Chapter 11 - The Advice Of A Love Expert
Anna walked up to the front door of her friend Kristina's apartment, a plaster on her cheek to cover up the one wound of hers that hadn't healed yet. Since her long amount of time away from home had led to her losing her job, Anna had plenty of free time on her hands.
To be honest, Anna didn't really mind not having a job now. She hated the place's guts anyway. She would probably work something out with Elsa. After all, her royal girlfriend probably wouldn't mind helping her, especially if they were going to be together.
She couldn't wait to see her again at the end of the week and considering this was her first date with Elsa (and her first date in forever), she wanted to impress Elsa greatly, so she had come to the one person she could trust for love advice.
Waiting outside of the door for a few seconds, Anna then tapped on the door, calling the attention of its occupant.
A moment later, Kristina opened the door, her mouth full with half of the doughnut she was eating, the other half in her hand. As she saw Anna, she quickly swallowed her snack and grinned in glee. "Feisty pants! I missed you! You haven't texted me in days."
Sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, Anna smiled. "Hey, big sis. I kinda had an accident at home and couldn't move for a few days."
"Oh darn," Kristina remarked. "Did you fall over in that old house of yours?"
"Something like that," Anna insisted. "I actually fell off my bike and into some nettles. I had a lot of scratches so I've been healing up the past few days."
"Ooooooh," Kristina shivered, feeling a bit squeamish at the description of Anna's injuries, which were an entirely fabricated story on the part of Anna. "Anyway, wanna come inside? I was just about to start binging that new season of The Last Knydaxian on Netflix."
"Don't you have practice?" Anna wondered, walking into the familiar surroundings of Kristina's apartment.
"Not for another month," Kristina stated. "I may be signed onto a big team now, but it doesn't mean I don't have downtime."
As Anna looked around the apartment, she noticed a picture she hadn't seen before hanging on the wall. It was a painting of a rather burly looking blonde man, walking through a snowy forest. The man looked a little familiar to Anna. Upon further inspection, Anna recognised it.
It was of Kristoff, the man who had saved her and Elsa in the mountains. She turned around and called Kristina, wanting to know more.
"Hey... Kristi?" Anna asked. "Who is this?"
The blonde girl looked at the picture, smiling with pride. "Oh, this? This is my great great great great grandfather, Kristoff Bjorgman. He was apparently in service of a royal family in some country hundreds of years ago. My grandpa used to tell me stories about him and his adventures."
"Adventures?"
Kristina nodded. "Apparently, he saved the life of some queen who was very grateful to him. He continued to remain in her service, as a bodyguard, protecting the kingdom. Some say he was her lover, but that's probably just some stupid part that my parents added in."
So... Kristoff and Kristina are related, Anna's thoughts were confirmed. "That's... very interesting," she admitted. She was glad that history had remembered hers and Elsa's adventure fondly, even if the modern interpretation wasn't what she would have liked.
Eventually, Anna and Kristina were sat on the couch together in front of Kristina's big flat screen TV. As she was browsing the Netflix app, she looked over at Anna, the younger girl having a large bowl of popcorn on her lap. The two of them had wanted this to be like they were at the cinema together.
Anna then looked up, wanting to take the moment to ask Kristina about the reason she had come here. "Um... Kristi, can I talk to you about something?"
"Fire away, Feisty pants," Kristina replied, with a confident smile.
Gulping, Anna then spilled the beans. "O-Okay... well the thing is... I've got a girlfriend now."
Her best friend's eyes lit up. "You have?! Oh gosh Anna, I'm so happy for you! Wait... you aren't gonna just give up on her are you?"
"O-of course not!" Anna remarked. She and Elsa were not going to end up like her old relationships. "I want to be with her forever, Kristi... and I need advice for being with her. I want to impress her on our first real date at the end of the week."
Kristina smiled. "I think I can help with that. They don't call me a love expert for nothing, you know." She then put down the remote and looked at Anna. "First things first... what's the lucky girl's name."
Blushing softly, Anna said the name of her beloved. "Elsa."
Her mind was then filled the image of Elsa's amazing body, her adorable shy face and her kind gentle heart that had always been there for her ever since they first met those couple of weeks ago. She was mad, mad with love. Elsa was the sun, the moon and sky to her and she wanted to be with her forever.
"Anna. Anna. Anna," Kristina said, tapping her shoulder. "Earth to the USS Annaprise."
"Oh, sorry," Anna spoke, realising she had spaced out while being lost in the thought of Elsa. "I kinda drifted off for a sec."
"So I noticed," Kristina remarked. "Oh, you've got the love bug bad, Feisty pants."
Anna blushed softly. Was it that obvious? She couldn't help it. Ever since she and Elsa had become a couple, it was the only thing on her mind.
Taking a sip of her drink, Kristina spoke again. "Okay, so the girl's name is Elsa. How did you two meet up?"
"Oh, she's errr..." Anna thought for a moment of her excuse. "She's actually... my neighbour! Really sweet. Helped me get over my crazy lady in the back room episode."
