Frozen: The Dragon Princess
Interlude (Dragon Fever)
The intensity of Anna's lessons had increased, both scholarly and magical. Fortunately Borealis was a true scholar and helped tutor her in all her lessons.
"Someone with as much talent in magic as you has a fine enough mind to understand anything put in front of you" He had scolded her before withholding all magical tutelage until she learned her practical lessons. When both he and her tutors were satisfied he resumed her lessons and set her a new task, forging a crono stone.
"The stone is made of pure time magic crystallized into a solid form. It allows easier passage through time, but it is difficult and time consuming to make" He had explained to her.
"How long?" She asked.
"Two years" He had said, and for two years she had fed all her spare magic into forging the stone with borealis aid. It was the hardest two years she had ever suffered through. She felt drained all the time, as if she was an empty glass, she couldn't transform, couldn't make a spark of fire, and her sister had fully shut her out. She treated her like a complete stranger when they were forced to be together in communal lessons, and when Anna didn't measure up, Elsa gave her a look Anna couldn't decipher but left her feeling even lower than she already did. It was after the first year and a half that she fell ill. Her temperature spiked, her body ached, and she could barely move due to weakness. Her parents brought in a doctor to see her, but he couldn't tell them what was wrong. It took her almost a month to recover, and when she did it was to find Borealis sitting by her bed.
"Master" She whispered.
"Easy child. You fell very ill" He said.
"I noticed" She chuckled.
"I…overestimated your power. Feeding so much energy into the stone for so long dangerously weakened you" He explained.
"But we have to finish it" She said trying to sit up only to have him press her back down.
"Rest child. I shall finish the stone. You have contributed the lion's share of work on it. It will be easy to finish. You focus on regaining all your strength. You will need it to resume your journey" He said and Anna's chest filled with excitement. Anna put her head back and fell asleep, and her soul drifted.
"How can you do this" She heard and saw her master and mother arguing.
"I apologize. I thought she would hold up better than she did" He said.
"You apologize?" Her mother hissed at him, angrier than Anna had ever seen her.
"Despite your belief, I do care for the girl, very deeply. She is kind, caring, warm and for reasons I cannot understand, completely devoted to this family, despite you and your husband's best efforts to destroy it" He said.
"We are trying to save it" Her mother said.
"Then let your eldest out. Let her show Anna her powers. Let the two of them work things out together. Anna is fire and warmth incarnate. If anyone can keep your eldest's storm under control she can" Borealis said. She saw tears roll down her mother's face and saw her waver.
"What are you doing?" She heard her father shout.
"Please keep your voice down before I take it" Borealis said. She saw her father's face purple in suppressed anger before she moved on. She passed the library where her sister was bent over a desk, her tutor hovering over her.
"Very good your highness. You will make an excellent ruler one day" She said.
"Thank you mam" Elsa said and finished writing.
"We are done for the day child" The buzzard looking old woman said and Elsa got up and stretched, until the woman cleared her throat. Elsa immediately stopped and assumed her most dignified pose.
"Thank you mam" She said and glided from the room. Anna followed her as Elsa walked toward Anna's room to see their parents and Borealis still locked in conversation.
"Mother father, who is this?" Elsa asked and both her parents started.
"Elsa, return to your room" Her father ordered as Borealis sailed past him.
"Greetings princess Elsa. We have not had the fortune to meet. I am Bors, a private tutor your parents hired for your sister." Her master said smiling.
"I don't understand" Elsa said.
"Your sister is very bright your highness, but she is not quite as…disciplined as you are. She needs a little extra help in some areas" He said smiling serenely.
"Elsa, please return to your room" Her father said.
"Now your majesty, I don't see why you're eldest cannot peek in on her beloved younger sister?" Her master said raising an eyebrow. Her father once again colored, and her mother put a steadying hand on his shoulder.
"That is what you wished to do, is it not your highness?" He asked.
"Yes please" Elsa said demurely.
"Then go on" He said and cracked Anna's bedroom door open. Elsa slipped inside and Anna was drawn back into her body, everything she had seen and heard becoming a jumble.
"Anna?" She heard Elsa whisper; even though she was still so weak she could barely open her eyes. She felt a gloved hand laid itself on her forehead, only to jerk away.
"Oh Anna, your burning up" Elsa whispered and Anna heard a rustle of cloth and Elsa once again put her ungloved hand on Anna's head, and Anna felt a cooling sensation flow through her and she felt her fever break and recede, as well as strength flow into her. She slowly opened her eyes as Elsa's hand left hers and she backed away slipping her glove back on. Anna was feeling stronger by the minutes as she saw her sister shuffle to door, open it and slip out.
Elsa raced past her parents and Bors and into her room, shutting and locking the door. She pulled off her glove and looked at the hand that had touched her sisters blazing hot skin. As soon as Elsa had made skin to skin contact, the constant cold and fear had been washed away by a surge of warmth that had felt like the warmest fire and the brightest day all rolled into one. Elsa slid down the door to the floor and held her hand to her chest, holding on to the warm feeling for the rest of the day.
Anna had tried to get up and race after her sister, but still found herself wobbly. She sighed and went to the fireplace which still had a fire roaring in it. Reaching out she drew a small amount of heat into her and the fire dimmed. She put two logs into it and waited until the fire almost became too large for the grate before feeding again. Slowly her strength returned until she felt like herself again.
"Nice to see you back on your feet" Borealis said entering the room.
"Where are my parents?" She asked.
"Trying to talk to your sister" He said.
"Elsa touched me, actually really touched me with her skin" Anna said putting her hand to the place where her sisters cool hand had lain.
"She did?" He asked.
"And after I did, I felt better" Anna said.
"I was able to get out of bed and feed on the fire" She explained once again taking heat into her.
"Love and affection can be its own form of healing" Borealis said.
"Can we finish the stone, I want to keep going" Anna said and Borealis nodded.
Sorry for the long update, and the short chapter, but I'm still working out the brave chapter.