Chapter 8 - Into The North Mountains Part 1
Queen Elsa stood in her bedroom, staring out of the window. It was the early hours of the morning, and she was in a rather pleasant mood. Today, she would be taking Anna out into the kingdom for a few days, to show her the sights. After all, since the strange girl had brought her out into her own timeline, Elsa would likewise do the same.
A part of the reason she was doing this was so that she could finally confess her feelings to Anna. For the nearly three weeks they had known each other now, Elsa and Anna had been drawn closer and closer to one another.
It had come to a head the other night when they had almost shared a kiss. Just thinking how close they had gotten was enough to make Elsa blush bright red.
She looked at the clock in her room. It was nearly 9am. Anna should've been here by now, but then again the strawberry blonde wasn't good with time.
Any minute now, Elsa thought, her hands being held behind her back. As if on cue, she heard the door to what was once her personal showers burst open and the sound of something heavy being dropped on the floor.
Elsa turned, seeing Anna standing at the door in full camping gear, wearing sunglasses and holding two large suitcases in her arms as well as holding a backpack. She was still wearing her peasant dress though, although, with all her extra accessories, it wouldn't hide her identity very well.
"I'm all ready!" She cheered, grinning brightly.
The Queen couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "Anna... what are you doing with all that stuff?"
"Well, we're going camping, aren't we?" Anna assumed. "I just wanted to be prepared. I've packed all the essentials for us. A camping stove, a nice big tent for us to sleep in... Ooooh! and I brought marshmallows for us! Can't have a campfire without marshmallows!"
Rolling her eyes, Elsa walked up to Anna, taking off her sunglasses. She was pleased with the effort Anna had gone to, but she knew it wouldn't be necessary.
"Yes, we are going camping, but you needn't have brought all of this stuff," she told her in a slightly motherly tone. "I've already taken care of supplies for our little trip."
"Oh," Anna said, feeling a little embarrassed. "Of course you did. You're a queen, you always make preparations for literally everything."
Giggling, Elsa stroked Anna's cheek. "Come on. I got you a little present." She then looked to her side, gesturing to a cute looking winter dress with a long purple cape and a furry hat. It looked like the perfect definition of cuteness.
Her eyes widening, Anna rushed to the mannequin the dress was being held on, stroking the silky fabric of the dress's blue skirt. She blushed, touched Elsa would have an outfit made just for her.
"T-this is for me, isn't it?"
Elsa nodded. "It's going to be quite cold up in the mountains. I figured you would need to keep warm." She put her hand on Anna's shoulder. "Do you like it?"
"I love it!" Anna cheered. "I mean, of course, I love it." She then sniggered. "I always wanted a cute period winter dress like this." Just then, however, a thought crossed Anna's mind. "Hey... what about your outfit, Elsa? I mean, you're gonna get cold too if you don't wrap up warm."
"Oh, I don't get cold," Elsa assured her, giving a playful smirk. "It's the strangest thing. Ever since I was born, I've never really been able to feel the cold or get cold." She laughed. "My father would always tell me off for playing in the snow in my pyjamas when I was little, fearing I'd get frostbite... but I never did." She then paused her story before she picked up Anna's sack and slung it over her shoulder. "Come on, I've had my stable hands prepare our horses."
Gulping, the redhead then looked at Elsa a little confused. "Wait, what, horses?"
"You don't like horses?"
"Well, I..." Anna chuckled sheepishly. "I do... it's just that I might not be good riding one. See, I grew up in the country and my folks owned this ranch and I used to ride horses all the time when I was a kid... and then one day a big pony I was riding decided to buck up and throw me off, breaking my arm."
Striding over to Anna, Elsa brushed a loose hair out of the redhead's eye. She knew it would probably be impossible for them to ride on one horse. After all, Elsa had packed a lot of things for their trip, such as food, so it would have to be split up. She smiled, giving Anna a reassuring look.
Sighing, Anna looked into Elsa's eyes. "Okay... maybe it won't be so bad. I mean, I was only 9 when I broke my arm after all." She then rubbed her arm, giving Elsa an adorable look.
She's so cute, A part of Elsa's mind thought, before the Queen's eyes widened and told it to be quiet. She would confess to Anna her feelings, but not right now.
The two of them then headed out of the room once Anna was changed into her new outfit, the young girl making cute purring noises once she had felt the furry mittens Elsa had provided her. Part of her wished she had brought her phone, but Elsa had insisted none of her modern gadgets be brought with her.
