Broken trust
With the coming of Spring, the snowstorms in the North mountain stopped, giving Anna and Elsa the opportunity to spend more time outside. The weather was still cold and the occasional sleet interrupted their activities, but Anna was happily taking advantage of the nice weather to leave the cottage more often. It was a nice change for both girls now that Elsa was able to be outside and move her leg more, and Anna was enjoying the North mountain in all its beauty.
Over a month had passed since Elsa's cast was removed and her recovery was becoming more evident. She no longer used her crutches, she could walk longer distances, and she was able to complete the exercises the therapist gave her without complaint. Movements that had been a painful experience at first, were now part of her daily routine and she was pleased to feel her leg getting stronger every week. She was still careful not to overdo herself and not train more than necessary, and of course a walking boot was still a necessary precaution; but all in all Elsa could experience a sense of freedom she hadn't enjoyed since before the accident.
It was for that reason Anna was confident Elsa was going to be able to complete the activity she had planned for her that day. She had arrived to the mountain early in the morning and she had dragged the older girl outside; explaining they were going to spend some time in a small slope not far away from Elsa's cottage.
What call Elsa's surprise, however, was not the time she had arrived, but the fact she was carrying a couple of sleds with her; even when the amount of snow was not enough for them to use them. "I thought you said we were going to study today," said Elsa after her curiosity took the best of her, when they reached the slope.
"We are!" answered Anna throwing the sleds in between both of them, and taking her backpack off her shoulders.
"Here?" They were at the top of a short slope and Elsa couldn't see anything worth studying around them.
"Yes, here. We're going to use these!" Her hand pointing to the sleds on the ground.
"Sleds?"
"Yes. Just follow my lead." A big smile plastered on Anna's face as she put one of the sleds close to where the slope began. "Come on. Get on it and sled down the slope."
Elsa looked incredulously at Anna and then at the slope. There wasn't enough snow for it to be safe, and she had no intentions of getting hurt. "No, thanks."
"What? Why?" Anna knew perfectly well why and she was expecting Elsa's answer from the beginning, but she didn't want to spoil her idea.
"Because I want my leg to heal and to keep my head in place."
"Oh, really?" she said raising an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
Elsa stayed silent looking at Anna for a few seconds. She couldn't believe she was asking something so ridiculous. Even a child could see it was a bad idea. "There isn't much snow. I could sled down for a few metres, but then my sled would get stuck and I would end up with my head on the ground."
"Okay. Why is snow better?" Anna could barely keep a serious face seeing Elsa's unamused expression. In the last few weeks she had found out - with Kristoff's help - how fun it was to get on Elsa's nerves with the silliest things.
"Snow is snow. You can sled on it."
"Okay," she said, thinking it was best to stop goofing around. "Now, I need the real explanation. Why is snow better?"
"Well… It just is." She said, not sure about her answer. "I don't know how to explain it. Things just slide on it."
Anna smiled at her answer and kneeled down to take a book out f her bag. "The answer is here." She handed the book to Elsa and let her examine it for a moment.
"Physics?"
"Physics," she agreed. "It's super fun. You'll love it."
Elsa turned a few pages of the book, but didn't seem convinced.
"Have you ever heard about Newton's laws?" asked Anna, as she took the book from Elsa's hands. She didn't want her to start reading until they did the experiment first.
"No."
"Have you heard about gravity?" she tried.
"Yes."
"Then you've heard at least one of Newton's laws." She laughed when she noticed Elsa's confusion. "Don't look at me like that! I'll show you what I'm talking about. But first," she put an arm around Elsa's shoulder. "I need you to cover the slope with snow."
"What?"
"Cover the slope with snow." It didn't take long for Anna to notice Elsa was not at all comfortable with the idea, and she insisted, "come on. Use your powers so we can do the activity I planned."
"No."
"Please…" she begged. "I really want to see you use your powers."
