"You've never had chocolate before?!" Anna's eyes bugged out of her head at the concept. Elsa smiled sheepishly at the outrageous look on the younger girl's face. The two were sitting together on a moonlit snowdrift, stargazing. Well, Elsa was stargazing while Anna was excitedly asking her a million questions while gobbling down all the sweets she brought.
"No, I haven't. My body doesn't require nourishment, it comes with the whole 'icy curse' thing," Elsa stated, and then nervously looked away, "You probably think I'm strange now, don't you?"
Anna scrambled around through the snow to the other side of Elsa, trying to meet the girl's gaze. "You're not strange, Elsa!" she reassured the other girl vehemently, "You're special, and magical, and really, really pretty!" Both of them blushed after that.
Elsa finally giggled. "Maybe you're the strange one." She teased. What 10 year old hikes up a snowy mountain in the middle of the night in order to find a 'scary ice witch'?
Anna huffed indignantly. "Says the girl who has never tasted chocolate before!" She folded her arms smugly, as if that statement alone had won her the argument.
Elsa raised a curious eyebrow, scooting a bit closer to peer into Anna's basket of sweets. "Is it really that good?" she wondered aloud.
Anna giggled and reached into the basket, pulling out a chocolate. "Why don't you see for yourself?" She held it out to the other girl with a broad smile. "This one's my favorite! And it's the last one I brought."
Elsa stared at the treat in her companion's hand for a moment, before shyly accepting the gift. Then she just stared at it, her eyes glossing over with a far away look.
"Well aren't you going to eat it?" Anna asked with slight impatience. She really wanted to know what Elsa thought of chocolate.
Elsa's gaze snapped up to meet Anna's. "Oh, right, sorry…" she stared back down at the little chocolate in her hands. Her eyes grew misty with unshed tears.
"Elsa?" Anna asked, now worried, "Is something wrong? Did I upset you? Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad! Mother and Father always said that I had no tact and-"
"No, please don't apologize, Anna," Elsa stopped the girl's frantic rambling with a shake of her head. There was a pause where neither said anything, Elsa brought both hands up to cup the little chocolate as if it were something very precious to her. "This," she met Anna's gaze, "Is the first gift anyone has ever given to me."
Anna felt herself blush. She had been the first one Elsa had received a gift from, and that made her feel special for some reason. "Then I'll just have to bring you more gifts!" she found herself excitedly saying, "To make up for all the gifts you've missed out on."
Pink dusted Elsa's cheeks and Anna was hit again with how pretty she was. "You are so very kind to offer me presents, Anna," she broke the little chocolate in half and offered the younger girl a piece, "But I enjoy your company most of all." Her pink cheeks grew a few shades darker as she said this.
Anna, now blushing just as darkly, tried to push the offering back towards the other girl. "No, no, I can't take your gift. It's for you."
Elsa giggled. "I thought you said it was your favorite? Also, I have the other half." She popped the creamy treat into her mouth to prove her point. Her eyelids fluttered as she hummed in approval. Anna watched her, eyes following the chocolate past the girl's soft pink lips. She cleared her throat, stuffing her half of the chocolate into her mouth and almost choking on it. Why does it taste sweeter than usual?
She noticed Elsa was saying something, but her brain refused to decipher human language. "Huh?"
Elsa smiled at her. "I said that chocolate is officially my favorite food."
Anna returned the smile. "Mine too."
Anna had returned to the castle just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. She had wanted to watch the sunrise with Elsa, but the other girl had told her that her parents would worry if they noticed her absence.
And so the day went on and on, with Anna growing more and more exhausted. She barely kept her eyes open during lunch, and had actually fallen asleep during her afternoon lessons (much to the annoyance of her instructor). Her parents appeared to be worried about her health. When asked if she were feeling alright, she simply replied that she hadn't slept well. They had insisted that she retire early to her chambers to get some rest.
When Anna awoke, it was long after the sun had set. The bright moon in the sky reminded her of Elsa. Elsa! She sprang out of bed and threw on some warm clothes. She knew that her friend was probably worried about her and wondering when she would return. The thought of Elsa, all alone in her big icy castle, made Anna sad.
She took off over the bridge, through the forest, and across the fields of snow. She stopped when she saw Marshmallow. The snow giant calmly held out a giant icy hand.
"I…carry…" It grumbled quietly.
"Oh, um, okay…" Anna cautiously climbed onto the offered hand, trying not to slip on the ice. "Thanks."
Marshmallow said nothing as it began to take large, smooth strides through the snow. Within minutes, they had reached the beautiful ice castle. Elsa's castle…
Anna was in awe. She stared up at the beautiful structure that sparkled beneath the light of the moon.
"Would you like a tour?" a voice snapped her out of her trance.
"Elsa!" she greeted cheerfully, "Your castle is so cool, I'd love a tour!"
Elsa smiled at the compliment, "Right this way, then."
The inside of the castle was just as magnificent as the outside, towering ceilings, intricate staircases, and beautifully icy glowing light fixtures. The furniture was mostly white in color and very tastefully crafted. It really was like a fairy tale castle.
"And this is my room," Elsa stated, concluding the tour.
Anna had to stop and stare up at the beautiful chandelier. Frozen fractals reflected soft light about the room, giving it a mystical feel.
"It's beautiful…" Anna breathed in wonder.
Elsa blushed. "I'm happy that you like it."
Anna turned to the other girl, an excited gleam in her eyes. "Like it? I love it! It's way better than Arendelle Castle."
Elsa looked at her in surprise. "Arendelle Castle? You live there?"
Anna realized her misstep too late. Well, I'd have to tell her eventually. "Yeah, I'm…kind of the princess there."
Elsa looked shocked, and Anna was beginning to worry that she'd not want to be her friend anymore. Then the older girl broke out into a big smile, which evolved into giggles.
"I just can't see you formally addressing the court," Elsa commented between bouts of laughter.
Anna huffed. "I don't need to do all that 'royal people' stuff 'til I'm older."
Then she yawned and Elsa suddenly realized that visiting her had caused Anna to miss out on sleep.
"Anna? Are you tired?" Elsa asked with genuine concern. "Missing sleep like this can't be good for you."
Anna tried to put on a brave face, but then gave herself away with another yawn. "I don't mind losing sleep if I can spend time with you, Elsa." She reassured the other girl.
Elsa didn't look convinced. "Anna," she scolded, "I won't be responsible for your health worsening. Come here."
She gestured Anna over to a comfy looking bed. It was pure white and very soft, like freshly fallen snow. Anna blushed when she realized that it was Elsa's bed. "No wait, I'm okay, really! I couldn't possibly take your bed." She began to ramble.
Elsa cut her off with a stern look. "Lay down, Anna," Elsa commanded softly, "I'll stay with you so you won't be lonely."
Anna, seeing no room for argument, obediently immersed herself in the softness of the sheets. A pleasant scent enveloped her, and she inhaled deeply. It smelled faintly of pine, holly, and fresh oak. It reminded her of the winter season.
Elsa sat down beside her and draped the sheets over the tired girl's shoulders. Anna gave her a grateful smile before finally descending into slumber.
"Rest well, my princess." Elsa murmured softly, gazing at the sleeping girl's face.
Elsa smiled, knowing that she wouldn't mind sitting there all night, watching over Anna.
Hello again! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I have a cold right now, so my brain (and my writing) might be a little loopy... Let me know what you think! Oh, and once again, Frozen isn't mine.