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"Sleep well Elsa." Anna whispered as she crept out of the room. "Thank you for today."
The princess pulled the door closed as quietly as she could and let out a sigh - not out of upset or frustration that her birthday had come to an abrupt halt but out of contentment. Yes her special day had been marred slightly with her sisters illness but actually it was the best birthday she'd ever had.
Elsa was different now - a good different - more playful and happy and it made Anna's heart sing to see her like that. They were friends as well as sisters and it was more than Anna had ever hoped for.
Smoothing her skirt down, as the last of the ice magic faded from it so that it hung limply around her legs, she turned to head back to the ballroom in search of left over cake but was met with the looming silhouette of Kristoff.
He shuffled uneasily from foot to foot and had clearly been waiting for her while she tended to her sister.
"Hey you," she murmured, keeping her voice low while they were still close enough to disturb Elsa.
"Hey." He'd changed his clothes since the party. His royal attire swapped for a simple grey shirt and a pair of old, worn trousers he favoured when he didn't have anything "royal" to do.
She motioned for him to follow her and they fell into step as they headed downstairs.
"So... uh... Did you enjoy your party?"
"Yes! Oh Kristoff it was amazing. Just wow. I saw the banner you made for me. Thank you." She smiled up at him and linked her arm through his making him blush.
"Oh it was nothing. Sven helped too. And Olaf... sort of." He held the door open for her into the ballroom.
"Well I'll be sure to thank them too and get extra carrots for Sven tonight." She skipped through the doorway and scanned the room her shoulders drooping slightly.
The ballroom was in the midst of being packed down. All the streamers and banners were being rolled up and taken back to storage and the food was wrapped up and taken back to the kitchen to store for later.
"...oh," she sighed. The day had gone so fast and she hadn't had time to enjoy everything.
A frazzled looking Gerda spotted them and came rushing over. "Your highness, Master Kristoff." She curtsied low and her already dishevelled hair fell out of its bun. "Oh my what a mess I am," she sing-songed, clearly embarrassed at her less than tidy appearance. "Are you hungry dear? We can get you some food before it gets taken back downstairs?"
"No, it's fine. I'll go to the kitchens later." Anna tried to hide the disappointment in her voice and hoped no one would pick up on how she really felt. "I should probably change out of my party dress anyway."
"Well let me know when you're ready and I'll have cook whip you up something lovely, okay?" Anna nodded and watched as Gerda scurried off to continue the post birthday clean up, pinning her hair back up as she went.
"Is everything okay?"
She knew he'd know. He always did. He could read her better than anyone but right now she hated it.
"I'm... fine. No, really I am. I've had the best day. I just didn't want it to end so soon," she shrugged. "Not that I'm not grateful for everything or that I didn't have a good time. I'm being selfish. I'm sorry."
Kristoff smiled and pulled her to him wrapping her in a big bear hug.
"It's not selfish. This is your first proper birthday party since you were little. I get it." He rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back. "Get changed and meet me in the gallery in fifteen minutes."
"What are we-"
"It's a surprise." He pulled away, kissing the top of her head and pushed her gently towards the door. "Go."
~~~~
Deciding what to change into had been a bit of a pickle. It was late enough that she wouldn't be doing anything important or work related but too early for her nightdress. In the end Anna settled for the pretty emerald day dress she favoured on warm days during the summer and untied her hair so that it hung loose and wavy around her shoulders.
She skipped down towards the gallery, admiring the pretty bracelet Elsa had gifted her earlier that day. She didn't often wear jewellery but she never wanted to take this piece off.
The gallery door was ajar so she pushed her way in without knocking.
Kristoff stood on one of the chairs against the far wall, his back to the door and Anna watched, mouth hanging open, as he tucked a streamer behind one of the paintings. One of the many streamers that hung across paintings and zigzagged overhead. The whole room was a mess of colour and looked like a weird indoor tent complete with a picnic blanket set just under Anna's favourite painting - Joan.
"Kristoff," she uttered, almost a whisper. He started at her voice and wobbled from his place on the chair.