She shook her head and crossed her arms, hiding her hands from view. "It could be dangerous, Anna."
"Your powers are not dangerous." She thought of a way to convince Elsa. After all, they couldn't do what she had in mind if Elsa didn't cooperate. And if she had to be honest, she was dying to see Elsa's powers once again. She had been patient and she had given Elsa enough time to feel comfortable around her before asking; but now, she couldn't wait anymore. "Please use them. I'll stand over there if it makes you feel better," she said, pointing a few metres away from where they were standing.
"I don't know…"
"I know for a fact you use your powers when no-one's around."
"That's not true," tried to contradict Elsa, but Anna's incredulous expression let her know she didn't believe a word she was saying. "I… I-" she sighed in defeat. "Fine. I do sometimes."
"Busted!" laughed Anna.
"So what if I use my powers from time to time?" Elsa didn't like the mocking tone Anna was using. For her, her powers were part of who she was, even if they made her life harder sometimes.
"There's nothing wrong with it," clarified Anna. "All I'm saying is that, since you use your powers on your own, you can start using them in front of me. It'll be fun. Come on!"
"I don't feel comfort-"
"Wait," she interrupted. "Or is it that you can't do what I'm asking?"
"Of course I can." In Elsa's opinion, Anna clearly didn't understand how strong her powers were if she thought she wasn't able to do something as simple as covering a small slope in snow.
"I bet that is," continued Anna, not paying attention to Elsa. "You can't. So, you'd rather say you don't want to, than to make a fool of yourself."
"What?"
"And here I was thinking you had an amazing power." She turned around and kneeled down to pick her bag from the floor.
"I can cover the slope in snow in an instant."
"There's no reason to pretend, Elsa. I should have known better." She turned her head enough to see Elsa's reaction and smirked when she saw her annoyed expression. She silently thanked Kristoff for teaching her how to push Elsa's buttons.
"Oh, please, look," said Elsa in exasperation. She looked down the slope, and with a flick of her hands she covered it with a massive amount of snow. Proud of being perfectly capable of doing it, she turned to see Anna's expression. But to her surprise, she was grinning. "You just tricked me… Didn't you?" A sigh left her mouth at her own stupidity.
"Yes!" answered Anna excitedly for what she had just seen. The power Elsa possessed was even greater than she had imagined, and she couldn't be happier she had been able to experience it. "And it was wonderful!"
"I can't believe I fell for that." She was clearly ashamed for letting her pride get the best of her.
"You should be proud of your powers, you know?" said Anna as she examined Elsa's snow in her hand. "They are incredibly beautiful."
Elsa wasn't used to receiving compliments for her powers, and blood rushed to her face in an instant. Trying to divert attention from what she had just done, she asked, "what did you want the snow for?"
"Oh, right!" Anna came back to the matter at hand. "I forgot about that for a moment." She laughed at herself and ordered, "get on the sled."
"Weren't we going to study?"
Letting a tired sigh escape her lips she said, "Can you, please, trust me? Just get on the sled."
"I trust you, I just-"
"Ah, la la la," sang Anna, stopping Elsa's excuses. "I don't care. Get on the sled."
Elsa stayed where she was, looking at Anna as if she had lost her mind. But after a few seconds, she accepted defeat and got on the sled. "You are so weird sometimes," she said, once she was comfortably seated.
"I know. Isn't it fun?"
Elsa couldn't help but laugh. She had noticed how excited Anna was about whatever they were about to do and, seeing no reason in delaying the inevitable, she said, "Okay. Now what-?" A push on her back sent her down the slope before she could even finish her question, and she couldn't do more than yell Anna's name. "Anna!"
"Mark the spot where the sled stops!" Came Anna's yell from the top as she was reaching the end.
It took Elsa a few minutes to come to a full stop, mark the place and go back to the top of the slope. When she finally reached Anna's side, the girl was getting a second sled ready for her.
"Care to tell me why you pushed me down the-?"