Elsa had also changed her clothes, now wearing a white travelling outfit with a long blue skirt and a cape like Anna's. She was also wearing short white gloves on her hands, not wanting to get too dirty in the big outdoors.
Soon, the two were out in the courtyard, where a pair of horses, fully loaded with camping equipment, were waiting for them, some of Elsa's servants having gathered to wish them off.
Anna made her way to her horse, a tall brown stallion. As she held her hand and tried to pull herself onto the saddle, she then found it difficult to pull her leg over the top of the spine of her mount. She sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Elsa... can you give me a hand?" she called to the Queen, who was helping herself onto her own horse, a beautiful white mare. As Elsa was in position, she looked to Anna, seeing the redhead blushing.
Elsa sighed. "Someone assist my friend with getting onto her horse," she instructed her servants, seeing that her crush required assistance.
Two of Elsa's maids then walked over to Anna, helping her onto the horses back with minimal effort. Once the modern girl was on the back of her horse, she grinned. "Yes! Finally! Thanks, girls!"
The blonde Queen giggled. "So... are you ready?"
"Oh yeah," Anna said, tugging on the reins of her horse. "I was born ready!" As she said that, her horse neighed and wriggled about beneath her. "Hey! Woah!"
"Careful," Elsa cautioned. "Arendellian Horses have a quick temper."
Nodding in agreement, Anna tugged the reins of her horse again, in a much more gentle manner. As she did so, her mount then started to trot off out of the courtyard, Anna feeling very proud of herself, pulling a smug face.
"Oh yeah! All hail Anna, horse whisperer!" She cheered.
Enjoying another giggle to herself, Elsa tugged her horse's reins and she turned around to face her castle staff. She then cleared her throat before addressing those under her employ. "I shall be gone with my friend for a couple of days. I trust you can take care of the castle and the kingdom while I am gone?"
"Of course, your majesty!" Kai called to her, bowing along with several of the other servants. "Take care out there. There are rumours a blizzard could be coming down later tonight."
"Don't worry, Kai," Elsa assured her steward. "You know how no one ever predicts the weather around here. Besides, it's the middle of summer. Who's ever heard of a blizzard in summer?"
The old butler wiped his brow, before smiling. "I understand my Queen, but please be careful."
"I promise, old friend," Elsa vowed, before she tugged on the reins of her horse, galloping off after her friend and ready to spend an enchanting weekend with the redhead, one that she hoped would end on a very good note.
xXx
By the time it was midday, Elsa and Anna had arrived at their first destination. Anna had been getting quite used to riding a horse again, very much impressing Elsa. She had nearly fallen off at least three times by now, but she was determined.
It was that determination, that fiery young spark that struck a chord with Elsa. She loved the time she spent with the redhead, enjoying being her friend, despite their rather unusual circumstances. She blushed and held a hand close to her chest,
A few moments later, Anna and Elsa passed through the thick trees that coated the slopes of the mountains of Arendelle and found themselves in a small clearing, a sort of miniature valley between the rock and wood.
It was a rather strange looking place, a deep trench in the ground filled with many boulders, all of them simply lying in place, some of them even growing moss. It was a strange place indeed. "Woah... what is this place?" Anna admitted, getting off her horse without incident save her hat nearly falling off her head.
Elsa climbed off her steed, walking towards one of the boulders and stroking its mossy surface. She smiled, remembering fond memories of her childhood. "This is a sacred site here in Arendelle."
"Really?" Anna asked, feeling a little sceptical. "I mean I can see why any place would be sacred, but I've never heard of mossy rocks being important to anyone before
The Queen laughed again. "Oh, these are more than just rocks, Anna." She smiled, before sitting on top of one of the rocks. "You see, according to legend, these rocks represent the spirits of the ancient beings who founded my kingdom or something like that."
"Something like that?"
"Well... it's part of a belief system that isn't really common in Arendelle anymore," Elsa then explained. "Since we adopted Christianity a long time ago, no one really has given much care to old folk tales much."
All of this was very fascinating to Anna. As she listened in with wide ears to Elsa's information, she found herself wandering around the valley, admiring the boulders. She then leaned close to one of them, peeling back some of the moss with her fingers.
Underneath the moss, Anna noticed a strange symbol etched into the stone. She had studied many ancient languages, but this was very unfamiliar to her.
