I have such a long author's note this time, I'm putting the chapter in between it. This one will be short(er).

Thanks to Shadowglyder, I've been made aware that I may not have explained Elsa's loss of limb as best I can. For any of those confused, her right hand and forearm are gone. The stump is basically her elbow. The brace she wears now is Velcro and her elbow rests inside it. The brace is worn to keep it from moving—since it isn't attached to the rest of her arm. Hope that may clear things up!

Please read the longer AN at the bottom. Enjoy!

EDIT 5/21: Thank you to SuperMegaFoxyAwesomeCobraa for pointing out that Rapunzel couldn't be fighting in a boxing tournament, since, you know...she's dead! Seriously, did no one else catch that? That was a major fail on my part...

Chapter Twenty-One: Fighting Stance

I would like to point out that it was Elsa's fault I was almost late for the tournament that day, not mine. It wasn't my fault she wouldn't come out of the bathroom that morning.

"Elsa, come on, you promised!" I shout from the other side of the locked door.

"I'm sorry, Anna, but I…I-I just can't!"

Huffing, I rest my head against the cool wood of her bathroom door. Obviously enough, I had spent the night again at her place. Probably not the best idea given I should have been mentally preparing for the matches today and not cuddling and kissing my girlfriend the entirety of the night; but then again, I couldn't deny how happy I felt upon waking up this morning to Elsa's soft lips against my temple, her fingers dancing down my spine.

"You promised!" I can't help but repeat in a whine similar to a child—what? I am still only eighteen, that's barely adulthood.

"I know!" I hear her cry, and I can tell she's truly upset. "I want to go, I swear, I'm just… I'm weak."

"You're not weak, Elsa," I tell her, lowering my voice considerably to take on a soothing tone. Sighing again, I twist the doorknob. "Can I at least come in?"

"You're going to be late…" she mumbles.

"I'm thinking of not even going at all if it means leaving you here like this."

The door unlocks and opens and I'm met with Elsa's tear-stained face. Smiling, I wrap her in a hug. She latches on and begins softly sobbing.

"What's really going on, Elsa?" I ask. "You wouldn't be crying if you just didn't want to go."

"I'm scared, Anna," she whimpers. "I… They're going to surround me and bombard me with questions I don't think I can answer. Plus, this is your day, not mine. If I'm there, you won't get the recognition you deserve because it's all going to be on me."

I can't help but chuckle softly. "Elsa, all the fans are going to be in their seats, I doubt security will allow them to flood the ring when they see you. Okay, maybe the cameras will focus on you more than they should be, given they're supposed to be taping the fights, but I'm okay with that. No one's going to say anything to you either, Els, because they know tonight isn't the time and place." Looking at her, I raise her chin so she's staring at me. "Have you told Channel 4 you want to speak?"

Elsa nods. "I did," she mumbles.

"Then they've probably alerted the other stations as well and so the media knows they'll get their story soon enough," I explain. "This night isn't your night yet, Elsa."

"It's your night," she tells me with a small smile.

I grin. "Exactly. Trying to steal my limelight, huh?"

That elicits a chuckle from her and my spirits lift. I just might win this fight.

"Believe me, Anna, you deserve every second tonight."

"Then are you ready to go?"

She pauses and I watch her eyes cloud over briefly. A flash of fear ignites within her irises before they become hardened with determination. My grin widens.

"Yes," she affirms.

We end up being only ten minutes late.

XxXxX

As Elsa and I hurry from the subway station, we see Kristoff standing at the entrance of Madison Square Garden who approaches us as soon as he sees me.

"You're late!" he cries. "Damn it, Anna, you cannot be late for something like this!"

"I'm sorry, Kris," I tell him. "But we had…to have a talk before we could leave."

I see confusion set in before he looks to Elsa standing beside me, wearing one of her overly large hoodies, hood up and braid tucked within. Smiling slightly, she gives a meek wave.

"Hi, Kristoff," she mumbles.

"Elsa!" he shouts in a whisper. "You… You're here!"

"Yeah, yeah, and we're all really happy about that, believe me," I ramble as I pull them both inside, "but I need to check in before they say I can't compete!"

