A/N: And here's some plot, finally. Next chapter will be the fun stuff, and you'll see why at the end. Got some fluff at the beginning, 'cause life is meaningless without fluff.
The end of this chapter was written to the song If This Ship Sinks by Jonathan Young. Youtube it or download it on his website (you can download the entire album there, and can name your own price). If you get the change, I urge you to give this song a listen. It's pretty much the exact feel I was going for. Plus, it's awesome and I'm obsessed. :)
"We built a thousand ships with our bare hands, a testament of strength across the land; So each and every ocean would bend its knee at our command." -Jonathan Young
The journey with the Royal Arendellan Navy had so far been relatively boring. A week and a half on the HMS Kinross with absolutely nothing to do was starting to drive Elsa crazy. The first few days had been fine, but the moments had begun to drag on and on.
Worst thing was, she no longer had an excuse to see Anna.
The younger had come down with a debilitating case of epic seasickness, and Elsa was by her side for four days straight trying to help her sister feel better. To be entirely honest, Anna had found her sea legs quickly and was more or less fine on the second day, but the two used it as a coverup to explain why they were staying in the same room for the first week.
The queen grimaced at that. Before they left, she hadn't even thought about the fact that they wouldn't be sharing a room. Not that she would have requested anything different – they couldn't chance their secret being outed. But the second week on the ship was hell. Sleeping alone was heart-wrenching and lonely.
She hadn't been away from Anna for more than a few days in years. Elsa had no idea what to do with herself. Screw prim and proper, she was practically a lovesick puppy.
And the nightmares had come back.
The terrible scenes kept replaying themselves, even in her waking moments. It was always something to do with Anna. Her powers were mostly under control, so it wasn't just the thought of accidentally killing her. It got much worse.
Watching her little sister's death by firing squad. By hanging. By beheading. By murder at the hands of the palace guards. All because of their relationship. They'd make her watch Anna die horrible deaths, somehow unable to summon her powers to stop it.
Sometimes it was the other way around. She had out of body experiences in her dreams, where she'd be able to see Anna's reacting to her own executions. She saw Anna, her gorgeous Anna, in tears and sobbing on the ground uncontrollably.
Elsa had no idea how she had spent thirteen years alone.
Her sister was her lifeline. A week apart, and she was practically a zombie. She wasn't sleeping, and she knew Anna could tell. They spent all the time they could together during the day, but there was no where they could hide. The ship was too small, had too many people. They could never be alone.
It was affecting Anna, too.
The woman was pale. Too pale, much more than usual. The freckles on her face and shoulders were a sharp contrast to the skin underneath. She had bags under her eyes, and just looked travel-worn. She was blaming it on the seasickness, but Elsa knew better.
The queen noticed all of Anna's little movements, how she kept trying to hold herself back. She noticed when the younger woman's hands reached out slightly, then balled into fists. She noticed when the princess came just too close, accidentally brushing up against her sister for any type of contact. She especially noticed her eyes, how they constantly hovered over Elsa's curves.
If eye-sex were a thing, her sister would be the champion of the sport. If there was one thing that the journey had taught the queen, was that it was possible to be very exposed, even when fully clothed.
All the good that it did, since they still couldn't touch each other.
The ship was about two days from landfall, and it couldn't happen soon enough. Elsa looked up from the spot against the railing, looking out at the open ocean. Anna was next to her, staring out at the waves and the dark clouds against the horizon.
Her sister's small voice was light, airy, "That storm looks like it's going to be nasty."
Elsa made a small sound of agreement. "You think it'll reach us?"
Anna laughed, "With our luck? Of course it will."
The queen could only shrug.
"It could totally make me seasick again."
Elsa's voice held soft laughter, trying not to let her words carry with the wind. "We've used that excuse already."
Anna's smirk was a little lopsided. "At this point I don't really care."
"Grabby, are we?" The queen laughed, the sound sending shivers down her sister's spine. Anna just rolled her eyes.
"You're worse than I am at this point, Miss Brings-Me-A-Puke-Bucket-Every-Night-As-An-Excuse-To-See-Me."
Elsa snickered. "Hell of a surname."
The princess snickered at her sister. "Very upstanding family, one of the most influential in Arendelle. Weirdly fond of gingers, though."
The queen nodded, amusement lighting her face. "At least they have good taste. Much better than blondes, at any rate."
Anna scoffed, "Els, self-deprecating humor doesn't suit you at all."
Elsa laughed brightly. "What humor? I thought we were talking about the influential families of our kingdom."
The younger sister swatted the queen on her arm sarcastically, and they both shared a secret grin at the contact.
"Elsa."
"Hmmm?"
"You're ridiculous."
She just smiled.
The two fell into a comfortable silence, watching the waves pass underneath the ship. Their pensive moment was broken a quarter-hour later when the first mate called them to dinner. They made their way to the galley, small smiles gracing both their faces.
The next morning brought bad news.
