#the way anna treats elsa even before she finds out about the powers....

[sallysetoncore]

we're not having sex. put your clothes back on. i'm analyzing disney's 2013 animated film Frozen again. yes . again. why would you think i would be having sex i'm relating to a disney princess again

[booksteaandtoomuchtv]

Witchy Woman (2/10)

0.5 | 1 | AO3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

art by @cocohook38

Summary: When Emma came into her position as Storybrooke Coven Leader, she ended things with the powerful Vampire Overlord, Killian Jones. She’s spent over a decade working alongside him and ignoring the growing tension between them.

During his best mate’s wedding, Killian decides he is done waiting. He is ready to have his mate back in his arms (and bed) again. Emma is not an easy woman to woo, but Killian has never backed down from a challenge.

When Emma’s jilted ex-boyfriend returns to town and Emma goes missing, Killian will stop at nothing to get her back and ensure that nothing can ever separate them again.

Rating: E

CW: Mention of domestic abuse, blood and blood drinking (vampires), threatening situations, minor violence, death, mention of parental death

Entry for Captain Swan Supernatural Summer 2023 (@cssns)

Tagging: @anmylica, @elfiola , @jrob64, @kmomof4 , @stahlop, @teamhook, @tiganasummertree, @undercaffinatednightmare, @xarandomdreamx, @zaharadessert

Author Note: This chapter has over 2400 words. It had about that many commas until the lovely, patient, and enduring @ultraluckycatnd worked her magic. Any remaining commas that are misplaced are late adds for which she is not responsible. This is coming to you early because it has BEEN A WEEK and it is only Tuesday. Here is a treat for us all because we deserve it.

“Coffee?”

Emma shot her sister an annoyed glare; she was far too chipper for the early hour. Ruby just grinned back at her, pulling out two coffee mugs and filling them. She added a sugar cube to one before sliding it over to Emma. Eying the mug with some suspicion, Emma accepted the warm cup, cradling it in her hands as if it held the most precious thing she’d ever encountered. She breathed in the strong nutty and flowery aroma of the steam rising from the mug. She could feel the drowsiness starting to retreat before she took her first sip. 

No sooner had the mug reached her lips when Ruby cleared her throat. Emma glanced up to find Ruby looking at her expectantly. She took a sip to steady herself before dealing with, well, with whatever it was that had Ruby all excitable this morning. 

“Soo..?” Ruby prompted.

Emma looked at the mug in her hands with a mixture of betrayal and sorrow. “You’re just a bribe,” she muttered somewhat mournfully. 

“What did Killian say to you last night?” 

“I ran into Neal on my way home after the wedding,” Emma answered suddenly. 

“What is he doing back?” Ruby demanded. Her playfulness dropped completely, anger flashing behind her eyes. 

“Gods only know,” Emma said.

“Emma, this can only be bad. I am getting Elsa, Anna, and Mary Margaret over here, right now,” Ruby was already reaching for her phone. The phone jumped from its position on the counter, grazing her fingers. Ruby scowled at Emma. “Seriously?”

“We don’t know that he is staying or why he was even here.”

“We don’t need to know anything more than he was here.” She cursed under her breath as her phone was pulled from her grasp once again. “Emma!” 

“I am only telling you because I need you to find out if he is staying,” Emma admitted, letting Ruby get the phone this time. “We don’t need to get anyone else involved until we know there is something to worry about.” 

“You only told me because you thought I’d forget about whatever happened between Killian and you last night,” Ruby said, pointedly. 

“I want to know before anyone else bumps into him. Please, Ruby?”

“Fine, I’ll help,” Ruby agreed. “But, the second I get back…” Ruby was already walking toward the door, her wolf-half eager to track down prey.

“I know, I know,” Emma murmured to the empty room.

§§§§    §§§§    §§§§    §§§§

Ruby returned before lunch without much success. She had lost his trail at the town line; magic tended to be a bit unpredictable at the extents of the town for reasons that had yet to be discovered. Her intuition told her that he hadn’t left town, but she hadn’t been able to pick up his scent again. 

Emma frowned as she tried to puzzle out what Neal was doing back in Storybrooke. Her own magic whispered warnings that filled her with a nervous energy she hadn’t felt in decades. The minutes she’d spent in his presence had taken her right back to that dreadful place she’d been when they’d separated all those years ago. She may have been a powerful witch, the most powerful witch in Storybrooke, but just seeing Neal had ripped away her self-confidence and left her feeling small, powerless - the way he’d made her feel as a teen. 

“We have to tell them.”

“I know.”

“Today?”

Emma nodded. “Key lime or pecan?” 

Ruby wrinkled her nose. “Apple.”

“Mary Margaret hates apples.”

“Blueberry, then.”

“Blueberry it is,” Emma agreed, jumping off the bar stool and crossing to the pantry to start baking. She couldn’t remember who had started the tradition but whenever a family meeting was called, the hostess provided a sweet treat. Emma had settled on perfecting pies, Ruby typically brought ice cream, Anna and Elsa always brought an elaborate chocolate creation, and Mary Margaret surprised them with something that likely came from that baking competition programme she adored. 

As she started on the pie, her mind quieted as her thoughts turned to the task at hand. The physical task centred her in the present after the unrest of the last day or so - which is likely why they’d continued this tradition. 

It felt like moments later when Elsa walked through the door, her greeting was interrupted when her twin rushed in after. “We’re the first ones here.” The triumphant look Anna threw Elsa had Emma fighting to suppress a smile. Elsa felt that being five minutes early somewhere was late. But Anna’s conduit abilities meant she was often distracted by the fluctuations of the ambient magic, losing track of time and days at times when the magical field was particularly dynamic. It was a common exchange between the two, and Emma felt oddly comforted by the familiarity of the disagreement. 

Elsa looked toward the ceiling, pleading with the gods for patience, before turning her attention back to Emma. “Is there tea?” 

Emma gestured toward the empty kettle, still firmly suppressing her smile, but her eyes danced mischievously. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here already.” 

“Oh, don’t you start,” Elsa warned.

“Ruby lives here and she isn’t even here,” Emma waved her hand to indicate the kitchen and living space around them. She couldn’t hide her smug smile when Elsa slammed the lid on the kettle harder than necessary before placing it on the flame. 

“You and Killian were awfully cosy last night,” Anna’s voice was all innocent interest. 

“You promised me,” Ruby added, her timing as impeccable as always. Between her wolf hearing and her telepathic magic, she rarely missed the moment a conversation became particularly interesting. 

“This can’t be the most pressing thing we need to discuss.”

“Well, Mary Margaret isn’t here to discuss more serious matters,” Ruby reasoned.

When all three pairs of eyes looked at her expectantly, Emma sighed. “Fine.” She took a moment to prepare herself. “He just said something ridiculous like ‘It’s time,’ or whatever. I think he wants us to try dating again.” Even though she’d tried to sound unaffected as she spoke, her cheeks burned as she recalled how exactly how he said Time’s up and the thick tension that had been in the air between them. 

As expected, they all spoke at once.

“About damn time.”

“What are you going to do?” 

“Get it!” 

Emma answered Elsa since she was the only one to actually ask a question. “I think,” she sighed, “I don’t know.”

“Well, what do you want?” Anna asked.

“Killian’s main mast,” Ruby answered with a wolfish grin. 

Mary Margaret tapped on the door before entering, saving Emma from addressing that particular innuendo. A crease formed between Mary Margaret’s brow as she read the energy and auroras in the room. “Oooh, what have I interrupted?” 

“Emma was just telling us what she is going to do about Killian,” Anna relayed. 

Emma caught Elsa’s eyes before they went wide and unfocused, indicating that a vision had taken her from the present into a possible future. No one else seemed to have notice, because they were catching Mary Margaret up on the short conversation she missed.

“So, the question remains,” Mary Margaret said, “are you going to give him the chance?”

Eyes cleared and voice dreamy, Elsa responded, “Oh, Emma, you just have to.” 

Emma studied Elsa, trying to determine what her sister had seen in that vision. Elsa shook her head; she apparently wasn’t going to get any of the answers she was desperate to know. 

“Well, that settles it,” Anna said, as though an actual decision had been reached. Elsa turned back to pouring tea for everyone. Anna jumped up to divide the pie for everyone, sliding plates in front of them and chatting away excitedly about blueberries and pies and a thousand other things. Emma stood a bit dumbfounded at how quickly the topic had been dropped, but her magic thrummed through her as though it agreed with her sisters. She may refuse to believe Elsa without the details of her vision, but going against her magic would be foolish on a level that Emma most decidedly wasn’t.

“Now, for the other situation?” Ruby prompted between bites of pie.

Emma slipped into business mode, her voice matter-of-fact as she relayed the exchange with Neal and Ruby’s tracking efforts from that morning. When she’d finished Mary Margaret frowned, that crease between her eyebrows returning. “Do you think he is back to challenge Killian for his position as vampire overlord?”

“It’s likely,” admitted Emma. It had been her first thought, once she’d been able to rationally think about him materialising beside her last night. Before anyone could suggest it, Emma added, “I don’t want to bring Killian into this until we know that Neal is staying.”

“Emma, you should tell him now,” said Anna. Mary Margaret nodded her agreement.

“He’ll lose his mind,” Emma countered. She had decided, with the not-so-subtle urging of their magic, to welcome Killian back into her heart. She wasn’t sure she was ready to bring Neal up in the same conversation. She deserved that conversation to be a happy one; they both did.

“With good reason,” Ruby said, her eyes heavy with meaning. “He remembers what happened last time.”

“And I’ve forgotten?” Emma snapped back. Her rising temper was suddenly dampened, Mary Margaret’s magic pulsing out to calm the rising emotions in the room. Emma cut her eyes at Mary Margaret, she wanted to be angry. Needed it, right now. Otherwise, she worried she’d give into the fear at the heart of the anger. 

“That isn’t what Ruby meant,” Mary Margaret smoothed. 

“Well, it happened to me. I haven’t forgotten. I am stronger, now. Much stronger,” Emma spit out, holding on tightly to whatever anger she could with the happy spell still pulsing in the air around them. 

“We just want you to be safe. Having the vampires in town watching your back isn’t a bad idea,” Elsa added. 

“I will tell him,” Emma said. As soon as I know Neal is still in town. 

“Good,” Anna nodded. As chatter turned toward Mary Margaret’s upcoming honeymoon, Emma’s thoughts churned with memories better buried. The fear she felt the night Neal had tried to bite her as she fought him off, her telekinesis too weak at seventeen to throw him,  rising to the surface. She couldn’t recall the words he’d threatened her with, but she remembered the whine in his voice as she resisted, scratching and clawing anywhere her hands made purchase. He’d wanted to drain her of her power, to absorb it as he fed from her unwillingly, so that he could overthrow the weakening vampire overlord. 

Fortunately, Ruby returned home early. Her wolf form, even at thirteen, was strong enough to damage a weak vampire. She’d torn him off Emma before returning to tend to Emma’s injuries. Not knowing what to do, Ruby rushed to August’s to see if he could help with the pain radiating from Emma's wrist and forearm. August had become a quasi-guardian of the sisters when their parents died the year before. 

That was the night Killian entered her life - it would be another seven or eight years before he’d become more than a friend of August; two more still before he’d become her Killian. He was at August’s, catching up with his old friend after sailing the world for a few years. When he saw the injuries peppering Emma’s body, he recognised she had fractured her wrist. Without hesitation, he’d extracted his toxin and mixed it into a tonic to help her heal. All the while, he complimented her on her strength and gently teased her to keep her from being swallowed by the helpless fear she’d experienced at the hands of someone who’d said he loved her. 

§§§§    §§§§    §§§§    §§§§

Killian had been many things in his long life; chimney sweep, thief, naval officer, pirate, gentleman, barkeep. While pirate was his most memorable, given that is when he gained the hook in place of a hand on his left side, his most enjoyable was definitely the position he currently held as Storybrooke’s Vampire Overlord. As Emma stormed into his office, sidestepping a flustered Tink’s attempts to block her entrance, he smiled to himself. This was absolutely his favourite occupation. 

“Good morning, Swan.” He flashed a brilliant smile, rising from behind his desk. When she did not take the proffered seat, he leaned against the desk and frowned with concern. His gaze swept over her, a habitual scan for any injuries she may have. He felt a bit of tension release when he found none. Her heart was fluttering wildly; he'd say she was nervous if she were any other woman. But Emma was always steady and collected. He cleared his throat and met her gaze, “How can I be of assistance, Love?”

As head of the Storybrooke Coven, Emma typically received updates on supernatural occurrences before he did - officially. However, Killian prided himself on the effectiveness of his own intelligence gathering. He was rarely uninformed when Emma approached him to help with a particularly tricky situation. As she stormed into his office this morning, he felt a moment of annoyance flash through him when he realised he had no idea what had brought her in this morning. He assumed she’d know about Neal by now. But she’d always been clear that he was not allowed to handle that prick properly, so he doubted that was what brought her before him.

“Fine, okay,” Emma said in a huff. When Killian’s eyes filled with confusion, she added, “I agree. We should, I mean, I am ready to…”

Killian’s eyes lit up as he began to understand what the distractingly beautiful witch standing in front of him was attempting to say. “Swan, would you allow me the honour of taking you for an evening out tomorrow?” 

“How about dinner around eight?” Emma replied with a smile. 

“I am counting down the minutes, Love.” If he didn’t know her better, he may not have caught the light flush in her cheeks or the nervous way she pushed her hair out of her face. If he didn’t know her better, he would not have seen the excitement flash in her eyes before she turned and walked out of his office. If he didn’t know her better, he wouldn’t have fully appreciated what it had taken and what it meant that she had come to his office, to him, this morning. His heart beat wildly in his chest and a broad, silly smile took over his features because he did know her. And she was letting him back into her heart - after a journey far too long, he was being welcomed back home. 

[aethramusings]

to all my future roleplay partners who muse anna : elsa was wrong .

please note , below the cut is a negative analysis of elsa . i do not think she is a bad character or person by any means , but i think that she was grossly mischaracterized in frozen 2 . this is merely my interpretation of the movie , and it is only an OPINION . this is not meant to upset or offend anyone .

i think a lot of people ( with obvious exceptions ) think i muse elsa because i like her as a character but to be honest i muse her primarily because she ticks me off . her first characterization in frozen was pretty neat , and i genuinely enjoyed her — but in frozen two , it’s like they took all of her flaws and then attempted to romanticize them / justify them because “ oH sHeS tOo DiFfErEnT “ .

elsa neglected anna’s feelings that entire movie . i understand that anna was reduced to “ “ crazy girlfriend “ “ trope or whatever , but either way — elsa ALWAYS ( in the second movie ) prioritized her own emotions over anna’s — whether she intended to or not . even if she was just trying to " protect " anna , she doesn't really seem to stop and think , " does anna understand WHY i'm being so reluctant to this ? " . of course communication goes both ways , but even still . i know that isn't necessarily realistic for elsa's character — but it's just weird that the movie seems to treat how elsa is treating anna as okay and acceptable and never address it again .

in ‘ olafs frozen adventure ‘ , we actually see elsa had the capacity to feel self aware and apologetic , because she literally apologizes to anna for storming out on her . but in frozen two , anna has to literally BEG elsa to come with — after elsa quite literally says “ no , you’re too weak , you might die “ ( didn’t you just think your powers were a burden ? ) .

and it’s not like elsa brings this up once and leaves it at that . she shows it SEVERAL times through her actions by “ saving “ everyone else , and then scolding anna for trying to help her . not to mention , elsa doesn’t seem like the type of person to not analyze a situation before running into it . i’m not saying she wouldn’t use her powers to help ( like she did in the enchanted forest with bruni — pointless plot point , by the way ) , but anna has shown time and time again that she is JUST — if not MORE — capable than elsa to handle herself . and elsa just keeps putting her down .

and it doesn’t come off as “ i want to protect you “ , which i think disney intended it as . it comes off as “ i am better than you , and want to be alone “ — which is a BOLD stance for disney to take , since the message of the first movie was “ you need to let your loved ones love you so you can love yourself “ . and now the message is . . . “ fuck your family , go find yourself you don’t need them ? ? “ i understand that elsa is an inherently independent character who clearly prefers to process her emotions alone , but — while this is valid — this is a REALLY bold take for a . . literate children’s movie to take . and to not address any of the emotional downsides that can come with this .

in the scene with elsa and anna at the shipwreck— elsa essentially makes anna witness an insanely traumatic event ( for what reason ? to ‘ know what happened ‘ ? could she not tell anna what she was planning to do and warn her to leave if she wasn’t mentally prepared to see that , at the very least ? ) , and then when anna is GRIPPING onto elsa for support , elsa . . runs away ?

i know that’s in elsa’s character , to cope with her emotions alone — but the fact that this is NEVER addressed again is insane to me . elsa goes “ they drowned because of ME . “ okay , sure , whatever . they did die trying to find the source of elsa’s powers . but to me , this comes across as incredibly “ this is MY trauma , anna . feel bad for ME . this is about ME . “ is this her intention ? of course not ! ! but it comes off that way to me . anna isn’t allowed to process her own emotions about seeing her parents in their last moments alive ( without her consent ) , she IMMEDIATELY has to put it aside to comfort elsa .

( i can understand the view of ‘ elsa feels more guilt surrounding this since she has trauma regarding her powers and feels like she , in a way , kind of killed her parents . ‘ that’s valid and totally makes sense . but that doesn’t negate anna’s relationship with her parents . she has just as much of a right to grieve and feel things as elsa does . while family should absolutely support each other through a loss like this , this carelessness and lack of regard for how this might be affecting anna and seeing her parents last moment against her will isn’t okay . )

and elsa thanks her , not by explaining to her “ i’m scared i’m going to lose you too , but this journey is really important to me . can we please find a compromise . “ — but instead sending her away on a boat . again , the message of “ i want to protect you “ is totally lost .

anna even addresses that she has every right to be mad — because , she does ! she has been pushed around and brushed off by elsa this entire journey , and all of her efforts are met with elsa belittling her . but the thing that makes me mad is : elsa NEVER sees ANY consequence for this . anna just , forgives her . and all is well .

obviously , i think elsa being the only one who got to see iduna is ridiculous , and the fact that they cut out the scene of agnarr and iduna gushing about how much they love anna is even more stupid , but i digress .

the ending of the movie is what really pissed me off , though . elsa DECIDES that anna “ gets “ to be queen . we never see the discussion , we just assume that elsa says , “ i’m gonna stay here , sooooo . . good luck ! “ sure , anna might have said yes , but what a shitty position to put your sister in ? “ hey , i’m gonna step down from the throne , technically sure you can refuse to take my place but good luck finding an heir BYE ! “ that’s not something you decide on a whim because you want to play horse girl in the woods forever .

and all of this would have been fine with me ! IF IT WAS ADDRESSED . but it’s not ! at the end of the movie , anna forgives elsa and all is well now . because elsa can’t have any flaws , because she’s elsa .

long story short , i roleplay elsa because the second movie REALLY grinds my gears . so , to any future partners i have that roleplay anna , please know : i don’t think elsa treated anna fairly at all . elsa living in the enchanted forest isn’t something that’s canon to my portrayal ( with a few exceptions ) , but i am more than willing to explore queen anna portrayals and how elsa and her navigate their relationship going forward . ( please note that i want their to be a solid relationship between muns before we explore this as angst threads are relatively emotionally exhausting for me ! )

[adrianasunderworld]

In Glorious Masquerade, I imagine happily talking to the girls who attend except Elsa and Anna in which she tries to distant herself from her ice powers while Anna reminds too much of his brother. He is jealous they have this bond that something he wished he has with his brother.

Rollo: It's strange that you two are sisters yet one of them has magic.

Anna: Eh, I don't care about having magic. Besides, not every siblings have Magix.

Elsa: Sometimes I wished I don't have since...there was a time I hurt my sister that would have freeze her but I will try my best to use my magic.

Rollo: Maybe it is better not to have magic. *Mumbled*

And little convo with Mirabel...

Rollo: Funny how easily you handle alot of magic users around.

Mirabel: Well you get used to it especially when my family has gifts and all that.

Rollo: Gifts?

Mirabel: In my family, someone born in the family will get their magic room and magic based on their interest when they reach in the 5th year. All but my dad and my uncle receive a gift...except me.

Rollo: You haven't receive a gift?

Mirabel: It's complicated...but I got my ceremony yet I didn't receive a gift nor magic for unknown reasons. It kinda hurt when that happened that even my little cousin got it and how it affects my family. But I don't mind, I am part of the family despite having to stuck on the nursery room while everyone has cool huge rooms.

Rollo: ...your family deserves treating like this.

Rollo I can picture being super nice and welcoming to Anna and Mirabel in the group especially, since he has the most sympathy for them and their situations. Where as with Elsa he is noticeably more distant. For various reasons. The obvious being Elsa has magic. To Rollo, Elsa is almost like a mirror to him, how the sisters trauma reminds him so much about him and his brother, only it worked out for them. During the final confrontation, Elsa is probably the one that goes with Malleus, Azul, and Idia up to the bell tower, and maybe Rollo throws it in her face that she's a monster that almost killed her sister. To which Elsa is paralyzed by the idea. She remembers being told fear is her enemy and the vision that people could turn on her, and even though she's come a long way, Rollos words brought her back to that dark place and the housewardens have to snap her out of it. Especially Idia since I've mentioned before that they're friends, so he knows her best out of the three. When Elsa finally snaps out of it, it's full fire vs. ice boss fight, where obviously her side wins.

Then afterwards when Anna finds all this out she smacks the shit out of Rollo.

[lilmissbacon]

Frozen 3 Concept pt.3 Characters and Plot

Plot

Anna and Elsa are spending their day as they usually do when not only Elsa but Anna as well, start hearing a new voice. After the events of the last voice, they don't question that they need to follow it.

On their adventure, they encounter each season spirit one by one along with Hans. Each (- Hans) knowing a piece of the lore that helps to explain just how the spirits work because Elsa and Anna don't know jack squat.

They encounter obstacles along the way such as dead ends and questionable paths. During such obstacles, Elsa and Anna learn how to deal with certain situations in different ways. All while as they get closer and closer to the source of the voice, their powers get weaker and weaker.

Also during this, Elsa gives all of her attention to the other spirits and Anna starts feeling shut out once again. The other spirits notice and get both Elsa and Anna's sides of their stories and they see just how in the wrong Elsa is for underestimating and not trusting Anna when going to investigate the first voice they heard. They comfort Anna explaining to her that nothing was her fault and just how in the wrong Elsa was.

They leave Anna to do her own thing and think while they confront Elsa so she'll see just how much of a bad sister she truly is. During that, Anna sings about how Elsa doesn't treat Anna like her equal and how she wishes she would. As she finishes the song, she finds the place the voice is originating from and opens the entrance, releasing a magical burst that brings all the others powers back and they go to find where it came from.

They congratulate Anna for finding the place and upon inspection, they find that they need to stand on symbols imbedded into the stone ground. Once they do, their outfits change into their spirit dresses and Anna happens to be standing in the middle. Which is when she becomes the light spirit of the fifth spirits.

That is when Elsa feels such a euphoria of admiration for Anna now that she has magic, that she realizes just how much she didn't care for Anna before.

Then after adjusting to this, they are surrounded by some form of darkness that starts making them all see their worst fears and memories. Hans manages to help the others escape it and they all run off, leaving him behind in the haste.

The aurumn spirit (who knows more about the spirits than the others because she grew up with them) explains about how she never believed in it because it was myth, even to her. How every spirit had an opposite, so did the ultimate spirit of spirits. And once it's awakened, so will it's opposite. Since Anna is the light, then it's opposite has to be the darkness and the only person who can concur the dark spirit is someone who has already lived through their worst nightmare.

After getting to know Hans during this journey, they realize that he has already gone through that when his family disowned him. After getting their gatherings, they head back to help him and gain control over the darkness that now had him in a constant loop of his fears in his head. Anna manages to get through to him and by doing so, he absorbs it and becomes the ultimate spirit of darkness and Anna's other half.

It is when they start to go their separate ways that Elsa finally gets the chance to fully apologize to Anna for everything she's ever done and was still doing. Anna forgives her and Anna offers Hans a room at Arendelle since he has nowhere else to go.

And they all go home, HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

Designs

For the clothes that they wear because Elsa traveling in that white dress would be very impractical.

Winter spirit: Elsa

Light spirit: Anna

I said in part one that the fifth spirit had to have their magic since birth because they need to learn to control it within their lifetime. The reason for this is because the seasons powers consist of 2 elements.

Light however, consists of none. Therefore it's much easier to control, but is still too important to leave to a vessel that's non-human.

Not to mention that Anna has always had a connection with the Northern Lights.

That little line could've had much more meaning behind it then we originally thought. Maybe the light spirit had been following Anna since she was born.

Spring spirit: Donella (Don)

She's from Scotland and is a younger sister. She had gotten her powers when her older sister got sick and was looking for a cure when she came across a legend about a magical flower that creates life.

"Only those with pure intentions can take it."