I luckily sign in with no hassle and I'm even able to bring Kristoff and Elsa back with me, stating one was my trainer, and the other my strategist—which, I suppose, wasn't really stretching the truth, since Kristoff had trained me partly for the rookie tournament, as well as provided me with several decent strategies.

Immediately upon entering the locker room, Elsa shuffles even closer to me, keeping her head down as we find an empty space for me to put my things and change.

"They're not paying any attention to you, Els," I whisper as we meander our way through the crowd. "Not one single person has looked your way."

It was true, since everyone was either busy changing or warming up. Even then, I doubt they would recognize Elsa, what with her lengths to disguise herself. I literally had to talk her out of wearing sunglasses. That would actually draw more attention to her, really. I told her all she really had to do was cover her head—as a single, platinum blonde braid is her signature and could be recognized—and she was golden.

"Okay," I sigh when we find a vacant spot. "I'm going to go change real fast. If the lineup comes up meanwhile, take a look for me?"

I had addressed the both of them, but as I turn around to head to the stalls, I notice only Kristoff nods. I can't decide whether to laugh at Elsa's insecurity or take it seriously. I mean, yes, I understand her not wanting to be seen, but isn't she maybe being over the top?

Still, upon returning to them minutes later, I immediately take Elsa's hand in hopes to comfort as much as I can before the tournament starts.

"You good?" I ask, peeking down to see her beneath the hood.

She manages a small smile. "Yeah, I think so," she breathes. "You wanna…get warmed up on the bags?"

I beam back and nod. "Now that my trainer's with me this time, that'd be an excellent idea."

Half an hour later, the air horn from the rookie tournament blows, and I know it's all about to begin again.

Sure enough, the announcer comes blasting over the sound system once the audience quiets down.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boxing fans alike!"

Drowning him out to the best of my ability, I turn to look at the TV screens to see who I'm up against first. While scanning, I notice a familiar name and my stomach rolls uneasily.

Jasmine Agrabah.

Shit, she's here too? I barely beat her in the rookie tournament! Closing my eyes momentarily I send a silent prayer that somebody will knock her out before I have to fight her.

"Oooh, you got Ariel Triton, Red," Kristoff says.

"Who? And where?"

I follow his finger to the last tier on the right. Sure enough, my name and picture are listed alongside a picture of a redhead and the name Ariel.

"You know her?" I ask him.

"She tried out for the Olympics last time," Elsa informs me. "Didn't make the cut by a hair. She's really good, but so are you." She smiles. "You can beat her, Anna."

"But she's like…junior varsity Olympics! I'm…not even that!" I cry. "And she's my first fight?"

Looks like the heavens weren't with me today.

Elsa chuckles and Kristoff just rolls his eyes. Stepping closer to me, Elsa places both hands on my shoulders.

"Listen to me," she says, "you can do this, Anna. Yes, this entire night will be leagues different and harder than the rookie tournament, but you've got this. I offered to train you because I saw myself in you. You're an excellent boxer, Anna, and regardless of how this night turns out, that won't change. Win or lose, it's good experience; but if you want to win, you have to believe in yourself. Kristoff and I do, do you?"

God damn, I think, that was better than any of my self-pep talks. Where's Elsa been all my life?

"I do," I reply in a firm voice. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one's looking, I give Elsa a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you, Elsa." I look to Kristoff over her shoulder and smile. "You too, bud."

Kristoff smiles and shrugs. "It's what we're here for," he says. "We know you tend to doubt yourself before these sorts of things; you've been doing it ever since your first fight. But, even when you've lost, Anna, you learned valuable things about yourself. You're not going to get anywhere without a few losses. I'm sure Elsa's lost her share of fights as well."

"Plenty," Elsa huffs with a roll of her eyes to which I giggle. "But Kristoff's right, they only better you. We want you to win, Anna, of course, but don't think we'll think any less of you if you don't."

"And no continuing to fight with a black eye, sprained ankle, and two freaking cracked ribs this time, alright?" Kristoff adds.

Chuckling, I shove him. "Yes, dad."

XxXxX

Ariel ended up being a pretty easy win. We were evenly matched in speed, and her stamina was better than mine, I'll give her credit, but she had the tendency to be indecisive. She'd throw a punch or set up for a combo of sorts, then change her mind halfway through and begin something completely different. That would throw her off and leave her open, and after a few times of this, I ended up using it to my advantage. I managed to sweep her all three rounds, leaving me with the most points by far.