"Oh hey! Uh," he said as he shifted to face her, "surprise!"
"What is all this?!" She couldn't take it all in and her eyes darted from one thing to another.
"Well, I know you wanted more party food and things kinda did end early so..." He spread his hands out almost apologetically.
The smile that spread across Anna's face lit up the room. She bounced forward and sat herself on the blanket. Kristoff sat gently beside her placing a platter of food down between them.
"I thought Joan might like to join us too. I mean she doesn't talk much but I know you two go way back."
She giggled and stretched over the food to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. You've done so much for me today. This is great!"
"My pleasure," he smiled gently.
They sat in comfortable silence while they ate until Anna suddenly grinned and knelt up to face him.
"...what?"
"So... you love me?"
"I... Yeah. I do." He looked as if he wanted the ground to swallow him up.
Anna took a deep breath, placed her hand on top of his and said, "Kristoff, I lo-"
From outside the door came a loud crash and some distant mumbling and was that... singing?!
"Oh no."
"Is that Elsa?" Kristoff stood and helped Anna to her feet.
"Yeah. Oh no!"
"C'mon."
They hurried into the hallway and followed the racket towards the dining room. Swinging the double doors wide open they both gasped at the sight they found.
There she stood - Queen Elsa of Arendelle - the youngest ruler in over 200 years. Her hair still in it's usual braid but frizzed from fever and sleep. She still wore her night dress and the woollen cape Anna wrapped her in earlier that evening. Her expression was not one Anna ever recalled seeing before. It was not her usual calm, regal poker face or even the sweetly smiling face of her big sister trying so hard to make up for lost years. No, this was an expression of awe and wonder and total and utter gormlessness.
She stood in the middle of the dining hall lazily waving her hands around and gaping at the sparks and flurries of snow that cascaded from her fingertips. She giggled and muttered things incoherently, elongating vowels like a child testing their voice for the first time.
The pair watched her for a dumbstruck moment unsure of what to do or why Elsa was out of bed and awake when she had only just been tucked in an hour ago.
"E-Elsa?" Anna tried.
"Hmm?" came the woozy reply.
"Are you... okay?"
"Yes I'm fine thank you, Gerda. How are you?" She began to waltz and spin around the huge oak dining table watching as trails of snowflakes mapped her dance.
"No it's not Gerda. It's Anna... Your sister." She exchanged a worried glance with Kristoff. "She's... dancing..."
"Elsa." Kristoff's voice was firmer. "What are you doing out of bed?"
She twirled to an almost elegant stop right in front of him. "It's morning silly. We need to get Anna's party ready." And with that she clapped her hands together excitedly and scurried into the adjoining ballroom. The pair had no choice but to follow her.
"So, how much medicine did you give her?" Kristoff inquired.
"Not much," Anna said with a shrug, chewing on her bottom lip.
"What the hell was in it? It's like she's jumped back to this morning and forgotten everything!"
"Oh god! I'm going to kill Oaken!" Anna stomped towards her sister who was in the middle of fashioning a rather elaborate set of decorations all made of ice. "Elsa, stop! Elsa!"
But it was like her sister didn't hear her. She stumbled about the room shooting ice from her fingers and making the "pew pew pew" noises that Anna usually made when she was doing impressions of her.
"Elsa!" she shouted at her sister, then turning to Kristoff said, "Okay, this is pretty funny."
"It's better than her sneezing, I'll give you that."
"La la laaaa! Let's make Olaf," she sang as she sculpted a statue out of ice by the fireplace, "and now Sveeeeeen," a weird shaped reindeer appeared, it's antlers were somewhat moose like, "and then meeeee!" Another sculpture by the door this time of Elsa herself. It wasn't an exact likeness but pretty close. It started to melt and warp nearly as soon as it was complete. "La la la! Now for Kristoff!"