In taking the flower, it absorbed into her, creating the symbol on her hand and gave her the ability to create and control nature. And just like the lines of Elsa creating life through snowmen, Don was able to heal her sister through magical pollen.

How her powers work when she didn't grow up with them is that Don had always been a hardcore fan of plants & nature and therefore, is able to control her powers because she knows how they work.

She's very tomboyish and playful, while a great leader. Dependable, energetic, true, can be easily irritated and confident.

Summer spirit: Munira

Born in Arabia, daughter of a soldier who saved his enemy despite being at war with them, near the edge of the spirit's forest. When word of her magic got out, they accused her of being some sort of demon and chased out her family across the country with intent to kill.

To the point where she tried to ditch her family so she wouldn't be a burden to them.

Until they came across the forest and it's inhabitants. Upon meeting, they adored her abilities and explained about their spirits just as she starts hearing a voice that leads her the their Ahtohallan, where she's named the fifth spirit. That's where they live happily to this day.

Munira is naturally poise, loyal, a perfectionist, analytical, self sacrificing and kinda pessimistic.

Autumn spirit: Akiko

Grew up on an island just off of Japan. In the local forest of magical spirits, being the fifth spirit runs within her family. She was a bit selfish growing up because she was going to be the next fifth spirit, until she got too assertive and the spirits put her through many trials to become worthy.

It wasn't until she learned the lesson to wait her time and that being the fifth spirit isn't all fun and games, that she became said spirit.

She is smiley, friendly, optimistic, empathetic, energetic and a bit overly talkative.

Dark spirit: Hans

His family had never truly been loving to him. Being the youngest of the bunch they saw him as useless and never payed mind to his well being. The only time he was happy when when he was out riding with his horse.

Wanting to prove to his family that he was worthy of their love, he went to the coronation in Arendelle to marry it's new queen to show his family how amazing of a ruler he was. Believing he'd earn their admiration in return.

Seeing this opportunity as his last chance to be loved, he was willing to do anything to get his way.

Anything.

Upon returning to his kingdom after his failure, he was scolded by his parents and brothers and then sent to basically work as a slave around the castle. Never given any change of clothes before subjugating him to this.

Hence why he was mucking the stalls in Frozen fever in the same coronation suit.

Having enough, he decided to grab what he could and run away as far as he could. Somewhere where no one would know who he was. Traveling from town to town, trying to find a place he could stay, but nobody let him.

Until 4 years later (a year after Frozen 2), when he ends up in Arendelle. The guards having noticed him, arrest him and take him to Anna, believing he was going to attack them in some shape or form. It is during this time that Anna and Elsa have been hearing the voice and were about to leave to follow it. And not wanting to leave him in a leaderless Arendelle, they take him with them to keep an eye on him.

For a better idea for how they look. When you look up their hights, they say Kristoff = 6'0, Anna = 5'3 and Elsa = 5'7 even though Anna and Elsa are shown to be the same height in both movies so that's a bunch of boohawk. Also taking into account that both girls are wearing at least 2 inch heals in the pictures I used, both Anna and Elsa are technically 5'1.

I'd love to see your opinions on this and if you have any ideas, add on to this yourselves.

[lelitachay]

Frozen fanfiction: Søsken

Summary: An accident in the North mountain forces Elsa to spend several weeks in her brother’s apartment under Anna's care. And during this time, Anna begins to notice there are peculiar things about Elsa's life she wished she could understand. Everything starts to make sense after a family reunion.

Modern AU. Kristanna - Frohana - Kristoff & Elsa BrOTP.

Chapters 1 to 10 - Here  

Chapters 11 to 20 - Here

Chapter 21 - What to do

Chapter 22 - What’s there to lose?

-

Seek the truth

Weeks went by, and even if things had calmed down in Elsa's life, and she now spent her days studying with Anna, training with Marshall, and enjoying her brother’s company whenever he had days off; there were still several things hanging over Elsa’s head. The big picture seemed to show her life had gone back to the way it was before the accident. Though, during the calm - almost lonely - moments at home, she couldn’t help but think about the way things were changing around her.

Week after week her relationship with Anna was becoming stronger. The two of them had not only found a peaceful routine they could enjoy, where Anna helped her with her studies and Elsa in exchange taught her about life in the mountain; they had also begun to trust in each other, sharing their worries, their problems and relying on one another whenever they needed a shoulder to lean on. Week after week they were acting more like sisters, and Elsa was torn by the idea.

On one side, she had found in Anna a confidant like only Kristoff had been to her before. On the other, however, she still was unsure what to do about her real parents, and she constantly worried if the relationship she had been able to build with Anna could come to an end if she didn’t do the right thing.

True to her word, Anna hadn’t said anything about her parents or the letters, giving Elsa all the time she needed. But still, deep down Elsa knew she was silently waiting for her to do something and finally let everyone know if she was willing to give her birth parents a second chance. It was true she still didn't feel entirely comfortable with the idea of the Arendelles being her parents, but pushing Anna away by not making up her mind was the last thing she wanted to do. 

From the start, she believed she was doing Anna a favour by not calling her sister. After all, she didn’t want Anna becoming uselessly hopeful. But the more Elsa thought about her sister’s patience - when being patient was not something that characterised the girl - the more her conversation with Marshmallow came to mind. Making Elsa fear Anna would reach her limit and run out of patience. After Marshmallow had so bluntly put into words the possibility of Anna getting tired of waiting, she had started to think that, maybe, giving Anna some hope wasn't the worst thing that she could do. 

Some days, when both girls were peacefully studying together, Elsa found herself trying more familiar nicknames in her mind. Sister. Sis. Day after day, those nicknames were growing on her, and she almost caught herself saying them out loud once or twice. Still, there was a part of Elsa that couldn't do it. She couldn't look Anna in the eye and call her her sister if there wasn't even the slightest chance of giving her biological parents a chance. She wanted to spare Anna the disappointment in case everything went downhill.

The whole situation left Elsa with only two options: continuing to ignore the fact Anna had gradually become her sister, and hope she would continue to be patient. Or, reading Idunn’s letters once and for all, finally finding out the truth about her past. 

There were several nights during those weeks when she had stayed up wondering what was best for her to do. And with every sleepless night, an idea was beginning to grow on her, as she was getting tired of uselessly trying to find a solution to her dilemma. 

It was for that reason that, now, after becoming tired of turning in bed once again, Elsa had gotten up and was standing in front of the bookcase where she had hidden the letters all those weeks ago. She thought for a moment what was really best for her to do. And walked away from the bookcase. She picked some logs and threw them on the hearth.

Summer was just a few days away, so there wasn’t really a need for her to burn wood uselessly but, opposite to what her family believed, she liked the fire and the heat. She wasn't sure if it was because her body and skin were always cold, or the fact she hadn't had contact with fire until she was fourteen years old. But despite the reasons, she enjoyed the crackling sound of burning wood and it helped her think and relax whenever she was feeling overwhelmed.

And right at that moment, she was feeling overwhelmed and she was sure she could use the soothing sound to help her mind find some clarity. She had finally made up her mind about reading Idunn's letters, and part of her knew she was taking a risk. There was no guarantee things were going to change for the better after she opened those letters, but part of her knew she couldn’t keep ignoring the truth anymore. It was time she found out more about her parents’ life and made up her mind. 

Sadly, the task proved to be harder than it looked. Her mind and heart were torn and she could still list several reasons to go back to bed and forget her idea. She could find a way to continue living without those answers; but the truth was, there was going to come a day she could no longer ignore her past, and it was best to face it before she lost Anna, or things became too complicated between both families. Kristoff was also part of that mess, and she couldn’t ignore that.

“They're just letters, Elsa,” she murmured to herself. “You'll find the answers that you need and you’ll be able to move on. Just open them.”

With a sigh and a trembling hand, she picked the letters from the bookcase. She hadn't touched them since the night she had put them away, so she guessed they were still in the correct order for her to read. She sat down on the floor, near the fire, and carefully opened the first envelope in the pile with an old hunting knife that was lying around. She took a deep breath before she began reading.

The first letter wasn't addressed to her - or anyone in particular -, and to Elsa's surprise, it began without an introduction. Out of nowhere, Idunn had begun telling what seemed to be a story. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to find, but a story was not it. Out of curiosity, she continued reading, and it was only after she was a few paragraphs in that Elsa realised Idunn was talking about her life. And more particularly, her younger years. In a strange way, Idunn was able to talk about her life in an objective way. She had a way with words that kept Elsa hooked to the story, helping her forget she was technically reading about her biological mother. Before Elsa realised what she was doing, she opened the second letter and the third, one after the other. Every letter seemed to be a chapter in Idunn’s life and it was difficult not to continue.

In her letters, Idunn talked about her life, her job and the when and how she met the love of her life. How his family had ignored her existence and how her boyfriend, Agdar - as long as Elsa was aware since she never mentioned him by name - had always tried for his father to accept her into the family. She explained how the couple had found a way to stay together in spite of the adversities, and how they thought they could find happiness together regardless.

‘Everything changed, however,’ explained Idunn towards the end of the third letter. ‘When you came along.’ For the first time, she was addressing Elsa directly, making her come back to reality. Up until that moment, she had been so absorbed in the story, she was surprised to become a protagonist. Suddenly finding herself in the story was something that didn't set well with her, but she had already made up her mind and her curiosity pushed her to open the following letter, and the next, and the next. 

It was a relief to notice Idunn didn't play the victim, nor blamed her for the things she had lived during her pregnancy. Instead, she talked about it as a happy, hopeful time for her, even if Agdar’s family had constantly tried to break them apart. She stated facts and tried to show with words the way she had felt during those times, allowing Elsa to live through her past and letting Elsa understand things from her point of view.

With every single letter, Elsa found out more about Idunn’s past, and consequently, about her own. Learning Idunn had been younger than Anna when she got pregnant came as a big surprise. Elsa thought Anna’s parents looked young - younger than Gerda and Kai at least - but she’d have never guessed they were barely over forty. She tried to put herself in Idunn’s shoes for just a moment, and the idea of being pregnant with almost any money was something that triggered anxiety. She knew from experience how hard it was to live by with just enough money for bare necessities and adding a baby in the mix was surely a bad idea.

Another great surprise was finding out Idunn had also been sick during the pregnancy. And what almost made her stop reading the letters abruptly, was realising the doctor who had taken care of her mother and her own birth was no other than Weselton.

She felt anger at the fact her birth parents had deliberately chosen to seek Weselton’s help and then leave her in his hands. She cursed the stupidity of Idunn and Agdar’s younger selves and cursed Weselton for ruining her life from the start. Every single doctor who had tried to help her after she escaped Weselton’s clinic had insisted it was not possible for her powers to be natural. And Idunn’s letters were doing nothing but proving that to be true. She could have had a better life - at least a powerless one - if only Weselton hadn’t treated her mother. The idea made her feel sick and she had to drop the letter for a while. Weselton, or whatever God existed, had taken her childhood and her real family from her. And she hated that realisation.

After calming down and drying the tears that had escaped her eyes, she picked the letter once again and continued reading. She had already read too much to stop, and she needed answers. Idunn had explained their main idea had been to get back on their feet and then return for her, which was yet another shock for Elsa. But she was the child in the story, and she knew they had never returned. And now she needed to know why. She needed an answer to finally know what to do about her birth parents. Seven letters in and she was still torn about what to do about her real parents. Part of her wanted to face them and let them know how incredible stupid they had been for trusting someone like Weselton, yet, a different part of her wanted to listen Idunn talk and explain in more detail everything she was not saying in the letters.

The story continued with Idunn explaining their life after leaving Elsa. Bitterness crept in her heart whenever Idunn mentioned the good things about those years; but the feeling soon disappeared, however, when she explained there was always a part of them missing too. 

A dry laugh escaped Elsa’s lips when she read how close her parents had been to retrieving her. Only for life to stop their plans once again with Anna’s pregnancy. She could only be comforted by the fact Agdar and Idunn had learnt from their mistakes and they had done what was right for Anna. She was happy to know they had allowed Anna to live a happy life from the start.

When Elsa thought the story was coming to an end, she found out Idunn and Agdar had tried to find her for a second time. And that time they had done everything in their power to get to her. Idunn even listed the orphanages she had visited in hopes to find her. Every hardship, every sleepless night was written down, proving Elsa they had in fact spent several months looking. Their search came to a stop, however, when they were told in Trolheim to stop looking since they risked losing Anna too.

In her letter, Idunn explained how strange it had been for her to accept that since every other institution had tried to give her as much information as possible, and not once had they mentioned such a risk. Elsa agreed with Idunn on how strange it was all the other orphanages had tried to help them find her, except Trolheim’s. And all of a sudden a realisation came to her mind. 

She put the letter aside and looked in the previous letters for any dates Idunn had mentioned. She marked and counted months and years, and matched them with the ones in her own life. She returned to the last letter and did the same work. And to her misery, it all added up. If Idunn wasn’t lying, they had been in the orphanage at the same time. She had been a few rooms away from her birth parents, and the nurses had lied to them. There was no way they wouldn’t have thought of her. There was no way someone could be so incredibly inept in their job to miss it. Unless… They had been working for Weselton.

In an outburst of heartache and anger, she let her powers manifest, hoping letting go of the ice and snow could help her with the pain in her heart. She pulled her legs closer to her torso and she hid her head between her arms. She was crumpling the letter in a tightened fist, but she didn’t care.

She cried her heart out as she let the snow storm engulf her completely. They had been so close to get her back. And what was worse, if they had had the chance to find her, she wouldn’t have suffered all the things she had in Weselton’s clinic. She wouldn’t have been abused and mistreated; she wouldn’t have hurt a nurse in the process. All her worst nightmares could have been avoided if only the employees in Trolheim’s orphanage hadn’t sold their soul to someone like Weselton.

It was only when the storm receded and she felt like she could breathe again, that Elsa found the will to finish reading the letter in her hand. It was difficult for her to read the crumpled paper now that her storm had put the fire down. Once her eyes adapted to the new darkness in the room, she was able to discern the letters and continued reading. 

She had been expecting to read more about her biological mother's life after their visit to the orphanage. However, contrary to what she had imagined, the last part of the final letter addressed her directly.

‘There was so much I needed to say, I didn’t know where to begin. I wish I didn’t bore you with my past.’ It began. ‘I’m telling you this story, not for you to feel as if you should forgive me. I know I've lost the right to call you my daughter years ago, though I wish I still could.’ The tears that had only stopped mere seconds before, started falling down her cheeks once again as she read her words. ‘I’m telling you this story because you deserve to know who you are, where you come from and who your parents are, Elsa. I know writing to you won't erase the pain and fear you must have felt all those years alone. I know it’s not enough. But right now, I can’t think of anything else to do. I feel so much pain, shame and guilt. Your happiness and well being was always my priority, and only now I realise how wrong my actions and decisions were. All I wanted to do was help you; and in the end, I ended up doing the opposite.’ Elsa took a deep breath trying to control her feelings and stop the snow from covering the letter in her trembling hands. ‘I feel there’s nothing I can do to fix those mistakes. So, the only thing I can do is say I'm sorry. I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.’ Elsa stopped reading to dry the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. Idunn’s words seemed sincere and she felt a relief she had never felt before. As if a heavy weight was being lifted from her shoulders. ‘I know I have no right to ask any favours of you, but I’d like to hear your story... I wish you could let me in and share your life with me. I’d like to get to know you. I love you, Elsa. I always did.’ And with that last line, Elsa lost the remaining composure she had.

She hugged her legs close to her body and rested her forehead on her knees before allowing herself to cry as much as she needed. She felt as if someone was standing on top of her chest, painfully crushing her heart, barely letting her breathe. This time it wasn’t fear or disappointment, like it usually was; this time it was pure, unutterable sadness. She was missing a life she had never had the chance to live, and her heart could barely stand it. She had been so close to living a normal life, but life - or Weselton to be exact - had always pushed her in another direction. All the pain and suffering she had gone through had been nothing but a crazy man’s whim.

The last letter had shaken Elsa to the core. Reading Idunn’s words made her remember how much she had wished for someone to tell her those things during her time in the clinic. How much had she needed someone to find her and tell her she was loved. And here she was finally reading those words. Finally knowing someone had cared about her whereabouts all that time.

She couldn’t ignore the fact someone had shown up in her life and helped her, though. Gerda had been the person who had helped her stand up when she was ready to give up, and she had let Elsa know she was loved. She couldn’t ignore that. But for some reason, reading those same words coming from Idunn had a completely different meaning and impact on Elsa. Making her feel happy and guilty at the same time.

She stayed where she was in the dark for what seemed like hours, simply letting the snow fall and her tears dry on their own. It wasn’t until she noticed the first rays of sunlight through the window that she realised she was supposed to meet Anna in just a couple of hours and she hadn’t had any sleep.

She picked herself up from the cold floor, and collected all the letters which were scattered on it. She took a moment to skim the letters once again and arrange them. Something told her it was not going to be the only time she was going to read those letters, and she needed them to be in the correct order.

When she reached the last letter, however, she took the time to read for a second time Idunn’s words. Idunn's words had shaken her so much, she hadn't really paid attention to her request towards the end the first time she read it. But now that she was more calm, she could really pay attention to it. 

She wasn’t asking for forgiveness like Elsa had originally thought she would. She was merely asking for her to open up and tell her story. To share her past and let her in. 

Elsa chuckled humorlessly, and wondered what Idunn thought her life had been like, for her to be able to explain her story as she so simply put. Idunn’s request was ridiculous in Elsa’s opinion. She couldn’t just sit down and write everything she had lived. The pain was too great and the memories too vivid, transforming the task into mild torture. She had already shared her past with Kristoff, Anna, Kai and Gerda; but that didn’t mean she was ready to share it with her biological parents yet. 

However, there was nothing stopping her from sharing a different part of her past. A part of her life she rarely talked about. Thinking she could spend a night without sleep, she soon forgot about heading back to bed and walked straight to the kitchen table. She looked for her notebook and pen, and sat down. She wasn't sure why she felt the sudden need to write, but she followed her instincts and began writing what first came to mind.

--

Ever since Gerda had adopted Kristoff and Elsa, Saturdays had become Gerda’s favourite day of the week. Days that used to be dull and simple had become entertaining and exciting once their children came into her life. From the very beginning Saturdays had been filled with common stories and family projects. Every weekend they found something different to do and something new to learn about each other. And even if her children were now adults and no longer living with her, she still could count on one of them to give her a reason to enjoy her Saturdays in a different way. Just like Kristoff was doing that morning.

Early that day, her son had surprised Gerda and Kai both with a visit during breakfast. Gerda thought he was merely stopping by before heading to the factory, but to her happiness he had planned to stay with her once his father left for work, and prepare lunch together. 

Gerda loved those sudden visits and even more when they turned into cooking classes to his son. Kristoff had always been interested in learning how to cook - contrary to her daughter - and teaching him every tip she knew was one of Gerda’s favourite activities. What she loved the most about those moments, however, was the conversations she could share with him during those moments; because it was there that she could really get to know her son. She had found out about his relationship with Anna - before it was official - during one of those opportunities. She had gotten to know the real Kristoff through them too. And she treasured every single one of those memories. 

It was for that reason that, once they were settled in the kitchen working together, Gerda took the opportunity to ask her son how things were going in his life. After all, her instincts told her there was a reason Kristoff had shown up without a warning that morning.

“What’s on your mind, dear?” asked Gerda, while she checked the recipe to make sure they hadn't forgotten any ingredient.

“How did you know I wanted to talk about something?” His incredulous face made her smile. He was a grown up man, but she could still see the expressions of that little boy she adopted. 

She stood by his side while he chopped the onions and commented, "You chose to spend your free day cooking with your old mother rather than going to the mountain or somewhere exciting." 

"I enjoy spending time with you…" 

She could hear his hesitation. "And?" 

A smile appeared in his face and he closed his eyes in defeat. "And I need advice. Your opinion, really, about something." 

With a pat on his shoulder, she encouraged him to share his worries. "Don’t beat around the bush then. What is it?" 

"I want to be on good terms with Anna’s family again." He stopped to put the chopped vegetable inside the pot and handed it to his mother. "I think Anna deserves it, but…" 

"Have you got mixed feelings about the Arendelles?" asked Gerda, already knowing the answer. 

"Yes." She watched him gather his thoughts until he explained. "And I feel as if I would be betraying Elsa too. Is it okay for me to give her parents a chance before she does?”

"You’ve got the right to spend time with your girlfriend’s family if that’s what you want, dear." 

"The thing is, I’m not sure I want to. I don’t know what to do,” confessed Kristoff.  “They left Elsa on her own when she was a baby." He began using the knife with more force as he explained the way he felt, and Gerda couldn't help but worry for his fingertips. "I feel as if I'd start arguing with them as soon as we see each other. And I don't want that to happen. Anna doesn't deserve it."

"Why don't you let me continue with that?" suggested Gerda, asking for the knife. To her relief, he handed her the utensil and he sat on the stool by the counter. Gerda could understand his predicament. He was standing between the two most important girls in his life and either thing he chose could end up hurting one or the other. 

She couldn't blame Kristoff for being angry with his in-laws. She had been mad with them herself, and from time to time it was hard for Gerda to remember the reasons why she had forgiven them. But Kristoff was usually a compassionate person who could easily put himself in someone else's shoes. It was strange to think he hadn't done it with the Arendelles yet; especially if he wanted to be on good terms for his girlfriend's sake. That's when she realised that, maybe, he hadn't heard their side of things. "Have you heard their story?"

"Whose story?" 

"Arendelles',” clarified Gerda. “Their story and reasons to leave Elsa behind, I mean."

He looked at her, intrigued. "No. I left before they had the chance to tell me anything. Have you?"

Gerda nodded. "They are not monsters if that’s what you’re worried about. They made stupid mistakes, I won’t deny that." She soon explained to let her son know she didn't justify their actions. "But I think they are just victims in Weselton's play."

"Did they know Weselton?!"

Thinking it was best to explain everything to Kristoff and help him understand how complicated everything surrounding his sister's life was, Gerda offered, "Let's finish cooking and I’ll tell you everything they told us." 

--

As it was usual, the city bus stopped in the North mountain’s parking lot mid morning. Anna thanked the driver, whom she now knew was named Oskar, and got off. She rearranged the bag on her shoulder and started walking towards Elsa's house. 

The trail was considerably long but she enjoyed walking it every weekend. It had become part of her routine, and she enjoyed observing the way the trees changed around her every passing week. She smiled knowing the shinny shades of green were letting her know Summer was just a few days away. And that meant she was just a few days away from finishing her academic year. Just a couple more tests and then she was going to be free for a couple of months. And she already knew what she wanted to do… She had already talked with Elsa about the possibility of her spending another week on the mountain, and to her delight, she had agreed in a heartbeat. Anna was excited for that week to come. The two of them, together with Kristoff and Marshall were going to explore the valley and go camping near the most beautiful mountain rivers. Activities she had never had the chance to do due to her father’s overprotection. Nonetheless, she still needed to make sure she finished several things before that week came. She still had to pass two finals to be able to enjoy her summer holidays to the fullest, and also make sure Elsa finished with the compulsory curriculum for her tests. So then, when they returned after their improvised holidays, she could sit down and help Elsa practice and study, making sure she was ready for the tests in the first weeks of Autumn.

Anna came out of the forest and walked into the glade surrounding Elsa’s cottage. She smiled when she noticed in the distance the older girl sitting on her front stairs, looking at the sky absentmindedly. Whatever she was thinking about was distracting enough to allow Anna to get to the cottage without Elsa noticing.

“Say, what’s in your mind?” she said, cheerfully.

Eyes opening in surprise, Elsa looked at her. “Anna!”

“You were miles away. What were you thinking about? Or better yet, who?” She laughed at Elsa’s unamused expression. Making fun of her older sister had become one of her most treasured pastimes, and Elsa’s annoyance the best reward.

“I was just enjoying the day,” answered Elsa, ignoring Anna’s remarks. “It's a nice morning, don't you think?” 

Looking around, Anna had to agree. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. “Yeah, it's a beautiful day.” When she looked back at Elsa, she was once again looking at the sky, and Anna soon noticed she hadn’t really heard her answer. “Are you okay?” 

“Sure,” she said with a small smile. “Why wouldn't I be?” 

“You just seem to be in a brown study.”

“A... what?”

“Distracted.”

“Why don’t you say distracted then?” asked Elsa, faking annoyance. 

“It won’t kill you to learn an idiom or two. But, seriously, are you okay?”

“I am.” Elsa stood up and instead of climbing the stairs to her door, like Anna was expecting, she began walking towards the forest. “Would you like to go for a walk? I haven't been walking as much as I should lately.”

“Have you been doing the exercises the doctor recommended?”

“I have. Don’t worry,” she answered with a big smile. “I just feel like walking. The mountain is beautiful during the mornings this time of the year.”

“Okay,” accepted Anna. “But it doesn't mean we won't be studying today. I've got a few lessons ready and we need to keep a good rhythm if you want to take your tests in Autumn.” 

Elsa continued walking and it was only after she had taken some distance that she answered, “Sure, sis. Whatever you say.” 

Anna’s eyes doubled their size, and she jogged to catch up with Elsa. “What did you just say?”

