Summary: It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. This is a story about the other side that Elsa was forced to hide. [ElsaxOFC] [KristoffxAnna]
Author's Note: Things heat up a little in this chapter ;)
Chapter Five: Confessions, Part Two
"This looks like a good place, Sven!"
Kristoff pulled the reins back slightly, and the sled shifted to a halt. Anna excitedly jumped out and began pulling things out of the back, behind where the prince and princess of Kohbara sat in their make-shift seat. She tossed out a big blanket in the middle of the clearing. Leo, having climbed out as well, helped her smooth it out evenly and took a seat at one corner.
"It's beautiful out here."
"Isn't it?" Anna handed him a plate and arranged the other dishes and silverware around the picnic blanket. She was especially excited to get out of the house after a day of being forced to do her lessons. Having a late lunch out in the forest was a welcomed change of scenery. "Half of the fun of Arendelle is everything that surrounds it."
The others took their own spots on the blanket as Anna began to pass around food. Kristoff shook one of the metal containers.
"Anna, what is this?"
"Soup."
"Soup? You can't pack hot food on a picnic, Anna. It's gotten cold now."
"Well I wasn't thinking that when I packed it."
"Is most of the food you put in there supposed to be served warm?"
Anna blinked and dug through the things.
"Um. Hmm. Everything except the sandwiches." She frowned. "Okay, this is the first picnic I packed! Don't blame me."
"It's alright," Natalia spoke up. "I can heat everything up."
Leo seemed to be the only one not confused by this statement.
"You can?" Kristoff asked.
"Well, yes. I guess this is an appropriate time to confess something. And isn't the saying that 'actions speak louder than words'?" She picked up the container of soup, unscrewed the lid, and sat it in her hand as the others watched her. Natalia glanced at each one of them, before finally resting her bright eyes on Elsa. She took in a deep breath. The three of them jumped back in surprise and terror as a flame engulfed Natalia's hand and began to scorch the bottom of the container.
"Holy crap!" Kristoff shouted.
"Oh my god!" Anna gasped. Elsa's mouth had dropped open, but no sound came out.
Almost immediately, steam began to rise from the thermos, and the soup bubbled with renewed warmth. "Surprise!" Natalia said, somewhat weakly. "I'm a human fireplace."
Kristoff and Anna had their eyebrows raised so high they could have blended with their hairlines. Natalia extinguished the flames, feeling slightly guilty that she had scared them as much as she did. Maybe she should have prepared them with a little more of a warning. She lifted her hand to show that it was perfectly fine.
"I know I should have mentioned it before, but I wanted to make sure Elsa was going to be alright with it. I was pretty surprised myself when I heard there was a Snow Queen. And, honestly, I was a little worried about melting her before we arrived."
"Luckily," Leo quipped, "We discovered that Elsa is in fact not made of snow. Which makes sense. Natalia isn't made out of fire, thankfully. That would cause a whole lot of problems."
Anna laughed, shaking the shock from her face.
"This is totally crazy! You actually have heat powers? It's like you and Elsa are meant to be!"
It wasn't physically possible for Elsa's eyes to grow any wider than they did at that moment.
"Friends! Meant to be friends," Anna added instantly. She prided herself for being so quick.
"I'm really sorry if this is freaking you out," Natalia apologized. This was mostly said to Elsa, who still hadn't had the ability to say something. "I know it's sort of sudden." She gripped her wrist nervously.
"Sudden?" Elsa finally squeaked. "I don't think it's the suddenness that's so surprising."
Natalia smiled at her sheepishly.
"Well, now you know why I said I could relate to you so much. I've lived with this my whole life." She gestured with her hand as she said this. Tiny sparks fluttered from the tips of her fingers to emphasize what 'this' had meant.
Anna spoke up.
"Don't worry. We're used to randomly finding out about magical powers around here. It's happening at an alarmingly increasing rate."
Kristoff nodded in agreement.
"And I grew up with trolls. There's always talk about incantations and enchanted crystals back home."
Natalia and her brother felt much more at ease, then.
"We had looked forward to this happening," Leo admitted. "When we asked to visit, it was in the hopes of finding someone else who could understand. It was by chance that we found out you were here, facing the same thing we have been dealing with for years. I don't have any special powers, but I've stood by my sister just like Anna has stood by Elsa."