A large warship traveling away from Corona had intercepted them early in the morning. Both the queen and the princess were summoned to the captain's quarters to speak of contingency plans in the event of an attack. The two royals had been made aware of the recent piracy plaguing the coastlines of the neighboring kingdoms, but they had never thought they would actually find themselves facing the particular situation.
The entire deck had sat in silent apprehension as the ship grew ever closer, and the tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.
The ship's crew let out a collective sigh of relief when the sailor up high in the crow's nest shouted that the colors the warship were flying were indeed those of the Allied Kingdoms, and directly from Corona at that.
Anna and Elsa stood on the deck with the captain as a small lifeboat made it's way over to the Kinross. A large man in gleaming gold and purple armor was the first to board and he was quickly joined by three other men.
The wind had picked up, and they had to practically shout to make introductions. The man in the bright armor walked up to the captain and put out his hand. "Captain Rasmus, of the CNS Junon, at your service, sir."
"Captain Einar of the HMS Kinross. Likewise. And let me also introduce Her Majesty Queen Elsa, and Her Royal Highness Princess Anna of the House of Arendelle."
The man bowed deeply to the two woman, and they curtsied politely. The captain nodded to himself and looked at the armored man after the introductions were taken care of. "How can I help you, sir?"
The man addressed the three simultaneously. "I have some regrettable news. The port in Corona has been temporarily closed and I am afraid that we cannot allow your ship to dock for another four days."
Elsa's stomach dropped. Another four days on the ship would bring her to her wit's end. "Excuse me?"
The man bowed again, seemingly in apology. "I apologize profusely, Your Majesty. The kingdom of Corona means no affront to Arendelle in the least. The closure is only temporary, I promise you."
Elsa's eyebrows furrowed. Anna put her hand on her sister's arm and looked up at Rasmus, "Is there a reason for this?"
The man nodded at them both, "Unfortunate business, that. Two days back, there was an assassination attempt on King Deckard of the Southern Isles just as he set foot on shore. The King and Queen of Corona have restricted all access to the harbor until they can be sure it is completely secure. This is meant in no way to offend your kingdom, and I have been advised that the King wishes to give you his sincerest apologies in person once you are permitted to make landfall."
Elsa smiled and put her hand out in front of her, palm towards him. "There will be no need for any apologies, I understand. Our kingdoms have been allies for over a century, we would never harbor any ill will towards Corona."
Rasmus returned the smile. "That is fantastic to hear, your Majesty. I only hope the dignitaries from the other kingdoms will take the news as well as you have."
The large captain grinned and the two sisters laughed. Einar smiled as well, then clapped his hand to the other man's arm. "Thank you for the information, but you'll be wanting to get back to your ship captain," he looked up the the graying sky, "This storm's coming in quick, and it's going to be fierce."
Rasmus nodded. "Thank you. By your leave then, captain? Your Majesty?"
The two nodded and the burly captain and his men made their way back to the small lifeboat. Once he was gone, Einar turned to the sisters, bowing. "You two should probably get back to your rooms as well. We'll secure the deck for the storm. I'll make sure that food is sent to your quarters shortly."
The queen nodded and turned to go, but Anna smiled earnestly at the captain. "Actually, if you could have my dinner sent to Elsa's room? We'll need to discuss this delay and the repercussions it will have for Arendelle since we will most likely be returning home later than planned."
The captain nodded. "Of course, your Highness."
Anna grinned her thanks and walked with Elsa to her quarters. As soon as the door latched, the queen beamed and grabbed her sister in her arms. Anna immediately settled against the older woman, relishing in the contact.
Elsa hummed happily. "I missed this."
The princess nodded almost imperceptibly and pulled her older sister's face towards her own, placing a light kiss on Elsa's lips. The queen immediately pressed back and deepened it, her tongue darting out to meet Anna's own. They stayed that way, liplocked and kissing back and forth for a good ten minutes before they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Anna gave her sister one last peck on the lips before releasing Elsa and walking towards the bed. The queen answered the door; A sailor was waiting patiently outside with their food. The man grinned and bowed after handing it over, "Oh, a word from the captain, your Majesty. He wanted to remind you to latch down anything that may be loose, don't want things flying around and getting' ya hurt."
Elsa nodded. "I will, and send the captain my thanks."
She brought the food in, and Anna was already at her desk, putting pens and loose papers in the desk. She saw the younger woman grab some extra candles and put them in the drawer of the side table by her bed.
The two ate their dinner in relative silence. The sat as close as physically possible savoring every bit of contact. After finishing, they locked the dirty plates in the desk so they wouldn't fly around and lay down together on the bed.
Anna tried to snuggle against Elsa's back, but yelped when the queen flipped her over. Her sister pulled the princess against her chest and chuckled. "None of that. I get to be the big spoon this time."
Anna practically whined. "Elsaaaaaa..."
She laughed lightly. "Oh hush, you always manage to get the better of me. I'm allowed every once and a while. Besides, I'm older and I'm your queen."
