Well, thanks to Father’s Day, I didn’t really get a chance to create something for Princess Anna’s birthday! So here’s a belated story- sorry, it’s not edited. Set in my story- “Our Aunt is the Snow Queen”.
Anna’s Birthdays
Elsa earliest memory of Anna’s birthday was the day the younger sister was born. Some of the memory was lost in the haze of time- it had been decades since Elsa was three- but many parts remained in sharp relief.
She remembered the feeling of impatience, with dozens of servants too busy to take notice of her, and Mama and Papa nowhere to be found. Everyone was in some sort of hurry, but no one would take the time to tell the irritated three-year-old what had happened. Only when darkness finally fell- kept at bay by the year’s longest day- did Gerda arrive, a tired yet proud smile crossing her face.
“Congratulations Princess Elsa, you have a new sister.”
Elsa remembered not being all too impressed by the newest member of the royal family. Her new sister was small, squishy, stinky and very noisy. The newborn had been squalling the moment Elsa and Gerda stepped in, and it seemed the grating sound would never stop. Out of shear desperation, Elsa released a smattering of snowflakes- partly due to the fact she was ready to let out a tantrum of her own.
It was the sound of contented cooing- a sharp contrast from the crying-that brought Elsa’s attention back to her sister. The baby was reaching up towards the drifting snowflakes, her eyes wide and bright as they fell all around her. It was clear the newborn was entranced by the new and fascinating objects. To Elsa, it was amazing that her baby sister loved the snow. Her parents had always treated her powers with trepidation and caution, doing everything they could to keep the snow and ice from others. The few servants that did know of Elsa’s powers were wary of them, although they always polite enough to hide it. To see someone, even though she was just born, accept the snowflakes fully and completely made Elsa feel warmer than she had ever believed it possible to feel.
For once, Mama seemed to be fine with Elsa’s display, even smiling at the drifting flakes. In her arms, the baby gave a few rapid kicks, tiny hands reaching to touch the glimmering crystals. A sound almost like a chuckle emanated from Elsa’s new sister. Intrigued- now that the baby had quieted- Elsa clambered up her parent’s high bed, unaware of her mother’s slight winces with each movement of the mattress. Up close, Elsa saw that the baby had blue eyes a bit greener than her own, and a tuft of fiery red hair that curled from the infant’s forehead. Elsa, who had never before hair of such color, reached out with a tentative hand and, when Mama didn’t scold her, ran her fingers through the downy strands, marveling at its feel and color. As she beheld the baby’s relaxed face, a thought occurred- she didn’t even know what to call her sister. As if she had read Elsa’s mind, Mama smiled and drew Elsa close, helping her hold the baby.
“Elsa, meet your new sister, Anna.”
…..
Elsa introduced Anna to the joy of chocolate, particularly chocolate cake, on her sister’s first birthday. The red-haired princess had been quick to smash the delicious treat into a delightful mess, one she shared eagerly with her four-year-old sister. From then on it became a cherished tradition- the two sisters were often found curled up in one of the ballroom’s corners, chocolate smeared across their faces.
On her fifth birthday, Anna received her most treasured gift- two handmade dolls crafted to look like her and Elsa, made by her older sister after a painstaking amount of time. For several weeks Anna refused to let the dolls out of her sight. She carried them around everywhere, imploring her older sister to play as often as she saw her. For Elsa, it was quite exasperating, especially since it was difficult to resist Anna’s pleading gaze.
Had Elsa known the accident that would happen, Elsa would have played with greater eagerness.
But happen the accident did, leaving the two sisters divided by an accursed door. Birthdays came and went, the once inseparable pair no longer seeing one another. The parting was accompanied by hopeful pleading at first, followed by tears, and then screaming and finally, painful silence. At twelve years old, Anna stopped trying to interact with her sister, settling for subdued dinners with her parents and a muttered “Happy Birthday to me,” whenever she passed her sister’s soundless door.
Three years later, neither sister saw fit to acknowledge birthdays, save for one piece of specialty chocolate placed on Anna’s pillow each year.
…..
It’s been eleven years since the Great Thaw, with the Summer Solstice- and Anna’s twenty-ninth birthday- promising beautiful weather. A knock at Elsa’s door drew her attention from the blue sky out the window and she granted permission for entry, cursing the lack of strength in her voice. The door creaked open to admit not Gerda or Dr. Landvick- two people she had expected- but rather Anna, the princess’s hands clasped behind her back eyes shining with unshed tears. A crooked smiled crossed her face when she saw her sister. Anna stepped inside, shaking her head in mock reproach.
“Really, Elsa, you couldn’t have at least waited until we got back? It took Hildor forever to reach us, and you know that the trolls have the longest goodbyes, even when I told them several times…”
“It’s not something I necessarily planned, Anna. You out of everyone should know this.”
That comment got Anna to laugh, the sound filling the room. The younger sister crossed the room quickly, setting a hastily- wrapped package on the armoire before approaching the brand-new bassinet and gazing in. Elsa heard her sister draw in a sharp breath.
“Oh Elsa, she’s beautiful. May I…?”
Elsa nodded her permission, a lump forming in her throat as she watched Anna reach in and gently scoop Elsa’s newborn daughter from her bed. Cradling the infant with practiced hands, Anna made her way cautiously to Elsa’s bed, shifting until she was resting side-to-side next to her older sister. In her arms, the newborn yawned, her tiny tongue poking between her gums. Anna ran a finger across her niece’s face, murmuring nonsensically as the baby squirmed, then settled. Looking over at her older sister, Anna made no attempt to conceal the tears running down her face. Elsa managed a smile through her own tears.
“Anna, meet your new niece Anja.”
“Anja… you named…Anja… oh, it’s just perfect.” Anna returned her gaze back to little Anja, rocking her and chuckled. “Oh, that reminds me…” Anna sat up and snagged the parcel at the end of the bed, pulling it close to the baby before unwrapping it. Inside, cradled within a knitted hand-knit blanket Elsa recognized as Anna’s handiwork, were the two doppelgänger dolls of the sisters’ childhood. The dolls had clearly received some work, as their clothes had been updated to include Elsa’s spring ice dress and the dress from Anna’s nineteenth birthday as well as the sisters’ updated hairstyles. Elsa’s hand flew to her mouth, trying to cover the gasp that nevertheless escaped her.
“Anna, are you…”
“Of course. They’re part of the family, and should go to the youngest. She can share them with Jarl and Elise. Well, I take back what I said ten years ago. She just may be the best birthday gift ever. Happy Birthday, Anja.”
So I finally got around to re-doing my story, Our Aunt is the Snow Queen. Much happier with it. :D
And for those of you who know me more as an Elsarik writer, this isn't Elsarik. It's my own story. (Not that I'm giving up on it, just doing something different!)
Elsa had not expected to be drafting trade letters on the day she became an aunt.
It was a rather gloomy day in late May, the kind better spent indoors than out. Elsa took advantage of the miserable weather to reduce some of the paperwork that had taken a permanent place on her study desk, somewhat grateful for the quiet that reigned in Anna’s absence. The princess and her husband had taken the weekend to visit the trolls before their baby was born, an event that all expected to occur the next month.
As she was staring at a blank page, Elsa allowed her mind to wander and reminisce on the day she had first learned the news of Anna’s pregnancy.
Elsa had been returning to her study after a council meeting, lost in her thoughts, when she almost collided with the royal family’s physician, Dr. Ågot Landvik. The young doctor, about ten years Elsa’s senior, was one of the few women in the medical profession. She possessed a sharp mind and set of skills few of her male colleagues could even hope to rival.
Elsa, still contemplating the issues brought up by the prickly council, took several seconds to recognize who it was she had almost crashed into, and then what door the doctor had been exiting from. It was the one to Anna and Kristoff’s room. Elsa’s breath quickened when she put everything together.
Throughout the month, Anna had been suffering from near-constant fatigue, nausea, and dizziness that had lasted far longer than any other illness the princess had the misfortune to catch. Of course, being the stubborn, headstrong woman she was, she had steadfastly refused to consider that anything could be wrong, despite the repeated protests of her sister and husband. It was only after Anna had almost fainted the previous evening during a late meeting with visiting dignitaries that the princess finally gave in and agreed to call for the doctor.
“Your Majesty.” Dr. Landvik didn’t curtsy, but bowed her head in greeting to the queen. The physician used far less formality than others, given how intimately she knew the two royal sisters.
“Dr. Landvik.” Elsa returned the informal greeting. “You have news about my sister?” The doctor’s face remained neutral in response to the question, but Elsa could swear she caught sight of an amused glint in the woman’s hazel eyes.
“Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but I believe that with this news, Princess Anna will want to be the first to share. I will tell you that it is far from life-threatening. Your Majesty.” Dr. Landvik dipped her head once more before heading down the staircase. Elsa frowned at her retreating figure- perhaps she allowed the physician too many liberties for her position. Anna’s news, however, took precedence over a reprimand about social standing. Elsa turned back around to look at the door, took a fortifying breath and knocked four times in rapid succession, calling her sister’s name.
“Anna? May I…”
“Elsa, come in!” There was a somewhat breathless tone to Anna’s voice, as if she had been running through the entire castle. Elsa grasped the doorknob and tried to ignore the thin film of ice that spread over its metallic surface, stepping inside.
Kristoff and Anna sat on their bed, holding hands. The ice harvester, much to his sister-in-law’s surprise, had a wide grin stretching across his face. Anna, too, was smiling, and when she caught sight of her older sister, she let out a joyful laugh.
“So,” Anna chuckled before Elsa could say a word, “Do you want to be called Aunt or Auntie?”
Elsa could count on her fingers the number of times she had initiated a hug- her fear of any sort of skin-to-skin contact with others was never far away. However, when she was finally able to process what Anna had said, Elsa leaped forward without hesitation to embrace her younger sister.
She was going to be an Aunt.
Elsa’s reverie broke when a warning cry sounded from outside. Frowning, she made her way to the study’s sole window, one that overlooked the palace’s main entrance. From her vantage point, the queen could see the two guards struggling to pull open the outer double doors that led to courtyard. As soon as there was sufficient enough space, a shaggy brown-and-grey body rushed through, stumbling to a halt in front of the inner double doors. It revealed itself to be a panting Sven, who was carrying Kristoff and Anna on his broad back. The elderly reindeer’s head was hanging so low it was nearly touching the ground, his sides were heaving, and there was foam on his lips. There was no sign of the wagon he had been pulling at the beginning of the trip and only his harness remained. Most concerning was the state of Sven’s two passengers. Kristoff had Anna’s tiny frame tucked within the protective circle his arms. One of her slim hands was clutching the ice master’s rough wool shirt with a tight grip.
