Author's note: I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews so far, and really just for taking the time to read my story. I really hope you're all enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. I know what's going to happen in the rest of the story, but I can't tell for sure how long it's going to take to get there (chapter-wise). I'm hoping to finish it by the end of July. There have been a couple times where the characters have surprised me, or plot devices snuck up on me, or I've just had fun ideas while writing, so anything could happen.
Oh, and a quick note about a line in this chapter. For those of you who don't know, Freyja is the Norse Goddess of Beauty. I don't expect everyone to know Norse mythology off the tops of their heads, and I don't want you to miss any cute references =)
Again, thanks for the feedback so far, and I really hope you keep reading!
They had all been skeptical at first. Bringing an ice golem into the castle's training grounds hadn't exactly been done before, but there was a first time for everything. Plus, it turned out that Marshmallow was much more pleasant company now that he had his crown. Anna could tell that Elsa noticed that too, since she hadn't even mentioned trying to get it back. For whatever reason, it seemed to placate the creature, and as long as he was happy then they were happy.
Everything had happened so quickly. Olaf had known right where to find his friend, although exactly when they had developed this friendship was a mystery to everyone else. There had been no delay in getting him back to the castle. And it had taken Kristoff all of thirty seconds to convince Tendro that the sisters should receive martial training.
Anna held her wooden practice sword with tentative determination. She was disgusted at the idea of violence, and absolutely hated the idea that she was going to be a part of it even in a training environment. But at the same time, there was nothing she wouldn't do to protect Elsa, and if her sister's safety might come down to Anna's knowledge of swordplay then she would be the best she could possibly be.
Elsa was definitely looking the part of the warrior Queen. She had summoned the ice-sword from the night she rescued Anna. She held it now, its blade almost touching the grass, her frozen armor a deep shade of regal purple in the twilight.
She certainly didn't look as if she needed protecting, but Anna knew better. Inside that stoic, frosty, devastatingly freaking perfect exterior was a scared, self-conscious Elsa. Anna was so happy at all the progress her sister had made over the past couple weeks, but there was still a long road ahead. And she would be there holding Elsa's hand every step of the way. Even if that hand did have ice-plated gauntlets on it. There was something incredibly sexy about her sister at that moment… and the one before it… and all the ones before that… and every moment after. Deep breath. Yep, I am the luckiest girl in the world.
"So, we start tomorrow then? Because I could totally start right now. I was born ready! Nobody's touchin' my sister, but me!" She brandished her practice sword menacingly at one of the straw men lining the field. They were clearly cowed by her natural deadly grace. You could tell because they didn't move.
Tendro's laughless voice answered, "Yes, Princess. Tomorrow morning we will start covering the basics. Things like how to stand, how to fall-"
"Oh, trust me, I already know how to fall. Just ask Kristoff. He was with me when I fell two hundred feet off a cliff because someone," she glared at Marshmallow, "was a poor sport about a snowball fight. And then there was this time when I got hit by a horse-"
"Ahem. Your Majesty. That's not exactly what I meant." Was Tendro actually trying not to laugh? Had she gotten some good humor out of the old fart? "I will explain it all in detail for you in the morning. For now, just know that it won't be easy, but it will all be necessary if we're going to keep Queen Elsa and yourself safe."
"Yeah! Elsa's gonna be the safest, most protected, magicalest Queen ever!"
Elsa laughed and tweaked Olaf's carrot-nose, "Thanks, little guy. This was a great idea."
"Is there anything I can do?" Kristoff asked.
"Maybe you could go with some of Tendro's men and help with recruiting?" Anna looked at the gruff Captain. "What do you think, Tendy?" He frowned a little at the nickname. "Kristoff is a great friend to both of us, and probably knows plenty of ice harvesters who would be willing to defend Arendelle from whatever's going on."
After a stern inspection that seemed like it took forever, he agreed to take Kristoff with him. The Royal Ice Master and Deliverer seemed pleased with his assignment. Anna was so glad that he was too simple to realize that the men he was going to recruit might suffer because of it. He didn't deserve that burden. None of them did. I hope this is over soon.
"And we have the best job of all!" came Olaf's voice from above them. He was perched on Marshmallow's shoulder. The hulking snow creature didn't seem to mind the company. He had been surveying the grounds and walls this whole time as if looking for threats. "We get to give Elsa some target practice!"
"Target practice? I'm not going to shoot you…"
"Well, you could…" The snowman looked pensive. "It's not like it would hurt us. Maybe we'll try that too. But it's not what I meant. Look!"
He grabbed a snowball from a pile he had stacked on the giant's head and tossed it into the air. A small blast of magic flew off into the sky, missing the snowball by about a foot. Elsa's cheeks reddened.