The princess snorted, highly undignified, "You might be the queen of Arendelle but I'm the queen of our bedroom," She stretched languidly and gave her sister a sultry look, "And you have to worship me."
Elsa gave an exasperated sigh and pulled her sister closer. "We both know I do plenty of that."
Anna hummed happily in confirmation. "Love you, Elsa."
"I love you too, Anna."
Elsa could not possibly sleep.
She had no idea how Anna could. The ship was rocking hard underneath them, and she could hear the ocean crashing against the deck in enormous waves. The storm had started out small, and they had fallen asleep to the light pattern of rain hitting the deck above them. The sound was soft, soothing, and they were dreaming in minutes.
The sound the queen had awoken to was altogether a different beast. This rain was a torrent, impossible not to hear from anywhere inside the ship's hull. She could hear the anchor straining, a loud metallic sound that vibrated eerily against the splashes of the water around them.
Her breath caught as the ship turned almost horizontal. She had to brace herself against the bed's backboard and hold onto her sister to keep her from falling to the floor.
The harsh grip managed to stun the younger woman awake, and Anna gasped, grabbing onto the headboard as well. The sisters held onto each other, bracing their bodies against gravity as each wave bore down on the vessel.
The older woman heard a small whimper coming from the bundle in arms. She grabbed on tighter to the princess and pressed her lips to the top of her head. She was trying to provide as much comfort as she could, but she knew that her younger sister could hear the frantic beating of her heart in her chest.
Anna looked up at her sister, and as soon as their eyes met Elsa knew the same thought flashed through their minds.
This is how mom and dad died.
Elsa huddled down and tore her eyes from her sister's, not able to handle the emotions playing across Anna's face. She let out her own whimper and held onto the princess for dear life.
A small, detached part of her mind wondered if this was what their parents were doing in their last moments. She hoped they got to hold each other one last time. She hoped that their last meal was a decent one. She hoped that the night before that fateful storm, they stayed up all night talking, laughing, loving, living. She hoped that her dad didn't stay up late, or that her mom didn't go to bed early on the night that the cruel waves took their lives.
She hoped, more than anything in the world, that their last day together was beautiful.
Elsa was torn from her thoughts as a massive CRACK reached their ears. She and Anna looked at each other. It hadn't sounded like water had hit the deck. It was thousands of time louder than the thunder and the storm. The queen sat up, just as the entire wall next to her disintegrated.
The only thing in it's place was a gigantic circular piece of wood covered in ropes and splinters. The two women bolted up for the door, running sideways as the ship lurched once again.
They reached the door and opened it. When they looked out, they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Seven hells, that's the mast!"
Elsa could barely hear her sister above the torrential downpour. She tried stepping out onto the deck but was thrown against the door frame as a wave hit the ship. Anna grabbed her harshly, keeping her from being thrown against the deck.
The younger woman looked out near the base of the broken mast and gasped when she saw the captain, trapped in rope on the starboard side of the ship and struggling to move towards the them. She flew into action, urgently grabbing onto the ropes attached to the deck railing. She started making her way towards the man, desperate to help.
She could hear her sister yelling behind her, but couldn't make out the words. A wave crashed over her, but she held fast until it was past, moving down the rail bit by but until she made it to Einar.
Elsa was terrified. She attempted to follow her sister, but couldn't find the footing, slipping on the deck. She screamed for Anna to stop and wait, but the princess kept moving. She yelled in fear when she saw a wave break over the deck directly on top of her sister, and cried out in relief when she saw it hadn't washed the woman away.
She looked on, her heart in her throat as the young woman reached the captain. She saw Anna grab the man's belt knife and cut him loose, managing to pull the heavy ropes off of him. She gave Einar a hand up and they both moved quickly to the rails, managing to reach it before the ship tossed again.
They made their way back along the rail. The captain reached Elsa first, and she pulled him into the room behind her, giving him some semblance of cover. She vaguely noticed that his head was bleeding heavily, but she couldn't afford to take much notice.
Her sister finally grew closer and Elsa reached out for her. Anna grabbed her hand and grinned a triumphant smile at the queen.
Elsa let out a sigh of relief and pulled the hand, trying to bring the woman into the room.
Just as Anna reached her, the broken mast swung backwards along the ropes holding it. It hit the rail behind the princess and caused the already-swaying ship to tilt further. The younger woman's hand was torn from Elsa's as the arm holding the railing was pulled back, crashing backwards. The railing was ripped from the deck and was pulled out into the raging ocean.
Anna was pulled with it.
Elsa's hand, still outstretched, formed into a fist. Her blood was pounding in her ears, louder than the noise of the storm around her. Her eyes widened, staring at the empty spot her sister had just stood in. The brutal truth hit her and she screamed louder than she ever had before. The door and deck around her froze over completely, her voice screeching her sister's name over and over in disbelief.
Her world went white.
"ANNA!"