Anna woke slowly, as though coming out of a comfortable dream still gently holding on. She floated on the edge of consciousness at first, barely even recognizing she was awake, but bit by bit her senses returned to her and she realized just how well-rested she felt. With her eyes still closed, Anna stretched out her whole body. The painful kinks in her back and shoulders had all been worked out overnight. Body no longer feverish and mind clear of fuzzy thoughts, she felt lighter and finally herself again.
And she was so comfortable. Anna couldn't bear to open her eyes just yet, bundled in warm blankets as soft as feathers against her skin while drinking in the crisp morning air. She couldn't hold back a wide smile from growing on her face, and she snuggled deeper into the blankets tightly clutching a pillow as she always did. Only not as she always did. Only then, when she felt the jarringly different weight and feel, did Anna remember her predicament. She wasn't home in Arendelle. Smile slipping, Anna's recollection of last night returned, and her relaxed mood shifted to confusion.
She was surprised she hadn't been tossed in the dungeons or something for her outburst.
Opening her eyes, Anna was even more surprised to see a head of platinum-blonde hair on her bedside.
Elsa was sitting at the edge of the bed, looking to be fast asleep with her head down. Vaguely, Anna remembered fainting and being caught by Elsa. Had she really taken care of her the whole night? Anna stared at the still form of the Snow Queen, once again completely confused. And this was probably her bedroom, judging from the decor and the crystalline crown sitting on a ´ desk not far away. Anna looked around to see white and blue everywhere: white walls trimmed with blue, blue sheets bordered by white, assorted furniture with the same color scheme.
But there really wasn't anything else. Compared to Anna's own room in Arendelle, Elsa's room was bare of anything revealing her personality, unless she was just an automaton. No baubles, no trinkets of any kind, not even a single thing out of place in the perfectly orderly room. The only thing even remotely strange was probably Elsa sitting on the side of her own bed—
Anna bit back a gasp of surprise when Elsa turned her head to the side and her face became visible. Feeling her heart pound, Anna leaned in closer and studied her features, morbidly curious. The first thing she noticed was—Elsa had freckles. Just a light dusting of it and almost invisible even against her milky skin, but still, Elsa had freckles. Anna shook her head, probably more amused than the discovery warranted. Freckles, like someone as ordinary as herself. Asleep, Elsa looked much less tense, her usually stiffened features relaxed, and somehow the thought that Elsa even needed to sleep at all made her seem more human.
"Elsa," Anna said timidly, oddly unwilling to wake the queen.
Elsa immediately woke with a start, eyes snapping open so abruptly Anna jerked back in reflex. Icy blue eyes glared up without recognition, slightly glazed with sleep but reflecting a tempest of barely restrained violence. Then the moment passed. The onslaught of cold retreated. The danger faded. Anna watched shakily as Elsa seemed to come back to her senses, eyes calming once she recognized her.
"Anna," Elsa said, slowly and just as shakily as Anna felt right then. "I apologize, I'm not used to sleeping for so long. Or waking up with someone nearby, I didn't realize—"
"I-It's fine!" More to get off the subject than anything, Anna asked, "Were you. . . here the whole night?"
Elsa nodded, composure returning now that she seemed to have calmed down. "You had a fever. I didn't have a suitable room prepared for you yet, so I brought you to mine. If you don't mind, you can rest here for now."
"Oh. Thank you," Anna murmured. It was weird. Whenever she was around Elsa and not angry with her for whatever reason, being anywhere even remotely close to the queen made her jittery and unable to keep still. Swallowing nervously, Anna brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
And realized she must look like a complete idiot right then.
Anna's hands flew up to her head, and she released a loud groan at the familiar feeling of her hair puffed out into a huge, bushy, tangled mess like a mane all around her. Trying to force it down with no success, Anna eventually gave up, wishing she could hide in a hole somewhere; but when she noticed Elsa hiding a smile behind her hand, Anna glowered. Of course, Elsa would look perfect right after waking up. Not a strand of her platinum hair was out of place. It was ridiculous. How did her bangs even stay up through the night?