"Whew, I'm glad you missed!" Anna laughed. "Training with someone is no fun if they're already an expert at it."
"Hah, cute." The look on her sister's face said that she knew Anna was trying to make her feel better, and there was definitely gratitude there… but something else too… Oh… oh, she is going to bite me. I can see it in her eyes. Her whole body tingled at the thought. She didn't even know if that's really what Elsa was thinking, or if that's just what she wanted Elsa to be thinking, but that hardly mattered. Because she was going to make it happen as soon as she could.
If anyone had asked Elsa a month ago if she was likely to ever carry a sword, or wear armor, or form a ragtag band of the strangest friends to help defend her kingdom and her sister/lover from threats unknown… well, first of all she would have wondered how they got in her room. And then she probably would have canceled the coronation at the mere thought of any of those things. But now, knowing exactly what she had been missing by keeping herself locked up all those years, and seeing for herself the remarkable people she was meant to rule, she meant to do all of that stuff and more.
The group that had gathered here to help begin their training was an odd one, but she couldn't have asked for better friends. They were all talking and joking about the different things they would do to improve the practice process. Anna's bubbly laughter constantly rose above the conversation and Elsa's heartbeat raced in response. She would do everything in her power to keep her Anna laughing and smiling for the rest of their lives.
It was dark by the time they went their separate ways. Kristoff and Captain Tendro walked together, probably talking about the recruitment process. Olaf and Marshmallow didn't need sleep, and had decided they would patrol the walls. Anna's hand burned delightfully in her own as they walked into the castle.
"I'm gonna grab some food from the kitchens, and then I'll meet you in your room? We can eat and talk and… Oh, sorry, I know I shouldn't assume. I was just hoping that... Is it okay if-"
"Of course it's okay! You had better not keep your Queen waiting, Princess."
Anna squealed with excitement, gave her a big peck on the cheek, and sped off towards the kitchens. Elsa marveled at just how adorable her sister was. Every time she actually thought about her feelings for Anna, it was so overwhelming. There just weren't words to describe the depth of her affections. It was a good thing she didn't have to rely on words. Because she was going to spend her life using every single action she could think of to show her sister exactly how much she loved her.
Upon reaching her room, Elsa already knew exactly what she was going to wear. She caught a glimpse of her new outfit in a mirror as she set about making sure her room was ready. Her long, golden braid was high enough to leave her earrings exposed. She hoped that Anna would notice the intricate A inside each heart.
Her breasts were covered by a barely-opaque layer of royal purple ice that dipped low enough to expose an incredibly indecent amount of cleavage. One advantage to magical outfits was never actually needing straps to hold them up. A sheer veil of flowing frost hugged her waist and ended just above her hip bones. This left only an inch or so of bare skin above the soft, lacy, deep violet panties that only covered the top half of her ass.
She was going to drive her sister absolutely crazy.
Knock knock knock-knock knock. The cutest knock in the whole world made her heart skip a beat. She ran to answer the door.
There was a series of thuds as the fruit Anna had been carrying dropped to the floor alongside her jaw. A quiet moan, clearly unintentional, escaped her soft lips, making Elsa bite her own.
"Oh my… I… I am so underdressed… I mean… you… you look beautiful. I am going to," she was walking in the room now, the fruit forgotten on the floor behind her, "I am going to pull you down onto your bed and-"
"Anna..."
"-And make you get me out of these stupid, unsexy clothes, and then I'm going to-"
"Anna."
"-To make you feel as good as you look."
The younger girl was pressed up against Elsa, forcing her towards the bed. It was extremely difficult not to let her have her way, but the Queen was nothing if not patient, and she knew that waiting would make it even better.
"Anna!"
"Oh… uh… sorry," she backed up a little. Extremely little. "Yes?"
"You dropped the fruit."
She gave Elsa a look that couldn't be misinterpreted. This wasn't over. "Yes I did… and I wonder whose fault that was." She stalked over to pick everything up, grumbling to herself while clearly meaning to be heard, "Opens the door looking like freaking Freyja could be her ugly little sister, and expects me to hold on to some dumb old fruit."
Elsa's hand couldn't hide her smile. She helped Anna gather her stuff, and they joked and laughed as they ate. There was so much that they needed to talk about. Serious things like training, and enemies of the kingdom, and exactly where this relationship was going… but none of that mattered right now. Right now, Elsa needed her little sister. She needed Anna just to be Anna, and to make everything okay like only she could do. Between feeding one another and spontaneous kisses on both girls' parts, it was one of the best nights of Elsa's life. And that was before the Princess pulled her onto the bed.