Elsa looked at her, and with a smirk said, “I said we'll do what you say after the walk. Come on.”

“I'm pretty sure you said something different.” 

Pretending to be deep in thought she answered, “I don’t think so.” 

“I could swear you said something different.” 

“Must be your imagination.”

Anna dropped the topic, knowing it was useless to try to get Elsa to admit she had said something else. But Anna was sure she had heard Elsa correctly, and she felt a new kind of excitement she’d never felt before.

--

Just as they had agreed, Gerda and Kristoff finished cooking their meal and sat down to eat before his mother began telling him everything she remembered about Elsa’s parents. As he listened, Kristoff guessed Gerda couldn't really explain everything with as much detail as Agdar and Idunn could; but he was nonetheless surprised at his mother's memory. 

She talked about their life in Romsdall, their surprise when Idunn became pregnant and the woman’s illness during those months. She told him how they had met Weselton and why, and everything they had gone through once they discovered Elsa’s powers and left her on her own.

What certainly called Kristoff’s attention — besides the fact they had deliberately left Elsa in the hands of Weselton — was finding out how hard it had been for Agdar to be with the girl he loved. Once or twice Kristoff had heard Anna talk about her grandfather, Runeard, and how her father always avoided giving her much details about his life. Something he had always found strange, especially since it had been Runeard who had built the company Agdar now owned. However, now, thanks to Gerda’s explanation he understood better why, and he thought it had been ridiculous on Runeard's part to care so much about his reputation to the point he ignored his own son’s happiness.

Kristoff wasn’t sure the Arendelles’ lives and experiences justified what they had done to Elsa, but the story was certainly different than what he had imagined. “I never thought Agdar and Idunn had lived so many things in their youth.”

Gerda nodded in understanding. Even if she didn’t know the couple as well as Kristoff did, she had to agree their life had been way different than she had imagined too. “About Elsa,” she said, going back to their main concern. “I honestly don’t think they tried to get rid of her. On the contrary, they only gave her up in hopes she would live a better life.”

“You said they even tried to find her, didn’t you?”

“They looked in every single orphanage in the area. They were set to find her once they had settled down and they knew they had the means to help her.”

“I can't believe the employees in my orphanage interfered in their search the way they did.” He had to be honest and admit he didn’t have really good memories from the orphanage, apart from becoming friends with Elsa. But the idea of them not only ignoring Elsa and stopping her from meeting her real family crushed Kristoff and made him realise how despicable people could really be when they were interested in money.

“There are bad people in this world, dear. And sadly, there’s little we can do about it.”

He hated to accept how real those words were. He knew for a fact how hard his parents had tried to help Elsa and make sure everyone involved in her suffering paid. But justice wasn’t always fair, and there were little people like them could do to change that.

Thinking it was best to ignore the world’s injustice and get the conversation back on track, he commented, “I truly thought Agdar and Idunn had forgotten about her.” He was still baffled by how mistaken he had been. "Does Elsa know about this?" 

"I don't think so. Your father and I haven't talked to her about this. And we didn't let the Arendelles get in touch with her. Even if we understood their reasons, it didn’t mean we would go over Elsa’s wishes. She's got the right to choose when and how to meet them and if she wants to listen to them."

"I never thought I’d say this, but Elsa needs to hear them out,” said Kristoff with resolution, even if the idea of his sister opening the door to her real family hurt him deeply. But Elsa had suffered enough through life, and she deserved to know she had been loved.

Mother and son stayed silent, both lost in their own thoughts. Kristoff wondered if it was correct to let his sister know, or if it was better to follow his parents original idea — letting Elsa find out the truth whenever she felt it was the right time. 

He looked at his mother, ready to find out what she thought about it, when he noticed Gerda’s crestfallen expression. “Are you okay, mum?”

“Do you think Elsa will give them another chance?” 

The question came as a surprise to him. Gerda knew as well as he did the answer to that question. Elsa was, after all, a girl with a forgiving heart. “I think she will… with time. That doesn't mean her scars will magically heal.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say…”

Her heartache didn’t go unnoticed by Kristoff. “I've got mixed feelings about them too,” he admitted. “I still think they are partly to blame for Elsa's childhood.”

“That’s not what unsettles me,” said Gerda as she held her son’s hand in hers. “I’ve talked to them. I’ve noticed their pain and sadness. I don’t think they’ll do anything to hurt Elsa, on the contrary.”

Puzzled by his mother’s certainty in Agdar and Idunn’s intentions, Kristoff had to ask what was really troubling Gerda. “Then, what’s your main concern?”

“Ever since I heard Idunn’s side of the story, I've been thinking about the role she may have in Elsa’s life from now on...” she took a deep breath and looked at her hands as if she was ashamed of what she was about to say. “Tell me, dear. Have you considered what it will mean for us if Elsa gives her biological family a second chance?”

Kristoff stayed silent for a moment thinking about his answer. He offered his mother a side smile and admitted, “I would be lying if I say I haven't… Being honest, it's something I try not to think too much about.” Deciding it was best to simply tackle the elephant in the room, he asked, “are worried about Elsa leaving us behind?”

“No,” she said a little too fast to sound believable. “Not at all.”

“I had a hard time accepting Anna was her real sister. And I consider Anna one of the most important people in my life…” Kristoff said, trying to make his mother understand it was completely normal to feel apprehensive. “I can only imagine what you must feel when you think of Elsa seeing Idunn as her mother.” 

Gerda sighed and showed Kristoff a sad smile. “As long as she’s happy. I'll be happy.”

“I know you will,” said Kristoff, knowing it was the truth.

“Between us…” Gerda said, calling his attention once again. “I do fear she may stop calling me mum, you know? I know it’s silly, after all I’ve never been her real mother, but I fear I'll become just Gerda in her eyes.”

“That’ll never happen.” The sadness in his mother’s eyes pained Kristoff. If there was someone who didn’t deserve to feel dejected was Gerda. “Elsa loves you more than anyone in this world. Including me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Kristoff noticed Gerda truly believed that to be impossible, and wished his sister could be more open and actually let their mother know how much she meant to her. “She once confessed she would be dead if it hadn’t been for you, mum.” He felt bad for breaking his sister’s trust by sharing that information with his mother, but Gerda deserved to know how important she had been — and still was — for Elsa. “You'll never be in second place in her heart.”

“I know you’re trying to lift my spirits, dear. But that’s really unsettling.” Gerda showed him a concerned face and tightened her hold in her son’s hand.

“She was talking about what she would have done if she had been taken to a different clinic. Till this day she’s certain people would have kept running tests and experiments on her,” he clarified. “What I was trying to say is, Agdar and Idunn suddenly appearing in her life won’t change the past. You and Kai are our parents. No matter what other people say.” He chuckled and said, “you're stuck with us forever.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Gerda’s eyes shined and an honest smile appeared in her face. She stood up and kissed his forehead before picking up the plates on the table. On her way to the kitchen, she turned around and asked one simple favour. “Don’t tell Elsa about this, please. I want her to choose whatever her heart desires. She doesn’t need to worry about old Gerda.”

“I won’t,” he promised. Still worried about his mother, Kristoff thought fast on something to distract her. Luckily, an idea soon crossed his mind, and even though he knew it was risky, he went along with it in hopes his mother would forget about her worries. Clearing his throat, he called his mother’s attention and said, “though, she does worry about you, you know? You’re getting older by the day and she fears you won’t remember her next time she comes to visit.”

“I’m still the closest thing you’ve got to a mother, do not forget that,” came Gerda’s annoyed retort, and she disappeared inside the kitchen.

He tried his hardest not to laugh at his mother’s insulted demeanour, but he completely lost it as soon as she left the dining room. His laugh stopped, however, when she returned with desert just for her.

Before Kristoff had the chance to complain or beg his mother for some, she interrupted him. “Do you really think you can say that to my face and don’t face the consequences, young man?”

With that, Kristoff knew he had taken things too far and his mother had undoubtedly won.

--

Elsa looked at her cards and then at Anna. The girl in question had just called truco and was waiting for her to answer. She was certain she had a good hand, and Anna had the tendency to try to fool her into thinking her cards were better. But she had played that trick once or twice already and something told Elsa she was being serious this time.

“Quiero retruco,” she said, hoping Anna was lying once again. She noticed how she tried to hide a grin and Elsa already knew what was coming.

“Quiero, vale cuatro,” 

“You’re buffling.” Elsa was so close to winning, but she couldn’t risk it. If Anna’s cards were better she would earn four points and end it there.

“I said, vale cuatro. What do you want to do?” she said and looked at her with a defiant expression.

“I fold.”

Hands up in the air, Anna let a triumphant, “Yes!”

“Let me see your cards.”

“No way. There’s one mano left, I won’t let you see my cards.” Anna picked the cards from the table and soon began shuffling them to prevent Elsa from seeing them.

“You tricked me again, didn’t you?”

“You’re pretty bad at this game. I’m sure you were cargada and backed down at the last moment, weren’t you?”

“I knew I should have accepted!”

Anna began laughing at her face while she shuffled the cards. Elsa had been so close to winning and she had completely changed the course of the game thanks to her buffling.

Elsa was about to complain once again about Anna’s acting skills when the door opened and Kristoff came in. 

“There you are!” said Anna cherfully, while she dropped the deck and walked towards her boyfriend. “I've missed you!”

“You spent the whole day with him yesterday. How could you possibly have missed him?” said Elsa as picked the cards. She was quite relieved her brother had shown up and interrupted their game before Anna won once again. 

“I always miss him,” Anna answered with a smile. “I thought you weren't coming. I was about to leave.” 

Anna had been waiting for Kristoff to show up and give her a ride home that evening. She had mentioned to Elsa earlier that day there was an important business dinner at her house and Agdar wanted her to be present. 

“I lost track of time talking with mum, sorry,” soon apologised Kristoff.

“How's mum?”

“Good,” he said as he sat down on the couch next to his sister. “Though, she’s a little disappointed you don’t visit her more often.”

“Why do you always say things to make me feel guilty?” she complained. “I call her almost every day.”

“It wouldn't kill you to spend a night or two in the city. And you could visit Sven in the process.”

“I know you love to argue,” Anna said, interrupting their conversation. “But can we, please, get going? Dad wanted me to be home before his business partners arrived."

"Sure thing," said Kristoff standing up. 

"Wait, Anna. Before I forget…" Elsa said, calling Anna's attention who was in the kitchen picking up her things. "There's something I need to give you." And with that she disappeared into her bedroom only to return a few seconds later with a envelope en her hand. 

"Huh? What is this?" said Anna as she looked up from her bag and grabbed what Elsa was offering her. 

"It's a letter." Elsa hoped for Anna to understand and not make much fuss about it. She had been trying all day to find the right moment to give the girl the letter she had written to Idunn. 

"A letter…" Anna looked at the envelope in her hand, as she tried to understand. "Wait, what? Hold up. Really?!" 

"Don't get too excited it's-" 

"No, no, no," she cut her sister mid-sentence. "You can't hand me a letter addressed to mum and tell me not to get excited. Elsa, are you serious?"

"Look," Elsa said, raising her hands in front of her as she tried to calm Anna down. "It's just one letter and a simple response to the letters she sent me. Please, don't think too much of it." 

"What letters?" asked Kristoff while he entered the room. His girlfriend's excitement had called his attention, and he arrived just in time to hear Elsa mention she was merely answering back to Idunn. 

"Elsa! You're writing back!" Doing exactly the opposite of what Elsa had asked her to do, Anna wrapped Elsa in her arms. After a moment, she let go of her sister and asked, "What made you change your mind?" 

Elsa thought about her answer. She didn't want to admit she had been struggling so much with the idea of reading the letters. And she also didn't want to let Anna know she had merely read them in fear she would get tired of her. So, to make things easier, she simply explained, "You should be thanking Marshmallow, he said something to me a few weeks back and it made me realise giving the letters a chance wasn't such a bad idea."

She laughed out loud and then hugged Elsa once again. "I love that big, intimidating guy so much! I could kiss him!"

"Okay," Kristoff stopped her. "There’s no need to kiss anyone." It was clear by his expression he still had many questions he wanted to ask, but he had put two and two together, understanding his girlfriend's happiness perfectly well. That didn't mean he wasn't going to ask his girlfriend for clarification later on. 

Looking at her boyfriend, Anna said in a serious tone of voice. "Two months ago I thought Elsa would freeze my butt if I even mentioned my parents' existence. Whatever Marshall said changed her mind. So excuse me if I think he deserves a kiss."

"First of all, that's quite an exaggeration," said Elsa thinking about the idea of her freezing Anna's behind. "And second, I'm not sure Marshmallow would like for you to start kissing him all of a sudden." 

"Maybe you're right…" said Anna, thinking about another option. "You'll have to do it for me." 

Elsa deadpanned. "Very funny. Weren't you in a hurry?" 

Anna, noticing Elsa's embarrassment behind her serious mask, laughed and said, "You wish for me to go before I talk too much, don't you?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes and silently told Anna to shut her mouth. Weeks before, she had asked Anna not to tell her brother she had slept in Marshall's house. Not because something had actually happened between them, but simply because she wanted to avoid the jealous-brother conversation that would surely take place. Elsa still wasn't sure what Kristoff thought of the mountaineer, and she didn't want to find out during an awkward conversation. 

"I have no idea what's going on, but I'd rather not find out," said Kristoff, before Anna crossed a line. "Pick your things and let's go."

After silently thanking her brother, Elsa turned to him and asked, "are you coming back after dropping Anna off?" 

"Sure thing," he answered with a smile. It had been days since the two of them could spend a night together, and Kristoff was eager to talk and have fun with his sister. "I'll bring some pizza on the way back." 

Elsa was about to suggest a place when a knock on her door distracted her. She looked at Kristoff with a puzzled expression, wondering who could it be, and then walked out of the kitchen to answer. 

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Marshmallow standing on the other side, since he had told her he had to work late that night. But even more shocking was his appearance. His comb over hairstyle was disheveled in an unusual manner, he was breathing heavily — as if he had run all the way to her house — and his angered expression told Elsa he wasn't there for chit-chat.

"Marshmallow?" she asked, lost for words. "What are you doing out here? Are you okay?" 

Breathing in deeply, he looked at Elsa and said, "I need Anna’s phone number." 

--

I hope this chapter finds all of you well.

Time went by faster than I imagined and I was surprised to find out it had been more than a month and a half since the last time I updated. My apologies for the long hiatus. 

Nonetheless, I've got good news! I've been writing and planning a lot during this last month and a half, and I'm pretty sure I've got all the ideas in order for this story's finale. There are several chapters left, 7 or 8, more or less, but at least I can say I can see the finish line. (Then, it will be up to you if I continue with a second part, but that's something else altogether.)

Also, I've written a new summary for the story. I think this new one can help people understand a bit more what the story is about before reading it. The previous one was quite confusing. 

-

In case you were wondering, the game Elsa and Anna play in this chapter is called Truco. It's quite common among friends in Argentina and I wanted to include something related to my country's customs and traditions. (The game is not originally Argentinian, but the one Anna and Elsa play here follow the Argentinian rules and calls.) Just a small wink to my teenage years and all the fun I've had playing this game. By the way, I'm terrible at it. 

-

As always, thank you for your constant support and patience. I know I should try to update more often.

Don't forget to leave a review on your way out. They are the best fuel a writer can get! Whenever I need inspiration, I go back and re-read every single comment. They really mean a lot to me.

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[greatqueenanna]

Why A Frozen Heart does not support a redemption for Hans.

Whenever I explore the Helsa tag for neat fanart and ideas, I always come across a post or two about Elizabeth Rudnick’s book, A Frozen Heart, and why this book supports the idea that Hans should get a redemption arc. It is no secret that I’ve talked about this book before in debates on my Hans related posts, and why I actually don’t consider this book part of the Frozen Franchise Canon.

Jen Lee and Chris Buck had no involvement in it. I cannot find any sources where Jen Lee, Chris Buck or Elizabeth Rudnick talking about this book. 

There are a number of inconsistencies between the book and the original film Frozen. I4

It is labeled as a ‘retelling’ for young adults, basically telling a story differently than what was presented in canon. It’s almost a remake.

Disney Corp. doesn’t seem to consider it canon either, given the fact that they presented this image at the Hyperion Frozen Performance in 2016.   

To give some perspective, A Frozen Heart was written in 2015. If it the book was 100% canon, then they would have to acknowledge the family from that book in this performance. Also, Frozen Heart talks about how some of his brothers have blonde hair, to which here they all have red.

But with this being said, because of the fact that it keeps being brought up by the Hans Redemption fan-base, I feel it is finally time for me to revisit the book - I re-read all of Hans’ chapters, and after doing this, this is my conclusion -

Hans is still very much portrayed with sociopathic traits and still does not deserve a redemption arc, as he is very conniving and evil in this book, just as his whole family. I do agree that the portrayal of him as a sociopath is not the greatest in this book, as he demonstrates fear and anxiety. Regardless, he still shows traits of being narcissistic and manipulative, and states himself that he doesn’t feel emotions, which are big traits when it comes to ASPD.

More Under the read more. *WARNING*, this section i going to be very long, sorry.

Evidence 1: Fleeting Sympathy

The first evidence of sociopathic traits comes early on, when Hans supposedly feels sympathy for his oldest brother’s wife.

She (Caleb’s Wife) looked painfully uncomfortable, and for a brief moment, Hans felt sorry for her(....)Well, at least father is kind to her. Hans acknowledged, some of his sympathy fading. (pg. 27)

Now, it is easy to misinterpret this quote as Hans showing empathy. However, the author labels this as sympathy, not empathy. What’s the difference?

Sympathy is like pity, where someone will acknowledge that someone is suffering. Empathy is when someone actually feels bad about it, and wants to help said person or see them feel better.

Here, Hans simply acknowledges that Caleb’s wife is suffering, but doesn’t feel out right sorry for her. In fact, it states that Hans only felt sorry for her for a brief moment, and this pity is fleeting. Why? Because Hans puts his own suffering above hers.

If Hans actually felt empathy for her, he wouldn’t acknowledge his own suffering, and instead just comment on how uncomfortable she looks. For example -

“She looked painfully uncomfortable. Hans felt bad for her; he knew what it was like to be ignored and her struggle made him wince.” 

Or something like that. But Hans is actually saying this -

“Well, she’s suffering, and that’s sad, but my life is worse so who cares.”

Here, it clearly shows that while Hans can recognize that people can be sad, but will always put his own emotions and needs above other’s.

Evidence 2: Disrespect

Now on to how Hans treats Lars. Lars has an understanding with Hans because he used to be the younger brother, thus he’s nicer to Hans. Hans even recognizes that Lars is the only person he can talk to - but there’s a catch. Hans only wants to talk about himself.

On pg. 39, Hans states that Lars could go on and on about History. The chapter states that while Hans find his hobby endearing, he refuses to listen for more than a few minutes, often getting up and leaving without telling him anything. This shows that Hans has no real respect for Lars or his interests, and only indulges him because Lars is the only one who treats Hans nicer.

On page 60, Hans also shows disgust for the villagers giving him something in place of tax payments, showing no sympathy for their situation and finding their alternate payments disgusting.

Evidence 2 Envy for Power and Praise.

There is a moment in the book where Hans daydreams about being the only son, and getting constant attention from his father. This is on page 28 - 29.

His frustration here is not that the King is abusive, but that his father ignores him. And only him. In fact, he indirectly insults his older brother.

“Hans wondered if Caleb even appreciated his father’s attention.”

Without considering his brother’s emotions or stance on the subject, Hans shrugs away any empathy for his brother and out write states that Caleb doesn’t appreciate the attention he gets from their father.

Of course, the argument could be made that Hans’ brothers treat him poorly, so there’s no reason for him to feel pity for them. And while that may be true for some of his brothers, Caleb has never been shown to be abusive towards him. Thus, his envious comments are unwarranted. He simply doesn’t like him because Caleb receives the attention from his father that Hans craves. 

It is also worthy to note that Hans does not desire love or compassion from his father. He only wants him to give him what he believes he is entitled to - praise and becoming a King.

Later on, Hans basically becomes a lapdog to his father in order to convince him to let him go to Arendelle. The author mentions this -

“Even now, when he had been given a role of some honor, he couldn’t let go of the bitterness of his past. But never mind that, he thought, I’ll show them soon enough.” (Pg. 58)

This shows that even now when he has slowly started to earn respect from his father, and gaining an honorable position at his side, it is not enough for him. He craves more power, and only becoming a King will supposedly satisfy this thirst.

On Page 85, Hans shows envy at Anna and Elsa sharing a bond.

Evidence 4 Objectifying Others

Hans feels entitled for a wife in the early pages of the book. This goes to show that Hans does not view women as people, but as objects to further his own status.  

“And while he had heard the royal affairs coordinator discussing possible suitors for his brothers, Hans had not heard a peep about a possible wife for him.” (Pg. 32)

Later on, when Lars tells Hans about Elsa being single, he essentially treats her as if she’s a tool for his advantage, not a human being.

“This plan meant getting his father to trust him and convincing a woman he had never met to marry him(...)He would have to stop spending his days daydreaming and learn how to become more conniving.” (Pg. 42)

It’s so easy for Hans to just accept the fact that he would need to be conniving in order to get what he wants. He doesn’t feel bad for thinking it, nor does he try to consider what Elsa has been though. She’s just the mysterious princess who he needs to convince to marry him. Nothing more.

“No matter what Queen lay in wait for him inside Arendelle’s castle, Hans knew that he would find a way to become her King.” (Pg. 59)

Again, overall disinterest in Elsa as a human being, and only refers to her as a ‘what’ and that she is his for the taking. This is further supported on Pg. 65, when he runs into Anna thinking its Elsa.

“That, he thought, could not have gone better. Princess Elsa of Arendelle was practically his!”

Later on, after the run in, Hans is disappointed that he ran into Anna instead of Elsa, even considering running into her a joke. Pg. 71 -72. The only time he starts to consider Anna, is when he realizes that Elsa is unreachable. “Considering” is a strong word or course, as he is basically just throwing away one item and getting another, easily talking about how he wants to overthrow Elsa.

“It was all obvious now. He would marry Anna and overthrow Elsa.” (Pg. 77)

Again, Hans is so easily able to just announce these things without feeling even a bit of remorse, and treats the sisters as tools. 

We’re not even half way through the novel yet, and Hans has already showed his blatant disrespect for others, objectification of others, bitterness, and entitlement for power and possessions. Not once has he shown any sort of reluctance or empathy for his actions and thoughts, and has an unquenchable thirst for power.

To avoid this getting too long, I’m going to do a “Lightning Round” of quotes that shows Hans’ terrible nature.

“Hans let a out a sigh of relief as a warm feeling flooded his chest. Now, now, he told himself. Remember why you’re here. This is a business transaction, nothing more.” Pg. 100

While throughout the novel Hans does indeed show that he actually might have some kind of admiration for Anna, and even enjoys some of her antics, he makes it very clear that he has no interest in actually falling in love with her and stops himself when he thinks he might be enjoying her company.  

Next, while Anna and Hans are trying to tell Elsa about their engagement -

“Hans remembered the advice from his father(...)If you wanted to get someone to like you, you just had to act like a mirror. People love their own reflections.” (Pg. 104)

This shows that even in the novel’s universe, Hans purposefully mirrors people because he knows it will get people to like him. 

This is a big one. When Hans and his men find Elsa’s beautiful grove -

“Hans had been clinging to one single reassuring thought: Elsa was a monster. (...) It was this, her utter lack of humanity, which guaranteed Hans his chance to be a Hero. If the people of Arendelle feared Elsa, they would want her to be captured and restrained. They would want her to abdicate her throne, and in turn, they would want Hans to take it.(...) All he had to was make sure that she never created anything like this again. He would destroy this glen and any trace of beauty.”  (Pg. 198 - 199)

In this long passage that I summarized to the main points, Hans displays disappointment and how disgusted he is that Elsa is capable of beauty, because he wants everyone to think she’s a monster. He even states that he will destroy all evidence of Elsa’s beauty.  

The book also recognizes Hans’ actions towards the chandelier.

Hans looked around the room desperate for a plan, and noticed the giant chandelier directly above Elsa. (...) True, it might kill her, but would that be so bad? One less obstacle to the throne.” (Pg. 226)  

Chapter 26 showcases the darkest Hans has ever been throughout the novel. The entire chapter is filled with such hateful and entitled comments from him, it’s ridiculous. Honestly, I could sit here and quote the whole chapter. But let’s just get a couple of the worst things.

“Hans shook his head, He wasn’t there to fill a hole in Anna’s heart. He was there to win a throne. (...) The Westargaards didn’t do emotion - that was the one legacy he had been given.” (Pg. 244)

This confirms that Hans doesn’t feel emotions, something he feels he inherited from his family. 

Now, this one hurts. I wanted to cry for Anna. I want this quote to really sink in, especially for those that feel that this book justifies a redemption arc for Hans.