The second round had now only just begun—Ariel's and my fight being the last of the first round—and I was still going last this time, so I was spending it strategizing with Elsa.

"So, what did you do wrong with Ariel?" she asks me once we find a secluded corner in the locker room.

"Ummm…" I pause to think. "I used too much of my speed early on?"

I mean, that was true as I had been tiring out by the end of the third round. Had there been a fourth, Ariel may have managed to pull out a win.

"Well, yeah, maybe a bit," Elsa agrees. "But I'm talking about how you left yourself open several times. When you jumped back from a combo or blow, your hands would lower to below your chest. What did I constantly drill into your head one of our first sessions of training?"

Rolling my eyes playfully, I supply with a grin, "Arms above chest; you got the rest."

Elsa smiled back. "Right."

It was a silly saying that Elsa said her first trainer told her and has kind of just stuck ever since. It was easy to remember, but in the heat of things, it always seems to slip my mind.

I'm about to open my mouth and ask for other pointers when I notice Ariel coming up behind Elsa.

"Anna, right?" she asks me, a big smile on her face despite the fact she just lost to me.

"Yeah…" I answer, glancing to Elsa briefly as she tenses once Ariel speaks. "W-What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you!" she chirps. "You're really good! Did you have a trainer helping you?"

"Uh…"

I look to Elsa who seems to be burrowing impossibly deeper into her hoodie to escape the presence behind her. That, of course, was the wrong move. Ariel apparently just notices the person right in front of her, and puts two and two together.

"Oh! Is this them?" she asks.

Shit, now what?

"Yeah, um… This is…Ezra!" I make up on the dot. "He's a friend of a friend, but he's really shy, so…don't mind him!" I throw in an awkward laugh for good measure.

Ariel seems to buy it, however, and just beams. "Well, anyway, I'll be rooting for you the rest of the tournament, Anna." She turns to walk away before calling, "And bye, Ezra! Good job training Anna!"

When she's out of sight—and earshot—Elsa and I let out a collective breath.

"That was too close," Elsa mumbles.

"She believed me though," I mention.

Still, Elsa brings her hands to her face and rubs at her eyes while groaning. "Why can't I just reveal myself?" she drones. "Why can't it just be after the conference or whatever and it will all be over and done with?"

Smiling sympathetically, I lean forward and place a hand on her knee.

"Thursday night, Elsa," I tell her. "Just hold out 'til Thursday."

"But it's only Monday," she grinds out so much like a child that I have to laugh.

"And tomorrow will be Tuesday, then Wednesday, and then bam! Thursday!" Switching seats so I'm now seated next to her rather than across from her, I pull her back to my side. "Just…don't think about it," I tell her. "I know that may seem impossible, but by the time the tournament is over tonight, it'll basically be Tuesday, and then tomorrow we'll spend out somewhere doing something to keep your from thinking about it, and then Wednesday maybe you can come to work with me and read to all the kids again, 'cause they'll love that and I promised them, and then it's Thursday and we can have another ice cream and Netflix binge until you go on TV later that night!"

Elsa chuckles softly. "Sounds like you've thought this through," she mutters.

I laugh. "Pft, yeah right; I thought all that up on the spot! Just like Ezra!"

Elsa pulls away then, but is smiling now, so I hope that her spirits have lifted ever so slightly.

"Well regardless of how serious you were about all of that," she says, "I may just have to hold you to it; it does seem like the perfect distraction until then."

I beam. "Done."

"But for now…we need to get back to boxing."

I laugh and rub the back of my neck. "Yeah, we're kind of in the middle of a tournament, huh?"

Elsa grins. "Pretty big one, too, if I recall."

"Back to strategy?"

"Back to strategy."

XxXxX

"Come on, Anna, you got this!" I hear Kristoff yelling, and I'm instantly hit with a wave of déjà vu.

I'm circling my fourth opponent of the night, and it's starting to take its toll on me. While the rookie tournament consisted of eight competitors for both males and females, tonight's tourney consists of sixteen each. I've managed to make it to the semi-final round, meaning if I win this fight, I'll be in the final match for girls.