They watched as a huge statue appeared out of thin air. Kristoff knew the queens powers were a little... off at this moment in time and tried not to take offence but it wasn't a thing like him. It was far too tall for a start, nearly twice as big as the wonky Elsa statue, it towered over the centre of the room. The arms were too long, the fingertips on the too large hands skimming the floor. The feet were humongous and different sizes. Worst of all she got his nose wrong. It was upturned and bulbous and wonky.
"Well that's nice," he huffed. "At least I know what she really thinks of me!"
"Oh Kristoff!" Anna swiped at his arm. "She's drunk or... something. She doesn't know what she's doing."
"Right..."
Anna's statue was created during their momentary lapse in concentration and they turned to wails and sobs. Elsa was crumpled at the feet of her latest creation - a perfect rendering of frozen Anna.
"Oh my god!" She rushed to her sister pulling her roughly by the shoulders to look her in the eye. "Elsa! It's okay. I'm okay. I'm right here."
"Oh Anna!" Elsa pulled her little sister into a bone crushing embrace. For someone so slight she was really strong.
"Elsa, why are you out of bed? You're sick."
"S'morning. Your birthday." Her words were barely audible now.
"We did that already, silly. Then you got sick and we gave you that medicine and you went all drunky and it was hilarious and then it wasn't and then we put you to bed," Anna rambled whilst running a soothing hand on Elsa's back.
"I don't remember," she sniffed. "Did we do presents? Because they were - they were good ones!"
"We did the presents and I loved them." Anna stood, grabbed Elsa's hands and pulled her to standing too. "Let's get you back to bed okay?"
"I'm really hungry." As if to highlight her point Elsa's stomach gave an almighty growl.
"I could eat too," Kristoff agreed. "How about kitchen and then bed? There's tonnes of food left over."
"Alright, food then bed. C'mon." Anna linked arms with her sister and guided her towards the kitchens, Kristoff following.
Before they left the dining room Elsa haphazardly waved her hand above her head melting her sculptures but instead of dissipating as usual they fell to the floor in puddles making it look like a giant indoor pond. "Oops!"
~~~~
The kitchens were located in the very bowels of the palace. The cavernous room was still warm from the days cooking and the scent of spice and warm bread hung in the air.
Anna guided a very wobbly Elsa to sit on the edge of the long bench by the kitchen table and then flitted off to find some food.
Kristoff found a jug, filled it with water and set it down on the table along with three glasses.
"You want to do the thing?"
Elsa grinned at him and iced the jug but got a little over zealous and the whole thing froze.
"Oh oops. Hang on." She flapped her hand and the ice disappeared, as did the water. "Oh no. Sorry. H-hang on!"
She spent a few more minutes making ice appear, disappear then reappear until the glass jug gave way and shattered into pieces.
"Oh balls!"
Kristoff couldn't stifle his laughter. This was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen, and he'd just spent the afternoon herding hundreds of little snowmen up the North Mountain to live with their big brother in a palace made of ice.
He tidied the mess, retrieved another jug of water and slapped Elsa's hands away when she attempted another water cooling trick. Anna returned with a huge platter of food and plonked herself next to her sister.
"Anna, this is just cake." Kristoff poked at some chocolate gateaux with his fork.
"Yes, well it's all I could find!" Which wasn't technically true but it was before midnight so it still counted as her birthday and she really, really wanted cake. Kristoff rolled his eyes and helped himself to a large slice of carrot cake.
"I love cake. So much!" Elsa's eyes were unfocused as she reached for a forkful of Victoria sponge, missed her mouth and smeared jam across her cheek.
Elsa hummed while she ate. She didn't seem to know she was making any noise and kept looking for its source. Anna and Kristoff watched in rapt amusement.
"I'll go up to Oakens in the morning and find out what's in that medicine," Kristoff said, half to himself. "We should probably let the physician know too."
After two big slices of cake Elsa suddenly became drowsy, her head nodding forward as she tried to fight off sleep. With a contented sigh she leaded against Anna, resting her head on the princess' shoulder and began to snore.
"Elsa? I... Wow. That was fast."
"We should take her upstairs," Kristoff suggested.
"Yeah we should. I'm just going to finish this first." She shovelled another mouthful of gateaux into her mouth.
