Disclaimer: Frozen is in property of Disney, therefore I do not own the rights.
Thank you to everyone who has read/favorite/alert/viewed my story so far!
Warnings: Foul Language, OOC-ness, Background OCs, Cameo/Name Drops
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So I think-I THINK-I may know where this story is going. I'm only up to chapter 6 so far, but the plot is starting to reveal itself to me so I'm going to roll with it.
Chapter Two: In which Anna makes a discovery.
Chapter Two
Elsa's eyes widened in surprise, her heart suddenly lurching in her chest.
"Cursed? What—Anna?"
"My hair is changing color again!" Anna interrupted, her expression growing anxious. "Look! See?" She lowered her head and traced the strand of sunset red hair with her finger, surprising the Queen for not having noticed before.
Elsa grabbed hold of Anna's head, scrutinizing her sister's scalp despite the awkward positioning.
"That's… how?" Elsa wondered breathlessly, memories of a year ago flashing into mind.
Before Anna could get a chance to reply, Elsa watched in growing horror as another streak of red pierced through strawberry locks. She jerked her hands away, gaping rather comically as a few more strands of Anna's hair changed before settling back as though the princess had always been born with two-toned coloring.
"Oh Anna!"
"What? What? What happened?!" The younger girl frowned. "Did it change? Did it get worse?!" She hurried to her sister's vanity and nearly tripped over her own feet at the sight. "There's more!" She cried. She grasped at the chunk of hair fearfully and pulled.
She winced.
Catching her sister's reflection in the mirror, Anna whirled around, her fingers still in tangled inside her hair. "Am I going to die?"
It was then Elsa snapped out of her horror and approached her frightened sister with an air of certainty and confidence. She pulled Anna into a tight reassuring hug and said, "Don't be ridiculous Anna. You're not going to die."
"Ho-how do you know?"
"Because I won't let that happen. If you really have been cursed then we already know how to break it, remember?" Elsa gently released the girl, tilting her head up slightly as she ran cold fingers down the streaks of red in Anna's hair. "I love you too much to let another curse take you from me."
Anna gave her sister a watery smile.
"You're right," She sniffed, wiping the unshed tears from the corner of her eyes. She snuggled back into Elsa's hold, breathing in the aura of coolness that would forever be only Elsa's. "Don't mind me," She murmured quietly. "But you're so nice and cool, unlike me. I feel like I'm burning from the inside out."
Elsa frowned. "Burning?"
The princess nodded against the Queen's neck. "Like everything's just so hot all of the sudden." Anna sighed.
She pulled away from her sister's arms and ran slender fingers through the discolored locks of hair, a slight scowl of distaste marred her freckled features. As she pulled her braids loose, Elsa allowed her mind to wander through a number of possibilities and explanations. She eyed the canopy of her bed considerably then the soft blue of her freshly washed summer sheets that had been assembled neatly by one of the maids earlier before. She stared back at Anna, who was now too preoccupied with Elsa's brush to notice the older girl's silent examination.
Red streaks and heat? That sounded like… Elsa curled ma finger around her platinum blonde hair, blue eyes catching the movement. She frowned at the tail end of her braid. She scrutinized it carefully.
It couldn't be possible.
Elsa tore her gaze away from her hair and back to her sister, her brows set in a hard stare.
It shouldn't be possible. No. Not to Anna. Not to her baby sister, but if there was a chance… just an inkling of a possibility… then…
Elsa sighed.
"Anna, I want you to sleep with me tonight."
Anna dropped the brush she was holding and spun around in the stool, her eyes wide; her mouth slightly agape.
"Really?" She suddenly grinned, shock melting into excitement. "Oh! We haven't had a sleep over in ages! Are you really sure about this? I know your still uncomfortable with physical contact—I could sleep on the floor if that'll make you feel better but—"
Elsa pressed a finger over Anna's lips. "Yes Anna, it's ok." She chuckled. "You don't have to sleep on the floor. We'll share the bed. I'm fine with it."