"Hey, Elsa!" Anna called to her royal friend. "This rock has something on it."
Elsa made her way to Anna's side, kneeling down and taking a look at Anna's discovered. She put her gloved hand on her chin. feeling rather curious as to what Anna had found. She reached over, stroking the marking with her finger.
Anna looked up, seeing Elsa study the rock with precision and logic. She admired how through and keen Elsa was to learning and understanding new things, a quality she seemed to like about the Queen, although the fact they were quite close to one another didn't help much. Anna's face was already glowing a rosy pink.
Soon, Elsa took her finger away from the rock, trying her best to give Anna an answer. "Well... I'm not too sure what it might be, but I do have one theory."
"You have?"
The Queen nodded. "Yes... the people who believed these rocks were sacred formed a little community in ancient times. They had their own language and writing. They clearly must have marked these stones for some reason of importance to them."
"Ooooh, you're quite the archaeologist, Dr Elsa," Anna remarked. "Can you translate it?"
Sadly shaking her head, Elsa sighed. "Sadly I cannot. Most of the mountain people have passed away and the few that still remain are very private people. But that is alright, as long as there is someone to keep this legend alive after all."
The redhead sighed, looking a little down. However, a moment later, the corners of her mouth turned into a smile, not wanting to make Elsa feel down. After all, she was doing this for her after all. She smiled at Elsa and sat down on a rock. "Hey, it's okay. It probably doesn't mean anything anyway. I mean symbols can pretty much mean anything right?"
Standing up, Elsa looked at Anna, smiling back. "I suppose you are right... come on, there's another spot I want to take you where we can camp for the night, it's a beautiful place."
Her face lighting up, Anna stood up and started to make her way to their horses. She stumbled slightly as she tried to walk through the rocks. There were so many of them and the gaps between them were rather narrow.
"Oh, so where are we goaaaah!" Anna exclaimed, as she tripped up on a rock, nearly falling towards the ground at high speed.
Rushing to her friend's side, Elsa caught Anna just in time, holding her in her arms. "Easy there! You could have cracked your head open."
Sighing, Anna looked up and saw she was being held in Elsa's arms, the blonde's face very close to her own. She was smiling softly, her baby blue eyes gazing down at Anna. The redhead blushed and pulled herself away from Elsa, dusting off her cape.
"Let's... pretend that didn't happen," Anna admitted, brushing her braids out of her eyes.
Elsa and Anna then walked to their horses, Elsa helping Anna onto her steed. After they were both on their mounts, Elsa tugged on her reins and pointed upwards out of the trees, to a tall peak somewhere on the horizon.
Leaning close, Anna saw the peak, hanging in the cold blue sky. "Is that where we're going?"
"Yes," Elsa told her. "It's called Frostfall Peak. It's not the tallest spot in Arendelle, but is one where we can get the best view."
"The best view of what?"
Elsa smirked. "We're going to see the northern lights, Anna."
Her eyes widening, Anna beamed, squealing in delight. "Oh my gosh! I've always wanted to see an aurora! You have them here?"
"Of course. In the winter, you can see them from above the city, but the best place to see them is up here in the mountains, where the air is clear and the sky's awake." Elsa took a deep breath. "It's truly a wonderful sight."
Anna pulled on the reins of her horse. "Well then what are we waiting for?" Suddenly, she felt something soft and wet tingle her nose, something that fell out of the sky. As they looked up, the two of them saw hundreds of little snowflakes start to descend from the sky.
Both of them looked in awe as they landed on the ground, the snow coating the surface of the valley in a blanket of soft powder.
"Woah..." Elsa admitted. "Kai was correct. It looks like it was going to snow after all."
Grinning, Anna trotted her pony more into the clearing, holding out her hand to catch a few snowflakes in her mittened palm. She crushed it between her fingers and giggled. "I love snow!"
"Me too," Elsa said. "Let's hope it doesn't get too bad." She then tugged on her horse's reins and started to gallop into the woods, with Anna following close behind, as more and more snowflakes began to descend from the sky.
xXx
Several hours later, the sun was beginning to set and the snow was starting to come down at a much quicker pace. As Anna and Elsa made their way through the mountains, trying to not go too high, the wind had started to pick up and fog had rolled in.
Anna held her arm over her face, blocking the snow and ice pelleting her face. She wiped some snow from her eyes and looked closer at Elsa, barely able to make out the faint outline of the Queen's horse. "Are you sure we're going the right way?"