"Anna!"
"Hmmf uuuhk," she protested, crumbs of cake spraying the table. She chewed in a most unladylike fashion and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "What? She's asleep. Five more minutes won't matter! Ugh ok fine!" She gently rubbed the back of her fingers across her sisters cheek. "Ok Elsa. Wakey, wakey."
Elsa merely snuffled and snuggled closer. Anna poked her face and then her arm. Nothing.
"Uh... Kristoff? You might have to carry her. She's gone."
With a sigh Kristoff heaved himself up from the table, walked around to their side and hefted Elsa into his arms. She felt lighter than Anna, more delicate.
Every now and then the reality of his current situation flashed through his head. He lived in a palace. With Royalty. He was courting the princess. He had a royal title. Snowmen lived in and around the castle. His best friend was a reindeer. This was one of those times - He held the Queen of Arendelle in his arms. She was drunk from strong medication. She was drooling on his waistcoat. She was snoring. Life could not get weirder than this.
As they made their weary way up through the castle Elsa mumbled things incoherently. A couple of times she shifted, once so violently she almost wiggled out of his grasp. They passed only a few of the night staff. What a sight they must have made although none of them seemed to even notice anything was awry.
As they reached Elsa's bedroom door she blinked awake, staring at Kristoff in confusion.
"Kris-Kristoff?"
"Yes Elsa?"
"Wha' are you doing?"
"Putting you to bed."
Anna opened the door and held it for Kristoff but as they crossed the threshold Elsa squawked and began to wriggle.
"No! No, Kristoff! You don't do this with your Queen!"
"Really? You're pulling the royalty card now?" He contemplated dropping her.
"You do this with your bride."
"Um... What?"
"Your bride! Her!" She pointed to Anna. "You carry her over the-the threshold. It's romantic!"
Kristoff rushed to the bed and all but threw her on it, pulling pillows and sheets over her to stop her talking. "Ok Elsa well goodnight. Long day. Time to sleep!"
"Kristoff!" Anna half laughed, a little confused. She began helping Elsa out of the sheets and into bed properly.
"He loves you. He asked me." Elsa pushed her face nose to nose with Anna's.
"He asked you if he could love me?" She side eyed Kristoff.
"Night Elsa!" He pushed her back against the pillows and pulled the covers up over her nose so only her eyes peeked out owlishly. Before he could drag Anna from the room Elsa sat bolt upright and grabbed his face, squishing his cheeks tightly between her icy palms.
"You love her and you asked me and I'm so happy. So, so happy. You're going to be my brother."
"Ewsa," he wined through his smushed face, "pwease, pwease shtop talkin'!"
Elsa only giggled manically in reply.
"Aaaand I'm starting to get worried. What's going on?" Anna prised Kristoff from her sisters smushy death grip.
He rubbed his face and looked around sheepishly. "N-nothing."
"He has a ring and everything!" Elsa giggled before keeling over headfirst into her pillows and finally falling into a deep, deep sleep.
Anna slowly stood and turned to the very red faced and slightly sweaty man in front of her. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when she raised her finger sharply to silence him and then pointed to the door.
They crept into the hallway, although they needn't have bothered as the queen was out cold.
Anna closed the door softly behind them and turned again to face him.
An excruciating moment passed between them and to Kristoff it felt like hours. He was waiting for her to freak out, or cry or get mad or anything. He wasn't planning on proposing anytime soon. He just wanted to be organised and speaking to Elsa, asking her permission, was the biggest thing he wanted to get out of the way. After that he could concentrate on planning the perfect proposal and not worry about where he stood with his potential sister-in-law.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when Anna squealed and threw herself at him. She covered him in kisses (and tears and snot), and he was barely able to hold her she was flailing so much.
She finally stood back on her feet, smoothed her skirt down and attempted to keep a straight face. "So... is this happening soon?"
"N-not really. Unless you wan-"
"Not yet, no. But yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes."
"Okay." He nodded, his face pale.
"Bed?"
"Bed."