A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)
bananas-rule-2015-Hmm, I'm not sure yet; I have an idea for a 'link' story between this story and Adventures of Elsa and Anna, but I don't know...probably, but it'll be only a few chapters, not over thirty.;) Thanks! Elsa SHOULD show Anna the secret passages, but then there's going to be a continuity error between this story and AoE&A...lemme think.:) (lol, rambling's fine XD) Yep, Elsa & Anna get to spend time together in this chapter.:)
CieloFede-Oh yeah! There will PROBABLY be a kinda short 'link' story to fill in the missing month between the ending of this story and AoE&A, and there'll DEFINITELY be a sequel to AoE&A.:) Ok, cool, thanks!:) Elsa needed a bit more confidence in herself-of course she could get out of there, but she had to believe it first.:P Lol, I always thought Anna's memories just came back when she thawed since her white streak was gone.;) Yeah, Elsa probably should have a concussion, but um...she doesn't? She just has a hard head? I dunno. I wrote Elsa so she just has a really bad headache.:P I point you to 'A frozen headache' by jr74 if you'd like to have Elsa have a concussion from the whole getting knocked out thing.:) Lol, I hate Prince Creep too;)
WarriorQueen 14-Ok, thanks for telling me...lemme go check it out and see if I can make it seem less rushed somehow.:P Cool, thanks for reading AoE&A! I guess I have kinda gotten into the characters' heads (especially Elsa) more in this story... I looked up the whole concussion thing. It seems that if this were real, yes, Elsa should have a concussion, but if she were knocked out for several hours, she would be really seriously hurt and possibly not wake up at all.:/ But whatever; I guess it doesn't matter.:P
dmcreif-Hmm, that's a cool idea...maybe I'll have Elsa talk to Olaf and find that out somehow.:) There will be a scene with Anna convincing Elsa to get Kristoff a sled. ARGH, I CAN'T BELIEVE I MESSED UP A LINE! *red face* Okay, I fixed Elsa's line in that chapter. Thanks for pointing the mistake out! I've never seen King Kong, so I don't get the comparison, lol.:P Lemme see if I can put a scene about Olaf coming to life in there somewhere...no promises, but I'll try!:) Thanks:)
BellaCullen931-Yeah, Elsa seriously had full reason to get angry for awhile.:/ I sincerely think if Hans hadn't come in right then, Elsa would have reached her breaking point and killed those guards finally. (and probably feel horrible afterwards and do who knows what...)
Fatten Saad-Thanks!:) No Frozen Fever chapter (because Elsa's birthday is in the summer in my stories, not Anna's...before I knew when their birthdays were supposed to be, I thought Elsa's was in the summer because the coronation is in the summer, and Anna's was in the winter; and I just kept it that way:)). BUT...in the AoE&A sequel, I'll do a Frozen Fever-y thing for Anna's birthday, although it won't be identical since it'll be wintertime.:) I wonder if Elsa is still immune to cold when she's sick...I dunno...
