Note:

Enjoy chapter thirteen, my friends. It's a little shorter than I anticipated, but I promise it'll be worth it. I won't have any chapters until later this month, because I actually am going to get busier in the next few weeks. Once again, thank you for reading and I hope you continue enjoying this ride.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Frozen – just my OCs and the plot of this fanfic. If I owned anything for real, the Frozen franchise would be a lot different (probably wouldn't even be on Disney, if we're being honest).

Also, see the end of the chapter for more notes on terms used in this chapter***

Happy reading!

- JQ

Chapter Thirteen: What Just Happened?

It was a warm late summer's evening – just as she thought it would be. After her discussion with Kristoff, Elsa was feeling a little bit better about spending time with Tina this evening. Since she was stressed out earlier, she opted to wear real fabric as opposed to her white snowy dress (while she was in control of herself most of the time, she didn't want to risk anything tonight). Initially, Elsa struggled to figure out what to wear, but she ended up settling on something simple. She opted for a white dress shirt, from her father's wardrobe (It was up in the attic now, but she wanted to be closer to her parents today) She rolled the sleeves up to her elbows, so not to be too formal. Elsa then paired her father's shirt with a full length purple skirt with the Arendelle insignia embroidered on the seams. She also borrowed some of Anna's black boots – not too fancy, just a pair for walking around. She kept her hair in a ponytail, for comfort reasons.

Anyway, she waited for Tina in the courtyard, by the fountain. She had sent Gerda to fetch the princess, about ten minutes ago, so she hoped that she wouldn't be waiting for much longer. She watched as some of the guards walked around, prepping for their shift changes. She eventually got so engrossed in their routines that she didn't hear the click of footsteps against the cobblestone.

"Hey, Elsa." she heard from behind her.

"H-H-Hey –!" Elsa stopped in her tracks when she laid eyes on Tina for the first time, tonight. The brunette's hair was entirely down, letting her waves cascade naturally over her shoulders. She was wearing what she usually wore – an off-white chemise, a green and gold sash around her waist, and a long black skirt with white flowers embroidered on the bottom seam. She also wore her regular brown leather boots. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but something about the way she looked in the soft glow of the sunset was really doing something for the blonde's composure.

"Elsa?" Tina giggled innocently enough, "You okay?"

Elsa shook herself out of her daze. "Y-Yeah – sorry. Had-uh...had a nap a little bit ago." the blonde scratched the back of her neck while trying to come up with an excuse for her behaviour. "Still just – uh – woozy I guess."

"A nap?" Tina asked with mild concern, "Are you feeling unwell? We can – um – just do something here, if you aren't up for a bunch of activity." the princess suggested, "We can go through the Greek section – I know we haven't done that yet."

"No!" Elsa replied a little too loudly. Clearing her throat, she tried again, "Sorry – uh – I mean, no. I promise I'm fine. I was just – uh – had a bit of a restless sleep, last night." she then extended her arm for the brunette to take. Said brunette just eyed her a little suspiciously.

"Oh, really?" Tina said, taking the arm. "Why is that?"

Dreaming of you, Elsa thought to herself. She thought it, but she was definitely not going to say it.

"Uh – not sure." Elsa lied. "But, I am excited for tonight. There's a pub – for afterwards – that Anna suggested we try."

"Oh?" Tina said, hoping that she didn't sound disappointed. "I thought the reading was already at a tavern?"

"Yes – well, thought that another setting with...less people...would be better for us."

Oh, Tina thought, this is definitely an advance. Nonetheless, she decided to just listen to Arnold and Ingrid's words – maybe she just wanted a peaceful environment and wasn't planning on making any moves. Smiling, Tina tightened her grip on Elsa's arm.

"Sounds good," Tina said, "I hope it's worthwhile." she flashed a sincere smile up at Elsa and the blonde couldn't help but feel warm all over.

"Yeah," the ice wielder sighed, looking into amber eyes, "I hope so too."

...

