A/N: I don't own Disney or Frozen.
The sun was setting over the hill, long shadows were cast over the horizon. The clouds were hues of red, pink, orange, and yellow. Off in the distance were some of dark blue and purple shades, potentially a storm.
After about 10 minutes, Anna finally crept out of her hiding place. She peered around before exiting the maze completely and did not see Elsa anywhere. She gripped her fists shut tightly at her side and was angry with herself for running. She was angry for hiding. She didn't feel in control of her emotions and trudged her way to the closest bar that was right by the small stage and dance floor outside.
Typically, Anna would have had a beer or a wine, or something lighter to start the night off, but opted for liquor. 'Liquid courage?' she hoped as she inhaled a martini and requested two more in just a few short movements.
"Hey Anna, there you are! I see you decided to get a drink without us." Kristoff's voice boomed over a couple of people with his hand in the air. Tiana was by his side but now her friends had arrived as well, she recognized Namaari, Raya, and Charlotte from the bonfire, but she also had two unfamiliar faces with her.
"Well, it was urgent," She intended to make it sound as if she were joking and failed, now she just sounded awkward or like an alcoholic. "Why don't I find us all a table and we can catch up?" Anna smiled, grabbed her martinis, and pointed in which direction she was heading.
Down a small slope there were white wooden gazebos covered in string lights. There was a small area between all the tables with a piano and some other string instruments on the stands. A few men in tuxedos appeared to be prepping to begin performing. There were paved areas surrounding it for dancing or chatting, lined with higher tables.
Anna found a round white iron table with what appeared to be enough seats for the group's current size. She knew as the party size grew; more groups would also migrate to this area. Shortly after she sat, the group showed up. Kristoff sat to her left, followed by Tiana, Charlotte, Aladdin, Jasmine, Raya, and Namaari who sat next to her completing the circle. Introductions were made and everyone complimented each other's attire; Tiana in a long cream and green dress, Kristoff in a gray and black suit, which appeared to have pieces made of leather, Charlotte in an over the top pink dress, Aladdin wore a white suit with a large matching kufi, Jasmine was in a long blue dress, Raya was wearing a form fitting teal dress with red and gold bangles, but Anna was intrigued by Namaari's outfit the most. She had a cream-colored sleeveless dress with large bowed out shoulders. Her dress had a red cloth belt around her waist, cinching it in. She wore numerous gold bangles and large gold earrings. Her black hair was shaved on one side of her head, with the other half draped over.
"I take it you like my dress?" Namaari bent and whispered to Anna who had not realized she'd been staring.
The redhead became flustered and finished one of her martini's. "Yes, I was, I mean I do, sorry about that. I'm not all here tonight."
"That's all right. Sometimes I daydream about dragons." The black-haired woman managed to surprise Anna once again.
"Dragons? Really?" Anna's teal eyes lit up.
"Yes, but don't tell anyone okay? It can be our secret." Namaari winked.
"What secret, dep'la?!" Raya shouted over the table, causing Namaari to laugh. "I wish you could take me seriously." Raya crossed her arms and muttered under her breath, "...binturi."
Namaari stood up and punched her fist into her other open hand, "You want to take this outside?" she joked and then bent down to Anna. "Let's chat more later, right now I've got to take care of this one." Nodding her heard where Raya was seated.
Once Raya saw Namaari stand up, she followed suit and began sneakily side-stepping away from the table. When she saw Namaari bend down, she used the opportunity to take off. Kristoff stroked his chin, "But we're already outside?"
The group giggled as they watched the Namaari head to chase after Raya. Anna remembered at the bonfire Tiana telling her all about how they had been competitive friends since childhood. Tiana assumed they would end up dating eventually, but it still hasn't happened.
Elsa was taken through the party by Aurora to what she could only describe as an extravagant ballroom that was connected to the front room with ornate double doors. They were on their way to meet up with Mulan and their friend Meg.
There were high tables lining the pillars, the high ceiling was painted in a renaissance-esque style, a door on the far of the room led to a private garden. Elsa took in her surroundings as they moved through the crowds. Aurora's hand on Elsa's forearm was guiding her, so she let her feet do the work while her eyes danced around.
Lining the pillars were high top tables with varying batches of high-class people. Whether they were or not based on the costuming was a different story. 'Tonight, everyone can be someone else.' Elsa pondered as they arrived at the table.