Optomistic-That's what I thought too. You can actually see Elsa hesitate for a moment when she holds out her arms to hug Anna. She's like 'Please? You don't have to, but...' Thank you:)
WAEGirl-No, NOT dead crops.;) I agree about the flowers! Elsa does need to take care of her political business for Arendelle and clear up exactly what's what for the public, though.:) Thanks! I didn't think Elsa would be insta-confident; although she WOULD be insta-happy to be with Anna again.:)
olaf99-Thank you!:) Yes, I do. If someone is a good people-reader, they can size a person up in a few seconds and it will most likely be spot-on with few errors.:P (I know this from experience, lol...:P) Elsa could easily pick up that Hans is up to no good if she reads bad signals well. She caught him eying Anna during the coronation ceremony. (rude; who's that eying my sister?) Then she has him trying to hit on her during the party the same day (wait, I thought you were looking at Anna?), and she catches a surprised edge to his voice when she turns him down (oh, so he's pushy and full of himself too). A few hours later, he comes back with Anna at his side wanting Elsa to bless their marriage. (oh, he's fickle and two-faced and wants to marry someone the day he meets her). Elsa thinks she catches Hans rolling his eyes while Anna is talking (so he doesn't think much of Anna, the girl he supposedly wants to marry). {he does roll his eyes in that scene-it's quick, but you can see it;)} And finally Elsa sees him outside her ice palace fighting Marshmallow. (he's attacking her? why is he here?) Elsa knows her ice chandelier is secure, so something HAS to be fishy about it falling. Lol, sorry this got so long. Anyway, my point is that yes, I think Elsa would easily pick up bad vibes enough to dislike Hans.:P
Pizzaeater2000-Thank you!:)
On to the story!:) {Since I've had more than one person talking about Elsa having a concussion, I'm saying this here: IN THIS STORY, ELSA JUST HAS A REALLY BAD HEADACHE AND NOTHING MORE.:) Please go read 'A frozen headache' by jr74 if you'd like the aftermath of the Great Thaw to involve Elsa recovering from a concussion.:)}
To Elsa's great surprise, everyone on the shore began clapping when she and Anna stepped onto the dock, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf following close behind. She saw only two displeased faces on the way back to the castle. That wasn't nearly enough to make her upset. Not when she'd honestly expected everyone to chase her out of town. Elsa smiled when she felt Anna give her hand a comforting squeeze. Thanks, Anna. Yes, I know you're here for me. I still don't understand why, but thank you.
The second they were inside the castle, Anna said, "Where would you like to go, Elsa? I just want to go somewhere quiet so we can spend some time together without being bothered."
"I don't care." Elsa didn't care where they went as long as she got to be with Anna. Why is Anna even asking me? She's too nice… And I hope the only damage in the castle is that big hole in the dungeon wall, which I am not going to go see…
"Could we go in your room? I've never really been inside."
Elsa hesitated for a moment before saying, "Okay." All right, so maybe there's one place I don't want to go. That room holds so many bad memories in it.
Anna ran upstairs with Elsa at her side. "I can't wait to see your room!"
I'm glad one of us is excited. Elsa paused when they were in front of her door.
"What's wrong, Elsa?" Anna asked. Wait, that's a stupid question. She doesn't want to go in there. Elsa's spent most of her life in there. "Ok, I changed my mind. I want to take you in my room instead."
"That sounds good, actually." Elsa smiled a little and followed her sister down the hall.
Anna tossed the door open to her always-messy room. "Welcome to my, uh, super messy room, sis!" she announced.
Elsa smiled at that. Anna's room really was messy. It looked like a mini tornado had gone through, actually. Anna called me 'sis'. Anna doesn't mind having me for a sister. She doesn't mind having the Snow Queen for a sister. She allowed Anna to pull her into the room and then sit her down on the bed.
Anna wondered what she should talk about with Elsa. I know Elsa is happy, but she also won't say barely anything. I don't want to bring up something that'll make her upset. What Anna wanted to talk about was why a ton of her childhood memories seemed to have been altered somehow to take away anything regarding Elsa's magic, but that was probably not the best thing to bring up, at least not right now. She knew it had something to do with Elsa accidentally hitting her, but since her five-year-old self went unconscious after that, she didn't know what happened.
"Is it okay to lay d-down? My head hurts," Elsa said, pressing one hand to the spot where that nearly invisible bruise was.
"Of course you can! You didn't even need to ask, Elsa." Anna pulled one side of the covers down, inviting Elsa to climb in if she wanted to.
Elsa slipped off her shoes and promptly took advantage of her sister's offer. "Thank you, Anna," she said softly. Then, a moment later, "Anna…I feel…warm! At least I think so. I felt the temperature change! I really did!" It feels…nice. Like I'm not just temperatureless like I've been for years. I can feel temperatures!
