#also elsa and anna are nerds but on different levels and domains fight me at dawn on this headcanon

[justlookatthosesausages]

Lol that actually gave me an idea, a time travel prompt with Anna and Elsa witnessing the day the spirits cut off the enchanted forest and see their parents before their lives changed forever.

Oh my, the FEELS. This is going to be so much fun to write dundundunnn 

=======

Elsa blinked, looking around. That flash had blinded her a bit, and when she looked around for her sister to make sure she was still near and safe, she saw by her flickering eyes that she was as startled as her.

“Uhm… What the heck just happened?” Asked Anna.

Before the blonde made any speculations, she frowned and scolded her sister. 

“I told you to not touch that rock.”

“But it was shiny!” Complained Anna, and she had a sorry pout. Her curiosity had led them in a weird situation... And it wasn’t the first time it did. 

Elsa sighed, then looked around as she thought. “I know those woods by heart now. I’ve never seen this rock before. And it was emanating a big amount of magic.”

“It was glowing a lot. I can easily imagine it was.” Nodded Anna.

The Snow Queen tried to understand what happened. Her younger had bent to pick up the rock, and then suddenly a flash covered them, but… Nothing seemed to have changed. The woods around them looked the same, and they were still standing at the same place. 

Elsa’s eyes narrowed when she then noticed something. 

“Wasn’t that tree… Way bigger when we passed by it?”

Anna turned at her gesture, and nodded. “Yep.”

The redhead then pointed at the sky. “The clouds also completely changed, for some reason.” 

Elsa lifted her hand and didn’t notice much difference, yet trusted her. She hadn’t paid attention to the sky, and on that, she congratulated her sister for her sense of observation. Anna also knew the name of the different types of clouds. Even if that knowledge came from years of boredom due to the isolation, it still was impressive. She nodded. 

“Yeah. The clouds are different. It’s weird. Did… Time pass? Did we faint?”

Anna held her chin as she thought. “I don’t remember falling down. I was getting up when the flash happened, so it’s not that. Also, the sun still has the same position, no?”

“It does. You’re right.”

The Queen smiled. “Look, I’m sorry for touching that magic rock. But we’re both safe, so maybe we should go back to the camp and ask if they saw something different.”

Elsa agreed with her decision. They walked back to the Sami camp from where they had taken a walk, and the Fifth Spirit heard a tinkling between the trees on their right. She also felt in the air that it was Gale, and she smiled. 

“Maybe we could ask Gale if they noticed something.”

They walked to the Spirit.

“Oh, they’re playing with a kid.” Said Anna.

The sisters now were a hundred meters away from them, but they still hadn’t noticed their presence. The Wind Spirit and the child, apparently a girl, were too busy having fun to do so. 

“Wait… I’ve seen that face somewhere.” Frowned Anna, bending her head in confusion. “Is she one of the Northuldra kids?”

She tried to remember where she saw that child’s face before, and as she was playing with Gale and moving around in flips, it was hard to look at her face. 

Then it suddenly hit her. And apparently, it hit Elsa at the same time. They instantly stopped walking.

“It’s Mother.” They both exhaled at the same time, and gasped in disbelief. 

There was no doubt. She looked exactly like the ice statues of her they had seen again and again in Ahtohallan on their regular visits. 

“Elsa, it’s…” Started Anna, a smile stretching her lips. 

She was about to say ‘miraculous’, but her elder ended the sentence in another way. 

“…Impossible.” 

They turned to each other, and exchanged a glance. 

“What do you mean?”

“How… How is she here? It can’t be.” Now whispered Elsa, to make sure that Iduna wasn’t hearing them. She also made sure that her magic was low, keeping a full control on it, to not warn Gale of her presence. 

“It can’t be? Come on, you were born with magic. Anything is possible. Look! It’s amazing!”

She pointed at their mother, for now only a teen, and she was giggling in the distance with a melodious Wind Spirit who also shared her joy. 

“How are we here then?”

“Well, we probably time traveled.”

“Time travel doesn’t exist, Anna! We’re not in one of your fantasy novels!” Blinked Elsa with a frown, trying to keep things logical and facts-based. 

Anna shook her head with an eye-roll. “You’re able to see memories of the past, but this surprises you?”

She walked forward. “Come on, I’m done whispering. It’s Mama right there, I’ve always dreamed of this moment! We can talk to her!”

“No, no no no.” Forbid Elsa, placing her arm in front of her younger sister. 

“What? Why?”

The Snow Queen couldn’t believe she was asking that question.

“Have you never read time traveling novels??” Grumbled Elsa. 

“You just said earlier that I did. Of course I did. You’re contradicting yourself now.” Mocked Anna, even if she knew that it was rhetorical.  

“Then you must remember that in every story, when the hero interacts with past events, it alters the future.”

“Yeah, in stories.” Underlined the Queen. 

“No, you don’t get it! In life too! - I can’t believe I’m stating this, but…” Interrupted herself Elsa. “…Anna, we can’t talk to our mother right now. We just can’t. We shouldn’t. Otherwise, everything will change in the future. In our future. Maybe… Maybe even none of us will be born.”

Anna considered each of her words, taking the news in. She was right… But not completely. 

“…Then why are we here?”

“Because you touched a magic rock!” Reminded Elsa.

“No, I mean… Why are we here, alive? If changing the past changes the future, our present time, then we can’t exist in our version, right?”

The blonde opened her mouth to reply, then closed it. Then opened it again, then closed it again. “Oh.”

“Is it a time paradox?” Understood Anna.

“It totally is a time paradox.” Sighed Elsa, closing her eyes. 

“Don’t go dramatic. It’s good news. It means that we can intervene!”