"Are you sure?" She murmured behind the cold finger.
Elsa pressed a sweet kiss against her forehead. A part of her almost reeled back in surprise at how hot Anna's skin felt against her touch, but she refused to let it show. She filed the discovery away for another day then pulled away from Anna with a loving smile.
"Really." With one last glance at Anna's hair, Elsa turned on her heel and made way for the door. "But first, I'll have Gerda send up some dinner. In the meanwhile, you need to freshen up."
Anna wrinkled her nose in offense. "Is that your way of saying I smell?"
Elsa paused by the door. She gave her sister a once over then smiled apologetically. She didn't start giggling until she was halfway down the hall, hearing Anna's exasperated calls echoing behind her.
Anna sat in front of her vanity mirror, scrutinizing every strand of hair perched on her head. With a defeated huff, she grabbed a brush and ran it through sunset red locks. She frowned slightly as the bristles stroked each individual strand, leaving them silky and soft beneath her touch. The red gleamed beautifully under the sun's light in a mixture of colors the princess was certain was only attributed to it being magical rather than natural. Perhaps if she had attained her hair in a different way, Anna would have admired the beauty, but seeing as she still wasn't sure if this curse would kill her not, Anna felt she couldn't quite bring herself to love the shade of crimson her hair had turned into.
Olaf had said it was as beautiful as fire, but nicer because it didn't burn when he touched it, or melted his body in close proximity. Kristoff had agreed at the time with awkward hesitation and all, but Anna wasn't buying it—didn't plan on accepting it, really. Even if it was permanent.
With her whole head now covered in the shade of crimson, the fear that had clouded the sisters had finally been able to dissipate. Anna was still alive despite being entirely red headed. She hadn't been doomed into an eternity as an icicle—not that she truly believed she would be again—nor had she spontaneously combusted into ash and flame, despite how unbearably hot she became from time to time.
Instead, she was contemplating whether or not being a red head suited her freckled complexion. Begrudgingly, she supposed it did. In a way.
With a quick shake of her head to disperse the unnecessary contemplations, Anna set aside the brush and began to roll her red hair into an elegant hairstyle worthy of a princess. She hummed a random tune as she expertly manipulated the sleek locks of hair into a sophisticated, tightly twirled bun. Well, it wasn't quite worthy of a princess, but Anna didn't want to deal with complicated hairstyles for a lighthearted event such as this. After all, today might have been a ball as any, but it was mostly a party for all those who dared to remember what had happened on this very day.
Tonight marked the one year anniversary since Elsa's coronation, but not only that, it marked the beginning of a new life for them both. And despite the memory of Han's treachery lingering in the back of her mind, Anna felt that nothing could ruin tonight's ball. Not even the uncertainty that came with not knowing the consequences of her hair change.
"Tonight is going to be a blast." Anna grinned, dabbing a little perfume against her neck. "I wonder if Kristoff will actually wear that suit we sent him." She snickered then laughed a little harder when a prim and proper Kristoff flashed into her mind. "I hope he does, that way I'll never let him live it down."
She jumped from the stool in a flurry of excited energy, her emerald dress shimmering in the light. She spun around the room in a twirl of laughter and childlike joy, the anticipation of the night running through her blood like an overdose of sugar. After another series of twirls, one of which nearly had her flat on the floor thanks to the fabric of her dress entangling around her legs, did Anna dizzily throw herself against her bed, blue eyes fixated on the new royal purple canopy curtain. She allowed her thoughts to drift back to three weeks ago, when she had woken from her nap and found the old curtain on fire right above her.
What was I dreaming about then? She wondered, eyes glazing.
A nightmare. Her mind whispered. But about what, she couldn't recall.
She frowned.
She absently reached out to the canopy curtain, her field of vision blurring with memories, her mind now aimless, when a muscle in her finger twitched in reflex. Something sparked to life against the purple canopy.