Anna frowned for a moment. Elsa couldn't feel temperatures at all before? And she can now? "That's nice, Elsa," she said finally, not wanting to mess up her sister's apparent excitement over that, but mad that Elsa had evidently used to be able to feel temperatures and then couldn't for thirteen years.
"Why are you being so n-nice to me?" Elsa asked suddenly. I mean, I shut Anna out for years on end and I literally made her freeze to death…and now she's just treating me like I'm a normal sister and nothing ever happened.
"I'm being nice to you because you're my sister and you deserve it! Elsa, you've been mistreated for thirteen years. That stops now. Have you thought that maybe since love is the key to controlling your powers, you'd have figured it out way sooner if Mom and Dad actually treated you properly? You were never loved and cared for properly, and you never figuring out something that simple proves it. Anyhow, that is over! And I'm going to help you be that happy, carefree girl you were when you were little. She's still inside you. You just need to pull her out. And-" Anna stopped talking when she realized what Elsa was doing. Those weren't good things to tell Elsa. I made her cry!
Elsa just lay curled up on her side under the covers with her face buried in her hands, trying not to cry but failing miserably. Oh, Anna…that might be true, but I think they meant well. I know they loved you…it's just they never liked or accepted me because of my powers and after I hurt you everything just…fell apart. I didn't deserve any better after that. I was just a pest and a bother…the defective one. She flinched when she felt Anna pulling her hands away from her face. "Anna…you can't t-touch me when I get like this…it's not s-safe…" Elsa's teary eyes noticed the snowflakes falling around her and she immediately jerked her hands away from her sister. I don't want to hurt you, Anna.
"Elsa, those are snowflakes. How are you going to hurt me with snowflakes?" Anna asked logically.
"Well…I won't…" Elsa replied, realizing Anna had a very good point. She scrunched her eyes shut and tried to make the snowflakes go away. Did it work?
Anna cheered. "Good job, Elsa! You got rid of 'em! Hey, do you want to get something to eat? I'm hungry!"
Elsa's tummy growled, making both of them giggle. "Evidently yes. I…haven't had anything since that party, actually," Elsa admitted. I'm starving. I'd kind of…forgotten about it.
"You haven't had anything to eat in three days then?! Good grief…um, since you said your head hurt, d'you want me to ask Gerda to bring something up here for us? That way you can just stay put if you like," Anna offered.
"Okay." Elsa's head felt a little bit better now, but she still didn't particularly feel like getting up, and besides, she really didn't want to leave Anna's room. Being in here makes me happy.
Soon Elsa and Anna were happily eating dinner together. "You don't like broccoli either?" Elsa asked as she watched her sister push all of the nasty vegetable off to one side on her plate.
"Nope! I guess that means you don't like 'em too!" Anna said.
Elsa popped a piece of chicken in her mouth; then nearly spit it out but managed to gulp her milk instead. That hurt! What was that all about? Wait a second…it was hot. My chicken was hot, and I could tell it was hot! She smiled and held one hand over her plate before moving it away. Then she did the same thing again. And again.
"Elsa, what on earth are you doing?" Anna asked, puzzled.
"It's hot," Elsa answered simply. She put her hand on the icy fabric of her dress; then held her hand over the hot plate again. I'm still immune to cold, but it's like a…a pleasantly cool sensation now. And I can feel heat! I guess that also means I can get burned, but oh well. It's nice to be able to detect different temperatures.
Anna grinned as she watched her sister's happy fascination with this new-to her-phenomenon. I'm glad Elsa is happy, even if it's over something silly. The only thing is…that's not silly to her. Elsa's powers evidently aren't meant to keep her from feeling temperatures, and that was taken away from her too. She probably felt like she was in a bubble or something. "D'you want to sleep in here tonight?" Anna asked suddenly.
Elsa stopped experimenting with feeling the different temperatures and looked up at Anna. I'd love to stay in here with Anna, but I always have nightmares and I lose control. I can't risk that. I can't remember the key to controlling it while I'm sleeping… "I do, but…"
"But what?"
