Better days
Kristoff opened the door to his apartment almost two hours after dropping Anna off at her place. He had driven around town for some time to clear his mind and give Elsa some time to cool off after it. When he heard Anna's reasoning of Elsa needing time on her own, he thought it was best to implement that idea that same night. He accepted he had pushed his sister to the limit that day. He knew Elsa didn't like celebrating her birthday but he had forced her anyway, not really listening to her claiming of being tired and in pain; and now he felt terrible for doing it. His original idea had been to help Elsa distract from the confinement she was surely feeling; however, it had backfired and they had ended up arguing about the stupid medicines instead.
The man was surprised not to find Elsa where he had expected her to be when he entered his apartment. He found his sister's bed empty when he lit the room. He had been sure she was not going to wait up for him to return; it was difficult for the girl to get off the wheelchair on her own but not impossible after all. Whenever Elsa was angry with him, she had learnt to take some distance and tried to put some physical space between them. Not because she held grudges against her brother, she simply insisted it was easier to control her emotions that way. Even though she had never hurt her brother with her powers, she was aware how powerful they could come to be if she lost control of her emotions. She didn't want to take any chances and that resulted in her taking some steps back. So, even if their fight that night had not been the worst they had had, it made Kristoff think Elsa was going to take a little longer to open up to him after it.
He searched the room and found Elsa lying on the kitchen table. Her head resting on her good arm while she drew imaginary figures with her left hand on the wood. She had not raised her head when he entered, but she did look at him with a guilty expression when he sat on the empty chair beside her. Both of them stayed there just looking at each other for some time, Kristoff believed Anna was right when she said he had pushed his sister to the limit and he wanted Elsa to be the one to break the silence, if she so desired.
After what felt for a really long time for Kristoff, Elsa decided to say something, "I know you are just trying to help me, but I really want to stop taking the drugs, you know?"
"I sometimes forget when to stop pestering you… Do what you feel it's best for you," he extended his hand and grabbed hers, stopping her imaginary drawings and catching her attention. "I trust you. More than you can imagine, Elsa. Never doubt that."
Elsa simply squeezed his hand and gave him a tiny smile in reassurance, a gesture that said more than Kristoff needed to know. It was impressive sometimes how easily the two of them understood each other. It was in moments like this he liked to believe they were really brother and sister and not just two broken kids, with a harsh childhood on their backs, who had found each other. He thought it was best to change the gloomy atmosphere and offered, "Cake?"
"You know how I feel about my birthday…" she let go of his hand and looked at him in the eyes before asking, "Why did you try so hard this year?"
Kristoff was not expecting that question and the sudden realisation he had indeed tried harder to celebrate her birthday that year caught him off guard. It was true he liked celebrating birthdays in general, but he never insisted on celebrating Elsa's if she didn't want to. But this time was different, for a moment he had thought he had lost Elsa on the mountain a few weeks back, and he had felt the need to celebrate she was okay. "I thought it was going to be a nice idea since we are living together this year," 'and you didn't die two weeks ago' he thought to himself. "Even if you don't like celebrating your birthday, I do. It's the day my sister was born."
She stayed silent analysing what he was saying before correcting him, "You are aware it's not even my birthday, right? It's just the date I was dropped at the orphanage's door, Kristoff."
"I know that," he shrugged. "But I see it as the day my sister entered my life."
"What are you talking about?" she chuckled. "We didn't meet until we were 8 years old."
"Well…" he paused to think of the right way to express what he wanted to say. He didn't want Elsa to think he was a heartless bastard who didn't care for her feelings. "I know it sounds selfish given everything you went through, but if you hadn't been taken to the orphanage that night, I wouldn't be your brother."
Kristoff was surprised to see her smile at his answer. "I think your life would have been just the same without me in the picture, to be honest."
"Not really. I believe meeting you shaped me into who I am today. So, your dropped-day means a lot to me."
Elsa narrowed her eyes for a moment before saying with amusement, "what a sweet but strange thing to say."
Kristoff laughed at her answer and simply explained, "that's why we call it 'birthday' instead of 'dropped-day'."
Elsa joined him and both of them laugh at the strange path their conversation had taken. After they calmed down, she remembered it all started with an offer, "you said something about a cake, right?"
