"Have you eaten, Anna?" Elias asked from his spot at the desk in the dressing room, taking a break from memorising Arendelle's military regulations. They had been his main point of study over the last week since his first courting with the Germonian prince. He held his breath, knowing that another suitor from distant lands would undoubtedly be coming any day now.

"Uh huh," she absent-mindedly replied. She was hyper focused on a new design, this one inspired by the changing leaves just as summer was about to turn to autumn. It wasn't quite the end of the season yet, but it paid to be prepared.

The prince got up from his seat, pausing when his blue bracelet got caught on the edge of a pen in its holder. He walked until he was standing right in front of Anna, and still she didn't look up until he'd been there for the better part of two minutes. "What?"

"You're eating your hair." He gestured towards her pair of pigtails. She had the end of one in her mouth and was mindlessly sucking on it like it was a sweet. "Are you sure you're not hungry?"

"Sorry." Anna sheepishly stopped, warmth spreading to her cheeks. "It's just a thing I do."

"That's alright." Elias almost wanted to see how her new designs were coming along, but he decided against it. He wanted to sort out whatever was going on with Anna first, in more ways than one. Plus, he also wanted to be surprised when he wore it. Instead, he tried to return to his work. "I was just concerned for you, that's all."

"I'm fine, I promise," said Anna, getting up to stretch her legs after being hunched over for so long. "There's another festival this weekend. If you want to go."

"Yes," he answered in a heartbeat before faltering slightly. "Wait. This weekend?"

"Yeah!" Anna answered cheerily. "Why?"

This weekend. His first thought was that he wondered if his mother would have planned anything. But going off of previous years, she probably wouldn't have. Not publicly, anyway. Anna didn't even know what the date marked. It wasn't public knowledge for the kingdom. Elias realised Anna was still waiting for his answer and tried to recentre himself.

"We'd have to ask Kai though. Or at least let him know. He doesn't want us going alone like how we did last time. He wants Kristoff to take us."

"I don't know if that's the best idea…"

Elias shrugged. "It's either that or we can't go. And we have to, because I might lose my mind if I have to spend another night practising the dulcimer with my mother."

The suitmaker wrung her hands together nervously. "It's just that this is still a secret event. If people see Kristoff in the uniform of the royal guard, and if they see the royal family crest on the side of the carriage, it might send everybody into a panic."

He cursed under his breath. "You're right. Perhaps I'll rework the specifics with Kai when I discuss it with him. I'm sure it will be alright though," he quickly reassured Anna. "He knows what a sensitive subject this is. He'll understand."

"Right."

There was a pause, both of them trying to focus on their respective tasks. Then Elias glanced up and saw Anna chewing on her hair again.

"Alright, that's it," he proclaimed before getting up and walking out. Anna stared at the shut door, her head cocked to the side. She wondered if she did anything wrong. Elias hadn't seemed angry, but his departure was abrupt. Should she go after him?

She didn't need to ponder that for long though, as a few minutes later, Elias returned and sat next to her, a large box in tow.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Something else for you to suck on," he replied before internally cringing, realising how crude that sounded. Thankfully, Anna didn't seem to pick up on it. She just leaned forward curiously when Elias plopped the box down and opened the lid.

"Wow!"

It was like looking into a tiny candy shop. Everything was meticulously organised by category, though she should have expected that from how particular Elias was. There were fruit sweets of every colour, bright like jewels and looking deliciously appealing. Toffee and caramel was wrapped in paper wrappers, bite-sized pieces just begging to be chosen.

"I didn't know you liked sweets this much."

"I inherited my sweet tooth from my mother," Elias explained with a small smile. "As a child, I could be veracious. And sweets and candies are nice, but there's something I like even more." The box was sectioned off the layers. The first one had all his precious sweets, but below held his true treasure.

"Chocolate!"

They had to have come from Mrs Blodget's shop, the finest chocolatier in the kingdom. Anna usually limited herself to the plain bars and boxes for the sake of her wallet, and while Elias had some of those varieties, he also kept the truffles that Anna had never had the chance to try. White bonbons with lashings of fruit compote or a sprinkling of chopped pistachios. Milk chocolates moulded to the shape of the royal crown, probably filled with delicious molten centres. Many truffles Anna didn't even have the senses to guess their ingredients. She was bombarded by their scents; berries, fruits, nuts, coffee. She was salivating. She needed to try them all.