Mulan was standing on the edge, next to her was a brunette woman wearing a pink dress that was cut similarly to Elsa's, however hers did not include any attachments, her shoulders were completely exposed. She was thin and had vibrant yet thin purple eyes. Her hair was wrapped up in a ponytail with a few braids throughout.
"I'm Megara, but my friends call me Meg." The brunette reached her hand out towards Elsa.
"Hi, I'm Elsa. Aurora and Mulan told me about you, it's nice to meet you." Elsa reached for her braid to stroke it but forgot her hair was pulled up tightly. She rested her hands in front of her and moved closer to the table.
"I hope you like wine, we grabbed extra glasses so we could make less trips through the crowd," Mulan joked, and everyone picked up a glass.
Mulan and Aurora spoke together off to one side of the table, so Meg tried to open up a conversation with Elsa, "Hey blondie, I hear you're a writer?"
"I hear you're one too, unfortunately I haven't been practicing too much as of late. You write a lot of historical pieces and poems, right?" Elsa sipped her wine.
"I do, did you do your homework or did those two knuckleheads spill all the details?"
"Well, they told me that but not much else. Sorry, I wouldn't mind getting to know you better, it is just so hard at this party. It's so loud and distracting." Elsa admitted. Her voice rose higher than normal over the background noises.
"You don't have to get to know me today then Elsa, why don't we have fun and see where it goes?" Meg grinned and wrapped her arm around Elsa's waist.
Elsa blushed and drank the rest of the glass of wine in her hand and grabbed another.
A rush of people and voices echoed into the ballroom, Elsa looked to where some people were filing in and towards the door that led outside, it had begun to pour the rain. The air was filled with complaints and worries, somebody said, "I hope it passes soon." Another said, "I hope it ends before it's time for the fireworks." A final voice Elsa noticed said, "I hope the dance party later doesn't get moved to indoors."
Elsa hadn't moved out of the brunette's embrace. She wasn't sure if it was a lack of care, alcohol, or that she had missed feeling wanted. Her phone vibrated in her purse at her side between the pair, cutting the moment short. She was a little disappointed but apologized to Meg to look at her phone. It was just a text from her mother.
'I hope your night is going well, drink water. If you need anything come and find me. ILY'
'Thanks Mom, ILY.' was all she wrote as she slipped her phone back into her bag. She peered out the doors again and noticed the rain was really coming down, but the influx of people made it warmer inside. She removed the thin long vest cloak from her layers and draped it on a nearby tall stool. Her mind wandered to Anna for a moment, remembering the last place she had seen her was running through the back garden. She hoped she had returned inside before the rain. She had the thought to reach for her bag and text the redhead but just as she was about to do so, Meg wrapped her arm around her again and this time pulled her closer. Elsa figured Anna would be fine and returned to the conversation with her friends. 'It's a party Elsa, just have fun.'
Namaari and Raya returned to the table with more drinks for everyone. Anna was now on her fourth martini, which didn't seem too strong, but she felt as if she was loosening up a bit. She figured she should take it slower after this one but had not fully decided yet as it seemed as if the rest of the party was keeping up with her. A crack of thunder was heard in the distance. Most of the group returned inside to avoid the incoming rain. Anna wanted to stay behind a bit longer.
"I think you should come in and be with us, so we can keep partying." He looked at his friend.
Anna was about to speak again but Namaari returned to her seat by her side, "I'll stay out here with her a little bit longer and we'll come find you all when it starts to rain."
This satisfied Kristoff and he rejoined the rest of their friends trudging up the hill back to the patio and into the house.
Anna drank her martini and looked at the sky, there were some bright flashes of light, she had not looked at Namaari yet. "You didn't have to stay; I would have been okay."
Namaari chuckled and picked up her own drink. She leaned back in her chair. "I know you would have. I just wanted some alone time with you."
Anna bit her lip and blushed furiously, still looking away from the other girl.
"What? You got nothing to say to that princess?"
Suddenly, the rain began pouring down. "Shit, that's cold." Namaari said and stood up. "Come on, let's get you inside."
Anna nodded and accepted Namaari's hand. Namaari wrapped her arms around Anna as they had no other protection, squeezed Anna tight to her body as they walked up the hill. Unfortunately, many other people had the idea of waiting until it was too late and there was a large jam at the back door. Namaari remembered the other entrances and hauled Anna the other way. They followed the outside of the house until they got to the side.
