Author Notes: This story contains themes that may make some readers uncomfortable. If femslash or the thought of two consenting adults engaging in a relationship that is considered taboo in the real world offends you, then this story is not for you. I welcome reviews and critiques, but the world already has enough hate, so please keep your flames to yourself. There are many other wonderful stories on this site, and I won't be offended if you choose one of them instead. Standard Disclaimer: I don't make claims on any Disney trademarks/copyrights and mean no infringement on them or anybody else.

Special Note: The original chapter 6 was too long, so I split it into three shorter chapters. I got a little too laser targeted on getting it done before surgery and didn't pay attention to the length.

Chapter 6.

The butterflies in Anna's stomach were as strong as those before Elsa's coronation-possibly stronger. She'd been pacing a line across her sitting room floor for twenty minutes and was starting to think the clock needed winding. Just a little longer. Only a few minutes until a bedtime tea more important than any other in her life.

"Astrid, are you sure this clock isn't slow?" She hoped it was, and not time standing still.

Astrid poked her head out of the bedroom. "I wound it this morning, My Lady. Don't worry, nine will be here soon enough. A watched clock never chimes, my grandmother said."

"Ugh, this is killing me." Anna paced a few more steps and collapsed onto the settee with a frustrated sigh. "I can't believe she listened for once. Maybe she really is just overworked." She glanced at the clock again. "Are you sure you wound it all the way?"

"Yes, My Lady. I wound it properly. Should I stay to change you later, or leave your gown on the bed?"

Anna still wore the clothes from dinner, something she normally didn't do. Usually, the first thing she did upon coming back upstairs was to bathe and prepare for bed. Until the awkwardness between them, both she and her sister took tea in their night clothes. It felt strange to still be dressed, but then the entire situation was strange.

"Just leave it." Anna rubbed her hands on her knees and tried to calm her nerves. She'd considered changing but didn't want to assume anything by Elsa's decision. She might even be mad at me. "Oh, no, what if she is mad? What if she knows about…? Of course not; she wouldn't have tea to lecture me … would she? Maybe she would. Maybe she figured something out while Kristoff was here, and waited until after dinner—no, she said she already asked Bridgette. Maybe she wants to make up. I don't remember doing anything bad, but…. Maybe she'll explain why she pushed me away." Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Anna got up and started pacing again, fighting the urge to rub her face, which would ruin her makeup. Instead, she swung her arms around nervously. What do I say to her? Oh, by the way, what made you hate me? That would go over well.

"I wonder what she will say about it. Wait, what are we going to talk about? I know I'm just going to babble, and that'll make her mad again, and she'll probably throw me out. Could she throw me out of the parlor? I wonder why she picked there instead of her room like we always do. Neutral ground, maybe. That sounds like Elsa, always diplomatic."

Anna spun around and stared at the clock again. It had only changed by three minutes. She would go crazy before it finally chimed nine. As always, Elsa was very specific about the time. She was as precise as Anna was scattered, and at times like this, Anna really hated that preciseness.

Dinner wasn't as horrible as she expected. Despite what she'd overheard about the envoys, they both seemed reasonably friendly. She hit it off with the Grottnian envoy's wife, Helga, when she mentioned a love of leverpostel with cheese curd. Helga was a large, jovial woman who seemed not to care about much beyond eating. Anna thought she was wonderful.

The Farsish envoy and his wife were far more stand-offish—snooty, Anna told Elsa and got no disagreement—and treated the Queen with an odd sympathy. While nice enough to her they clearly considered her sister a different matter altogether.

All-in-all, Anna classified the meal as a success. She only got a few minutes alone with Elsa afterward before being shooed her upstairs so her sister could get to her work more quickly, but the Queen seemed pleased with her performance.

Anna passed by the mirror and stopped to check herself, in case she had rubbed her makeup into some weird melange of colors. She didn't wear makeup often, for precisely the reason she now needed to check, and didn't want to show up looking like a circus clown. Her makeup was still in place so she turned slightly and studied her profile. She had to admit, eyeshadow and blush brought out her features, and she wondered briefly if Elsa liked her more with or without. Either way, even makeup couldn't hide that she wasn't as pretty as Elsa.

Well, nobody's as pretty as Elsa. Anna sighed; more than a few of the gentlemen who sat at the table with them spent a part of their meal stealing looks at the young Queen. Most of those looks weren't frightened or curious—they were wolfish. It made Anna a little jealous that not as many looked at her the same way, but only a little.

It angered her more than anything; Elsa was not a prize to be won or a challenge to be conquered. She was intelligent, had a wonderfully quirky sense of humor when she chose to show it, and did not take kindly to being treated like an object. Occasionally, Elsa would notice a gentleman's leer. He often excused himself soon after, usually tugging at his pants uncomfortably. Anna saw her sister's irritation and had to hide giggles at her stealthy response.