“No, it doesn’t really work that way…” Started Elsa.

Suddenly, it was like the air snapped. Something completely changed. In one second, the whole situation flipped. 

Elsa’s head quickly turned when she heard the familiar - too familiar - sound of steel from swords getting drawn.

“Oh no.”

“What?!” Worried Anna, who also felt that something was happening, but couldn’t tell what yet.

Gale had stopped playing with Iduna, who got dropped on her feet to the ground, and left behind by the Wind Spirit who hurried away. Some yells and grunts were heard in the distance, but it was too far to see what it was.

“It’s today.” Muttered Elsa, her eyes filling with tears. Sad, panicked and powerless tears.

The Queen frowned, then gasped when she understood. Iduna frowned in confusion at why the Spirit had left her, and heard the noises from afar, so she followed them. 

“No, she shouldn’t go where the fight is!” Exclaimed Anna, way too loud.

Iduna jolted at her voice, closer than the noises she heard before, and quickly turned to where the sisters where standing. Elsa gasped and strongly grabbed Anna to drag her behind a thick tree. Thankfully, they were far enough for their young mother to not spot them. 

“Elsa! What are you– hm-hmmm!” Got muffled Anna, Elsa slamming a hand on her mouth. 

“Shhh!” Warned the blonde, her eyes wide. 

She peeked behind the tree to see if Iduna had walked closer, and the girl still was searching where the voice had come from. 

“E-hah!” Tried to say Anna, her mouth still under Elsa’s hand. 

Her elder gestured her to stay silent with a finger on her own lips. 

“E-HAH!” Insisted Anna, gesturing at the hand Elsa had on her face, and trying to get free of her hold. 

“SHHHH! Will you shush up? You’re going to get us caught!” Whispered Elsa on the lowest tone possible despite her panic and anger. 

She looked at Iduna, but thankfully, though for the worst, she got distracted by the growing sounds of battle and ran to go help. 

After making sure that their mother had ran away and they were alone in that corner of the woods again, she let go of Anna’s mouth. The later gasped of relief as she did so, panting. 

“What is wrong with you?” Frowned Elsa. “She almost saw us! Why were you wriggling like that?!”

The redhead intensely rubbed her cheeks and mouth with her hands, trying to heat them. 

“Your hand was SUPER COLD!” 

Elsa’s eyes widened at the sudden realization. 

“Oh my goodness!! I didn’t notice, I… I was so stressed that I made magic in my palms, and… Oh Anna, I’m so sorry!!”

She hurried to check her state. 

“I’m alright.” Assured Anna, still rubbing her face however. “This just feels like I plunged my head into the fjord. This is fine.”

Elsa had a worried and sorry eyebrows expression, and clenched her fists to take all magic off her hands. She then rubbed them along her younger sister’s arms, apologizing in loops. 

This made Anna laugh, but her laughter stopped when they heard the fight between the Northuldra and the Arendelle soldiers getting closer. 

They looked at the fight that was playing a crucial part in their common past.

“Come on, we have to hide.” Advised Elsa, showing bushes a bit further. “We’ll wait here for now, and then cross the mist on the other way once it’s formed. We’ll just have to hold hands and it will part.”

“Wait, you want us to leave?!” Blurted Anna, eyes growing wide. 

“We should. The forest stayed this way for more than 30 years, and we can’t change the course of events by hiding inside… What do you think?” Elsa inquired, trying to build a plan. 

The redhead wasn’t responding, her eyes still wide and staring at the fight. She had just spotted their parents in the battle now arriving close. She also recognized the Arendelle soldiers in younger versions of themselves, and some Northuldra people as well. 

But she gulped when she saw how events turned.

Mattias was struggling to protect Agnarr. Even if she knew that he would make it, according to the future, she couldn’t help but worry. And Iduna looked panicked, frantically looking around and confused at why the Arendelle soldiers suddenly attacked. 

That was too much for Anna. Her natural and legendary impatience forced her body to move. She turned and already launched herself for a sprint. 

“NO, ANNA!” Muttered Elsa, her voice strong but wheezing to keep it as low as a whisper. 

Anna got restrained by a hand holding hers firmly, and her whole body stopped in one jerk at Elsa’s force. She almost lost her balance, surprised by her sister’s strength. 

“What are you DOING?” The Queen said through gritted teeth as she twirled around. 

“Preventing you from doing a big mistake.”

“But we can HELP! We can save them!”

“NO, we CAN’T!” Insisted Elsa. “Imagine what would happen if–”

“If we change the future? Yes, I got it. But if we’re alive, it means that we made it. Nothing changed.”

Elsa shook her head. “No. Nothing changed because we stayed here and did nothing. Nothing changed because we will do nothing.” She clarified. 

Anna looked at her, and there was a long silence between them as they stared at each other. Only the distant sound of battle punctuated it. Elsa sighed with a shaking breath.

“Anna, you have no idea how much I want to change the past too. When I saw Mama, I just wanted to run to her and take care of her. But…” 

The redhead had thought that Elsa was getting bossy and a killjoy, but her eyes now were filling with genuine tears.

“…We can’t. I’m sorry.”

Another silence filled the space between them.

“Don’t. Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. I’m actually sorry myself for pushing you.” Murmured the Queen. 

She turned to the battle, a sad yet decisive expression on her face. 

“Okay, where’s your hiding spot?”

Elsa smiled at Anna’s choice of vocabulary to light up their mood. 

“Over there. Nobody will see us.”

They crouched on the grass, Elsa in lotus position and Anna sitting with her legs bent and her chin on her knees. 

“And now we wait?”

“And now we wait.” Nodded Elsa.