Later that evening, while Elsa and Tina were 'hanging out', Anna, Honeymaren, and Kristoff were lounging about in Anna's study. The children were asleep and Ingrid, Arnold, Ryder, and Gunn-Britt were off playing some games with Olaf in the library. Anna was telling Honeymaren all about her meeting with Arendelle's agricultural commission and Kristoff was just...well...lounging around. He was mostly minding his own business, until the conversation drifted towards the topic of Elsa's behaviour.

"Hey," Anna suddenly said, "did Elsa seem to be acting weird today?"

Honeymaren shrugged, "I only saw her at breakfast, this morning. I didn't notice anything. Why? Did something happen?"

At this point in time, Kristoff shrunk in his seat, praying that the women didn't notice his facial expressions. Anna could read through his expressions at any given time in just about any given circumstance.

"Hmm...not exactly." Anna answered, "She didn't say anything weird, but she was acting pretty jumpy today."

"Jumpy?" Honeymaren commented, "Yeah, that's not typical. Avoidant? Yes. Awkward? Absolutely. But jumpy? That's not regular for her." the two women just continued comparing notes on Elsa while Kristoff winced, trying not to draw attention to himself. If it was possible for him to sink even further into his chair, he probably would. Unfortunately, Kristoff was married to a woman who could read him in less than a second.

"Kristoff? You okay over there?" the queen asked, looking over at her husband.

"H-Hehe – yeah! Why?" he asked too defensively. "Why-W-Why would you ask me that? Particular question? At this exact time?" Anna just narrowed her eyes at the ice harvester and crossed her arms.

"Hmm..." the redhead began to think her husband was hiding something. Anna slowly began walking up to the ice harvester and stopped right in front of him. She watched him sweat a little before bending down to get all up in his face. "Kristoff? Did you see Elsa today?"

Kristoff was visibly sweating and uncomfortable. He tried to look anywhere but at his wife, despite the fact that she was right in front of him. "Uh...no?"

Anna narrowed her eyes at him even more. "Kristoff..." she tried again, as she knew his resolve was going to break.

"Yes! Okay?!" the ice harvester cried out, "Dang it – I did see her!"

"And? Come on man – spill!" Anna prodded, shaking his shoulders. "What was she like? Did she say anything to you?" Kristoff just huffed and crossed his arms over his chest in defiance.

Honeymaren just shook her head. "I feel like he knows something we don't." both women began to close in on him and he was losing his cool (despite having lost it already, about two minutes ago).

"Why do I have to know something that you don't?!" He asked her nervously, as he held his hands up in defence, "I-I-I'm just an ice harvester!"

"Come on, Kristoff," Anna pleaded, "just tell us!"

"I can't!" he finally admitted. "I can't! S-She t-t-told me in confidence! I promised not to tell you because she said she was going to!" Anna stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

"Ugh – FINE!" Anna shouted in defeat. She then closed in on him one more time and poked him in the chest. "You're lucky I love that you and Elsa have a growing friendship and you're lucky that I respect it enough to leave it alone for now."

...

It was getting pretty late in Arendelle, and most townsfolk had probably gone to bed. However, Elsa and Tina were walking arm in arm as they left Siegfried's Inn and were making their way back to the castle. Elsa had taken Anna's recommendation and both her and Tina ended up having a delightful time. They snacked on some Arendellian dishes, talked about their families, and discussed some of the poetry that was featured at the reading that they attended earlier in the evening.

"...and what about that one poem about the horses on fire?" Tina asked with a laugh, "That was probably one of the most insane things I had ever heard in my life."

"I can't believe they described the smells..." Elsa said as she shuddered, "I don't think I'm going to eat meat for a while."

After finally making it back to the castle grounds, Elsa asked Tina if she would like to take a walk around the garden. She told her that the gardens looked beautiful at night and that she thought it would be a nice way to put a close on their day together. Initially, Tina had been hesitant to accept the invitation as she didn't want to put herself at any further risk of falling for Elsa. This whole outing had been more than she expected and she didn't want to risk doing something immature and ruining what she and the ice wielder had developed. However, Elsa was looking down at her with hopeful eyes and a shy smile.

How could Tina refuse such a request?