"Yes!" Elsa called back. "I have been this way many times before!" She tugged onto the reins of her own horse. She was determined to reach the peak before the sunset, so she and Anna could spend an evening under the stars.
This was how she had imagined it, how she would imagine how she would confess to Anna, but that was slowly becoming more of a pipe dream now.
Looking back, Elsa could see that Anna and her horse were starting to struggle more and more in the blizzard. The horse of her friend was stumbling through the fog and Anna was barely clinging on. It was clear that they would need to find some sort of shelter.
The Queen tugged back on the reins of her horse pulling it to a stop. "Alright... we may need to set up here instead. I think I can see a cave over there," she told Anna, pointing to a small chamber in the side of a rock face.
"You think you can see?" Anna remarked. "Because I can barely see you!"
Elsa dismounted her horse and pulled off some of the sacks from its saddle, slinging them over her back. She waved to Anna and the redhead waved back. The two headed towards the cavern, burrowed into the side of the rocks.
As they entered with their horses trotting behind them, Anna pulled off her hat and adjusted her hair as best as she could. She always looked weird after wearing hats, as well as after going to bed without brushing or combing her hair.
Slumping onto a nearby rock, Elsa groaned. "That storm will probably go on for hours... We'll never be able to see the lights."
Anna sat down with Elsa, smiling at her softly. "Hey, it's alright, Elsa," she assured the queen, putting a mittened hand on Elsa's shoulder. "You didn't know the storm would be this bad."
"But I should have done..." Elsa then pouted. "You said it yourself, I'm the Queen who prepares for literally everything... but I didn't prepare for this."
"Well," Anna began. She gave Elsa an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder to keep things light-hearted, and to show she was in no way upset. "Doesn't being queen mean preparing for what you can't prepare for too? If that makes sense. I think things are fine now, and they'll be fine in the future too."
The Queen sighed and smiled, looking at Anna. "I suppose you are right."
Elsa tried fighting a slight twinge of disappointment, but it was still there and would likely linger for a while. Anna was very sweet. Or perhaps she was just trying to be nice, enjoying this day with no worries, but Elsa still would have liked it to be perfect for her. Now their plans were skewed and they'd have to wait for the storm to dissipate before leaving the cavern. Hopefully, Anna wouldn't mind. Of course, she wouldn't. It was ridiculous to think otherwise, but Elsa still felt her shoulders sag.
"No feeling down or being so hard on yourself," Anna said with a smile. The corner of Elsa's lips twitched up. Either she was easy to decipher or Anna could read her mind. It did a little to alleviate her mood.
Nodding, Elsa reached over to one of the sacks she had brought into the cave with them. "You're right... come on, perhaps we should have something to eat. I believe my servants packed some sandwiches in this little sack."
"Did they pack chocolate?" Anna inquired. She knew the taste of the confectionary would lighten her spirits, and Elsa's as well.
As if on cue, Elsa pulled out a small packet filled with little chocolates for them to gorge on. As they saw the small pieces of brown sweetness, Anna grinned.
"Mmmm... chocolate!" She said, licking her lips.
"We'll save that for last," Elsa agreed, placing the chocolate bag down and pulling out some sandwiches. "Treats are best saved for dessert after all."
"You big stinker," She remarked. Anna was already wondering if she could one day convince Elsa that chocolate wasn't just some 'treat,' but a substance worthy of having its own food group.
Pouting, the redhead looked at her sandwich, biting off a piece of cheese and bread into her mouth. In her studies, she had thought that food in the era that Elsa was from would be rotten by today's standards, but ever since having the odd meal with Elsa, Anna had loved how the Queen's servants prepared food.
These sandwiches were no different. Anna chewed through her set softly and thoroughly, devouring them.
Looking over her shoulder, Elsa giggled. "Well, you certainly worked up an appetite."
"You were the one dragging me on a big hike up these mountains," Anna reminded her. "But that's fine. I grew up in the mountains."
Elsa smiled, realising this was a moment for her to get to know Anna a little better. "Anna... I hope you don't mind me asking but... what exactly was it like growing up in your time? I've told you plenty about my past but I don't know much about yours, other than the fact you have a few friends in the nearby city and you studied history and that you once lived on a ranch."
"Technically I didn't live on the ranch," Anna pointed out. "My folks just happened to own one. I actually lived on a farm, just down the road from the ranch."
"Oh?" The Queen listened in closely. "Do tell me more."