Kristina smiled. "She sounds nice. I'd love to meet her sometime."
You just might, Anna's thoughts replied. "We're going out at the end of the week and I'm super, SUPER, nervous. I really wanna make this work with her, Kristi. I love her so much."
"I'm sure you do, Feisty pants," Kristina said. "You want a tip from me on how to impress a girl? Wear a nice suit for her."
"A suit?"
"Yup. Trust me, you'd be surprised how more attractive you are in pants." Kristina smirked. "Then it's just a matter of saying the right things and making sure you make her feel loved at every moment of every day. Love isn't so hard to understand, Anna. It just takes you to know what to do at the right moments."
A warm glow filled Anna. She'd practically been doing that already. A newfound confidence formed in her heart. She knew she was going to succeed in her date with Elsa. She could already feel it.
Looking at Kristina, she hugged her friend tightly, happy from her advice. "Thanks, big sis."
"Anytime," Kristina replied. "Now what do you say we get this new season binge watched?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Anna agreed.
xXx
Meanwhile in 19th century Arendelle, Queen Elsa was riding on the back of her horse Freya, down a road that led out of the capital city, towards an area that bridged the farmlands and the mountains.
She was quite proud of herself for having managed to get all of her duties done that morning, but she knew that her time now was best spent preparing for her date with Anna.
"We're almost there, girl," Elsa told her steed, to which the white-furred mare replied with a soft neigh. As they passed out of the trees, Elsa caught sight of her destination.
Just ahead of her, behind an ornate pair of black iron gates, was a large mansion of distinctly noble design. It wasn't very big, but big enough to remind passers-by of its owner's great wealth.
"This is the place," Elsa told her horse, before dismounting. She smiled, feeling happy to be at this manor once again.
The manor belonged to Rapunzel, Elsa's cousin and former princess of Arendelle's sister kingdom of Corona. The kingdom itself was no more since Elsa had allied most of the northern kingdoms under Arendelle's banner as a show of unity. As such, Rapunzel and her lover had moved here, since Rapunzel wanted to be closer to her family.
Elsa strode up the gate to her cousin's manor, smiling softly. It had been some time since had visited Rapunzel and hoped she was doing well. The gate was unlocked of course. Not many people knew that Rapunzel lived here and far fewer people visited.
She then knocked on the front door of the manor, blushing a little. To think she was going to ask for romantic advice from someone. She was a little perplexed, but if she wanted her and Anna to be the perfect couple, a little help wouldn't hurt.
The door opened a few minutes later, to reveal a young woman with raven black hair in a pixie cut and lips a shade of burgundy. She smiled at Elsa. "Elsa! It's good to see you. We don't often get visitors up here."
Elsa nodded. "Hello, Cassandra. I hope you are well." She curtseyed politely. "Is Rapunzel around?"
"Raps is upstairs painting," Cassandra explained. "But I wouldn't disturb her for a while. You know how my wife is when she's painting."
"Very true," Elsa agreed.
Eventually, the Queen entered the main hall of the house, almost taken back by the sight. The interior of the house was an ornate golden colour, with purple and red drapes lining the walls and windows. It was very reminiscent of Coronan design.
Lining the walls were several paintings, most of them depicting the local surroundings and fauna, but Elsa noticed a couple of paintings depicting Cassandra in various different outfits and poses.
Elsa smirked as she looked at a picture of Cassandra in traditional battle dress, a sword in her hand. "She's certainly making great use of her muse," Elsa remarked.
Cass chuckled. "The house is her canvas and I am her model. Maybe you should let her paint you sometime."
"That would be quite generous of her," Elsa admitted. "My royal portrait could use an update."
"Considering dying your hair?" Cass theorised.
"No, I am a most beautiful blonde," Elsa replied with a cute giggle. "Actually, I'd be sharing the spotlight with someone."
The Queen then sighed, thinking of the one she would gladly appear in that painting with. Anna. The Queen missed her dearly and the thought of her being at her side in a beautiful gown.
Raising an eyebrow, Cass smirked at Elsa. "Elsa... I hope I'm not being rude, but did you just imply you were... Seeing somebody?"
"W-what?!" Elsa exclaimed, realising she'd said that out loud. Knowing that Cass was a woman who wouldn't buy any excuse, she gave in. "Alright, you win. Yes, I am seeing someone. It's actually the reason I came to see you."
Cass giggled. "You never were subtle about your girl crushes, were you Elsa? Let's go find my beloved and we can talk all about it."
Following her dear friend, Elsa walked up a nearby flight of stairs, walking down a rather long corridor. It was quite unusual seeing such a big house with only two people living in it, but Cass and Rapunzel seemed to manage taking care of themselves.
Soon, they were outside the entrance to a large room where Elsa could hear the sound of playful giggling and slightly frustrated grunting. It seemed the artist was at work and right now, she seemed very into that work, whatever it was.
Tapping on the door, Cass opened it, leaning her head inside. "Raps, We've got a visitor. It's Elsa."