"Earth to Anna?" Elias waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh?"

"You spaced out for a moment there," he commented with a smile.

"Elias, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful sight in my life," she swooned, eyes still fixed on the contents of the box.

"Then consider yourself lucky. Honeymaren's the only other person who I've let in on my secret stash. Not even the queen has access to it. Mainly because I know she can eat half of it all in one sitting." He nudged the box closer. "Take whatever you like."

Anna continued to stare in wonder. "No. No, I couldn't. This is too much! This stuff is so fancy!"

"You're talking to the prince of Arendelle, Anna. I wouldn't be offering this if it was too much." He plucked a chocolate truffle for emphasis, popping it in his mouth and moaning in satisfaction when it released its jammy fruit centre. "They're really good," he pressed, abandoning manners and speaking with his mouth full just to prove his point. Anna almost wanted to smile. It was an action so unbecoming of royalty.

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Just pick anything! I promise I run very good quality control. Nothing in there is bad."

Anna looked between the box and the prince before she finally said, "Pick one for me. Whichever Is your favourite."

Elias knew his answer in a heartbeat. He picked up a round milk chocolate sphere, seemingly plain, and handed it to her. As Anna tried it, he found himself holding his breath, waiting for her thoughts.

The chocolate quickly gave way to its filling, sweet-salty caramel washing over her palette like a wave of deliciousness. Anna's eyes rolled back in her head a little, and Elias felt himself blushing.

"This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth."

Elias chastised his brain for immediately making every innocent statement a dirty one. "I'm glad you liked it," he squeaked, before clearing his throat and speaking in a more measured tone. "You're welcome to have as many as you like, whenever you want to. I promise it's no skin off my teeth. Mrs Blodget is very used to business from me and my mother."

Anna was quiet for a long time, so long that Elias almost worried that he'd said something to upset her.

"Thank you," she finally whispered, breaking the silence. "For so many things," she added. "I still can't believe this is my life now. Palaces and royalty and money and chocolate. It doesn't feel real." Anna let out a shaky laugh. "You know, I ran into an old friend when I was out the other day. She actually helped me pick out your bracelets. She made it out of the shop years ago. Left Arendelle to forge a new life for herself. And for years, that's all I wanted to do too."

Elias hung onto her every word, hearing her story unravel from her lips.

"I was happy for her, but I was also a little jealous, you know? She was free, meanwhile I saw myself being stuck in that attic forever. Until Kai and Honeymaren found me. Until you…" She smiled and leaned slightly towards the prince, not quite touching him, but positioning herself so there was barely an inch of space between them. He didn't dare to breathe, lest he somehow scare her away. "You saved me, Elias. Literally, you did. I don't think I can ever thank you enough for that."

His heart swelled in his chest, flooding him with joy. How could one choice amount to so much for the both of them? If Honeymaren or the queen hadn't pointed Ronaldo out on the night of the ball…

"You saved me too, Anna," he replied. "I love that I can be myself around you. Truly myself without shame."

Anna's smile lit up the room. Elias thought she could light up the whole world in an endless winter if she wanted to.

Suddenly, the two of them jumped apart when the door opened. Honeymaren waltzed in, her arms full of Anna's newest material shipment, blissfully unaware of what she had interrupted.

What exactly had she interrupted? Neither were quite sure.

XXX

Kai sighed heavily after a long discussion with Elsa that had admittedly grown a bit too heated for his liking.

"That could have gone better," he said.

"That could have gone worse," Honeymaren countered, leaning casually against the back of the armchair he sat on. "What's the big deal anyway? Elsa's right. A royal carriage could reveal everything. So could Kristoff himself, potentially. He's actually stationed outside the castle sometimes for guard duty. You have to agree with me that I'm far less recognisable than he is."

He let out a tired grumble.

"Why so down, Kai?" As much as Honeymaren enjoyed getting under his skin, she tried to hold back her teasing tone.

"You spend more time with Anna than I do," he replied. "What is she like?"