“Did she honestly think this was one such tale? Hans couldn’t help himself. After years of bullying by his brothers, after years of taking the joke but never making the joke, after years of being the thirteenth son, he was going to get the last laugh. And he wanted to make it count. (...) She looked up at him, confusion racing across her face. At one time, he might of pretended to care. But he was done playing games.” (Pg. 244 - 245)

A few quick observations -

Later, on page 258,  Hans states that the reason he didn’t like to be a murderer was because he didn’t want to be considered a brute, not because he felt anything for Elsa (or Anna for that matter).

On page 271, Hans states that he feels ‘pride’ when Elsa falls down in grief over her sister’s death.

And finally, after everything was said and done, and Hans had failed, he feels absolutely no remorse for his actions, and instead shows pity to only himself.

“If only I had acted a moment sooner, Hans had thought. Then they (the sisters) would never have known forgiveness. Never felt the love of a sibling again. Just like me. Just like my entire life. Elsa would have been dead. Anna would’ve followed soon after, and I would have taken what I deserve.” (Pg. 285 - 286)

And with that, I put this book down. While, again, there is no concrete evidence to say that this book might be considered canon, I still respect what Elizabeth Rudnick wrote here, despite that some of her facts were a little off. She was really good at being able to capture a sociopathic mind, and even able to give me chills, even if it wasn’t perfect at all times.

There is honestly no source, no canon or non-canon work, that supports a redemption arc for Hans. Even in A Frozen Heart, contrary to popular belief.

[elsanna-shenanigans]

April Contest Submission #9: Shocking Confessions

Words: ca. 5,000 Setting: Modern AU with powers Lemon: No CW: Kinda angst, hospitals, anxiety

Soft gentle hands gently tug at the fashioned twin braids of Anna’s hair, slowly turning them into a frizzy mess. For how cold her sister often was, the kiss was hot, passionate. All her deepest desires all poured into one place. For several minutes, it felt like they were both lost in the empty blackness of space, holding tight to each other so they wouldn’t drift apart again. Then something starts to build within the nerves of Anna’s being. Something searing hot that burned through her blood and brought tears to her eyes. 

Her body jolts with the electric currents, waking her from this trance. Anna’s head slams into the metal machinery above her head, the only conductor this electricity needed to infect everything else. As she shouts her pain and falls back to the base of this machine, the power and lights flicker, then go out completely. Heart beating extremely fast after the dream she just had, Anna stares at the screen above her head. A dim blue light shone on it, produced from her own eyes.

“Anna?! Anna, are you alright?!” Elsa’s voice broke the silence in this small room just as her flashlight pierced the darkness. Momentary relief washes over Anna, before remembering why she was here. What would she say to them? Dreams like that were meant to stay out of this place and in her own bed only, but it wasn’t like she could control it. Continuing to lie about them would make so many dents in the progress they were trying to make. Controlling these abilities used to be so much easier…

“Y- yeah, I’m okay.” She could hear the sigh of relief from Elsa.

“Thank god. You shorted out all the power in the hospital again. At least this time they know how to get it back online quicker. You’re still going to have to crawl out from inside there.” With a dismayed sigh of her own, Anna carefully rolls herself over onto her stomach so she could try pulling herself through the small gap at the end of the cylindrical machine. Just like last time, Elsa was there to catch her arms and pull her out. This time though, the blonde holds Anna tight in a hug. She could feel the older woman’s heartbeat going very fast.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to.”

“I know, baby…” A pale gentle hand strokes the back of Anna’s head, which normally would’ve been a soothing gesture for her had the dream not happened. Not wanting the flashbacks for fear of accidentally shocking her sister, she pushes herself away. “What is it? What made this happen again?”

“Just another nightmare.”

“Anna, you know you can’t be that vague. We need to know what’s haunting your mind. We need to know why your powers are responding to it like they are! It’s for your, and everyone else’s, safety. That’s why we’re doing this in the first place, remember?” Desperately searching on loose strings for an excuse, Anna holds her arms tight over her chest, hoping that the constriction would calm her down. 

“I- I just need a moment, okay?” Her anxiety was plain as day in her voice. Elsa once again reaches towards her with her free hand, but Anna flinches away. In seeing the hurt on her sister’s face from the motion, the ginger gives a defeated sigh and moves into the careful embrace. This time, Elsa wouldn’t make any rash movements, just hold the girl.

“Fine, but you have to tell me within the hour, otherwise I know you’ll forget.” An hour was probably enough time to think of something, but Anna wanted so bad to confess. This secret had dragged her down for about a couple years, wasting too much research and money. She knew Elsa was terribly worried for her, too. It was just… a terrifying subject to bring up. There was no way to know how her sister would respond to it. “Anna?” 

“Yeah, I will, I promise. Can we… go to the place?” Elsa seems a bit hesitant to reply, but does so just as the lights flicker on again. 

“Yes, just as soon as we get the results.” The machine behind Anna starts to whirr back to life and Elsa quickly leans forward to turn it off. She was one of the employees here at the hospital, and the reason they were able to afford this kind of thing in the first place. It was a different kind of place than you’d normally imagine a hospital to be, but it still helped people. It just specialized in helping a certain strange kind of people. A long slip of paper buzzes out from a slot in the machine that Elsa takes and looks over while Anna continues hugging the taller woman. When the only response to her findings was a hum, the ginger curiously tries to look at the slip of paper, only for Elsa to raise it above her eye level. “Looks like you’ve started sleep talking now, too.”

“Wait what?!” Panicking over this idea, Anna reaches up to grab the slip and pull it out of Elsa’s grasp. However, all that was on it was her heart rate over the course of time she was asleep and other squiggle lines she didn’t understand the meaning of.

“Hey!” Elsa takes it back with a glare.

“Sleep talking? How could you tell? All that shows is my heart rate.”

“You think I don’t know that? There’s a microphone on the machine. There used to be a soundproof sealing on the end in case the patient would scream during testing. Of course, we would immediately shut down the test, but we couldn’t have screams echoing down the hallway.”

“Oh. How come it’s gone?” Elsa finally turns off her flashlight and clips it to her bluejeans, her gaze still looking at the piece of paper more so to likely avoid looking at Anna. 

“Well, with the fear of power outages, we found it would be too easy for patients to get stuck and suffocate. For those who need the containment, they have backup generators in their rooms, but you don’t require such concealment.” Guilt crawls into Anna’s chest, ruining any appetite she had. She couldn’t keep doing this. It was harming others needlessly, not to mention costing the building far more money for the generators. Today, she had to tell her sister what was really going on, no matter the suffering she would have to endure. A lifelong friendship with her big sister ruined by a single sentence.

“I’m sorry.” Folding the paper and stuffing it into her pocket, Elsa reaches down and takes Anna’s hand.

“It isn’t your fault, Anna. We can only blame our parents for not letting you get the help you needed. Besides, the weather can be unpredictable sometimes.”

“But I was doing so well with them! Until… Until…” With her other hand, Anna wipes away the tears trying to glaze her eyes. “They didn’t want people to experiment on me.”

“No one is experimenting on you!” It sounds like it takes a lot for Elsa to say that without a growl. Anna should’ve known better than to bring up something their parents and Elsa argued about so often. “We are observing and working on finding solutions for the problem.”

“Right..” She almost apologized again, but restrained from doing so, so Elsa wouldn’t feel worse about yelling than Anna already knew she did. The blonde’s arm wraps around Anna’s shoulders as she leads her to the door and out into the bright white hallway. This place had the makings of an asylum, with the twist of actually helping people get better and letting them leave. Some patients just took a little longer than others and had no family or home to go back to, so they stayed, but Anna has Elsa.

“Hey, I have something for you.” After getting into the car, Anna curiously looks over to Elsa, who held up a KitKat bar. Instantly, a smile grew over Anna’s face, always taken by the candy bar. When Anna takes and unwraps it, she breaks off the two pieces from each other and offers the other one to her big sister, just like always. It was like a short little break they could share together despite the trials of this stressful everyday life. The break was less the candybar and more being able to take a small moment with Elsa. Without disappointment, Elsa accepts the other half and bites into it before starting the car. Somehow, the blonde never failed to have one after every stressful occasion. Even on the day of their parent’s unexpected demise, they shared the solemn binding treat. Anna knew that Elsa suspected their death was the reason Anna kept having nightmares, but that obviously couldn’t be true. However, after that day, the two had become more inseparable. When they didn’t have to be away from each other, they did everything together. So, in a way, their parent’s death was definitely a contributing factor. Because Elsa had a financially stable career and Anna had just become an adult, the ginger had moved in with her sister, with only one requirement: that Anna had to forgo observation over her abilities.

A half hour later into their drive and they had finally made it to the river trail that Anna loved so much. There was something about how the air just felt much more peaceful and crisp to her senses. Maybe it was just because she had been cramped in a tiny space and a tiny room for so long, but the freedom was amazing. Despite the warm summer weather, they found no one on the trail as they trekked through the dirt path. Not that Anna would mind. As long as she had her sister, she would always be perfectly content, even if the blonde was a little overprotective and made her at least wear a jacket against the sun’s rays. Sure, she thought about maybe getting friends outside of family, even a girlfriend to try and rid herself of the romantic lust she held for her sister, but no one was worth her time the same way. Friends after school just didn’t seem to stick to her. Besides, she wanted to believe Elsa needed her just as much as Anna felt she needed Elsa.

The river was loud as they approached, rushing against its rocky bank. A large stretch of grass separated the trees from the water, bathed in warm sunlight that looked more than welcoming to sit in. So, they did. It was a wonder why such a loud spot would be so calming, but Anna liked to listen to it like music. Just another way to drown out the nervous thoughts in her head. Elsa said she enjoyed sitting near it as well, but she always wore such a sad expression whenever they did. Today was no different. Her big sister watched the water with a glassy blue gaze, somehow still stunning when looking so depressed. 

“Elsa?”

“Hm?”

“I think I’m ready to tell you.” Anna’s gut twisted with her anxiety and guilt, only getting worse when Elsa looks up at her. Now that she had the blonde’s undivided attention, her voice seemed to die in her throat.

“Take your time. Don’t forget to breathe. In three, out four.” Nodding, Anna takes a deep breath and then slowly lets it out. This wasn’t the first time she tried to tell Elsa the truth. Except, every other time, she chickened out and went with the most believable excuse she could come up with.

“It’s you,” she quickly confesses. So quickly, in fact, that Elsa doesn’t react for another few moments.

“What?”

“You.”

“Me? What about me?” Elsa seemed completely confused, which was to be expected.

“Would it make more sense to say it wasn’t actually a nightmare?”

“Oh… Oh!!” The blonde exclaims, her eyes wide with what could have been surprise, but looked more like the face of someone who found the answer to an impossible puzzle. Slowly, she reaches into her pocket to retrieve the slip of paper. “Wait…” Squinting as she stares, Elsa’s face gave away that she was trying really hard to think of something to say, probably a scientific explanation to try and resolve any awkwardness. “Well, if this is the first time it has happened, then it obviously doesn’t really mean anything, so-”

“It isn’t.” Anna cuts off, her teeth buried into her lip while she fidgets with her hands. Afraid of what she might see, her gaze avoids Elsa’s. The silence that followed was due to Anna being too ashamed to explain any further and Elsa searching for the right thing to respond with. What the hell would be the right thing to say in this scenario? Was this it? Were they going to forget about the whole thing and stop the tests? Write it off as insignificant and keep living their lives? That had to be the best case scenario. The worst would be Elsa separating herself from Anna in order to try and help her.

“Why?” Was not the answer she expected. Perhaps the one she should have though. For the first time in a really long time, Elsa’s powers finally show itself. Ice creeps along the grass from under the blonde’s hand on the ground, the other still holding the slip of paper very tightly. Worry and dismay grows in Anna’s chest, afraid this was a huge mistake. There was no taking it back now.

“I… Elsa, why would I know? Do you think I would have asked for these feelings?”

“I was asking about the dreams, but uh.. now it’s a pretty clear answer.” Face flushing in embarrassment, Anna shoots a glare at her sister, only to get a nervous kind smile in return. Elsa’s smile made it practically impossible to be mad at her, but if Anna wasn’t going to be mad, she could feel the sadness creeping into her eyes. A hopeless sensation that started happening that night when they got the call. Likely depression, but Anna refused to let her sister take her to get any real diagnosis. To her, medication wasn’t a solution, and therapy would only keep her away from Elsa longer- who she viewed to be the only form of medicine needed. She could tell Elsa carried something from that night as well. Elsa would hesitate to pick up her cellphone when it rang every time, very unlike the quick precise person she was. At work, she made no such hesitation. “So, how long have you been lying to me, Anna?” The question pulls Anna back to reality, where she was sitting here in the middle of the forest confessing to her big sister. Oh god, what had she been thinking…

“I prefer to call it ‘strategically avoiding an awkward conversation’. Lying to you sounds bad.”

“Anna, I’ve been so worried about you. I thought things were haunting you.”

“Things are haunting me! Sort of. Just… not monstrous things. More like illegal things, like tax evasion.” Elsa had the audacity to laugh.

“Incestuous feelings, you mean.” When Anna refuses to look at Elsa again, she brings herself closer to the ginger and wraps an arm around her. Anna groans and drops her head in her hands, leaving Elsa to semi-awkwardly rub her back with a hand. “Just out of curiosity, when did these… uhm.. When did this start?”

“Mhh hard to say,” she lies, her face feeling very hot from embarrassment. “Maybe 2 years ago.”

“2 years ago?! Anna, what the fuck?!” 

“I thought it would go away! You know, like a normal crush!” It was unlike Elsa to swear, but maybe this situation could warrant nothing other than profanities. “Does it even matter? Like- truly? I’m practically over it anyways, which is why I decided to tell you now.”

“Oh really? Does someone who’s over said crush have such…” Elsa seems to wrestle with the words for a moment before choking them out, “intense dreams that end up wiping out all power in that large ass facility? You must have been feeling something! If it wasn’t fear then it had to have been…” she trails off, suddenly feeling too embarrassed herself now to say it.

“Would you believe me if I said yes?”

“No!”

“Oh, so just cause you’re a scientist, you suddenly know everything about emotions?” Anna watches Elsa now, whose face was a mix of panic and something else. 

“Well, I don’t know everything, but I have a decent idea about the chemicals and reasons for certain reactions.” Rolling her eyes, Anna scoffs at her sister’s claim. Of course, always with the logic with her. Unfortunately for the scientist, Anna wasn’t willing to reason with her logic, or the chemicals she claimed.

“If that’s true, why don’t you explain this then?”

“Explain what, specifically?”

“How on earth I’m attracted to you!”

“I would sound like a narcissist if I did…”

“Do it for your precious science.” Her glare found Elsa’s uncertain gaze, where they shared a moment of silence. Well, as much silence as you could get while near the river.

“Fine. In theory, romantic feelings could be aroused by looks or certain personality quirks. Or, all of that could go out the window when it comes to a stranger, or even someone you care about, touching you in a different way.” It seemed to make Elsa incredibly nervous to talk about this, stumbling a bit on the words and going back on them to reiterate. Anna didn’t even know why she wanted her to explain it. Maybe because her older sister seemed so confident with her reasoning and staying calm rather than actually feeling things herself, and acting rather than thinking for once. Yeah, that was probably it.

“Touching in what way?” Struggling not to smirk as she asks it, Elsa finally returns the glare.

“Not the kind you’re thinking about.”

“How do you know, smarty-pants?” Suddenly, Anna found Elsa’s hand at her waist. It stayed for merely a moment before disappearing and reappearing on Anna’s thigh instead.

“Touches like that. Certain nerves that are for the ‘lover’s interest’.” Then her hand falls back into her lap and Anna could finally let out the breath she held. However, it didn’t escape her how Elsa could have simply said these things instead of demonstrating. The ginger’s eyes now try to maintain eye contact with Elsa’s, but the blonde unfortunately seems far more interested in keeping them on the grass. “However, it’s completely determined on the relationship you share with that person or whether your brain already finds them attractive visually. As sisters, we are extremely close with each other, and neither of us go out to see many other people unless it’s at work.”

“Yeah, but you’re my sister, so this logic is complete bullshit.” Anna says, matter-of-factly.

“M-most sisters probably aren’t as close on a daily basis as we are. Among already living together, dining out together, and not already seeing other people, my coworkers have already asked if you were my girlfriend. I think not sleeping in the same bedroom and making out with each other are the only things that divide the line between us being sisters or a couple.”

“Why are you defending my feelings for you?” Suddenly taken aback by her sister’s surprisingly quickly executed rebuttal, Anna stares at Elsa with wide eyes. This was not at all what she expected this confession to be like. Though, it may still end very horribly…  Knowing Elsa and how little she judged a person, she must be very conflicted. “Excuse me for a moment.” Needing a break from this conversation, Anna gets to her feet and quickly walks back towards the trees. Within the forestry, the ginger stops herself at a place she was sure she could find her way back to where she had left Elsa. The sound of the river was still very close, but muffled enough that she could think and try to calm herself down. 

When hugging her arms over her chest and leaning back into a tree, Anna could feel something in her left boob pocket. It crinkled and pressed awkwardly against her chest. Slowly unwrapping her arms, she curiously reaches into the pocket to retrieve that familiar red wrapper in its technically trapezoid shape because of the candy within. Despite it basically being her comfort food, Anna never bought it for herself. The candy was just something Elsa liked to get her once being able to pay for things on her own. If she were being honest, she didn’t even like them much at first, but anything from her sister was everything to her, even at 8 years old. How had the years quickly escaped them both? 

Anna easily tears the wrapper, leaving the double chocolate bars in the palm of her hand, so she could tuck the wrapper back into her denim pocket. Then, being careful not to drop either piece, she snaps the two from each other. Sure, at the moment, there was no Elsa to share it with, and the thought of enjoying both bars sounded sad, but this had clearly been put in her pocket deliberately. Elsa probably wanted Anna to eat it when she needed to think of sweet wonderful times with her big sister. Though, after confessing her romantic love for Elsa, that thought made her feel kind of ill. Regardless, she had already removed the wrapper and wasn’t about to let the candy go to waste.

“Wow. Already breaking off your KitKats without me now? Might as well make it official and move out.” At the sudden sound of Elsa’s voice, Anna jumps in surprise, almost dropping the chocolate. The older woman had apparently been summoned by the snapping of a KitKat..

“Jeez Elsa, you scared me!” Out of habit, she offers the other bar to Elsa while biting into her own. The blonde doesn’t hesitate to take it and join her sister leaning against the tree. Anna knew Elsa was just kidding about the moving out thing, but she started considering it. Not living in the same house as her sister would make her feelings easier to abolish, wouldn’t it? “Yknow, maybe I should.”

“What? Anna, I was joking.”

“I know, but I’m not.” There was a new tense kind of silence, like Elsa was holding back from saying something. 

“That’s ridiculous! There’s no reason to. No, you don’t need to move out. It would just complicate everything. Unnecessary. Besides, with your financial stability right now, and the way your ability is acting up, it’s just… well, a wildly horrible decision. As your big sister, I really suggest you stop thinking about the idea altogether, e- even after you get that… financial stability.” Ah, there it was. Highly suspicious that Elsa wanted to keep her so close. Or was it? Damn, it’s so hard to know when trying to read her sister. Sometimes it was like Elsa felt the same, and other times it was like she was reading all the signals completely wrong. Such a frustrating way to live.

“No reason to? Elsa, I-”

“I know, but that doesn’t matter! I don’t want to lose you!”

“Then why did you hesitate to decide that?”

“Anna!” With an exasperated groan, Elsa pushes herself off the tree to face Anna with a furious expression. “Why are you making this so difficult for us both?”

“Because I’m afraid to admit that you’re right! Right about everything! Because this is wrong! Everything about it is wrong! I shouldn’t feel this way, but I know exactly why I do. You care about me like no one else does. You hold me like I’m the last person you ever want to let go. You know everything about me! I don’t go out to make friends, because you’re the only person I ever want to be around. You’re everything to me!” Her walls were breaking, falling apart like a KitKat bar that you’d left in your pocket for too long, thankfully unlike the one she had discovered. Before she even knew she was crying, cold fingers were gently wiping away her tears. “And here you are, keeping me close to you when I just want to make this better for you for once!” Once again, the silence carries on for several moments too long. Part of Anna wanted Elsa to finally be disgusted and tell her to be better, to get rid of these foolish feelings so she might actually be able to, but that’s not what happened. Instead, Elsa’s response was to press a very soft kiss to Anna’s forehead, and then her tear stained cheek, and finally… her quivering lips. Elsa’s hand cradles Anna’s face, her other hand resting over the one Anna had against the tree. This moment must’ve lasted for several seconds, but to Anna, it only existed for the fragment of a second. Far too short to register what was going on.

When it was over, it was almost like nothing had happened. No loud explosions or confetti. Only the loud noise of water hitting rock over and over again. Anna dazedly stares at her sister, absolutely shocked by this turn of events, despite her earlier suspicions. Elsa seemed not to know what to say either, likely worried she had made a horrible decision by the look on her face. Finally, the ginger let out her breath, a rather familiar sensation roaming her body. Was this another dream? Eager not to lose this chance, she leans towards Elsa, only for the blonde to fall away with a gasp.

“Ow!!!” Elsa stares at her hand, a burn spot on the back with light grey smoke drifting from it. Quickly, the older woman sprints back to the river, where she could submerge her burned hand under the freezing surface. Anna chases after her in a panic.

“Elsa! Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Definitely not a dream. Watching Elsa take one deep breath after the other, it was evident by the frustration on her face how badly she was trying to stop herself from cussing.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Elsa hisses out. “At least now we have actual answers that we can start working with. Damn it, Anna. 2 years…” Worried about her sister, but afraid to get too close to her again, Anna crouches down a foot or so away.

“I know, I know, I- Wait, are we just not going to talk about you kissing me?”

“Why would we? Didn’t seem like you minded all that much. Unless that’s the reason you zapped my hand.”

“No! No, I didn’t mean to. Why would we-?! We would talk about it, because it was absurd and illegal and amazing and… and..!” Thinking about it brought a wave of mixed feelings upon Anna, mainly of astounded confusion. Though all it brought to Elsa was another smile to watch the blush on Anna’s face grow. “Don’t laugh, this is serious!”

“I’m not laughing. I just love watching you slowly register things. Like when it took you 2 years to realize I love you, too.”

“Y- you what? I mean, of course you do. We’re sisters, of course you love me. Th- this is different.”

“Alright, I take it back. 2 years and… I’ll give this a week, because I’m generous.” Offended, Anna didn’t think twice before pushing Elsa. Of course, the blonde just had to lose her balance and fall forward into the river. The current swept her away before she could bob to the surface, but luckily, a couple of rocks stopped her from getting too far downstream. 

“Elsa!!!” Anna’s spontaneous nature told her to jump in after her sister, but with how unpredictable her powers were becoming, she might as well just be a damn toaster. So, instead, she stood at the edge panicking.

“I’m fine! Just stay there!” Elsa shouts over the water. Using her own ability, she creates a solid wall of ice against the water. The object had enough force to throw the water back onto itself and start to rise up the river edges very quickly, but it also gave Elsa a short amount of time to battle against no current and to get back to the edge. Instantly, Anna crouches down and extends her hand out to her sister, who just barely manages to take it before letting the wall fall. Water crashes over them both in a powerful cascade, Anna holding tight to Elsa’s arm with both hands while trying to pull her up onto the grass. Only when Elsa gets her other hand up to solid ground was she able to pull herself over, Anna then dragging her away from the water. 

“Elsa, I’m so sorry. I’m such a disaster. Please, I’ll find a way to make today up to you.” Elsa just gives a small groan, her eyes slipping closed for a moment. Anna feared the worst despite knowing her sister better than that. 

“There’s only one way I’ll let you make this up to me.” Elsa’s voice was almost too quiet to hear, clearly exhausted.

 “Anything!”

“Continue breaking your KitKats with me and… don’t ever stop loving me the way you do.” Hesitating, Anna stares down at Elsa’s tired face until she finally opens her gorgeous blue eyes again.

“Elsa, are you sure?” Her sister gives a tired nod. “Okay.” While still being very confused by this turn of events, she would still do anything for Elsa. 

“Say it.. Out loud.” Elsa specifies, her eyes staring deep into Anna’s. It made the ginger’s heart beat hard against her chest, like Elsa was asking her to recite an oath instead of a simple request. So full of emotion and desperation… 

“Elsa…”

“Please. You’re my everything, too, Anna.” Elsa’s voice suddenly sounded very broken and weak, like she was about to start crying. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.” A small smile teases the edges of Anna’s lips. Of anything to come from confessing, relief was not something she expected. Her hand gently pushes back wet strands of platinum hair from Elsa’s face before softly caressing her sister’s cheek.

“I promise to always share my KitKats with you, and I promise to never stop loving you the way I do right now. Unconditionally and completely.” Elsa’s mouth grew into a relieved smile, her eyes slipping closed again as Anna took this opportunity to finally get the embrace she dreamed so often about.

[gryfon-spanish-werewolf]

Uuh dunno if you would like this prompt : Anna and Elsa as a mythical creatures.

