A/N: This fic is rather silly overall, and the length of it sort of got away from me, but it has a little of everything Snow Sisters in it—hurt, comfort, and fluff. :)

"The Castle Sneak"

In the short time since they had been reunited, Princess Anna of Arendelle still didn't know her sister very well. However, if there was one thing she had learned, it was that Elsa took her work as monarch very seriously, to the point where she appeared to tune everything else out, including Anna.

She really wasn't sure how how to feel about this situation. On the one hand, it felt a lot like when Elsa had shut her out for thirteen years, with the only difference being that all doors were open to her—she could lounge on the couch in the study while her sister was busy working, if she wished, or flop on Elsa's bed if she took work to her room. But Elsa was often too focused on writing letters or signing trade agreements to chat with Anna when she was in the room.

On the other hand, having Elsa being engrossed in work might not be such a bad thing, and could even be used to her advantage. Her mother and father had often scolded Anna for crashing her and Elsa's bike while riding it around the halls, or for trying at least once a week to sneak chocolate from the kitchens. They weren't too hard on her, though, perhaps understanding that without her sister, her options for entertainment were limited. But maybe Elsa wouldn't notice if she snuck sweets from the kitchens, like old times, or, say, ran off and spent the day with Kristoff.

Anna paused in the act of taming her hair to glance at her blushing reflection in the mirror. There's always a chance that Gerda or Kai or somebody could rat on me to Elsa, she thought. She really wasn't sure if her sister approved her having a relationship with a common-born mountain man, after being scolded for kissing him in public. Though Elsa enthusiastically approved her mingling with the people of Arendelle Town—something she'd been denied for thirteen years—going to visit the Ice Master without telling anyone would probably just earn her another scolding. Which left sneaking sweets. She glanced at the clock, and quickly finished braiding her hair. She had missed having breakfast with Elsa—not that her sister had been coming down for it, during the last week or so—but there might be something sweet left over in the kitchens.

As she headed downstairs, she wondered whether Mistress Nora would still be in there cooking at this hour. Even after reconciling with her sister, Anna still got in trouble occasionally, for little things; the worst punishment she had seen was after the ice cube incident, when she had gotten what must have been an entire snowdrift dropped on her. She was pretty sure that Elsa regretted doing that almost right away; she still had some lingering fear of hurting Anna. That bitter-cold memory nearly made her change her mind, go and do the normal, well-behaved princess thing and ask for a sandwich.

She was still debating what to do as she neared the kitchens, but she stopped short of the door when she heard voices inside. Putting an ear to the wall, she listened.

"Gerda, dear," Mistress Nora was saying, "could you take this plate to the Queen, please?"

"Certainly, at once," the older woman replied. "Did you just bake these, Nora?"

"Indeed I did," Nora answered. "I saved one for myself—cook's privilege—but the rest are for her." The head of the kitchens lowered her voice conspiratorially, so that Anna had to strain her ears to hear her speak. "If that young woman doesn't take a break from her never ending work soon, I may just add a little something to them next time."

"She does need to loosen up, yes," Gerda said. "I'll talk to Princess Anna about it, the next time I see her." A pause, and then, nearer to the door, "Did you save something sweet for the princess? I have a feeling she'll be down late again." Anna leaped out of the way, and out of sight, when Gerda opened the door to the kitchens.

"Yes, I saved some sweet buns," Nora called. "I could try to convince her to get up earlier, but let's work on one girl at a time. My idea for her sister is still on the table."

"Another time, perhaps," Gerda said, and closed the door behind her, heading for the great staircase.

Anna waited until Gerda was out of sight before going into the kitchen. There was no point in trying to sneak in today; Nora was still in there, and probably would be for some time. More importantly, though, she wanted to know what that little conversation with Gerda was about.

"Oh, it's you, Anna dear!" Nora said brightly, when she entered. You just missed Gerda and a plate of cookies, but I did save some sweet buns for you."

"Thanks, Nora," she said, grabbing a bun off the counter and taking a bite. "What kind of cookies?"

"Oh, just chocolate chip," the cook replied, "If you go and see your sister, maybe she'll share with you?" She cleared her throat, and added, "To be honest, Your Highness, I'm a little worried about her. She hasn't been down from her room in quite a while."

"I know. I've tried talking to her, but she's too busy working to pay attention." Anna sighed. "I'd love to . . . loosen her up . . . but I don't think it's time to spike her chocolate just yet."

Mistress Nora paled. "Princess Anna . . . I-I had no idea you were—"

"Relax, Nora, I'm not going to throw you in the dungeons or anything. I think it's a great idea, for when we get desperate. We'll call it Plan B, to use if what I have in mind doesn't work."

"What do you have in mind?" Nora said, amused. "Not ice cubes?"

"No, no, no, no. I got a whole lot more in return after that prank than I counted on . . ." Anna scrubbed at her head absently. "I feel like I'm still finding bits of magic snow in my hair. Anyway, if she still doesn't bother to talk to me when I go back up there, or offer to share those cookies, then I'm going to help myself."

