(This chapter has been revised on 9/23/2024)

Show and Tell

March, 1836

The month of March had arrived. It is the month when the season of winter slowly leaves its stages and begins the process of becoming spring by the following month. Despite that, winter's presence still lingers. As the month changed, life remained the same for the citizens of Arendelle, including the royal family. Unaware of the secret Princess Anna keeps from them.

Several times a week, Anna would visit Elsa. After the first visit, Anna kept her promise and saw her again two nights later. They again played around with Elsa's magic, though shorter this time. They spent the remainder of the visit relaxing and talking. At one point, a slight grumbling noise came from Anna.

"Hungry?" Elsa asked.

"Uh, yeah," Anna responded. "I could go for a snack."

Elsa went to one of the chests and pulled out a small ice block. She then got out a bowl and placed the block in it. Hovering her hand over the block, she started thawing it. Anna had noticed that they always worked with no trouble when Elsa created things with her magic. When she thawed ice, she was noticeably slower. That had taken Anna's attention once she noticed Elsa's food. So far, she had seen her eat berries, nuts, and the occasional herb & mushroom soup. When she asked if she had more, Elsa mentioned that she eats meat.

"I ran out of them a week before I met you." That was the answer Elsa shared. "I haven't had much luck with hunting & fishing this winter."

"Have you ever run out of food before?" Anna asked.

"There were times when I was low and had to ration. The longest I went without food was maybe over a week."

The thought of Elsa starving made Anna feel bad for her. At that moment, Anna mentally swore never to complain about eating the food she hated for dinner again. That's when an idea came to Anna's head.

Before Anna left to visit Elsa again, she snuck down to the castle kitchens with a basket in her hand. Thankfully, no one was in this part of the castle at this hour, which made sneaking in & out of there a breeze. Anna went where the kitchen staff usually stored the food and packed several types she liked.

Not only did Anna bring food, but several books were also in the basket. Elsa had mentioned reading stories as a kid, and Anna figured she would probably like to read some of them.

After that, Anna went back to her room. From that point, she made her way outside through the passageway. A little bit later, when she arrived at the ice palace, Elsa drew her attention to the basket in Anna's hand.

"I brought some stuff for you."

"For me? Why?"

"Because I thought you would like them." Anna pulled the books out of the basket.

"Are those…"

"Books. You mentioned that you read stories & fairy tales when you were younger, so I thought you would like them. These are some of my favorites." Anna picked each book up, reading the title and what they were about as she did. "This first I have is called The Heroics of the Mighty Hercules. It tells the story of a Greek god who became a mortal and had to become a true hero to regain his godhood. This other one here is The Ballad of Mulan. It's about a girl from a land called China who goes to war to protect her father. And this one is called The Tales of Flynnigan Rider."

"Those do sound like fun stories. I'm not sure which one to start."

"You can start with whatever you like and take however long you need to read them. But we'll worry about that later. I have more stuff."

"What else is in there?"

"Some food. I remember your food situation last time I visited, so I decided to help you with that."

Anna emptied the basket of food. There was an apple, a loaf of bread, several cookies, cheese, two carrots, and even a chocolate bar. Anna had expected Elsa to start eating, but all she did was stare. Her blue eyes had gone wide, unsure what to do about the food. She looked as if it were utterly foreign to her.

"You can try whatever you want first." Anna hoped that would encourage her to start trying.

Elsa slowly lifted her hand and hovered it over the food. She was figuring out which one to pick. Yet, she was fascinated by them.

"They're all so...different," Elsa muttered.

"There are a lot of types of food." Anna pointed to each of the different types she brought. "This is an apple. They're fruits, like berries. These are carrots, which are vegetables. This here is bread. You can eat it whole or cut two slices and use them to make sandwiches."

"Sandwiches?"

"You put smaller food between the bread slices and eat them whole. Anyways, these things shaped like circles are cookies. This food is called cheese. And here's my personal favorite, chocolate!"

"Can I try that first?"

"Knock yourself out."

"How would I do that-?" The look on Anna's face made her stop, realizing what she had meant. "That's an expression, isn't it?"