Would love too see what you will write them as ^^

@like-redhead-probably I sat thinking about this ask for a long time, because while I IMMEDIATELY thought of one for Elsa, Anna’s absolutely eluded me. And I know you were probably looking for a story, but I am unable to stop myself from first EXPLAINING my choices xD

I was already thinking about the myth of the Hulder (or huldra if we’re speaking of the creature in general instead of the specific Norwegian myth) for other story-related reasons, and as I did more research, I felt like the Hulder REALLY shared similarities with Elsa.

Generally speaking the huldra is a Scandinavian myth of a pale skinned, blonde or brown haired, attractive young woman who lives in the wilderness, often luring men away with song or dance to be killed or misled, stuck wandering forever. Sometimes she’s connected strongly to water, and instead of making men lost, she drowns them. Sometimes she is described as similar to an elf or fey-like creature, with characteristics related to other Huldufolk (we’ll get to them later) such as living in a parallel world, or a world Underground, and therefore preferring caves or appearing and disappearing suddenly. Sometimes she is depicted as having a hollow back, or a cow’s tail, which she hides out of embarrassment or to conceal her true identity. Which… how cute is that?

Before the 11th century, the myths were focussed more around the Huldufolk, which literally means “Hidden Folk”. There are lots of stories as to why and how the Huldufolk came to exist, but for the purpose of Elsa I think it most appropriate to look at the Christianization of the myths. Why?:

Frozen and Frozen 2 are modern movies made by an American company and Christianity is nigh untanglable with American culture, they take place in ~1840s Norway, F1 has a dedicated place of Christian congregation depicted in said movie, an official royal crowning overseen by a Christian faith leader, and the adaptation of Frozen generally comes from author Hans Christian Anderson and therefore should take his life and society into account, etc.

The Christianized myth says that one day Eve was washing her children (presumably after Cain, Abel, and Seth) in the river, when she heard God approaching. Ashamed that He would see her kids unclean, she hid the half she wasn’t done bathing, and when God asked, “Where are the other children?” Eve claimed that she had all of them present, indicating the clean ones. This gave God pause, but in the end He said, “Then let all that is Hidden, remain Hidden.” The children that Eve lied about became the Huldufolk, unable to live among humans. These people would eventually become characterized as dwarves, elves, fairies, etc., as time and interpretations rolled on, the huldra being just one of many mythical “species”.

So. Who is Elsa? She’s a:

fictional, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned young woman who led thousands of men wlw to wander helplessly into the dark caves and wildlands of social media with a power ballad and a jaw-dropping transformation sequence

Okay I’m joking… mostly…

In fact my interest in choosing the Hulder for Elsa lies purely outside of any romantic or sexual appeal, especially since Elsa as a character exhibits next to 0 romantic or sexual interest across two whole movies and an additional two shorts. Indeed, there’s a reason people headcanon her as either asexual, aromantic, or both! No, the reasons I chose the Hulder are:

Elsa’s name

Her upbringing

Her duty as queen, and

Her general behavior, specifically in regards to Frozen 1, as Frozen 2 Elsa is, at times, an almost completely different character

Elsa’s name was chosen very specifically by the filmmakers because it means “God is my Oath”. Oaths are binding, heavy, and invoke the maker’s or subject’s actions and personhood in the future. In Elsa’s case specifically, it invokes divine witness: perfect for a queen, someone born to rule. A promise to be fair, to uphold, to protect, to lead, to be a dignified and honorable face for the country. And Elsa was so ready to be that… except for the powers of course. Or at least, when they became something other than a magical gift of wonder and joy. When they became dangerous. Then there comes another oath, spoken to powerful creatures of magic, the Trolls, and born from parental fear: “She can learn to control it.”

Binding, heavy, invoking of Elsa’s future. As she grows, Elsa becomes closed off, quiet, hiding in her own home. She still takes her duties seriously, but now that she has been Other’d, taught to hide herself and her curse, she is just as much shadow as person. To young Anna, Elsa must have been almost ghostlike, disappearing right when Anna thought she’d cornered her, only to reappear sometime later down the hall, out of arm’s reach.

God promised Adam and Eve that their children would inherit the earth, even after leaving the Garden of Eden. Then suddenly that changed, due to Eve’s fear and shame of her unwashed children, and some would now inherit Underground, or somewhere else entirely. The lost children of Eve had become Other’d, needing to hide, disappear, and resort to inhuman tactics just to exist. Maybe they’re jealous, maybe they're just tricksters. But it’s not their fault. And it wasn’t Elsa’s either. Another reason they are similar.

Now, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Hulder, or for Elsa. While the Hulder is generally known for her more chaotic and negative attributes - just like our favorite snow queen, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. There are a few myths that say burning a charcoal fire -instead of a coal or gas one- is most pleasing to the Hulder, that she’ll even watch over it during the night, and wake the sleepers in case something happens. If a traveler leaves supplies behind with a note or offering for the Hulder, they will travel safely. In fact, some people leave caches for her, as though to cater to specific requests. Coming across the Hulder by chance can have a multitude of outcomes, but if an astute observer spots her cow tail and mentions it, she may become shy and run away. Don’t mention the empty back though, that’s almost certain death.

Basically my point is… trade out the word “traveler” for the name “Anna” and we can draw all the similarities we want. Anna did all of those things, in a way. Anna gave Elsa a little gift of their favorite snowman every Christmas. Anna knocked on Elsa’s door and spoke to her, treated her kindly despite the distance between them, literal and metaphorical. It’s not hard to imagine that Anna left little notes around the castle, hoping Elsa would find them, read them, and know that Anna still loved her, still missed her. And, well, hopefully Anna wasn’t setting any fires and falling asleep next to them - but Anna always kept a light on for Elsa, in her heart. And it flickered and wavered sometimes, but it was a strong fire most days. And we know Elsa was always drawn to it, drawn to Anna because she loved her right back. Loved her first, even. And because it was a warmth that pleased Elsa, she tended it, quietly, carefully, warmly. Like putting a blanket over an Anna that had fallen asleep in the painting room, refusing that slice of chocolate cake so Anna could have two desserts, and listening, for hours and hours, days and days, for the sound of Anna’s glorious bonfire-like soul outside her bedroom door. Even when her secret was revealed, Elsa believed that the best way to protect Anna’s life, her flame, was to distance herself, running to a secret, special place all her own - much like the Hulder might run away back to the Underground.

And this last part’s just me, but I’d like to think that if the Hulder was treated kindly, respected, and given dignity, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if someone came across her accidentally. That instead of being instantly drowned, or the Hulder becoming sheepish and attempting to run, it would feel recognized. It could be called by name. And instead of feeling the need to hide it’s Otherness, it could be treated as part of it, and cared for just the same. I don’t even need to be subtle here: Anna called Elsa by Name, really saw her, and reframed her darkness into light. Anna hasn’t fought God yet, but she did walk through hell and back for a sister that everyone else saw as a threat, monster, and sorcerer. A category 9 Other. Too bad for them, Anna’s got a Category 10 heart.

Speaking of. We finally got to Anna.

Anna was difficult to pin down because to me, Anna is so very, very human. That’s what makes her special! Yes, yes, you could throw any mythical creature at Anna and the fun part would be trying to make it work within her personality and characterization BUT since the question was Anna AS a mythical creature, that changes the game! The word ‘creature’ itself tends to conjure something distinctly INhuman. So I…. tried, and cheated maybe a little. Because I picked for Anna the Norse Valkyrie.

Most people know what Valkyries are so this one takes significantly less explaining. Valkyries are women that are warriors, shieldmaidens, and the hands of Odin, and they choose who lives and who dies during battle. Their chosen dead ride with them to Valhalla, while those they choose to live are usually granted honors in life. There are the darker sides of Valkyries that paint them as blood hungry maidens waiting on the sidelines before a war, singing the names of who will die with glee… but generally speaking the version of Valkyries that most people know and admire today are accurate! And thank goodness because attempting to depict Anna the other way would probably give me an ulcer.

Anna, much like the Valkyries, is a woman of valor and strength, who is perceptive, guides others, sees into people’s hearts and reveals their goodness. Valkyries are also warriors of prowess themselves, and Anna in Frozen 2 with that ice sword? We all know she was ready to use that for real. She also exemplifies traits that Valkyries both look for and have! Bravery in the face of danger: hello Marshmallow, Elsa’s own blizzard, Hans’ lethal sword strike, LIVING MOUNTAINS, and a damn collapsing.... dam. She also defends those who cannot do it themselves: saying publicly that, “My sister is not a monster… she was scared, she didn’t mean any of this,” even if that cast suspicion or doubt on herself, and the crown, as a whole. Anna knew and believed in Elsa, despite all the years and heartbreak and anger. Despite the impossible magic that literally just happened before her very eyes. Belief in character, despite appearances. And once they were reunited, Anna made every effort to stay by Elsa’s side because she STILL had that faith in her. Anna’s name means “Grace” or “of Grace”, and damn if she didn’t extend that to the person others found most unworthy, even to Elsa herself. Valkyries see what others don’t, and their decisions are final.

[Deep breath] SO! You asked for Anna and Elsa as mythical creatures. You got… a small academic paper, by social media standards xD. I intend to write a little piece about a Valkyrie who encounters the Hulder on the edges of a battlefield and… realizes she never made a choice about this particular woman. And wonders why she can’t ;). BUT I didn’t wanna leave you hanging any longer. Hope you like my choices!

Oh also, nobody asked, but Kristoff is a werebear. No research required

[let-it-show]

They’ve Got Strings

This is...this is kind of my response to a lot of the hatred I see toward Anna’s character after F2. I know its more at the writers and targeting her channels those feelings, but it just seems unfair toward this poor girl at times. So, I wrote about it. Enjoy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've got no strings To hold me down To make me fret, or make me frown I had strings But now I'm free There are no strings on me I’ve Got No Strings from Pinocchio “She took her place. Do you think Queen Elsa really wanted to stay behind?” “Something seems off to me. Queen Anna was really a spare, I hate to say it…” “So what? She left because she has magic, and we’re expected to follow this normal queen?” Anna heard those lines and more incredibly often. She heard them from some of the staff, she heard them from people in town, all when it was assumed she wasn’t around or just plain not listening. And at first, she was willing to downplay it as shock and even a form of grief in saying bye to their beloved leader. Change was difficult. Change no one expected was even worse and so when she heard those lines or was informed of them, she had shrugged them off. Yet, it only got more intense.

“You really think she can lead when she spent all her time playing in town before? Even if she’s doing well now, she can only keep it up so long before old habits come back.” She heard it in the morning, and held her head high all day, but when she found herself alone and able to retire to her bedroom in the evening, she did so immediately. When she did it, she locked them all out, she locked out Olaf, Kristoff, Mattias, Kai…all of them. None of them could give her the peace of mind she so desperately needed, only empty reassurances based on the fact they loved her. Not even that knowledge could soothe her as she buried her face in her big pink pillow to muffle her sobs. Her heart hurt. Her head hurt, and all her insecurities rushed to mind to crush her. She’d never asked to be queen. She’d done what Elsa asked, because she loved Elsa, and because she didn’t quite realize what it came down to. Somehow when she accepted she hadn’t realized Elsa would truly be somewhere else. Anna wasn’t a stupid girl – not at all. In the face of swirling and confusing emotions, however, she hadn’t managed to think everything through. Did she ever have the choice? …Probably not. Elsa was going to stay in that forest, whether Anna wanted the throne or not. Elsa had left her in charge of a kingdom that loved but doubted her. Among those doubts hostility and bitterness spread. Anna knew she had to be brave, knew she had to prove herself to them and that eventually she could, but at the same time – she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to be where she was. Her face was so wet from her own tears and snot that it felt uncomfortable. She wanted to fetch a warm, wet cloth and wipe her face but it meant leaving the room. Leaving meant someone might possibly see her state of distress and ask questions she didn’t feel ready to answer. In that moment she didn’t feel ready for anything. No wonder Elsa had hidden for so many years in her room. The amount of anxiety was almost too much, and Anna did  not have powers to worry about. Anna was supposed to be the optimist, wasn’t she? Bursting with joy and a big heart! But she wasn’t hearing that about herself. But then again, maybe it was only the negative things she picked up on. When Anna fell asleep that night, and for quite a few nights, it was on her side with her arms curled around her stomach. It was hard to feel like an imposter, a thief. Olaf knocked on her door a couple of times, but she didn’t want to show how weak she was feeling. She couldn’t afford to do so. In time of course, Elsa had returned to her, body and soul. Anna looked forward to every night wrapped up in her arms and falling asleep to the steady, gentle rhythm of her heartbeat. She looked forward to every daily adventure, every meeting for festivals and other matters. With her sister at her side she enjoyed being queen. Yet, some things were not shaken so easily and the way she had been spoken of stuck with her. It bothered her so and she wasn’t sure if she should voice it to Elsa. At least, maybe she wouldn’t yet. They agreed to tell each other everything, but… How was she supposed to tell Elsa that by returning, she had ‘freed’ her? Anna still had responsibilities. She had her duties. Regardless, a weight had lifted from her shoulders when Elsa took the throne once again. No longer did she have to do it alone and deal with the opinions of the people she had treated well. It all still bothered her. There was no shaking of how much she was doubted and how wretchedly it hurt. But she wouldn’t have to deal with it again. Anna could be who she was again, while still being important, couldn’t she? She’d have to speak up someday. She could only meet Elsa’s loving gaze and say “I’m fine” so many times. Elsa had to know something was being held back, but she also knew when not to push. She would kiss Anna and tell her how adored she was and those feelings of-of not being good enough would go away. If Elsa found her worthy, then she had to find herself worthy. Anna would silently scold herself for placing so much value in herself in connection with Elsa’s view of her, but at the same time she didn’t feel totally bad about it. Elsa’s approval had always meant everything to her. Elsa approved of her job of queen and certainly of her as a person, or she wouldn’t give herself over to Anna so completely. “She just wanted what her sister had.” If only she could shake those words and the others like them. She had never wanted Elsa’s position. Anna wanted to be around her, she wanted to spend time with her, help her, and be her right hand. There was no desire to walk in her shoes. Anna had been happy just being herself for those three golden years in the sun. When Elsa came back, the sun that had hidden in a cloudy sky didn’t come right out – but slivers of light found Anna’s face again, warming her to her bones. She didn’t have to feel alone again. Yes she had her friends, she had Olaf, but when her other half was so far, and parts of her kingdom didn’t believe in her, it was near impossible not to wilt entirely. She could only hope that she wouldn’t feel that again. “She couldn’t rule without her sister. Anna needed help, unlike Elsa.” It stung, she couldn’t lie and say it didn’t. She also knew it wasn’t entirely true and if those seeds of doubt had not been sowed and nurtured among her people, her new position wouldn’t have been so difficult. At the same time, she let it roll off her back when Elsa stepped up beside her and took her hand each day. Even if she did need help, even if she felt more competent with Elsa at her side, it also brought her incredible relief and happiness. In her humble and very un-queenlike opinion, there was nothing wrong with that. Maybe in time, her people would be able to see that too. 

[annaofthenorthernlights]

It´s your life

Chapter 2

First step…

Kristanna Modern AU

Rating: G

Word counting: 1833

Previous Chapter (AO3)

Summary: Kristoff takes Anna away off her studies – she´s a mess before exams…

Kristoff hastily pulled over to the road´s side.

Anna clung to his neck, nearly strangling him. He could hardly see the road. When he had stopped the engine, he turned and held the little mess in his arms.

Anna hung at his chest, sobbing, and laughing all the same. “Thank you, thank you.” She muttered, tangling her fingers in his hair, literally melting into his body.

“It´s okay, honey. You do deserve a good treat!” Kristoff nuzzled into her hair, pulling her tightly to him. She was such a precious pearl, and he hated the thought of her being in such a pressure of no reason for whatsoever.

Anna pulled a bit back and smiled up at him. “This is so awesome. I can´t believe you did this. You hate those places. Are you sure, you really want to launch into this fantasy world of fools?” She lowered her face, taking a deep breath, while a strange feeling spread in her abdomen. “You know,” she whispered, “it´s just a place of dreams and imagination. But that you would surprise me with this… I know it sounds stupid, but this means so much to me and makes me feel so… special…” The words trailed off and she just sank back into that strong chest.

“Hey princess.” Kristoff muttered back into her hair. “You´re most special, don´t you know that?”

Anna smiled and pulled on his shirt collar for affirmation. They would stay a bit longer like this, when Anna´s mobile startled them both, having them jolt out of that cosy position.

“Oh no. It´s Elsa.” Anna grimaced when she saw who was calling her. She took a deep breath and snitched her head to the side as to make herself relaxing, somehow.

“Hey there.” She tried to sound casually happy to have her sister on the phone. “What´s up?”

“Anna! Where are you?” Elsa´s demanded in a controlled but outraged tone.

“I´m with Kristoff. Why?”

“Why aren´t you at your home, studying?” Elsa sighed audibly. “I came to pick you up. How long will it take you to come here?”

“Why?... Oh no, don´t say it´s today… I thought it´s next weekend?” Anna turned pale and her heart sank into the lowest department.

“Yes! It is today and you better get your little head cleared and back home, now!” Elsa stated in a clear and not misunderstanding command. “Where are you? Tell Kristoff to bring you home, now.”

By now, Anna had turned the speakers on, so Kristoff could listen to the conversation. Elsa had noticed the change of the echoing sound and would address Kristoff now.

“Hey Kristoff. Listen. I´m sorry. Whatever you two were up to. Anna needs to get back to her flat immediately to get ready.”

“Hi there Elsa.” Kristoff greeted Anna´s sister formally, but kindly. “Just hang on, please, yes?” He turned to Anna, “what have you forgotten about… I mean, where were you supposed to go tonight?”

Anna was kind of panicking by now. Kristoff put a hand to her arm, trying to calm her down. She then tried to explain with a timid voice.

“It´s a dinner party at my grandfather´s house. He has invited some important people. A lawyer’s office, our family is collaborating with since decades, if not even centuries…. He wants me to meet them on a professional basis as to get a position at their office for the start. You know, like a start off into the famous world of “Rendelle” law business.

“Anna!” Elsa interrupted Anna´s explanation. “You can explain this to Kristoff on your way back. Please hurry and head back now. Kristoff, will you please take her home, now.”

There was a silence for a moment.

“Anna! Kristoff! Are you guys still there? Hello?”

Kristoff looked at Anna and increased his squeeze on her arm. “Anna! Whatever you want to do, it´s your decision and I will go the mile with you. Do you want this? Do you want to go to this dinner party? If yes, I turn the car and bring you back.”

Anna stared at him with big restless eyes. “I don´t know. I mean I know what I´m supposed to do. Bu I don´t know if I want this myself?”

“It´s your life, Anna!” Kristoff said, firmly, but kind and in his softest voice. “I actually wanted to talk to you over dinner, in a quieter situation. But now, you must decide. But, hey honey, whatever you decide, it´s okay for me. We can postpone this trip. I stand by you. Okay?”

“Hello there. You two. Stop this fussing around and nonsense talk. Get yourselves back here, now!” Elsa´s voice bounced through the car, ineffectively actually.

Anna stared at Kristoff, then at the mobile resting in her lowered hand, then back at Kristoff. “You mean that? I mean, you would not drop me like a hot coal if I´d asked you to bring me back?” Tears forming in her eyes, she breathed heavy, waiting for his affirmation in disbelief.

“Yes Anna. I mean it. I love you. And I want you to live your life. However, you see it to live. What´s my part in it, we will find out. But I want you to live your life, because it´s your life, and not the life of others, no matter who.” He had emphasised the last phrase. It was so important to him, that she would understand to live her life in her way.

Anna´s lips quivered, she chuckled, giggled and sobbed all in same. She would not take her eyes from Kristoff´s friendly look, while she lifted her hand and spoke into her mobile.

“Elsa. Please excuse me for tonight. Tell them I´m unavailable or something. I won't have Kristoff bringing me back. We're going to Disneyland!”

“An…” Elsa´s voice was turned off by Anna pushing the red button. She dropped the mobile and threw herself into the welcoming embrace, to embrace the edge into a new world.

**********

Elsa stared in disbelief onto her mobile. Anna had hung cut her off. Her little stubborn sister. Did she actually have a clue of what she was doing, of how she was just about to ruin her life, her career, her future? Elsa nearly shook with fury. How could she. How could she behave so childish, so foolishly, so senseless, like a dreaming idiot?

She turned to her car, to get back at the Arendelle estate, the home of the Rendelle family since two hundred years. How should she explain this to her grandfather…? Her parents would have understood, would have sat to reason over this. But her grandfather… Runeard Rendelle was a stern man, focused on family wealth and on representing their name. He was not particular mean in person, but business came before personal affairs. He was convinced that a good name, fortune and power in the upper classes would provide for good living and fulfilled life. His son, Agnarr, had followed the elder´s advices. Still, Elsa´s parents had lived family in a kind manner and taken care to teach their daughters to care for each other. But then, business had over throned all plans for family and personal matters.

A few years ago, Agnarr and Iduna Rendelle died in a car accident, and Elsa´s and Anna´s future lay completely in their grandfather´s hands.

Would Anna really take the risk and step out of the family´s tradition and run off with this half portion of a carpenter? Not that Kristoff Bjorgman was half a portion, physically spoken… But to the terms of Runeard Rendelle, a carpenter would not even deserve a nod of the head for acknowledgement´s sake. No college degree, no money, no well-known name…

Anna had never listened to the warnings. Apparently, she had set her mind to stick with the man. After all, he had helped her a lot. He had been a good friend to her when everyone else had frowned at her foolish situation she had manoeuvred herself in with Hans back three years ago.

Kristoff had never made efforts to befriend with the family, nor to make himself a name within their circle of friends. He liked it best to have Anna to himself in his surroundings. And Anna seemed to like it. She seemed to feel at ease with his family and friends.

Elsa had met Kristoff´s family once, being co-invited to a birthday party. They were kind and friendly. A bit weird in her opinion, but if Anna felt happy with them… Kristoff´s best friend Sven was a funny chap, with a sincere smile and jovial manner. The two men were about to establish their own business as partners. Elsa knew by Anna that they were working hard to accomplish their plan.

Elsa mused over this awkward situation, while driving into the carport next to the big house. She remained behind her steering wheel and a thought had pinned in her mind. ´Anna might have the courage to do the next right thing for herself. Had she not heard how Kristoff told her that it was her life and not the life of others? He had not pushed her, not been manipulating, just reassuring her to choose the next step for herself. For her own life. ´

Elsa stepped out of her car and made her way up the estate´s pathway to the great front door. She held her head high, like she would do when entering the family´s home. She braced herself to meet up with her grandfather…

**********

Anna leaned back in her seat, staring out in front of the window into the last sunrays that were sinking behind the horizon. The evening light was faded into a soft pink, mingled with soft blue strokes in the skyline, mixed along with silent hanging clouds, drifting in the spring wind.

“I can´t believe I´ve cut her off like that. Do you think she´ll be fine?”

“Anna. She´s the big girl and she´s not the one heading off to Disneyland. Your grandfather won’t decapitate her.” He tried to sound jovial, but Kristoff was not stupide and understood Anna´s concern. “Don´t worry, honey, I´m sure she will find a way to explain. And then, it´s your decision. I fear you will be the one who will have to deal with Runeard Rendelle yourself: But Anna. You´re not alone!”

Anna had turned her gaze towards him, tired now, but still feeling kind of free. After the decision had formed within her and then crawled up to her mind to finally being spoken out into the mobile, she had felt a weight falling from her, invisible but fully present. She placed a soft hand on Kristoff´s arm. He would pat it with his other hand, putting it then back onto the steering wheel.

“So, I took the first step out of my life.” Anna mused quietly.

Kristoff kept eyes on the road, but spoke softly, and reassuring. “No Anna. I´d say you took your first step into your life!”