"I have nightmares all the t-time, and I…and I always lose control…" Elsa's voice trailed off, but at least she had told Anna the truth.
"You have nightmares all the time?!" Oh, Elsa. That means she was busy dealing with that alone for years on end. "Well, that just makes all the more reason for you to stay in here. I am not leaving you to deal with that alone," Anna said firmly. "That's settled. Either I sleep in your room or you sleep in mine. You can pick."
Elsa thought for a long moment. "You can sleep in mine," she decided. "If I do lose c-control, at least your things won't be ruined."
"What about your stuff?"
"Oh, you'll see. My stuff is all put away to keep it safe." Elsa gave Anna a rueful smile. I didn't stutter that time. That means I can do it again.
"Oh." Anna wasn't sure what to say to that.
The two of them finished their dinner in a happy silence.
LATER THAT EVENING…
"Elsa, can I try on your ice-dress?" Anna asked as she watched Elsa hang the dress in question up in her closet.
"It's ice, Anna. You'll freeze," Elsa replied, frowning. She went over to her dresser and began digging through one of the drawers. I don't want to wear gloves again, but I should while I'm sleeping. Maybe it'll help if I still lose control because of a bad dream. Elsa finally found what she was looking for and dropped them on her nightstand.
Anna dropped the 'can I pretty please try on the epic awesome dress?' topic and made a face. "Elsa, what did you pull gloves out for? You don't need those."
"Yes I do. I won't know whether I'm in c-control or not while I'm sleeping," Elsa explained. Anna, please quit bothering me about it. They're my hands and I don't trust myself to stay in control when I'm not even conscious of what I'm doing.
"I should find all your gloves and throw them out," Anna informed her. "Then you can't have any."
"Don't you dare! I need them…just in case…let me be, okay?" Elsa asked hopefully. I hate them too, but I'm not doing something rash and throwing them all out without considering what might happen afterwards.
Anna debated whether or not to press the issue. Elsa's been wearing gloves all the time for years. I can't expect her to dump the habit just like that, but she really should get rid of them. I know Elsa doesn't need them. And it's not good for her. She shouldn't have to hide part of who she is. "Maybe you should at least try sleeping without them first," she replied finally. "I know you won't hurt me, even if you do lose control again. Because you know how to fix it now."
Elsa paused with what she was doing, one glove on and one glove off. Anna does have a point. I do know how to fix it now. Maybe I could try sleeping without them and then if I do mess up, then put them back on. "Okay, I'll try," Elsa decided, putting the gloves back on the nightstand. But the first inkling of losing control, on they go. I think that's fair.
Anna hugged Elsa close. "I'm glad you're at least trying," Anna told her. She quickly let go of her sister when she realized Elsa was stiff as a board again. "What's the matter, Elsa? You're all tense again…"
"I'm just not…not used to physical contact of any k-kind. At all," Elsa said quietly, dropping her gaze to the floor. "It wasn't because I wanted you t-to stop…it's just messed-up me…And I hate stuttering like that!" she finished. How am I supposed to give any speech of any kind if I can't even talk to Anna properly? Everyone will think I'm an idiot. I already made a horrible first impression by the last few days. Stuttering is not going to help fix things! "Anna…don't you find m-me annoying? I can't even t-talk to you properly…"
"Elsa, you are not 'messed up'. Anyone would be startled by physical contact if they haven't had any since they were little. And I love you just the way you are. You aren't annoying one bit. I'm just glad I have you back, stutter and all." Anna held out her arms, inviting Elsa to give her a hug. That way Elsa won't get all startled again.
Elsa smiled a bit and hugged Anna herself. Thank you, Anna.
"By the way, you can talk without stuttering. I've been listening to you all evening and you don't always do it. You probably just need to practice. Which I'll gladly help you with if you like," Anna offered.