Honeymaren shrugged. "I mean, you know where she came from. She's just happy to be here. Anything would be better than that place." She paused. "She's harmless. Why are you so worried?"

"I'm not," he said defensively.

"Then why ask?"

There was silence for a moment. "I don't want her to change Elsa." Honeymaren's eyes narrowed but she let him continue. "Wearing King Agnarr's suits is one thing, but having her own? Sneaking out to gallivant around the village? I'm beginning to doubt her influence."

"Have you ever thought that maybe Elsa's been like this the whole time?" Honeymaren retorted with a slight edge to her voice. "You know she's always liked the suit thing."

"Yes, but–"

"So why is this any different? If anything, Elsa seems way happier with Anna around. Isn't that what we want?"

"Elsa may enjoy her suits but don't you think Anna is giving her an avenue to take things too far? This is a slippery slope, Honeymaren. First it's going on her nightly adventures, then soon it will be leaving during the day. How long before she begins disregarding her royal duties altogether in favour of this hobby?"

"You know Elsa," she snapped. "You know she takes her lineage seriously. She holds her duties above everything else. Anna's presence isn't going to change that. Neither is what Elsa chooses to wear or what she does in her free time. Her future as queen has always been on her mind, too much to be good for her in my opinion." She felt her irritation grow as her pulse began to speed under her skin and she willed herself to keep it under control. Honeymaren walked towards the door, not wanting to have this conversation anymore. Before she opened it, she said, "and this isn't just a hobby. It's who she is. You should start thinking of it that way."

XXX

The evening before they were to go to the festival, Elsa and Anna met at the stables. Ideally, they'd have more time together for this endeavour, but Elsa's duties had kept her close to her mother's side over the last few days. Not to mention the absolutely horrendous date she'd had with a duke from Avalor. Definitely another failed courting, much to her mother's not-so-well-hidden disappointment. She fiddled with her pink bracelet as Anna approached down the path.

The arrangement with Kai had been difficult to reach, but Elsa eventually managed it, with the help of Honeymaren. In the end, it was agreed that Elsa could go, but Kai and Kristoff needed to be told when they were leaving and when they returned. On top of that, Honeymaren had to accompany them, at least for the first few trips. The princess wasn't thrilled at the idea of having a chaperone, but if it could get her out of the palace for a night, she couldn't argue. Not to mention having Honeymaren as that chaperone was pretty much the best outcome out of a not ideal scenario.

When she had relayed the information to Anna, the redhead had immediately replied, "You need to teach me how to ride!"

Elsa had blushed, but Anna hadn't seemed to pick up on the double innuendo. Plus, she had a point. If this was going to be a regular thing between them, it would be better if Anna got some horse riding skills under her belt. It would give her more independence and freedom too, something that Elsa knew she had been robbed of for the last four years.

Hence the impromptu lessons.

"Are you ready, Anna?"

"You bet!" she cheerfully replied. "I'm pretty excited actually. My dad always wanted to own a horse but we never had the money or space. He'd be so jealous of me right now."

"Alright." Thankfully, this time Anna was dressed a little more modestly. Her skirt wasn't too short so there was less of a chance of Elsa getting… distracted. She led Nokk out of the stables, shutting the gate behind her. "This time, you're taking the reins. Do you remember how I got on Nokk before?"

"I think so."

"Good. Go for it."

Anna eyed Nokk nervously, while he just flicked his mane, looking just a little bit bored. Elsa held back. She remembered her father's lessons years ago. He had taken a step back, forcing her to learn from what she'd observed countless times before. Anna could handle this.

Anna took a deep breath before sliding her foot through one of the holds and trying to push her weight up. She stumbled and in a flash, Elsa's firm hand was on her back to steady her.

So much for taking a step back.

"You're fine," Elsa said, ignoring the blush that had found its way to her cheeks. "That was good. Try again. This time, try to centre your weight at your core. It'll help you balance better."

Spurred on by Elsa's encouragement, Anna tried again, this time able to successfully swing her leg over Nokk's back. She did this fairly ungracefully, letting out an adorable squeak and falling forward onto the horse, flashing a little too much leg to be appropriate. Nonetheless, she did it, taking a moment to straighten up before looking down at the princess. "How was that?"

