Frozen 1. Coronation Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Frozen's awesomeness is a hundred-and-ten percent Disney's property.**

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><p>"The party is over. Close the gates."<p>

Nonono. This couldn't be happening. She finally found true love, and once more, Elsa just shut the door.

"What? Elsa, no, no, wait!"

"Would you give me my glove?!"

"Elsa, please, please! I can't live like this anymore!"

For a fraction of a second, and for the first time in years, Anna saw tears begin to form in her sister's eyes. Maybe she would finally understand, if Anna could just-

"Then _leave_."

That was it. The last straw. Any vestiges of patience Anna had ever had for her sister vanished into thin air, replaced by nearly a full teenage lifetime of forced solitude, all pouring out of her at once, unstoppable even if she had wanted it to.

"What'd I ever do to you?" The heads of nobles began to turn.

"Enough, Anna," Elsa stressed, beginning to curl in on herself. This, Anna didn't notice. She wanted answers. She wanted to know. The Duke's words kept ringing in her ears: _so great to have the gates open. Why did they shut them in the first place?_

Then hers to Hans: _All my life has been a series of doors in my face..._

_ Why?_

"No, why? Why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the world out? What are you so afraid of?!"

Elsa stopped in her tracks, nearly at the doors that Anna knew would lead her down a hall then upstairs to another set, white with blue snowflakes carefully painted on with painstaking precision.

If anyone knew what those doors looked like, it would be Anna. After all, she had spent enough time staring at them, pleading to no avail nor answer. As if on the other side of them the room was empty, which it may as well have been-it was always so cold near there. Lifeless. Silent.

That same silence had filled the ballroom. Not even hushed whispers remained, and the drop of a pin could surely be heard. Every high-blooded being in the room had turned to watch the two royal sisters have at it. Moments passed, and time seemed to be frozen. Nothing moved.

"Enough, Anna." The words were repeated in a quiet voice, betraying nothing more than weariness. For the umpteenth time, Elsa opened a door, stepped through, and closed it securely behind her.

The guards at last came alive, shaking off their stupor and courteously leading every visitor out another way, apologizing profusely for the sudden disruption and promising that, should the castle have another event, all would run far more smoothly.

Anna came to the realization that Hans was being caught up in the sudden outflow of bodies, and she stumbled back towards him, clinging onto his arm for as long as she could.

"Hans! Hans, I'm so sorry!"

The prince squeezed his eyes shut as if greatly pained, then opened them once more, his gaze softening at Anna's look of distress. "My love, I promise that we'll have that wedding. I'll write you every day, I'll make it happen."

His voice rose as he was somewhat forcefully escorted out by two guards, his head turned over his shoulder to call to his fiancee. "I promise!"

And then he was escorted out, and the ballroom was very suddenly empty and quiet, unlike its fullness and happy noise mere minutes ago. Anna stood there, alone, then began walking back to her room. The night had been ruined, anyway.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, people, this was some pretty hasty, short scribbling on my part, but I really wanted to get this out for some quick reviews. I have quite a few ideas of where to take this, but if the reception is poor, I'll probably just tweak it a bit then leave it as a standalone. If I screwed up somewhere, lemme know, 'cuz I don't have a beta. Also, this site is weird. I tried putting indents in there and they won't save.**  
><strong>R&amp;R? Pretty please? With an Olaf on top?<br>**

**Edit: Heheheh. Ehm, I pulled the formatting around a little. Mentions from reviewers that there should be spacing between paragraphs. Thanks for having my back there, guys. :D**


	2. Long Live Queen Elsa

**See Chapter One for disclaimer.**  
><strong>AN: As mentioned in the summary, alternating PoVs will be used in this story. It's Elsa time, kiddies.**

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><p>Elsa wasn't born an actress, but many years of molding her expression into pure calm and grace had given her plenty of practice. This was a trait that she used to its fullest, and it was a mask that she constantly wore in all but sleep, so even as she closed the doors to the ballroom, her only exterior change had been deeper intakes of breath to calm her heart rate and an ever-so-slight relaxing in posture.<p>

Internally, Elsa was very, very worried. Though not quite at the point of anxiety, the newly crowned Queen of Arendelle knew that such an outburst at her coronation ball was a poor way to start her rule.