He smiled widely and stood up ready to cut the cake.
Idunn entered her daughter's room early the following morning and was surprised to find a pile of clothes on the floor by the door. Even more strange was to see Anna kneeling, half body inside her wardrobe, throwing clothes over her shoulder. Only half of the clothes she throwed ended up in the pile, the rest ended up everywhere.
"Anna, darling, what are you doing?"
Anna's head appeared from the wardrobe, a happy smile plastered on her face, "Oh, hi!" She sat on the floor to give her legs a rest while she spoke, "Nothing, I was just looking for something."
"And is it necessary to create this chaos to look for it?"
"I guess. I don't really remember where it is…" it was at that moment an idea popped up in her head. "Wait. Maybe you can help me!"
Idunn sat on the bed, "What are you looking for?"
"Remember that awesome winter jacket you and papa gave me a year or so ago?"
"Awesome winter jacket?"
"Yeah. It was a deep blue colour, it had fur on its hood and it was way too big for me to wear it," she mimicked the description to help her mother remember. "You guys bought it on one of your trips, and there was no way you guys could return it."
The older woman thought for a while before she realised what her daughter was talking about, "I think I remember now, yes. It was too long for you and it didn't really fit me."
"That's the one! Do you know where it is?"
"I think I do. Let me check." Using a chair as a ladder, Idunn opened the upper door of Anna's wardrobe to search for a big black bag. Once she put it on the floor, she asked Anna to look inside the bag. She remembered she had put it away in that place not long ago. She watched Anna search for the jacket eagerly until she found it and laughed in delight.
"This is the one! Thanks."
"It's a beautiful jacket if you ask me. It's a shame we can't use it," she picked the garment and inspected it carefully. "Why were you looking for it?"
"Yesterday was Elsa's birthday and I thought it could be a wonderful gift for her." Anna took the jacket from her mother's arms and folded it neatly inside a delicate box Idunn hadn't seen on the floor before that moment.
"Oh… You didn't mention anything yesterday."
"I didn't know. Elsa hadn't told me and Kristoff forgot mentioning it to me until dinner. I was so ashamed; I spent the whole day with Elsa without knowing." The girl closed the box and put a lovely blue ribbon on top.
"Are you sure about gifting her that? I can lend you some money if you want to," suggested Idunn.
"Yes, I'm positive. She doesn't own many warm clothes, which is weird since she lives in the mountain, but I think she can't afford something like this. It'll be a nice gift. And useful." Elsa hadn't mentioned anything to Anna, but she had heard her complain to her brother about the clients she was missing that season.
Idunn watched her daughter began rearranging the clothes inside the wardrobe. The woman helped her pick up some of the things laying on the floor before asking, "Have you and Kristoff had the chance to tell Elsa about joining us for dinner?"
Not really knowing what her mother was talking about, Anna asked, "You mean here?"
"Yes. Remember we said we wanted to thank her for saving you," she handed Anna the last few clothes before continuing, "your father and I were thinking New Year's Eve could be a nice occasion."
"I had completely forgot about that. I'll ask her today," Anna said as she picked the gift from her bed and walked out the door.
Elsa was resting in bed with Sven when she heard soft knocks on the door. She tried to sit and search for her wheelchair when she saw Kristoff walking towards the door.
"Don't worry," he said as he reached the knob. "I'll get it."
Since she didn't need to get up, she throw herself on the pillows once again. She was a little tired, but she was feeling a lot better than she had in the last week. True to her wishes, and after Kristoff's permission, she had stopped taking her medicine the previous night and she was already feeling the difference. Her body was clearly feeling a lot better even if her leg was throbbing with a little more intensity. Elsa knew it was going to be part of the process of getting rid of the drugs to become used to feeling more pain; but a little more pain in exchange of having full control of her body and her emotions was worth it in her opinion.
She was distracted from her thoughts when a big object was placed on her stomach. She opened her eyes and found a large box with a beautiful ribbon on top, and a joyful Anna smiling at her from the foot of the bed. "What is this?" she asked, not really knowing what to expect.
"It's a gift!" said Anna eagerly. "Now open it!"
