Frozen Beyond [gxg]

Secrets

Someone cleared their throat and Elsa roused from sleep. She winced, her eyes peeled open to the bright afternoon light that filtered into her bedroom.

She had barely gotten any sleep once they got back, too worried about an impending future that she was sure she could change. She's done it before, right?

Her vision blurred and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, realizing Anna was standing beside the bed with her arms crossed and an embarrassed yet determined look on her face.

Confused, Elsa glanced beside Anna where a set of eyes from a familiar snowman peered over the edge of the bed.

He was chuckling, "Maybe we came at a bad time." He finally concluded.

"Bad time?" Elsa whispered, sitting up and realizing the divet in the bed beside her was Keahi.

She stiffened, forgetting that when they got back this morning, they were both so emotionally and physically exhausted they nearly collapsed on the bed. They had talked for a little and they must have fallen asleep.

"Oh, um," Elsa sat up with the energy of a thousand suns suddenly, ever ounce of grogginess left her.

Her sudden motion caused Keahi to sit up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Usually the only person she allows in her bed is Anna." Olaf echoed, wiggling his brows back and forth between Elsa, Anna, and Keahi.

Keahi grunted as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I can't decide if that's endearing or weird."

Elsa gave the woman a sharp jab with her elbow and Keahi flinched.

"Anyway," Anna said slowly, clicking her tongue. It looked like she was trying to figure out some complicated mathematical problems and Elsa just grimaced. "The duke of WeaselTown is here."

"You mean the Duke of Weselton?" Elsa corrected, sliding off the bed and fixing her hair.

"Yeah that's what I said," Anna let out a pft before continuing. "Anyway, he's here with his son. He wants to... negotiate." Anna wrinkled her nose.

"Negotiate?" Elsa reflected, completely clueless.

Anna giggled, trying to ignore Keahi as the wayfinder tried to sneak out of the room. "Well, you've got a lot of interest with other royal families."

"Anna what are you talking about?" Elsa finally asked, annoyance tingling her voice. Her patience was running thin after last night.

Keahi laughed behind them, already to the door and out in the hall. She peeked her head in and rolled her eyes, "Oh myicey princess, they want to marry you." Keahi chuckled before motioning to Olaf, "come on talking snowman." She gestured for Olaf to follow.

He seemed keenly interested in the woman and followed her. Elsa could hear him sprouting off random facts as they went down the hall.

Anna turned back to Elsa and gave her a wild look before she started walking back and forth, "My icey princess? What? Just, wait, what is going on?" Anna finally managed to jumble everything out.

Elsa winced. "I don't think she meant anything by it. I'm not an object. I don't belong to anyone." She smoothed out her dress, finally looking up at Anna and jumping slightly at the pointed look her younger sister was giving her.

"What did Grand Pabbie say?" Anna asked, exasperated.

Elsa looked away before relaying everything that the old troll had said. When she finished, Anna's brows dipped forward in worry before her fists clenched at her side.

"So you're telling me that the longer you involve yourself with her, you're in danger, Elsa?" Anna turned on her heel. "I'm sending them away."

"What? No, Anna. If there is no threat to Arendelle, there's no reason to send them away. I want to help. Let me help. Why don't you trust my judgement?"

"Because you make reckless gambles, Elsa!" Anna finally yelled, half turning to face her. Elsa jumped at the anger in her sister's voice. "You think you can go running into fire whenever you want and that there are no consequences. Last time there wasn't, but what if you're wrong?" Anna's eyes brimmed with tears when she looked up. Elsa's heart broke at the defeated look on Anna's face. "You keep secrets and haven't you learned? It's those secrets that break us down!"

Elsa clenched her hands at her side, she knew she shouldn't be angry. She's made poor choices in the past. She ran on adventures without understanding the full scope and outcomes.

She never wanted to hurt her. It was the last thing she ever wanted to do to Anna. But she was angry, couldn't she try to find herself and make her own choices without Anna one step behind her and monitoring like a child?

"I'm not a child, Anna." She whispered coolly, her whole demeanor shifting to an icy block. If everyone saw her as a cold block of ice, she could give them that. "I'm not content just sitting still. I want to explore, I want to see what the world has to offer after I locked it away for so long. Can't I have that without someone trying to direct me?"

Her chest heaved, she had never been angry at Anna before. The feeling was foreign and uncomfortable. "Everyone has secrets. Why can't I keep some things to myself?" Elsa concluded, pushing past Anna and into the hall.

Anna sniffed, the tears that once brimmed on the edges fell over her cheeks. "Like the secret you've been hiding between you and Keahi? How can you not trust me with something important?" Anna's voice rang down the hall.

Elsa bristled, turning sharply. When she did, spikes of ice swirled around her. Crunching from the floor in a defensive display. "Because it's something I'm figuring without you, Anna! I need to figure it out myself, not with you whispering your loud opinions in my ear!" She turned and ran down the hall and didn't wait for Anna's retort.  

Authors note: Thanks everyone who has been reading! Let me know what you think so far! And if you like the story so far, please make sure to vote on each chapter! It helps it gain viewership and attracts new readers! =)