Author's note: Hello, guys, and thank you so much for your exceptional patience in the last few months when I've only been updating this story once a month. However, starting this week, I will be uploading it every Saturday. As for this chapter, I added this chapter because of how important the sisters' relationship is for the plot; something that I haven't had that much of since Chapter 2. However, it's also important to the plot. Let me know what all you lovely readers (that isn't creepy at all...) think and I will see you all next week!

10. Icicles

"The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play."

– Frozen, Anna

The next morning, Elsa tapped on Anna's door worriedly. Anna had refused to come out of her room yesterday, whether it was for the riding party or dinner. Elsa had been so tired she had let it go, but again this morning Anna had decided to take her breakfast in her chambers.

"Anna?" Elsa called after a moment of silence. "I know you are in there, and I am not going to leave until you come out."

Nothing. Elsa clenched her fists. She wasn't angry at her sister, just annoyed. Anna was always so honest, even to the point of blurting out things she shouldn't. So to hide herself away from everyone in her room was more like something, well, Elsa herself would do.

Elsa sighed and took a deep breath. Finally, she sung softly, "Do you want to build a snowman?"

No response.

"Anna, I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been. I'm right out here for you. Just let me in." Elsa's voice cracked at last words of the song, and gave up singing. "Please, Anna, tell me what's wrong? Please don't leave me in the dark."

Anna's door creaked open enough for Elsa to enter. Before Anna could shut the door, she hurried in. The door shut behind her.

When she turned to shut the door, Elsa finally spotted her sister. Anna looked like a mess…well, more than usual. Her hair was everywhere. Her eyes were blotchy and red, looking as if she'd been crying all night. She wore the dress she wore the day before, which was now all wrinkled and tear-stained.

Elsa went to her sister and dried Anna's eyes her hands. "Anna, darling, tell me what's wrong! Oh, how could I be so selfish? I should've visited you sooner. What is the matter? Here, let us sit on the bed."

The two sisters walked over to the bed and sat down. Elsa ignored the drenched handkerchiefs adorning the coverlet and perched on one clean spot.

Anna grabbed a dirty handkerchief and blew her nose. "Oh, Elsa, I think I'm losing my mind."

Elsa smiled. "Aren't we all?" She waited, knowing whatever was bothering her sister would come flooding out of her lips in a moment.

It did.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna began. "You don't know how terrible it is to be locked in my room with such terrible thoughts. Do you think Kristoff loves me? Because I always thought he did, but now I'm not sure. He's always with Princess Bao now and he barely talks to me anymore. In fact, it almost feels as if he's avoiding me."

"Funny, he said the same thing about you," Elsa commented when her sister took a breath, though Anna apparently didn't hear because she continued on.

"But now I think perhaps it's all in my head. I don't know why I've been in here so long. I'm just afraid to come out. I have so much to do out there. I have the florists and decorators and guests to deal with, and you have no idea how nightmarish Lady Gabbri is to handle. At least she is frightened of you so she doesn't bother you, but she bothers me constantly. Even when I think I've avoided her, she just pops up with her big hair puff right in my face and tells me what I should do. It's so tiring! And Lord Jain…do you know Lord Jain? He's Hadyn's cousin. Not quite as funny, but he seems nice. Anyway, Lord Jain said that most men lie when it's convenient for them. Do you think Kristoff is lying? I mean, he's never lied before. At least, not that I know of."

"Anna, stop!" Elsa put her hands on her younger sister's shoulders. "You are talking like how I think all the time. This worrying about everything isn't like you. You're only stressed out because of the wedding. I see I am partially at fault."

Anne shook her head, looking like she was going to disagree, but Elsa continued before she could.

"I've been leaving you to do too much of the work. Well, after today you shall do nothing. Leave everything to me. And don't worry, Kristoff loves you. I've never seen someone love someone else as much as he loves you. It's just he's not particularly romantic, that's all."

Anna blinked and wiped her snotty nose. "You think?"

"I know. Now, let us get you up and dressed and then we shall go out and play!"

"Play?"

Elsa pulled her sister up and began to help her dress and, more importantly, brush her unruly hair. "Yes, play! Didn't you hear me outside the door? Do you want to build a snowman?"

Anna laughed as she shoved her head into the dress Elsa had found for her. "Just like we were children, right? Oh, do you think Olaf can join us!"

Elsa shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Isn't he still on his vacation to Hawaii?"

Several weeks before plans began for the wedding, Olaf—the eccentric snowman with dreams of finding warm summer—had decided to travel across the globe to Hawaii. No one had decided to deter him, though Elsa had made certain she knew how to reassemble him in case he, well, melted.

"Yes, and how do you think that went?" Anna asked?

Elsa nodded. "Perhaps I should recreate him, shouldn't I? He's probably currently a puddle with a carrot sticking of it on the beach."

Both girls laughed.

Within twenty minutes, they had found a private spot in the garden and, thanks to Elsa's ability they were playing in the snow and ice as snow rained down on only them. Elsa forgot her worries and simply focused on her sister. Anna, whose face's blotchiness had dissipated into the air, looked happy. Olaf was easy to recreate, though he did state that he didn't make it to Hawaii, having melted on the boat. However, understanding how much the girls had missed him, he decided to stay.

Everything seemed perfect and happy again.

And yet, there was something wrong. It seemed strange that Anna should have such a strong reaction to Kristoff spending time with someone else. Elsa worried that Han's betrayal of Anna had hurt her trust of men and their integrity. Elsa knew it had hurt hers. And yet she had never seen Anna show indications of her hurt until now.

Elsa could only bite her lip and hope that she was right that Kristoff would never hurt her sister. Because if anyone hurt Anna ever again, she was going to freeze their cold hearts with ice.