There was a small stone wall surrounding another paved area that led to a door, the girls could see the light shining from the inside. Namaari in a swift movement picked Anna up in a bridal carry motion and popped her over the barrier. The black-haired girl quickly hopped over after and then continued to hold her close to her body to help prevent as much rain as possible. Once they made it close to the door, they were under a large enough covering to be out of the rain.
They were both slightly out of breath for quite different and distinct reasons. Anna did her best to look at Namaari, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, next time, let's listen to your friend." She waved her arms at her side to try to shake some of the precipitation off. "Are you okay? Are you cold?"
"I'm fine," Anna said and looked back at the floor. Her head popped up quick, "Oh no! I forgot my martini!"
Namaari laughed and bent over a bit, "You are something else today, aren't you? I will grab you a new one, should we find everyone else?"
"Not yet, if you don't mind. I can wait for you here." She danced one of her feet along the ground.
"Sure thing. Why don't you wait right inside of this door so you can warm up a bit," Namaari pulled the glass door open in front of them, "And when I get back, we can go stand in the rain some more?"
Anna nodded and walked in the open doorway. Namaari disappeared into the crowds. Anna had every intention of zoning out until her eyes locked on a figure a few tables away. She was about to turn around and run away again, until she realized the person hadn't seen her yet. She instead took these free moments to soak in every detail of her. Of Elsa.
Anna believed Elsa's humble tiara would be enough to make any person bow. Her eyes were deep like the ocean and alluring. Her lips were tempting. The way the dress hugged her neck and breasts made Anna's knees weak. The pale skin of her fully exposed arms looked so soft; she could see her faint freckles stand out against her white dress.
Anna's legs began to move on their own, this time towards Elsa instead of away. She felt her heart being pulled until suddenly it felt as if the thread between them was severed. As if fate themselves, cut the binding between the two. There was another woman, a beautiful woman who had long brown hair, an amazing body with appealing curves, with her arm around Elsa. And Elsa was smiling. She may have even been leaning into it.
The redhead once again prayed for control over her body. This time she wanted to choose to run but she was frozen in place. Terrified that in her petrified state, Elsa would notice her. A million thoughts ran through her head, and she wished that if she were going to be stuck like this, as a heartbroken statue, that at least the brunette would leave her field of vision. The image was unchanging no matter how many times she blinked or pleaded with the universe. 'It should be of no importance.' 'It's just an arm around her body, around Elsa's body.' 'Maybe they're just friends.' 'Maybe they're more.' 'You kept running and now she's moving on.' 'This is all of my fault.' 'She ran first.' 'This is nothing.' 'This is everything.' 'The alcohol is making it worse.' 'The alcohol is making it better.'
"I need a drink." Anna finally said aloud and used all of her willpower to take a step. She wafted through the people and even right past Elsa. She didn't care if Elsa noticed her now, or at least that is what she told herself until she felt a hand on her arm. The touch was cool and dainty, this person wasn't gripping her or holding her in place, but she stopped anyway.
"Hey there, are you okay?" Elsa tilted her head at Anna who turned her head back to face her, but ended when her gaze met her wrist where Elsa's hand still rested, "You are really wet. Did you get stuck out in the rain? I don't want you to catch cold."
"I'm okay," Anna stuttered and then looked up at Elsa finally. She wasn't staring at her like she had been prior. She wasn't gawking or speechless. She was just a person. She was the Elsa she met on her family road trip. And these were her those eyes, her eyes, looking into hers with concern and care. "I should have come inside sooner, but I'm an idiot." Anna tried to laugh it off.
"No, you're not." Elsa insisted. "You look beautiful. Honestly, I am not sure that word is sufficient."
Anna was frozen again but in a pleasant place. One where it was just her and Elsa.
"Are you going to say something? I won't force you to." Elsa spoke but it was as if her words were echoes in the substantial hall.
"I..." Anna started but she began to feel dizzy. Namaari's voice rung through ushering her over with a drink in hand. 'That will fix it.' "I got to go."
She went to remove Elsa's hand but first cupped her own over top, "Will you find me later? Promise?"
"I promise." Elsa swore as the red head dipped between people and landed in the company of one of the people she had recognized from the girl's bonfire. The black-haired woman handed Anna a drink and wrapped her arm around her shoulder as they headed towards the secluded patio garden.