Familiar sharp tendrils of fear dug like claws into Elsa's body as flurries whirled around the room and red-tinged frost crawled up the corners of the walls. Noticing the scarlet color in her peripheral vision, Elsa closed her eyes and forced herself to take several deep, grounding breaths, focusing on the memory of the joy and love she had experienced when her sister had revealed the news of her pregnancy. Eventually the frost receded enough for the queen to feel confident enough to leave the study and seek help. She didn't have to go far- standing opposite of the study’s door were two familiar guards.
“Rávle, I need for you to find midwife Dr. Landvik . Have her come to Princess Anna’s room. Hildor, come with me.” The two guards followed her instructions without hesitation.
By the time Elsa made it down to the main level, Kristoff had already made it inside, his wife still clutched in his arms. Both were completely drenched- The disheveled blonde hair that stuck out from Kristoff’s skull cap was plastered to his forehead and Anna’s twin braids hung limply from her head. The princess was breathing heavily, her eyes screwed up tight in pain. Just when Elsa was opening her mouth to ask what had happened, Anna curled up within her husband’s arms, one hand flying to her swollen abdomen and cried out, her entire body tense and shaking. Elsa clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she watched her sister’s pain.
Half a minute later, the contraction passed and Anna relaxed with a relieved groan. Her grip on Kristoff’s shirt was as tight as ever, and the pained look hadn't left her face. Elsa glanced at Kristoff, whose own face was quite pale, a stark contrast to his normal tanned complexion.
“We were at the cabin,” his voice was raspy and harsh, as if he had been running for a great length. “She started having contractions. I tried to get here as quick as I could Elsa, I did… but the mountain trails were bad, and Sven can’t go that…” Elsa raised her hand to stop her brother-in-law.
“Kristoff, all that matters is that you got Anna here. I’ve already sent for Dr. Landvik . She should be waiting for you in your room.” Kristoff nodded with a curt movement, casting a grateful look in Elsa’s direction, He ascended the steps, doing his best to avoid jostling his wife. Elsa and Hildor followed, the guard struggling to keep from slipping on the ice left behind by the queen’s stress.
As Elsa had said, the grey-haired midwife Dr. Landvik was ready for the group the minute they arrived in the room. As soon as Kristoff walked through the doorway, she immediately took over, delivering instructions at a rapid pace. As Kristoff answered the questions fired off by the woman and watched the proceedings, he grew more and more pale and started to sway on his feet. Eventually Dr. Landvik walked over to the massive ice harvester and pulled him aside. They were close enough for Elsa to hear the conversation- Anna, who was adjusting her position on the bed, could not.
“Master Bjorgman, I think it would be best for you to leave the room until the birth is over. I know,” she said calmly, lifting a hand to forestall the argument he was readying, “Believe me, I understand. Most say that this isn’t a man’s world, and while I do not agree, you do not look as if you will be standing much longer. If you faint or panic, it will only make your wife’s delivery that much difficult. Please do it for her sake, sir. You are more than welcome to wait just outside if that is what you wish, and I will try to send news as I can.” Kristoff rubbed a hand over his face, making a faint scratching sound against the stubble on his jaw. After a few seconds, he sighed and nodded.
“Alright, alright. Just… just let me talk to her before I leave.”
“Of course, sir, of course.”
Kristoff walked over to his wife and lowered his forehead to hers. Watching the two converse, Elsa felt as out of place as Sven would be in the middle of a formal ball. She was watching the man who loved her sister dearly, so dearly, forced to leave the side of his laboring wife while somehow she of all people remained. No one had asked her to leave, of course- she was the queen after all- but she felt useless. I’ll only make things worse, Elsa thought as she watched the rush of activity that happened in front of her. I’ll lose control of my powers… I’ll hurt the baby… I’ll…
“Elsa? Elsa!” Anna’s ragged voice cut through the queen’s self-despairing thoughts. Elsa blinked several times and realized that she had retreated towards the door, spears of ice spreading from beneath her feet once again. Anna, meanwhile, was reaching out towards her older sister, and the princess’s eyes were wet with tears.
“Don’t leave too, please Elsa, I need you. I need my sister here.” At her words, Elsa froze, torn between her love for her sister and her near-constant fear of the tenuous hold on her magic. The queen’s arms wrapped about her middle in a familiar, comforting gesture as her internal duel continued. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she failed to notice what Anna was doing. With a herculean effort, the princess forced herself upright and off the bed, pushing away the restraining hands of her husband and the midwife. With stumbling, yet determined steps, she made her way to where her older sister stood and took her bare hand. Elsa gasped when she felt the contact, and her eyes went wide when she noticed how much effort Anna had to put into just standing upright.
Conflicting emotions forgotten, the queen immediately reached out to support her wavering sister, intent on helping her back to the bed. Before she could, another contraction ripped through Anna’s body. The princess gasped and gripped Elsa’s upper arms, leaning into the older woman as she emitted a sound somewhere between a wail and a groan. Tears sprung up in Elsa’s eyes as her sister endured the pain, and she gathered Anna close, feeling her body quiver.
The contraction lasted far longer than the previous one. As the princess whined in agony, Elsa found herself murmuring nonsense, rocking the younger woman, attempting to provide some measure of comfort. Just as it appeared to be coming to an end, Anna’s eyes flew open and she gasped.
“Anna, what is it, what’s wrong?”
The princess didn't answer immediately- she appeared to be concentrating on her legs. Finally, her voice shuttering, she whispered, “I think… I think my water just broke.” The princess was shaking more than she had been before. Based on just how much her weight was resting on the queen’s arm, Elsa feared that it would not be long before her sister’s legs gave out.
“Anna, please, you shouldn't be standing. You need to lie down.” By now, Dr. Landvik and Kristoff had made it to the laboring woman’s side, trying, just as Elsa was, to lead her back to the bed. Anna only responded by clinging tighter to her sister’s arms.
“Elsa, please, please, I need you to stay. I can’t… I can’t do this without… you…plea…” Anna’s sentence stopped when she released an agonized scream. Another contraction struck, strong enough for the princess to almost loose her footing. Her scream petered off into a sort of breathy hiss and her nails dug deep into Elsa’s arms, stinging through the fabric of the queen’s dress. By that time, Kristoff had his arms around his wife’s shoulders and looked into his sister-in-law’s eyes, his face begging for her to stay. She could tell that he was just barely holding on to his composure and needed to leave soon. She had to stand firm for her sister.
“Alright, alright,” Elsa finally acquiesced. “It’s alright, Anna. I’m right here, I won’t leave you, I promise. But I don’t think you should be standing right now. Do you think you can you make it back to your bed?” Elsa attempted to smile, although she was certain the look came out more as a grimace. Anna nodded, and accepted the assistance her sister and husband offered. Leaning heavily on her two family members, the princess half-shuffled, half-stumbled back to the bed and allowed them to lift her onto the mattress. Once she settled in, Kristoff, catching the midwife’s sharp glance, shambled towards the door, pausing only to open his arms in the direction of his sister-in-law. Despite her normal discomfort with physical contact, she understood his need and stepped into his waiting embrace. As he enfolded her in his broad arms, Elsa heard him murmur, “Take care of Anna for me, please.” She nodded against his chest and he released her, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder before leaving the room.
Once he was gone, Dr. Landvik stepped forward and gently pried the princess’s knees apart, examining her progress. “Well, Your Highness, your water has indeed broken, but it will be quite a while before you can push. Luckily you haven’t had any urges to do so, but you may have noticed that your contractions have grown stronger.”
“Grown stronger!? That’s an understatement.” Anna growled while Dr. Landvik cleaned her legs. The midwife just chuckled.
“I need to get some more supplies. I should be back shortly- if you need me, call.” The midwife gave a short bow before leaving the family alone. Anna relaxed against the pillows, her breath coming out in a long exhalation. Anna raised her head a few inches and took her sister’s hand, startling Elsa. A few flakes shot out of the hand not held by her sister, yet Anna remained unfazed.
“How are you doing, Elsa?” Her tone was gentle, and yet it contained a note of concern. Elsa attempted to brush the question off.
“Me? I’m not the one delivering a baby. The better question is how are you doing, Anna?”
The fiery-haired princess glared at Elsa. “Stop trying to avoid the question. You need to let go of some of your power, don’t you?” Before the queen was able to answer the question, her younger sister tensed and whined, hands grasping frantically in the sheets. Elsa started forward, but then pulled back, her hand mere inches away. She couldn't bring herself to touch Anna again, not with the icy magic beneath her skin close to exploding from her control. As the contraction passed, Anna once more shot her sister a fierce glare.
“Elsa… you know I’m right. Just… use the wall like you've… practiced before. You won’t hurt us… you know that.” Elsa couldn't believe what her sister was doing. Even though Anna had to be experiencing tremendous amounts of agony, compounded by the fact the baby was coming two weeks early, she was still concerned about her sister. And she was right. Ever since the Great Thaw three years previous, Elsa had learned, through trial and a great deal of error, tricks and techniques to assist her in managing her often-unruly powers. While her control had slipped from time to time, Elsa had not since hurt anyone aside from the occasional bruise from a flying snowball or head cold.
The queen nodded and then made her way to the corner opposite the fireplace and spread her arms, letting her palms rest on the cool stone of each wall. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and finally, finally, allowed her power to flow. She felt, rather than saw, the frost climb up the brickwork, encasing the uneven surface with the slick sheen of ice. It didn't take long for her power to complete the journey to the ceiling, where it formed perfect rows of icicles. With each clinging fractal, the queen felt the stress of earlier leave her body.
Finally feeling composed enough to remove her hands from the walls, Elsa chanced a look at the results. Although her ice and frost had taken over a rather large portion of the walls and ceiling, only the faintest hint of fear-red showed, and it was fading rapidly. A short, coughing laugh caught her attention, and she turned to see Anna smugly surveying her sister’s handiwork, despite the fact that she was sweaty and in pain.
“Huh. Funny how that worked out. It’s almost as if I was right.”
“I was feeling sorry for you a minute ago.” Elsa fired back, her relief at being able to expel her magic cheering her enough to tease. “Now I might just have to send all this over to you.”
Anna’s only response was to make a face and stick out her tongue. Elsa replicated the gesture, finally able to dissipate her ice and frost with relative ease-although she did allow a few flakes to fly down Anna’s open collar, much to her sister’s evident surprise.
