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Tweak says, "banana hammock!"

α ѕɴow ѕтorм вυrɴιɴɢ (snowqueenish) wrote in valloic,
@ 2022-04-14 10:22:00

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!: action/thread/log, ₴ inactive: elsa

ELSA & ANNA

Thank you, Liz, for putting on the Anna hat (or crown) for this log!

Today | Arendelle Castle (in a dream)

⚠ NO WARNINGS, JUST FEELS

Stepping into a dream that was decidedly not her own wasn’t her usual method of seeing her sister, but she sensed it was her only choice.

Arendelle was a beautiful place - a quaint, idyllic sort of land that was nestled beside water and beneath steep slopes, stave churches, and the palace itself was patterned with brick and boasted green, steeped roofs. There was a black sand beach too, one Elsa had stood on looking out to the sea during a storm which she’d eventually conquered - the sand was the color of pepper and laced with the tiniest of shells, a unique feel on the toes. Elsa still recalled even if she’d been in Vallo for awhile and the beaches in her new home were quite different.

That night, she dreamed of the palace - her former home. Very ‘alpine fairytale,’ which she supposed made sense - but she’d missed wandering the halls and appreciating the Scandinavian stencils and designs on the walls, all the deep pinks and purples of her and Anna’s childhood bedrooms. Wearing a rich, plum-colored nightgown, she seemed to know exactly where she was going - she headed into the sitting room to begin a game of charades, one that her usual family would be attending. Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf - all of them in this room and spending time together, now that this was a palace of open hearts and (literal) open doors; nothing had to be closed off anymore.

Except when she got into the room she was alone - the fireplace blazed, however, flames crackling and flinging a confetti of sparks into the hearth as the fire burned and made the room nice and cozy. She supposed she ought to sit and curl up with one of the plush pillows, but it felt...odd, being by herself. Nervously, she played with the end of her loose cornsilk braid and hoped for someone to join her. She knew someone would - but in the meantime, she could bask in a little piece of Arendelle. One that she didn’t exactly have in Vallo to visit anytime she wanted.

Anna still wasn’t used to how the palace felt with Elsa gone. She was glad for her sister, of course! She had been through so much - grappled with so much fear and self-doubt, more than her share for someone her age - and she absolutely deserved to be somewhere where she was truly happy and felt she was making a difference, fulfilling what they both knew was her true calling. She hadn’t been born for the throne, and while Anna would never say she herself had, they had both fit much more seamlessly into their new roles than the old.

Working as a team, supporting the whole of Arendelle from all sides, was working for them. She missed her sister like crazy, though, and that wasn’t a feeling that was going away in a hurry. They had spent so much of their lives isolated from each other - too much. They still saw each other frequently, and there was nothing standing in the way of communicating and spending time together. But it wasn’t the same as waking up knowing Elsa was close. She didn’t relish being without her, no matter how good the reasons for their separation may be this time around.

Stepping into a dream that was decidedly not her own wasn’t her usual method of seeing her sister, but she sensed it was her only choice. And it wasn’t an opportunity she was going to pass up, no matter how odd the circumstances were - from what she could sense anyway, and all of it was pretty vague, blurry around the edges.

She knew right where to go without thinking about it and burst through the door with a grin on her face. “Elsa!” she squealed, practically pouncing on the couch to join her sister and hug her tightly. “You’re here!”

Anna’s exuberance wasn’t much of a surprise - though it still caused Elsa to wheeze out a laugh when she was hugged so fiercely (only Olaf could compete in that category - they both gave great hugs). She returned it, of course, wrapping her arms around her sister and squeezing. Her sister the queen - it was strange, but also so right. Like the puzzle pieces had finally slotted into place, after so long of Elsa struggling to jam broken pieces into a space where they didn’t belong.