Anna stood up, took the first sled from Elsa's arms and pointed to the new one which was on its mark, waiting for her. "Get on this other sled."
Elsa crossed her arms and not for the first time looked at Anna as if she had completely lost it. "And here I was thinking the extra sled was in case you wanted to join me in my new adventure of learning how to use a sled."
"Oh, you behave so much like Kristoff sometimes," complained Anna. There was no point in doing the activity if she explained things to Elsa beforehand. "Just get on the sled and have fun. Will you?"
"Fine. Fine. You're the boss."
For the following hour, Anna continued sending Elsa down the slope. Asking her to sit in different positions and even carry some weight with her, as well as changing the sleds everytime.
It was obvious Elsa began to have fun right after she stopped trying to find some logic behind Anna's experiment. However, she was genuinely curious to know what Anna wanted to achieve with it, and she kept marking where the sleds stopped every time. At some point during the experiment, Elsa challenged Anna to a race. Anna not being able to refuse soon got on the extra sled and began enjoying the activity together with Elsa.
Anna, on her part, couldn't be happier the activity was working so well. She had planned it during winter but at the time she didn't dare try it - not wishing to damage Elsa's leg. But Elsa's powers had proven to be just as perfect as fresh snow, and she was glad she had been able to convince Elsa to use them.
After Anna had achieved everything she wanted with the activity, and she had had some fun with Elsa, she sat in the snow at the end of the slope with a happy sigh. Elsa soon joined her, sitting next to her. Somehow relieved the activity was over. She had been enjoying herself more than she imagined, but she was starting to feel exhausted. Months of inactivity were still taking a toll on her.
Taking a deep breath, she asked, "are you going to tell me what we were doing, now?"
"Oh? Oh! Yes, right. Sorry." Anna had been so pleased with herself she had forgotten Elsa was still waiting for an explanation. "You marked every stop, didn't you?"
Elsa nodded.
"Great. Now look around and tell me, did you stop in the same place every time?"
Elsa complied and after a moment she had her answer. "No."
Anna crossed her legs to be more comfortable and asked, "why do you think that is?"
Elsa thought for a while. She had an idea, but she knew Anna was now asking as a teacher and was expecting her to justify her answers. She wasn't sure about the reasons behind the results, but she still tried to give acceptable theories.
Anna listened to her attentively before she began explaining the different laws and how physics had an effect on everything. She wasn't too specific at first since Elsa was going to read in detail each law once they were back at the cottage. But she was happy to offer the older girl a reasonable explanation. To her surprise, Elsa's hypothesis were interesting and not at all wrong. Of course she couldn't justify everything in detail, but Anna was pleased to see she had grasped the main idea of the experiment.
After the explanation was over, Anna suggested they returned to Elsa's house and sat down to read and take notes from everything they had learnt that morning.
From the beginning, Anna was certain Elsa was going to like the topic, but she never imagined she was going to start thinking on the many ways she could use that knowledge to become a better skier. Making Anna really proud of her. She was smarter than she gave herself credit for.
Not for the first time, Anna thought about how unfair life had been to Elsa. A really smart girl, who could have become anything she wanted, was forced to be an illiterate for half her life; and then she was pushed aside in a society that didn't see value in those who didn't have a piece of paper proving they were good enough. But even if the idea made her really angry, she tried to focus in the present. At least after years of injustice, life had offered Elsa a family and a possibility to change her fate.
Anna had been so absorbed by her thoughts she hadn't realised the older girl had already finished her work, and was putting her things away. "I'm sorry, what?" said Anna when she noticed Elsa was talking to her.
"I was just saying 'thank you'."
"Thank you? For what?"
Elsa then smiled, but didn't look up to meet Anna's eyes. "For telling me to use my powers today. You reminded me they can bring joy and be useful from time to time."