"I'm afraid I'll…mess up whenever I have…to give a speech," Elsa admitted. It's bad enough Anna has to listen to me doing that. I can't have everyone in Arendelle hear me do that. I'd probably lose control out of pure embarrassment or something.
"You can practice it with me first. And you don't have to worry about that tonight anyhow. Go to sleep, Elsa. We'll figure out the rest of the stuff we need to take care of-like what we're gonna do with Prince Creep-tomorrow."
"My dark side wants to have him executed," Elsa spat out with a frown. Well, maybe not, but I still want him out of Arendelle as soon as possible. "He told me you were dead when you weren't! If he'd just tried to kill me, then that would be okay. But he lied! I hate liars! He just told me that because he knew it would break me inside so I wouldn't defend myself. And I'm ninety-nine percent sure he tricked you into wanting to marry him and then dumped you, because otherwise you wouldn't have been out on the fjord looking for Kristoff-don't ask me how I know that, I just do. Big sister sense, I suppose. I hate him! I really, really do! That no good, lowlife, creep, jerk, scoundrel, reprobate, snake, beast, ratfink, charlatan, horrid, detestable, loathsome, odious, repulsive, equivocator scumbag…Anna, what is so funny?!" Elsa crossed her arms and gave her sister an annoyed look.
Anna made an unsuccessful attempt to stifle her laughter. "Elsa, I never realized there were about twenty different ways to say 'stupid creep'! And just so you know, you didn't stutter once during that whole rant. I didn't know you could get so mad…Elsa, did you know you're really funny when you get angry?" Anna flopped down on one side of Elsa's bed and continued giggling. "You wanna know what I think we should do with Prince Creep?"
Elsa plopped herself down on the bed next to her sister. "What? Don't say execute him…I really…don't want to do that."
"You should freeze his butt," Anna announced matter-of-factly.
Wait…what?! Elsa burst into giggles and then tried covering them with her hand. "Anna, I cannot just…freeze someone's butt! That's just-ANNA, I JUST SAID THE WORD 'BUTT'! I'm supposed t-to be the queen…I shouldn't say things l-like that!" It feels nice to laugh about something silly with my little sister, though. I am so happy right now.
Anna abruptly stopped laughing, realizing just what Elsa had told her a minute before. 'He just told me that because he knew it would break me inside so I wouldn't defend myself'…and Elsa just said that all nonchalant-like, like that's what was supposed to happen…good grief, poor Elsa… Anna shuddered, remembering seeing Elsa crumpled on the ice in her glittering blue dress. If I'd been a second later, that creep would have killed or at least seriously injured her. And Elsa was just sitting there, not even doing anything…he told Elsa that on purpose! He knew Elsa could easily defend herself, so he needed to make her feel awful beforehand so she wouldn't do anything. Wait a second…does that mean Elsa actually heard the sword and she was just going to let him kill her, or did she just not hear it because she was so upset?
"Anna, what's wrong?" Elsa asked, noticing that her sister wasn't laughing anymore. I probably said something wrong, like I always do.
"I was just remembering seeing you crumpled on the ice like that earlier…if I'd been just a second later, he would've…would've…and just, never mind," Anna finished quickly as Elsa's happy expression disappeared. "Let's just go to sleep."
Elsa turned out the lamp and slid under the covers. "Good night, Anna…if it gets too cold in here b-because of me, just leave. I won't mind," she said, thinking she was probably one big ice cube compared to Anna's normal body temperature.
"Elsa…do you think you're really that cold to be around? Because you're really not. You feel way cooler than me, yeah, but you aren't freezing cold or anything. It's kinda like…like standing right next to the icebox in the kitchen, but a little warmer," Anna explained. That wasn't the best analogy…Elsa doesn't want to be compared to the icebox.