…..
Several long hours later, and the sisters had abandoned all jesting. Anna’s contractions had grown longer and closer together, each one leaving the princess gasping for breath and groaning in agony. Twice more Elsa braced herself in the room’s corner to expel her magic. By the last release, she lacked the control to dissipate it fully, allowing what remained to melt on its own, water damage be damned. Only Dr. Landvik remained composed, even somewhat cheerful, checking the princess’s progress and giving assurance.
During one of the brief lulls between contractions, Anna wiped her brow in a futile attempt to dispel the beads of sweat clinging there. She huffed in clear discomfort- although she had been re-dressed in a lightweight nightgown, it was clear that the princess was just too hot. Without thinking, Elsa reached forward, replacing Anna’s hand with her own, and the princess gave a sudden deep sigh, relief evident on her face.
“Oh Lord, that feels absolutely amazing, Elsa. Everything is so warm in here, and not like Olaf’s I-like-warm-hugs-warm, but… UGGNNNHHHH!” Anna’s body arched like a bow, her eyes screwed tight and her face growing beet red.
“Your Highness, you need to remember to breathe!” Dr. Landvik reprimanded sharply. Anna let a breath hiss through her clenched teeth, although her cheeks remained enflamed. When she was able to relax, Anna turned pleading eyes to her sister.
“Please, would you…” Elsa forced a small half-smile before reaching forward to rest her hand on Anna’s forehead, ignoring the damp skin beneath her palm. Concentrating, Elsa allowed just the barest amount of power to surface, cooling her skin even more than it normally was in an attempt to ease Anna’s discomfort, until Anna violently shot forward. Her fingers squeezed tight and a breathy “Ahh-ahh!” escaped from her lips. The contraction was long, quite long, and when it had finished, Anna didn't relax as she had before. Instead, a puzzled look came over her face and her hands remained on her abdomen.
“Dr. Landvik , I-I think I need to push.” A grimace then, “Oh yeah, I definitely want to push right now.” Dr. Landvik , who had been checking the giant cast iron pot of water heating over the fire, straightened quickly, wiping her fingers on a fresh towel. With precise, practiced movement, she coaxed the princess’s legs apart and checked her progress.
“Hmmmm, it does look like you are ready, m’lady. When your next contraction comes, I want you to push all the way down to your rear. Only with the contraction, mind you. Don’t push when you’re resting- you’ll only tire yourself faster. Are you ready, Your Highness?” At Anna’s weary nod, the midwife nodded. “Good. At your next contraction then…” No sooner had the words left the midwife’s lips than Anna curled forward with a groan. Amidst Dr. Landvik ’s encouragement, the young woman strained, her knuckles turning bone-white as she clenched the sheets in agony and desperation. Eventually, she fell back, panting, and looked at her sister.
“So… apparently having a child is really, really painful,” she quipped, attempting to grin. Elsa let out a small laugh and leaned forward, cupping a hand under Anna’s neck and trying not to recoil at the sweaty heat radiating from there.
“I’ve heard. I just wish there was something I could do to take your pain away, Anna.” Elsa rasped as she cooled her hand once again. Her sister snorted.
“What you’re doing right now is super helpful, Elsa. Thank you… for staying with me.” Anna shot her sister a grin, but then her face fell, and to the queen’s surprise, tears began to coarse down her cheeks. “Oh God, Elsa, I’m going to be a mother, I’m going to be a mother, I can’t… I can’t…” Words changed into incoherent babbling as Elsa looked around, quite startled and frightened at her sister’s sudden shift in behavior. Dr. Landvik looked over and her lips quirked upward at the princess’s sudden change.
“Now, now, none of that, m’lady. You’ll do just fine- I’ve had the privilege of seeing you with children, you are incredible.” Catching the queen’s uncertain look, she added, “Oh, every new mother feels the same, Your Majesty. The pain and stress of the birth don’t help either. But she’ll be just fine, you’ll see, especially once the babe is born. Ah, is that another contraction? All right, m’lady, push! Good, gooood!”
Two hours later, and Elsa feared Anna was nearing the last of her strength. Her face had gone almost completely scarlet, and no amount of Elsa’s magic (at least the amount the queen allowed herself to release), seemed to provide much help. Even more troubling was just how little Anna seemed able to do besides push on Dr. Landvik ’s command and pant, often staring straight ahead with pain-dilated eyes.
Then, as another contraction racked the exhausted princess, she shot forward and screamed. From the foot of the bed, Dr. Landvik shouted excitedly, “That’s it, Your Highness! That’s the babe, it’s crowning! Push, push, push, and there it is, there’s the head! There now, relax m’lady, take some deep breaths. You are nearly there, nearly there.” At the midwife’s words, Anna threw her upper body back into the pillows with a breathy chuckle. Elsa felt a strange mixture of relief, excitement and anxiety at just how soon she would be meeting her niece or nephew. Whether she was ready or not, the little one was on its way.
The next contraction came.
Anna released her grip on Elsa’s hands to clutch the sheets with white-knuckled hands. Her chin dropped to meet her chest as she curled up, letting out a sound somewhere between a cry and a roar. One second, two seconds, five seconds passed, and then…
“It’s a girl!” The midwife’s euphoric words mixed with a reedy, hiccuping cry as Dr. Landvik lifted the newborn into sight. Although the tiny was infant was wrinkled and streaked with an unidentifiable chalky white substance, Elsa felt warmth blossom within her heart as she saw the newest member of the family. The baby’s mouth was open wide, revealing ruddy, toothless gums as she emitted her indignant cries- even for a being as tiny as she was the sound was incredibly loud. With trained efficiency, Dr. Landvik cut the connecting cord, cleaned the baby and swaddled her within a matter of minutes before handing the quieting infant over to her mother.
The little girl’s eyes had opened wide, revealing themselves to be a wondrous shade of teal. A few wisps of strawberry-blonde hair capped her head and Elsa even spotted a faint dusting of freckles across her button nose. When she was able to tear her eyes away from the newborn, Elsa looked at her sister, not at all surprised to see that tears were coursing down her face and Anna was trembling.
“My God Elsa, just look at her!” The princess whispered, “She’s perfect, just perfect! And so tiny too, look at her.” Anna cuddled her new daughter close, delicate fingers brushing over the infant’s skin. Elsa wanted to touch the newest addition to the family, but her fear held her back, not even allowing her to ask. Thankfully, delivering a child hadn't diminished Anna’s perceptiveness in the least, and she shifted the little bundle so that the baby was closer to her aunt.
“Well, go on then you stinker, say hello to your new niece!” Elsa allowed herself to extend a tentative finger to touch the baby’s cheek, marveling at the delicate, downy skin that radiated warmth. The little girl made a soft, inquisitive noise, her eyes- so much like her mother’s- blinking rapidly as if not sure what to make of her brand new world.
Anna released a long, contented sigh, looking as if she were ready to fall to sleep, until her eyes shot open and a long, pain-filled whine escaped her. The baby, who had also been close to sleep, shifted and bleated as she was rudely wakened. Dr. Landvik strode away from the fireplace and parted Anna’s legs once more.
“Don’t you worry, m’lady, it’s just the afterbirth arriving. It may be a little painful, but…” The midwife looked down as her voice faltered. “Oh, oh my.”
“What is it!?” Anna and Elsa cried out in unison, their eyes locking on Dr. Landvik , the newborn in the youngest sister’s arms almost forgotten. The midwife didn’t answer immediately, rather reaching up to palpitate the princess’s abdomen, brow furrowed. Then her face lit up.
“Ah, I think I may have figured out just why your labor came early, Your Highness. There is a second child inside!”
The room fell completely silent, save for the soft, unhappy whimpers from the displeased infant. Anna and Elsa looked at one another in shock. Twins! Suddenly everything made perfect sense-Anna’s rapid and large growth, the early delivery- all because the princess had been carrying not one, but two babies. Before they could so much as speak a word, Anna lurched forward with a renewed groan, causing the infant in her arms to release a mighty wail. “You have to push, Your Highness!” Dr. Landvik called.
The princess strained, her groans overpowering the sharp cries of her daughter, before falling back into the pillows with a muffled whomph. Her mouth hung open as her chest heaved for air, her eyes swimming with tears. She appeared to be saying something that Elsa couldn't make out. Only when the queen lowered her ear near her sister’s pale face was she able to hear her words.
“I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, oh please, please, just make it stop, make it stop! I just can’t do this Elsa, I can’t…” Elsa surprised herself by grabbing Anna’s shoulder and squeezing. The princess was so startled that she froze mid-sentence and stared at her sister, mouth hanging open.
“Anna, you can do this. I can tell it hurts, and I wish there was something I could do to stop your pain…” Another contraction, and Elsa splayed her hands across Anna’s back, providing as much support as she could. When it finished and Anna fell back once again, Elsa continued her sentence. “But you are the strongest person I know. You are,” Elsa stated, her voice firm, as Anna shook her head, “and you are strongest when it comes to your family. Right now, a member of your family needs you. So find that strength and let’s meet your new baby.”
Anna blinked. Elsa could be quite eloquent when the occasion called for it, especially when it came to diplomatic situations. Still she struggled to cope with difficult emotions from others, let alone find the words to ease them. The princess’s amazement was fleeting, as pain shot through her body once again. Supporting her daughter’s body, Anna turned towards her older sister.
“I need you to hold her while I push.”
Elsa wasn’t given a chance to protest. She hadn’t even fully processed what her younger sister requested before the squirming bundle was placed in her unexpecting arms. The queen froze when she felt the baby’s weight- slight as it was-settle in, but in somehow, the movement was almost… natural. Elsa expected the little girl to react in some manner to her aunt’s cooler-than-normal skin temperature, but the infant was non-plussed about the arrangement.
The calm didn’t last long.
Anna cried out once again as she bore down, her muscles straining to push the baby out. Acting more on reflex than on reason, Elsa clutched the newborn girl to her own chest and whispered encouragement to her sister as she labored. Once, twice, three more times she pushed and then the princess released yet another roaring cry as she delivered her second child, to Dr. Landvik ’s exalted shout of, “It’s a boy, Your Highness, it’s a boy!”
Much like his sister, the white-streaked infant produced a lusty wail as he left the warmth of his mother’s womb. His sister took up the cry despite Elsa’s attempts to soother her, and only after the two were tucked close in their mother’s arms did they finally settle down.