She began to walk back to her room, back straight and head held high, the entire time wondering if there was any way she could repair the damage this would certainly do to her public image, then realized there was no time. No, she would have to hold court tomorrow, from the very break of dawn until the settling of dusk, and as summer was at its zenith, the day would be long.

_She would have to hold court._

As the implications of this statement settled over Her Majesty, she passed the grand doors that led to the courtyard outside, then paused and began to backtrack. _If I am to do my duty and hold court tomorrow_, she thought, _I can't allow all of those people outside of these doors to have an entire night to brood and gossip about Anna's rant. Oh, little sister, how I wish you would _understand_...I'll have time to apologize to you later._

However, unlike Anna, her subjects couldn't wait. She needed to make a public address before word could get around about how terribly the ball had ended. If there was anything her father had taught her, it was that kindness and laughter and soft smiles could dispel any type of ill will or suspicion. They were not only the best medicine, but the greatest disguise.

And now that she would have to interact with people on a daily basis, she would definitely need a change in attitude.

With a nod to the guards standing post nearby, the doors were opened and Queen Elsa was at last exposed to every commoner in attendance. She was greeted with loud cheers and joyous hollers, and any unease she had been feeling in the last few days was replaced with content. Elsa decided that cheering was most certaintly a sign of non-hatred, but it never did any harm to drive a point home. She needed a firm foundation to build her reputation on, and she was going to lay down the first bricks then and there.

Elsa raised her gloved hand, keeping the other shielded under her cape, and silence fell. She graced her subjects with a smile, then adopted a calmer demeanor that still allowed some of her happiness to radiate outwards.

"My most wonderful subjects, I am pleased to announce that much of my coronation went as smoothly as planned, and so please, offer up a round of applause to all of the castle's cooks, maids, guards, party planners, and servants for their hard work for my special day!"

More cheering ensued for a full minute before Elsa raised her hand for silence once more.

"A heartwarming thank you to each and every one of them. And to all of you gathered out here in this courtyard, I'm sorry to say that due to unforeseen disruptions, the celebrations within castle grounds have been cancelled-" disappointed sighs ensued- "but the fireworks displays will still be held!" Cheers rippled throughout her audience. "As an apology, I will host a celebration for all citizens of Arendelle in exactly a month's time. You will be welcomed for use of our ballroom, and music and food will abound! The guards will now escort you out, but I wish you all a fantastic evening!"

Somewhere in the back, as the majority of the populace was shifting to head out the gates, a childish shout sounded: "Long live Queen Elsa!" The chant soon overtook all that could hear it, and after a moment of surprise, Elsa allowed herself a wide smile, offering a wave before re-entering the castle.

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><p>The instant Elsa entered her room, she let out a long breath, then looked around her room for any intruders and curtained off her window. One could never know who was watching, and privacy was a top priority with her...condition.<p>

Reassured that no unwanted visitors had invaded her room, Elsa flopped backfirst onto her bed, grinning like a madwoman. For the first time in many years, she'd gone out in public, and she hadn't blown anything. She'd held back her frost as she accepted the throne, sans gloves, made a good impression on the nobles, the foreigners-oh, particularly that Princess Rapunzel, she'd been so lovely to talk to-even the commonfolk. Heck, she'd even kept cool when Anna-

Oh. Right. Anna and Hans. Marriage. Closed gates, the works.

She would probably have to do something about that, but not at that moment. No, other things occupied Elsa's mind. Maybe now that she'd need to open up to her subjects a little more anyway, she could-so to speak-break some of the ice between herself and her sister.

Elsa yearned to bridge the gap that had drifted so widely between herself and Anna. It had been many years since they had really spent time together; sure, they'd seen each other at meals or important meetings, but even then they rarely directly addressed one another, let alone outside of conferences and eating time.