But I'm definitely feeling my injuries more tonight than ever before. Not to mention this Asian chick I'm fighting now seems to be a freaking robot and will not freaking stop…

That said, I'm not about to throw in the towel. Fuck what Kristoff said about continuing through injury; Anna Summers does not give up. I'll fight. I might pass out with the next punch to my head, but I'll fight.

"Your arms, Anna, your arms!"

That must be Elsa. I instantly raise my fists back above my chest, and manage to block a hit. I'd been watching the girl before me in her previous fights and I knew she was good when she KO'ed Jasmine two of three rounds. Now, I almost wish I was fighting Jasmine again as the cards were definitely stacked against me with this girl.

Mulan, I vaguely remember being her name through the haze of exhaustion and pounding of my head.

I dodge another punch and shake my head to clear it. Sparing a glance at my corner, I spot Kristoff and Elsa standing outside the ring, Kristoff gripping the ropes like a lifeline and Elsa with hardened, narrow eyes, surely analyzing my and Mulan's every move.

I see them standing there—both standing there—and I can't help but smile. Last time I was in this situation, the Elsa I saw was a figment of my imagination. This time, she's real. While my fatigue may be playing different tricks on me this time around, I know without a doubt Elsa is really there.

And that spurs me on more than anything.

Until a hook to my head has me crumpling to the ground.

Yeah, a boxing match probably isn't the best time to space out, Anna…

"Anna!" I hear Elsa cry.

Mulan continues to circle me like a hawk and I'm aware of the ref counting down until he can call an end to the match. I've got to get up! Attempting to stand, I sway greatly but steady myself just in time to slide away from another oncoming punch. Have I mentioned how much I hate this girl? Seriously, how is she not slowing down at all despite this being our second round?

That thought costs me as Mulan basically charges at me, fist stretched outward and socking me in the stomach. With the wind knocked out of me, I hit the floor of the ring again and resign myself to losing this round. There's no way I can regain my breath in ten seconds.

The ref blows his whistle, a bell dings, and the crowd erupts into applause. Mulan walks back to her corner without paying my heap of a body any attention, though I can hardly blame her; I probably look like roadkill.

"Anna, hey," Kristoff's whispering as he pulls me up. We walk back slowly to my corner, me with a slight limp, and I'm immediately pulled into a hug by Elsa.

"Are you okay?" she asks. "That blow to your head was brutal."

"I'm fine," I manage to rasp out. Seeing the look Kristoff's staring me down with, I add with what little bite I can muster, "Seriously."

I see Elsa and Kristoff exchange unsure glances with the other before I'm handed a bottle of water by Elsa. I'm half tempted to down the entire thing in one gulp, but I know that would only hurt me further come the start of the final round. To compensate, I pour half the bottle on my head, flipping my now-wet braids over my shoulders.

"So, I'm down two rounds," I start, "is there anything I can do to somehow surpass her in points?"

"I don't think so," Elsa tells me. "Even if you knock her out this time, Anna, it may be too little too late."

"Damn," I mumble. Rolling my neck, I hear it crack and my body is given slight relief. "Still," I determinedly state, "I'm not going down without a fight."

"What's the damage though?" Kristoff asks me.

"I'm fine, Kristoff."

Anger and a fierce look of protection flashes in his eyes. "So help me, Anna, tell me or I swear to God I throw in the fucking towel this second."

We hold each other's glare for a moment before I deflate with a sigh, too drained physically to try and win a mental battle.

"The same ankle as last time is hurting, and I probably have a concussion," I resign. "But, aside from that, nothing, okay? I swear it."

"They're getting ready to start again," Elsa tells me, looking at the ref and Mulan over my shoulder. Her right hand pulls me to her by the back of my neck and our foreheads touch. Her right hand comes to rest on my cheek, the hollow feeling reassuring somehow. "Do your best," she says. "Regardless of what happens, you had a hell of a night, and I'm proud of you."

I smile as she releases me. "Thanks, Els."

"Go get her, Red," Kristoff says as I spin back to face center ring.

Mulan and I approach each other one last time, the ref standing between us. He raises his hand straight in the air and we raise our fists. As his arm swings down, another bell chimes. I immediately take several steps backwards as Mulan lunges at me. It might seem like a fool's errand, trying to stay away from her, but evading Jasmine managed to wear her down enough for me to win last time, so maybe it will work here. I have my doubts, but I'm out of other feasible options.