"Idiom, technically, but it's the same idea."

Elsa reached for the chocolate and put it close to her mouth. She looked at it momentarily before placing the corner of the bar in her mouth and taking a small bite. Anna watched her chew the piece slowly.

"What do you-?" Elsa suddenly started gobbling down the entire bar so abruptly that Anna jumped. "...think?"

"That was the greatest thing I've ever eaten," Elsa exclaimed as her chocolate-covered mouth smiled. "Do you have more?"

"No, but I can bring some more next time. Uh, Let me clean your mouth."

After Anna wiped the chocolate off, Elsa looked for the next food she wanted to try. The two carrots caught her attention.

"Are both of these...carrots for me?"

"One of them is. The other carrot is for Olaf."

"For him to eat?"

"Something else. Could you call him down here, please?"

It wasn't long until Olaf had walked between the girls after Elsa called his name.

"Hey, guys! Whatcha need?"

"Anna has something for you, Olaf," Elsa informed.

"Oooh! What is it? Is it a gift? I love gifts." Olaf turned his head to face Elsa at that last sentence before looking back at Anna, who then stuck the carrot on his face. It resulted in Anna pushing the carrot harder than she thought, causing most of the carrot to stick out from the back of Olaf's head with the tip sticking out on his front. Even Elsa couldn't help but flinch despite knowing Olaf couldn't feel pain.

"WOO! Head rush!" Olaf exclaimed.

"Whoops! Too hard! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Anna stammered apologetically.

"Are you kidding me? I...am wonderful! I always wanted a nose! It's so cute, it's like a little baby unicorn…" Olaf turned his attention away from Anna and was focused on the carrot tip and talking with a baby voice. Anna took that moment to push the rest of the carrot back into the snowman's head and have it in front of his face. "Ohh….I love it even more! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Anna commended. "What do you think, Elsa?"

Elsa looked at Olaf, as he had an eager smile on his face and his stick arms crossed in front of him, waiting for her answer. "It suits you, Olaf."

"I gotta show the others!" Olaf quickly ran off. "Everyone! I got a new nose!"

"He seems happy," Anna mentioned.

"He is...That was nice of you," Elsa expressed.

"Thanks."

The girls spent the rest of their time with Elsa eating the rest of the food. Anna was amazed that Elsa had managed to eat all of it. From then on, Anna had always brought food of any type whenever she visited Elsa. The ice wielder liked eating almost anything, so Anna didn't worry about what to get. Though chocolate became her favorite treat, Anna would often remember to bring a bar with her when she could.

There are visits in which Anna & Elsa hang around the castle. Others like to go outside.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Anna?"

Elsa had decided to take Anna out on one of her and Marshmallow's 'runs.' Much to Elsa's surprise, Anna wanted to see the cliff jumping and even wanted to take part in it. At that moment, they were at a cliff about several miles away from the ice palace. It wasn't very high, but it was tall enough for the drop.

"Of course I do," Anna asserted. "I'll be safe...right?"

"Just as long Marshmallow keeps a hold on you. I'm gonna warn you, it may be a little rough."

"Can't be as bad as Marshmallow carrying me."

"Okay...I did warn you."

Marshmallow gently grabbed Anna in his massive hand. Both he and Elsa made their way to the cliff's edge. Before they could jump, Elsa took one more glance at Anna.

"Are you ready?"

"I was born ready!" Anna pumped her arms in the air. "Let's do this thing!"

Sometime later…

"I'm never doing that again…" Anna moaned.

Not far away, the two girls and the giant snowman rested on rocks. Anna took some leaves and tree twigs off her, with Elsa helping.

"I probably should be the only one to do this from now on." Elsa pulled another twig from Anna's hair.

"I can agree with that." Anna brushed another leaf off. "Is that all of them?"

"Looks like it."

"Good. Can we go back now?"

"What do you say, Marshmallow?"

The giant snow creature didn't say anything. Instead, he let out an annoyed grunt.

