the first time in forever

[twicefrozen]

Anna has had a whirlwind few weeks. The gates have been opened, there's been a coronation and a surprise engagement (sort of) and Elsa had created eternal winter and blanketed all of Arendelle in snow. There's been betrayal, romance, and a snow monster. And, of course, everything has worked out all right.

Elsa says they'll keep the gates open now permanently and her powers, so beautiful and so dangerous, seem to be in control. She can make it icy in the courtyard in summer so they can go skating and she can keep Olaf alive and well but nobody seems to be in danger. Most importantly - Elsa seems happy. It's been so long since she's seen her sister happy that Anna has almost forgotten how it feels and what it looks like but it's nice. For the first time in forever, Anna is truly content with the world and happy to be in it.

She's running through the castle like usual, flipping open the doors and all the windows to let in the warm summer sun. Elsa is...somewhere and Anna is determined she's going to get her out and about today. She's going to get Elsa to genuinely enjoy being around other people if it kills her.

She opens up a door she doesn't recognize and sees...well, that's not normal. There's a party! There's a bunch of hedges and it's chilly so maybe that means Elsa is out and about; she does tend to affect the temperature when she's around.

"Elsa? Are you giving a party and leaving me out? I'm your sister, you know you're supposed to tell me if there's any parties. I love parties! Elsa? Ellllsaaaaaaaaa..."

Comments

[silverandcold]

"Anna!" Elsa goes dead still where she stands, her eyes wide in very real terror. Over a year, she's managed to evade Arendelle, to keep herself away from the people she'd hurt and the damage she'd done and now...

And now the single most important person and the one she needs to keep farthest away is here in the hotel, calling her name.

"Oh no."

Her mind screams at her to run, to find a door. Any door. But she can't. She's frozen.

[princehonorable]

"Joan?"

He knows that voice, knows that woman. He can't imagine what she's doing here seeing as the last time he'd seen her had been in the Enchanted Forest and that'd been an age ago. So much has happened since that it seems honestly odd to be running into her again, though he has no idea who an Elsa is. "Is that you?" he asks curiously, warmth and hope in his voice on the off chance that it is.