It was two days before Elsa's birthday, and a grand ball was to be held in honor of her, despite her early protests. It was all Anna's idea, and Kristoff, Olaf and even Elise jumped on the idea immediately. Elsa finally relented, as long as she didn't have to partake in any kind of planning. She was busy enough as she is.
Anna was watching Elise since Elsa was trying to clear all of the paperwork in her study so she wouldn't have anything to worry about for the next week. Elise toddled over to Anna and she placed her on her lap.
"Gift for Elsa." Elise whispered in Anna's ear, sounding like she was telling her about a conspiracy theory. She then pointed outside, and Anna pieced the two things together.
"You want to buy her a present for her birthday?" Anna clarified, and Elise grinned, nodding her head quickly. Anna mirrored her smile and went immediately to the little girl's quarters to dress her appropriately for the cold weather. It was nearing December, and the snow falling from the sky was thankfully not woman-made.
After dressing herself and stuffing random denominations of money in her dress pocket, she went over towards the library, or Elsa's study, as she called it, little Elise in tow. Using her signature knock, she waited until she heard the muffled sound of 'Come in, Anna' from inside and opened the door, staying by the frame.
"Hey, Elsa, I just wanted you to know that I'm taking Elise out to play." Anna covered up, not wanting to expose Elise's true intentions. Elsa turned her head to look at her, then her eyes averted down and saw a Elise wearing a similar outfit to Anna's, shaking her head at how adorable they both looked.
"Alright. Don't go too far." Elsa smiled softly before going back to her mounds of paperwork. Anna cringed at the thick stacks, her respect for her big sister growing that much more. Swooping Elise up in her arms, they darted down the stairs and out of the palace gates.
"Do you have anything in mind for Elsa?" Anna asked with her voice low as she walked around. She kept her hood over her head, as well as a bonnet over Elise's, and kept her head down so as not to draw any unwanted attention. Very few people knew of Elise's adoption, and Elsa still was not ready to reveal her daughter to the public yet, for fear of how they would react.
"Chocolate," Elise lisped, coming out as 'chocwits'. And then added, "And necklace."
"Are you sure you're not courting her?" Anna joked, laughing at Elise's gift choices. "How about something more age appropriate, like a card or a bracelet or something? Ooh, you can even have it engraved!"
"Yes, yes!" Elise agreed, giggling a bit. She walked towards her favorite little dessert shop on her right. When the bell rang as Anna entered, the owner behind the counter looked over at the door and grinned.
"Why, good to see you again, Princess Anna! I made a fresh batch just an hour ago." The owner grinned. Anna was more or less a regular in his shop, coming in once a week to buy out all of his nougat-centered chocolate and eating them one right after another in the corner of his modest parlor. "And who is the little princess?"
"Hey there, Mr. Julian. Oh, she's a family friend," Anna lied quickly. "Her family is staying in the castle for Elsa's birthday and this one here wanted to buy her a gift."
"Ooh, how precious. If I am correct, Queen Elsa likes plain milk chocolate?" Mr. Julian clarified, starting to put a few pieces in a large box. Anna nodded, and she then added, "Also ones with macadamia nuts and pistachios in them. Also throw in a few pieces of dark chocolate in there as well."
The box was now almost full, leaving enough space for around four to five more pieces. "Any choices from the little princess?" Mr. Juilan asked Elise sweetly. Elise pointed at the white chocolate pieces marbled with pink.
"Ah, good eye. That's our new item. White chocolate with strawberry bits." He said, squeezing five pieces into the box, and then giving one to Elise. She devours this quickly, and then smiled cheekily.
"It's good, isn't it?" Mr. Julian grinned as he tied a ribbon over the large box of chocolates and placing it in a bag. Elise nodded her head eagerly, licking at her fingers. Anna shifted Elise so she was holding her with one arm. While she was preoccupied, Mr. Julian quickly filled a small box with nougat centered chocolates and white-pink marbled chocolates and putting it in the bag as well. She payed Mr. Julian first before taking the bag. He went around the counter to assist Anna, opening the door for her.