Anna beamed at her words, and put her hand on top of Elsa's, pleased to feel it warmer than usual. "I won't get tired of saying this Elsa. Your powers are wonderful. It's time you start giving yourself the chance to enjoy them. Especially around Kristoff and me."
"Yeah. Maybe..."
She could hear the hesitation in Elsa's voice, but Anna knew just giving the idea some thought was a huge step forward for Elsa.
Anna arrived home later than she had intended that evening. After the studying session with Elsa was over, both girls had stayed in Elsa's couch talking and enjoying some hot chocolate which caused Anna to lose track of time completely. She took the last bus heading to town, and arrived at her parents' a few minutes before dinner.
She entered the kitchen and greeted her mother who was by the stove. Mother and daughter talked about their day and after a while, Anna sat at the small table in the kitchen.
Her family rarely used the table to eat, so Anna was not surprised to see piles of paperwork and documents belonging to her father and a couple of books she had left there the previous day. However, what did call Anna's attention was the half-written letter and envelope she was sure wasn't there the day before. Not thinking much about it, she picked the envelope, and was shocked to read the addressee.
Thinking it was best to ask her mother instead of jumping to conclusions, Anna called Idunn's attention. "Mum?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"What's this?" she asked, raising the envelope for her mother to see.
The woman turning around to see what Anna was talking about, when she noticed the familiar envelope in her daughter's hand. "Oh, no, no. Give me that." She rushed to where Anna was sitting, and grabbed the envelope from her hand, as well as the letter she had been writing some minutes before Anna arrived. "It's- it's nothing important."
The way she had reacted was all the confirmation Anna needed, but she still asked, "Are you writing a letter to Elsa?"
"No…" tried to lie Idunn, but soon noticed it was useless. Anna had already read the name in the envelope. "It's not what you think it is."
Anna raised one eyebrow in disbelief, but didn't say anything, giving her mother the chance to explain herself.
"It's just a way of expressing the way I feel," she admitted, ashamed of herself. "It's silly."
Anna felt bad for the way her mother looked down and tightened her grip on the letter. If she thought about it, Anna could see some similarities in the way her mother and Elsa behaved whenever they were ashamed. "I don't think it's silly…" she tried to reassure. "Something tells me this isn't the first letter you write, is it?"
Idunn shook her head, still not daring look at Anna in the eyes.
"How long have you been doing it?"
"For quite some time now. This must be the tenth letter I've written so far." She put the letter inside the envelope and left it on the table once again.
Anna opened her eyes in surprise. She knew her mother was still struggling with everything that had happened, but to hear she had written over ten letters let her see just how much she wished to talk to her daughter. "Are you planning to send those letters?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Elsa doesn't want to have anything to do with your father and me," answered Idunn with a sigh. "I want to respect her wishes." Truth was Idunn and Agdar had stayed in contact during that time with the Bjorgmans. They even met a couple more times after they had discussed Elsa's past. And every time, Idunn made sure to ask Gerda if Elsa had changed the way she felt, or if she had shown any interest in meeting them again. To her disappointment, Elsa hadn't changed her resolution not to meet them.
"Well, she doesn't know what you guys went through. Maybe those letters could be a way to let her know. And it'd be up to her if she wants to hear your reasons. You wouldn't be forcing her." Anna remembered her promise to Elsa about not forcing her to give her parents a chance, but she saw no problem in trying to convince her parents not to give up hope.
"Won't I be pressuring her if I send them?"
"I could deliver the letters myself and explain she doesn't have to read them if she doesn't want to. And she knows I won't pressure her either."
"I don't know, Anna." The idea of Elsa reading everything she had written was tempting. After all, more than being able to hold her daughter in her arms again, Idunn wanted Elsa to understand that she had been loved. That she was still very much loved. And she knew her letters made that clear; however, there existed that lingering fear of making everything worse if she sent them.
"Look," said Anna calling her attention. "All I'm saying is those letters may give you a chance."
"You really think so?"