Anna snapped out of her daze and stared hard at the curtains, almost daring it to move or flicker in the same way her last set had done. She felt silly for doing so, but she was certain she had just seen something. And just when the thought crossed her mind, that perhaps it had been a trick of the mind, she heard the soft crackle of something burning. In seconds, the small spark of light she had barely caught a glimpse of ate through the fabric of the canopy curtains.
With a horrified gasp, Anna scrambled away from the bed, confused panic already coursing through her veins.
"Oh no! Not again!" She cried.
She glanced around the room for something to smother the flames, but in the urgency of searching, her brain couldn't come up with anything suitable.
"I need help. I need Elsa!" She ran toward the door and struggled to grasp hold of the knob. "Don't burn anything else!" She yelled at the flame, feeling foolish for doing so. Her fright turned into astonishment when, as though the small ball of flame had heard her words, did it stop eating through the drapes and with a pop of smoke, blew out as though blown by an imaginary wind. Anna stopped her scramble then, stunned silent by what she had seen.
But the adrenaline from her panic had yet to diminish. Anna ran out of the room in search for her sister, the only person she figured would understand more than anyone what she had just seen.
"Elsa! Elsaaaahh!" She stepped on her dress and tumbled to the ground in an ungraceful pile of freckled limbs and emerald fabric. Her hands scraped harshly against the carpet, and through her eyelashes, saw the telltale signs of a spark flash between her hands and the floor. With a whoosh, a new fire had started just beneath her hands. She yanked her hands away, startled by the sight, and cried out again when the flames began to grow.
"Stop!" She demanded, cradling her hands close.
Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when the small bouts of fire blew out once more, leaving nothing left but a black patch of burnt carpet fibers in the middle of the hall.
Shaky hands reached for the patch. She hesitantly poked the crispy fibers, flinched at its warmth, but felt silly for doing so.
"How did this…?" She murmured, voice trailing off.
Anna bit her lower lip.
She definitely needed to tell Elsa about this discovery.
But after the ball. She thought, climbing back to her feet. She dusted off the lint that had managed to cling onto the black velvet of her corset and dried the sweat on her palms against the emerald shimmer of her dress. She tried to summon on the excited joy she had felt for the party earlier, but came up with barely a bubble.
With a deep exhale, Anna held her chin high and journeyed to the ballroom as though she hadn't just stopped the castle from burning with her words alone.
Anna wasn't having a good of a time as she would have liked. The party was in full swing and despite the hilarious image of Kristoff in a suit, his hair slick back with gel, or the cute sight of Olaf wandering the ballroom in a tuxedo's jacket, Anna found that a part of her was highly distracted. Yet, she forced out a front for the sake of her sister and friends.
While Elsa stood in front of the throne, overseeing the ball as she always did in occasions like this, Anna mingled with the guests. With a joke here and there; a dance or two; a moment of accidental tripping—to which Elsa saw and giggled into her hands much to Anna's embarrassment—Princess Anna was, without the others realizing it, trying to distract her thoughts.
A thousand and one things ran through her mind during the duration of the night.
She had started a fire with her hands. Fire! With her hands!
Could she manipulate magic?
Was that why her hair turned red?
And if that was the case, how? Why now?
Was she cursed? Or was she like Elsa, born with the power of an element and it was only until now that her powers manifested?
Anna was torn between freaking out and having a rather embarrassing spaz attack right in the middle of the ballroom or, more inappropriately, squeal in utter glee. Because not only did she have magic but she could finally prove to Elsa that she understood! That Anna could finally, finally, tell her sister that she knew what it was like to have magic, and create such beautiful things with said magic, and be called—
A sorceress.
A monster.
To be feared in silence.
To be ridiculed behind your back.