To Anna's surprise, Elsa just started giggling. "A warm icebox? Isn't that kind of a-an oxymoron?" So I'm cooler than a normal person, but I'm not freezing. That's nice to know. At least I'm not going to freeze anyone by simply being around them.
Anna laughed too once she realized Elsa just thought what she had said was funny. "Well, yeah, but it's true!"
Elsa's giggles quieted as she started falling asleep. This day started out rotten, and it almost ended with both of us dead, but I'm so happy I have Anna back now. And she doesn't mind me and all my…problems. She was sure it would take awhile to fix everything completely…building damage, political issues, what to do with a certain creep, what to do with the Weselton guards, her stuttering, maintaining control of her powers consistently; and most of all, rebuilding her long-lost relationship with her sister, but all that was okay. If I can make it through a crazy day like today, I can take on anything. I know Anna will help me. I don't know why she still cares what happens to me, but I do know I can trust her.
"You can't run from this, Elsa!" Hans shouted.
Elsa squinted back at him through the blinding snow. "No kidding! I know you're a detestable creep, but Anna will be safer with you than with me. Just take care of my sister!"
"Your sister? She returned from the mountains weak and cold. She said you froze her heart! I think we both know who the 'detestable creep' is, and it's certainly not me."
"How do I know you're not lying to me?! You've lied about everything else!" Elsa replied. "You hate me because I'm 'in the way' of your stupid plans. You think you can break me, but you can't! I'm through with that! I will not be helpless any longer!"
Hans slowly drew his sword, letting Elsa see exactly what he was doing. "Oh yes you are in the way. Boy are you in the way. I don't think I can break you; I know I can break you. You think you're a tough, nothing can bother me person now, but you're not. Look at this storm. Everything must bother you, or you wouldn't have made it. And there's a little nearly-frozen sibling out here who's just dying to save her sister…"
Elsa balled her hands into fists and yelled out, "YOU'RE LYING AGAIN! LEAVE ME ALONE! Don't you know I can turn you into an ugly ice statue?! I will not just stand here and let you kill me! Just get away from me! I hate you!"
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. There was a nearly-frozen Anna tackling Hans and knocking the sword out of his hand. There was a furious Elsa impulsively shooting a blast of ice at Hans, but missing and hitting Anna instead, who instantly turned to solid ice.
Elsa just stared in horror. What had she done? She'd been aiming for that creep, but no, she'd hit her baby sister instead. "Look what you made me do!" she screeched at Hans. "I want Anna back! I hate you, but I still care about Anna! I just…want Anna back…" Elsa's heartbroken voice trailed off as she watched what Hans was doing. You're going to kill me, she thought, but there was no anger in it this time. I don't care now. I'm nothing without Anna…
Hans raised his sword, about to stab his now-willing quarry, but then he changed his mind. "You know, dying is too good for you. You killed your sister. You can just live and think about what you've done."
Elsa's blue eyes narrowed, realizing just what that man was trying to do to her. He just wanted her to feel awful the rest of her life with no escape. "That will NOT work." Without a second thought, she knocked Hans backwards with an ice blast, making him drop the sword. Elsa grabbed the sword and took one last sad look at frozen-Anna before preparing to just do it herself-
"Elsa! ELSA! Are you all right?!" Anna shouted as she lit the lamp and tried to shake her sister awake. Elsa must be having a really bad dream, Anna thought, realizing Elsa was clutching the covers in her fists, her fingertips leaking ice all over.
Elsa finally jerked awake and noticed Anna shaking her. Dream. Dream. It was just a horrible dream, Elsa. Anna isn't dead, and neither am I. "I l-lost c-control," she whispered, scooting away from her sister and nearly falling on the floor. "I told you I c-couldn't do this!" Elsa scrunched her eyes shut, wishing all that accidental ice would go away. You messed up again, Elsa. You should have known you weren't going to stay in control while you're sleeping.
Anna reached for Elsa's shoulder, but Elsa just flinched away. "Elsa, can I get you something? I'm right here for you. You don't have to deal with it alone."