"You've always had a way with words. I'm sure whatever you wrote must be coming from your heart. And I know you've got a good heart, mum."
Idunn blinked away a couple of tears and embraced her daughter. To hear those words coming from Anna's mouth after everything they had put her through meant more to Idunn than she could explain. She kissed her cheek and promised to think about her offer.
Anna smiled and detached from her mother when the kitchen timer called their attention.
Idunn returned to her task at hand, and after a few minutes she dared ask, "how's Elsa doing?" She always wanted to ask Anna that question after her younger daughter returned from the mountain, but she rarely found the courage.
Anna's smile became bigger with the question, happy to know the 'taboo' of talking about Elsa's life was slowly disappearing in the household. "She's doing fine. Her leg is healing fast." Anna walked back to her mother's side so they could talk more comfortably. "She's even training with Marshmallow now. They go walking and he also helps her with her exercises."
Idunn smiled knowing her daughter was finally feeling better after the terrible accident, but her expression changed to one of confusion at the strange name. "Who's Marshmallow?"
"Your son-in-law," said Anna matter-of-factly, before laughing at her own joke. She was certain that if Elsa could hear her, she'd be throwing something at her right at that moment.
"You call Kristoff 'Marshmallow'?"
But of course her mother didn't get the joke since she had completely forgotten to mention the guy's existence before that moment. "No, no," she laughed again. "Your other son-in-law. Well, he's not technically your son-in-law yet. But you know what I mean."
"To be honest, I don't," she said, having no idea what Anna was talking about. "Just tell me who Marshmallow is."
"He's Elsa's friend. A huge mountaineer. Ridiculously tall."
"Are they- are they together?" Idunn stuttered, taken aback now that she understood who the man was.
Anna pushed her mother with the shoulder in a playful way. "Interested in her love life, mum?"
"What? No, Anna." Leave it to her daughter to find the way to make her feel guilty for prying into Elsa's life. "You said he was- You know what? It doesn't matter."
She cracked up at her mother's poor attempt at justifying her curiosity. "I'm just messing with you!"
Idunn didn't waste time and threw the dishcloth in her daughter's face.
"Hey!" complained Anna in between laughs before answering her mother's question. "No, they are not together. I just like to joke around. But he is her friend and they've been spending a lot of time together lately."
She smiled at the idea of Elsa finally finding a friend outside her family circle. But her happiness was short lived, worrying about Elsa's safety. Finding out about her past had made Idunn more aware of the dangers of the wrong people finding out about Elsa's powers. "Is he a good person?"
Not paying too much attention to her mother's question, Anna answered, "he's really quiet and respectful. He's a pretty great guy. I think you'd like him."
She sighed in relief, knowing she could trust her daughter's judgement. After a bad experience with an ex-boyfriend, Anna had learnt to read people's intentions better, and she always checked the intentions of those who got closer to her loved ones. "I'm glad Elsa's found a friend, then."
Anna found her mother's comment a bit weird, but she simply nodded.
The following weekend, Anna was eager to visit Elsa so she took a bus on Friday evening to get to the North mountain the day before their class. She had something special she wanted to share with Elsa, and her enthusiasm couldn't wait till morning. She thought it was a good opportunity to spend some time with the girl too. Talking or simply enjoying time together had become harder after Anna's exams began. University had taken a lot of her time, and she rarely found the chance to stay more time than it was strictly necessary to help Elsa study.
The weather was colder than the previous week, forcing Anna to hide her face inside her scarf and put her hands inside her pockets as she walked in the direction of Elsa's cottage. Coming out of the path, she noticed the lights outside the cabin weren't on, something strange considering Elsa's preference. She always insisted on keeping the lights on since it made homes look more lively.
She knocked on the door a couple of times but to her bad luck no-one answered. She knew there existed the possibility Elsa was spending some time with Marshall, and Anna was sure it wasn't going to take long for her to return home.