No, Anna had given up talking to Elsa long ago. But who could blame her?

It wasn't Anna's fault that Elsa had powers. It wasn't Anna's fault that Elsa had struck her with ice. It wasn't Anna's fault that Elsa couldn't learn to control her powers enough to be able to play with her again, or to have the gates open, or hold her hand as they both mourned after that horrible storm that just had to happen when their parents were on a trip to another kingdom, or-

It took Elsa a moment to realize that her entire room had developed a thin layer of frost.

_Don't dwell on the past, Elsa_, she chided herself. _Focus on what you can do now to repair your mistakes._

Elsa knew that if she tried, she wouldn't be able to apologize to Anna face-to-face. She didn't have that kind of courage, as much as she desperately wished she wouldn't need that courage in the first place. In a perfect world, Elsa would be able to talk to her sister with ease, exchange thoughts, secrets, make memories that didn't leave a trail of tears. But Elsa knew all too well that her world was far from perfect, so she'd have to make do with something else.

Some sort of communication to her sister. Something that could express her thoughts in the fullest without needing her to say them out loud.

An idea struck.

With a new air of purpose about her, Elsa marched to her desk, picking up a long stick of charcoal, her ink having frozen over, and put it upon a fresh sheet of paper.

It was time to write Anna a note.

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><p><strong>AN: I do my best to keep these at the end of the chapter, since I'd rather let you guys get right into the update before you put up with my annoying, endless blabbering. (Oh, and yes, Rapunzel made a cameo appearance in Frozen, if you were wondering.)**

**Can I just say that you guys rock?**

**Less than seven hundred words for a first chapter and I've already got eighteen follows and three favourites?! Gods, you're going to bring me to tears. Not that that's a bad thing. Please keep surprising me and bringing me to tears.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know, I know, they should be longer, but I have this thing I call school. It's a funny concept, but basically they make you learn stuff for seven hours, commute home for another, then do this stuff called homework (or as I've oh-so-originally dubbed it, "torture") until you drop into exhaustion. I'm only in the ninth grade, though, so I'm probably screwed next year.**

**You guys are beginning to see where the title came from, right?**

**By the way, whoever can correctly guess what the Chekhov's gun here is wins a cookie .gif that I probably stole from Tumblr.**

**As always, please R&R, and tell me if I left in any typos and the like. Suggestions for Elsa and Anna's parents' names, anyone?**

**- Izzy**

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><p><strong>Review Responses (for you clever guest users)<strong>

** Shadow Huntress: Thanks. :D And Elsa's not as hard to write as everyone says, I swear. Could be that I can relate to her, though.**


	3. To My Sister

**See Chapter One for disclaimer.  
><strong>**A/N: …I'm sighing. I'm sighing so loudly right now. I should stop before my brother yells for me to shut up.  
><strong>…**Sigh.**

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><p>Anna was having a bad night.<p>

She was, in fact, already several hours into her bad night, but found she couldn't sleep. She was restless in a way that she hadn't been since she was a little girl.

_The sky's awake, so I'm awake! So we have to play!_

She sighed, turning over and rubbing her eyes, which seemed very stubborn about shutting. They simply refused, instead choosing to land on the silver tray upon her nearby nightstand, shining under the moonlight, a mischievous glint it was granted by the curtains Anna had chosen to leave open tonight.

Anna thought back to what must already have been a good hour ago (she had been tossing and turning for what seemed like millennia now), and wished that the silver tray still held a pot of hot chocolate and two full mugs, and that her room still held good company.

Truly, the younger—and perhaps also the clumsier—of the two princesses had needed someone to constantly watch her since she was a child, especially when the King and Queen could not. An older woman, Agnes, had been Anna's personal favourite for about as long as she could remember. At first, Agnes had been her wet nurse, but had become the young girl's best friend after her sister essentially abandoned her. Agnes had continued to be a loyal and kind-hearted servant, always watching over and managing not only her official affairs, but her personal ones too, and when Anna needed her most, she was there, just as she had been tonight, cookies and warm beverages in tow.