"You okay, big guy?" All the snow creature did in response was throw a handful -his definition of a handful- of snow at Anna. "Sheesh! Why are you so grumpy all of a sudden?"

"I think it's because of your comment about him earlier. When you said he should cut off some of his snow if he wants to dodge better." Elsa explained plainly. "You probably should apologize for it."

"Oh, that's what he's on about?" Anna walked over to the giant snowman. "Is that why you're all grumpy, big baby boo?" Marshmallow only responded with some playful mocking gestures and noises. "Let's see how you like this!"

Anna then starts to wrestle Marshmallow's hand, taunting him playfully. "Oh yeah! You feeling tough & mighty now, huh?"

Despite her efforts, Marshmallow just stood unfazed with his matching expression. On the other hand, Elsa couldn't help but find Anna's attempt to wrestle her protector humorous. Anna even clung on when Marshmallow lifted his arm. Looking over to the side, Marshmallow got an idea and started walking in that direction.

"You wouldn't hurt an innocent, little…AHH!" When she noticed she was danging over a cliff's edge, Anna clung to Marshmallow's arm. A mischievous chuckle came from the giant snowman. "Okay, I'm sorry! You win! You win!"

Marshmallow moved his arm away from the cliff and put Anna back on the ground they were on. That Anna was happy to do.

"And you stood by and watched all that," Anna remarked to Elsa.

The ice wielder merely shrugged. "Marshmallow was only playing."

"He sure had an interesting definition of playing," Marshmallow responded to Anna's statement by blowing some ice on her, leaving her covered with frost.

"And that's how he shows affection," Elsa mentioned.

"He's a real charmer." Anna brushed off the remaining frost and looked at Marshmallow. He had an innocent look on his face, reminding her of a dog that would beg their owner to cave in. And it was working on her. "Ohh...I can't stay mad at you. Come here, big guy!" Anna hugged the colossal snowman.

Elsa couldn't help but smile. Anna had warmed her way to Marshmallow's heart...Even if he technically doesn't have one.

Elsa may have little experience around people, but she did notice something off about Anna. She had been unusually quieter than usual on this visit compared to previous ones.

"Are you alright, Anna?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"You haven't been...chatty tonight. Everything okay?"

"I just have things on my mind."

"What is it?"

"It's nothing. Something silly."

"You can tell me." In the years Elsa had spent with her snow companions, she had her fair share of listening to their issues.

"Alright. My mama's birthday is coming up."

"Birthday?"

"Yeah. It's a day where we celebrate-"

"I know what it is." Elsa cut her off.

"Right…" Anna trailed off. "Anyways, it's gonna be in a few days, and I don't know what to get for her."

"Get her what?"

"A gift. I want to give Mama something nice, but nothing too simple."

"What does she like?"

"She likes flowers and jewelry, but it's too cold for flowers to grow, and she already has so much jewelry. She's a queen for crying out loud!"

"Why not both...Like a flower bracelet or something like that?"

"A bracelet made of flowers?"

"Not exactly. Like something that looks like flowers."

"That's...not a bad idea." Anna was lit up with the idea before she took a breath. "But the shops in Arendelle don't have anything like that."

The look of disappointment & hopelessness was something Elsa did not like to see on Anna. She wanted to help solve her issue but didn't know how. Then, she got a sudden idea. Turning away from Anna, Elsa conjured her magic and started making something.

Anna didn't notice that Elsa had her back turned until she heard the magic shimmer. She looked at Elsa and tried to see what she was doing. Several seconds later, Elsa turned back and held her arm out.

"What do you think?"

Around Elsa's wrist was something that resembled a bracelet—not just a normal bracelet, but a lace cuff bracelet. It was white and had a beautiful floral pattern and several beads. The bracelet wrapped around her wrist and covered the entirety of her palm, leaving her fingers exposed. In the center, on the top of her hand, was a gorgeous flower design.

"My God...Elsa, this is beautiful."

Elsa took the bracelet off and handed it over to Anna. "Here."

"What?"

"Give this to your mama."

"I-I can't. You made it…"

"And I'm giving it to you. Please..."