[alien-tech]

i rewatched frozen 2 the other day so it’s time to talk about just how badly anna is treated in the movies

before this i would like to clarify i'm not anti-elsa at all, but disney really did a number on anna

obvious frozen 1 and 2 spoilers ahead

first of all, let’s start with the fact that both movies are centered around elsa's growth. yes, anna is in the movies as well but ultimately when you consider the plotlines a lot of it place elsa at the center of attention. elsa ran away and is struggling so anna needs to go after her as well as fix the winter issue that elsa inadvertently started. elsa has a whole song about her struggle when essentially she ran up the north mountain (which was a whole lot easier for her than anna since she does have powers) and made a castle where she was living blissfully ignorant to what her kingdom was going through. disney tries so hard to pass this off as elsa’s struggle but considering that it takes anna most of the whole movie to even get up there in the first place, i’d say elsa overnight trip wasn’t really much of a struggle right?

and on that note, elsa and anna are supposed to be the main characters right? they're both supposed to be the main characters, but both movies feel so much more centered on elsa and elsa's arc. it's about elsa's struggle with her power, elsa's mission to the enchanted forest, elsa's the gift, elsa's the spirit, elsa’s etc etc. again, yes anna is there too but the way disney focuses on how elsa grows and glosses over anna's growth is very underwhelming and disappointing.

everything that happens in the movies is perpetrated by elsa. elsa starts the winter and then runs away and in the end it’s anna who fixes the problem. elsa triggers the spirits and wants to run away yet again, this time to the enchanted forest and in the end she goes too far and dies and it’s anna who again, fixes the problem; which she figures out how to do on her own without any powers. disney portrays anna as a side character, focusing on elsa's arc so much more instead of anna's.

this is kind of a different point but still relevant, here's this post about elsa's oufits in the second and first movies. anna has at most 6 outfits. elsa has at least 8. it’s obvious that disney intended to market elsa as a main character and put her before anna in every way possible, even putting less effort into giving anna varied clothing design. disney will try to pass off frozen as a movie about sisters but it doesn’t even do that well. elsa undermines anna at every possibility. she lies to anna about hearing the voice, she remains distant from her throughout movie two (even though her growth in movie one was supposed to be about opening up herself again and trusting in her powers), elsa blames anna for trying to save her from the fire, she continues to promise anna that they will do it together, and then essentially tells anna she's not powerful enough to come along with her ("no anna, i have my power to protect me. you don't" to which anna replies "excuse me i climbed the north mountain, survived a frozen heart, and saved you from my ex boyfriend without any powers"). elsa still pushes anna away in movie two, even though it was a lesson she supposedly learned in movie one. anna then says "you promised me we would do this together" and elsa says agree and then turns around and COMPLETELY BREAKS THAT PROMISE RIGHT IN FRONT OF OLAF AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER SAYING THAT TO HER SISTER.

without anna, elsa died and even though anna did die (because of elsa but that was largely an accident) and everyone is talking about how strong elsa is for surviving becoming frozen but that EXACT thing happened to anna and while that was happening she managed to survive it, save her kingdom, and save her sister AND she didn't have any powers! going by this point, anna is the stronger sister.

movie one is arguably, all about elsa which would be alright if they made movie two about anna. despite the fact that in movie one, anna climbed the north mountain, tried to save elsa in order to save her kingdom only to be shoved out again, shot in the heart with magic, froze to death, and still managed to save elsa from hans and play a part in stopping the winter; the movie still ends on the note that elsa has learned to control her powers. it's about elsa learning to stop fearing herself and elsa learning to let people in right? and yet, if that movie is about elsa and elsa’s growth (even though again, anna did everything) then movie two should definitely be centered about anna right? but it's not about her and if the growth for elsa in movie one was learning to trust in herself and her sister then why in movie two does elsa continually shut anna out? it's like she made no growth at all.

anna is such a strong character and it’s so disappointing how much disney glosses over her. when anna was FIFTEEN she lost her parents. she went to their funeral ALONE and then she stood outside her sister's room, BEGGING for her to come out and comfort her. she BEGGED elsa to come out, to be there so they could grieve together and elsa didn't. nevermind the fact that elsa “couldn’t”. that’s her SISTER. even if she couldn’t open the door to hug her, she could at least talk to her through the door. but she ignored her and essentially insinuated to anna once again that she hated her and that she wasn’t worth talking to. disney focuses so much on how hard it was for elsa when she was young but to say nothing of the hardships anna faced when they were younger. she lost her BEST FRIEND and older sister in one day and she blamed HERSELF. elsa never telling her why they weren’t allowed to play with together anymore. her parents never telling her why her sister suddenly didn't want to play with her anymore. nobody telling her why her sister suddenly didn't love her anymore. i get that you could argue that it would be dangerous for anna to know, but is the better option really not telling her anything and having anna blame herself?

i get elsa had a hard time with her powers and all, but anna had it so much worse. can you imagine the sort of things that would have gone through anna’s head after losing elsa? her sister is the eldest and maybe has royal lessons (because as you know eldestborn children receive ruling lessons but youngest children do not). maybe anna figured “i’m not important enough for her anymore”

and do you think anna had her parents? the only person anna could play with was elsa because their parents are the king and queen and have royal duties. most princes and princesses are raised by nannies and nursemaids. anna didn’t have her parents and elsa was GONE and she thought it was because of her. anna's parents were the king and queen, they were busy with their duties and the rest of their time was spent with elsa trying to help her control her powers. anna had no one. no one.

back to movie two though, elsa defied anna over and over again and anna still said "i believe in you elsa, more than anyone or anything" and as SOON AS ANNA SAID THAT elsa said they would do it together and then sent her away. on a fucking ice boat. and you know what happened then? ELSA DIED WITHOUT ANNA AND ANNA YET AGAIN THOUGHT IT WAS HER FAULT. after olaf said “i think she [elsa] went too far” anna’s face fucking FALLS because she thinks “if i was there for her..” nevermind the fact that anna WANTED to go with her and was turned down because elsa implied that anna wasn’t strong enough to go with her. 

as said by their grandfather "magic makes people feel too powerful, too entitled" now in the case of the northuldra, they weren’t entitled nor did the magic make them feel such. but with elsa? she definitely has an entitled attitude that is only exemplified as the movie goes on. the parents clearly favored elsa so much and i would say elsa's entitlement comes about 40% from her parents treatment

the movies focus so much on elsa and what elsa is doing, it's not fair to anna. nevermind that anna is literally the hero of the first movie AND of the second movie. elsa was dead and anna knew that, as well as the fact that anna just lost her childhood best friend and still she got up climbed out of that mountain, woke the giants, destroyed the bridge, and ALL OF THAT while ALONE AND AGAIN WITH NO POWERS but oh my god, elsa is the HERO because she stopped the flood. again, i would like to clarify i'm not anti-elsa i'm just anti-anna underappreciation.

that was most of it for my rant but @mamadragon404 brought up a good point when we were talking about this yesterday. does anyone bring into question the fact that anna is supposed to be queen with no training? any child born after the first are never trained to rule. only firstborns receive ruling lessons and secondborns are supposed to be married off for political gain. this actually explains so much about why anna tries to find a true love at the party, and attaches onto hans so quickly because at home in arendelle, she has no one. her parents are gone, elsa has continually shut her out again and again, and her whole duty as a princess is to marry off for a union. she thinks that's what she's supposed to do and it's the only thing she can do because she feels so alone at home there's nothing there for her in arendelle, so her best hope at happiness is to run off with a prince, hopefully the man of her dreams because with a duty like “marrying off” the best thing she can hope for is that she’s stuck with someone who loves her. she's so quick to trust hans because she has to convince herself it's what she wants, she has to because it's supposed to be her duty and at least it's not her parents choosing which country's prince she has to marry she's trying to choose for herself, because subconsciously she knows she doesn't actually really have a choice.

so yeah the movies should've been nicer to anna and i am sorry but they did not do justice to anna at all, she deserved so much fucking more appreciation than she was given.

[calenheniel]

Queen of the Ashes, a frozen fanfic | Part X

Frozen | Alternate Universe | Hans x Elsa | Romance, Drama | T+

They meet as children, each with a secret. Plagued by tragedy, their paths cross again many years later, and their secrets are unraveled.

Follow updates: #QueenoftheAshesFrozen

Read below, or find links to AO3/FF.Net/Wattpad on my Tumblr.

Author’s Note: The End... or is it? (It's not.) I debated whether or not to write more, and decided to leave it short and sweet, in the end. Quality over quantity. Thanks all for the reviews and support, as always.

»»————-　❈　————-««

X.

The prince paused. “That was the start of it all. The breaking point.” He looked down at his hands. “I had spent so many years learning to control it, and then hiding it, that I almost forgot about it, after a while. Until that dinner.”

The room was silent but for the queen’s deep, shuddering breaths, the fireworks long since having ended outside.

“And so you plotted to kill them, one by one. Is that it?”

“Not exactly,” he replied. “The first time was—well, there was some planning involved, yes. I sensed that I wouldn’t be able to control my powers for much longer, unless I did something. So I waited until the evening that I set sail for Hungary, right before New Year’s Eve. I started a few small flames in the corners of my father’s, Frederik’s, Antoni’s, and Harald’s residences, and by the time I was gone, they had consumed the rooms.”

His eyes moved up to meet hers. “After that, as you might have guessed, my other brothers and their families immediately suspected me of the murders. They wouldn’t accuse me publicly for lack of evidence, but the rumors they started were enough to poison my name in the Isles.”

“…because they didn’t know about your powers,” the queen murmured. “That was why you didn’t kill them with the others.”

“Yes,” he nodded, “not at first, anyway. But once I was back home, I knew I would be a hunted man. Guilty or not, they blamed me for their deaths, so I—”

“Had to protect yourself,” she finished, her tone dull.

He suppressed a frown. “Yes. Though it did little to quell the rumors, I was at least able to foil several active plots against my life.” He sighed. “Those were the first three fires, the details of which I’ll spare you. The last one that took Karl and Jesper, I had nothing to do with. Just bad luck.”

“Bad luck,” she echoed drolly, her lips pressed in a thin line.

“Forgive me for not eulogizing, Elsa,” said the prince. “Even if I never intended them to come to harm, they certainly weren’t innocent, either.”

He was quiet for a time, and his arms relaxed at his sides. “You probably understand, now, that I lied to you when we spoke that first night about where I was during the fires,” he said, “and more than likely many of the reports you received from the Isles were fabricated as well. I kept a close eye on correspondence to the palace, and in the disarray following each fire, I managed to forge more than a few letters favoring my version of events. Not that any evidence contradicted what I wrote, of course.”

“So you did reply to mine,” the queen said, her eyes drifting up to his.

He bowed his head. “In a way, yes. But not as I should have. And for that, I am still sorry.”

The clouds parted for a brief moment, allowing the crescent moon in the window behind the prince to cast a wan, ghostly glow across the queen’s features.

When it passed, she looked down, her blonde hair hanging loosely around her face.

“What is it that you want me to say, Hans?”

He blinked. “I didn’t expect you to say anything in particular, really,” he answered as his shoulders sank with fatigue. “I just wanted you to hear me out.”

“And so I have,” she replied, her gaze tightening. “But I fail to see how you are not still a danger to me or Anna, or to Arendelle.”

“Because there is nothing that either of you could do that would move me to use my powers in that way ever again,” he countered, taking a cautious step closer to her. “You are the only other person I’ve ever met with powers that are anything like my own, who understands what it’s like to live with them—to be in fear and awe of them at all times.”

The queen swallowed with discomfort, encouraging the prince to drive his point home.

“I would not – nor could not – ever use mine against you, knowing that.”

“There’s no way you can promise something like that,” she pressed, her look distrustful. “Not with powers like these.”

“Perhaps,” he conceded, taking another step forward, “but even if something were to happen, we would be able to stop it, for we are each other’s equal.”

“You don’t know that,” she snapped, stepping back. A tepid flurry of snow drifted over her.

“I don’t,” the prince acknowledged, watching as a single snowflake landed on her exposed collar. “Since I arrived, I’ve noticed how unpredictable your powers can be, much as my own were when I was a boy. But I can help you with that.”

“Help me?” the queen scoffed, her eyes widening. “After everything you’ve just told me?” She shook her head. “I don’t want that kind of ‘help,’ Hans.”

“It’s not like that,” he protested, restraining himself from inching closer as he held his arms at his sides. “I can help you control it better, without using that chant your father taught you. I can help you so that you don’t feel like you have to run off after the trolls, or lock yourself in your room for days on end, just to keep yourself from hurting others.”

He shot her a long, meaningful look. “I know the ending of my story troubles you, as it would anyone who heard it. But it doesn’t erase the years I spent training the fire and taking care to conceal it from others, all while in the public eye. And I know those are the same things you want to be able to do with your ice.”

She scowled. “So that’s it, Hans? You’ll ‘help’ me by continuing to keep everything a secret?” The queen emitted a short and harsh laugh, taking the prince by surprise. “Weren’t you the one who told me that my powers were special—something to be celebrated? To be proud of?”

“Yes, I did,” he agreed, not missing a beat, “because they are special, and you should be proud. But you know as well as I do that others won’t see it that way.”

“You mean that they won’t see your powers that way,” she hissed. “It’d be easy enough for everyone to connect the dots, if they knew.”

“And what makes you think that yours would be treated any differently?” the prince rejoined. “What do you imagine Anna would say, if she found out what happened to her as a child? Or your gentle, simple citizens—do you suppose they would take kindly to a queen who can conjure ice and snow at will?”

Her defiant look faltered at the mention of the princess, and his voice grew quieter. “Just look at our parents, Elsa: people fear what they do not understand. And that fear can turn to hate, easily enough.”

The prince’s eyes, darkened by passing clouds, resembled burnished emeralds.

“All we can do is learn to control it, and harness its potential for good in whatever ways we can. But we can never expect them to understand it, to accept it – nor us – as we are.”

The queen said nothing for a time, and then closed her eyes, lines of pain cracking at their edges.

“Even if I agreed with you, and want what you’re offering,” she said at length, “it comes at too high a price.”

The prince’s expression fell. “Elsa…”

She raised her hand to quiet him. “I don’t deny that everything you’ve told me is anything less than horrifying, if true. And a part of me wants to believe you, because I’ve felt echoes of it in my own life—as I’m sure you guessed well before you came back to Arendelle.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “But that’s the thing, Hans: I can’t stop thinking about all the times you told me you wanted to ‘earn’ my trust, or asked if we could ‘rely’ on each other, or tried to push me into admitting the sins of my parents. And all the while you were so careful in the information you gave me in return, making sure that every story you told left out the most critical detail: that you were the boy who could make fire.”

The queen’s eyes glistened with fresh tears, though she blinked them back. “I imagined you as that boy, you know, after you left,” she murmured. “I wanted it to be you, because you were the only other person who knew. But now…”

She turned around to face the door, pressing shaking fingers to her brow. “I want you to leave tomorrow, with the other guests,” she said in just above a whisper. “I don’t care where you go—just as long as you’re far away from here.”

The room went still, and her breath caught in her throat as she waited for his reply.

The prince’s voice was soft and plaintive.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

The queen’s brow wilted, and she swallowed a sigh.

“Goodbye, Hans,” she said, and left the room.

»» —— ««

Her retreat back to her bedroom passed in silence, with only the eyes of her guards daring to follow her down the long hallways.

The guests had turned in for the night some time before – hours before, perhaps – and so she was granted a rare moment of privacy as she opened her door, promptly sliding down to the floor in a shaking, weary heap once she was alone again.

Elsa…

The queen buried her face in her knees as the sound of the prince’s voice lingered in the air, filling her senses.

We are each other’s equal.

She unraveled herself in order to crawl to her bed but could not summon the strength to rise, clinging to the footboard.

I can help you.

She bit her lip to keep from vomiting, and rested her head against the mattress.

Above her, snow trickled down from the ceiling, slowly enveloping her in a blanket of white.

»» —— ««

“Elsa!”

She awoke to the sound of her sister violently banging on her door the next morning, the younger woman’s voice calling out her name in distress.

Disoriented, she shook off snow from her body, wincing as she struggled to stand. “Anna?”

“What did you say to him, Elsa?”

The question made the already sallow queen’s face pale further.

She swallowed. “Anna, I—”

“You know what? It doesn’t matter,” the princess interrupted through the door. “I should’ve known you would send him away, just like you do to everyone else.”

The queen paused halfway to the door, shutting her eyes. A cold breeze wound through the room and blew under the door, making the princess release a startled gasp as she stepped back on the other side of it.

“It’s not like that, Anna,” she pleaded, hugging her arms against her chest. “Please, let me explain…”

“No, Elsa,” the princess replied. “There’s nothing left to say.”

The queen heard her sister walk away – just as she had many times before – and the breeze was replaced by harried gales of snow that encircled her in an endless vortex, throwing hairbrushes and jewelry and sheets from her vanity and bed around the room indiscriminately.

We can never expect them to understand it, to accept it – nor us – as we are.

Chilled to her bones, she did not move a muscle, her hands pulsing as she fought to control the wind from blowing her doors open.

»» —— ««

She did not know how much time had passed before the steward came to the door next. His knock was gentler than the princess’s, but his request was delivered with the same insistence.

“Your Majesty? Our guests are on their way to the docks. Perhaps you might come out to bid them farewell?”

The queen breathed shakily. “No, Kai,” she ground out. “I’m still feeling ill. Please have Anna offer my regards.”

The older man paused. “Very well, Your Majesty,” he said, not hiding the disappointment in his voice.

She waited until he was out of earshot to finally take one step, and then another, in the direction of her washbasin. With each movement, the wind followed her, a hot, pricking sensation traveling down from the back of her neck to the base of her spine.

She gripped the sides of the basin once there, managing to splash her face with water only once or twice before it all froze over.

Don’t you ever think they might have left you with your powers, and your memories, for a reason?

“Stop it,” she whispered, pressing her palm to her sweating forehead. “Enough.”

Even if it somehow all worked, don’t you understand what it would mean?

She pressed her eyes shut again, her forehead wrinkling from the effort of keeping them closed. Ice slipped out from the hand still gripping the basin, freezing the bowl and stand beneath it.

You’d be just like everyone else.

Her lip trembled as she pried her eyes open, and her heart raced when she saw trails of ice glittering and spidering out along the carpeted floors, leading to the window.

She followed them, spellbound, until she was looking outside at the procession of dignitaries as they left the castle, making their way to join their crews and porters at the docks.

She clasped her window frame as she leaned forward, her eyes darting through the crowds. At length, she spotted her sister at the end of the promenade, bathed in sunlight, the steward, head maidservant, and several guardsmen accompanying her. The younger woman curtsied perfunctorily at each guest and their party as they came and went, no doubt exchanging pleasantries and farewells.

You don’t have to keep your distance anymore.

The queen wore a guilty look at the sight. Though she did not hear the sighs and complaints about her absence from the lips of those departing, she was sure they were being expressed.

Her sister bore the weight of that alone, smiling through it all.

He’s not the reason I’m here, Anna.

Isn’t he, though?

The memory of their conversation from the morning before – a lifetime before, it seemed to the queen – percolated in her mind with renewed fervor in the context of her last conversation with the prince.

She tried to convince herself that she could still smell traces of fire and smoke clinging to her dress, unchanged from the night previous—that there were holes in the hem and sleeves from his flames licking them, and sweat still dripping from her body in the hot room.

Instead, when she looked down, there was only her snow and ice surrounding her, freezing the fringes of her clothes and painting her skin a white-blue color.

Why is it so hard for you to believe that I could be right?

The queen’s eyes lifted to gaze upon her reflection in the window, at which she gasped. Fractal ice patterns crawled up her collarbone, neck, and finally began to spread over her pallid cheeks.

As her breathing quickened, her reflection grew blurrier, and she groaned with helplessness.

I should’ve known you would send him away, just like you do to everyone else—

The faint, drowsy sound of the chapel bell tolling in the background gradually broke through her bout of panic, steadying her heart, and she blinked as the room came back into focus. Pressing her hand to the window, she peered through it again, expecting to see her skin burnt with frostbite.

Instead, her reflection was invisible under the sunbeams pouring through the glass, the bright light revealing only the outside world.

Squinting against the sun, she found her sister once more… along with a familiar head of red hair bowing before her.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the pair, watching as the princess’s head drooped forward, the young woman putting her face in her hands. The prince reached towards her sister as if to comfort her, but in the presence of the parties surrounding them, he pulled back—only for the princess to grab both of his hands without reservation, pulling him in just short of a hug.

I’m not asking you to be responsible for him or his feelings.

The queen could not make out their expressions from her vantage point, but the scene caused a flutter of warmth to spark at the bottom of her belly, and her lips gently parted.

I’m just asking you to consider what it would be like if you listened to your own, for once.

She stepped back from the window, the heat from her belly rushing into her chest and face, and the ice retreated from all around her until it became nothing more than a distant memory.

Her fingers vibrated with warmth as she raised them to eye level, staring with wonder at the vibrant, pink color that had returned to her skin. Bringing them to her cheeks and neck, she noticed the same sensation, and she leapt over to her mirror at the other side of the room in disbelief.

The reflection confirmed what she had felt: her face was flush and alive, and even the room had returned to its original state – the furniture arranged in its usual manner, not a single thread of carpet or drapery out of place – and all completely dry, without a hint of ever having been kissed by snow.

Dumbfounded by the sight, she pressed herself against her bedpost, her eyes wide.

“It’s him,” she said. “It’s because of him.”

She looked at her bare hands with childlike wonder, and then again at her reflection in the mirror, undistorted by magic.

What’s stopping you, Elsa?

Whipping around, she barreled through the doors, not sparing a glance at her baffled guardsmen as she sprinted through the halls, down the stairs, and finally out the front doors, ignoring the gasps and mutters of surprise from the last few groups of guests and their coteries when she pushed past them.

When others still on their way to the gates heard the commotion behind them, they parted in waves for the queen, watching in a collective stupor as she ran, her long, golden hair rippling behind her, unfettered.

She did not pause even as she stepped foot outside the gates for the first time in over thirteen years, her feet carrying her ever forward, as if possessed, towards the docks.

With every stride, she attracted more and more spectators from the groups of departing dignitaries and townspeople nearby, who stared and chattered at increasing volume; to the queen, their voices, like their faces, blurred together into an unrecognizable mass as she shot through them.

She stopped only when she was within a few feet of the gangplanks leading to the ships, bending over to collect herself, her breathing stilted and ragged. Above her, storm clouds began to gather, the sun fading behind them.

“Elsa!”

It was the princess’s voice that seemed to call her name, just as she it had that same morning, doleful and distraught. It was soon joined by others – the steward, the maidservant, and the guards, all pleading for their queen to stop, and to listen – but none were paid any heed as she craned her neck up, searching the gangplanks with a fierce purpose behind her eyes.

Thunder boomed suddenly, causing the crowds to gasp; a spate of rain followed soon after, though it was light and gentle, pattering quietly against the cobblestones.

It obscured the queen’s vision for a moment, and she squinted hard, shivering as the rain soaked through her dress.

This is me saying that I trust you.

A bolt of lightning shot out from the dark skies, and in the same moment she alighted upon the prince, her hand dropping to her side.

A hush fell on the crowds as she stood stock-still, staring at him.

Do you trust me?

He was halfway up a splintered plank with his luggage at the end of the dock, making his way onto a lonely, battered old merchant vessel. It was a far cry from the grand passenger ships whose colorful banners waved proudly in the air to signal their country of origin, and it reminded her of the story the prince had told her about the dilapidated frigate he had served on, back in the Isles.

She dashed towards it without hesitation, pausing at the foot of the walkway to exhale, her lips trembling.

The prince dropped his bags at his sides, his mouth agape as he turned to look at her.

“Elsa? What—”

She used the last of her strength to bound up the gangplank and throw herself into his arms, tears flowing freely down her cheeks and into the crook of his neck.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured through sobs, “for everything. You’ve been trying to help me this whole time, and I just—I didn’t want to accept it. But now…”

She clutched the back of his jacket in balled-up fists, her face burrowed so deeply against him that she could feel the outline of his scar through his shirt.

“Please don’t leave me, Hans. Please.”

Unable to go on, she continued to weep, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

“It’s all right, Elsa,” he whispered into her frayed hair, and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll take care of you.”

She shuddered as his body enfolded her, and succumbed to the cold sweat of his embrace.