Anna’s earlier tears were nothing compared to the ones that cascaded down her cheeks as she clutched the twins to her chest. Her son’s hair was dark in color, still damp from birth, although Elsa suspected it would change. The little boy’s eyes were shut tight and he wriggled far more than his sister did. As she had done with her niece, Elsa reached over and traced a finger down her nephew’s cheek, still struggling to realize that she was an aunt to not one, but two children. Anna appeared to experience a similar feeling, although with a far greater impact.
“Two Elsa. Two beautiful, wonderful babies. How could I… how did I… how!?” Anna bent forward to kiss the forehead of each infant, her eyes never leaving their faces. Even as she delivered the afterbirth and allowed Dr. Landvik to clean the lower half of her body, Anna remained fixated on her son and daughter. The boy finally opened his eyes, revealing them to be the very familiar color of liquid chocolate.
“He’s got his father’s eyes,” Anna murmured.
“And she has her mother’s,” Elsa responded with a smile. “Speaking of mothers and fathers, I suppose I should go get Kristoff. I’m rather surprised he hasn’t broken down the door yet.” Elsa stood, attempting to work the kinks and pains out of her back.
“Elsa,” Anna pulled her gaze away from her children and looked her older sister in the eye. “Thank you for staying.” A lump grew in Elsa’s throat. Unable to speak, she kissed her sister’s cheek instead, before leaving to give the princess time alone with her children.
As she stepped out into the corridor, Elsa was startled to find that dawn had broken. With all of the commotion, stress and excitement surrounding the twins’ birth, there had been no room in the queen’s mind to notice the passage of time. Although she knew that Kristoff would be anxious for any news about his wife and child- children- Elsa paused to glance out the nearest window to the buildings of the town below. She thought of the citizens, most of whom would still be slumbering, completely unaware of the arrival of the newest members of the royal family.
They will know soon enough, Elsa thought.
A flicker of motion in the corner of her eye caught Elsa’s attention. Turning, the queen caught sight of her brother-in-law gazing at her with a piercing stare. With mussed hair, a drawn face and several wisps straw clinging to his rough tunic, it was clear that Kristoff’s wait had been incredibly stressed, and he had spent time with Sven in the stables. Wringing his massive hands, he mumbled, “Anna, the baby, are they…”
“They’re fine Kristoff, just fine. The babies are perfect, absolutely perfect.”
Kristoff made two steps forward, and then froze as the full meaning of Elsa’s words dawned on him. His eyes opened wide, eyebrows arching so far up they disappeared beneath his hairline. “Did you say…” He didn’t seem able to articulate beyond those words. Elsa’s grin felt so wide she thought her cheeks might actually split apart.
“Yes Kristoff, I said babies. You have two beautiful, healthy children- a girl and a boy.”
For several moments the ice harvester stood absolutely still, his mouth hanging open. Then, without any preamble, he scooped up his sister-in-law, spun her around in a broad circle, set her down, and kissed her on both cheeks before bolting into the room to meet his new children. Elsa could only stare after her the ice harvester, completely stunned by his uncharacteristic behavior. At the same time, happiness spread throughout her body as she realized that the once-reserved mountain man was more than ready to embrace the new members of his small family.
Turning back to the window, Elsa faced the growing sunlight of the new day, trying to make sense of everything roiling about in her body and mind. She was elated, she was terrified. She felt as if she could run the entire distance to the North Mountain and at the same time felt that if she were to lie down at all, she would immediately fall asleep for the remainder of the day. She-
“Elsa?” Anna’s voice, still raspy from the birth, caused her sister to turn and walk back towards the room. “You better not have left.”
Elsa poked her head through the door. What she saw inside the room brought yet another rush of tears to her face. Big, burly Kristoff, the man who had spent years preforming hard labor in the wilderness alone, was holding his twin children, one in each arm, his expression that of devoted tenderness and complete awe. The only time Elsa had seen such an expression was the day of his and Anna’s wedding. A similar look graced Anna’s face, growing further when she caught sight of her sister.
“Well, come on in, you stinker.”
Elsa wiped her eyes. “Anna, they really should have time with you two. I’ll have time enough to see them later.” Anna’s face changed from elated joy to an accusing stare, and she half-rose from the bed.
“Nuh-uh. This is family time, and you are family. Heck, if it wasn’t for you, these two wouldn’t be here. So come say hello to your niece and nephew, or so help me, I will go over there and drag you in here.” She was apparently quite serious, going so far as to swing her legs over the edge of the bed with a wince. Kristoff immediately strode to her side, setting one of the babies in her arms and resting a hand on her shoulder.
“Whoa, whoa there, feistypants, you just had two kids. Elsa, please come in here before she hurts herself.” Kristoff raised his eyebrows meaningfully at Elsa, who was quick to re-enter the room. Anna patted the bed and, as soon as her older sister settled in, the princess set the boy in Elsa’s arm while Kristoff did the same with the little girl.
“Elsa, say hello to Ásta and Bergen.”
Elsa didn’t have a laboring sister to focus on any longer, nor did she need to think about her brother-in-law waiting on information. As such, when the weight of her niece and nephew settled into her arms, trepidation flooded her body. Then Ásta opened her eyes, blinked, and extended a tiny hand to rest on her aunt’s bare hand. Bergen yawned, wiggled again, and then he too stretched out an arm to rest it on Elsa’s chest. While the rational part of the queen’s brain recognized the movements as nothing more than a reflex, an instinct to seek comfort, Elsa was glad she was seated- if she were standing, she felt certain that her legs would have given out from the weight of her joy. As tears rolled down her cheeks, a long-forgotten melody came to her, one her own mother had sung many years prior. She hummed the melody, rocking the children until the words came back to her. She began to sing.
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
She was elated, she was terrified. She could build a brand new ice palace, she could sleep for a decade.
For anyone curious- I am still working on "Our Aunt is the Snow Queen", I promise! I'm just incredibly slow when it comes to writing, and I'm also working on a Duet story as well. And this chapter has been fighting me. Yeah, long rambling post.
Another incredible commission done by the talented comickergirl! Elsa and her niece, Ásta and nephew, Bergen (my OCs) from my story Our Aunt is the Snow Queen.
Inside the cabin, the two sisters came awake with a start, tumbling apart and frantically blinking the last vestiges of sleep. Kristoff had burst into the main room, his eyes wide and face agitated. Before either sister could ask what had happened, he uttered a terrifying sentence.
“I can’t find Ásta and Bergen! They’re missing!”
2 hours prior…
“Psst Ásta! Ásta wake up!” Bergen, having learned from many previous sister-wakings, expertly ducked out of the way as Ásta sent an arm flying in the general direction of his voice. Just as quickly he popped up again, adding some well-placed and highly irritating pokes to his insistent whispers.
“Common, Ásta, you gotta get up! It’s important!”
“Ber-GEN!” His sister whipped her head towards him, eyes wide open and glaring, slapping at his hands with increasing violence, “GO-“
Before she could finish her shout and alert the adults, her brother lunged forward and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Waitwaitwait! I wanna help Aun’ Elsa!”
“Eeewww Ásta! Now I’m not gonna tell you nothin’!” He made as if to hop off the bed, but Ásta stopped him by grabbing the collar of his nightshirt and yanking.
“You tell me, or I tell Mama and Papa you was sneakin’!” The boy appeared to weigh his options for the moment and then reluctantly sat back down.
“ ’Member the flowers Papa got Aun’ Elsa for her birthday? He said they only grow up here- we saw them on the ride! We can go get some to make Aun’ Elsa happy again!”
“Go alone?” Ásta asked, her blue eyes so wide they were luminous in the fading moonlight. Bergen, ever the nonchalant type, merely shrugged.
“ ‘S not far. I ‘member it- big space, lotsa flowers. We can ride Tuven!” At the mention of the reindeer’s name, Ásta sighed and conceded. She did really want to make their aunt feel better, and with Tuven’s speed, it wouldn’t take long for them to get to the meadow. With her consent, the two quickly dressed, and attempted to quietly sneak down the loft’s ladder- although as five-year-olds, this wasn’t easily accomplished. However, the adults were so exhausted from the day’s events that a herd of reindeer galloping through the cabin wouldn’t have woken them. With their not-so-silent tiptoeing, they slid past the bedroom where their father snored away and into the main room where their mother and aunt lay side-by-side, covered with a blanket, in front of the smoldering embers of the fire.
Bergen, ever the hungry child, made a quick side trip to the kitchen to garner some “supplies”- in his case, cookies, some leftover chocolates and a few carrots- while Ásta urged him to hurry up as she sneaked glances back towards the two sleeping sisters in the adjacent room to make sure she and her brother weren’t caught. Finally, they were “packed”, bundled up and out the door, headed towards the small stable housing Tuven. The reindeer had been fast asleep when the twins burst in and gave as evil a look as his comical face could manage while snorting and grunting. Neither Bergen nor Ásta were nearly as fluent in reindeer as their father, but to them it was quite clear that Tuven was greatly displeased. Ásta was quick to offer the surely creature a large carrot, and within he had perked up and showed interest in going somewhere new.
Before they were even able to walk, the twins had been riding reindeer back under Kristoff’s careful tutelage. They were also well-versed in caring for and using the reindeers’ tack, and as such it did not take them long to put Tuven in his harness and hook up the bag of their supplies. They had yet to learn how to hitch him to the sled, but the harness would give them more than enough to grip to ride.
After a brief argument about who would ride in the more interesting position of up front, (which was promptly solved by Ásta leaping onto Tuven’s back before her brother and refusing to budge) the two were finally settled in and trotting out of the tiny building. Although dawn had yet to arrive, there was enough of a greyish light to locate the previous day’s tracks, nearly pristine thanks to a lack of wind and snow. With a touch to Tuven’s flanks by Bergen, the reindeer took off at a ground-eating canter than he could easily sustain.
As they descended further and further down the mountain, snow gave way to bare earth and increasing vegetation as the temperature warmed, prompting Ásta and Bergen to remove their warm clothing. Still, the path the family had taken was composed mainly of dirt, loose enough to allow for easily followed tracks make by the heavily-laden wagon.
Within a half-hour, Tuven and his passengers had arrived at the same meadow Bergen had noticed. Even in the dim light it was breathtaking, with its wide variety of flowers creating an astounding color palette. When they dismounted, Ásta and Bergen temporarily forgot about their “cheering Aunt Elsa” mission and instead spent several minutes rushing through the plants, stopping to smell and touch as many flowers as they possibly could. It wasn’t until Ásta came across a familiar bloom that their minds came back to their familiar task.