Anna stopped munching on a chocolate truffle, hearing the voices of the commoners slink back into her mind on that faithful night one year ago. That's what they called Elsa then, wasn't it? A monster. They thought she was evil; a witch doomed to curse the land in an eternal winter.
The Princess of Arendelle rolled her eyes at the thought. She pushed away the memory and reached for another chocolate truffle.
If she truly did have magic, Anna felt that she of all people could control it. After all, if Elsa could, why not she?
"Jeez, what did that truffle do to you?"
"Kristoff!" Anna gasped, nearly inhaling the sweet. She hastily dropped the handful of chocolates she'd been coveting and swallowed the rest in a gulp, much to the blond's amusement. She wiped the smear of chocolate from the corner of her lips, but winced at the terrible display of manners.
Kristoff laughed in good humor. He handed the embarrassed princess a napkin from the table.
"Relax Anna, I'm not going to judge you."
"I know, I know. It's just…" She trailed off, eyeing the guests as a silent hint.
Kristoff smirked, amused. "Yeah, I get it. Princess etiquette and all that. Give Queen Elsa my compliments, but this place is still too stuffy for my taste."
"You're leaving?" She frowned.
The blond nodded. "I left Sven by the gates. They wouldn't let me bring him in even though he was the one looking forward to the party more than me." They both chuckled. "But, I didn't want to leave without a dance from my best friend."
Anna smiled, touched by the offer. "I hope your feet are prepared for the pain."
"Depends. How heavy do you think Elsa is?"
"Hey!" She laughed, trying to swat him on the arm. "I thought I was your best friend!"
"I kid, I kid," He snickered, dodging the swat. He bent at the waist, doing his best impersonation of a gentlemen and held out his hand to Anna. "My lady, my I have the honor of this dance?"
Anna giggled in amusement. "You may my good sir," She smiled, laying a hand against his.
The moment her fingers touched his, a swearing heat flashed between their flesh. Kristoff jerked his hand away, a hissing a curse between his teeth. Anna snapped her hand back, her fingers clenched tightly into a fist.
"I'm sorry Kristoff, are you ok?"
"I—yeah." He admitted, shaking the remnants of pain away from his hand. "What was that, static? Jeez, that hurt worse than when I rub my socks on the carpet and poke at Sven."
"Uh, you know what Kristoff? I think I'm going to go. We'll save that dance for another day."
Before Kristoff could get a chance to reply, Anna had already turned on her heel and hurried across the ball to Elsa's throne in a flash. She wrought her fingers together anxiously, still feeling the ghost of heat that had shot from her fingers and into Kristoff. She felt horrible for stinging him, even if it was unintentional, and felt an alien wave of worry pool into the pit of her stomach.
If she really did have powers like Elsa, how did she plan on controlling it?
"Elsa," Anna started the moment she reached the Queen.
"Anna!" Elsa smiled. "I saw you speaking with Kristoff earlier." The mention of the blond made Anna wince harshly, much to Elsa's surprise. She stole a quick glance into the ballroom, unable to detect the blond where she had last seen him. She furrowed her brows in concern. "Is… there something wrong between you two?" Again. Her mind unhelpfully supplied.
"I need to tell you something, but it has to be in private."
"Alright. The party is almost over—"
"No!" Anna interjected, grabbing onto Elsa's hand to stop her. She caught the small wave of steam escape from between their fingers and felt alarmed all over again. "It can't wait Elsa! This is important! It's about—"
"Anna!"
Both young women turned at the call, Anna surprised and disturbed, to see Kristoff bounding their way.
"Hold on just a second here! What the heck was that?!"
"Kristoff—" Anna groaned, releasing Elsa's hand.
"Is there something wrong?" Elsa interrupted, stepping in between the two of them.