Puzzled by the girl's gesture, Elsa sat on her bed and analysed the box in front of her before obliging to her petition. She considered it was not necessary for the girl to bring her a present for her birthday, but she considered it was a little rude to reject it right away. After her terrible behaviour the previous night, Elsa considered she owned her sister-in-law the decency of acting like a normal person at that moment. When she opened the box and saw the stunning jacket laying inside, she thought Anna was being way too generous with her. "Anna, this is beautiful but this is too expensive. I can't accept it."
"Yes, you can!" smiled Anna as she sat on the mattress and helped Elsa take the garment out of the box. "I noticed you don't have many warm clothes and I thought it could be the perfect gift for you."
Elsa took the jacket in her hands when Anna offered it to her and she examined the clothing. The garment was indeed gorgeous. The colour was picture-perfect and the fur stunning. Elsa had to agree the present was, as Anna had said, perfect for her; but her guilt from the way she had behaved the previous night prevented her from enjoying or even accepting the gift. "Anna, it's perfect, really. But I seriously can't accept it. I don't deserve this."
"What?" Anna's eyes opened in surprised by Elsa's comment.
"This is too expensive, and after the way I treated you yesterday… I think I don't deserve it." Elsa lowered her head when she explained her reasons. She was still ashamed and she didn't feel comfortable looking at Anna in her eyes.
Anna's surprised expression turned into a fond smile when she noticed Elsa's uneasiness about accepting the gift. "Nonsense. You do deserve it. If not for your birthday – because now I Know you don't really like celebrating your birthday – for helping me in the mountain. I haven't thanked you enough for risking your life for me, so please accept it as a 'Thank you' gift."
Elsa stayed silent for some time, her eyes going from Anna to the jacket, and to Anna once again. She knew she was supposed to express gratitude but her brain was not cooperating. It was at moments like this Elsa felt silly for being completely socially inept. At the end, she opted to say what was really on her mind. "I don't know what to say," she confessed.
"You don't have to say anything, silly. And you don't have to worry about yesterday. Actually, I was the one who wanted to apologise. Kristoff and I were out of place."
"No, you were not. You were just trying to keep me company and…" Elsa ran her fingers through her hair, something Anna had seen her do when she was a bit nervous. "Being honest, I need to learn to interact with people, even if I'm not feeling in the mood to do so."
"Elsa you don't have to force yourself to interact with other people if you don't want to. If you want me to stop visiting just let me know and I-"
"No," interrupted Elsa suddenly. "No, I- Don't stop visiting. I'm terrible at interacting with other people but I do enjoy your visits..."
Anna watched Elsa for a few seconds and she grinned when she noticed Elsa was being completely honest with her. "And I enjoy visiting."
At her response, Elsa tilted her head as a young child would do trying to comprehend a new idea. "You do? Why?"
Anna couldn't help but chuckle at the question. She didn't want to laugh at Elsa's incredulity but the enquiry was in fact so weird in her opinion. "What do you mean 'Why'? Because you are a nice person and I enjoy spending time with you. I know we are only sisters-in-law, but I think we could be really good friends." She let Elsa think about it for a minute before realising she didn't know if Elsa wanted a new friend. "If you want to, that is. It's not like I'm forcing you, that would be too weird and I don't want things to be weird between us because that-"
"I would really like that," she confessed. A big smile plastered on her face.
"Really? That's awesome! And don't worry, you can be as socially awkward around me as you want!" Anna put a hand over her mouth realising her mistake. "Okay, that sounded awful. I tried to say that as a good thing. Oh God. Please don't take it the wrong way," she explained hurriedly. "Why did I say that?" she muttered to herself as she covered her eyes in mortification.
Elsa laughed whole-heartedly at her, "It's nice to know I'm allowed to be weird around you. Thank you, Anna."
Anna moved her hand looking at Elsa through her fingers pleased to see she hadn't ruined their friendship in the first minute. Still a little embarrassed with herself, she joined Elsa's amusement and laughed too.
"Awe, look at you two bonding!" he said to caught the girls' attention. "For a moment you forgot I was in the room."
Anna saw an opportunity to tease him and asked, "Are you jealous I may like your sister's company more than yours?"
He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled confidently, "Pff… As if. But I've got to admit it's nice to see you two becoming friends."