"Elsa's here?" A cute sounding voice replied. "ELSA'S HERE!" Suddenly a quick flash of blonde hair ran out of the room, tackling Elsa into a big warm hug.
Elsa gasped, but then sighed as she saw a young woman wearing a pink dress and with extremely long, golden blonde hair, hugging her softly. She stroked the girl's hair and smiled. "Hello, Punzie. I've missed you too."
"It's so good to see you," Rapunzel spoke, hugging Elsa tighter. "It's been so long since you visited. How're things in Arendelle?"
"They're doing fine, Punzie," Elsa assured her. "Oof."
Laughing, Cass tapped her wife on the shoulder. "Umm, Raps, you might wanna let Elsa go. I think her skin is starting to match the colour of her dress."
Pulling away, Rapunzel smiled. "Come on, let's go get some tea. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about with me and Cass."
Sometime later, all three women were in Rapunzel and Cass's sitting room, Rapunzel having brought them some freshly made herbal tea. As Elsa sipped her drink, Rapunzel sat down next to her beloved wife, taking her hand. The two of them shared a glance at one another, Elsa noticing the love flow between them.
She smiled softly. Seeing these two women happily in love warmed her heart and gave her a little confidence. She knew that if Cass and Rapunzel could be happy together, so would she and Anna. Blushing softly, she saw Rapunzel give Cass a quick peck on the lips before the couple glanced at Elsa.
"So dear cousin," Rapunzel spoke politely. "What brings you to mine and Cass's humble abode?"
"I'll tell you why," Cass interrupted, beating Elsa to the punch line. "Our dear friend Elsa here has a lady friend." She then gave Elsa a wink.
Rapunzel beamed. "Oooh! Elsa has a girlfriend!" She looked Elsa dead in the eye. "Is this true Elsa?"
Blushing softly, Elsa nodded. "Yes, it's true. I have found a... girlfriend. Her name is Anna. She and I have been friends for a few weeks and we've decided to start a relationship together. I truly am happy with her and she means the world to me."
Cass nudged Rapunzel's arm. "Told you she'd hook up eventually."
Giggling with her wife, Rapunzel nodded in agreement. "Well, in any case, Elsa, We're both extremely happy for you, but I don't believe you came here just to tells us the good news."
"No, I didn't," Elsa responded, getting to the point of her visit. "You see, I was hoping to get some relationship advice from you both. I have never really dated women before, so I was hoping to understand it a little better from you."
The two girls in front of Elsa held hands and nodded in unison. "We will do everything we can," Rapunzel told her. "We'll make sure that you are prepared for the great journey of love that lies ahead."
Elsa's heart soared. She leaned in closely, eager to listen to whatever advice Rapunzel and Cass would impart on her.
"First things first," Cass said. "How much do you love this girl?"
From her heart, Elsa knew that she loved Anna dearly. Truly, no one had touched her like she had done. She had been a pleasant ray of sunshine, one that had brightened up her world. "I love her more than anything else in the world."
"So a lot then," Cass confirmed. "In that case, you should do everything in your power to make her happy. Surprise her, make her smile, take her out to dinner."
"Well we are going out at the end of the week," Elsa admitted. She knew that detail was safe to mention. After all, there were plenty of romantic restaurants in Arendelle.
Rapunzel then chimed in with her advice. "You should wear your best gown. Dress to impress if you want to really wow her. I wore a dress I made myself on my first date with Cass and well... it ended perfectly." She sighed, resting her head on her wife's shoulder.
Cass gave her wife another soft kiss before speaking again. "Also, don't be all formal and poetic when you speak to her. You're on a date with her, not in some royal meeting. Joke, goof off, be yourself. You're there to have fun."
Holding her hands to her heart, Elsa took the advice and nodded proudly. "Thank you... both of you. You have been too kind."
Smiling, both Cass and Rapunzel sat beside Elsa, the happy couple wrapping their arms around the beautiful queen, giving her a loving warm hug, just how she liked it. Elsa blushed softly and hugged back, sighing softly.
"You're welcome, Elsa," Cass said. "Just be sure to invite me and Raps here to your wedding if things work out with that Anna girl. You know how we like a good party."
"I will, definitely," Elsa agreed. She liked the thought of that, marrying Anna. Yes, that would be her dream. She would one day marry Anna and the girl would rule her kingdom at her side as well as show her the wonders of her era. That was her dream and she would gladly work for it.
Rapunzel then smiled, looking Elsa in the eyes. "Hey, since you're here, would you like to stay for dinner? It's Cass's turn to cook tonight and I'm sure you'll love it."
Elsa beamed. "That sounds perfect," she accepted.
xXx
Author's note: Yes, it's been a while, but I've been a bit of a busy Sammy these past few days. However, I bring you this long awaited chapter of Souls Across Time. Hope you enjoyed the revelations about Kristina and Cass and Punzie being in the fic. I think this is the first time I've published a fic since I started watching the Tangled cartoon tbh. Anyhoo, hope you enjoy the cuteness from both sides of the timeline.
See ya next time!