Home - A Frozen Story

A Little Bit Older

Chapter One: A Little Bit Older

Knock knock knock-knock knock. "Mama? Can I come in?" a sweet voice calls from the other side of the door of Anna's office.

Anna holds in a sigh as she responds, "Yes, honey." She doesn't turn around when she hears the door creek open.

"I know you are busy today, Mama, so I wanted to give you these to make your day better," says the six year old little girl who looks just like her Mama with her fiery red hair and freckles.

Anna gently puts her pen down and looks at her daughter, Brina, holding a bouquet of flowers picked from the royal garden.

"Oh, Brina! They are beautiful," Anna gushes as she smells the dainty flowers.

Brina giggles as she plants a kiss on her mother's cheek. Anna takes the opportunity to tickle her which results in more laughter and kisses.

"Thank you, sweetie. Will you find a vase for me? I'll keep them right here on my desk," Anna shuffles around a few important documents from foreign dignitaries.

"Yep! I'll be right back," Brina exclaims as she runs out of the Queen's office.

Anna smiles at her bouquet until her eyes land on the trade agreement she was working on. A frown passes over her lips as she picks up her pen to resume her work.

She couldn't pinpoint where all her stress was coming from. Anna figured it came from different sources like her daily duties as Queen, her relationship with Kristoff going downhill, and the fact she hasn't seen Elsa in weeks due to a sickness causing grief to the Northuldrans in the Enchanted Forest.

Arendelle has prospered greatly with Anna as Queen. At first she had to learn a few things in more detail from Elsa, but her older sister was happy to help. Now, Anna, with the help of Arendelle's councilmen, is leading the kingdom to greater happiness and a positive economy.

Anna's life changed rapidly after her coronation. Of course, she had to adjust to the new position, and she had her and Kristoff's wedding to plan. About a year after being wed, Anna became pregnant unexpectedly. She had a baby girl named Nieva.

Nieva, now 14 years old, got a few more traits from her Papa. She has Kristoff's beautiful wavy hair that perfectly falls past her shoulders. She has the high-energy spirit of her Mama; however, Nieva is much more quiet like her Aunt Elsa. Nieva absolutely adores Elsa. Ever since she was a newborn, Elsa's icy magic captivated her.

Four years after the birth of Arendelle's future heir, Princess Eira of Arendelle was born. Her hair is much darker than Nieva's, with a slight tinge of red. Elsa swears Eira looks just like Queen Iduna. The older she gets, the more Anna sees her mother's features in her sweet daughter.

The biggest surprise of Anna's and Kristoff's life happened six years ago when Anna found out she was having twins. Brina was born first, screaming her way into this world. Lumi came soon after, making Kristoff the happiest person on earth because he finally had a son. Both twins have wild personalities, but Lumi is more of a Papa's boy and Brina is a Mama's girl.

Recently, Kristoff and Anna's relationship has hit a rough patch. Anna's stress with Kristoff's stubborness is not a good mix. Anytime he tries to help her, she acts like her stress has only been affecting her, not the entire family. Kristoff, wanting to lighten Anna's load of work, suggested to assign jobs to some of her councilmen. She should create committees to handle certain areas of politics. Anna reacted negatively to his idea by accusing him that he was underestimating her capabilities.

Since that day, every time the two sees each other the room feels tense. During meals, the pair ignores each other, focusing all conversation on the kids. At night, neither says a word to each other after tucking the children in.

Nieva was the first child to sense something was up with her parents. She wrote a letter to her Aunt Elsa explaining her concerns, but she explained that she did not feel like it was bad enough for her Aunt to intervene.

Eira, though sensitive to everyone's emotions, adopted Anna's optimism. In her mind, her parent's arguing will work out sooner than later. She chooses not to worry much about it, but Eira can't help but feel a little concerned when her siblings show their feelings about the situation.

The twins have been acting up more than usual, which tends to cause Kristoff or Anna to burst. Neither parent ever has to yell at the children, but especially with the ongoing situation, both has had to raise their voice on numerous occasions.

Thoughts of Elsa caring for the sick creep into Anna's mind. The last letter she received about two weeks ago lies on her desk on top of a few books. She glances at it and reads her sister's handwriting for the thousandth time.

Dear Anna,

I am afraid I have to postpone my visit once again. A terrible outbreak of the flu has spread around the Northuldra tribe. I have been helping Honeymaren and Yelena care for the sick. Don't worry about me, Anna. Even if I get it, most people recover. I will be just fine.

Love you sis!

Elsa

Anna has sent multiple letters to her sister, but has yet to get a reply. She sent General Matthias and some Arendellian soldiers to deliver medicine and supplies. Most of the Northuldra tribe treat sickness naturally, but some are willing to try the medicine. Once Matthias returned, he assured Anna that Elsa has simply been too busy to send a letter back to her, but that she is extremely grateful for help.

Olaf also returned to Arendelle. Because the snowman wanted to live with both sisters after Elsa chose to live in the Enchanted Forest, he decided to live with Anna in summer and winter and Elsa during spring and fall. Since the snowman could not play with all of his friends in the Forest due to the sickness, he wanted to come back to Arendelle for awhile. The autumn leaves had begun to fall off the colorful trees. Winter was just around the corner anyways.

Anna's thoughts were interrupted when Brina ran back into the office. "I found one, Mama! Gerda said I could use it," she says out of breath.

Anna smiles as she puts the bouquet of wildflowers in the lovely glass vase. "Thank you, honey. I really love it-"

"Mama, when will you be done with your work?" Brina interrupts. She nervously fiddles with the sleeves of her dress.

Anna sighs, "Brina, you know I have a lot to get done before the season changes."

For a minute, Anna thought her daughter would burst into tears; however, the six year old concealed her emotion for the time being. "I-I know, Mama," she says sadly. "I just miss playing with you," Brina hangs her head.

Anna pulls her daughter in for a hug and kisses the top of Brina's head. "Go play with your sisters and Lumi," the exhausted queen says as she pulls away from the hug.

She doesn't hear Brina shutting the door, because a memory of Anna's childhood rings in her mind.

"Go away, Anna," young Elsa's voice echos in Anna's head.

Without warning, tears begin to stream down Anna's face. "I'm sorry, Brina," a barely audible whisper escapes the queen's mouth.