"Thanks for the extras," Anna grinned before heading out. She pulled her hood back over her head as she headed towards the jewelers, known for making the royal family's crowns, tiaras, and jewelry. Once she got inside, she set the chocolate and Elise down first since her arms were starting to get tired. She went up to the woman behind the counter, her hand tightly holding Elise's.
"Good afternoon, Princess Anna. How may I be of service?" The woman asked, bowing slightly. "Is it for the Queen?"
"For the little one's mother." Anna said, not exactly revealing the whole truth. The woman didn't know. "She insisted on picking." Anna said, pointing at Elise who was marveling at how shiny everything was.
"Oh, I see." The woman smiled softly. She then asked Elise, "What are you looking for, sweetheart? A bracelet?" She asked. Elise nodded shyly, taking Anna's advice. The woman shuffled through drawers and crouched down to Elise's level to show her the collection.
"I have simple bracelets here, some are like cuffs and some are like chains." The woman said, pointing at each one. "And we also have mother-daughter ones here, so you two can match."
Elise wasn't too interested in the bracelets, but when she turned her head to the side, she saw a rustic looking copper pendant that caught her attention. She walked over to it and asked to see it up close, which the woman gladly complied with. Anna was currently sitting down on a chair, the small box of chocolates on her lap and discreetly eating the nougat centered chocolates one by one as she watched Elise with a hawk's eye.
Elise examined the pendant, tracing the intricate flower engravings on the front. The lady unceremoniously took the pendant from her and showed her that it could be opened.
"It's a locket. You can put your picture here, and then you can put your mother's picture right next to it. We can also engrave your and your mother's name on the inside if you would like." The woman informed her, and Elise nodded vigorously. Anna, sensing that she was needed, walked over to them, wiping all traces of chocolate from her mouth.
"You found something?" Anna asked, crouching down. Elise showed her the locket and smiled. "Not bad. Are you gonna get it engraved?" The little girl nodded and gave it to the woman, who immediately started polishing the pocket to bring out a subtle shine.
"What are you gonna put on the locket?" Anna asked, picking Elise up. The woman opened the locket so she could designate the names.
"Elise," Elise said, tapping the left side. "El-" before she could finish, Anna cut her off by saying, "Mama. She meant 'mama' on the right."
"Alright, I'll have it done immediately. Would you like for us to call a carriage?" The woman asked, starting to prepare her engraving tools.
"That would be lovely, thank you." Anna said. They had walked a good distance from the castle, and Anna was tired from walking while carrying both Elise and her gifts. The woman went out to the doorman and asked him to call a carriage, and he did so immediately.
Anna and Elise waited for a good thirty minutes for the engraving to be done. While waiting, they finished the small box of chocolates that Mr. Julian sneaked in the bag. The woman came to them and showed them her handicraft, waiting for approval. A beautiful penmanship was etched onto the metal. Though Elise still could not read, she thought it looked pretty and allowed the woman to pack it in a gift box.
Anna paid a modest sum, surprising her a bit. When they entered the carriage the shop called for, the sun was already beginning to set. Chocolates and locket on their laps, and Elise snuggled right next to Anna, the horse started trotting towards the castle.
"Elise, if I could just ask, you've been with us for quite some time now. Why is it that you still call Elsa . . . well, Elsa?" Anna asked, berating herself for being a tad bit too blunt. Elise shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't you want to call her mama?" Anna asked, a bit more confident this time, but started to regret cutting Elise off when she was about to say Elsa's name in the jewelry store. Elise looked at Anna with longing eyes as she nodded her head. She put her arm around the girl right when the carriage went over an unearthed cobblestone.
"Why don't you call her that then?" Anna pushed. Elise looked a bit uncertain, but when Anna nodded her head in confirmation, her eyes twinkled with happiness.
"I can?" Elise whispered excitedly, her voice almost reverent. And then it hit Anna. This girl had been hiding what she wanted the most because she didn't know if she was allowed to. Anna gave Elise a small squeeze.
"Of course you can. I think she'd love you that much more!" Anna said, and then an idea came into mind. "Actually, I think I have something planned."
When the carriage arrived at the castle, Kai and Gerda immediately helped the pair in going down the carriage and unloading their purchases.