"That's what I'd like to know!" The blond huffed, crossing his arms. "Look, if this has anything to do with what happened to us then I'm sorry. I'm sorry it didn't work out like the way you wanted it too—"
"Kristoff—"
"—No Anna, let me finish—you were the one who said we could still be friends. If me asking you to dance made you comfortable then I'm sorry, but you could have just said no. You don't have to make up excuses." Kristoff said with a frown. "It'll save everyone's time."
"It's not you it's me!" Anna cried, forgetting the volume of her voice.
The music suddenly halted and all eyes were on the trio; confusion, concern and curiosity present on everyone's face. Anna threw up her hands in defeat, suddenly tired with the events of the day.
Olaf, sensing the tension between the trio, hurried over to the front and wagged his twiggy arms in the air.
"Alright, shows over people! Move along, move along." He called, ushering the guests out of the ball. "The party is over! It was fun but now it's done! I hope you had a great time because I know I did. I especially liked the part where…" Olaf's voice drifted to silence as he led the large crowd away from the ballroom.
Soon enough, it was just the three of them left in the spacious privacy of a dirty ballroom.
Anna threw herself against the throne, thankful for the eternal snowman's help.
"Alright, we're alone. You wanna start explaining what the heck is going on with you?"
"Kristoff." Elsa started sharply, blue eyes harsh.
Kristoff slumped in defeat, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "Alright, look, I'm sorry. I was a little strong there but honestly Anna, what's going on with you?"
"You want to know what's wrong?" Anna perched her chin against the palm of her left hand, looking every bit like a bored, dignified noble perched on Elsa's throne. "I'll show you." With a careless wave of her right hand, a wave of fire suddenly erupted from the marvel flooring beside the throne.
Elsa and Kristoff jerked back, startled by the onslaught of fire and heat. The young red head smiled sheepishly. She waved her hand again and watched, just as fascinated as the others, as the flames died away. Nothing was left but a small smudge of soot where the fire had once burned.
Kristoff gawked. "You can—"
"—make fire…" Elsa breathed, just as stunned.
"Yup." Anna replied, popping the "p". "And now that you know, I think it's really important that you teach me how to control it, Elsa, because if my fire is anything like your ice when you're emotional, then it's going to be a problem. I really don't want to worry about burning everyone I touch."
Elsa blinked.
"Wait, wait wait, wait!" Kristoff frowned. "Anna, you have fire powers. Fire. Powers!"
"Oh really? I haven't noticed." She deadpanned.
"And you're just… fine with that?" He gaped.
"I'm not 'fine' with it." She huffed, rising from the throne. "But it's not like I have much of a choice!" She started to pace in front of them, her mind wandering off. "I must have been born with it like Elsa, only… unlike Elsa, my powers really didn't manifest until now. Maybe it had something to do with what happened last year and me turning into a giant ice statue? But—anyway—it doesn't matter how it started because I have it now and I really, really need to control it so Elsa please help me!" She said breathlessly, grabbing her sister's hands to further her point.
"Alright. Ok. Control, yes, of course. I'll help you Anna." Elsa squeezed her hands in promise. "But my magic might work differently than yours—"
"It doesn't matter." Anna pushed, feeling hopeful again. "It's still something!"
Kristoff rubbed a hand against his face in exasperation. "I can't believe you two are ok with this. Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy? Unnatural?"
Anna and Elsa gave the blond a deadpanned expression. He quickly threw up his hands in defeat. "I didn't mean it like that! You're not unnatural Elsa, it's just that Anna is the normal one—"
"Oh?" The Snow Queen raised a slender brow, silently daring him to continue.
"I mean—ugh! You know what I mean!" He admitted in frustration.
Elsa gave him a sympathetic smile. "I know Kristoff and I understand your concerns, but Anna is right. It would appear that magic does flow within our veins." She turned to Anna and said, "Tomorrow I'll teach you what I know. For tonight, we should all get some rest."
"Good plan." Kristoff sighed in relief. "Good night ladies. Sleep tight." He turned on his heel and left them be.
I'm pushing this story out chapter by chapter-ah!
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