Part of her was certain the right thing to do was wait outside for Elsa's return, but the cold wind was becoming harder to tolerate by the minute. Remembering Elsa practically never closed her door. Anna tried to open it, and to her delight, the door was unlocked. She murmured a thank you to Elsa's questionable habits and entered the place.
She closed the door behind her, and turned on the light. She shrieked in fear startled by Elsa who was, to her surprise, sitting in the living room just a few metres from the door.
"Hi," said Anna once she had been able to calm her racing heart down. "I'm sorry I let myself in. But I thought you weren't home and I know-" Anna stopped in her tracks when she noticed Elsa was not responding. Instead, she was looking down at a piece of paper in her hand. And what was more worrisome, she was crying. It was only then, Anna realised she hadn't even noticed her presence. "Elsa?" she said louder, trying to call her attention.
"Anna…" said Elsa, when she became aware of her surroundings. She tried in vain to get herself together, leaving the paper on the coffee table, and drying her tears. "I didn't hear you knock."
"Elsa are you okay?"
"It's not important," she lied, but her voiced cracked betraying her words.
Anna rushed to her side and sat down next to her. "It must be if it makes you cry like this. What's going on?"
She whimpered and hugged herself. Not being able to answer Anna's question.
"Elsa, please, tell me what's wrong. You can trust me."
Anna watched Elsa extend her hand and pick up one of the documents scattered on the coffee table. Soon handing it to Anna. "I found this inside one of my composition books."
"What is this?"
"I don't understand half the things it says-" A sob interrupted Elsa, and she took a shuddering breath before continuing. "It's about me."
Still not comprehending what the document was about and where it came from, Anna asked, "where did you get that composition book?"
"Gerda, she- she gave it to me." Once again, Elsa tried to control her emotions, but the more she tried to stop crying the harder it was to control her powers; and she already knew the temperature was colder than it should be inside the house. Not wanting to make things more complicated, she opted to let her tears fall, focusing only on keeping the ice at bay.
Noticing how distressed Elsa was, Anna thought it was best to try and help her calm down before reading the paper in her hand. "Elsa, don't jump to conclusions, okay? Even if it's about you, it doesn't mean it's something bad."
"It- It's about a legal precedi- precee-" she made an effort to remember the word, but it was difficult to focus. All she could think about was Kai, his stupid broken promise, and the pain she felt.
"Proceeding?" tried to guess Anna. Hoping she was mistaken. Elsa's life, and especially her childhood, was still a whole mystery to Anna; but deep down she hoped it hadn't been so terrible there was the need to open a legal proceeding.
"Yes," said Elsa when she heard the right word. "What is that?" Her shoulders shook, as she tried in vain to even her breathing. "It means there will be a trial, doesn't it?"
"Maybe… What does it say?" The last thing she wanted was to lie to Elsa at that moment. She needed all the information she could possibly get.
"I don't know! I don't know these words," Elsa complained, not before cursing in silence her ignorance once again. She hated feeling so useless. New fresh tears started to fall and she hunched forward, trying to stop the storm inside.
"Elsa, calm down." Anna rubbed her hand on her back, trying hard to ignore how cold she felt to the touch. "Do you want me to read it for you?"
It felt strange for Anna to be in that situation. Although she had been teaching Elsa for the past three months, the older girl had never shown how much not understanding things affected her. She asked questions whenever she didn't know something, and she showed a positive attitude towards new things. But this time, Anna could see she was still learning and struggling to comprehend multiple things; she could only imagine how difficult the vocabulary used in a legal document was for her. It pained Anna to see her crying out of frustration and possibly fear for what she didn't understand.
Thinking it was best to find out what was going on, Anna began reading. Elsa was still distressed, but she knew there was no way she could help her if she didn't make sense of what that paper said.
The first few lines where Kai simply introducing himself to someone and requesting his assistance. She continued reading until he began to describe a convicted man's current situation, and what he wanted to achieve by opening a new case against this person. The man's name was Weselton.
