopped mid sentence, as if trying to figure out what to say next, "When I poured salt in his tea."
"You did what?" Anna asked incredulously, unable to picture the epitome of perfection in front of her committing anything worse than waking up late, and even that took a lot of imagination, "The Queen of Arendelle, a practical jokester? I'm not buying it."
"I wasn't always a Queen, you know," the sigh she let out mad Anna regret she'd said something so impersonal.
"No, of course, I meant that in the best way possible, Your Majesty."
"Please," the Queen interrupted with a stifled giggle, "Call me Elsa."
Anna's ever present grin seemed to brighten even more as she sat next to the Queen, "Alright then, Elsa."
Kristoff jolted awake, nearly falling off the bench he'd accidentally fallen asleep on. He glanced up at the sky; the moon had risen significantly, suggesting that approximately three hours had passed since he'd sent Anna off in search of drinks.
"Jeez, Anna, why didn't you wake me up or anything?" he cracked his neck, expecting an answer and receiving none. He looked down to the empty spot on the bench next to him, frowning at the cold stone before heaving himself to his feet to go in search of his friend.
"Oh! And then there was the time that Sven ate Kristoff's half of the carrot, and he just shoved his hand right down his throat," Anna shot her arm through the air, reenacting the event as she spoke, "And yanked the rest of it right out of his mouth!"
"Oh my," Elsa, thoroughly enamored by Anna's tale, chuckled at the girl's antics, "Please don't tell me he actually ate it?"
"He did!" Anna was grinning from ear to ear, pleased that she wasn't boring the Queen with her stories, "The whole thing, slobber and all!"
The blonde shivered at the thought but laughed at the disgusted face Anna was making, "That's disgusting! Your country sounds fascinating. Where did you say you were from?"
"Uh, you know, the name is kind of escaping me right now…"
"You cannot recall the name of your own kingdom?"
"N-no!" the younger of the two felt her cheeks reddening under the other's questioning gaze, "I mean yes, of course I can, but I seem to be forgetting a lot of things tonight." Like the fact I'm not of royal blood. Anna frowned at her own thoughts and muttered to herself, "Increasingly so."
Elsa just gave her a timid grin. She was completely at ease with this girl, a surprise to her more than anyone else. She wasn't a people person; the only actual contact she'd had with other people were the servants around the castle, but no matter how polite she was to them, they'd only ever see her as an extremely benevolent ruler, never as an equal… a friend. But here was this girl, this beautiful girl who didn't treat her as a Princess or Queen, but as a person.
"Anna," Elsa couldn't quite explain the tremor in her voice, or the her chest swelled whenever she looked at her with those eyes that shimmered as if they were home to a thousand bright stars, but in the short time she'd spent with this girl, she'd been happier than she could ever remember, "Might I speak freely with you?" The girl in question smiled and nodded, more than happy to hear the soft voice of the Queen.
"I've… I've never been so comfortable around another person like I am with you," Elsa chuckled at the admission, "And to tell the truth, it's relieving. I feel as if I can be myself when I'm with you."
"When I'm with you I feel like I'm going to do something stupid and embarrass myself," Anna blurted, "Like that. Gah! You're just so… different from the people I see every day. Which is a good thing! Different is very good, especially with you… and…"
"Anna…"
"Kinda like I was regretting coming here tonight, but when that little man introduced you I couldn't keep my eyes off of you- oh gods that sounded creepier than I thought…"
"Anna…"
"I promise that I wasn't stalking you or anything… Gods I'm making a total fool out of myself…"
"Anna!" Elsa reached up to cup the blabbering girl's jaw, "I think it's… cute… when you ramble like that." Their faces were slowly but surely getting closer, whether the two of them realized it or not went unknown until the hand on Anna's chin slipped down to her neck, sending almost violent shivers down the younger girl's spine.
"Anna," Elsa's voice was low and scratchy, almost like she was forcing herself to speak, "I'm- I'm going to kiss you now, is that alright with you?"
Anna's heart felt like it was trying to rip its way out of her chest the way it was pounding, and that tiny voice of reason that sounded oddly like Kristoff was screaming in her head that this was a horrible idea, but when she felt the tickle of Elsa's breath against her lips, she couldn't stop herself from closing the distance between them.
Elsa's lips were softer than anything Anna had ever felt. They had a faint taste of chocolate, but a hundred times sweeter, and as they shifted against her own, Anna tried in vain to suppress the moan that was elicited. The high she was feeling was unlike anything she'd ever experienced; better than selling her entire stock of ice, better than pulling a prank on Kristoff, better than breaking into a coronation party and getting free food. She brushed her fingers over the Queen's dress, leaning forward, needing more and more, and still Kristoff's voice was in her head, calling out her name. Repeatedly. Louder and louder until it was like he was practically right behind her.
"Anna?!" Kristoff's voice (broken and totally unbefitting for a man of his size) snapped Anna's eyes wide open. She turned, horrified to see her friend standing there, eyes bulging and jaw dropped as he took in the sight of his best friend kissing the Queen of Arendelle. Even though he found himself incapable of forming any sort of coherent thought at the moment, Anna could see everything he wanted to say in the sheer look of terror in his eyes.
Suddenly everything came crashing down around her, reality having finally caught up with her little wonderland at an alarming speed. She was kissing the Queen… the Queen! She looked at Elsa who admittedly looked a little flustered at having been caught in such a position, but instead of seeing the wonderful girl she'd gotten to know over the past few hours, all she could see was what Kristoff was seeing; the Queen.
Anna jumped from the ledge they were sitting on, panic and alarm filling her being when she saw Elsa stand as well, a shocked kind of hurt displayed so clearly on that beautiful face… Kristoff yanked on her elbow, silently ordering (or was he begging?) her to follow him as he made a dash for the front of the castle, not waiting around to see if his friend would follow him or not. She turned and walked briskly across the cobblestone path to the main garden right at the head of the yard. There were a lot more people out front than in the back; a mix of people both rich and poor alike stood between Anna and the open gates.
"Anna," Elsa didn't even try to mask the concern in her voice as she called after the retreating girl, "Anna, what's the matter? Where are you going?"
"I am so, so sorry Els- you're Highness," taking one last look at the Queen Anna tried to commit her face to memory, "I… I have to go." Elsa didn't have a chance to say anything else before the redhead was swallowed by the mass of partygoers, all oblivious to the interaction between the two girls. The blonde dove into the sea of people, ignoring the questioning glances and inquiries thrown her way, anxious to catch a glimpse of that fiery hair anywhere among the mass of bodies.
"Anna, no, wait!" her cries were pointless; by the time she made it through the crowd and to the castle gates, Anna was nowhere to be seen.
To Be Continued
So, yeah. Sorry if Elsa seemed a bit too forward or weird at all. Trust me, I did it for a reason, you'll see ;)