“I’m here,” she agreed, looking down - her outfit wasn’t anything meant for adventuring, but it was just what she wore during Family Charades Night. Everything felt warm and cozy, the room glowing because of the burning fire and the candlelight that flickered like shining stars, even if the blurred edges that appeared to be out of focus, like a camera that hadn’t gotten the settings correct, were indications that they wouldn’t have forever to spend here, as a part of some kind of in-between space between realities. A very lucid dream.

So now that she was here, what would she do? “Tell me all about how you’ve been doing - with Kristoff and...oh, I didn’t miss your wedding, did I?” she asked mournfully, taking Anna’s hands. “Was I there? Is everything running smoothly? I imagine it would be, but - I have to know.”

It was Anna’s turn to laugh, soft and affectionate. Of course Elsa would jump right to worrying about the state of things here in Arendelle when she was in some place entirely different! It was her life that had changed so fully and unexpectedly; Arendelle was exactly as she’d left it and would continue to be for as long as Anna had a say in the matter.

“Everything’s fine. Arendelle, me and Kristoff, everything,” she insisted, giving Elsa’s hands a proper squeeze and curling in close to her. She had seen her sister just a few days ago, in this very room, but being here with her, this version of her that was just a little different, changed in an almost imperceptible way (to anyone else, but she could sense it; maybe it was the strength of their bond or maybe it was whatever had created this dream for them, but it was there), she missed her again. “You’ve missed nothing. The wedding is still being planned, and there’s absolutely no way it would happen without you there, I promise.”

If Elsa ever truly disappeared, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seal the deal and get married. She wasn’t sure how she’d move forward without having a clue where her sister was, but she knew she wouldn’t rest until she brought her home again. Kristoff was a good man, eternally patient with her, and she was sure he’d hold on and wait with her, no matter how long it took.

“Tell me about what’s going on with you! This place you’re in…is it okay? I feel like it must be. You feel…happy? Are you? I need to hear all about how you’ve been doing!”

Elsa didn’t really understand the nuances of being in two places at once - but she also didn’t understand how this was real, yet wasn’t real; it felt like a wish fulfilled, or a gift of some sort. Either way, she wouldn’t waste it. Even if she’d been in this room for Game Night multiple times, she was going to take in every little bit about the experience. Every little nuance, like all the things she’d missed about Anna - her poise (different from her sister’s, a different brand, Anna was ultimately one of the strongest people she knew) and her confidence and her warm heart, the way she got so excited about the simplest things.

“I’m happy,” she promised, with a breathless little laugh. “I live in a little seaside fishing village - I have my own cottage there, and I ride Nokk along the water. I have a job working in a bookstore - ” Which was honestly surprising but not. Surprising because Elsa hadn’t ever really had an actual job before, and then not surprising that she’d choose to surround herself with books and sweet things like milkshakes (even if she had to learn how to prepare them). “Plus I joined a coven? They use art as a medium for their spells, and it fits with my magic - the way I can see memories in water.”

There were other parts too, and Elsa kept rambling despite how much she’d already talked about her life in Vallo - which was equal parts lovely and frustrating. “And I have...a girlfriend?” Her cheeks turned the shade of a summer sunset. “I don’t know if we’ve defined it, exactly, but - I think that’s what it is.”

There was so much to take in, but Anna was enraptured. She’d never imagined a life outside Arendelle, had no idea what it would be like or what she’d do with herself. Their lives and callings didn’t shift easily to other places, nevermind completely different worlds. ‘Fifth Spirit of the Enchanted Forest’ was something very specific to their home. She supposed it made sense that Elsa had settled into a small village and a working-class job (at a bookstore, probably the most fitting job Anna could ever have imagined for her).

But Nokk was there - that was good, something familiar to help her feel stable! She had only the faintest notion of what a coven was from reading books, but if there were people involved that could help her with her magic, she supported it. She supposed in the absence of the Northuldra, it only made sense that Elsa should find other like-minded people to be around, and she would support herself if she was there.