"I see you smiling over there," Anna grumbled. When she moved to get out of bed and tried to push off on her hands, she fell back down with a hiss of pain.
Elsa sobered in a flash. "Wait here."
As Elsa left the room to get something, Anna examined her hands. She hadn't noticed before but the cracked skin was still an ugly raw red, and now she was starting to feel the same dull pain on her half-healed ankles too. Elsa came back in with a handful of supplies, laying them out on the bedside table.
"Let me see your hands," Elsa said, and Anna dutifully held them up. She took one in her own gloved hands, reaching for a piece of gauze and a bowl smelling strongly of disinfectant.
Far more gently than Anna had been expecting, Elsa ran it over the raw skin. Immediately, her body tensed and a small cry forced its way past her lips. Anna had to fight not to pull away and squeezed her eyes shut.
"I'm sorry. I know it must hurt, but it has to be done." Feeling Elsa rub the back of her hand with a thumb, earnestly trying to ease her pain, Anna lifted her eyes, just looking at her through the hair that had fallen over her eyes. Elsa apologized too much. Anna might really start believing she meant them at this rate. "It might help to talk about something," Elsa said.
"There's one thing I was sorta curious about," Anna admitted. "Why do you wear gloves? Not that it looks bad or anything, just, uh, it doesn't seem to match all that well, and you usually. . . do match. I mean, I didn't see you wearing them before."
"My powers make it dangerous for me to have contact with anyone," Elsa said, continuing to wipe her hands and then switching to wrapping them in bandages. "I thought it would be best to wear gloves while around you." She stopped and frowned. "Markus would not approve."
"Markus...?" Memories of her lessons came back, and though Anna had never paid much attention to the stuffy teachers, this at least she remembered. "You mean King Markus? Of the Southern Isles?" Well, of course, Anna thought right after saying it. It sounded dumb even to her.
No, of the Northern Isles. Of course the Southern Isles!
She was grateful when Elsa just nodded, choosing not to point out the egregious gaffe and letting her keep some small shred of her dignity. As much of it as she could have, anyway, sitting there with bedhead and being attended to like a kid.
After she had wrapped both her hands, Elsa tossed the bloody gauze in an empty bowl. Even while she went back to the counter and rummaged for more supplies, Elsa watched from the corner of her eye as Anna inspected the bandage, poking at the soft linen. "You have to leave it alone, or it won't heal," Elsa said gently. She sat back down in front of Anna. "Can you sit on the edge of the bed, please?"
Anna cringed and lowered her hands guiltily, then shuffled over so her legs dangled off the bedside. "Oh, right. Anyway, not to sound rude or anything, but isn't King Markus your father? So why do you call him. . . ?" And isn't he dead, Anna wanted to ask, but that was too insensitive even for her.
"I am not of his blood," Elsa said, entirely matter-offact like it made perfect sense she was somehow queen while not being blood-related to the previous king. Doing much the same for her ankles as she had her hands, Anna just now realized that the Queen of the Southern Isles, the person who had singlehandedly conquered Arendelle,was personally treating her wounds. And incredibly gently at that.
God, it was hard to keep hating her when she was so nice like this. Anna had to remind herself that she hated Elsa, and talking to her so casually should be out of the question.
"Couldn't you have had someone else do this?" Anna asked, trying her hardest to dig up the righteous fury she had felt just the previous night and harden her voice again.
Elsa stiffened. "I could have, but I thought it my responsibility that you were mistreated."
"Yeah, I noticed you really need to work on that. You know how much your own soldiers talk about you behind your back?" Feeling a strange mixture of satisfaction and guilt at the increasing discomfort on Elsa's usually controlled features, Anna asked, "Having a tough time keeping people under control?"
"Quite frankly, yes."
Well, that escalated quickly.
"And you're okay with this."
"If things go well," Elsa said, slowly, as though careful not to divulge too much, "I think I need not be ruler for much longer." Before Anna could ask any more about the frustratingly cryptic answer, she added, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Anna had barely noticed Elsa finishing up with her ankles, so gently had she done it all. "Oh, uh, no, I don't think so. I mean, I have some bruises here and there, but it's not a big deal, I'm actually really clumsy so I'm used to it. I'm rambling. I'm fine." She gingerly hopped off the bed to prove it.