[elsa-should-be-arrested]

Frozen 2 Pitchmeeting copypasta by Anonymous

>"So anyway Elsa, Anna, and Olaf are walking along to find the mysterious voice when they suddenly come across a shipwreck that turns out to be the same one from Iduna and Agnarr's final voyage!" >"Oh, wow." >"Yeah, it turns out they didn't go to the South Sea like Elsa and Anna thought, they really went to the Dark Sea, which is right next to the forest." >"So this scene takes place on a beach?" >"Oh, no, they're still in the middle of the woods." >"What?" >"Yeah, the beach doesn't come into it until later." >"How did their parents' ship sink in the middle of the forest?" >"Unclear." >"Did the area used to be part of the ocean but the water has since receded?" >"Oh no, there are decades-old trees everywhere and the ocean can't even be seen on the horizon." >"Did the Spirits throw the ship clear from the ocean into the middle of the forest?" >"I mean they probably could do that but I don't see why they would instead of just letting the ship sink to the ocean floor like we saw in the first movie." >"I just feel like this raises so many questions that could've been easily avoided if the scene just took place on a beach." >"Yeah, probably. So anyway the three of them run into the ship and look around to see if they can find an explanation as to why it's here in the forest instead of the South Sea like they said they were and find a map that mentions Ahtohallan." >"Gesundheit." >"No, sir, Ahtohallan is the name of the magic glacier that Iduna used to tell Anna and Elsa about when they were kids, and she thought it might have had something to do with Elsa's powers, if it even existed at all." >"That's an interesting theory. I just hope Elsa doesn't put all her eggs in one basket and immediately decide Ahtohallan is the key to everything because there's no concrete connection to her powers, and even her mother wasn't entirely--" >"And so Elsa immediately decides Ahtohallan is the key to everything!" >"Of course." >"But then she remembers Olaf's 'water has memory' thing from earlier in the movie and so she decides to use her water memory restoration powers to witness their parents' dying moments." >"Wait, what? Elsa has water memory restoration powers? I thought she just controlled ice and snow." >"Well, sir, as you know, ice and snow are just forms of water." >"Yes, but doesn't this movie's mythology treat water and ice as two completely separate elements? And if she can control water why hasn't she ever done it before? And even if she can use water to recreate past memories how would she even know how to do that? Wouldn't she need to train under some sort of magic ice Enchanted Forest Yoda or something?" >"Sir, I need a reason for Elsa to get really sad really fast, so I'd like you to get all the way off my back about Elsa's new water powers that will never be mentioned again." >"Fair enough." >"So anyway Elsa is able to recreate her parents' dying moments in which they embrace each other in the face of a really violent, terrifying death and call out Elsa's name." >"Not Anna's name, who is also their daughter and is watching this whole thing next to Elsa?" >"Nope, not at all, sir." >"Iduna and Agnarr couldn't put in the time or effort to think about both of their daughters as they were dying?" >"Nope! They even say Elsa's name multiple times, so it's not like they didn't have the chance." >"Wow, I guess the girls know who the favorite was." >"It is pretty rude, I will agree." >"Very rude dying parents!" >"So anyway, the sight of their parents dying horrifically makes Elsa really upset." >"I don't know what else she was expecting." >"She runs out of the ship, so Anna tries to comfort her by telling her she'll never abandon Elsa and she believes in her and her magic is awesome and that Elsa was a gift from Heaven above to bless their parents with basically just the most perfect child possible and that she'll always support Elsa in anything she does and that she loves Elsa with all her heart and together they're going to solve this mystery and save their kingdom. And Elsa thanks her." >"Aww, how sweet and heartfelt!" >"By throwing her down a hill." >"What." >"Yeah, Elsa's worried that the rest of the journey may be too perilous for Anna and Olaf so she summons an ice canoe around them and then sends the thing just... careening down a hillside at roughly fifty miles an hour." >"Oh my God." >"Yeah, it's pretty much an ice rocket, just shooting past trees and rocks left and right." >"Elsa wanted to keep Anna safe by trapping her in a murder rocket made out of material famous for people slipping on it and shooting it into a forest full of rocks and trees and cliffs and supernatural monsters that Elsa is in no way familiar with?" >"She had to. There was still one Spirit left to deal with and the Dark Sea can be very dangerous." >"Hasn't Elsa kicked the ass of every Spirit she's come across so far? And isn't she capable of freezing large bodies of water as we saw in the first movie?" >"She has and is, yes." >"And isn't she capable of creating life, so she could just make like a huge eagle or dragon or something big enough to fly herself, Anna, and Olaf harmlessly across the Dark Sea?" >"She most definitely could." >"So why does she need to kick Anna down a hill in order to continue the mission?" >"Because I want her to fight a horsey." >"Excuse me?" >"I want Elsa to fight a horsey and I don't want Anna just standing there watching and making it weird." >"I mean you don't have to have her just standing there watching, you could involve her. Make it a really cool fight scene where the sisters work together and show teamwork and it could be a really cool, inspiring, empowering moment where they unite against a powerful enemy and overcome it and--" >"Don't be silly, sir. Two women can't fight a horsey. That's just crazy talk!" >"I just feel like Elsa kicking Anna down a hill because a fantasy quest adventure is dangerous is sort of really harshly unnecessary and also sort of undermines the whole 'stronger together' thing we've been selling for the last six years." >"CRAZY TALK, I SAY!" >"I mean I guess so." >"Crazy movie producer." >"So tell me about this horsey fight, how does it go?" >"Well at first Elsa tries to run across the Dark Sea but she keeps getting hit by waves and sent deep into the water." >"The ice sorceress capable of freezing large bodies of water tries physically running across a stormy sea?" >"She does, sir, yes. And then one time when she's underwater she gets attacked by the Water Spirit, which is a kelpie named Nokk." >"The Water Spirit is seaweed?" >"No, sir, a kelpie is a beast from Celtic mythology. It's basically a horse made of water and it controls the sea." >"Oh, wow." >"And it killed Iduna and Agnarr." >"Whoa, what?" >"I mean it's pretty obvious since this is where they died and it's guarded by a supernatural sea monster that intentionally makes the ocean all stormy and dangerous, which is what killed them." >"That sounds pretty intense. So is Elsa gonna get some some sweet karmic justice on Nokk for killing her parents?" >"Oh, no. Well, not intentionally, at least." >"What do you mean?" >"Well like I said, it's pretty obvious if you think about it, but we're not gonna make a thing out of it. In fact we're not even gonna acknowledge it at all." >"Elsa's going to engage in mortal combat with her parents' murderer and she's not even going to realize it?" >"That's right sir, yes." >"Seems like a weird way to take that potentially massive plot point." >"To be honest, sir, I wanted to make more of a deal out of it but I honestly couldn't think of a way to... write it good." >"I guess it is better to write nothing than to write something disappointing and stupid." >"Exactly!" >"So how about the fight itself? How does Elsa versus Nokk go down?" >"Well Nokk can dissolve and become the water all around Elsa and if she freezes him he can just immediately unfreeze himself and he's just really strong. Basically imagine how dangerous a normal wild horse is, but then also factor in drowning, a shark attack, and a homing torpedo." >"Oh my God, Nokk sounds borderline invincible. Is it gonna be hard for Elsa to beat him?" >"Actually, it's going to be super easy. Barely an inconvenience!" >"How so?" >"Well at one point during the fight Elsa just... rides him." >"Just... rides him?" >"Yep. After getting the everloving snow beaten out of her for ten minutes Elsa gets the idea to hop onto Nokk's back and ride him around shouting 'yee-hah!'" >"The ancient supernatural being who controls the seas themselves is defeated because the woman who must weigh barely over 100 pounds asks for a pony ride?" >"That's right sir, yes." >"I guess that makes sense."

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 25

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 5,952

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

Feet? Pacing a hole in the floor.

Teeth? Chewing my thumbnail to the bloody nub.

Hair? Down and in open rebellion, unwilling to be braided even if its very life depended on it.

Door? Rapping with a soft knock from the other side.

Probably should go answer it.

Crossing my bedroom, I threw it open to find Lea standing there. I frowned up at him and said in complete and totally one hundred percent seriousness, "Let's run away together, right here, right now."

"Guh…" he blinked down at me, eyes wide, face seemingly still a bit red from all that sun he'd gotten out on the yacht earlier today. "...uh-huh, yeah, okay."

"Good!" I spun around and walked away, leaving the door open behind me for him to come in. Wringing my hands together and eyes darting about wildly, I went on, "We're going to need snickerdoodles. Lots of them."

"Snickerdoodles. Sure," he said slowly as I heard the door click shut. "Quick question: Why?"

My dress swished about my knees as my pacing resumed and my trembling fingers went back to my hair, once more trying to braid it. "They're Kai's favorite. Obviously."

"Oh obviously," he nodded, standing off to one side, hands on his hips as his eyes followed me, back and forth, back and forth. "Remind me again, Kai is…?"

"The butler. Keep up." My braid snagged. It was all wrong. I furiously tugged my hair free and started over again. "He'll be the first to come looking for us, so we need to take him out."

Lea pursed his lips to one side, eyes squinting. "...with snickerdoodles. A butler's one weakness. Like a moth to the flame, powerless to resist."

I stopped in my tracks, narrowing my eyes up at him. "...are you making fun of me?"

"Who, me? No, I would never!"

Holding him with my scowl for a second more, I at last relented with a nod and a huff before going back to patrolling the length of the rug. "Good. This is very, very serious business and is not to be taken lightly."

"Absolutely, the most serious," he agreed in earnest. "So the snickerdoodles…?"

"Will be used to leave a trail like breadcrumbs to lure Kai into my wardrobe where we'll then knock him unconscious, tie him up and lock him inside, giving us a good head start before anyone else realizes we're gone."

He was rubbing a curled finger over his lips, doing his damnedest to keep a straight face. "Right, sure, sure. It's so clear now, I dunno why I didn't think of it myself. I mean, c'mon, it's the only sane thing to do."

"Exactly!" No, no, that braid wouldn't do at all, it was a crooked mess! Growling, I yanked it out and started over yet again. "Then we can escape out my window. There's no trellis or anything to climb, but the drop's not far. Only thirty, maybe forty feet."

"Psh," his hand batted the air, "that all? No sweat."

"Then we can just hop in your car and- gah!" Seriously, what was wrong with my hair?! Why wouldn't it braid?! Was it broken?! I snarled, raking my clawed fingers through it over and over again, threatening to rip every last damn strand from the very roots and-

"Woah there, easy now," Lea said calmly, catching my hands in his and forcing them to be still. His firm grip was warm and soothing. "Why don't we just take a breather for a sec, huh?"

Glaring down at my feet, I just answered with a noncommittal shrug. Good enough for him, it seemed, for he was now guiding me over to my bed where he took a seat on the edge, drawing me down to sit beside him. Still holding my hands and tracing light circles along their backs with his thumbs, he tucked one leg up beneath him so he could turn to better face me.

"Now before ya rip yourself bald, why don'tcha just leave your hair to me while you tell me all about whatever it is that has you ready to book it for the hills?" Setting my hands down in my lap, he started to bring his up but they faltered midway towards my face, fingers curling slightly. "...may I?" he asked quietly.

I hesitated for a heartbeat before giving a single nod and turning away from him, sweeping my pale platinum locks back over my shoulder. There was a brief pause before I felt it. His long fingers stroking my hair, slow and gentle as they combed through it, carefully smoothing out whatever tangles I'd worked it into in my anxiety and frustration. It made my scalp tingle pleasantly and my eyes fluttered half closed.

"So talk to me. What's up?" I heard him ask.

His breathing, low and soft behind me, had a comforting rhythm to it and I swear I could feel a faint warmth radiating from his nearness. It settled my nerves somewhat as the nice little tugs and shifts to my hair continued. Tucking in my lower lip, I muttered, "I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Do what?" he pressed gently.

"Any of it!" I blurted out with a grimace. "My parents. The talk with them. This… this unbearable wait for the talk with them. My grandfather. The silent, angry death rays he keeps shooting out his eyes at me." The words were tumbling out of me faster and faster. "Anna. The way she won't talk to me. Why won't she talk to me?! What could possibly be wrong? What could I have possibly done? And then- and then there's the party! It's going to be a nightmare! A disaster, a-"

"Shh, it'll be okay." His voice was tender. Just hearing it loosened the knots in my stomach somewhat and eased my shallow breathing. His hands continued to thread my hair and I felt the bend of his finger brush against the base of my neck, causing a weird feeling to creep up my spine and making me shiver. His hands stilled momentarily, but then they set about their task once more, his tone even softer now, "Just… one lil party. Nothing to worry about. No big deal."

I puffed out a shaky breath, "But it is a big deal! Because it'll be a big party! Huge! Ginormous! So many people are going to be there, and I don't do people. I don't, I just… I can't! And these aren't just any people. Oh no, these are my relatives. Relatives who were at my wedding. You know, the one that didn't happen because I snuck out a window? They're all going to be staring at me and… and talking- no, whispering about me and treating me like some sort of, I don't know… freakshow. And just… what does one even wear when they're the friggin' social pariah of the soirée? What do they do with their hair? Their stupid, stupid hair that won't even-"

"Breathe," Lea told me.

A command, but a gentle one at that.

I scrunched up my face, but inhaled deeply and held it for a few seconds, closing my eyes and instead focusing on the sensation of his hands in my hair. Why was I even letting him do this? I hadn't even questioned it. But... it really was quite… pleasing, I'll give it that. I couldn't remember the last time I'd let someone touch it like this. Surely, not since I was a child. Surely, it'd been nice then too, but not quite like this. Not in the same way. This… I couldn't quite put a name to this… to the small tickle of a feeling blossoming inside my chest…

Sensing I had relaxed somewhat, he spoke again, "First of all, your hair's not stupid. In fact, pretty sure it has a PHD and graduated valedictorian. And I already told ya I got you covered in the hair department, so just put that outta your head, 'kay? Don't even think about it. Second of all, you'll wear whatever the hell you want to this dumb party and look like the goddamn belle of the ball and if anyone tries to talk shit, I'll knock their teeth out, got it?"

That earned him a tiny snerk from me.

"We don't even have to stay long," he said as his delightful ministrations to my hair continued. "We'll drop in, make an appearance, give gramps his birthday spankings or whatever, then ditch the place. Third of all, your sister will talk to you when she's ready. All you can do is let her know you're there for her. Fourth of all, your gramps and those lil death glares of his? Can go fuck themselves. Fifth of all-"

"How many more of these 'of alls' do you have?" I felt one corner of my mouth quirk.

"Shush, I'm on a roll here. Now where was I...? Ah! Fifth of all, this talk with your folks? That's all it is: a talk. Just words. They have no power over you, not anymore. And I'll be there to back you up the whole time. Anna too, I'm sure. No matter what's going on with her, she knows you need her. And if you don't like what your folks have to say and if they won't listen to you, then that's it. We can just leave. End of story."

I rolled my eyes with a flat, "Simple as that, huh?"

"Simple as that," he murmured, sounding a little distracted by his task. "Sixth of all… hm… never mind, there is no sixth of all. Covered everything with the first five. Any questions?"

My nose crinkled as I bit back a grin. "...would you really knock one of my relative's teeth out?"

"In a heartbeat. Send those pearly whites flying so high n' fast, they'd be like shooting stars across a night sky."

I pressed my folded fingers to my lips, muffling a little laugh. "Well, I suppose brutally assaulting other guests is certainly one excuse for ducking out of the party early."

"Good point," I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I'll keep that in my back pocket in case of emergency."

Just then, another knock came at my door. Gosh, I certainly was popular lately. I don't think I'd ever had so many visitors to my bedroom as I'd had over the past two days. I stood up to go answer it, hearing what suspiciously sounded like a small, almost inaudible sigh from Lea as my hair slipped free of his grasp.

Pulling the door open, I smiled when I saw who it was. "Mattias. It's been too long."

The man was tall and had friendly brown eyes lined with faint crows feet. His hair was short, frizzy and black that was just starting to show the first signs of greying, with a matching goatee to frame his grin. Bending at the waist into a tiny half bow, he greeted, "Little Miss Elsa. My, how you've grown."

Smile widening, I turned to find Lea had joined me at my side. "Lea, this is Mattias. He works for my grandfather." I actually had no idea what Mattias's exact job title was. Was he Grandfather's personal assistant? His bodyguard? His driver? His privately owned assassin? Okay, I was just joking about the last one… I think. Maybe he was all of the above. Or maybe none and he was actually something even more secretive and mysterious. All I knew was that Mattias had been under Grandfather's employ since I was very little and whatever it was he did or didn't do, he'd always treated me with nothing but kindness.

"Ah," Mattias breathed as his gaze shifted to Lea, eyes crinkling as he offered his hand, "and you must be the new paramour I've been hearing so much about."

Lea shook it, one side of his mouth twitching up. "All good things, I'm sure."

"All… verbose and fervent things said with great gusto," he tactfully replied.

"They usually are when it's me those things are about," Lea snorted.

Tipping my head to one side as I regarded Mattias, I asked, "Was there something you needed of me?"

His hands clasped behind his back. "I was actually looking to borrow your young gentleman here with regards to tonight's festivities."

"Oof, sorry man, I'm flattered, but already got a date for the evening," Lea said as he slid an arm around my shoulders.

"He's funny," Mattias declared brightly. "No wonder your grandfather is so… opinionated about him. But no, I meant I'm here to take you out in preparation for the ball."

Lea cocked an eyebrow. "...oh! You mean 'take out' as in get me snazzy new duds so I can get all dolled up for this lil shindig?"

Mattias's face fell suddenly stoic as an eerie calm came over him, "Or 'take out' as in make you disappear, never to be seen or heard from again." His hushed words were punctuated with a long, uncomfortable stretch of silence where I began to wonder if I actually hadn't been too far off with my assassin guess. But then he abruptly burst out into booming laughter, making both Lea and me jump. "I'm just kidding! My wife Halima says I need to lighten up and joke around more." Now he seemed to become a bit bashful as he asked hopefully, "How am I doing?"

I exchanged a brief glance with Lea, who then gave a weak chuckle. "Great! You'll have 'em all rolling on the floor during amateur hour at the comedy club." Reaching for the doorknob, he slowly started pushing it shut between Mattias and us as he called out a chipper, "Now, I'm just gonna close this for a real quick sec here, be right back!" As soon as it clicked shut, Lea gripped my arm as he hissed, "Do not under any circumstance leave me alone with that guy!"

Scoffing, I crossed my arms, "You're being silly, he's a very sweet man."

"Oh yeah, seems real nice for a psychopathic killer who could probably murder me seven different ways with a Tootsie Roll."

"He said he was kidding."

"Precisely what someone trynta off me would say," he muttered, glowering at my door.

My eyelids drooped, "Also precisely what someone who wasn't trying to off you would say. Besides, it's a good thing Grandfather sent him to assist you with this. I was so busy stressing out about myself, I completely forgot you probably had nothing to wear for tonight. What would you have even done, just shown up in jeans and a t-shirt?" I shook my head in amusement.

To that he just looked down, scratching a spot behind his ear with a soft, "Heh."

I stared blankly at him. "Oh my god, that's exactly what you were going to do."

"In my defense, it was gonna be one classy t-shirt."

"...the kind with a cartoon tux printed on the front?"

He grinned big, "Yeah! How'd you know?"

My finger pinched the bridge of my nose as I released a grumbling sigh. "Just go with Mattias so you can get fitted for a nice suit. Please."

"What about you?" he reached over, lightly rubbing my arm. "You all good now?"

"I'm… better now," I hugged myself with a small nod. "...you always seem to know just what to say to help calm me down. Thank you." I turned away, heading towards my vanity, "And thanks for-" I stopped as I looked in the mirror, my hand going to my blonde strands. My reflection frowned back at me. "Wait… you didn't even do anything with my hair." I narrowed my eyes on him, "Were you just playing with it this whole time?"

"Er…" he grinned innocently, rubbing at the nape of his neck and averting his gaze. "...no?" I fixed him with a dull look. "Seriously! I braided it!" One of my eyebrows arched. "Then I… unbraided it. But only to try a few other things with it, honest! Purely for research purposes! And it all led me to one conclusion. The results are in and it's unanimous: you should wear your hair," he rapped his fingers along the edge of my vanity in a drumroll, "down!"

I tilted my head slightly to the left. "...down?"

"Mm-hm! It's simple! It's bold! It's-"

Once again, a knock sounded at my door. "You two do remember I'm still waiting out here... right?" came Mattias's muffled voice from the other side.

With a tiny huff in my throat, I started pushing Lea back towards the door. "Will you just go with him already? He won't kill you, I promise."

"Fine, but if ya haven't heard from me in an hour, you come and rescue my sorry ass, got it? Oh, and El?" he dug in his heels, stopping us both as he brought his hands up to squeeze my shoulders with a smile. "About tonight, just… you do you. Whatever makes ya comfortable. Forget about what anyone else might say or think, 'kay?"

I stared back at him, searching his eyes for a second before looking away as I bit down into my bottom lip. "...I'll try."

Seemingly satisfied with that, Lea reached out to twist the doorknob and pull, greeting Mattias with, "Alright, cowboy, let's get this over with." Trailing his fingers down my arms to my hands, he took them both in his and raised them to press a kiss to each one, murmuring, "Until this evening, min kjæreste."

...I really shouldn't be surprised at this point that he had yet to run out of pet names.

I'd have to ask him what that one meant later.

Which, you know, was a totally crucial and vital piece of info to have before adding it to the ever growing mountainous stack of vetoes.

With that, he stepped out into the hallway where Mattias grinned and gave him a hearty slap on the back, forcing a grunt out of Lea as he closed the door behind him. I snorted quietly before moving back over to my vanity mirror, absently running my fingers through my hair as I stared at my reflection once more.

...down, huh?

...I think I could make that work.

"Well, well… don't you look a vision?"

"Thank you, Mattias," I smiled softly, resisting the urge to self-consciously hide behind my bedroom door. "You're looking rather dashing yourself."

He stood a little straighter, his hand smoothing the crisp lapel of his suit. "I do what I can. And I got your young man looking quite dapper as well, if I do say so myself."

"Speaking of, where is Lea?" I looked about the corridor, but it only further confirmed that Mattias had come to greet me at my door alone.

"I left him to await you in the foyer." He offered me his arm, "Shall I escort you, my dear?"

Taking a quick glance back into my room to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything, I then nodded and closed the door behind me as I stepped out into the hallway, tucking my hand into his elbow. "Please. Lead the way." As we began to walk, I told him, "Thank you, by the way. For getting Lea ready and presentable for the evening."

"Was only doing as your grandfather asked of me," he brushed off. "I suspect he doesn't want him drawing anymore undue attention to himself than absolutely necessary."

I hummed a small laugh at that, "I think that may be a lost cause there."

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, grin widening. "...that boy of yours really won't stand a chance, you know. He'll be a goner the second he lays eyes on you."

"Stop, you're embarrassing me," I ducked my head to hide the faint blush creeping into my face as my fingers idly twisted at my diamond fringe earrings. Wearing them may have been a bad idea in retrospect as they were too tempting to fidget with in moments of anxiety. They dangled all the way down to my shoulders, which were bare in my floor length, high neck halter dress that was backless and a shade of midnight blue with subtle shimmers in the bodice - another garment that, like my beachwear, had just been left behind to gather dust in my wardrobe here long ago. My hair was sideswept, cascading down in loose curls in front of my right shoulder.

"If memory serves," Mattias was saying conversationally, "I don't believe you ever went to such lengths to look even half so stunning for your last suitor."

My face grew hotter as I muttered, "You must be mistaken."

Why would I put any more effort into my appearance for tonight than I had any other previous outings that had been with my ex? I had no reason to. Not for Lea. Not for the guy who was only a friend and merely just pretend dating me as a favor to help me out of a tight spot. Of course, Mattias wasn't privy to that last bit.

"Perhaps," he said lightly, falling silent for a few steps. Then, "Or perhaps it is just another small piece to the big mystery surrounding why he is your suitor no more."

The corners of my lips turned down. "...he and I weren't right, Mattias. This life, this world," I gestured to the expensive dress I was wearing, to the mansion walls around us, "...none of it was right. Not for me, anyway. I tried to pretend it was, tried to play the part for years. But I couldn't, not anymore. That's why I had to leave." I hesitated, eyes downcast. "I… don't really know what is right for me. I'm still trying to work that part out… but I feel like I'm much closer to figuring it out now than I ever was before when I was only living to please my parents."

He didn't respond right away, seeming to ponder my words for a moment. At last, he glanced over at me with a warm smile. "My father used to have a saying: Just when you think you found your way, life will throw you on a new path. Don't give up, take it one step at a time and just do the next right thing." Mattias pat my fingers curled around his arm, "It may take a while, but I know you'll sort it all out. You're now on the path you were meant to be on. In time, I'm sure your family will understand that as well."

I returned his smile with a tiny one of my own. "I hope so… thank you, Mattias."

"Of course, my dear." We at last came to a halt at the top of the stairs. "Now I leave you in the care of your gentleman caller who should be just at the foot of the-" he faltered mid-sentence as he looked down into the foyer, eyes growing round. Then he heaved a sigh, dragging a hand down his face as he grumbled, "...I swear he wasn't like this when I left a moment ago."

I followed his gaze to spot Lea on the bottom step. He was leaning with one elbow propped against the banister, eyes lowered as he inspected his (still pristine) black nail polish, so he hadn't noticed us yet. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he was wearing what looked to be a very nice black tux, so he should have made quite the debonair picture. Key word: should. However, his tie was undone and draped loose around his neck, his suit jacket was off and slung over his shoulder by his free hand, and the sleeves of his white button-up were rolled up to his elbows.

The cherry on top? Brace yourself, because there were actually two. The first was there was a small white stick poking out of the corner of his mouth as he sucked on something. Was that a lollipop? Pretty sure it was a lollipop. A friggin' lollipop. Why? Just… why? As for the second, I'll give you a few hints: they were pink, made of cheap plastic, perched on the bridge of one's nose, and utterly ridiculous. That's right: the heart sunglasses were back, making their encore performance on Lea's face.

Somehow, I got the feeling Grandfather would not be amused.

Just a hunch.

"Good luck with that," Mattias told me under his breath with a low snort as he walked off, presumably to go on ahead to the party.

My eyes fell on Lea once more, my fingers coming up to brush along my grin before I started to descend the stairs. "No," was all I said, though a laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it.

He glanced up at the sound of my voice, eyebrows bouncing as he smirked around the lollipop, surely with some cocky wisecrack just at the tip of his tongue. Instead however his gaze met mine and he froze, his eyes widening as all that came out was a, "Nnn…?"

I think he might have been trying to echo my 'no' there. But apparently a two-letter word was one more letter than he could currently handle.

I reached him, stopping on the step just above the one on which he stood. Fighting my grin now, I lifted my hands to remove the heart-shades and folded them shut. Then I held them up before his nose as I reiterated a firm but gentle, "No."

Lea just continued to stare at me, lollipop dangling from his slack-jawed gape and this close to falling out. "Nnn…"

My, how articulate he was this evening.