The flower that they sought was a rare strain of crocus, pale blue in color, rather than the more common violet. More significantly, however, it had a single white stripe running up the center of each petal, making it appear to be made of ice, giving it the name the Ice Crocus. With typical childish exuberance and happiness, the twins began pulling up as many blooms as they could.
For some time, all was peaceful, with the children happily hunting for Ice Crocuses, and Tuven even more happily consuming the flora surrounding him. Indeed, had the fickle mountain wind not shifted, the trio might have remained in their content state until the twins had decided to make their way back to the cabin.
However, the wind did shift, and a strong wind it was. With it was carried the predatory scent to a particularly sensitive reindeer nose.
Wolves.
The pack from which the scent came from was quite small, with only three wolves, and nowhere near as aggressive as the desperate pack that had chased Kristoff and Anna years prior. Furthermore, they were a long ways off and more interested in the scent of a sickly fallow deer than a fully-grown male reindeer. Tuven, however, had spent the majority of his short life only in the city or brief trips into areas not populated by the wild canines. As such, he had no way of knowing that the wolves posed no real threat. His head shot up as panicked instinct took over. With a frightened bugle, the unrestrained reindeer bolted from the meadow, attempting to put as much distance between himself and the predators, taking the twins’ supplies and warm clothing along with him.
Ásta and Bergen, not possessing a reindeer’s acute sense of smell, were blissfully unaware of the potential threat until they heard Tuven’s frightened call. As soon as their hooved friend began to run, they were on their feet and chasing after him, frantically calling his name. However, there was no adult that could keep up with the son of Sven in a full, panicked gallop. The twins, being only five years old, had absolutely chance. They were able to keep him in sight for thirty seconds, and then followed his hoofprints for another several minutes. Then Tuven’s path meandered into a part of the forest littered with a heavy cover of pine needles and other dead plants that obscured the ground below and offered no signs for the young trackers to follow. So determined, were the twins, however, that they continued their searching until Ásta looked up and realized that she couldn’t find any familiar landmarks. When she brought this to Bergen’s attention, the two swiftly abandoned their search for the reindeer and turned their efforts on trying to locate the path they had used. However, within the space of only a few minutes, an awful realization came to light.
They were absolutely and completely lost.
…..
“I can’t find Ásta and Bergen! They’re missing!”
Although Elsa had been startled awake almost instantly the moment Kristoff roared her name, it took her several seconds for her sleep-addled brain to process what he had said. She was still trying to remember where exactly she was when the meaning of her brother-in-law’s frantic words hit her like a physical blow to the abdomen, almost causing her to double over in response.
“What!?” Anna cried.
“They’re gone! And I checked the stables- Tuven’s gone as well!”
Elsa’s immediate thought was disbelief- even the most daring and resourceful enemy would baulk at attempting to kidnap the family of the Snow Queen, especially on the formidable territory of the North Mountain- essentially “her” territory.
And why would the twins run away?
They’re running away from me. In Elsa’s mind, it was the only reason that made any sense. They finally realized how dangerous I am and they’re running away to save themselves. All I ever do is put the ones I love in danger.
Elsa was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that Anna was trying to talk to her. It wasn’t until the younger woman grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a good shake that she was able to get the queen’s attention.
“Elsa! Did you hear me!? We need to get out there! We need to find them!”
Elsa shook her head. “Anna, what if I’m the reason they left. I-“
The slap was completely unexpected, stinging across Elsa’s right cheek with surprising force. Anna was breathing hard, and her eyes were wide, as if even she couldn’t believe she had struck her sister. Then those same eyes narrowed and hardened.
“Don’t. You. Dare.” Each word was stopped so sharply it seemed as if the princess was biting off each sound. “Don’t you dare even suggest my children would think or do anything like that. You saw them last night. You saw how they reacted. You know that they have nothing but love in their hearts for you. Now, get those idiotic thoughts out of your head and help me find my… our children.”
Elsa rested a hand on the heated patch of skin caused by her sister’s hand. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond to what she had just heard. Then she lifted her chin- maybe she wasn’t as convinced as Anna was about her niece and nephew’s trust and love, but they were still out in the wilderness and needed all the help they could get. With that, she took Anna’s proffered hand and stood and walked over to Kristoff who was attempting to (unsuccessfully) pretend that his mouth hadn’t been hanging open at what he had witnessed.
Many who had met the princess believed Anna to be scatterbrained and impulsive, but few knew of the princess’s ability to become the proverbial rock in the midst of a storm when needed. As soon as she realized that both her husband and sister were still out of sorts and trying to simply process, the feisty strawberry blonde took complete control.
“Kristoff! We need supplies, food, survival gear, medicines- anything that might help. Elsa, see if you can get Marshmallow to help us- it’d go faster if we had his help. Get Olaf too, he’s been able to help before. I’m going to get blankets and cloaks in the wagon.”
Anna’s sharp, precise directions were the push needed to get Kristoff and Elsa moving. While the ice harvester frantically began to pull out the needed gear, Elsa rushed out the door and up to her palace as fast as her legs would carry her. Inside, she found Marshmallow and Olaf sitting on the floor playing some sort of drawing game with piles of snow. As soon as Olaf noticed the queen, he swiftly abandoned the game and waddled over, twig arms wide open to receive a warm hug.
“Hi Elsa! Marshmallow and I came up with this great new drawing game and- hey, is something wrong?” he asked, noticing his creator’s face for the first time. Elsa had been forced to swallow back a sob at the sight of her creations so happily playing while her niece and nephew were lost and possibly hurt. She knelt down and wrapped her arms tightly about the little snowman’s body, letting the tears flow. Part of her kept yelling to stop, that she was wasting time on her grief when her family needed her, but a much larger part knew that if she didn’t release at least some of her powerful emotions at that time, they would later come out later on their own, and at the most inopportune moment.
Olaf, for all of his normal chattiness, didn’t question the action. Instead, he displayed one of his rare moments of innate understanding by reciprocating Elsa’s hug with all the strength his scrawny arms could produce. Marshmallow, who had been sitting quietly by the snow piles up until that point, came sliding over, as it was easier for him to do so than standing up and walking- and placed one massive hand around both beings.
“Ásta… Ásta and Bergen are… they’re gone.” The words were out before she could stop them or even lessen their impact. Olaf gasped, and Marshmallow rumbled “COUSINS” in a voice that held a low, unhappy whine. Elsa felt the tears flow with greater intensity at his heartbroken tone, but she forced herself to continue and tell the two snow creatures what had happened.
“I HELP.” Marshmallow grumbled as soon as she had finished, his broad chin jutting out. Olaf grinned and jumped up and down, calling, “Ooh, ooh, me too! Me too! I’m really good with ice telescopes!” Before Elsa could say anything more, the two were out of the palace and down the stairs.
“Good, you got them.” Anna’s voice floated up from the base of the stairs. Kristoff stood with her, a large bag slung over his shoulder. Looking up at the snow giant, she asked, “Marshmallow, I don’t want you to think of this in the wrong way, but you’re the only one here strong enough to pull the sled, and there’s a good chance we’ll need it. We can still use you for searching, but…”
“I PULL. I HELP. SLED NOT HEAVY.” With that, the behemoth lurched over to where the sled was resting and pulled it over to the group with a ridiculously easy motion, looking expectantly at the humans still standing on the ground. They were quick to get in, and with that, the group was off.
It was not difficult to locate Tuven’s cloven tracks, and with Olaf’s help, Marshmallow took off after the trail at a fantastic speed. As they made their way further and further down the mountain and the temperature warmed, Elsa was quick to conjure a personal flurry much like Olaf’s for the snow giant, albeit a great deal larger than the one that kept the small snowman from melting. It didn’t take the hodgepodge group long to reach the meadow where the twins had stopped. It was Kristoff who noticed their winter clothing first, leaping out of the still-moving sled and frantically lifting the articles as if he might find his children hiding underneath. Anna and Elsa joined him, searching the meadow for any signs of the two.
Just as they were on the verge of giving up and trying a different path, the wind picked up, bringing with it the sound of a familiar and frantic bellow. Five heads snapped towards the location of the panicked sound, trying to find its source.
“Was that Tuven!? It sounded like it came from the forest.” Anna gestured towards the thick growth while Elsa and Kristoff nodded. “Marshmallow,” the princess continued, glancing at the mammoth creation. “The growth’s too thick for you. I don’t…” The snow giant didn’t allow her to finish. He lumbered forward, his ice claws emerging from his fingers with a shicking sound. With a movement too fast to follow, he lunged forward and cleaved through the thicket, easily carving a hole large enough to accommodate his bulk. With a universal shrug, Elsa, Anna and Kristoff followed in the vast wake he left behind. It didn’t take them long to locate the source of the distress.
Within a tangled mass of branches, undergrowth and vines that had ensnared Tuven. The great bull reindeer was caught by his harness and one antler- one was missing. Evidence of his attempts at escape were vividly displayed in long, bloody gashes, matted fur and the stump of the lost antler. His mouth was wide open, tongue lolling and sides heaving like bellows with each gasp of oxygen. His eyes were wide with terror, their whites showing all the way around the irises. As soon as he caught sight of his family, the reindeer attempted to lunge forward, bellowing in agony when the branches tore again at his side. Kristoff wasted no time, sprinting forward to calm the agitated ungulate.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, there Tuven, easy, easy. Calm down fella, it’s alright. Let me help you, alright? Easy, easy.” Still speaking in a calm, genial voice, the mountain man worked swiftly, pulling out his belt knife and freeing the reindeer with quick, precise cuts that littered the ground with bramble and sliced the remainder of the harness to ribbons. As soon as he was free, the panicked beast rushed forward and buried his muzzle in Kristoff’s chest, visibly shaking. Kristoff quickly grasped Tuven’s head and stroked it, murmuring reassurances.
Elsa bit her lip, struggling to hold back a snarky comment that he stop mollycoddling the reindeer and get back on the trail. As if he had heard her thoughts, Tuven made a series of grunts and snorts, his own lifting his head and pointed his remaining antler deeper into the forest. Kristoff jerked his head in the direction that Tuven indicated, his face rapidly paling, letting go of the reindeer and bolting in that direction without a word.
“Kristoff? Kristoff!” Anna cried out, rushing after her husband. Elsa paused, looking back at the fatigued Tuven and swiftly constructed a wide pen of ice far too tall for any predator to climb, and then started off after her family. She had only taken a few paces when Marshmallow thundered up behind her and scooped her up with one massive hand, following up with Anna and Kristoff.