After her parents had passed—better put, were cruelly ripped away from her by the violent force called _nature_—the castle staff had dwindled even further than before, despite significant increase in the royal advisory council, but Agnes had still been there. She was constant, a force that storms could not weather, nor gales topple. Aside from her, a few people remained to serve in the kitchens, and most of the maids were still needed, since the castle always did remain the same size, despite feeling much larger and quieter and emptier the past few years, but her mother's and father's personal servants had all disappeared one day, leaving only hers, as Elsa insisted that she could handle her own matters.

Anna turned onto her back so that she faced her bed's canopy roof.

_Elsa, why are you doing this to me? It was going so well, too. Your coronation, and a little whiff of chocolate. Some smiles. You haven't smiled at me in years, Elsa. Did you know that? It's been years. I wonder sometimes if you were ever there at all, or if all of my memories have been stolen and stored away from those bedtime stories Mom used to tell us. I miss those stories, y'know. I miss them a lot. I wish you would miss them with me._

_I wish you wouldn't make me lonely, too. I met the most perfect prince, Elsa! Handsome, and sweet, and funny, and he understood me. He understood! Finally, someone shows up here, and they tell me all about their perfectly matching not-so-perfect life, and it's like he just knows what's going on in my head before I do. It's crazy that way. I got swept up in the moment, I guess. Maybe marriage was a little too much to ask out of you, but I would've settled for courtship!_

_I bet it would be good for you too. I can imagine it, see it clear in my head as day. My beautiful prince and I, out for the morning—horseback rides together, singing silly songs to each other, feeding the ducklings out at the pond! Oh, it'd be perfect. So, so perfect—and then we'd come back late in the afternoon, probably laughing and hugging, or at least holding hands, and you'd have just gotten out of some silly meeting with a bunch of stuck-up-ish nobles, and the three of us would just sit down and have a picnic, and you would tell Hans all these embarrassing stories from when we were little, and he would laugh is wonderful, charming laugh, and I would go bright red and tell you to stop it._

_We'd be a family._

_Family, Elsa. Doesn't that sound so perfect to you?_

A series of calm knocks came from Anna's door.

The door opened. However, only one person was allowed into her room at this time.

"Agnes?" Anna rubbed her eyes and sat up, briefly running a hand through her tangled mane. "Agnes, what's wrong? What's happened?"

The door closed, and a weight settled at the foot of Anna's bed. "Princess, I've got a message for you, but I can't say you should read it."

Now Anna knew something was definitely up. Agnes didn't refer to her as "Princess" unless she was feeling a little cold-shouldered about something. However, Anna hadn't done anything to upset her, as far as she knew, so the message must have been an unsettling one.

"Tell me the message, please. I can handle it." Now that she thought about it, could the message be from Hans? No, surely Agnes wouldn't act this way to give Anna what must be good news. What if it was bad news, though? What if Hans had gotten injured on his voyage home? If he had—

"Princess—Anna, dear, it's written. Would you like to see it yourself, or would you like me to read it to you?"

"Who—who's it from?"

"It's from Queen Elsa. Your sister." Agnes' voice regained some of its edge. She knew how sore Anna still was about the events from earlier in the night.

Anna's heart skipped a beat. She froze in place, sitting halfway up. Did she hear that right? Elsa? Of all people…Elsa? Could it be an apology? No, that was probably just getting her hopes up. More likely, it was just some notice about new court schedules or something. Anna sighed, turning on the lamp that rested on her nightstand and letting the flickering light fill the room.

"Thank you, Agnes. Really, thank you, but I think I'll do this one myself. I can handle it," she repeated. "Do me a favour, though, and close the curtains, maybe, before you leave? And…um, I can't really sleep, so I guess—"

Agnes cracked a smile. "Another mug of hot chocolate for my favourite little princess, perhaps?"