Looking at the offering in her hands, Anna slowly took the bracelet. Though made of snow, it surprisingly felt like a normal lace cuff bracelet, which would make hiding Elsa easier.

"You didn't have to make this."

"We're friends. We help each other out, right?" A happy, hopeful smile appeared on Elsa's face.

"Thank you…" Anna smiled back.

The day of the Spring Equinox had arrived in the kingdom. It is a day that symbolizes the official start of spring. At least it was too many. To some, it signifies another critical event in the royal family, for today was also Queen Idun's birthday. The queen and her daughter were spending time together in the gazebo in the castle gardens. They were sitting at a table, having lunch, and simply chatting.

"Is Papa going to join us?" Anna asked her mother at one point.

"Your father is caught in a meeting right now," Idun answered in a regretful tone. "Just because I'm free today doesn't mean he is. He'll occupied for a little while."

"Oh."

"But we can still have fun with just the two of us. It's been a while since we both had a girl's day out."

"It has. What do you want to do?"

"Why not talk?"

"Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

"How are things between you and Kristoff?"

"We've been fine. Just the same old stuff."

"Really?" Idun had 'the look' in her eyes. Anna could guess what she was talking about.

"We're just friends, mama." Anna rolled her eyes playfully.

"Your father's cousin, Arianna, used to say the same thing about Fredric, and we know how they ended up. Her sister Willow never let her live that down. But if you insist."

Anna gave a low chuckle. Before she could say anything else, a sudden gust of cold wind had blown through, carrying snowflakes. Despite the temperatures rising with the month and snow started to melt, remnants of winter remained. Several of those snowflakes had landed on Anna.

"Damn, that's cold!"

"Language, Anna," Idun gently chastised.

"Sorry." Anna remembered that her mother didn't like when she and her father did their, as Idun would like to call, 'sailor talk.' "It's the first day of spring, and there's still snow around. Did Mother Nature not get the memo or something?"

"Nothing happens overnight. And I thought you liked snow."

"I do, but there's a thing called 'overstaying its welcome,' Mama." Anna then brushed the snowflakes off of her. Her mother started giggling. "What's so funny?"

"There's a snowflake on your nose, sweetheart," Idun pointed out.

"What?" Anna's eyes glued to her nose. Sure enough, her mama was right. "Oh!" Anna took the snowflake off her nose. The snowflake had stuck onto her finger momentarily before the wind blew it away. After it did, Anna looked at her mother, whose expression quickly turned somber. "Mama, are you okay?"

"Sorry. Just...thinking of old memories."

Judging by how her mother responded, Anna could guess what she was thinking about.

"Is it...her?"

"Y-yes…" Idun paused for several seconds. "There was once a time when I wasn't a big fan of snow. But now, when I see it, it reminds me of your sister."

"Was she a big winter person?"

Idun smiled. "In the best way. Part of me thinks it's because she was born on the Winter Solstice."

"Me and Elsa have Solstice birthdays? That's so cool."

"Yeah...Besides that fact, she loved playing in the snow. Your father and I would often join her when we could. Our favorite thing to do was build a snowman. Even when we couldn't join her, she still would play in the snow. Your father used to call her 'Snowflake.' It was his nickname for her..."

"That's sounds cute."

"It was."

Idun's small smile shrank, replaced by a sad frown. She almost looked as if she was gonna cry.

"Are you going to be okay?" Anna questioned.

"I will." Idun took a moment to wipe her eyes. "Sorry for acting like this. It's just...I'm not used to being this open to you about your sister. Just telling even smaller bits about Elsa just makes me relieved. I can't help but get a little emotional about it sometimes."

"It's fine, mama. Really. I think it's good for you to talk about Elsa. I may not know how it feels since I never met her…" Anna stopped herself for a moment before continuing. "But I want to help you and Papa in whatever way I can."

"That's kind of you, sweetheart. I wished we could've told you much, much sooner."

"Hey, all that's in the past now. You can talk all about Elsa whenever you and Papa want."

"Thank you...but I'm not up to it right now.