“WHERE?” He rumbled, not breaking stride.
“Keep going forward!” Kristoff yelled, gesturing with his hand.
“Kristoff! What’s going on?!?” Anna howled. He looked back, his eyes wide.
“There’s a river up there, with white water rapids! They’re headed right to it!”
…..
Bergen and Ásta were exhausted, yet they continued on, driven by fear. Lost, confused and sore, they had wandered farther and farther into the timber, convinced with five-year-old logic that they were somehow traveling in a straight path that would lead them back to the familiar meadow. Their inexperience in navigating and being driven off course many times by frightening sounds and movements meant they had ended up in the exact opposite of the meadow, instead delving into the oldest, thickest part of the forest.
There, the sunlight was patchy at best, and more often than not almost completely absent, plunging the forest into a near-night level of darkness.
It was Bergen who heard the sound first- a low snarl, as soft as a whisper and yet somehow as frightening as Marshmallow’s roar. He froze, his head rotating from side to side as he attempted to locate the sound’s source. Next to him, Ásta stood stock-still, her breathing rapid and shallow, trying to see what he saw.
“What?” She attempted to whisper as quietly as she could, but her voice carried impossibly loud in the silence of the surrounding wilderness. Immediately, she drew close to her brother, eyes flitting.
“Heard somethin’” Bergen rasped back, his brown eyes still roaming the surrounding foliage. Before he could say anything more, another growl, louder and far more menacing, shook the forest. The twins didn’t remain around long enough to find out what it was, screaming in terror as they raced away. The growls followed them, along with a series of heavy footfalls. So focused were they on the terror chasing them that they failed to notice the thinning trees and the low, growing thunder of rushing water.
Only when the twins burst onto the muddy riverbank were they finally made aware of their plight. By that time, it was far too late.
Carried on by momentum and unable to stop themselves, Bergen and Ásta fell into the rapids, where the strong current yanked them away from safety.
Ásta and Bergen might not have been alive for any considerable length of time, but neither of them could imagine anything being more exciting than the day their aunt announced that the entire family would be taking a much-needed trip to her ice palace. Being that it was summer and the weather would be relatively mild on the North Mountain (as mild as weather could get in an area that could support an enormous ice structure year-round), the three adults had agreed it was time for the twins to see the palace.
Of course, being family of the great castle’s creator meant that Bergen and Ásta had heard many wondrous (and sometimes scary) stories of the master creation. Of course, their mother, father and aunt were on hand to separate fact from fiction (no, there was not an army of giant snowmen guarding the palace and mountain, just Marshmallow, no, the palace did not have thousands of rooms, more around ten, and no, there was most certainly not a giant ice slide running down the mountain- that one had been Olaf’s story), but nevertheless, the twins could imagine nothing less than a fantastical creation beyond anything anyone could construct.
So when the day came when their father’s newest sled/wagon (a special one designed to able to interchange between carrying ice and carrying more passengers) was brought out into the courtyard, the twins were unable to contain their excitement. They ran around servants packing supplies and gear, leapt on and off the sled while the staff made futile attempts to shoo them away, and made a general nuisance of themselves.
Seeing that her children were hindering the preparations and knowing that no amount of scolding would put a damper on their energy, Anna came up with an idea. After herding Ásta and Bergen into the same general area, she said, “Why don’t you two spend some time with Sven? The poor guy’s probably feeling pretty left out right now.” Both twins looked unsure at first. They loved the old reindeer dearly, and felt bad that his age was preventing him from making the trip, but they didn’t want to miss out on any possible excitement either. Anna solved their dilemma by assuring them that they wouldn’t see anything more than boring preparations for the trip and she would come get them the instant it was time to leave. Properly assured, the twins darted off to see their friend.
Sven, as always, was extremely happy to see his best friend’s children, especially when they showed him the carrots they had brought. As they chatted animatedly about whatever came to mind (although they avoided any mention of the trip), the twins brushed the reindeer’s coarse and rubbed the growing nubs of his antlers. They were so completely caught up in their visit that when Anna and Kristoff came to get them, Ásta and Bergen actually felt some reluctance having to leave their four-legged friend. They hugged Sven goodbye and followed their mother out of the stable while their father stayed behind to talk to his life-long buddy.
Outside, the sled was packed to near full with provisions and gear. Elsa, who had been copped up the entire morning with the council to ensure that all would be well during her absence, was standing by the sled talking to Kai. At the front of the sled stood Sven’s oldest, strongest and most experienced son Tuven, who was busy attempting to catch the few flakes that strayed from Olaf’s flurry; the little snowman was sitting atop the reindeer’s head.
“We’re ready Elsa!” Anna called, firmly gripping the hands of her son and daughter.
Elsa nodded to Kai, who stepped away from the sled. She looked over at her approaching family, raised an eyebrow and commented, “You seem to be missing someone.”
Anna waved a hand as she helped her children into the sled’s back seat. “He’ll be along soon enough. He just needed to talk to Sven.” As if he had heard, Kristoff stepped out of the stables, rubbing the back of his neck. Both sisters could see from his face and posture that he was hurting from Sven’s absence, but he was quick to brighten up as soon as he noticed the concerned looks of his family.
“Who’s ready for a trip to the ice palace?” he called lustily. Amid cheers from the twins, he made an exaggerated bow to Elsa, offering a massive hand as if to assist her onto the sled- a favorite joke he liked to play on his sister-in-law. The queen, who failed to hide how much she hated when he did that, flicked her fingers to create and send a snowball directly into his face. She then gracefully settled herself next to her niece and nephew, who were giggling gleefully at their sputtering father. Anna, who had already settled into the front seat, rolled her eyes and chuckled as Kristoff scrubbed the clinging snow off of his face and stepped into the last open space on the sled. With a snap of the reins, Tuven trotted out of the open gates and towards the path that led to the North Mountain.
An hour into the three-hour ride, the excitement of the trip had nearly completely worn off for the twins and they were beginning to grow restless. It started simply enough, with pokes, teasing faces and the occasional shouted “Stop it!”. However these were quick to escalate into pushes, hits and near-constant yelling, leaving the three adults wondering if it had been wise to bring the young ones along. Eventually Elsa separated the two, placing herself between the feuding children. While this did quiet them for a while, soon enough the twins became once again vocal in their boredom. To entertain them, Elsa created pictures with ice and snow, told stories and sang, her voice often accompanied by Anna and even Kristoff at times. Still, Ásta and Bergen kept moaning and bouncing and generally making a nuisance of themselves to the point that Elsa was preparing to call for a halt and let the two out to play.
Just then, Olaf, still planted on Tuven’s back, let out a happy cry and pointed with a twig finger. The twins’ heads snapped up in unison and their mouths dropped open as the top of the North Mountain, and with it the tips of the ice palace, came into view. Kristoff gave the reins another flick and Tuven sped up. Within minutes, the great palace was fully in sight, its glittering walls contrasting sharply against the dark mountainside.
It was anything Ásta and Bergen could have possibly imagined. As the sled drew closer and closer, the light that played across the ice sides would at times fracture into hundreds of rainbows that darted across the structure before disappearing as swiftly as they appeared.
Then, as Tuven rounded a bend, Ásta and Bergen gasped as they saw a magnificent staircase that arched gracefully from the lower mountain ledge to the castle’s entrance. Beside it was a good-sized cabin and a small, stable-like structure filled with dried pine needles.
Kristoff pulled the reins, forcing a protesting “Nert!” from Tuven. The sled halted in front of the glittering staircase and the twins leapt out with a cheer. Before they could get too far, Anna and Kristoff expertly dismounted and scooped them up before they could make it to the ice stairs.
“Be careful you two!” Anna admonished, trying to ignore how strange it was to hear such a phrase coming from her. “We don’t need any accidents before we even get inside! (where was that coming from?) Let your aunt go first- this is her creation after all.” She turned to give her older sister a broad smile as Elsa walked up next to them. Her demeanor had completely changed- the weariness that came from her never-ending duties as queen had simply vanished, replaced by a look of pride and relaxation. She might have been crowned the Queen of Arendelle, but it was the ice palace that was truly the queen’s domain. From her own knowledge, imagination, skills and pent-up power she had coaxed a true wonder from the surrounding barren land.
The twins were uncharacteristically silent as they watched their aunt approach the stairs. She placed a hand on each railing, paused, and then with a sudden and joyful laugh, she actually ran up the steps, sending her power out in front of her to bathe the structure with a new layer of smooth ice that gleamed with multi-colored light.
By now, Bergen and Ásta were slack-jawed once again. Not only were they amazed by the display of brilliant ever-changing color, but they had witnessed their prim and proper aunt act like… like their mother. It was so completely out of character for her that the two might have remained rooted to the ground had Anna not taken both of their hands and pulled them forward. With that, the trio raced up to the palace’s giant doorway, laughing, cheering and chased by a giggling Olaf. At the top, they stopped, waiting for Kristoff, who had been getting Tuven settled in.
When all of her family had finally assembled at the castle’s doors, Elsa leaned down to Ásta and Bergen’s level. “Are you ready?” she whispered, smiling as their faces lit up with joy. As they cheered, the queen stood up, placed a hand to the door and pushed. The massive structures parted with a deep groan, allowing the twins to see the palace’s interior for the first time.
Even to Anna and Kristoff, who had seen the inside several times before, the view was still awe-inspiring. The entrance hall was grand as ever, with its eternally frozen fountain and spiraling double staircase leading to the masterfully designed balcony and farther up into the upper floors. A large hexagonal snowflake- Elsa’s signature flake- took up the majority of the floor, and could be seen elseware around the castle. Intricate rosemaling of ice and snow graced railings, banisters, ledges and corners, contrasting to the strong, angled geometric shapes that made up much of the structure.
As the newcomers struggled to take everything in, a low rumble filled the air and a rhythmic shaking filled the castle. Bergen and Ásta looked around nervously, trying to locate the source of the noise while drawing closer and closer to their parents. Anna, Kristoff, Elsa and Olaf, however, looked quite unconcerned. Before anyone could speak, a bulky, hulking shape filled the room and a massive, deep voice boomed out.
“MOMMA! AUNT ANNA! UNCLE KRISOFF! OLAF!!”
Before the twins’ very astonished eyes, two gigantic hands reached down to scoop up all three adults and the little snowman. Amid yelps of protests and happy giggles (from Olaf, of course), the four were swept into the embrace of a mighty snow golem, one the twins instantly recognized from their family’s stories.