"In that case, I'll order breakfast be brought to you. In the meantime, I have some duties to attend to," Elsa said. "Feel free to explore the castle at your leisure."
"What, no guards to watch me, or, I dunno, some snowmen? Nothing? Really?" Anna had expected to be a prisoner here, and instead she had so far been treated to a ginormous meal, a luxurious bedroom, and even personal care from Elsa. And she could just roam around freely?
"Really. I assume you will have no desire to steal anything," Elsa said, a tiny smile twitching at the corner of her lips. Anna couldn't even tell if she was joking.
"For all you know, I could be some sort of closet kleptomaniac," Anna mumbled. "But all right, I'll do that. Explore, I mean! Not steal. I don't steal."
Elsa nodded, but her smile fell when she amended, "Except you must remember never to enter the uppermost tower, which is out of bounds for everyone, not just you. The consequence of trespassing would be.. . dire and unpleasant."
". . . You're kidding, right?" Just the way Elsa said that, if it were anyone else Anna might have thought they were being funny. When Elsa only blinked, Anna remembered that it was very unlikely for the stone-faced queen to make a joke about hidden castle vampires or anything of the sort. "All righty then, uppermost tower, no go."
"I should also warn you about. . . " Elsa grimaced and shook her head. "No, forget it."
"Wait, no, tell me." If something warranted worry from Elsa, Anna thought, she should probably know about it.
"I do not want to prejudice you against anyone here," Elsa said. "But remember that there are those who wish you ill, and not all of them will be obvious about their intentions."
With that last haunting message, Elsa left the room.
It was strange, caring for Anna.
Elsa didn't understand these strange emotions she suddenly felt after so many years of isolation. She only knew that Anna was warm and so full of life, the exact opposite of her, and Anna was the only one to be unafraid of her powers. She could say it all she wanted that she kept Anna around to learn about Arendelle, but truth was, Elsa had been captivated the moment Anna met her eyes in challenge.
And she could touch her.
It still scared her to think of how impulsive it had been to place her bare skin against Anna last night. She had acted entirely on instinct, and the fact that Anna had not frozen to death was a miracle in and of itself. It had been years since Elsa felt human contact at all, and even more years since she had done so without the barrier of her gloves. Feeling the heat of Anna's flushed skin against hers. . .
If it weren't impossible, Elsa might have thought her heart skipped a beat.
But Anna would have to wait. Elsa ascended the spiraling staircase of crystallized ice, feeling the cold steps respond to her touch with singing glee, their content humming ringing in her head as though welcoming her home. She had spent hours here, pouring all of her magic into the creation of this single staircase. Up above, at the height of the palace of ice. . .
At the top of the staircase was a door made of flawless ice, and where Elsa placed her hand upon the mirrorlike surface, a single vein grew. Quickly, like time fastforwarded, the vein spread into a sprawling spider web of cracks, until the entire door shattered into thousands of pieces to the floor. As Elsa walked past the shards, the ice reformed behind her and sealed the entrance.
In the circular chamber of glassy blues and brilliant whites, Elsa knelt on one knee and waited. She couldn't help glancing up at the chandelier where she knew it was contained, delicately carved blades of ice forming an intricate and perfect fractal. It was beautiful, flawless, but sometimes Elsa thought about it when she couldn't sleep at night, couldn't feel like any normal human being, and she wondered if she was missing something.
But it was too late to wonder, so Elsa looked back down and straight ahead.
"Markus." Little more needed to be said in words. Her thoughts transmitted themselves through the air and through the ice, and in seconds the king knew everything that he needed to know.
It was only a semi-conscious that responded, not so much with words as with feelings and impressions, and it was not a voice but a presence larger and deeper, intimidating in its sheer scale. Even still Elsa rejoiced in the presence, so familiar to her and comforting as it always was, enshrouding her in its dark warmth and care.
Gloves. Remember. Lesson.