I don't spend the entire time playing keep away from her fists, I do make advances of my own, and even land several hits, but I know still I'm still trying my best to kill time and keep her moving. I spare a glance to Elsa and see her nod, approving of my approach before I focus back on Mulan.

I swear, this girl is expressionless. The entire tourney her face hasn't changed from its determined glint, perfectly mirroring her trainer, a tall, built Asian man who looks like he could lead an army to war. Even as I land a hard—and quite impressive, if I can say so—combo to her side and head, her expression doesn't waver. I mean, come on!

That, more than anything else, makes me frustrated to no end and I become a bit reckless. Still, my stamina holds out as I dish out every combo Elsa and I ever honed in the gym, and I even throw in a few I had made up on my own and hadn't shown her yet. Some land, some miss, and some are retaliated with combos of Mulan's own device. We're more evenly matched this round, and I don't know if it's because she's finally getting tired, or she knows she's won and is going easy on me.

Regardless, she seems to get fed up with it all at one point, and another swift punch to the chest—right above my heart, fuck it all—has me back to the ground. Huffing, I admit defeat, my legs crying out in pain, and my brain trying to glue itself back to the base of my skull.

This time, an air horn sounds and Mulan's arm is hoisted into the air to determine her the winner. The arena goes crazy as I sit up and begin to massage my head as best as I can with my gloves on. I have my eyes closed, but I notice a shadow block the lights of the ring, and I open them to see Mulan herself standing in front of me.

Then, cracking the first smile—if I can even really call it that, with how small it is—of the night, she stretches out a hand to me that doesn't have any intention to harm me. Our gloves meet and she pulls me up, even placing her other on my shoulder to keep me still.

"Good fight," she tells me. "To be honest, I was looking forward to fighting you the most out of everyone here."

"Really?" I asked, my eyebrows probably disappearing into my hairline.

That actually elicits a chuckle from her. "Really," she answers. "You're really good, and proved quite the challenge."

"Thanks," I mumble, rubbing the back of my neck again. "Kinda didn't seem like it from my eyes, but I'm glad you think so."

Her smile just grows as she leans in closer. Glancing to my corner, she adds, "Plus, it's not every day you get to fight a boxer trained by Elsa Arendelle herself."

My heart stops.

"H-How did you…?"

Mulan pulls back and shrugs, her smile now smug. "I'm observant. Plus, I like to know extensively who I'm up against, even if that means…dropping an ear to their conversations in the locker room."

"You…" I try to look mad, but I'm sure I come off looking ready to explode from fear instead. Mulan notices and her smug look dissipates, an honest, kind smile being left behind.

"Look, I'm sorry," she says. "I know this is a big deal to Elsa, and I respect her not only as a boxer, but as a person, so, like the rest of us, I'll wait until Thursday to hear the entire story. From her."

I open my mouth, but Mulan cuts me off with a grin. "And no, I won't tell anyone," she laughs.

Sighing, I smile back. "Thank you, Mulan."

Nodding, she regains her stoic look before holding out her hand once more. "It was a pleasure fighting you, Anna."

"You too," I say as I shake her hand. "Good luck."

She nods before turning to walk back her to her corner, the large Asian man merely nodding at her before they walk away.

"What was that about?" Kristoff asks as he comes up behind me, Elsa in tow.

"Just…congratulating me on a good fight," I reply. "Apparently she really wanted to fight me. Luckily, I didn't disappoint."

As the three of us walk back to the locker room, I feel Elsa take my hand.

"You did great, Anna," she tells me, bumping my shoulder with hers. "Coming in third in your first legitimate tournament not geared towards rookies? That's a big deal!"

"What did you come in your first time?" I ask, honestly curious. "I promise I won't get dejected or anything if you, like, won the whole thing."

Grinning, she answers, "Third."

"Really?" I ask. "You're not just saying that?"

"Nope," she says back. "I really did come in third. How's that for coincidence?"

Matching her grin, I say, "That's good then; looks like I'm right on track to competing in the Olympics!"

No prize goes out to third, just first, so Elsa, Kristoff and I retire to a lobby area in the Garden to watch the final match after I change back into street clothes. Kristoff runs to the bar to grab us a couple drinks when Elsa snuggles against me.