Anna gave him a warm smile. It was all too obvious why they had connected so easily. Elsa and Natalia seemed focused on each other now. Both girls were smiling excitedly at one another.
"You're sure it's okay?" Natalia asked gently. "You aren't afraid, are you?"
"Afraid? This is amazing. I hadn't even thought about other people having powers. Not for so many years. And now to find out that you have them? I might make a fool of myself and start crying."
"I know the feeling."
They soon blocked out everything going on around them to rapidly fire questions and answers back and forth. They discussed everything- when they first began to comprehend what they could do, what were some things that triggered it most, how they dealt with accidental freezing and burning as little kids, what happened when they were upset. Elsa had never felt like this before. She was overwhelmed with emotion. The others let them alone, mostly because it would be impossible to get a word in. Anna smirked at Kristoff.
"Opposites totally attract."
Leo gave her a curious look.
o o o
After a while, Anna stood up to announce that she needed some entertainment.
"Watching you two exchange stories about flaming curtains and frosted windows is really exciting and all, but we came out here to do something really fun."
"Right," Elsa settled down, but still had a glow about her that let everyone know she was enthused. "I think I promised to make a hill and some sleds, didn't I?"
With a wave of her arms, she crafted the group its very own snowy slide and a couple of small, sleek sleds. Anna grabbed one with a cheer and set off down the slope with a shout. Everyone laughed with her as she rolled off at the bottom and tried to act as if she had meant to do it. Each of them took turns going down the icy path, sometimes two or three at a time, while Sven was happy to stand by and eat his weight in leftovers. By the time the sun was just about done setting, only the boys and Anna still had the energy to race down the hill. They'd convinced Elsa to build up a small ramp halfway down and started to compete to see who could fly the highest and farthest.
Out of the way, Elsa stood beside Natalia in the clearing. Natalia shaped her hands over one another and formed a burst of deep orange flame in her cupped palm.
"It's not as versatile as snow," she said, "but it'll give us warmth and light tonight." She tilted her hand and let the flame spill into the kindling by their feet. The pile of sticks set alight and crackled in the crisp night air.
"It's beautiful," Elsa commented. "It's like it comes to life."
"It is. But you should never try sledding on it, or throwing it your friends, or making ice cream with it. All of those things can be your job."
Elsa giggled. She watched the flames dance higher into the sky. She admired the way small embers drifted off on their own, almost like tiny glowing snowflakes, and led themselves wherever they pleased.
"Thank you for sharing this with me."
Natalia looked at her.
"I wouldn't have wanted to hide it from you. I was just waiting for the right time."
Elsa nodded. There was no reason to be upset. Natalia had let her know that, while she was comfortable with and in control of her powers, she did not admit to many people what she could do. It was easier just to save her gift for when it was really needed. Fire was, naturally, a very dangerous and unpredictable element. Even when it seemed soft and gentle, it was still burning and wild.
"May I touch you?"
Elsa was broken from her train of thought, suddenly taken aback by the question. She looked at the other girl, who noticed the surprise on her face. Natalia immediately tried to explain.
"You can say no. I just was wondering what would happen if we touched. You know, if your hand would hurt or something if I touched it? I've never had that problem with anyone else, but it might happen with a Snow Queen." She tried to brush the awkwardness away. "It was just a silly thought. Forget I said anything."
"It was a strange request," Elsa stated cautiously. "But I wouldn't mind."
Elsa started to lift one of her hands and planned to turn towards Natalia and touch just her fingertips briefly. Natalia, however, just casually wrapped her hand around the one at Elsa's side. Elsa felt warm fingers slip in between hers and nearly gasped at the contact. It was such a strange sensation. Natalia filled the gaps between Elsa's digits perfectly, and the soft yet firm grip she kept was unfamiliar but comforting at the same time. Elsa's heart began to quicken its pace.
"Does it feel hot to you?" Natalia asked. Elsa was embarrassed. She wasn't sure if it was Natalia's innate heat that was causing her to feel warmer or if it was just the contact itself.
"Yes. A little."
"Odd," Natalia replied. "I don't feel cold at all."
Elsa couldn't bring herself to look at the girl holding her hand. She let her eyes drift somewhere off to the side of the fire. She wondered if Natalia would ever let go. She secretly hoped she wouldn't.