She spent more time than she liked to admit looking at her sister; Elsa's lips were soft, but so were other parts of her body and it was hard not to stare when she walked past in one of the sparkly ice dresses she wore.

For someone so shy, she sure is unconcerned about being on display like that. Even Anna blushed when Elsa bent over; no matter the angle, her sister was arresting. She had a small frame but the body on that frame was breathtaking. Every curve was perfect, from her slender neck to her tiny waist, and to the hips that stopped conversations whenever she walked by. The most exquisite part of her body were her breasts, larger than would be expected for a woman her size, but firm and beckoning.

Elsa's breasts garnered a good deal of attention, particularly in the low-cut dresses she wore before she'd started to withdraw from public view. From a particular position, it was possible to even see the shadows where the visible curve of white skin vanished beneath her neckline. She didn't wear bindings; she didn't need them. Not that Anna did, either, though simply because she wasn't big enough to bother. Elsa's breasts were firm enough not to need support despite their size. That irked Anna at times, but she found it hard to fault her sister for what nature gave her.

"She does have incredible breasts." Anna wasn't the only woman who noticed. Most of those looks were jealous, but now and then she'd catch a woman looking at Elsa with a different kind of expression. It wasn't envy... it reminded her of how some of the men looked at her sister.

Those expressions made her jealous, too, but for a different reason. She didn't like women looking at Elsa like that—at her Elsa—any more than she did men. Anna laughed; there was absolutely no reason for the feeling, but whenever a young maid or visiting noblewoman stole one too many glances at the Queen, Anna's claws came out.

Her sister seemed oblivious to the attention. There was quite a bit of chatter when she first appeared in the slinky attire, and a brief attempt at duplicating the fashion was quickly squashed by irate husbands and fathers. Nobody could tell the Queen what to wear, however, and she ignored any attempts to try.

Bridgette finally convinced her to stop wearing them during the day after a near international incident involving the Earl of Shoresbury's extremely jealous wife and a bouquet of roses. Dinner was a different matter, and Elsa stood firm until the day she stopped speaking to her sister.

Anna realized she hadn't seen one of the flowing dresses since the night everything changed. She remembered waking up at some point when Elsa screamed but when the noises didn't continue she decided that if it was a nightmare, Elsa had it under control and went back to sleep. When her sister turned around and walked away from Anna's attempted morning hug the next day, the dream no longer mattered.

"I wonder what she dreamed about." Anna turned and looked at herself from another angle. "That can't be why she started ignoring me, can it? Is she mad I didn't come check on her?" She'd never understood why her sister had such terrible dreams. She vaguely remembered two or three from before Elsa went away, and had heard her a few times through the years that they were apart, but Elsa either didn't remember or wouldn't share the reasons.

She'd had one shortly after things settled down from the coronation. It was the first time Anna actually saw the results; rushing in to help she nearly slipped on the ice that spotted the floor. Elsa was too distraught to explain—all she wanted was her sister's embrace.

They finished the night sleeping together like they'd done after a bad dream as children. Anna giggled. That was when she first realized how curvy her sister had become as an adult. They cuddled together as children, but cuddling with Elsa that night was a completely different experience. From that day, Anna was fascinated with her sister's breasts. She was always comparing Elsa to other women—and there were some nice-looking women in Arendelle—but Elsa always won.

"There isn't much on her that's not perfect." Anna turned from the mirror and wandered toward the window. "I wish I looked like that." She was shapely enough, admittedly, but Elsa was … stacked? It was a term she'd heard one of the stable hands use to describe a buxom kitchen maid and seemed to fit, though she understood she shouldn't say it to her sister's face.

It was pointless to compare herself, and Anna knew it. Elsa's beauty was ethereal and mature, while her little sister Anna was "just so cute and adorable." In other words, she still looked childish. Anna sighed. I wonder if I'll look as mature at twenty-one? By then her sister would be twenty-four and probably married with children.

"Now, that's an image!" Anna tried to picture Elsa pregnant and almost burst into laughter. Trying to picture her sister kissing a husband was not as amusing. Thinking about marriage threatened to drag her back into her worries about Kristoff, and she started pacing yet again. The hands of the clock seemed to take forever as they crept toward nine.

"Are you sure you wound—"

"I wound the clock, My Lady." Astrid joined her mistress in the sitting room. "I laid out your gown and turned down the bed. Is there anything else before I go?"

"No, nothing. Thank you, Astrid." Anna smiled. "I'll give you all the details tomorrow."