Anna read the name of the man once again, and tried to remember why it sounded so familiar. After a few minutes, she remembered her father yelling the man's name at the table the night the truth about Elsa came to light. And if she was not mistaken, her mother had mentioned his name too. He was the owner of the clinic where they had left Elsa all those years ago. Once she remembered, Anna became all the more interested to know what that document was about, and she was thankful Elsa trusted her enough to let her read it for her.
For a few minutes, the only thing that could be heard in the cottage was Elsa's laboured breathing as she tried to calm down and restraint her powers, while Anna read and reread the document in silence.
To Anna's surprise, Elsa had been correct, in the document Kai detailed the main reasons to raise charges against Weselton. Kai, with the endorsement of several police officers, was elevating a petition to a certain prosecutor. He was requesting his help to reopen Elsa's case against the doctor. He detailed compromising evidence against the man, and even mentioned the cooperation of Elsa's biological parents on the case.
At first, she couldn't believe what she was reading. The more she tried to make sense of the fact her parents were cooperating with Kai's petition, the more difficult it was to understand. She had no idea how her parents had been able to agree to something like that. Especially since they hadn't even had the the chance to meet Elsa properly. But her mother's words resonated in her head. Just days before Idunn had said she knew Elsa didn't want anything to do with them. There was no way her mother could be so certain about that, unless… Unless they had been meeting with the Bjorgmans all that time.
The sudden realisation made Anna's blood boil. They had kept yet another secret from her, and once again their actions were going to have a terrible repercussion in Elsa's life.
She couldn't believe her parents actions. Nonetheless, she was more stunned to find out Kai was meeting with her parents without Elsa's consent.
"Kai wants me to speak in court, doesn't he?" Elsa's hoarse voice interrupted her train of thoughts.
"I'm not sure." In his petition Kai made emphasis on her parents, but he never explicitly mentioned Elsa's cooperation. "He doesn't say. But I don't want to lie to you, Elsa. He speaks about your legal case here. You may be expected to testify if they agree to this petition... I'm sorry."
Anna's confirmation did nothing to help Elsa's nervousness. On the contrary, it only increased her heart rate at the mere idea of facing a court full of people. She could picture them, waiting for her to talk about her past, to relive a childhood she wanted to forget; waiting for her to make a mistake so they could justify locking her again in a clinic to be studied, while Weselton walked away.
Noticing she was losing control of her emotions, Elsa did her best to control her body. But her breathing was becoming more and more difficult, and containing her powers was becoming painful.
At first Anna thought giving her some time to process things on her own was for the best, but her idea suddenly changed when Elsa began hyperventilating. Anna knew she had to do something - help her somehow. She had read about anxieties attacks and she was sure Elsa was having one at that moment.
She ignored the cold feeling she felt when her hand touched Elsa's back again, and said, "Elsa, please, try to calm down. Maybe your father just wants to find a solution to whatever happened to you in the past. You haven't talked to him yet."
It was clear Elsa wasn't listening to her. She was once again hunching forward, her arms around her torso as if she was in unbearable pain. Not really knowing if her words were getting through, she leaned in closer and tried reasoning with her again. "Elsa breathe, please. Try to focus on-"
It shocked Anna to see Elsa stand up all and dash to the bathroom before she could finish what she was saying. "Elsa?!" she asked with worry.
Anna ran after her and entered the bathroom, her eyes narrowing with concern when she saw Elsa's deplorable state. She was leaning over the toilet, retching, even after having emptied her stomach.
"Elsa, are you okay?" She approached her sister and held her hair as she caressed her back, trying in vain to offer some comfort.
They stayed on the bathroom floor after Elsa was able to regain some control over her body. She soon begged Anna to put some distance between them since she still couldn't trust her powers.