"That's alright..." Anna wanted to change the subject to improve her mother's mood, so she decided to give her a birthday present. "On a different subject, I have something for you." Anna pulled out a small box with decorative wrapping and a lovely purple ribbon bow. "Happy Birthday, mama."

Anna handed the box over to Idun. She watched her mother untie the bow and took off the wrapper. Once all that was off, Idun removed the lid from the small box. Her mouth gaped open as she picked up the lace cuff bracelet.

"Oh, Anna…" Idun breathed out. "It's lovely."

"Try it on," Anna suggested.

Idun put the bracelet on her wrist. It was a perfect fit for the queen. "Where did you find this?"

"I...I bought it from a traveling merchant. Do you like it?"

Idun nodded. "Thank you, Anna."

Seeing her mother enjoying her gift made Anna happy. Not entirely, though, since she once again had to lie to hide the other Elsa she knew. Anna hated lying to her friends & family and keeping Elsa a secret. The only shining light is that Anna told herself it wouldn't be that way forever. Anna knew it was most likely a matter of time before someone close to her grew suspicious of what she's been up to for the past month. She even rehearsed speeches for how she would explain about Elsa. That day was not today. Hopefully, it won't be for a bit longer. At least long enough for her to plan appropriately.

After several hours of meetings, Agdar had finally left the council chambers. The first thing he wanted to do was find Idun. He hated being away from his wife for so long, especially since today was her birthday. To his relief, he found her in the library.

The library was much more extensive and had many more books than his study. Like the study, the library had a fireplace and couch in front of it. On that couch was Idun, who was in the middle of reading a book.

"Happy Birthday, love," he greeted.

"Hello, Agdar," Idun put her book down as her husband sat beside her. They gave each other a quick kiss on the lips. "The meeting went alright?"

"It did, thank you. Sorry, I couldn't be with you most of the day."

"It's fine, dear. Anna kept me company."

"What did you both do?"

"We had lunch and talked in the gardens. Anna gave me this wonderful gift." Idun lifted her hand with the lace cuff bracelet to Agdar's level so he could see.

"It certainly is beautiful. Where did Anna get it?"

"She said she got it from a traveling merchant. It feels a bit cold, though...Then again, things tend to get colder than usual around here."

Agdar chuckled at his wife's statement. When Idun let him touch it, he noticed it felt cold. But, as she said, the air outside probably had something to do with it. Despite that, it was a beautiful piece of work. Yet, something about the design seemed familiar to him for some reason. He couldn't put his finger on it and decided to brush it off. However, that feeling stuck with him for the rest of the day.

I couldn't come up with a better title for this chapter...On another note, yes I did reference Hercules & Mulan (mind you, Anna has the Disney versions of those stories:P), and Tangled of course. Speaking of which, I think I may be the first to mention Willow (Arianna's sister) in a Frozen fic. I haven't really seen any fics or fanart of Willow with the Arendelle royal family. Considering the many family headcanons between Rapunzel's and Anna & Elsa's parents, that's quite surprising to say the least. Who knows? I might be looking in the wrong places.

I don't know about you guys, but something tells me that Idun likes KristAnna:P. (Speaking of Kristoff, we'll be seeing him again in the next chapter...).

Uh anyways...An interesting fact I found on the Disney wiki about Idun, and I'm quoting from the page, that she was born "…At the end of winter, right before spring." Sooo...I figure she was probably born on the Spring Equinox (and for the sake of it, I made Agdar's birthday on the Autumn Equinox). It be neat if you think about it. I mean you get:

Elsa=Winter. Idun=Spring. Anna= Summer. And Agdar=Fall.

But that's just my little headcanon.

And in case you haven't figure it out, Elsa not understanding expressions is somewhat of a running gag here. I just hope It won't get annoying. And if you don't know what a lace cuff bracelet is, google search it (specifically 'lace cuff bracelet 1800s') and you'll get the idea what it looked like.

Oh, if you guys find me on my Tumblr page (just type alphagirl404, then .tumblr, then .com in the URL), you can ask me questions about this story.

Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews. Happy Reading