Elsa stripped her gloves off quickly. "Release, let free. There are no limits." That was her creed. Markus had been the one to teach her not to fear her powers, to let them rage freely. She was a force of nature, Markus had told her, and not something meant to be restrained by man.
Presence. Danger. Purge.
"Princess Anna of Arendelle," Elsa said, raising her head and mouth drying at the thought of killing Anna. "She is no danger. I only thought she was of interest, so I—"
Rebirth. Cleansing. Haste.
"I have not forgotten. Soon, it will be possible." Elsa closed her eyes in relief as she felt approval surge through their link. "I desperately need your guidance, Markus, this burden is becoming too much. Things were much simpler while you were still here."
Strength. Will. Persevere.
"I understand," Elsa said quietly. It would not be too long now.
She just had to bear through.
…
After a hearty breakfast in bed served by the chef, the jolliest fat man Anna had ever seen—or the fattest jolly man—she decided to take up Elsa's offer and explore the castle. Not like she had much else to do. And it might have been assumption on her part, but she trusted that nothing would happen to her now that Elsa had made that promise. Bundled up in warm clothing as though she were heading outside, Anna roamed the frigid castle.
There weren't very many servants, especially not in Elsa's wing. The few that Anna did encounter walked quickly and silently, though it seemed more expected of them than their natural demeanor. When she accosted a maid, practically pouncing on the poor woman, she had cracked a genuine smile when faced with Anna's infectious cheer. It amused Anna to no end when, asking about the castle's general layout, she figured out that Elsa had an entire wing to herself while thirteen princes shared one.
"Does she have a thing about germs?" Anna asked, thinking it would fit the fastidious queen to be a germaphobe. "Oh wait, I forgot they're not related. I guess it wouldn't be proper."
"Yes," said the maid, but she added in a low whisper, "Queen Elsa's powers, too. Of course no one would want to be around her."
As the maid went back to her work, she left Anna standing there oddly displeased. Explained the lack of staff, then, and the way everyone avoided Elsa like she had the plague. Was it even fair, though. . . ?
Anna shook her head. What wasn't fair was someone abusing their powers to conquer perfectly benign kingdoms, and if no one wanted to have contact with them, well, that was their fault. Deciding to visit Kristoff—the only person she even knew around here—and determined to put the whole ordeal behind her, Anna made her way back to the grand doors and swung them open.
Still snowing lightly outside, but Anna wouldn't be surprised if it always snowed here. Nothing had pointed otherwise so far. Wrapping her coat tighter around herself, she ventured out into the cold and doubled back around to the stables. Not very different from her own in Arendelle, a large barn made of masonry and wood, and the only difference, Anna assumed, would be an abundance of reindeer rather than horses. Even from afar she could smell them, a sort of pungent stink that was simultaneously appalling and charming. It just seemed so alive, in this kingdom of ice, to have something that actually stank.
"I am so weird," Anna said to herself. Who in their right mind liked smelly things? She closed her eyes and shook her head at herself.
"Hey! Watch out!" Anna opened her eyes just in time to see what she initially thought was an avalanche rushing towards her, but was really a white horse powering through the snow. Whoever the rider was pulled back on the reins as hard as he could, but he was going too fast to stop completely. Throwing up a wave of white powder as it jerked back, the horse smashed into her with its flank.
It wasn't terribly painful but the impact still knocked Anna down to the ground, and she fell with a loud shriek as snow piled down her shirt.
"You need to watch where you're going!" Anna sat up and brushed herself off, and then stretched out her shirt a little so snow fell out. Looking to the cause of their traffic accident, she was about to launch into a huge tirade when—
Oh, he's dreamy.
"I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?" The rider got off his horse and extended a hand to help her up. Tall and fairskinned, perfectly styled auburn hair with sideburns, and best of all, he had the brightest green eyes Anna had ever seen.
Much gentler, Anna said, "Hey. I, uh, no, I'm okay."
She took his hand and got to her feet, staring at his eyes the whole time. They were kind, warm, their verdant color reminding her of leaves and all things spring, and it was a welcome relief.
"I'm Prince Hans. I don't recognize you. Are you a new workhand, or. . . ?"
