frozcnheart:
Keeping her distance from Anna was proving to be more difficult than ever since arriving in Ahtohallan. In Arendelle there were plenty of empty rooms and secret corridors for Elsa to hide from the world from, but in their new home she found herself running into Anna frequently. Still, she was almost certain that it wasn’t all just a coincidence and that her sister had planned many of their ‘unintentional’ meetings outside Elsa’s bedroom or office. Not that she could blame the younger girl. Of course Anna would try to use their closer quarters as a way to reconnect. They’d spent years separated from one another, but Anna had no knowledge of the reason for Elsa’s isolation. For all she knew, her older sister simply wanted nothing to do with her. It was a possibility that pained her to consider, but so long as Anna was safe, Elsa would bear the anguish.
Arendelle’s queen was known for not throwing any kind of celebration on her birthday, but this year in particular she’d been so caught up in the plague that was slowly settling across the Thirteen Kingdoms that she’d nearly forgotten about it entirely. Anna had already been sent on her way to Ahtohallan by then, and everyone else in the castle knew better than to try and push any celebrations onto the queen — save for her advisor, Kai, who never failed to leave some kind of chocolate and a small present in her room each year. The silver locket containing miniature portraits of her sister and parents that Kai had gifted her just a few weeks was hidden beneath the high collar of her dress as she headed towards the dinning room to meet with Anna.
Normally she’d decline any of Anna’s enthusiastic requests for the two of them to spend time together, but ‘brunch’ (a new concept catching on in the other kingdoms she’d apparently heard about in the village) was something Elsa believed she could handle. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t already spent a few meals together in the manor — they’d just been significantly more formal and short-lived. Her sister was attempting to perfect the placement of everything on the table when Elsa entered the room. She hesitated for a moment upon seeing how close the seating arrangements were, but pushed herself forward.
“Good morning, Anna,” Elsa greeted her sister with a small, polite smile.
“Elsa!” Spinning to face her, with only a minor loss of balance, Anna smiled shyly at her sister as she tried to figure out what to say. It was still difficult to figure out how she was supposed to act without a door between them. Elsa was perfectly courteous, well mannered, no matter how distant she was. Things between them would only be as awkward as Anna made them, she knew that, but she herself was and awkward person. And as the silence stretched on the situation was becoming so very awkward.
“Um, hi,” Clearing her throat, Anna gave a fork one last nudge just a quarter of an inch to the left before moving to stand by her own chair, “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so…I did a little bit of everything. Not that I made it, I mean, obviously the chef did…but it was my idea! And they always say it’s the thought that counts…right?”