“Marshmallow!” they whispered in unison.
The behemoth must have heard, for he abruptly dropped his hugging victims to protectively step in front of them, glaring fiercely at the two children, letting out a low, soft growl. Spikes began to slowly rise from his snowy skin.
“No, no, it’s alright Marshmallow, it’s alright, they’re family!” Elsa called frantically, running from out behind him and over to the now thoroughly terrified pair, joined by Anna and Kristoff. The queen knelt down and wrapped an arm around each child, pulling them close while letting them remain visible to her snow guardian.
“Marshmallow, this is Ásta, and this is Bergen. They’re Anna and Kristoff’s children- my niece and nephew. Can you say hello you two?”
Marshmallow lowered himself so that his head was nearly level with the floor and gazed solemnly at them. Suddenly, his face broke into a humongous grin as he raucously roared, “COUSINS!”
Ásta and Bergen yelped and ducked behind their aunt at the loud noise, causing Marshmallow’s face to drop. Looking completely forlorn, he pulled away, stood up and slouched over to a corner, where he proceeded to sit down dejectedly. Surprisingly, it was Ásta, not the normally-outgoing Bergen, who was the first to move. With cautious steps, she delicately made her way over to the sulking golem and ever-so-gently laid a hand on his foot. Looking up, way up, she stared into his grey sockets before giving him a tentative smile.
“Hi, Marshmallow.” The giant blinked a few times and then slowly copied her smile.
“HI” he rumbled in response. By that time Bergen had made his way over. He too looked the behemoth over before managing a soft “Hi” of his own.
“Do you like warm hugs?” Ásta asked, thinking of another certain snowman’s favorite thing. When Marshmallow nodded enthusiastically, she stretched her short arms as far around as much of him as she could.
With that simple gesture, the proverbial ice was broken. Bergen joined his sister, and Marshmallow wrapped a single hand around the both of them, his goofy grin widening. Elsa felt a little bad for breaking up the poignant moment, but there was something she wanted them to see before it got dark.
“Ásta, Bergen, there is something I want to show you. Marshmallow, I promise to bring them back to see you, alright?” The giant creature nodded slowly, and waved as his two new friends followed their aunt, mother and father to the base of the steps. The five looked back at Olaf, who looked at them, back at the quiet Marshmallow, and stepped back to the massive snowman.
“I’m good. I haven’t seen my big-little brother for too long. I’ll see you when you come back.” With that, the small group started up the stairs.
The upper level appeared to be smaller than the lower, although it was no less grand. There were a few doors visible, but it was the one in the center of the hallway that drew everyone’s attention. The door wasn’t all that large, nor was it overly ornate, but it was the image that spanned its surface that caught the eyes of all- a single heart, surrounded by tooth-like protrusions of ice, their tips pointing outwards, as if being flung away from it. Elsa paused momentarily, a shadow crossing her face as she looked at the picture. Then, with a barely perceptible shudder followed by a straightening of her shoulders, she rested a hand on the center of the heart and pushed the doors inward.
The twins looked in expectantly, clearly hoping to see more ice marvels. Their faces fell when they beheld an area almost completely devoid of decoration, save for a shadow of what might have Elsa’s snowflake. A set of double doors directly opposite the entrance were the only other features.
But what might have been uninteresting for the twins was clearly something far different for their aunt. Once more she had stopped, her eyes having taken on a faraway look as they flitted restlessly over the blank area. A single tear formed, welled up, and trickled slowly down her cheek, leaving behind a dark stain. Anna quickly stepped forward and rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. Nothing was said between the two, but with unspoken consent the two sisters gripped hands and waked to the double doors, followed by Kristoff and a very curious Bergen and Ásta.
A final push revealed a scene far surpassing the dullness of the room behind it. From the height of the balcony, the family was witness to a most spectacular view of the mountain range, the tall, rocky protrusions bathed in the light of a dying sun.
The sunset was stunning in and by itself. Pinks, reds, oranges and yellows met the deepening blue, casing a multitude of brilliant colors across the reflective snow and ice. As the sun sank further and further, it sent reddish streaks climbing up the rocky faces of the mountains and set the ice palace aglow.
“I’ve forgotten how beautiful this is” Anna murmured, placing a hand on each of her children’s shoulders. “Every time it gets better and better, I swear.” Elsa and Kristoff nodded in unison, their gazes locked on the horizon. Nothing more was said after that until the sun had completely sunk behind the mountains and darkness began to fall. Kristoff quickly lit the lantern he had brought along and handed it over to Elsa, who led the group back into the bare room. As they passed over the threshold, Elsa stopped, trembling and dropping to her knees. Anna carefully walked up to her sister, keeping close but without touching her. She murmured softly, calmly, waiting for the fear to subside. As Elsa’s shaking stilled, Bergen peeked around his mother.
“Aun’ Elsa, why are you so scared?”
Anna stiffened, gasping at her son’s seeming insensitivity. “Bergen Caj Bjorgman! That is not nice to say to your aunt! Apolo…” Elsa rested a hand on her sister’s shoulder, stopping her.
“No, no, Anna, it’s alright. He doesn’t know. In fact…” Elsa pushed herself back to her feet and helped Anna to hers. “I think it’s time that they heard our story.” The twins perked up at the word “story”, but their mother frowned.
“Elsa, are you sure?”
The queen nodded, pulling her niece and nephew close. As she did, she noticed that they, their mother and father were starting to shiver as the temperature dropped with the setting of the sun. Of course, she hadn’t noticed, but she knew they needed to get to someplace warmer.
“Let’s go to the cabin and warm you all up. I promise I will tell you the story there.” With that reassurance, the five went down to the main level just in time to witness Olaf and Marshmallow involved in some sort of indeterminable game that involved ice skating across the slick floor while trying to hit a disc of ice with stick-like icicles. Olaf, being the clumsy snowman he was, tripped and went smashing into Marshmallow’s much more solid body. His body went pin-wheeling off towards the wall while his head soared towards his creator, who caught it with practiced ease. Bergen and Ásta immediately went chasing after Olaf’s stumbling bottom sections, giggling madly as they engaged in their favorite pastime- “catch Olaf’s body parts.”
Within moments the cheerful little snowman was reassembled and ready to play once more. After wishing the family good night, he turned to his much larger counterpart and pushed the disc in his direction with a characteristically wide grin.
“Just don’t destroy the palace while we’re away.” Elsa said with mock sternness, failing to hide the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth.
…..
After a plain yet satisfying supper and a few chocolates thawed from their ride on the sled, Ásta and Bergen curled up with their aunt, mother and father by the fire, their eyes and expectant. They had been promised a new story, but for Elsa, there was no excitement, just fear and pain. She knew, of course, that they day would come when she would have to relate the harrowing tale of her isolation and the Great Freeze, but she had continued to hold onto the irrational hope that it would be held off indefinitely.
She clenched her jaw, trying to quell the anxiety swirling around inside like a raging blizzard. Her breath came in short, sharp bursts while ice began to grow under her fingernails. Warm hands wrapped around hers, and she opened her eyes, fully expecting to see her sister. Instead, she came face-to-face with her niece and nephew clutching her fear-cold hands in theirs. Even at the tender age of five, they knew when their aunt needed comfort.
“It’s okay, Aun’ Elsa. If you don’ wanna tell the story, it’s okay.” Bergen said seriously, while Ásta nodded her agreement.
“Yeah!” she said cheerfully, “We can tell our own stories!”
A new, warm feeling began to take override Elsa’s fear. Pulling her hands free, she drew the children into a hug, seeing tears in Anna’s eyes that mirrored her own. Even Kristoff appeared to be wiping something from his face.
“No little ones, this is a story I have to tell you. Just… just be patient, alright?” When the twins nodded, she gave them an extra squeeze and began.
“Your mother knew about my powers when she was very young, and she loved very much.”
“Just like us!” Ásta said with a grin.
Elsa had to smile. “Yes, just like the two of you.” Then her mood sobered. “But one night when I was eight and she was five…”
Elsa continued on with her painful tale. She tried her best to keep it as short and simple as possible while at the same time trying to remain emotionally detached, but she was often forced to stop and attempt to calm herself before continuing. When she came to the part when she froze Anna’s heart, she suddenly pulled away from Ásta and Bergen and left the room for several long minutes. Still, she kept going, kept talking. The cabin’s temperature dropped, and frost repeatedly advanced and retreated from the walls, but the small audience kept listening, untouched by her powers.
When she had finished, Elsa fell completely silent, tense with anxiety. She didn’t know just how much the five-year-olds really understood, but she was certain that they had understood enough and she feared that they were afraid of her. She hugged her arms around her body, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, regretting her decision to speak and waiting for her beloved niece and nephew to shrink away.
They did nothing of the sort.
As fast as their relatively short legs would carry them, Bergen and Ásta closed the minute distance between them and their aunts. Grunting in unison, they latched onto Elsa’s legs with surprisingly fierce grips, nearly toppling her over. Somehow she was able to kneel without falling, and was met with two pairs of arms wrapping around her middle.
“It’s okay, Aunt Elsa, we’ve got you, we love you.” Ásta’s statement was both simple and yet heartfelt. Elsa bit back a sob and buried her face in the twins’ hair, hugging them fiercely. Their unfailing acceptance of her darker past was almost more than she could comprehend. Even with Anna’s continued love and support of her older sister despite all that had transpired, Elsa still held a deep-seated fear that one day she would wake up abandoned or driven out for good.
Eventually Elsa was able to pull herself away from the twins. “Thank you,” she whispered, kissing both on the forehead. After a quick glance at his wife, Kristoff came over and gripped his children’s hands.
“I think we’ve all had enough excitement for one day. It’s time for bed- for all of us,” he added with a significant glance at his sister-in-law and wife. Bergen and Ásta grumbled, as the word bed was a form of five-year-old torture, but even they were finding it difficult to fight it. As they followed their father up to the cabin’s loft, Anna went over to where her sister remained seated, staring into the dying flames. From the look on her face, Anna knew exactly what her older sister was thinking.
“One of these days, I hope you learn that all of us love you unconditionally, and we’re not going to leave you. And you- you are capable of so much love it’s unbelievable.” She sat down next to Elsa and wrapped both arms around her, saying nothing more, but simply remained close, offering comfort with her physical touch. Eventually the two of them fell asleep on the rug, curled in the other’s arms.
…..
Early morning fell on the cabin, lighting up the interior with dusky pinks, oranges, yellows and reds. Peace reigned for several moments, until it was completely shattered by a deep yell.