Elsa returned to her table and met eyes with Meg who may have given her a questioning look she decided to disregard. She picked up her wine glass, which may have been her fourth or fifth by now, and raised it to the table, "It's a party, let's have fun!", now stating her internal mantra of the evening. Each woman smiled back, raised their glasses, and drank along with the blonde.
Anna and Namaari remained at the other edge of the ballroom, the crowd still thickening with the arrival of more guests escaping the down pour. Elsa was no longer in her sightline which was assisting her with some base level impulse control.
Namaari broke the silence, "Isn't that your soon to be new stepsister? You should introduce me sometime soon."
"Something like that," Anna peered as the brunette who was at Elsa's side came into her field of vision. She could see the woman's thin arm caressing something that could have been Elsa's arm. She felt a warmth growing, like anger.
"Are you two fighting? Do you need me to beat her up?" Namaari giggled at Anna's intense gaze.
"No, we're not, but maybe."
"Well, let me know, it gets boring only fighting Raya." The taller woman chuckled trying to relax the mood. Namaari took her arm and wrapped it around Anna's shoulders and pulled her closely in. "Can I put my arm here?" She looked down with so much confidence that Anna melted a little bit.
With a small "mhm" Anna agreed and accepted this warmth for the moment.
They rested in that position for a while until Namaari felt Anna begin to loosen up and relax. "Let's go back and find everyone else."
Anna nodded and Namaari cleared a small path, guiding the shorter redhead by hand. Inevitably they had to pass by Elsa's table again. She hadn't seen Aurora or Mulan originally, but as they passed them now, she gave a small wave that was reciprocated. Mulan also threw a questioning glance at the woman leading her but not with judgment, just unexpected.
Anna looked around for one more glance at Elsa but instead she was met with the lustful eyes of the brunette she had seen before leaning in and planting a kiss on the blonde's lips. She stared only for a moment more but only to see Meg now looking directly at her with a smirk on her face. This made Anna increase her pace and now start leading Namaari out of the room in a hurry.
"What was that for?" Elsa asked dumbfounded as Meg pulled away from her.
"It's a party, let's have fun, right?" Meg stepped in closer again. Elsa instinctively backed up a bit, her mind racing about how she had now kissed more than one person in her life. It was a bit too much and she began feeling overwhelmed.
Mulan came and patted Elsa on the back, "Wow, I didn't know you had it in you. You are kind of a lady's man. Or a lady's lady. I'm not as eloquent, you get what I'm saying." Mulan felt a small pinch on her arm and whimpered a low, "...what was that for?" As Aurora dragged her away and got close to Elsa.
"Hey, are you doing all right? Do you need some water or a break?" The other blonde's voice was full of worry while Elsa had still disassociated some with shock, maybe guilt, or no, it was fear.
"I'm afraid," Elsa did not mean to whimper aloud but only Aurora heard her.
Aurora got the memo and nonchalantly let the other two women know that the two were going to go catch some air. They went through the back door of the room Elsa was watching the rain out of earlier, where unbeknownst to her, Namaari and Anna had appeared from.
The rain had let up some as they stepped out onto the paved area.
"I'm sorry about that Elsa, I suppose I forgot how forward Meg can be." She crossed her arms and waited for her friend to speak.
"It's not your fault, I was sort of feeding into her attention. It felt good, but a kiss? I didn't think something as small as a kiss would hurt so bad. Meg didn't hurt me, it's just what I'm dealing with, internally." Elsa crossed her arms too and sipped the drink in her left hand. The rain had fully stopped now. She looked up at the sky and continued, "I know we haven't talked much about what happened, and I've appreciated your discretion. I know it hasn't been long but maybe a distraction like Meg would be welcome. If I can let myself allow it."
Aurora pursed her lips and smiled for friend, "Whatever choice you make, know you can count on me to back you up. I won't interfere with any more Meg stuff unless you tell me. Just know that you don't have to do anything you don't want to. Not one bit."
Elsa smiled back, "I know. I think I could use another drink." She swished her empty cup and the two blondes returned to the party together.
Mulan and Meg were chatting at the table, more full glasses had already appeared. Mulan must have made another run. Elsa was grateful and took one back.