"So, you're not too upset about third, right?" she asks.

"Surprisingly? No." I sigh as I adjust the hood on her head. "I mean, yeah, it sucks, but if this were the Olympics, I'd be coming home with a bronze, so…"

"Always look on the bright side, huh?"

I grin. "It's one of my few good habits." I pause, and then cock my head as I continue, "Of course, the Olympics would have even better boxers than this did, so I probably wouldn't have really come in third—especially it being my first time—so…"

"Anna," Elsa cuts me off with a chuckle. "Rambling."

Blushing, I squeak out a sorry, before I literally bury myself in her neck, her soft hoodie covering my mouth to keep me from saying anything else. I really am happy with my results, so I will not allow my mouth to bring me down, no matter how much it wishes to go on.

"Beer, anyone?" Kristoff offers as he returns with three bottles in his hands.

We sit together on a couch and watch the final round. Mulan's up against this brunette named Meg and they were basically made for each other. Each counters the other's moves, barely any hits are landed, let alone points scored, and the first round drags on and on and is looking to be a stalemate. Then suddenly, Meg seems to flip a switch somewhere and she has Mulan knocked out the next second from a powerful jab. I'm floored.

"Damn," I whisper. "She got Mulan."

"Glad you're not fighting her, aren't you, Red?" Kristoff asks me with a sly smile.

I don't even bother trying to refute him, because I truly am. The hit would probably have killed me.

"How's your head?" Elsa's asking next, once Mulan comes to and is led back to her corner.

I rub the left side where most of the pain seems to be lingering before answering. "Better. The medic looked at it before I left the locker room and said it's not too serious. I'll probably end up sleeping most of tomorrow, but I'm good."

Kissing my left temple, Elsa blushes. "That help any?"

"My God, Elsa, you're a drug," I respond, moving so I can kiss her on the lips.

Elsa laughs in the kiss before Kristoff's clearing his throat loudly next to us.

"Not that I'm not happy for you both, but…seriously? In the middle of the arena?"

I roll my eyes. "There are barely any people around, Kris," I say. "I doubt that counts as PDA."

"Still in public," Kristoff says with a grin.

I stick my tongue out at him in jest before returning my attention to the TV for the second round, resting my head on Elsa's shoulder.

The bell to start the fight hasn't even rung by the time I'm fast asleep.

Okay, so I just felt the need to really try and express my gratitude to each and every one of you, especially those of you that review. Recently a lot of crap has been going on in the Elsanna fandom regarding writers getting flamed for their stories being too "angsty," "annoying," or "having too much implied," etc. I don't honestly know the half of it, but I do know that it has caused at least one writer to leave the fandom with little say on whether he/she will be returning, and many others to put their stories on hiatus.

To this I say two things. One, there is a difference between constructive criticism and just being downright rude. I use Shadowglyder as another example, when he/she messaged me questioning Elsa's arm, the message was kind and helpful. He/She truly wanted to help me and this is why it was pointed out. Had they said "Gosh you're such a bad writer! You keep going back and forth between saying 'Elsa's hand' and 'Elsa's arm.' Make up your mind!" I probably would have simply ignored it. This is not helpful, and this isn't even the worse of what is apparently going around.

So, two, thank you to all of you out there for never have given me reason to hate this fandom. I am beginning to think myself blessed for not having experienced any of this drama—and I knock on wood to keep it that way. Like I've said before, this is my most popular story and also my baby. If you notice something out of place—plot holes, continuity, questions in general—you can ask. Just make sure it's helpful. But, thanks again, my beloved admirers.

Lastly, for any of you who also follow me on Tumblr (x-sodenozangetsu-x), you know I am planning a Werewolf!Anna AU. This is still a thing, and it even has a title now: Still of the Night. Hopefully, the first chapter will be out tomorrow, so keep an eye out for it! It'll most likely end up being rated T (no smut, sorry) and will be under 10 chapters (more like 4 or 5). I plan to update it simultaneously with Sucker Punch. Inspiration will determine which story is updated, but I'll try to keep both on a semi-regular schedule. That being said, I start my first full-time job next week, so, keep being awesome and understand that.

Thank you. :)