As the weather forecast had announced, a mild snowstorm started by the end of the day forcing Kristoff and Anna to stay inside that evening. Their original plan for that day was to go out on a date. They hadn't had the time to be on their own since the accident and they wanted to enjoy a nice dinner together, but the weather was not on their side. They thought it was best to stay inside and enjoy a peaceful night.
By the time they were finishing dinner, Anna remembered she had an invitation for the siblings. "Oh, I almost forgot! My parents want to invite you guys to our New Year's Eve dinner next week. It's a family thing but they know the two of you are alone this year, and they really want to thank Elsa for what she did for me."
Elsa raised her head and asked, "Dinner?"
"Yep. Are you guys in?" she looked at them expecting a positive answer.
Kristoff thought about Elsa at that moment. They girl had always said she didn't feel comfortable spending time with strangers, but at the same time they were only trying to thank her. He knew his sister was probably ready to decline the offer, however he still tried. He didn't want to say 'no' to his in-laws after all. "Elsa? What do you think?"
Caught out of guard, not expecting to be the one declining the offer, Elsa cleared her throat and tried her best to come up with a good excuse not to accept the invitation. "It's not necessary," she said. "I mean, it's a family thing and I wouldn't feel comfortable intruding. They don't need to thank me."
"They invited you," explained Anna trying to persuade her. "You two wouldn't be intruding."
The moment Anna turned her head towards Kristoff, Elsa took the opportunity to shake her head to her brother. Silently asking to help her. "Uhm... Well, Elsa still has to stay in bed. And with the wheelchair and all. It would be too difficult," answered Kristoff when he understood his sister's gestures.
"It would be an inconvenience," stepped Elsa in.
"It's a shame she doesn't have crutches yet. Maybe some other time?" offered Kristoff.
Anna watched the siblings and asked Elsa one last time, just to be sure. "Are you sure?"
"Other time would be preferable. Yes. My apologies to your parents, Anna." Elsa gave her a tender smile to let her know she was honestly sorry.
"Okay," said a little dejected. She was hoping her parents could meet Elsa. She was sure they were going to love her. "It's fine. I'll just let them know."
Almost a week after New Year's, Kristoff asked Anna to stay in his apartment to take care of Sven while the siblings went to the doctor's appointment. Elsa had been waiting for the appointment but it didn't mean she was not nervous when the day came. Sven had sensed Elsa's nervousness and refused to be left alone in the apartment. The animal had gotten used to have Elsa around 24-7 and he was not okay with the idea of her leaving the place that day.
Even if Anna had assured them she was going to distract the dog while they were in the hospital, the task proved to be almost impossible. The dog didn't move from the door the whole time they were gone. At least she had been able to make the dog stop barking after the first ten minutes - the last thing Kristoff and Elsa needed were their neighbours being angry at them for Sven's behaviour -. She had tried everything she could to make the dog move but she finally gave up after half an hour. She had to admit Sven's loyalty was endearing but a little ridiculous at times. She didn't want to imagine what would have happened if something worse had happened to Elsa that day in the mountain.
She was making herself a coffee when Sven started barking once again. "Sven, stop barking, Elsa is okay!" It was then she heard the door's lock and turned to watch Sven jumping over the siblings. Kristoff did his best to stop the animal before he hurt Elsa in his excitement. After Sven let them in, Anna noticed Elsa was standing behind Kristoff and not sitting in a wheelchair. Anna felt her own excitement raise and walked towards the door to greet them.
"Elsa! You are walking again!"
"Almost," she said with a wide smile. "The doctor said I was good enough to start using crutches and moving on my own."
Anna could see Elsa's enthusiasm and, in an unconscious act, she threw her arms around the older girl to give her a hug. At first, Elsa stayed still not knowing how to react. She didn't feel comfortable with the physical contact, but after a few seconds she was able to relax into Anna's hug. She couldn't really hug her back, since she was supporting herself with the crutches, but she allowed herself to rest her chin on the girl's shoulder.
When Anna realised what she had done, she detached from the girl and apologised for her eagerness. "Sorry, I got carried away. I'm just so happy to see your leg is healing!"