"Milady, your sister is worried sick. I daresay there is a blizzard inside the castle right now." Kai informed Anna, and she immediately shoved the things they bought in Gerda's hands.
"Please bring these up to my quarters. Place them just by the dresser. I'll deal with Elsa." Anna said, picking Elise up and entering the castle. The temperature was extremely low, snow angrily whirling around the main hall, causing her to hug Elise closer to her body. She could see a faint figure, most probably Elsa, in the distance pacing back and forth.
"Elsa, we're back. Could you stop the blizzard, please, it's cold enough outside!" Anna yelled, and the snow immediately stopped. Elsa ran towards them, quickly taking Elise in her arms.
"I was worried sick about you two! You said that you were just going to play outside." Elsa asked hastily, kissing Elise's forehead. "I was done with the paperwork early and I thought I'd join you two but you were nowhere to be seen."
"Oh, we headed out because I wanted to show Elise the dessert shop we like. Don't worry, we kept ourselves incognito. I'm sorry for not telling you." Anna said, sharing a look with Elise.
Elsa exhaled loudly through her nose. "Fine, but inform me the next time you leave the premises."
"Will do."
"Happy birthday, Elsa!" Anna yelled, jumping on Elsa's bed with Elise laughing loudly. Elsa never kept her door locked since she swore to Anna that she wouldn't; not again. Elsa covered her head with a pillow, groaning loudly as she flopped on her stomach.
"I wasn't born until noon." Elsa muttered, trying to sneak in a few more minutes of sleep.
"No one cares about that detail! Come on, open your gifts!" Anna grinned. Elise was chanting beside her, "Open, open, open!"
With heaps of effort, Elsa sat upright, propping her back against the headboard. She rubbed the tiredness from her eyes and parted her wavy hair to one side.
"Me first!" Anna grinned, handing her sister a large parcel. Elsa ripped the paper and opened the box to see random little trinkets such as a scarf, a carrot, sheet music and a lot more.
"They're all things that remind me of you. I also have a letter there, explaining why and what." Anna added, waiting for her sister's reaction. Elsa laughed at her quirkiness and opened her arms out to hug her, which she gladly accepted.
"Thank you." Elsa smiled thoughtfully, replacing the cover of the box. Anna handed another one to her, and Elsa stared at her sister in confusion.
"This one's from Kristoff." Anna clarified. Elsa removed the crude wrapping and saw that it was a wooden sculpture of her, standing regally in her ice dress and side braid.
"He said that ice would melt easily, so he tried his hand at wood carving." Anna explained.
"Where is Kristoff, by the way?" Elsa asked. Elise crawled her way towards Elsa's lap, and Elsa wrapped her arms around her daughter instinctively.
"Oh, he's outside the door. He was scared that you might not like it. Plus, this is your personal quarters. He wouldn't want to intrude." Anna supplied. Elsa smiled.
"Thank you for the lovely gift, Kristoff. I think it looks wonderful." Elsa said loudly enough to be heard outside.
"You are welcome, your majesty." Kristoff replied through the closed door. Anna handed Elise's gifts for Elsa to her. Elise looked at Anna, doubt evident on her face, but Anna smiled encouragingly.
Elise looked up, just as Elsa looked down on her, and all fear was thrown out the window. With a beaming smile, Elise lisped, "Happy birthday, Mama."
Elsa felt like she was hearing things, like her mind was not really coordinating with her today. Looking directly into her daughter's eyes, she said, "Can you say that again, Elise? What did you call me?"
Shyly this time, Elise wrapped her arms around Elsa's middle and looked up at her. "You're my mama."
Tears started to well up in Elsa's eyes, bring a hand up to her mouth as she was overwhelmed with emotion. Little snowflakes scattered the air, falling on random places. She hugged Elise tightly, peppering her little face with kisses as she whispered, "Yes, little love. I'm your mama."
Elise laughed and grabbed the large chocolate box, dragging it since it was too heavy. Elsa took this time to wipe away her tears, though she was smiling like no tomorrow. "Thank you," Elsa mouthed, and Anna couldn't help but grin back.
A very happy birthday indeed.
Can't help myself. This one just came to me.
Please do tell me what you think. Wishing you all the best!