Elsa giggled. "Your technique needs a little work but that was good!" She too found the foothold and swung herself over effortlessly, positioning herself comfortably behind her.

Anna huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "You make it look so easy."

"I've been doing this for years. Don't be too hard on yourself. You just need some practice and you'll be riding like a pro in no time."

Stop thinking dirty thoughts, stop thinking dirty thoughts, stop thinking dirty thoughts…

Elsa didn't focus on the distance between the two of them, so close that she could map out the individual freckles that were splattered across Anna's cheeks when she turned to look at her, nor the way Anna smelled like meadows and flowers and all things summer. She ignored her heartbeat which seemed insistent on showing Elsa how fast it could face. Instead, she coaxed the reins into Anna's hands, and their lessons commenced.

She taught Anna how to steer, how to get Nokk to speed up and slow down. She taught her the Norse commands which all palace horses were trained to understand. And she did all this with the same gentle hand her father had used. Her pool of patience was unending. No matter how many times Anna made a mistake or thought she couldn't do it, Elsa thought of a different way to teach her. It was a good distraction from thinking about how Anna felt against her whenever Nokk would jerk under them, sending their bodies crashing together.

In a matter of hours, Anna had a good grasp of the basics.

"And now, the true test," Elsa said when they were back at the stables.

By now, it was just before nightfall. The sun set late in the summer, and Elsa was grateful for it, because it meant she could still do what she planned to.

"What's that?" Anna asked innocently as Elsa led another horse out of the stables.

"You're going to race me."

Anna paled. "What?"

"To the edge of the woods and back. If you beat me, I'll know you're ready."

"There's no way I can do that!" Anna whined, something Elsa found way too cute than she should have. "You've been doing this for years."

"That's true," the princess agreed calmly. "Which is why I'm not riding on Nokk. He and I are too good a team. This is Havski, my mother's horse." She mounted the chocolate brown steed with ease, pausing to pet his neck. "She's had him since she was a teenager, so he's pretty old and isn't as fast as he used to be."

Havski let out an offended snort.

"Sorry, buddy, I didn't mean that," Elsa hastily apologised, before turning to Anna and mouthing I did. Anna giggled behind her hand. "And, I'll be doing this with a hand behind my back." She made a show of moving her right band behind her back, holding the reins with the other. "What do you say? Just a friendly race?"

The redhead considered it, teeth just barely chewing on her bottom lip. Elsa forced herself to look away, lest she think about the way she'd like to tug at Anna's lip between her teeth in between heated kisses. Finally, Anna blurted out, "ready-set-go!" and bolted off into the distance with Nokk.

"Hey!" Elsa cried after her, fumbling Havski's reins and following them. "That false start wasn't fair sportsmanship!"

"Neither is challenging someone who learned to ride in one day," Anna retorted. Point taken.

Havski's hooves thudded on the dirt and grass beneath. Elsa's core felt tight as she struggled to maintain her balance with her self-imposed handicap. Her eyes were fixed on Anna. She struggled to keep her back straight – Elsa assumed she must have been used to being hunched over sewing all day – but aside from that, she was performing exceptionally well, maintaining a constant lead of several feet.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Anna hollered over her shoulder. God, Elsa wanted to wipe that smug smile off her face.

"Don't get too cocky, Anna," she warned, her jesting morphing into sharp worry when Anna turned to look at her which made her wobble a bit on Nokk. The young woman just righted herself once again, looked determinedly at the horizon and whipped the reins harder. The distance between them only grew.

Anna made a hard turn at the edge of the woods, already thinking about reaching the stables and the sweet feeling of victory. She stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at the princess as she passed. Elsa rolled her eyes endearingly, giving a command to Havski.

Their hearts beat in unison despite the distance apart, adrenaline coursing through their veins. The stables grew closer, and while Elsa knew she was going to let Anna win, she also wasn't going down without a fight.

"Raskere, Havski," she muttered, using her free hand to swipe at the sweat on her brow. Havski neighed, determined to show he was more than an old horse. Or maybe he was just determined to get back to his pen so he could go to bed. Either way, Elsa caught up.