"Don't worry about it. I'm happy too." She gave Anna an honest smile to show her gratitude.
Kristoff held Sven to prevent him from jumping over Elsa and explained, "The doctor says everything is going okay, but he is not pleased with Elsa's idea of not taking her medicine."
"The doctor's just exaggerating. I talked to mum yesterday and she agreed with me."
"Of course, mum can't say no to you," joked Kristoff.
"You are just jealous she likes me better," counter-attacked Elsa while she crutched towards the nearest chair. She was happy of finally be moving on her own, but she needed to get use to it first. It was a reality her leg throbbed whenever she did a wrong movement.
"So, what now? Do you have to do something?" asked curiously Anna.
"Basically, heal and-" Elsa's answer was interrupted by the line phone which Kristoff went to pick up. "The doctor wants to see me in a few weeks to see how everything is going." She finished before turning her attention towards her brother who was gesturing for her to pick the phone.
"It's Marsh. He needs to talk to you," said Kristoff when Elsa was able to reach the phone.
"Marshmallow? Hi. Yes, I'm better…" Elsa picked the phone and began her conversation while Kristoff walked towards the couch where Anna was sitting.
Surprised by the sudden call and the strange nickname Elsa had used, Anna couldn't stop her curiosity from taking the best of her. "So… Who's Marshmallow? She asked in a low voice. It was clear by her tone of voice she was trying to get Kristoff to start gossiping.
Kristoff just laughed at Anna's ideas and answered, "It's a guy who works in the ski resort near Elsa's cottage."
"Just a guy, huh? A guy you call 'Marsh' but she calls 'Marshmallow'…" she elbowed Kristoff trying to get him to react to her words. Anna believed Kristoff was a really jealous brother deep down and she was not going to miss a chance to tease him.
Kristoff elbowed her back and answered in a low voice to make sure Elsa didn't hear them, "No. You are not going to put any ideas into my head. The two of them are something like co-workers. Well, Elsa works independently, but they share clients whenever there are too many tourists in the mountain."
"Hmm… Are you sure about that?" she whispered. She covered her mouth laughing at her own childishness.
"Yes," he said trying to change the subject before Anna got ridiculous ideas into his head. "He is the one Elsa has been in contact with since she started cancelling her clients. The ski resort must be having a perfect season now that Elsa is sending all her students there."
"Oh… So, they are just talking business?" said Anna a little dejected by the realisation that it was not what she had first imagined.
"Probably… And for your information, everyone calls the big guy 'Marshmallow'. Now stop imagining soap operas and trying to make me part of them," said Kristoff as he put an arm around Anna to enjoy some time together. Both began chatting about their day when they heard Elsa raise her voice on the phone.
"You told me it was a sure deal, Marshall… Well, then tell your boss to call me."
Anna and Kristoff heard Elsa quiet down, surely Marshall was talking on the other side.
"We had a deal… What if he doesn't know me? You know me. You know I'm good at this, why can't you help me?"
…
For a moment Anna and Kristoff thought the conversation had ended but then they heard Elsa say in a tired voice before she hung up, "You know I need this."
Elsa returned to the living room and sat on her make-shift bed and patted the mattress for Sven to sat by her side. Kristoff waited for Elsa to say something, but she clearly was not going to share what had just happened. Against his best judgement he asked, "Hey, everything okay?"
"Yes. Everything's fine" she continued giving all her attention to Sven. Not really interested in participating in the conversation.
"Are you sure?" he tried one last time.
"Yes, Kristoff."
Kristoff knew something was not right. Elsa really liked Marshall and it was almost impossible for the guy to get in her nerves if it was not something serious. But he thought it was better to let her open up whenever she felt it was right. He just hoped it was nothing too serious.
A week after Elsa had been given her crutches, Anna returned to her classes at university. She was glad she had scheduled all her classes in the mornings because she still had the chance to visit the siblings in the evenings if she was not too busy. She had gotten used to having dinner with Kristoff and Elsa in the last month, and she was happy she was still able to spend time with them. Day by day she understood a little better why Kristoff enjoyed his sister's company so much. The girl was actually really fun to be around once she felt comfortable enough to open up, and her mood had improved considerably since had stopped taking her medicine. The three of them had fallen into a nice routine since the accident, a routine all of them enjoyed. It was for that reason Anna thought it was impossible the yells she heard in the apartment belonged to Kristoff. Elsa and Kristoff had their quarrels, like any brother and sister, but Anna had never heard them yell at each other. When Anna got close to their apartment door, she was able to actually understand what they were saying.