"That might not go well,"

"It will if I'm sneaky." Walking toward the door, Anna turned and added, "At least I'll find out whether she's actually paying attention. Later, Nora!"

"Good luck, dear," she heard the cook call after her.

Anna dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She was in such a hurry that she nearly ran into Gerda, who had come out of Elsa's study carrying a tea tray. She managed to slow down enough to merely bump into the other woman, miraculously not upsetting the tray.

"Gerda, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you coming!" Anna said. She silently praised Gerda's many years of experience—not a drop of tea had spilled on either of them.

"It's all right, Your Highness," the maid replied. "Were you going to visit your sister? I just brought her a plate of cookies." She sighed. "I'm worried about her. She hasn't left that desk in what seems like days. Your Highness, do you think you could—"

"Don't worry, Gerda—I have a plan." Anna winked, and Gerda smiled.

"Well, then, good luck, Your Highness." Adjusting her tray, Gerda dipped in a brief curtsy, and continued on her way back to the kitchens.

Anna tread as quietly as she could all the way to the study door. In thirteen years of thinking up activities to ease her boredom, she had mastered the art of turning the doorknobs in the castle just enough so that they opened without making a sound. Ignoring the voice in her head telling her that sneaking up on her sister was a terrible idea, ice cubes or no ice cubes, Anna crept inside.

Elsa was right where Anna had last seen her, and where she had been for days and days, now—at the desk, mulling over piles of paperwork. Next to the papers, undisturbed save for a bite taken out of one cookie, was the plate Nora and Gerda had spoken of. Elsa gave no indication that she had noticed Anna come in, and that was enough to convince her to carry out her plan.

Anna got down on her hands and knees and crawled toward the desk, occasionally pausing to see if her sister had noticed her. When she got to the desk, she propped up on her knees and peeked over the edge. Elsa had apparently finished a document, and reached for the next one in the stack, still taking no notice of Anna's presence. When she was sure that Elsa was focused on the document in front of her, she inched up, and reached for a cookie from the plate.

No sooner had she touched the nearest cookie that her entire forearm was frozen to the desktop, her hand wiggling uselessly. Defeated, Anna looked up to see a pair of icy-blue eyes staring back at her, crinkled with amusement.

"I suppose you thought that I didn't see you?" Elsa asked her. "There is a reason why the desk faces the door, Anna."

"But, but . . . you . . ." Anna struggled for words, and suddenly felt angry. "You still acted like I wasn't here!"

"Is that what this is about?" Elsa said, her amused expression fading, replaced with one of concern. Setting the plate of cookies aside, she waved her other hand, thawing the ice around Anna's arm. "Anna, you know that I have a responsibility as Queen to deal with affairs of state—"

"Yes, but that's all that you've been doing for weeks!" Anna exploded, leaping to her feet, slapping both hands on the desk. "You've left this room maybe twice in the last week, taking your meals in here and barely touching them. You have me and Nora, and Gerda, and Kai, and everyone else worried about your health. And even when I'm in here trying to keep you company, you act like I'm not even here! You won't even talk to me!"

Elsa sat back in her chair, clearly surprised by the outburst. Anna saw the tears welling up in her sister's eyes, and the sudden chill in the air, and wondered if she had said too much. Her anger faded immediately, and with three steps was on the other side of the desk, on her knees and hugging her sister tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it . . ." she cried, sobbing into Elsa's dress.

"No, Anna, I'm the one who should be apologizing," Elsa's voice shook. "You think that I've b-been . . . shutting you out again?" When Anna mumbled a "yes" into her skirts, she continued. "Anna, I'm so sorry, I never meant to act like that. I've been so busy, trying to dig out of the pile of paperwork that never seems to get smaller. I didn't mean to ignore you." Pulling Anna up into a proper hug, she said, "Will you forgive me?"

"Of course I will," Anna said, sniffling. "You're my sister. I could never stay mad at you."

"I'm glad to hear it. And Anna," she added, picking a cookie up off the plate, "I'm always willing to share."

Anna smiled, accepting the proffered cookie. "Thanks, Elsa." She perched on the edge of the desk, and bit into the cookie, chewing slowly, savoring the sweet taste of the chocolate chips.

"How about this," Elsa said, her composure returned. "Why don't I finish this document, and then we can do something fun?"

"That sounds wonderful," Anna agreed. "How about tag?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "You're challenging me, the Queen of ice and snow, to tag?"

"Sure, why not? We could make it fair . . ." Anna thought for a moment, then said, "How about you give me a ten-second head start?"

"That sounds fair."

"You didn't finish your cookie," Anna said, gesturing to the cookie with a bite taken out of it.

As soon as Elsa picked up the cookie, Anna slapped her on the shoulder, grabbed the plate of cookies, and sprinted for the door. "Tag! You're 'it', Elsa!"

"ANNA!"

"Ten seconnnds!" Anna called back, a mischievous smirk on her face as she flew out the door into the hallway.

"Anna, come back, you, you . . . cookie thief!"

I might regret doing it, she thought, hopping on the banister at full speed, but it was worth seeing the look on her face!