"Well, I..." Anna blushed a little. "Okay, so I grew up in a place called Dunbroch, in a state in my country called Montana."
A look of confusion appeared on Elsa's face. "Dunbroch... doesn't that sound a bit Scottish? I thought you told me you were from America."
"Oh, I am!" Anna chirped. "But I have a lot of Scottish blood in my family. Heck, the town I lived in was founded by Scots, but don't worry, I'm not Scottish. I can't even do the accent."
Her concerns assured, Elsa nodded. "That does make sense."
Getting back on topic, Anna continued her exposition. "Well, okay, so I'm the youngest in my family. I have three older brothers and two big sisters. I always looked up to my siblings a lot when I was a kid... but then as they got lots of success, I started to envy them a little."
"Oh... I'm sorry," Elsa felt she had touched a nerve.
"No, No, No, No," Anna said rapidly. "It's not bad, really. I didn't like hate their guts or anything." She gave Elsa a sheepish grin but then it turned into a slight frown. "It's just I knew they were overshadowing me and getting all the glory and well... I was just the spare."
"You felt a little outcasted," Elsa realised. "I don't blame you. When I grew up, I felt a little like that too. My father took running the kingdom very seriously when I was small."
"My parents always made time for me, though," Anna then pointed out. "But as I got older, I wanted to do more than just be the baby sister of the family. That's why I put myself through college and studied history. To mainly show the world what I'm capable of."
This brought a smile to Elsa's face. Anna had been capable of many things, one of them being how she had unintentionally stolen her heart. She blushed a little. "That's a very... noble story, Anna."
After finishing their food and making sure their horses were comfortable, Anna and Elsa pulled out their blankets and wrapped themselves in them tightly, lying beside a large rock at the corner of the cavern. As they relaxed, Anna looked up into the sky.
The clouds were starting to fade away and give way to the beautiful star-filled night sky. It had been a long time since Anna had seen stars. Staying the big city had meant she wasn't able to see them due to the night pollution, but here, in Elsa's era and kingdom, she could see them all twinkling in the heavens.
Elsa leaned on Anna's shoulder, smiling softly as their eyes met the stars, the dim light of the sky entering the cave. She looked at Anna's eyes, stroking her hair.
"They're beautiful aren't they," She admitted.
Anna turned around, blushing a little. "I can think of things a little more beautiful than those stars, Elsa." She shyly looked away.
Blushing as well, Elsa turned away. "Well... maybe we should wait for the lights."
As if on cue, the sky above them then filled with strange green light, as the heavens were filled with the strands of emerald as the Aurora borealis passed over their heads, tinting the land in its faint, ethereal glow.
Their eyes widening, Anna and Elsa sat forward, hands meeting between their blankets they were under. The Northern lights were possibly one of the great wonders of the world, but to Anna, the only wonder she was seeing was the beautiful queen at her side.
Under these lights, it felt a perfect moment. It wasn't on the peak that Elsa had suggested, but it was the next best thing and Anna knew when to make the best of a bad situation.
She then looked at Elsa, smiling in assurance. Okay, Anna, if you're going to do this, then do it.
Taking a deep breath, Anna spoke out a small, little sentence. "Ummm... Elsa, can I say something crazy?"
Elsa turned around, looking deep into Anna's eyes. "Only if you listen to what I have to say as well. Because I've got something very important to say, something I've been wanting to say to you these past few weeks."
"O-Okay," Anna felt a little nervous. "Well, you go first then."
The beautiful blonde was about to speak, when suddenly, their blissful silence was broken by a sound in the distance. Voices, high pitched and coming from the trees nearby.
Shivering a little, Anna peaked her head out from the mouth of the cave. "W-what was that?"
It didn't take long for Elsa to realise what was happening and where those voices had come from. In fact, they weren't even voices, not human ones. She frowned before staring at Anna. "Anna... we've got to move, now!"
"W-wait what?!" Anna exclaimed. "But we just got comfy!"
"No, Anna," Elsa told her. "We need to go... because I think a pack of wolves just got our scent!"
xXx
Author's note: Ooooh drama drama! Will Anna and Elsa make it out okay? Find out next time! Hope you've been patient waiting for this new chapter :3 I've enjoyed all the reviews and positive comments I've been getting on this fic. Anyhoo! Hope you enjoy! I'll be putting out the next two chapters over the weekend... or both on Sunday, I haven't decided yet.
See you then!