“Anna! Elsa! Wake up! Wake up!”
Inside the cabin, the two sisters came awake with a start, tumbling apart and frantically blinking the last vestiges of sleep. Kristoff had burst into the main room, his eyes wide and face agitated. Before either sister could ask what had happened, he uttered a terrifying sentence.
“That’s it Princess! Keep pushing just like that; the babe will be here soon enough!”
“ARGH!”
At her sister’s cry, Elsa pressed her cool hand against her sister’s sweaty brow, doing her best to smile encouragingly while at the same time desperately trying to keep the entire room from freezing over. It was early spring, two years after the Great Thaw, and Anna was delivering her first child. The fact that the baby was coming early was more than enough to push Elsa into creating a foot of snow in the bedroom- and that was the last thing anyone needed. Anna needed her big sister more than ever now, and after thirteen years of shutting her out, Elsa refused to leave, no matter what happened.
After a few more seconds of straining, the princess lay back with a groan, chest heaving and face beet-red. She turned to her older sister and flashed a weak grin, a much smaller version of her normal, all-teeth-showing-cheek-splitting huge trademark grin.
“So… apparently having a child is really, really painful.” Anna rasped.
“I’ve heard. I wish I could do something more for you.” Elsa replied, carefully laying her bare hands on both of Anna’s cheeks, causing her to let out a relieved sigh.
“Oooh that feels so good right now. That’s what helps. Everything is so warm, and not like Olaf’s-warm-hugs-warm, more like… Uhhh!”The younger sister leaned forward abruptly, moaning as the midwife called encouragement from between her legs. Elsa wrapped an arm around her sister’s back to support her, wishing once more that there was something, anything that she could actually do to alleviate the pain.
“There’s the head. You’re doing well Princess! Just a few more pushes, that’s it!” The midwife’s voice cut through Elsa’s meandering thoughts, forcing her back the task on hand. She used her free hand to grasp Anna’s, letting out a short yelp when that hand was squeezed so tightly Elsa was afraid it might have been broken. Anna let out a few more cries, and then suddenly, violently, threw herself forward, a strange sound- somewhere between a scream and a roar- resonating from her throat. That’s when a cry, so small and yet so shrill, cut through the air, followed seconds later by the midwife’s excited yell of “It’s a girl!”
For the second time, Anna threw herself back onto the pillows, but this time she was laughing, while Elsa smiled broadly. When the midwife placed the cleaned and swaddled infant in her sister’s arms, tears spilled from both mother and aunt as they looked into the eyes of the newborn.
“Oh Elsa, she’s just so… perfect!” Anna croaked. Elsa had to agree. Wide blue eyes peered out of an impossibly small, freckled face, observing the two women with an expression of wonder. A wisp of strawberry-blonde hair curled from the little girl’s forehead. The only thing that concerned Elsa was that the infant was a tiny thing, easily fitting in just one of sister’s arms. Just then Anna cried out and laid her free hand on her stomach.
“Anna! What’s…”Elsa started, but she was cut off by the midwife.
“There’s a second baby on the way! You need to push again my lady!” The last sentence the midwife uttered fell on deaf ears. The Princess and the Queen could only process the first while staring at one another in complete shock.
Twins! Anna’s having twins! That thought kept reverberating through Elsa’s mind. Now everything made sense- how quickly Anna’s belly had grown, the early birth and the small size of her niece- she was going to be an aunt to two children.
“My lady, you need to push!” The midwife’s voice cut through Elsa’s musings yet again, but this time Anna could only shake her head.
“I...I…can’t…I can’t…” Tears coursed down her cheeks as she pleadingly looked around. That was all Elsa needed to jump into action.
“Anna look at me.” Elsa commanded in her most Queenly tone. She leaned forward and placed herself directly in her sister’s line of sight. “You can do this, do you understand? You’re the strongest, toughest, most amazing person that I know. I will be right here for you, and you will have your baby. I won’t leave your side. Now, are you ready?” Anna sucked in a breath, and then nodded. She handed the baby girl over to the midwife’s assistant, and looked towards Elsa once again. The Queen nodded calmly and picked up Anna’s nearest hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She got a much harder one in return as Anna gritted her teeth and bore down. Through every push, every curse, every bone-breaking squeeze, Elsa stayed firm. She spoke words of encouragement, sent soft gusts of air to cool Anna down, or simply laid a hand on her sister to let her know that all would be well.
Just when Elsa thought that Anna would not be able to make it any longer, her younger sister shot forward once again and screamed. Her scream was met by a brand-new cry, followed by the midwife’s shout of “It’s a boy!”
Anna’s tears from before were nothing compared to the ones that rushed down her face as both her son and her daughter were placed in her trembling arms. Seeing Elsa leaning close, she smiled and shifted her arm so that her older sister could see her new nephew. Like his sister, the tiny boy had strawberry blonde hair, although his was lighter, and his eyes were a light brown, not blue.
Anna gave a soft sigh of contentment. “Look at them, Elsa, they’re so beautiful! Look at his eyes- they’re just like Kris… oh, Kristoff!” Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered her absent husband. Kristoff, despite the deep and obvious love he had for his wife, had been so clearly nervous and panicked when Anna had experienced her beginning contractions that both sisters had eventually kicked him out of the room, knowing that he would probably end up fainting at some point. An unconscious ice harvester would make things much more difficult in the long run. Elsa snorted in a very un-queenly fashion, stood up, doing her best to subtly work out the kinks that had developed from sitting so long and started to the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll get him. Rest, we’ll be back soon.”
Elsa pushed the door to Anna room open as soundlessly as she could and found Arendelle’s Ice Master with his back towards her, staring out the window to observe the dawn of a new day. For a few brief seconds, Elsa allowed her mind to drift to the citizens below, many of whom would be starting their day unaware of the newest members of the royal family. Well, they would be aware of them soon enough, but right now there was someone far more important who needed to be informed.
“Kristoff?”
The Ice Master turned so swiftly Elsa startled and unwittingly sent a brief burst of snowflakes shooting out of her fingers. She quickly composed herself and gave her brother-in-law a small smile before answering his unasked question.
“Anna is absolutely fine, just very tired. The babies are perfectly healthy.”
Kristoff nodded, and then froze. “Wait, did you say babies!?”
Elsa’s smile grew. “Yes, I did. Congratulations Kristoff, you have a daughter and a son.”
Kristoff stood stock-still for several long moments, and then unexpectedly leapt into the air with an ecstatic shout. With no further ceremony, he raced to the door of Anna’s room and went in. Elsa chuckled quietly and shook her head. Who knew that the reclusive and quiet ice harvester was capable of such explosive emotion? Nevertheless, Elsa was extremely glad to see that Kristoff’s happiness at fatherhood.
The Snow Queen started past the now-open door, intending on passing by and giving the new family some privacy. She couldn’t help but to peek in, and what she saw warmed her heart in a way few things could. The midwife and her assistants were gone from the room, leaving the parents alone. Kristoff was now laying on the far side of the bed next to Anna. One of his arms was wrapped around her shoulders, and she was resting on his broad chest. Anna held the baby girl while Kristoff easily engulfed her tiny brother in his muscular arm. The two were clearly enthralled by the infants, and the heartfelt love emanating from the new parents caused icy tears of joy to flow down Elsa’s cheeks. She sent them away with a mere movement of her fingers, and although she hated to leave the beautiful scene, she turned to leave. That’s when she heard her name.
“Elsa? Come on back in here and greet your niece and nephew properly.” Anna called.
“It’s alright, Anna, I can see them later. You two should have some time alone with them.” Elsa replied.
Anna frowned and straightened up, pulling away from Kristoff’s chest. “Nuh-uh. This time is for family, and you are part of the family. Now get your icy butt in here before I do it for you.” She started to swing a leg out of the bed and winced slightly, causing Kristoff to catch her arm and for Elsa to rush in.
“Whoa there fiestypants, you just had two kids! Elsa, please do what she says before she hurts herself.” Kristoff grunted. Elsa sighed and relented, although secretly she was quite happy to see the newborns once again. Settling back into the chair she had previously occupied, (it was clear to everyone present that she was not happy to be in that position again) she looked down at the two new members of her family. Before she could say or do anything, Anna shifted and placed the little girl in her sister’s arms, stating quite simply, “Elsa, meet your niece Ásta.”
Elsa stiffened the moment she felt the slight weight placed in her arms. Old fears died hard, and although it had been two years since Elsa had struck Anna’s heart, that same anxiety remained.
However, in that instant, Ásta chose to raise a tiny hand towards her aunt’s face. It fell short of its goal, but that single, innocent movement broke through Elsa’s icy fears, melting them away. She reached down with her pinkie and immediately Ásta grabbed hold, her grip surprisingly strong and warm. In fact, all of Ásta was warm, apparently unaffected by Elsa’s natural cold.
“Hello there little Ásta. I’m your Aunt Elsa.” From there, words completely failed her, and, struck by some quiet urge, she leaned down to kiss Ásta’s cheek. Her niece didn’t flinch, didn’t shiver, but rather snuggled closer in response to her aunt’s affection.
At that moment, perhaps somehow sensing that his sister had become the center of attention, the little boy let out a short, sharp cry, squirming in his blanket. Elsa couldn’t help but to laugh and returned Ásta to Anna’s arms and taking her proffered nephew from Kristoff. “Meet Bergen,” he rumbled quietly.
Unlike his calm and affectionate sister, Bergen was not content to merely lay still and bask in his aunt’s love. Instead, he fussed and wriggled, forcing Elsa to continuously adjust her grip. Suddenly, an old, near-forgotten lullaby that her mother had once sung came to Elsa’s mind as she stood and began to quietly sing, rocking Bergen in a soothing motion.
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Still singing, Elsa noticed Bergen’s eyelids begin to droop. She held him close, noticing that much like his sister, he remained warm even in Elsa’s embrace. Like she did for Ásta, Elsa kissed Bergen’s cheek before bringing him over to her chair and sat down once again, carefully pulling the chair closer to the bed. Without a word, Anna passed Ásta over to Elsa so that she could hold both twins. As she pulled them close, her heart close to bursting love, Elsa finished her lullaby.
Deep peace to you…
As the babies drifted off to sleep, Elsa turned to her sister and brother-in-law, tears streaming down her face. After thirteen years of isolation and self-loathing, the new additions to Elsa’s world were almost most too much. However, she knew deep down that no matter how things went from that day, no matter what she had to face, her family had grown, and she would grow with it.