But it was that last part - just that little tidbit - that made her eyes go wide and a smile spread across her face, so big it made her cheeks ache. “You have a what?” she questioned, hardly daring to believe she’d heard her right. “A girlfriend as in…?” Her eyebrows did this suggestive wiggly thing, implying the rest of the question without another word.

Oh, Anna. Elsa let out a fond, exasperated little groan - because her sister’s reaction was exactly what she’d envisioned. As in, very teasing - and she knew that if Anna had been in Vallo, she’d also be right there hovering with love arrows ready to shoot a la the winged fairy Cupid or some such.

“It’s like how you and Kristoff started out,” she said, taking a couch pillow and gently thwapping Anna. “Um, courting. We’ve been on dates - and are still going on dates. I hardly think many people from home would approve though,” she added, with a thoughtful frown, as her fingers began plucking at the fringe of the pillow she held. “Maybe it wouldn’t matter as much now that I’m no longer Queen, but - even so.”

As she’d learned, the year 2022 was leagues ahead of where her and Anna were in terms of what was deemed acceptable in their home - the year 1846 was a ways behind, let’s just say. Certainly same-gendered relationships happened but they were likely just talked about in hushed whispers behind closed doors.

Anna happily accepted the thwapping; it was well-earned, she’d admit that, and she giggled through it, brushing a few locks of jostled red hair back behind her ears after shoving the offending instrument to the floor. She couldn’t resist teasing. She’d never known Elsa to show an inkling of interest in anyone, man or woman. In fact, she had put a very swift end to any attempts that had been made to introduce her to a suitable match leading up to and even after her coronation.

Same-gendered relationships weren’t terribly common in Arendelle, but they weren’t completely unheard of. Elsa made a good point, though. It was doubtful the queen regnant would have been able to get away with it, but then again, anything was possible. Elsa may not have chosen the mantle of queen for herself, but she was a good one — the people had loved her and continued to love her.

Anna herself was just glad to hear she’d found someone she clearly cared about a lot. Elsa didn’t blush for just anything and the term girlfriend sounded very serious. She could care less if she was with a girl or a boy, as long as that person was sweet to her sister. It was the very least she deserved after everything she’d gone through in their lives.

“Tell me more about her. Name?” she prompted. “And tell me about these dates, too!” She would circle back to the rest, particularly the coven bit, but she was nothing if not single-minded when she wanted to be.

She figured Anna would want to hear about her dates, her relationship - because Arendelle’s new queen was nothing if not a romantic at heart. She loved love and there was nothing wrong with that - it was just that Elsa hadn’t taken awhile to catch up. Previously, she didn’t see what all of the fuss was about, needing to come around in her own time - Elsa wasn’t someone who could be rushed.

“Her name’s Kate,” she said. “She’s from a much more modern age.” Elsa even felt herself smiling as she talked, her cheeks beginning to burn and also ache from the muscles being overused - but smiling too much, when talking about the person you were involved with, surely couldn’t be a bad thing. “And she’s very talented with a bow and arrow. She’s been helping me learn - and we go to all sorts of fun places. Different restaurants or walking along the beach where we live. Sometimes we stay in and watch films too - they’re moving pictures that tell a story? It’s a kind of visual art.” So naturally Elsa liked those best.

Anna was smiling right along with Elsa. She was a romantic, it was true. She’d been a little naive about it when the opportunity first came around — Hans had been a very big mistake but thankfully one she’d lived down and gotten through with Kristoff in her life. And the relationship with Kate that Elsa described didn’t sound dissimilar to the one she shared with Kristoff, really. She did most of those things with her fiancé, too, when they had a bit of downtime.

“Kate sounds wonderful, Elsa. I’m sure she must be if you’re calling her your girlfriend.” She liked seeing Elsa thawing for someone. She deserved that and so much more, and the girl did sound fascinating. She didn’t put much stock in Elsa saying they hadn’t defined anything yet. She knew her sister, and even if she’d never seen her entwined with anyone romantically here, she knew she wouldn’t speak of someone if they weren’t important to her.