After some minutes, Anna saw Elsa stand up and walk to the sink. It was unsettling to see how much her legs were trembling, yet Anna didn't approach her. She noticed Elsa was following certain steps meticulously, and she thought it was best to respect her wishes and give her some space. Something told Anna that was not the first time Elsa was enduring a nervous breakdown.
Elsa let the tap running as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was only able to wash her face a couple of times, before a layer of frost covered the sink; making it impossible for her to continue. Her fist trembled with the intent of punching the frozen water, but she thought better of it and simply left the bathroom.
Anna stayed on the bathroom floor, not being able to tear her gaze away from the frozen sink. Only a couple of days before, she had seen Elsa use and enjoy her powers at will, and now she was shocked to see them manifest without her consent.
Coming out of her stupor, she left the bathroom and soon found Elsa sitting in the middle of her bed. Arms hugging her knees tightly against her chest. She seemed more calmed but it was obvious she was still overthinking things; and Anna was certain that if she kept doing it, anxiety was going to take over her body once again.
Trusting Elsa to be alone for a minute, she went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. Anna had noticed the frustration on her face when the water froze in the sink.
"Drink," offered Anna when she entered the bedroom. She made an effort not to pay attention to the snowflakes that were gently falling around Elsa, covering the mattress in white powder. "It'll help you feel better."
"I'm sorry you had to see me like that," said Elsa after she had emptied her glass of water. She didn't dare look at Anna in the eye though. She had been so close to lose control, and even if she had been able to restraint her powers just in time, the idea of showing her worst to Anna once again was embarrassing.
"No, no. Don't apologise. You did nothing wrong." Anna tentatively put her hand over Elsa's. Contrary to what she expected, Elsa didn't recoil nor beg to be left alone. "Are you feeling better?"
Elsa nodded, but she didn't say anything. Her mind was still busy worrying about the document she had found and the implications of it.
"Has this happened before?" wondered Anna.
"A couple of times." Her answer was barely audible. "When suppressing my powers becomes too much, and my anxiety gets the best of me."
Anna stayed silent, feeling there was nothing she could say to help Elsa at that moment. She desperately wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay, but she knew it was a lie.
Elsa on the other hand, exhausted after her mental breakdown, tried to get comfortable in bed; knowing it was a matter of time before she lost consciousness. She rested her head on the pillow and looked at Anna sitting next to her. A small smile appeared on her face, thankful for the girl to be by her side.
Interrupting the heavy silence, Elsa ventured say what was in her mind. "Kai knows I want to bury my past and move on… It pains me to think he's doing this, even after he promised he wouldn't."
"I don't justify what he's doing, but maybe he's only trying to help," offered Anna, feeling more comfortable now that Elsa was the one starting conversation.
"There's no guarantee they'll find Weselton guilty. For all I know I may be the only one affected by all this." Her voice was weak and muffled. She could feel her body begging for some rest, even if her mind was still troubled with Kai betraying her trust and everything that could happen in the future.
Anna stayed silent for a few minutes, looking into space. There was nothing she wanted more than to help Elsa, but there was little she could do in her situation. How could she offer some comforting words if she had no idea what Kai was talking about in his petition? How could she stand by Elsa's side if she didn't know what had happened to her in the past? What if Kai was truly doing the best thing for her, and Elsa's fear was too much to let her see that?
Finally making up her mind to what she needed to do, Anna found the courage and said, "Elsa, I can see how hard this is for you. And I want you to know I'm here to help in anything you need. But I can't do that if I don't let me in." She took a deep breath and asked, "what did Weselton do? What happened to you?"
When Elsa didn't answer, Anna turned to look at her. And to her surprise, she found her sound asleep. It was only then, she noticed the dark bags under her eyes and how truly tired she looked. Anna half-smiled and soon found a blanket for her - she guessed the truth about the past could wait yet another night.
Noticing it was already past midnight, she climbed into bed next to her sister. Her mind was still processing everything that had happened, and she hoped to sleep for at least a few hours.
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