They stayed that way for what felt like a very long time. The crackling fire and the distant sounds of the boys and Anna filled the silence between the girls. Neither wanted to admit how right it felt to have their hands linked together in that quiet moment. Both told themselves it was just to see if anything odd happened. Just another minute. Maybe something strange would happen. Even Elsa would have justified it as an experiment and nothing more, despite the fact she had only held hands once or twice briefly with Anna, so there was really nothing to compare the feeling to anyway. Despite her lack of experience, she was pretty sure that holding hands did not normally feel this wonderful.
Elsa was the first to release the grasp. It was when she heard Anna approaching, saying,
"Ooh! A fire! That is exactly what I need right now." She held her arms out towards the flame.
Elsa and Natalia looked at one another sheepishly, putting just a bit more distance in between themselves.
"Your sister," Leo said, aiming his comment at Elsa, "is one of the most daring people I've ever met."
"She tends to act before she thinks. It's not a very princess-like way of behaving, but I wouldn't change a thing about her."
Anna shot her a toothy grin.
"Except maybe the way eats." Elsa gave a little smirk in return. "That could be improved."
"Elsa," Anna whined. "Don't ruin a nice moment with things like that."
Kristoff joined in.
"She has a point, Anna."
Anna gave him a light tap on his chest.
"Look who's talking. Sven has better table manners than you."
Leo laughed and added,
"Has he ever had milk come out of his nose in front of a foreign prime minister?"
"Don't bring that up!" Natalia lamented. "It was one time. And you made me laugh, so it wasn't really my fault."
"How severe are we talking?" Kristoff asked. "Was it just a little nose dribble or like a nostril cannon?"
"Definitely a cannon. It was everywhere; the plates, the table, the centerpiece."
Natalia groaned, covering her face.
"Boys are so disgusting."
o o o
Anna had fallen asleep on the ride home. After giving Sven a goodnight farewell, Kristoff carried her up to her room with all of the others following behind.
"You'll be dropping her off and going to your own room, right, Kristoff?" Elsa lifted a suspicious eyebrow.
"Of course," Kristoff replied quickly. "No need to worry."
"Mhm." Elsa was mostly teasing him, but it didn't hurt to remind him it was her sister he was dealing with. Kristoff was always so gentle and loving. She knew she never had to worry about him. It was Anna who liked to cause trouble.
She watched him duck into Anna's room so he could tuck her in. Leo gave his sister a gentle touch on the shoulder, wished both girls a good night, and left for his own quarters. Once again, the girls stood alone. As usual, Natalia was the first to speak up.
"Tonight was a lot of fun."
"Yes. It was."
Sensing that there wasn't much to say anyway, Natalia took the moment to slip her hand into Elsa's once again. Elsa seemed to tense for only a moment at the unexpected touch, but then let herself relax. Trying to contain her excitement, she calmly asked,
"Anything feel strange?"
"No. It still feels the same. It still feels great." She hadn't meant to say the last part, but it happened anyway.
"I've never really held hands like this with anyone," Elsa confessed.
"Really? You must get men writing to you and showing up to court you all the time."
"I do. But they don't get this far, if they get here at all."
"Then I am honored, Elsa, to be the first."
With no warning, Natalia lifted Elsa's dainty fingers and pressed a gentle kiss to them. If Elsa's cheeks hadn't already been burning, they were then. This time, it was impossible for her to deny where the heat was coming from. It was not from the woman of fire in front of her, but from her own body screaming at her that this felt wonderful and she wanted it to happen again and again. Elsa almost considered shaking Anna awake and asking her how to get rid of the overwhelming tingling sensation that was taking over.
Natalia knew she should not have been so brash. But she already had Elsa's permission to touch her, and the opportunity to give her such a chaste sign of her affection was too strong to ignore. Her instinct took over. Somewhere in her rational mind she realized she should not have been trying to show her affection at all. She wondered if, considering Elsa's circumstances, she had crossed a line. Afraid that was exactly the case, Natalia quietly excused herself and went into her room.
Elsa stood motionless in the dark hall for another moment.
"You okay?" Kristoff asked, emerging from Anna's room and spotting the queen.
Natalia heard the nearly silent response just outside the door.
"Never been better."
Elsa went off to collapse in her room, reduced to a puddle on her bed. She could still feel the kiss lingering on her skin as she fell asleep.
O O O
Author's Note: So yes, as some may have expected, Natalia has fire powers (I had left some hints). And if you cannot tell by now, I am a very 'cheesy' person ;P Day four of the week is coming soon.