"Don't forget the—"

"Extra marshmallows," Agnes finished, chuckling quietly. Anna joined in, then held out her hand in silent question. Agnes handed the letter off, and hummed a calming tune as she went about her tasks, first closing the curtains, then taking the silver tray from earlier, promising to return with a warm cup of comfort soon, and quickly taking her leave.

Anna opened the letter.

Curious. The handwriting looked…neat. Elegant. Refined. In fact, Anna was very certain that only one person in the kingdom had that writing.

Elsa.

Which meant it wasn't an official note. If it were, she would have dictated it to someone else to jot down. This was a personal call.

Anna was starting to wish that she'd gotten Agnes to stick around.

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><p><em>To my sister:<em>

_I have sat here for several hours, wondering how to speak to you. The medium was easy enough to choose; I'm sorry to say that I lack the courage to face my own kin, my own blood. How I shall manage an entire kingdom is still beyond me. Nonetheless, I have faith in our subjects. After all, they have held their own for years now with little guidance. Should I fail my new duties, I think they will be all right._

_I think I owe you another apology. This is not how I wished for this letter to progress._

_Before I continue, I would like to say that I understand completely if you would like nothing more to do with me outside of meetings with dignitaries and throne room sit-ins. I am completely aware that I have failed you as a sister. As your only remaining family._

_I can't believe I'm still asking you a favour._

_Anna, I ask you to find it in your heart of pure gold to give me one last chance to be your sister again._

_I know this isn't fair to you. I'm sorry. I am always, eternally sorry._

_Regardless of what it is, I ask you to grace me with an answer, even though I am undeserving._

_Elsa_

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><p>Anna stared at the letter in complete disbelief, then rubbed her eyes again.<p>

Oh, this was definitely turning out to be a very long night.

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><p><strong>AN: So I was going to make this chapter longer, but…I got…lazy…well, no, actually, I started chatting with a friend, and I lost track of what I was doing here, and then I was like, shoot, I wanna get this out for Canada Day. Dammit, I'm cutting it off here.**

**So I guess I'm cutting it off here. (Actually, I'm too late for Canada Day now, but, um, I tried, I guess. I actually finished writing the story portion of this chapter at 11:52, if it means anything, so that part's on time, in some illegitimate way.)**

**By the way, for anyone curious, I had actually given up on this story, because if I keep going, at this rate it'll be, like, fifty chapters, and I'm a little wuss who's scared of commitment. However, one of my good friends demanded to see this story when I mentioned it, and she found it, and then she said that I just had to continue. And I didn't really want to (and honestly, she would tell me it were good even if it sucked just to encourage me because she's just lovely that way), but then I ended up accidentally writing Elsa's letter when I was bored, so I had to write this chapter.**

**Moral of the story: never expect me to update. This way, it won't hurt if I don't return until like a year from now. Treat this fic as dead. Yeah. (Actually, I must say, continuing this is getting harder, since by now I've forgotten many of the plot ideas I had several months ago. I never did write them down, which was a poor move on my behalf. Speaking of, thank you all for the wonderful name suggestions, even though I've forgotten what I wanted to do with them. :'D)**

**- Izzy**

**Side note: I'm pretty sure Frozen happened before marshmallows, but I don't care. Feeeel the sugar.**

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><p><strong>More Review Responses (for my clever little guest users)<strong>

Strawberryluv: Oh, gods. I feel like I'm setting myself for the biggest failure of all time. Thank you for the compliments (although as you say them, I can only remember how I myself am not certain how this whole thing is going to play out xD)!

Shadow Huntress: Doing my best to respond to the reviews. Can I just say that you sound like a really cool person? (Also, I disagree. I am so completely undeserving of the response I was given! Really, I'm an awful person.) Is it legal for me to yank you over to me through the internet and, like, shrink you down or something and keep you in a jar forever. :I  
>As for relating to Elsa...distance from people. Hiding. Secrets. Or, alternatively, having clear clues out in the open to said secrets, but no one ever being quite there to pick up on them. I've had my own metaphorical set of gloves before, and wearing them everyday was very mentally taxing.<p> 


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Frozen, Friendship, Hurt-Comfort