Elsa absentmindedly traced the faint pink line on her wrist with one finger. I didn't do it. I'm not going to. That was three years ago. And just now was only a rotten dream.
Anna frowned as she watched her sister. That's the same one Elsa hurt herself three years ago. What is she thinking about? "Elsa, let me see your hand. What are you doing?"
I think Anna knows exactly what I'm doing… Elsa quickly grabbed the gloves off the nightstand and pulled them on before holding a shaking hand out to Anna.
"Bad Elsa!" Anna scolded. "You take those off. Besides, I want to see something. Is it all right to take this one off?" she asked, figuring since taking Elsa's gloves was what started everything in the first place, maybe she had better ask this time.
Elsa shook her head and pulled her hand back, but she did scoot closer to Anna. I don't think it's safe yet and I don't want to explain that itty bitty scar, either, which I bet is what Anna wanted to see.
Anna decided to bother Elsa about taking those gloves off later instead of bugging her anymore right now. After all, she's not pulling away again. Those stupid gloves are probably just a safety net to her. Anna put her arm around her sister and let Elsa just sit quietly for a minute, noticing that although Elsa seemed a bit calmer now-she wasn't shaking so much-and that she had let herself lean her head against Anna's shoulder, Elsa was also keeping her hands clasped together close against her chest. Elsa's still scared. I know she is. I think she does that hand-clasping thing whenever she's upset or nervous. "Elsa, we should talk about whatever's bothering you," she said finally.
"I don't want to." I can't tell Anna what happened. It scared me; it'll certainly scare Anna too. It was like…like the nightmarish version of what could have happened. Elsa just stayed where she was curled up with her sister's arm around her shoulders and didn't say anything more.
Anna sighed. Of course that's all Elsa said. She doesn't like talking about things… "Did you try to commit…suicide again?" Anna hugged her sister tighter when she felt Elsa flinch again. Thought so. "Elsa, it's okay. I got you. It was just an icky dream."
"I froze you because I was trying to hit Hans and he was going to kill me but then h-he said dying was t-too good for m-me and I had t-to live with what I d-did so I was g-going to just get r-rid of myself," Elsa blurted. Why did you tell Anna that, Elsa?! And quit crying over a stupid dream! Elsa roughly wiped the tears away and balled her hands into fists.
Nightmare version of earlier, that's what happened. "Elsa, did you hear the sword behind you earlier?" Anna asked quietly.
Elsa slowly nodded but didn't say anything. Now Anna is going to think I'm just a crybaby or something…she's the one that literally sacrificed herself for me…and Anna freezing was my fault in the first place…
"Why, Elsa? Why would you just sit there and let someone do that to you? It's not like you were helpless and didn't have any way to defend yourself…you could've turned him into a popsicle if you wanted to."
"'Your sister is dead…Because of you.' Th-that's why," Elsa said, covering her face with her hands again, not wanting Anna to see her crying. I thought you were dead. I'm nothing without you, Anna. I wouldn't have been able to thaw Arendelle if it wasn't for you. "C-conceal, don't feel…conceal, d-don't…feel," she mumbled to herself.
Anna pulled herself away from Elsa and pulled her sister's hands away from her face. "Elsa, it's all right to cry. Look. You aren't doing anything but making snowflakes. That's totally fine. That 'conceal, don't feel' thing is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. You can't not feel. It's impossible."
Elsa stared at her sister with a questioning expression, but she didn't try to get her hands away from Anna again. Anna's right…I can't not feel. I've never been able to do that. I've always been hurt or frightened or angry or some mixture thereof…I just wouldn't accept it and tried to cover it up. And Anna is also right…those snowflakes aren't going to hurt anything.