Anna's ears perked up at the closer sound of hooves and she squealed when she realised the princess was right behind her. "Ah! No!"

"I'm coming to get you!" Elsa teased with a menacing smile, making Anna scream in terror. She sped up.

Finally, Anna reached the stables, pulling hard on the reins just in time to stop before crashing into the wall. "Oh, thank God," she panted, sliding off Nokk and leaning hard against him to catch her breath. When she realised the princess was approaching, she stood up straight and bore a confident smile, trying to seem casual and not like she was struggling to get her breathing back to normal. "Victory is mine!" she proclaimed.

Elsa trotted to a stop behind her, looking at Anna with a raised brow. "You know I was going easy on you."

"Shhh. Don't ruin it," she sighed, making Elsa smile as she hopped down from her horse.

"You did well," she continued. "I'll teach you more about horse maintenance another time but for tomorrow's festival, you'll be good to go."

"Awesome."

"You're a fast learner. Even better than Honeymaren."

Anna brightened. "Really?"

"When she first started, she didn't fasten the saddle correctly and ended up slipping so she was hanging upside down from underneath Nokk's belly, but don't tell her I told you that."

Once Nokk and Havski were taken care of, the two women stared at each other. "Thank you for teaching me all this stuff," Anna said sincerely.

"It was my pleasure."

She hesitated, eyes fixated on the princess, half bathed in the fading evening light. Her riding attire was casual, not some stuffy royal getup, and her hair was escaping its braid in wispy blonde strands. Anna could picture her living another life, a normal girl from the village. Perhaps she would be an equestrian. Or a model. She definitely had the looks to pull it off. She almost wished that was Elsa's reality, because maybe then she wouldn't feel so far removed from her. "Well, I should probably let you get back to princess stuff, but I'll see you tomorrow–"

"Hang on." Elsa fumbled awkwardly through her satchel, her pulse speeding up slightly until she finally found what she was looking for. She took out a small box. "For you. A gift. Or a reward. For beating me. Whatever you want it to be."

"Aw, you didn't have to do that," Anna said with a smile. "Just teaching me was enough. I don't think that's usually a princess' job."

"I insist." She thrust the box towards her. "I got it. Specially. Kind of." God, was that too corny? And how much was she blushing right now?

Obliging her, Anna took the box and lifted the lid. Inside was what looked like little candies wrapped in foil. She could smell their tantalising aroma. "More sweets?"

"Not exactly," Elsa explained. "It's this new thing. From America. Chewing gum. You… well… chew. On it. You don't swallow it. You spit it out after it loses its flavour and texture. I thought that you might find it a good alternative to chewing on your hair, not that there's anything wrong with chewing on your hair, just that it would taste better… than chewing… on your hair. And of course, you're still welcome to take any sweets and chocolates from my box in the palace but I thought you might like this too…" Was she babbling? She was babbling.

Anna grinned widely. "Elsa." She moved to hug the princess but hesitated. Yes, Elsa had hugged her before, but she had initiated it. Was this different? As a commoner, did Anna have that right? Instead, she settled for placing a hand on Elsa's arm and squeezing gently. "I really like it. Thank you."

Elsa gulped, the spot tingling where they touched. "No problem."

XXX

Later that night, Anna found herself staring up at the ceiling of her room, box of gum in hand, thinking. This was how it always started, wasn't it? The gifts. The fun shared experiences. The fluttery feeling in her belly. How she felt with Robin was one thing, but God, she knew in her gut that this was about to snowball into something a million times stronger.

She shook her head firmly and let out a grumble.

No. She absolutely could not be attracted to Aredelle's princess. Or prince, depending on the day. In any way. They came from two completely different worlds. Elsa was going to rule the kingdom one day and marry a prince, or a commoner. A man. And where did that leave her? Just a seamstress for the rest of her life?

Elsa was her employer. Yes, now they were friends. Good friends. But even that was already taking their relationship to something closer than would be advisable.

Anna couldn't let it spiral into anything more.

This story is also available on AO3. I also have a Twitter where I post behind the scenes content, polls, writing updates and more. Both are under the same username kalesalad003 and the links are in my bio!