"That isn't necessary," the girl quickly replied. "I'm sure it will go splendidly."

Anna nodded vigorously. "I hope so!"

With a curtsey, Astrid took her leave, and Anna started pacing again. Only twenty-three more minutes.

While Anna fretted and paced, down the hall her sister felt just as nervous. Elsa finished her work faster than expected and had been in her room trying to read for nearly an hour, waiting impatiently for nine o'clock to arrive. She was also still dressed and worried about what Anna would show up wearing.

Her sister wore as little as possible to bed, so she often came to tea without her robe; at first, Elsa didn't care. Not until she recognized the feelings she'd developed did she realize how thin Anna's summer nightgowns were, and how much they showed when she leaned forward. She'll have enough sense to wear her robe, at least. I hope.

"Bridgette, were you able to do what I asked?" Elsa looked over her shoulder at the older woman performing the same tasks as her counterpart in Anna's room. "I know it was very late notice."

Bridgette smiled and nodded. "The kitchen was more than happy to comply. They are all pleased to hear that you and Her Highness have made up."

"Made up, huh?" Elsa sighed. "It wasn't a fight—just me being an ass."

"Excuse me?" Bridgette blinked several times. Where is she learning these words? "Regardless of the reason, they are all relieved to see you together again."

Together again. Elsa blushed. Let's hope I can remember what those words are supposed to mean between us. "It was wrong of me to push her away because of my own … problems. I thought it was the right thing to do, and it wasn't." She kept her voice even to hide the lie.

"I'm sure she'll understand." Bridgette saw through Elsa's words easily. She still didn't know why her mistress had withdrawn from her sister, but it had little to do with Elsa's powers or her control over them. That made the flushing of the Queen's face all the more confusing. "The sweets cart should help her with that."

"Did the kitchen overdo it?"

With a chuckle, Bridgette shrugged. "That is a matter of opinion."

Elsa shook her head in mock dismay. "There are times all the chocolate in Arendelle wouldn't be enough for Anna." She smiled at the older woman. "Thank you, Bridgette. I owe you an apology. My behavior of late has been deplorable."

"The Queen never needs to apologize, Ma'am. I'm just happy that you're smiling again." Bridgette nodded. "Her Highness will certainly feel the same."

After a moment of silence, Elsa turned and walked to the window—the same one she had frosted over earlier in the day—and looked out into the darkness. She owed Anna a greater apology than anyone for her actions. Bridgette was right, though; Anna would forgive her and things would go back to normal. It was up to her to keep them that way.

Bridgette studied her charge's back. The Queen had no idea how relieved everyone was that whatever had gone wrong between the royal sisters was fixed. She and a few others were even more relieved than most; it would be bad for Arendelle if they continued to grow apart. It was enough that Princess Anna was so taken with the ice cutter, for anything else to come between the sisters would not bode well for the future.

"What was it the Madams Karlsbaad and Salome are doing tomorrow?" Elsa asked quietly, still staring out the window trying to lose herself in the darkness. At dinner, both women did a good job of ignoring her. Mrs. Karlsbaad was more interested in the menu than conversation, though she and Anna seemed to get on well—not surprisingly.

Madame Salome was as haughty as her husband and apparently held the same opinion about her host's powers. Every comment she made sounded as though she were asking either about Elsa's "condition" or her arrangements for a successor. Elsa smiled through it, but she was ready to scream by dessert. It was more of a relief than she dared show that they weren't coming on the tour.

"Lady Aife and Mrs. Johansen are taking them to Nygård's." Bridgette chuckled. "Poor Lars."

"Ah, that's Anna's friend's family, is it not?" Anna said she met Gudrun on a visit to the Nygård spa. It had a good reputation as a place of healing and relaxation. The Nygårds were fortunate enough to have multiple hot springs on their property and had parlayed that into a full-service spa that drew customers from all over Arendelle. There was some talk of working to gain a presence in other countries, probably the reason the group was going.

"I believe so, Ma'am. No doubt the outing will satisfy the ladies while you and Her Highness are otherwise occupied."

Elsa blew out her breath. "It sounded like Anna won't be back until dark. I'll be sufficiently miserable after spending half the day with our guests, since I'm sure I'll be trying to keep their attention on Arendelle and not me. Perhaps I should take a trip to Nygård's myself."

Bridgette managed to her face impassive. Despite the open gates, the Queen very rarely left the castle. She'd never gone out for anything other than diplomatic necessity, such as tomorrow's tour. This was the first time she'd mentioned going out for personal reasons. "I have no doubts they'd be honored to have you visit, Your Majesty. I can make arrangements to clear a day if you'd like me to set something up."