The concept of ‘films’ piqued her interest, her head tilting curiously. That description sounded like films were an improvement on photography, which was still a new, almost futuristic invention for them right now. She’d been reminded of that when General Mattias was introduced to the concept upon his return to Arendelle. “Films sound like plays, is that right? Are you in the future?”

“Yes, they’re a lot like plays - just shown through a different medium, on a screen instead of live,” Elsa said, her tone excited - she rather enjoyed watching movies, and there was so much to catch up on. All of Kate’s favorite films and what was considered ‘classic’ and then the more modern stories too - it was enough to make one’s head spin but, honestly, she could curl up in blankets in her Nordic-inspired cottage with some snacks and hot cups of tea and watch movies all day. Seemed a good activity for an introvert such as Elsa, but she liked going to the theater too which she and Kate did a couple of times before.

There was something about that movie theater popcorn - all that salty, buttery goodness. Mmm. “I’m - the year is 2022, so I’d say that’s the future,” she laughed sheepishly, and she knew that for her the year ‘2022,’ after arriving from the 1800s, was impossible to fathom. “It’s amazing. You’d love it. I love it, but - I miss you.”

That was apparent, as tears dotted her lashes - Anna was the most important person in her life; it had been true love which saved them, and Anna was so brave. She would have died for Elsa and almost did - of course Elsa missed her, and worried about her everyday.

First, films, then 2022. The number almost didn’t seem real - it couldn’t really be a year, could it? - and Anna was nearly too flabbergasted to put words together. Elsa was nearly two hundred years into the future? It was a hurdle for her brain to absorb, but she didn’t have much time to dwell in it after she realized Elsa was crying. It always made her heart ache to see her sister upset, and she hurried to brush the tears away.

“I miss you too,” she murmured, leaning in to press her forehead to her sister’s. Perhaps not in quite the same way - awake, Elsa wasn’t gone - but she felt it. Any absence, no matter how rare, was a little bit of a struggle. She loved Kristoff, and she knew she’d chosen the right person to spend her life with. But Elsa was the love of her life, without question; she already had and always would do anything for her, especially if it made her feel safe.

“I’m with you, though,” she continued, lightening her tone, one hand splaying across Elsa’s cheek. “I’m always with you, I promise. And I’m so happy to see you happy.”

“I’m always with you too,” Elsa hiccuped - and she was smiling, really, she was also feeling positive things. A little sad because she wished she could see Anna for real and not just as a figment of her imagination or - whatever this was. But she also had so much going for her and shouldn’t be too greedy. Vallo was a wonderful place - there were just some important aspects that she longed for, and she realized that it was okay if those feelings never fully went away.

She reached up and stroked her sister’s ginger hair, wanting to hold on forever yet also knowing she couldn’t - this wouldn’t last. She had to let go. “And I promise I’m happy. I can’t wait for your wedding - I bet it’ll be gorgeous. And you’re such a wonderful queen.”

Exactly what Arendelle needed - Elsa had done her part, to unite nature’s magic and the people, but only Anna could do what needed to be done here.

“I have the best example to follow,” was Anna’s sincere reply. She was still settling into the role of queen, but she had seen Elsa take all of those duties on with grace and poise, and she aspired to do the same. It didn’t hurt knowing Elsa was still in her corner, right there to help and advise her whenever she needed it. There was still a sense of melancholy in this situation, though; knowing some version of Elsa was gone, completely out of her reach and alone, was hard to swallow.

“One way or another, you’ll be at the wedding,” she declared. It wasn’t a request or a command or even a question - just a statement of fact. “But for now…” She shifted, pulling Elsa properly into her arms and cuddling as close as she possibly could, cheek against her sister’s forehead. “Tell me all about this coven.”