With a small huff through my nose, I set the glasses aside on the banister. Then I reached to take hold of the ends of his tie, flipping them up in front of his face with another, "No." With that, I set to work tying it for him. To be blunt, I actually kind of hated that I knew how to do this. It was just such an archaic and outdated practice, the woman fixing the tie for the man. But someone had to do it and part of me suspected Lea wouldn't even have the first clue how.

I could sense his eyes on me as I folded and looped the strip of fabric. I did my best to ignore it along with the heat I could feel creeping up the back of my neck now. What didn't help was when his hand slowly drifted up to start toying with the curled tips of my hair. Hitching my chin and stubbornly avoiding his gaze as I put all my focus into the tie, I murmured, "You know, you can quit it with the goofy lovestruck act. Mattias is gone, there's no one here to see it."

Coiling a pale tendril around his finger, he didn't speak right away and for a second I wondered if he had even heard me. Then came a hushed, "...you're beautiful..."

My heart jolted and my grip faltered, fumbling the tie and screwing it up. My eyes darted up to meet his, which were soft but also mixed with… something that was too intense and I quickly looked away again. With a little scowl, I started over with his tie, muttering, "Fine then, keep it up. See if I care." Hastily finishing the bowtie in silence, I hazarded a second, more cautious glance back up at him, frowning now. "...wow, you really fried out there on the yacht today, didn't you? Ever hear of sunscreen?" I asked, reaching a hand up for one of his super red cheeks.

He snatched it just as my fingertips had barely brushed along his skin. Then he blinked, finally knocking it off with the dazed routine as he released my hand so he could instead rub at the nape of his neck with a small chuckle. "Nah, I… I'm fine. I think it's just something funny with the, uh… the lighting in here, making me look burned when I'm really not. Yeah, that must be it!"

I gave him a dubious squint before looking down at my palm. Odd… I looked just as pale as ever under this light. Shrugging it off, I then stretched a hand out once more, this time to pluck the lollipop from his lips, accompanying it with yet another, "No." I caught a whiff of a very familiar scent and both eyebrows shot up my forehead as I looked at the candy. Then I held it up to him, "Is this why you smell like cinnamon all the time?"

His head rocked back slightly, one corner of his lips slowly turning up. "And how, pray tell, are you so intimately aware of what I smell like?"

My shoulders stiffened as just about every last bit of blood I had in me rushed straight up to my face. "I… well, I wouldn't say I'm intimately- I mean, that is... well, you're always hugging me and just, you know… i-it's kind of hard not to- It's not like I'm trying to- Not on purpose anyway, it just sort of… I just…"

The wicked curve to his lips widened further. "Yes? Do go on."

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Nevermind. Where did this thing even come from?" I asked, scrunching my nose up at the lollipop before looking for somewhere to get rid of it. I settled on tossing it into one of the two large urns decorating either side of the base of the staircase. Shh, no one would ever have to know.

He shrugged, still not wiping that stupid grin off his face. "We stopped at a place on the way to the tux fitting."

"And Mattias let you? He should've known better," I sighed, now tugging one of his sleeves down to his wrist with a tad more force than necessary and buttoning it.

"What can I say? I can be very persuasive."

I just gave a noncommittal "hm" as I straightened and fastened the other sleeve as well. Then I snagged his folded jacket from where he held it slung over his shoulder, lifting it with one more lightly chiding, "No." I began helping him shrug back into it.

A little tsk escaped him. "You're certainly a fan of that word right now."

Concentrating on getting his left arm into the other sleeve, I deadpanned, "And you're certainly a fan of finding every way imaginable to make me say it."

He snerked at that. Then, "Huh. Guess there's a first time for everything. Usually the ladies are trynta take the clothes off me, not the other way around."

My gaze snapped up to meet his with every intention of giving him the full blast of my withering stare. Instead I froze, expression blank at the sight that greeted me.

That of a lollipop stick once more jutting out the side of his tiny smirk.

I blinked. Then looked to the urn. Then back at him. My eyelids drooped. "Just how many of those do you have?"

His smile stretched from ear to ear. "Picked me up a whole pack! Gotta feed the addiction!"

I sighed, shaking my head before eyeing him up and down with a frown. "...where are you even hiding them all?"

Lea bent forward, the tip of his nose brushing against mine as his eyes hooded and he whispered, "Care to search me and find out?"

An icy grin pulled at my lips and I told him, "No." There's that word again. Confiscating this lollipop as well, I struck it up in front of his face and continued on in a deadly sweet tone, "If I catch you with another one of these tonight, I'll make you choke on it."

"You promise?" he waggled his eyebrows at me.

I scoffed, flinging the candy into the other urn. There. Now my parents had a matching set. My attention returned to Lea as I tipped my head to one side, giving him a final glance over now that I had him all put back together. "...you actually clean up rather handsomely. You know, when you're not being a total clown."

"Hadta do it," he puffed up his chest and tweaked his bowtie. "If you had been struck by the full might of my studliness in a tux right from the get go, you would've straight up swooned and come toppling down the stairs. Hadta ease ya into it for your own safety. You're welcome."

"How thoughtful," I rolled my eyes with a soft snort. Then I retrieved the heart-glasses from the banister once more, slipping them into a pocket on the inside of his jacket. "Now I'm giving these back to you since I know they're your new favorite toy and I'm trusting you not to put them back on at the party, okay?"

"Scout's honor," he chirped, holding up three fingers pressed together.

"Good," I smiled, straightening his lapels and smoothing my hand over his button-up to clear any creases. "Your shenanigans the other night in front of my parents and grandfather were one thing, but this party is something else entirely. You can't just-"

"El," he interrupted me, bringing his hand up. I almost thought it was going for my cheek, but it seemed to hesitate and shift over at the last second, giving my shoulder a squeeze instead. "I'll be on my best behavior. Count on it."

I nodded. "...thank you." I realized my hands were still smoothing, even though any wrinkles there may have been in his shirt were long gone.

Jesus criminy, Elsa, stop pawing at the man's chest already!

Quickly retracting my hands, I cleared my throat as my smile turned a touch awkward. "Right. So then… to the party?"

"Absolutely," he grinned, taking my hand and tucking it into the crook of his arm. He then led me down the last couple of steps and over to a corridor off on the left, striding with confidence.

I followed him wordlessly for a few steps. Then, "Do you have any idea where you're going?"

"Not a damn clue!" he said brightly.

With a tiny laugh, I informed him, "It's back the other way."

"Going the other way!" he announced, flipping us into a u-turn and marching off in the opposite direction.

Once we were on the right course, it wasn't hard for Lea to figure out where the ballroom was. He just had to follow the sound of the classic string music and murmur of voices drifting from the party. It wasn't long before we were approaching a massive set of double doors beyond which all the merrymaking could be spotted in glimpses.

That's when I started to hear it. The blood rushing in my ears. Every step closer to that entrance made my insides shrivel tighter and tighter, my breathing more rapid and shallow. Just outside the threshold, my feet stopped moving altogether.

Lea halted beside me, looking over at me in concern. He brought up his other hand to cover my own that was clutching at his arm, not saying anything. I didn't need him to. I just needed a minute to steel myself. Closing my eyes, I forced air into my lungs in one long, slow inhale through my nose. Then I released it just as gradually, feeling my nerves settle somewhat.

Was I ready for this?

No. Not even close.

But this was about as ready as I was ever going to get.

I looked up at him with a small nod. With that, we made our way inside.

Author's Note: I was originally going to put this build-up to the party AND the party itself all in the same chapter, but it just got TOO long for a single chapter - and that's coming from ME of all people, so that's saying something! So hope ya'll don't mind this slightly shorter update chocked full of fluff xP Anyhoo, Mattias made his cameo this chapter, yay! He was one of my faves from F2, such a sweetheart with his own moments of awkwardness :3 Minor fun fact: I had just finished playing TWEWY for the first time before I started writing this chapter and had been introduced to Koki - a character in that game that's basically an Axel-clone, at least in the sense that he's a redheaded kinda-sorta villain that's bursting at the seams with snark… guess which TWEWY character turned out to be fave xD Anyway, Koki is never seen without a lollipop the whole time, so the stupid thing with the lollipop this chapter got its inspiration from that xP Other minor fun fact: Elsa's dress is very, VERY loosely based on her dress from the Olaf's Frozen Adventure short - just get rid of the fur, sleeves, and back and turn it into a halter top and presto! Beautiful xD Also, her hairstyle is based off of some early Elsa concept art by Brittney Lee for the first Frozen movie (I’ll reblog it here some point soon!) and I just think the art is gorgeous and I had to use the hairstyle cuz oof… Ice Queen is pretty, yo!

Next chapter, Gramps' B-day Bonanza is officially in full swing! What new lil misadventures might the night bring? Who else might make an appearance? Will everything go smoothly or will there be trouble brewing at the ball? And just where IS Lea really hiding all those damn lil lollipops? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[tepidjasminetea]

A nostalgia retrospective at Frozen

I was of the generation that grew up with frozen as the defining childhood event, I think that says a lot about my age, I remember watching the movie in the theatre with my mom and having my little popcorn in one hand and my little cup of fizzy drink in another and being amazed by our lord and savior Elsa of Arendelle. Saying that this movie changed my little barely developed frontal lobe is an understatement, it fucking penetrated it and all I could think about for months on end was Frozen. While writing the script for this I listened to Let it Go and inexplicably I had flashbacks of little petite me compulsively almost replaying that song. Remembering the hold of that movie on me and people of my age during that time feels unreal, it honestly seems like Disney sprinkled in a bit of crack into that song. My general thoughts when I watched it in theatres was that this film was perfect in every sense and Elsa was the hottest woman alive.

Recap

Before I dive into the video, I will give a brief background or refresh of the film for the three people who haven’t seen it and those who haven’t seen it in like seven years since its release. Frozen is a 2013 animated movie made by Disney, there’s Anna the cute and clumsy ginger sister, Elsa the sister that Disney made approximately half a million dollars off of merchandise, Kristoff the furry that talks to reindeer, Olaf a snowman, and Hans the evil ginger. The story centers on Anna and Elsa; as a child, Elsa accidentally hit Anna in the head with her ice magic while playing with her. To fix Anna’s brain essentially she had to have all her memories of Elsa’s magic removed. So from that incident onward, Anna doesn’t know about Elsa’s powers, and because of the incident, Elsa started to distance herself. So the sisters barely have any contact for the fifteen or so odd years. The sisters are reunited on Elsa’s coronation day and Anna sings a song about open doors and finally getting to meet people again that hits different in 2021.  Anna pisses Elsa off because she wants to marry a ginger man with sideburns. They fight and in the heat of the moment Elsa shoots ice at her sister. The secret is out and Elsa is overwhelmed so she runs away to the mountains to build her ice castle and we get the song that won Disney ‘Best Original Song’ at the Oscars. Anna gets on a horse and goes to search for her sister in the northern mountains. Then her horse fucks off and she finds her way to a convenience store? Is that what you would call it? And she meets our lovely golden retriever boy Kristoff and for a pickaxe, some rope, and some carrots for his reindeer, he agrees to take our cute little ginger north. On the way, they find Olaf who is a sentient snowman that Elsa created with her magic. They go to Elsa’s castle and Anna tries to convince Elsa to return to their home and to make it summer again. I don’t know why she would want that since winter is the superior season. Anyways Elsa is unconvinced and still wants to be a hermit. Anna pushes a little too hard, we get a lovely duet between the sisters and then Elsa blasts Anna’s heart. Oh no Anna’s poor heart is starting to freeze as her hair slowly turns white. Kristoff brings Anna to the trolls that treated Anna’s head all those years ago, coincidentally those trolls also were the ones that raised Kristoff. Then we get the cutest musical number ever to exist, fucking fight me. Granddaddy troll tells Anna and Kristoff that she needs an act of true love to thaw her frozen heart. So Kristoff delivers Anna back to the ginger with the sideburns because they think that the little ginger boy is Anna’s, true love. So while that happens Hans and a couple of people are at Elsa’s ice castle trying to capture her, but she doesn’t want that so she almost commits a double homicide. This is the point where I thought she’d make a great video game character. Some random dude tries to fire an arrow at the distracted Elsa but Hans stops him and the arrow, unfortunately, fires into the ice chandelier above and that thing crashes down on Elsa knocking her out. She then is carted back to Arendelle and put in chains, she pleads for her freedom and Hans is like I’ll see what I can do. Anna arrives at the castle and asks Hans to kiss her, but low and behold the ginger is evil and never loved Anna and just wanted the throne so he doesn’t kiss her and leaves her to die. In the meantime, Elsa escapes from her dungeon and Hans is chasing her down. Anna is rescued by Olaf and they decide to run towards Kristoff because he must love her and then he can reverse the frozen heart. So Elsa is running, Anna is running, Hans is running and so is Kristoff. Hans catches up to Elsa and tells her that Anna died because of her and that it’s all her fault, Elsa is devastated and Hans takes the chance to try and kill her. Anna who is running towards Kristoff sees this happening and instead of running towards her true love she decides to go and save Elsa. Her body turns into ice fully as she blocks the sword from slicing Elsa in half like a piece of white tuna. Elsa sees this and she cries over Anna’s icy figure and her tears thaw Anna’s frozen heart since it is an act of true love because the sisters love eachother. Elsa realizes that love is what she needs to reverse winter and bring back summer, and so she waves her hand a bit and takes back all the snow. Kristoff and Anna kiss, Olaf gets to experience summer, and Elsa’s crippling social anxiety is solved. The end. 

The Music

When I was watching frozen I found it so strange that I pretty much remembered the lyrics to everything. I’ve never been much of a musical person I never liked musicals that much but I found that in this movie the music was one of the main enjoyment of it. Perhaps it’s just me in my old age but I honestly felt like these songs aged like fine wine, even the ones that I didn’t like as much or wasn’t musically ambitious I still found them extremely enjoyable. I also liked the score how they incorporated some kind of Scandinavian music in it and it just made the world-building better. Let it Go was just as ear-wormy as I remembered and it was just as powerful as I remember because we’re just coming off of Elsa running away scared and this song is essentially her owning her socially awkward ass and saying yes I want to be a hermit and there’s nothing wrong about it. Which my now more developed frontal lobe resonated deeply with. Now I know this video isn’t about comparing Frozen and its sequel but I will have to mention how I realized how much simpler and more or less conventional pop song-y the first movie’s songs are. I also listened to into the unknown and show yourself on youtube prior and those two songs feel more ingrained in the world and the lore. Which does make sense since the second movie is a bit world-building. But for Let it Go and Do you wanna build a snowman the mystical and magical feel that songs in Frozen 2 have isn’t present. I understand since into the unknown and show yourself are all sorta about a spirit, but I just wished that the main songs in Frozen incorporated some form of Scandinavian music that’s present in the opening song and the score. 

The Characters

Kristoff

Recently it has been pointed out to me that I might just have an inclination towards big blonde himbo characters, I simped for Matthias in Six of Crows, and I positively melted at the sight of Kristoff the big blonde boy with a fetish for reindeer. Kristoff was probably my favourite character upon this second viewing. There’s absolutely no concrete or sound reason for it that I can defend with words. Literally, I just have a gene in my DNA that just makes me extremely biased towards that type of character. I love his grounded personality in comparison with Anna’s slightly airheaded disposition. I love that he’s raised by trolls it just makes me feel happy. 

Anna

Anna is often looked upon as the lesser sister by Disney’s merchandising and in turn by the little girls who were the primary audience of this movie. One this second viewing with my more mature and refined taste I actually respected Anna as a character and I thought it was good that she was so ordinary because it was refreshing almost and it made her much more endearing. The takeaway I had from the movie was that Anna was kinda a self-insert character, she’s just like the audience going on an adventure and only just learning about her sister’s powers, she’s relatable to the audience. She’s the perfect ordinary relatable gal that everyone loves. The one thing I wish she had was a proper character arc, granted she doesn’t need one, but Disney almost tries to shoehorn in one with the inclusion of Hans and how he wasn’t her true love. Her arc is almost like discovering that true love doesn’t come from someone that she met just two days ago. Because Disney wants to do meta-commentary on their own material but Anna doesn’t even really learn that lesson? Because Hans not loving Anna isn’t a product of them only knowing eachother for two days but instead a product of him being evil, so the thesis that Disney so badly wants to prove was undermined by their own twist villain. And then even worse they imply that Kristoff instead is Anna’s true love even though Kristoff has known Anna for roughly the same amount of time as Hans. So if you are trying to make a point that true love doesn’t happen in a couple of days then sorry Disney you failed…? 

Elsa

She’s the main character the story centers around her and she has the most complex emotions, character arc and personality. Her arc is one about her overcoming her fear of her own powers and it fulfills that change in the character somewhat. Near the end of the movie, we see her distraught more than ever because she believes her powers killed her own sister and she is positively depressed. But then she’s able to save her sister with the power of love. And she uses the same power of love to reverse her power, and we assume with the power of love she learns to control it. Which is a bit of a cop-out just having all her internal issues be solved with love, Elsa doesn’t really learn anything she learns that i guess Anna loves her? Which I thought she knew from the beginning. And it would be strange if she didn’t love Anna since the beginning or if she didn’t know that Anna loved her. Elsa’s issue was that no one understood her, and that issue still isn’t solved by the end and Anna’s love certainly didn’t solve that issue so I don’t really think that ending fits with her character. It would have made more sense if Elsa was a villain who didn’t understand love or who shitted on the idea of love then this ending would have been better. 

Hans

Out of all the characters, Hans is done the dirtiest. I know I make fun of him for being a dirty little ginger but i think he had so much potential in being a good character and a good subversion of the prince charming trope and they squandered every bit of it for a twist villain. We could have had them sing the same love is an open door song but have them over the course of the movie slowly realize that they don’t really love each other and it finally culminates in the supposedly true love’s kiss not working. Then Anna would have learned her lesson and Hans wouldn’t be a terrible twist villain with motivations that don’t make sense. I felt so strongly after this viewing that Hans should have been redeemed in the second movie somehow. 

Olaf

I’m not going to count him as a character because he’s a snowman and his personality starts with comic relief and ends with merchandise sales. 

Sven

I love Sven and the relationship he has with Kristoff, it’s cute it establishes Kristoff as a good well-meaning furry so the audience instantly is able to connect with him and trust him. 

The Plot

I found in retrospect the movie was so much more complex than I remembered, as a little petite child I didn’t understand that there was so much political intrigue? I’ve been recently rewatching Game of Thrones the good seasons and watching Frozen I thought like wow this feels so game of thrones esque (mostly just Hans’s elaborate but completely ridiculous plan) and I was just thinking how it would have played out differently if Frozen was a Game of Thrones political fantasy movie. Anyways the plot of Frozen is singlehandedly fucked by Disney’s compulsive twitch to make a twist villain. In the beginning, we meet Hans and he’s charming and cute and positively enamoured with Anna. We even get this little scene of him smiling to himself once he met Anna that just doesn’t make sense at all when you watch it a second time and realize this bitch was never meant to love Anna at all. In a much earlier version of Frozen, where Elsa was more of a classic Disney villain (she would eventually become good), Prince Hans in that version was also established as a twist villain. But Disney decided that Elsa as a villain didn’t really connect with the audience so they decided to change the story and make Elsa more sympathetic but they still had to keep the element of Prince Hans being a villain to provide drama and twists. So ok Hans had to be evil, no negotiation let’s assume Daddy Disney said we have to have evil ginger or I will eat ur firstborns, or whatever. But that still doesn’t explain why the setup had to be so bad. The main reason why Hans is such a bad twist villain is that there was never a setup for him to be evil, a lot of his earlier scenes don’t make sense in retrospect when you know that he was scheming for the throne all along. The scene where he and a few of the castle men are in Elsa’s palace and one of the men is about to shoot Elsa and kill her, but Hans stops it even though he admits out loud to Anna later that he needed an accident to happen to Elsa so he could get the throne. Well, Hans, there’s your accident, did you have a sudden stroke of kindness to spare her or are you playing some sort of 4D chess us mere mortals are too stupid to understand? Because clearly having her being shot by someone else would absolve him of any guilt., and he’d definitely look less guilty than if he was going to slash Elsa in half on a frozen ocean in plain view of the castle. I know this criticism is a relatively dead horse so there’s no reason to go too in-depth with it. Hans doesn’t make sense and very easily you could have written Hans to be just a regular guy that serves the purpose of teaching Anna the lesson that true love isn’t found but is instead built over years. Who would be the villain then? Well, it’s simple, we already had the townspeople being generally scared of Elsa’s powers so it’s very easy for Disney to have just made them the antagonists. Elsa can still be captured and brought back to Arendelle with Hans not really wanting to kill her but the townspeople are sick and tired of this winter and they want her dead (this also coincidentally aligns with papa troll’s vision of Elsa’s power inspiring fear and people turning on her). Elsa could escape the prison just the same in the original movie only this time she goes outside and finds an angry mob waiting for her who try to chase her down. Anna sees this and can run to protect Elsa like she does in the original, she blocks a blade and that sends a powerful force that sends the townspeople backward. Anna turns into ice, Elsa cries, bada bing bada boom I just wrote you the last 7 minutes of Frozen but actually making sense without changing anything in the first hour and a half. I liked that the movie focuses on sisterly love and I think that’s ultimately the strength of Frozen and what differentiates it from other previous Disney princess movies. 

Meta-commentary

This movie also continues the meta-commentary on Disney’s family-friendly brand image that started with Tangled in this new era of animated movies, or perhaps with Enchanted if we count that as an animated film. I remember not noticing as much when my stupid little child brain was watching the movie for the first time but this time around I found it a bit annoying, especially given that the criticism they ‘address’ is extremely shallow, like ohh instead of marrying after three days Anna and Kristoff wait a few years until they marry, congrats Disney you have earned the progressive animation studios plaque. This is a bit nit-picky for this movie since this one isn’t egregious with the ‘subtle’ commentary, I feel like they’re particularly annoying in the live actions but generally passable in Frozen. 

The Plot that never

I think I have to mention in this video that originally Elsa was going to be a stone-cold villain who is redeemed at the end of the movie after learning how to love. This is the same version I mentioned previously where Hans was the twist villain who would try and set an avalanche on arendelle. Elsa and Anna weren’t going to be sisters so....can I just say that the plot as it is...it could have been an enemies-to-lovers story, featuring our first lesbian couple in a Disney movie. It feels like such wasted potential. I’m sure someone can write fanfiction with this idea to satisfy my...needs.  #i need this very very badly

The Animation

Arguably the best quality about any animated film is the animation. Even after 7 years I still feel awe and wonder when I watch Elsa raise her ice palace from snow and the animation of the ice is just jaw-dropping every single time I watch it. There’s one specific detail I love seeing and it’s Elsa’s shoes, like everything her skirt lifts up slightly when she’s running you get a peek at her shoes and they’re fucking gorgeous like she’s wearing glass slippers! Holy fuck her feet look so graceful and dainty and Elsa just single-handedly gave me a feet fetish. That’s what I took away from Frozen, sisterly love can conqueror all and feet are hot. Reading articles about the process of making Frozen really shows how dedicated the animators were to this project because they brought a real fucking reindeer in into the studios (allegedly according to this website I read). They studied the way cloth moves when it’s frozen by water and the way snow falls from a tree. It’s incredible and watching the movie you can really tell how dedicated the animators were to this project. 

The Legacy

Many believe that the release of Frozen and the earlier animated film Tangled started another renaissance period for Disney, which I think on some level is true since Disney has released quite a few of those ‘princess’ movies that feel like a return to form for the company in the past decade. In a more cynical view, I also feel like Frozen’s success was where Disney realized that merchandise was perhaps the most profitable thing under the sun. If anything the aggressive merchandising of the characters and the songs are what lingers in people’s minds after all these years. The toddlers shouting the lyrics to let it go at the top of their lungs, Frozen theme birthday parties, everyone wanting to dress up as Elsa for Halloween. I feel like the push to make as much money as possible off of Frozen’s success kind of diminishes the film itself. To the general public it isn’t remembered for its beautiful animation or its characters even to a certain extent, but instead, Frozen is remembered for its merchandise being absolutely everywhere which subsequently ended up with a lot of people being fed up with the property. I feel like we can definitely see the merchandising tactic Disney learned with Frozen with the new Star Wars trilogy where new droids were created en masse for merchandising purposes. 

Frozen also birthed a sequel that was largely forgettable in comparison to the first movie, which I feel very disappointed about since even more effort was clearly put into the animation on the second movie. I won’t get into the arduous rewrites and script overhauls that Frozen 2 experienced in this movie but I will say that the success of Frozen probably had something to do with the hyper management of the sequel that led it to be so mediocre and forgettable. 

The End

The overall feeling I have with this movie is nostalgia and fondness. Obviously, it isn’t a perfect movie and its themes and plot aren’t really that novel or perfectly executed either. I feel like a lot of people have forgotten that Frozen was an enjoyable movie and the reason for why it was so popular was because it was a heartfelt movie that was just pretty good. It’s by no means a perfect movie but I think it was a decent movie that will always have a place in my heart.