(This chapter has been revised on 7/22/2024)
Once Upon A December
Hours had passed since Anna had left the ice palace. All that time, Elsa stayed in her room. At one point, Elsa had moved from her door to the side of her bed. The frozen snowflakes from her small storm were gone, and the room was back in its normal state. That didn't mean Elsa wasn't better, for she was still thinking about Anna.
Elsa missed her. She didn't really believe it, but she really missed Anna. Elsa had grown fond of Anna in the few days she was here. Sometimes, she had to remind herself that. But in the end, it didn't change that Anna was now gone, leaving Elsa once again with her solitary life.
Without warning, she hastily exited her bed and left the room. She walked down the stairs and entered the foyer. There, she went down the foyer stairs and over to the cave. It was still in the same state as it was several hours before. The fireplace had died down, leaving nothing but tiny fire specs. Elsa walked over to the fireplace and used her magic to fully put it out. She noticed something near the stone bed from the corner of her eye. Once she went over to get a closer look, she realized what the object was.
It was the ice figure of Anna, the one Elsa made when she revealed her powers to the girl. Elsa leaned down and picked up the figurine. She stood in place for several moments as she looked at her handiwork. Elsa caressed her finger on what resembled Anna's face. On the figurine lay a bright smile. That was a reminder to Elsa of Anna's happy and pleasant personality. For a moment, Elsa couldn't help but smile as she reminisced.
Her smile quickly vanished as she quickly reminded herself that Anna was gone. With the figurine still in her hand, she left the cave. Elsa made her way back to the foyer once again. After walking up the foyer stairs, she stood in the middle of the platform and looked around. Without Anna, this place just seems so smaller. Not only that, but she felt empty as if a part of her had left.
Turning away from the foyer, Elsa went back up to her room. There, she placed the figurine on her desk. The sun outside reflected on the figurine, giving off a slight shine on the head. Elsa kept her eyes glued to it.
"ELSA!" Olaf suddenly shouted, causing Elsa to jump and give a small shriek. "Elsa, are you in here?!"
"What's wrong, Olaf?" Elsa asked as she witnessed Olaf hastily entering the room.
"Have you seen Slush?"
"No. Why?"
"He went out several hours ago, but he's been gone too long!"
"Okay, calm down," Elsa calmed the frantic snowman. "How long ago did he leave?"
"Just shortly after, you went into your room. After Anna left."
For a brief moment, Elsa stared at the floor. Her train of thought worked as she tried to put the pieces together. Until a startling revelation came to her.
"He went after Anna…" Elsa muttered.
"What are we going to do?" Olaf quavered. "Poor guy is out there all alone."
"Relax. I'll go out and find him. You stay here in case Slush comes back."
"Do you know where to look?"
"I might have an idea where he might've gone too."
Elsa quickly changed into her old blue dress and grabbed her cloak. She then left her room and went to look for Marshmallow outside. Once she did manage to find him, she explained the situation about Slush and brought up where he might've gone too.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Marshmallow asked. "Maybe we should wait to see if he'll come back."
"He's never been to Arendelle. He wouldn't known where to go. I need to find him."
"As you wish."
With that, Elsa climbed upon Marshmallow's back. The snow creature then started running. Elsa looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was setting. She had to find Slush soon. Fortunately, she knows where to go.
She was going to Arendelle.
By the time Elsa had arrived, night had fallen. The streets of Arendelle were deserted as many had turned in for the day. This was perfect for Elsa. She can look around the town without getting spotted, especially since she is alone. Even with the deserted snow-covered streets, Marshmallow would bring too much attention. Elsa had to leave him in the woods outside the town despite his objections.
Though cautious, Elsa took this opportunity to look around for a bit. This was the first time she had ever stepped foot in Arendelle. It was everything as Anna had told her. The town did look lovely, though she didn't intend to find out how the people were. Despite the streets being mostly empty, Elsa spotted a few individuals. She noted that most of them were dressed similarly: Wearing a coat & a tall hat. When one looked to be coming her way at one point, she quickly hid in an alley. Once the coast seemed clear, Elsa walked out back to the street. As soon as she did, she felt something on her foot.
Looking down, Elsa could see a weird shape outline in the buried snow. Bending down, she picked up the object and wiped the remaining snow. The object was small enough to fit her palm and felt to be made out of wood. On top of it was a red ribbon that looked broken off. The most peculiar thing about this object was its shape. It looked to be a goat.
Elsa slowly started walking again with the wooden goat in her hand. Something about this goat just seemed familiar to her. As she stared at the wooden goat, faint images came to her head. People in a place like this looked happy. They were putting up unique things on homes like these, some of which Elsa could make out as angel wings. There was also snow all around, and it was cold as if it was December. And briefly, she heard what sounded like a bell in the background.
The images faded as Elsa seized walking. She looked at the goat again before putting it away in her pocket. She decided to continue looking around, recalling the images as she did. From the corner of her eye, Elsa noticed a clearing. She walked over and soon ended up in a place with an overhead.