"No, I was just thinking aloud. From what I've heard, it's usually very busy, and I wouldn't want to cause a stir. I'm not ready to be among that many people, anyway."

"They have more private options than the general pools, Ma'am. Some of the springs have come up in caves and several are small enough to be intimate." Bridgette cleared her throat. "Erik, from the gardens, took his bride there a few weeks ago and couldn't stop talking about it."

Elsa remembered that the spa was particularly popular as a honeymoon destination for those who couldn't afford an extended vacation. I wonder if that's where Anna will want to go? The idea of Anna taking a honeymoon made her twitch, and she turned her thoughts quickly back to dinner.

Mister Johansen and his wife were charming, and Lord Aife's wife was so overly nice that even Anna started rolling her eyes. As Minister of the Economy, Lord Aife's presence was a given, but Elsa didn't care for him. He rubbed her the wrong way every time they were together. The only person she felt more uncomfortable around was Lord Fritzen, though the gap between the levels of dislike was wide.

Strangely, Lord Fritzen's attitude changed the moment they sat down to eat. His conversations were neutral, and he deferred to her so much she began to suspect he was plotting something. After what happened in the hall, she worried that plotting involved her relationship with Anna.

"Do you know why Lord Fritzen dislikes me so much?" Elsa faced Bridgette and frowned. "He made a hug between Anna and me sound like proof of an affair. I find that a rather large leap, and I wonder why he made it." If anyone could figure out the answer to that question, it was the woman standing in front of her.

"He said that?" Bridgette didn't know how to answer. Lord Fritzen's feelings toward the Queen and her sister were something she hesitated to get involved with. At the same time, she found an accusation of that nature too startling to ignore. "I'm certain he meant something else, Your Majesty."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "His exact words were 'inappropriately close.' I don't find that open to many interpretations. Anyone else suggesting it would be escorted out of the castle and asked not to return. I'd have him escorted out if I could do it."

"From Her Highness simply hugging you?"

"Well … Anna mentioned something about stripping me, but it was clearly a joke." Elsa coughed. "Even that doesn't warrant his suggestion about our relationship."

It took Bridgette a few seconds to process the information. "Lord Fritzen is…" she searched for words appropriate to her station. "His enthusiasm to guide you properly is sometimes … excessive, Ma'am. He must have meant to prevent a misunderstanding in the future."

"Or simply because he dislikes me." Elsa crossed her arms. "He's always disliked me. I feel like he goes out of his way to find errors I make. Why?"

"I can't answer that, Ma'am. He keeps his motives close to his chest, but I can assure you he respects your authority—even if he seems overly zealous in his position."

With a sigh, Elsa walked away from the window and leaned against the settee, looking her handmaiden squarely in the face. "Do you think our relationship seems inappropriate?" She wasn't certain she wanted an answer, but she needed one. If she could keep her secret from Bridgette, she could keep it from anyone. If Bridgette suspected….

The older woman met her gaze evenly. "No, Your Majesty. Her Highness can be overly exuberant, but it would take—as you say—a large leap to consider you more than close sisters." The pair were unusually affectionate in public for a monarch and sibling but Bridgette hardly thought it was inappropriate. Leave it to him to stir things up when he shouldn't.

Queen Iduna was able to keep her cousin in check, but since her death, Lord Fritzen had become a real bother. Bridgette's unusual position in the household allowed her more freedom in dealing with the nobility, but she was still a servant. She couldn't confront him the way her former mistress did, and there was no one else who could—other than Queen Elsa, who was terrified of him.

"Good." Elsa straightened. "I wouldn't want someone to get the wrong impression about something like that. I think it would prove a very hard rumor to squash." If anyone did notice that her feelings were more than affectionate, she hoped she would appear insulted with some credibility.

"Indeed." Bridgette folded her hands in front of her. "Do you require anything further of me?"

Elsa shook her head. Just like Anna, she'd learned to work the castle's plumbing at a young age, so she didn't need help drawing a bath. "Thank you, Bridgette. I'll see you in the morning."

Once Bridgette had gone, Elsa looked at the clock. Nine minutes. It would be the longest nine minutes of her life. "Ridiculous; I don't have to wait around here until exactly nine. Anna's probably already there bouncing on the furniture, anyway."

With a final check in the mirror to make sure nothing needed fixing—even if it was pointless, she wanted to look her best for Anna—she walked out the door and started down the hall. It may be tense at first, but she would do all she could regain the relationship with her sister she should have. She would just have to find the strength to hide what relationship she really wanted.

After Notes: I apologize for the original chapter being so ridiculously long. In the future, I will do my best to keep chapters under 6000 words or so. For anyone curious, leverpostel is a Norwegian version of Braunschweiger sausage. I used it to avoid using a real place name in the story.