"And Prince Creep was taking advantage of you. He figured out what hurt you the most and pounced on it. That isn't your fault. Nor should you let someone like that…kill you. You're my sweet big sister, no matter what anyone else might say. You've tried so hard for years to just forget about your own needs and take care of everyone else's. From now on, YOU come first." Anna paused, wondering if Elsa would get upset if she asked her next question, but soon her curiosity and need to know overpowered anything else. "Elsa, is it all right if I take your glove off now?" she asked.
Knowing exactly what her sister wanted to see, Elsa slipped her glove off and held her hand back out to Anna. I guess she deserves to know. I kinda lied to Anna that I didn't have one when we had that fight in the cellar during the tornado that one time because I didn't want her to worry about it. "You can hardly s-see it, so I do not want t-to hear you fussing about it," she informed her sister.
So she does have a mark on her wrist from that…poor Elsa…I wish she'd let me help her sooner before she did anything to herself. But Elsa is here now, and that's all that matters. Anna gently traced the faint pink scar on Elsa's wrist for a moment before saying, "Tough times don't last. Tough people do. That's you, Elsa. You didn't let everything beat you all this time. You're still here. Those icky times are over. And you aren't. So…tough-girl Elsa is awesome!"
"That's corny, Anna. And I wouldn't be h-here if it wasn't for you. I'm no 'tough-girl E-Elsa'…I'm kind of broken if y-you think about i-it…" Elsa's voice trailed off, but she was still smiling a bit from Anna's announcement. You're awesome, Anna. I don't know why you bother with me.
"My sister Elsa is not broken! She's perfect just the way she is! Really, Elsa, I wouldn't change you for anything. I like you just the way you are," Anna said, giving Elsa's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Elsa sighed. "No, Anna…that's not what I m-mean. Compare present-day me w-with the eight-year-old me you r-remember. Eight-year-old me did n-not have awful nightmares all the t-time. She did not attempt to g-get rid of herself. She did not stutter. She did not l-lose control and revert to wearing gloves again. She wasn't scared of t-talking to strangers…although she still didn't a-actually like doing so…" She gave Anna a lopsided smile at her last comment. I'm a wreck compared to little me. I don't think that's going to get fixed overnight, but at least I'm a little bit better.
"Eight-year-old Elsa had not been locked in her room and mistreated for over a decade. You are not broken. We're gonna take care of all those things you mentioned together. I have one idea already: if you are so adamant about wearing gloves when you go to sleep, why don't you wear them for now and try again without them in a week or so? And I know you aren't going to try to 'get rid of yourself' again. You have to be really, really, really upset to do that and I'm gonna make sure you never do get that upset in the first place. And about the stuttering; I think the more you talk and have conversations and stuff, it'll go away by itself. But I'll help you practice if you like," Anna offered.
Elsa flopped back against the pillows and inexplicably started giggling. "You have lots of plans, Anna! Thank you." They're good ideas, too. I can try sleeping without the stupid gloves again in a week. Maybe I won't mess up then. And yeah, I think simply talking a lot with Anna will help. Since I don't mind if she hears me talk funny, maybe I can try out any speech I have to make on her first and just say it over and over till I can do it right. I know I'm going to need to make an apology-slash-explanation speech for the whole freezing the kingdom fiasco. "Good night, Anna…I love you." Elsa turned over and pulled the covers up to her chin, smiling happily.
"See, you didn't stutter at all with what you just said, Elsa!" Anna pointed out. "Good night…hey, do you want the lamp off or on?"
"Don't care…" Elsa said sleepily. The Snow Queen has her super awesome sister back. I'm happy. I don't need anything else.
A/N: Elsa having a nightmare and then Anna comforting her was bananas-rule-2015's idea.:)
I know Elsa didn't tell Anna exactly what happened after the FTFTIF Reprise scene, but I didn't think Elsa would want to talk about the whole attack on the ice palace thing...so, yeah...
Next chapter coming soon!:)
P.S. I posted a little one-shot earlier today about nine-year-old Elsa at Christmastime...it coincides with something Elsa mentioned back in chapter 26 of this story.:)