Hot Chocolate

"Olaf I think this might be pushing it," Elsa said, "Or, pardon the pun, playing with fire."

Olaf was holding in his twig arms a green mug steaming with hot chocolate. He was examining the edges of the cup trying to best figure out how to drink it without risking fatal injury.

"I just gotta try it Elsa!" he said.

Elsa did have to take blame for this. When she made the little snowmanshe had no idea: that he'd pop to life or that he actually would end up liking warm hugs like she said he would. But then she still had only a limited idea of how far her powers could stretch, Grand Pabbie told her they would only keep growing but never said when that would end. She made a snowman at 8 just fine, how could she foresee making one at 21 and giving it real actual life.

"I think it may be just a bit too hot for you," she said.

They were sitting in the library in front of the fire while a blustery winter storm raged outside the window. Anna and Kristoff had come in early from a sleigh ride with Sven and taken up playing cards in the first floor dining room with mugs of hot chocolate. Olaf took one look at the warm, steaming chocolate and took two straight upstairs to excitedly and thrust one in Elsa's hands. Elsa gratefully sipped her own but cringed at Olaf struggling with his.

"Is there a way you can make it work for me? Like you did with this snow cloud?" he asked gesturing to the misty fog that hung over him, currently letting down a soft flurry of snow.

"If I did it would just be frozen hot chocolate, I think that defeats the purpose of what you want," she said.

Elsa was extremely sympathetic to Olaf's plight. But she could think of no way to help him without somehow freezing the drink. He might melt completely if he tried to drink it and she wasn't sure she'd be able to bring him back.

"You know Olaf," Elsa said, gently taking the mug away from him and placing it on the floor, "Sometimes there's some things in life we just can't do."

His head dropped in a dramatic huff and the carrot nose popped from his face. Elsa kneeled down and grabbed the adornment.

"There's a lot of things I can't do either you know," Elsa said gently cradling Olaf's frozen head as she replaced the carrot.

"Like what?" he asked. Once free of her grip, he walked next to the fire, as close as he could get, and sat down doing his best to feel the warmth.

"I can't really got outside in the summer either," she said, "When I was younger I would get awful nosebleeds if it was too hot for me. And even the coolest summer day was almost unbearable for me."

"Why didn't you just make yourself a snow cloud like you did for me?" Olaf asked. He scooted closer to where Elsa sat on the floor, a safer distance from the flames.

"Because I wasn't allowed to. My parents didn't want anyone knowing about my powers. So I had to just suffer through it," she said, "Do you know I've never know what it's like to be cold? It doesn't seem all that bad but I've never known the feeling of shivering or going numb from a boot full of snow."

"Me too."

"And," Elsa added a bit more quietly, "I can never be rid of these powers."

"Would you want to be?" he asked honestly curious.

"There were many times when I wish I could be. When it felt like I was in a prison I would never escape, that I'd always be a slave to keeping them under control," Elsa explained looking at the fire as one of the logs popped and a flurry of sparks shot out like a snow storm, "But I don't anymore. In fact I think I'd sooner stop breathing then have them taken from me. They're too much a part of me. Just like who you are Olaf is too much a part of you."

Olaf frowned and waddled back over to the queen and sat down next to her. He patted her knee with his hand, Elsa smiled and returned the favor by giving his head an encouraging pat.

"Do you like summer?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "And no. I like being warm. But I don't like passing out either," she laughed, "Maybe that's why I made you. I wanted someone else like me: something cold but very, very warm.

"But that was selfish of me and I guess that didn't really work out for you," she said.

"I love the way I am!" he said jumping up to his feet. "I wouldn't trade it for anything!" he grew slightly more bashful and faced the fire, "And….I wouldn't trade you either. You're the nicest, gentlest, warmest person ever!"

"I'm not entirely sure that's true but, I wouldn't trade you either," she smiled.

The little snowman continued to stare at the fireplace, next to him the hot chocolate was still steaming, full to the brim still. Elsa pulled her book from the table and stayed next to Olaf reading (and keeping an eye on how close he got to the fire) until the snowman had drifted off to sleep. Then she moved him a bit farther from the heat and onto a blanket. With every snore his nose drooped then popped back up then drooped again.

She took both mugs of hot chocolate and carried them down to the kitchens, wishing still there was a way to fix what she'd done to Olaf when she made him, unknowing, on the mountainside. She poured everything she felt in that moment into the snowman selfishly and now he was in a state of permanent paradox. But then again she should take her own advice: some things you just can't do.