Ultimately, the brunette agreed to taking a quick stroll through the gardens with the former queen. She just hoped that she wouldn't do or say anything that would put her and Elsa's new friendship in jeopardy. After all, Tina knew that the likelihood of them being anything more than friends was rather slim and she had to get married to the King of Vennesvurg anyway. Tina had only hoped that she and Elsa could remain friends for as long as possible. That was something the princess was prepared to live with.

As Elsa led Tina through the gardens, she couldn't feel anything other than intense and agonizing anxiety. She tried to lose herself in Tina's elegant beauty but that didn't help, as it created way more nerves than Elsa could have ever imagined possible. She kept thinking back on Kristoff's advice and just prayed that everything would work out. All she had to do was make a move, or gesture, that conveyed exactly what she was feeling for the brunette. But what move or gesture? They had already held hands, they had already hugged...Of course, the other option would be for Elsa to just talk to Tina and tell her about her feelings.

...

...

...

Nope – Elsa thought – that would be too much.

"Oh!" Tina suddenly said, pointing towards a patch of sunflowers, "I love sunflowers!" Elsa let go of the brunette's hand and watched as she ran excitedly towards the flowers.

"Yeah, they're Anna's favourites." Elsa said, casually admiring how the younger woman was fawning over the flora.

"Well actually," Tina began, as she carefully examined the petals of a particularly large flower, "they're not exactly my favourites, but they are my sister's."

"Which one?" Elsa asked.

Tina rolled her eyes playfully, "Rikki. She loves them." The brunette explained, "She would eat sunflower seeds and spit them out at my older sisters during our lessons, as kids."

Elsa laughed and shook her head at the princess' story. "You and Rikki sound like a handful."

"Oh – we definitely were." Tina admitted. However, the older woman raised an eyebrow and Tina just shrugged. "Okay – perhaps we still are, but I'd argue that we mellowed out over time." The brunette then went into a huge spiel about her sisters and all of the antics they got up to, back in Botarskal.

Elsa loved hearing more and more about the princess' family, but she couldn't help but feel this nagging at her conscience every time the younger woman talked about one of her sisters. Jealous was not the right word, but guilt was definitely a strong contender. Despite how well things have been going for Elsa and Anna, in the last nine years, the guilt of not being there for Anna would always remain. The ice wielder just figured that this feeling would plague her until the end of her days – a fitting punishment for not being a proper sister for so long.

"...I know that was a long story, but yeah – that's why we are no longer allowed to have skyr unsupervised." Tina explained. After her story, she turned to look at her night strolling companion and she frowned. The blonde looked a little out of it and seemed to have a very focused look on her face. Tina carefully reached out and placed her hand on Elsa's elbow to bring her back to reality. After Elsa finally returned eye contact, Tina smiled gently. "What's wrong?" she asked Elsa, with genuine concern, "Did I say something to trouble you?"

Elsa shook her head, "N-No – you're fine." she then shook her arm free from Tina's hold and wandered off towards a nearby bench. She sat down on it so that she could collect her thoughts better and look like less of a fool. She looked back towards where Tina was and the younger woman wore an expression that looked like pity. Elsa figured that if she was going to ruin their evening, Tina deserved an explanation. "I was just thinking about..." she tried to muster up the words while looking into the brunette's eyes, but she just couldn't bear to ruin anything anymore. "N-Nevermind, I-I don't want to ruin our night any further."

"What?" Tina asked, absolutely flabbergasted. She quickly made her way to the bench where Elsa was and plopped herself down beside her. Elsa wasn't looking in her direction, but Tina took a hold of the blonde's hands. "Nothing you said ruined anything, Elsa. And there's nothing you could say to ruin it." Tina then gave Elsa's hands a good squeeze. "I had a lot of fun tonight and I'm very glad we got to spend time together." No matter what she said, Elsa still refused to look at her. After a few moments of silence, Tina decided to try something else. "We're friends right?" she asked carefully. Slowly, Elsa turned around so that both women were face to face. The blonde nodded slowly and Tina smiled. "Then let me be here for you." the brunette told her, squeezing her hands again.