Ever since she had been in Vallo, Elsa had gotten a lot better with physical displays of affection - before, she basically only limited that to Anna and Olaf (who really did love warm hugs and gave the best warm hugs). But she was free with her affections as long as a connection was there, and trust - here, she didn’t even hesitate to cuddle up with Anna. How she’d missed this sisterly bonding.

“Oh - they’re great, they’re called Brorose. They’re a new coven, kind of an offshoot of one of the older ones,” she explained. “But it’s basically a group of witches, magic users who have bonded - they focus on seeing memories through art and other objects, like how I use water to do that. Plus since I’ve been taking art classes, we’ve bonded through that too - they’re all very artistic. It gives me a chance to practice the newer parts of my magic and do a lot of painting and drawing.”

That made her happy, honestly. And reduced her anxiety, so it settled to a dull simmer - it probably wouldn’t ever go away fully, but art therapy helped and was soothing to her.

Anna had to admit this coven, Brorose, sounded just like something her sister would thrive in - and she seemed to be. The concept seemed good for her, not totally dissimilar from Northuldra and all she’d been learning from the people they’d been isolated from for so long. It meant the world to Anna to see Elsa feeling so free. She could see it clearly, hear it in every word she spoke.

“I’m so proud of you.” The words flowed out of her as they always did; she was proud of Elsa, in everything she did as long as she was doing what she wanted. But she felt like they especially needed to be said, to be heard now. Inevitably, Elsa would go back to this new place she was in and Anna would carry on like she wasn’t gone - because she wasn’t. “I wish I could be there with you.”

“You are,” Elsa assured, and one of her hands came up to press over her heart - and she smiled shyly, a bit awkward, because she was aware she was about to say something incredibly cheesy. “In here. I’ll always love you.”

She would, it was the truth - sisterly love was hard to do away with, wasn’t it? Their bond was even stronger than diamonds - and just as unbreakable. But she was glad she’d said it - she needed Anna to know that (even if she did already, but maybe Elsa still carried some worry about how she was afraid Anna would think she’d abandoned her again) and also maybe hear that Anna was proud of her too. That meant a lot.

The colors of their surroundings shimmered - and started to blur, blobs of water seen through a lens; she didn’t have much time left, she knew that too. “I have to go,” Elsa added sadly. “But - tell Kristoff I said hello? Olaf too. And Sven. I hope we’re beating them all at charades.” Probably not because Elsa was terrible at the game, but. She tried.

Anna laughed, and this time she was the one with tears in her eyes. What Elsa said, cheesy as it may be, was the sweetest, warming her from the inside out. She knew, of course. She knew Elsa loved her, always would, and she didn’t believe for a moment that would waver no matter how far away they may be from one another. The being away part - it wasn’t as easy to swallow, but now that she knew Elsa was safe and happy, what more could she really ask for?

“Someday we’ll beat them at charades,” she chuckled, the words a little choked and broken. “Of course I’ll tell them. Go be happy, tell Kate I said hello. She better take care of you.” She gave Elsa a final hug, squeezing as tightly as she could, and closed her eyes as she clung to her. “I love you.”

So embarrassing - but Elsa didn’t mind the mention of Kate; goodness knows that after the debacle with Hans, Elsa had issued plenty of warnings to Kristoff about toying with Anna’s heart and the consequences that would follow if he chose to do so (‘fuck around and find out’? Was that the phrase? How crass). He’d taken them all in stride, of course, and in his sweetly serious way assured Elsa that he only had the best intentions for her sister.

“I’ll tell her,” she laughed, leaning in to get one last hug. “I love you too, Anna. I know you’ll continue to do Arendelle proud.”

They were definitely going to keep losing at charades, though that was alright. It was family time that mattered. Time that Elsa always held dear to her, just like this.

	legendaryhero 2022-04-14 02:57 pm UTC (link)
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	snowqueenish 2022-04-14 03:00 pm UTC (link)
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