A/N: Finally, the sneezy snow queen herself makes an appearance! Snow Sisters fluff. :)
"Déjà-ACHOO!" (Part 3)
Anna raced up the steps of the great staircase as fast as she was able, wishing (not for the first time) that she could slide up the bannister as well as down. Seriously, it would be so much easier . . . She was more concerned for her sister, though, than about the silly thought of defying gravity.
She found another group of snowgies near the third floor landing, chattering in whatever it was passed for a language among them. It doesn't sound much like Norwegian or German, Anna thought, or even French or English. She could have been wrong, but she thought she caught the word "kitchen" in their talk at one point.
"Come along, now," she said, scooping them up in her arms. "Let's go find your mama, okay?" Now carrying half a dozen of the little snowmen, Anna was starting to wish she'd put on a cloak. The chill was tolerable now, but if she had to carry too many more of the things, it might get uncomfortable.
Anna strode straight to Elsa's bedroom door and knocked, in her usual five-beat knock. She waited a moment, then called out, "Elsa?"
Finally, she heard a slightly hoarse, sleepy voice mumble, "Not now, Anna . . . I'm . . . busy . . ."
The words stung a bit, reminding Anna too much of all the times she had heard "Go away, Anna" at this very door. Shaking off the bad memories, she bent down to the keyhole, and said (hopefully loud enough for Elsa to hear), "Oh, no you're not!" Grabbing the door handle, she attempted to open it, only to discover it wouldn't budge.
"Really?!" she blurted in exasperation, upset that the door was locked. Fishing around in her dress, she found and pulled out her key to Elsa's room, that Elsa herself had agreed Anna could keep for situations like this. Turning the key in the door, she again tried to open it, but it still held fast. Oh. Not locked. Iced. Gritting her teeth, Anna gave a great shove, and managed to break the layer of ice that had (unintentionally, she hoped!) accumulated over the inside of the door.
Anna had been expecting there to be some snowgies in Elsa's room, and she wasn't disappointed. There were at least a dozen, up until now exploring the room they were being kept in. Quickly shutting the door behind her, so that none of the silly snow critters could escape, Anna took in the scene: mostly pristine bedroom, sunlight peeking through partly-drawn curtains, snowgies looking at her with a puzzled expression, and her sister slumped over at her desk, snoring softly.
"Oh, Elsa," Anna chided, as the snowgies she was carrying jumped down to join their fellows. Elsa looking exhausted, and as disheveled as Anna had ever seen her, loosely-braided blonde hair in wild disarray, as unkempt as the bedroom was neat. The desk itself wasn't much better—important-looking papers were in untidy piles (this alone was un-Elsa-like enough to worry her), and several handkerchiefs lay on the desk near Elsa's head, rumpled from use.
Walking over to the bed, Anna briefly admired the deep blue canopy over it, before turning down the covers and fluffing the pillows. Returning to where Elsa lay dozing at the desk, she pulled the chair out slowly, catching her sister so she didn't topple out of it, and lifted her out of the chair. Anna was stronger than many other young women her age, and despite being the elder sister, Elsa wasn't too heavy for her to handle. (Lifting ice blocks was another matter; on the harvesting trips she'd been on with Kristoff, she tried to help out with them, but she struggled.)
"'nna . . . wait . . . have to finish . . ." Elsa mumbled into Anna's shoulder. Even with both arms under her, if she decided to squirm, Anna might be in trouble.
"No way, silly," Anna replied softly. "You've clearly worked too much for your own good already. You need to rest when you're sick." Laying Elsa gently in the bed, she pulled the covers over her and propped her up on the pillows.
"Now, you stay right there and rest," Anna told her, in as stern a voice as she could bear to use. She is my sister, after all, Anna thought, and the Queen; it's not her fault she's sick. Mostly. Walking to the door, she made sure no snowgies were going to attempt to make a run for it, and said to Elsa, "I'm going down to the kitchens to get you some nice, hot soup. Maybe I can find some of that cold medicine, too . . ."
She stepped out into the hall and, peeking back in as she shut the bedroom door, saw Elsa smile back at her tiredly, before sneezing and releasing another handful of snowgies. Anna made a beeline for the spiral staircase, determined to get that soup and stuff back to Elsa as soon as possible. I wonder if Kristoff got my message . . .? she wondered.