Elsa sighed and let her shoulders sag. "I-I just..." the ice wielder began, "I love hearing about you and your sisters, but I just can't help to feel...feel regretful about not being there for Anna for thirteen years." Elsa then went into her own tirade, summarizing everything that had happened from the time she was eight years old, all the way up until the events of her coronation. She knew that many kingdoms had their own versions of what transpired in Arendelle, but she thought that Tina deserved to hear the real story. The isolation, the fear, and the lack of family memories. She didn't mean to tell the princess about everything, but something on the inside told her that she needed to – that Tina was safe. "Things are so much better now," Elsa stated, "but hearing about you and your sisters just reminds me of how Anna and I could have been."

Tina regarded Elsa thoughtfully, for the entire time. She couldn't fathom the pain or the suffering that Elsa and Anna both went through, simply because her father was fearful of magic and didn't show her how to properly care for her powers, or love herself for that matter. Tina couldn't believe that this strong symbol of peace, this beacon of hope, this walking and living Scandinavian folk hero, was so outwardly down about herself. Let alone about something that she could not even change or control. Without any other thought, Tina wrapped her arms around Elsa's shoulders and hugged herself into the ice wielder. She felt the older woman freeze a little, but Tina just held on securely.

"I mean, I only share the funny stories." she told Elsa, "As much as I love my sisters, we don't always get along. My eldest sister – Katla – she's so worried about becoming queen one day that she forgets to be our sister." Tina then carefully looked up at Elsa before she continued her point. "And Gilly? I don't think I've ever had a deep conversation with her; she's very...closed off. And don't get me started on Rikki's pranks – one time she got rid of my eyebrows before a portrait!" Tina took a deep breath and tried to contain hr anger within the memory. Once she regained her composure, she continued. "And then Finn – my sweet Finn – she just loves to steal my clothes and say she hasn't." slowly, Tina loosened her hold on the blonde and looked up to stare into icy blue eyes. "My point is, Elsa; families are complex. What my sisters and I have? That's always going to be completely different than what you and Anna have – regardless of how much time we spent together. Nothing is going to be perfect, but what matters is that you and Anna have one another now."

Elsa was almost too distracted by Tina's closeness to hear the full message, but she believed that she got the important parts. "T-Thank you for s-saying that, Tina."

"Don't mention it," Tina insisted, staring back at Elsa with intensity, "I meant every word and I will say it as often as I have to."

Elsa didn't know exactly what to do next, but Kristoff's words quickly flashed through her mind: All in. Downhill. No going back.

Elsa moved her shoulders a little, not to break contact but to adjust herself. She carefully wrapped her arms around Tina's waist and pulled her in for another hug. She relished the feeling of Tina's warmth; her soft breathing; and the scent of her perfume (something like citrus and lavender). After pulling away slightly, Elsa and Tina continued their intense eye contact. Amber meeting ice blue in a delicate dance – neither wanting to back away or move. Again, the ice harvester's words echoed in Elsa's brain:

All in.

Downhill.

No going back.

As Tina's eyes fluttered in the moonlight, Elsa's brain went numb and she felt her fingers freeze. She leaned forward and closed her eyes, willing herself not to mess anything up. And then, for a brief moment, their lips touched and nothing else mattered. For a brief second of Tina not responding, Elsa was about to pull away when she felt a slender hand on her scalp, holding her in place. There were no flowers, there was no bench, there wasn't even air between them.

It was just them.

Tina and Elsa.

Elsa and Tina.

Their minds were swirling with possibilities while their lips maintained their position – slow and exploratory. Elsa had never done this before, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Tina felt all too comfortable with what they were doing. No matter – it felt good to just enjoy the moment.

As for Tina? She couldn't begin to explain how good it felt to be kissing Elsa. She had no words. In fact, she vowed to learn a plethora of other languages just so that she'd be able to accurately depict this specific feeling in this exact moment.

After they finally pulled away for some air, Tina and Elsa just stared at one another – mouths agape and eyes full of wonder. After a few shy smiles were exchanged, however, the reality of what they had just done began to sink in slowly. Wonderment slowly turned into nervousness that would eventually turn into a panic. Both women blushed and tried to keep their smiles on their faces while one question seemed to flash behind both of their minds, simultaneously:

What did we just do?

Terms Used:

Skyr: Icelandic cheese – kind of like yogurt.