As Elsa walked through the clearing, she noticed the castle. It was huge! A stone bridge connected the castle to the rest of the town. Elsa walked across it. On her left was the fjord. Never in her life had she ever seen this much body of water. Yet it felt like it wasn't her first time seeing something like this. Her sightseeing of the fjord had stopped when she almost ran into massive gates.
"This is where Anna must live."
Instinctively, Elsa placed her hand on the gates, and frost formed on the door from beneath her hand. A nagging voice within her head told her to open those doors, to go in and see Anna. Elsa hastily withdrew from those thoughts and walked several feet from the massive gates. She noticed banners hanging from the castle's outer walls as she did. These banners had purple on one half and green on the other. In the center of the banner looked to be a flower of some sort. Once again, familiarity had screamed into her head.
You know that symbol. You know this castle. You know this place.
"This place...It's like I've been here before." Elsa turned away from the massive castle and slowly walked across the bridge.
"Prancing goats. Angel wings. Things I seem to remember." Elsa picked up her pace and continued walking further from the castle and back to the town. "And a bell someone rings. Once upon a December. Someone holds me safe and warm. People playing in a silver storm." At the end of the bridge, Elsa stopped in her place. "Figures dancing gracefully across my memory."
New images appeared, except those were clearer and felt more real. All around, Elsa saw imaginary people walking, talking, and dancing. A few of the figures seemingly waved to her. Oddly enough, Elsa waved back to them. She brought her attention back to the dancing figures. Elsa quickly made her way to the figures and joined in the dancing, twirling around like an excited child.
"Someone holds me safe and warm. People playing in a silver storm." Two figures approached her. One appeared to be a large man with light brown hair but a bald spot on the top of his head. Another looked to a thin woman with slightly grey hair. They both went over to Elsa and looked as if they were tending to her momentarily before bowing and walking away. Elsa could not make out their faces. "Figures dancing gracefully across my memory."
Elsa twirled around once again and found herself in a different dress. It was a teal dress with some black across her chest and arms. It had some pretty designs. Her hair looked tied up in a bun, much more elegant than how she usually does it. She soon resumed dancing with the figures.
"Far away, long ago. Glowing dim as an ember. Things my heart used to know. Things it yearns to remember."
The figures stopped dancing, as did Elsa. She stood as she saw the people slowly fade. As she watched, Elsa felt a firm but soft grip on her shoulders from behind. She couldn't see who it was, but their touch felt warm and comforting. It was there for a few moments before they faded away.
"And a bell someone rings. Once upon a December..."
Elsa slowly fell to her knees as she slowly came back to reality. The last of the imaginary figures faded away. Her teal dress was soon gone, and she was back to her old blue one, with her hair back in a braid. The images were gone, and Elsa was returned to reality.
The same reality she had been living for years.
CLUNK!
That noise startled Elsa. Some boxes were in the direction of the noise. Elsa slowly rose to her feet and cautiously approached the boxes. She moved the boxes away and was relieved to see what was underneath them. It was Slush.
"Elsa!" The Snowgie cheerfully cried as he jumped onto her.
"Slush!" Elsa exclaimed. "Are you alright? Do you have any idea how worried I was?! What were you thinking about coming out here by yourself? You know the rules!"
"I'm sorry." A look of guilt was seen on Slush's face.
Elsa pulled the snowgie into a hug. "I'm just happy you're okay, but don't you dare do that again? Do you understand?" Slush nodded his head. "Good...Now let's go back home." With Slush in her hand, she rose to her feet and walked through the clearing. At the edge, she stopped. Elsa turned her head to get one more look at the vast castle.
"Elsa? Are you alright?" Slush spoke up.
"Oh, I'm fine." Elsa snapped out of her trance. "Let's go. Marshmallow is waiting for us in the woods."
The ice wielder resumed walking and attempted to leave the town as fast as possible. As Elsa walked, she thought about the images she had seen. Were they just her imagination, or perhaps some event she had been to? Whatever they were, Elsa decided that they were probably just weird tricks her mind gave. Soon, she & Slush found Marshmallow, and the three promptly journeyed to their home.
I apologize if this seems like filler. The next chapter should cut back to royal family. Anyways...
So Elsa makes a stop in Arendelle and some interesting things happen. Hmm...
This chapter is dedicated to the song Once Upon a December from the 1997 film Anastasia. I figure it would be fitting for the story since that movie gave me the idea to write this fic (Once again, up to you guys if Elsa's singing or not).
I have a quick question: If put in more flashbacks, would you guys be okay if they were in the Italics or normal font? Especially if they take up most of a chapter?
Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews. Happy Reading.
P.S. For those of you urging me to keep updating, keep in mind I have life outside of fanfiction. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I'm in college and have a job so they often get in the way. Plus writing isn't exactly easy. I take my time when it comes to writing chapters so they stay consistent to the story. That is all, thank you.