"That's it? And you think it's the guy's fault? Why don't you try to do something about it?!" Anna could hear Kristoff's voice behind the door. It was surreal to hear Kristoff so angry. Anna had only heard him raise his voice when it was completely necessary. Before that moment, Anna had thought the man was incapable of raising his voice to another person. He was always the one who chose to talk things in a calm collected way.
"What do you want me to do? It's not that easy, Kristoff!" Came Elsa's reply. Anna could hear Elsa was angry too, but her voice was not as loud as Kristoff's.
"You refuse to try! You don't know if it's easy or not unless you try!"
"Easy for you to say." Anna heard Elsa mumble. At that moment, she thought it was best to knock on the door and interrupt the argument. They were clearly discussing something Kristoff considered important, but she knew he was going to regret fighting with Elsa after the quarrel was over. She made sure to knock as she always did, just a little bit louder this time, for them to realise she was the one on the other side of the door.
Inside Kristoff had heard Elsa just as clearly as Anna had and was in to process of answering to his sister when Anna knocked on the door. "Elsa, I'm sick of this. You need to-"
"Someone's knocking," interrupted Elsa. Using the door as an excuse to stop the fight.
He sighed in frustration before turning towards the door and opening in just one movement. He didn't even greet Anna before turning back towards Elsa who was sitting on the couch on the other side of the room. Anna noticed Kristoff was going to continue the argument and she chose to interrupt him before he could start again.
"Hi. I'm sorry but I heard you guys over the door. Is everything okay?" she asked.
"It's fine." Came Elsa's reply at the same time of Kristoff's "No, not really". Both of them looked at each other, not agreeing with their response.
"Is it a bad time? I could go and return later…"
Elsa chose not to answer. It was Kristoff apartment after all, and she believed Anna had come in the right moment. She didn't want to continue the argument. She didn't even want to have that conversation with her brother, so Anna's visit was the perfect excuse for her to avoid it.
Kristoff on the other side, stayed silent for some time. His angry expression fixed on Elsa while he thought what was best to do. He wanted to talk with Elsa but there was no reason to do so if she was so adamant to ignore him. Maybe Anna's visit had come in the right moment, he thought. "No. Stay," he said honestly. "There's no point in continuing an argument with a wall."
"As if you are any better than me!" came Elsa's reply.
"At least I accept when I'm wrong! You can't live your life avoiding this, Elsa!"
There were many whys and wherefores she wanted to discuss with him but her irritation at the moment only allowed her brain to come up with a childish response. "Watch me," she said.
"Oh, for fuck's sake! You are impossible to be around when you behave like this." He walked towards the coat rack by the door where Anna was still standing and grabbed his jacket. "I'm leaving, I need to do the shopping for tonight's dinner." He walked out the door ready to leave the place. He just stopped to say a faint, "let's go Anna."
Anna had stayed silent, astonished by the discussion. When she realised Kristoff was talking to her, she couldn't do much more than ask, "Are you sure? I mean-"
"Yes, let's go." Came Kristoff's short reply and he disappeared through the door.
Not really knowing what to say or do to make things better, she opted to follow her boyfriend. Definitively he was the more pissed off of the two, maybe if she was able to talk to him and calm him down, things could go back to normal a lot faster. She turned to Elsa, who was still sitting on the couch, gave her a reassuring smile and left the apartment to follow Kristoff. She promised to herself she was going to do everything in her power to make things right.
A/N – I needed a guy working on the ski resort and what better name than Marshmallow, right? For those who find Anna's suggestion weird because, well, it's Marshmallow, don't worry. I was just building Anna's curious/playful nature. I imagine she loves to tease her boyfriend whenever she's got the chance; but that's it.
Little by little we are getting closer to know more about Elsa's past. Anna will soon start playing and important role in Elsa's life which will allow Elsa to open up to her. As always, let me know your what you think of this chapter or the story in general.