"That's pretty impressive, your majesty." Meg winked and finished a whole drink in unison. "I'm sorry if I did anything wrong. I saw your interaction with that redhead, and I only know a little bit about the situation, she is your ex, right?"
"Something like that," Elsa tried to hide her still present discomfort.
"I thought so, I just always thought that sometimes having a bit of fun can help with those moments?" Meg pleaded with her eyes and slipped her hand over Elsa's. The blonde didn't pull back and didn't agree. Elsa had no idea Anna had witnessed the kiss and pulled Meg's hand that was covering her own, up to her lips to place a light kiss in reciprocation. "I'll consider it. If we take it slow." She didn't have the same confidence she had those times with Anna or even earlier, but she did have some slight alcohol influence, letting words fall out she wasn't sure she meant. What was the saying, "a drunk mind speaks the sober truth?" The kiss was mostly to placate the woman, but Elsa may have bit more off than she could chew.
"Hey blondie, don't the fireworks start soon? Why don't we get front row seats?" Meg wrapped her arm around Elsa's as they headed towards the backyard. Elsa looked back with some worry but felt relieved when she saw Aurora and Mulan were following her. Aurora gave her a smile and the group was off.
Anna and Namaari met up with their other friends, Kristoff gave her a couple of "I told you so's," about the rain. She played it off nicely and she kept a large smile on her face so as to not alert the others to what she had witnessed and more so how she was dealing with it. They were all gathered in the main room, she could see her father and Iduna chatting with various guests near their thrones. Agnarr had his arm around Iduna's waist. Iduna spotted Anna in her peripheral and summoned her over. Namaari followed out of habit at this point.
Once Anna arrived, she looked at Iduna still in her father's arms. She was jealous, not of the two people but of the predicament. An image of the other woman's arm around Elsa as she had seen earlier, she wished it could have been her own. As if someone had read her thoughts, Namaari wrapped her arm around the redhead, she did still blush again but accidentally flashed a sad look. She watched Namaari properly introduce herself to Iduna and her father, but Iduna kept looking to her, as if she were giving her a specific look she could not understand, a communication she couldn't read. She finally saw, it was sadness. She recognized that face, it was the same face she had seen Elsa make. In this moment, Iduna looked so much like Elsa that Anna began to clench her fists. Iduna broke free of Agnarr's hold gently and casually hugged Anna, as if she had sensed the redhead was about to cry, to hold and hide her sorrow. Out of Namaari's hold and fully in Iduna's, Anna rested for a while.
Iduna sipped a drink skillfully while still fully embracing the girl. Agnarr tapped her shoulder and said they would begin the fireworks show soon. The brown-haired woman gently released Anna, ensuring she wouldn't fall. "Do you want to come watch with us?" Iduna invited her.
Kristoff appeared behind Namaari who was still there and also invited the two girls, "Yeah, we're going to head out now if you want to join us?"
Namaari extended her arm out to escort Anna and Iduna passed another smile, this time Anna could read as, 'if you want to come with me, you can.' Instead of either option, Anna shook her head lightly and said, "I need to excuse myself for a moment to use the restroom and freshen up, I'll meet you all out there?"
No one argued as Anna kept a cool demeanor. Iduna whispered, "text me if you need anything," before heading outside with her father. Anna followed the same path she had taken earlier in the evening with a quick stop at the bar and then headed up to the top floor where her parents' room would eventually be.
She made her way over to the balcony and looked down at the mass of people all gathered outside to watch the show. A test firework went off which elicited a cheer from the crowd. When the explosion lit up the sky, Anna was able to see Elsa clearly. She was near the front of the show and standing next to her was that girl again, with her arm around her again.
Anna wanted to scream but didn't want to draw attention to herself. She felt defeated, lonely, angry, hurt, and nearly every other emotion at once. She thrust the entirety of her drink down her throat and turned around to face away from the crowd. She had thought about Iduna's words to text her but couldn't gain the courage.
The redhead's eye lit up for a moment, she formulated an idea based on her previous thought. She pulled out her phone, sent a quick text message, and then dropped the phone at her side. She didn't check to see if she had broken or cracked it. She just attempted to keep her composure as the sky started to spin above her.
A/N: IMPORTANT: I have begun cross posting on AO3 under the same username. I will be finishing this story there but some newer work may only appear on AO3, make sure to go check it out or if you just prefer to read there, the whole story is live.