"Oh, I'm Princess Anna, of Arendelle." Immediately, her estimate of Hans rose. Judge a person based on how they treat their inferiors, Pappa had told her, and if Hans had been this kind while thinking she was just a hired hand, she felt him a trustworthy person.
"Princess. . . ? My Lady." Hans gave her a deep bow, a courtesy Anna had not been treated to in quite some time.
"I don't think that's really necessary, considering Arendelle is subject to the Southern Isles," Anna said, not bothering to hide the tinge of bitterness in her voice.
Hans straightened but lowered his head. "I cannot express my regret over Elsa's actions. Truly, none of us wanted this." He waved a hand out, indicating the winter all around them. No doubt noticing Anna's shivering, he shrugged off his coat and placed it over her shoulders, then gestured towards the castle. "Let's get back inside."
Forgetting about Kristoff for now in favor of warmth, Anna followed Hans back in. They were in a different part of the castle than she was used to, a sort of commons area likely part of the left wing belonging to the thirteen princes. Here, the decorations were much warmer in color. Compared to Elsa's white and blue, this place was practically bursting with color: strange and slightly tacky paintings, like a bowl of misshaped fruit; sofas, posh with spiraled armrests but still looking comfy and inviting; and lush, fuzzy carpet instead of polished floor that Anna had strongly suspected was some form of ice.
"Our humble abode," Hans confirmed.
"So there are really thirteen of you?" Anna couldn't help but ask.
"Not all from the same mother," Hans said. When Anna wrinkled her nose in distaste, Hans smiled selfdepreciatingly. "Yes, polygamy is unfortunately popular here, especially for the king."
"That's sort of gross." Anna widened her eyes when she realized what she had just implied. "Not that I think your father is—I mean, I sort of did, but I didn't mean to insult him!"
Hans laughed, a rich, deep noise reminding Anna of chocolate. "No, I agree. Forgive me for being forward, but I think love should be a thing between two people only. Polygamy is a very antiquated system that ought to be abolished. There's been very many misunderstandings because of it."
"No, I totally agree!" Anna said. "But, uh, misunderstandings?"
"As you can imagine, there were some nasty rumors when Elsa showed up, but Father insisted she was not born of him." Hans shrugged. "Well, the rumors became even nastier after that."
Anna furrowed her brow. "What do you—oh. You mean people thought they were—involved?" Wow. That was a really gross thought, considering even the youngest of the king's thirteen children was around Elsa's age, and the eldest no doubt significantly older. Oh, God. Just thinking about it made Anna want to shrivel up and die.
"Only rumors, of course," Hans said quickly, averting his eyes and nervously picking at his jacket. "I'm sorry for even bringing it up, I really shouldn't have said anything—"
". . . You're not sure if they're only rumors," Anna said. Hans might have thought he was covering it up, but it was pretty obvious to her that his good intentions hid how unsure he was. But still, it was very kind of him to say otherwise.
Slowly, Hans nodded. Immediately after, he exhaled a long breath and shook his head. "I would like to believe the best, but with Father's sudden disappearance and Elsa suddenly crowning herself Queen Regent, no one truly knows."
"That does sounds. . . suspicious."
"Doesn't it?" Hans continued speaking, quickly, rushed, like the words had always been trapped with no outlet until now. "I've known Elsa for years, and of course I wouldn't want to believe that anything underhanded took place. But this eternal winter, and her policy of conquest... I don't believe Father would have supported either of those things."
So, just as Anna had observed, no one here liked the winter. And she had witnessed for herself how Elsa could instantly thaw Arendelle, so why didn't she do that here? Was she really a tyrant oppressing the Southern Isles, or...? Anna's head hurt just thinking about it. She rubbed her temples tiredly.
"I shouldn't have said so much," Hans said apologetically, leading Anna to sit on one of the couches nearby. "It's just that I don't very often have the chance to. To be honest, you're one of the first people I've met that I can talk so freely to."
"I understand." Anna grinned and Hans likewise smiled widely, green eyes brightening with delight.
They spent hours just sitting and talking like old friends.