Frozen Beyond [gxg]

Game Night

A week blew by like the angry wind spirit, Gale, did upon their first meeting. Instead of going anywhere exotic, Anna and Kristoff left for a few days to the mountains.

Elsa was left minding Arendelle. Sitting in the foyer where they used to have game night every week, she watched the fire cast shadows over the room. The walls echoed with the laughter of nights long past.

Pulling her mother's shawl over her shoulders, she hugged her arms close to her chest as she stood to go on the balcony. The moonlight washed over her and she tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

No song filled her as it did a year ago. Instead, anxiety coiled in her stomach. While Anna and her lived in separate places now, it always comforted her knowing that Anna was cozy in the castle with Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf, surrounded by Arendellian soldiers. Now, she was off in the mountains alone, with Kristoff. She was sure General Matthias would watch over them, but it provided little comfort to her anxiety.

It's not that she didn't trust Kristoff or the General. She didn't trust Anna not to stir up trouble if trouble would arise.

Elsa let out a hefty sigh, the smell of smoke wafted onto the balcony and she turned sharply, half expected Olaf to have lit the foyer on fire in the few moments she took to herself.

It wasn't the entire foyer, but he held a stick over the fireplace with a marshmallow on the end.

Except the marshmallow wasn't the only thing burning, his arm was. He seemed oblivious and Elsa let out a hasty breath and rushed over. Grabbing his burning arm, she flicked her wrist and sprinkles of ice shards put out the fire.

The flexible stick-arm gave her a thumbs up and she scowled, handing it back to a happy Olaf.

"Thanks!" Olaf jeered, humming and pulling back the charred marshmallow, "I do smell delicious when I burn." He mocked while sniffing the sizzling marshmallow, "I don't even like marshmallows." He announced, shifting to look at Sven who had several on his antlers, somehow all perfectly roasted. "Here, Sven. Yours aren't even cooked."

Sven took the marshmallow in his mouth and chewed, pausing as his eyes watered. The second Olaf looked away he spat it into the fireplace.

She wasn't exactly sure how Sven was expecting to eat the array of stuck marshmallows on his antlers. In fact, how did he get them on? Something told her Olaf helped with that one.

Olaf ran off and Elsa rolled her eyes with a quiet chuckle. Plucking the marshmallows from Sven's antlers to help.

She was a bit worried for Anna. Were the boys always this high maintenance?

"Hey, Kristoff and Anna are back!" Olaf yelled, rushing out the door to head down to the fountain below.

Excitement and relief rushed through her as she glanced over the balcony edge, watching as Anna jumped from Kristoff's sled. They both looked to be laughing. Sven and Olaf soon joined them and Elsa smiled softly, chuckling at the group.

It wasn't long before the group made their way back up to the foyer. Anna burst into the room and bee-lined it for her, jumping towards her excitedly and wrapping her in a hug.

"I missed you, Elsa! How were the boys?" Anna inquired, glancing back to Sven and Olaf.

Elsa winced, "Were they always so high maintenance?"

"Just Olaf." Anna laughed.

Elsa took Anna's hands in her own, "How was your trip?"

Before Anna could answer, Kristoff interjected. "It was great! I showed her where I used to harvest ice."

Anna gave a gritted look and a fake smile. "Yeah, that was... great." She told as excited as she could. She clearly didn't want to hurt Kristoff's feelings. The second he turned back to talk to Sven, Anna shook her head and leaned in to whisper, "Not very fun."

Elsa and Anna shared a private laugh before Anna jumped, excited. "Who wants to have an old-fashioned game night?"

Elsa winced. "Can we not do charades?" She didn't hate the game per se, but she wasn't very good at it. She liked to keep herself carefully controlled, and charades embarrassed her. She just wasn't as outgoing as Anna and the rest of the group to be good at the game.

"I know!" Olaf leapt off the couch, coming over to grab Elsa's hand. She crouched down to his level. He tapped her knee. "Hide and seek! With--" He paused dramatically, ".. no lights. Dun dun dun!" He threw his arms in the air before looking at everyone for approval. "So?"

Elsa gave Anna a look, and they both smiled, seemingly in agreement to the game.

A short time later and a few rounds in, Elsa tucked her knees under her as Anna went through a trunk of clothing. They managed to find the one place they doubted Kristoff or Olaf could find -- the attic.

It was their fault; they wanted to do boys versus girls. Elsa smoothed her hand over the old scuffled wood of the attic. "I think they forgot we kind of grew up here."

"They'll be fine, I think," Anna spoke, though her voice was muffled as she went hip deep in the large wooden trunk as she searched for lost treasures. She reemerged a moment later and sat back down, holding an old doll in her hand and lazily moving it in her hands. "Hey, Elsa."

She looked up at Anna, arching a brow in concern. "Yes?"

"Do you ever, you know, get lonely? Up with the Northuldra?"

Elsa thought it over for a moment, smiling and giving a small, graceful laugh. "Why would I be lonely? I have the spirits, Ryder and his sister, Honeymaren."

"You never think about coming back?" Anna whispered, a tinge of sadness to her voice.

Elsa struggled to answer that without rejecting the notion, "Arendelle will always be precious and I vowed to do what's best for it. But in my heart," She gazed out the small round window that allowed the moonlight to filter into the attic. "I'm meant to be out there. Free."

"Sometimes I feel like I can't do this alone." Anna came to sit beside her, nestling into her side.

Elsa put an arm around her sister. "You're not alone. You have Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf right here at any time. And I'll always be here as soon as you need me."

Anna cleared her throat and shook her head. "I know you're right." Anna gave a hefty sigh before sitting up and angling her body to face her. "But don't you get... lonely?" She specifically amplified the lonely portion.

Elsa paused, remembering that bitter cold that crept into her stomach on the day of Anna's wedding. She had never thought she was lonely before; she had never thought much of weddings and marriage. But that day made her second guess herself. Was she lonely? Did she yearn for some sort of romantic love? She still wasn't sure. It wasn't a necessity before, why now? She shook her head. "I was never like you, Anna. Remember when we were younger, playing enchanted forest? You've always spoke of romance and princes. I was always curious why that mattered. I'm still learning about myself, my power, and learning to love who I am. But..."

"...But?" Anna whispered, putting her hand on Elsa's.

Elsa glanced down, chewing on her lip before she pulled her hand away and put it in her lap. She debated whether to tell Anna or not. As she looked over at her younger sister, she saw nothing but worry in her eyes. Closing her own, she let out a breath. They vowed not to keep anything for one another, she couldn't keep doing exactly that. "But," She started warily, "it would be nice to meet someone like...me. With, you know," Elsa gave out a breath, looking at her hands. "Powers. Just to have that connection alone would be enough."

Anna rested her head on Elsa's shoulder, looping their arms together. "I want that for you, too."