Leave the Door Open

Elsa never failed to notice Anna leaving the door to the library ajar, nor how quiet she became in the room after a prolonged time. Anna's energy either concentrated itself in sitting very still on the deep pink sofa, reading, or pacing the floor with restless steps. If Elsa looked in her direction with questions in her eyes, Anna's face quickly became sunny—but a bit too much as such. Her smile lifted her cheeks, clustering the freckles on her cheekbones, but nor did it ever reach her large blue eyes.

Elsa spent many hours in the library, which doubled as a study, and as long as her sister didn't disturb her too much, the elder was grateful for the company. She had soldiered alone for too long, shouldering the weight of both her ruler-ship and powers combined. So Anna's presence, even if that presence had her nose in a book, was deeply appreciated on Elsa's part when busying herself with royal duties.

But no matter what, Anna always needed the door ajar, as she did with her bedroom door as a very small child when scared of the dark. Once, much to Elsa's surprise, Anna had asked if the library had a key inside, and wished to know where it was. Anna had only given a vague answer as to why, but Elsa had been sure she'd seen pain dull her sister's eyes for a moment. Then the old Anna was back, as bubbly as always. When Elsa wanted to shut the door one time, Anna insisted it be open—apparently for more air to circulate, though she never did this with other doors in the castle. The ballroom could have fifty occupants with the doors shut, and Anna would not mention them at all.

"Well, you know," Anna had rambled, "when more than one of us are in a room, you need more air, right?"

"I'm sorry, I'm confused," Elsa had responded.

"Well…it's nothing," Anna chirped a little too ready, too eager, "but fresh air is good too."

"You can always step outside for fresh air, you know—you don't always have to keep me company."

"I know, but it's making up for thirteen years isn't it? I mean, it's wonderful we can really be sisters again, the way we were."

Elsa couldn't help a warm smile at Anna's heartfelt words. She had reached out and pulled Anna into an embrace, feeling her sister's arms return the affection.

"I'll still be your sister even if you step out for fresh air in the courtyard," Elsa had assured as she stepped out of the hug, "I'm used to being alone, Anna."

"I know, but it's been for too long, Elsa—I love Joan, but conversations always tended to be one-sided."

"Who's Joan?"

Anna had gestured over her shoulder toward the library's double doors. "I talked to Joan of Arc's painting all the time. Literally."

A needle of guilt had pricked Elsa's heart at Anna's confession; she had been so desperate for company that she had struck up conversations with inanimate paintings.

"I'll say one thing for Joan," Anna continued, "She won't tattle a secret!"

With that, Anna had settled herself on one of the chairs near the fireplace, picking up a book to resume reading it. Within the hour, Elsa knew, she would be finished—not even she could read as fast as her younger sister did.

Today, three months after the Great Thaw, Elsa and Anna were both occupying the library, sheltering from the downpour drumming on the castle's roof and windows. Trails of raindrops blurred the outside view—not that there was much of one, with the deep grey thunderclouds and miserable fog over the water. The wind smacked wayward autumn leaves against the windows, sticking to the panes until another gust blew them away again. The wind whistled grey and wet, dark spots of moisture darkening the castle stones. It was definitely a perfect day to curl up into some favourite corner of a beloved sofa, back propped against fluffy cushions, and dip between the covers of a beloved book.

If some little bird could peer inside the window, glowing a warm orange from a crackling fireplace within, our feathered friend would see a queen diligently poring over her desk and a princess reclining on the sofa, a book in her hands. Her imagination had walked so deep into the world of the story that she never noticed that her hot chocolate had already grown lukewarm. Her cheeks were rosy red from the heat of the fireplace, and her strawberry-blonde hair's colour was deepened by the caress of the flames' orange glow.

If our feathered companion stayed to watch the content sisters in the library, it would then see Anna eventually putting down the book with a huge yawn, squeezing her blue eyes shut tight. Resting her book on her chest, she reached out for the hot chocolate and brought it to her lips. No sooner had she taken the tiniest of sips, then she put it down, scrunching up her face in distaste.

"Elsa, was the hot chocolate cold when Gerda brought it in?" Anna asked of her sister.

"Huh?" Elsa blinked and looked up from her work.

"The hot chocolate isn't…well, hot. It's cold."

One corner of Elsa's mouth twitched up in a half-smile. "I think you've been so much into your book you forgot your hot chocolate, because it was definitely hot when Gerda brought them to us."

"Oh." Anna frowned at the hot chocolate. "I'll have to ask her to heat it up again."

But Anna didn't want to budge, the fireplace nothing but a warm embrace cocooning her body, and the sofa perfectly conformed to her resting self. She had no intention of moving from her spot, cold hot chocolate or not.

Anna sighed with content. "I'm too comfortable to move though. We'll have to use your bell."

Elsa put down her pen and turned the chair to such an angle that she could clearly see her little sister reclining on the sofa, her eyes reflecting the glow of the fireplace.

"Am I your servant or your sister?" she teased good-naturedly, even as she reached for the little bell above the desk anyway.

Anna draped an arm over the sofa back. "Both," she declared, but her eyes twinkled. "Elsa, you spend so much time with your papers. It really is so nice by the fireplace. You wouldn't want to move either!"

The wind howled, rattling the windows, sending tiny tendrils of drafts through the castle and the slightly open door. Elsa didn't feel the cold, but she still looked over at the door, concerned that the draft might affect Anna, even despite her being so near the fireplace.

"Anna..." Elsa began, nodding at the door, "Is it alright if I shut the door? I'm just concerned about a little draft getting in here."

Anna shook her head. "No, I'm fine, really. I thought a little cold didn't bother you anyway."

"Still…"

"No really, Elsa, I'll be fine—a little draft never bothered me."

With a resigned sigh, Elsa stood up and stretched, rolling her shoulders back to loosen back and shoulder muscles tight from sitting so long.

"I'll take your hot chocolate down to the kitchen," Elsa offered, walking over and picking up the cup, "I could use a little walk for a few minutes."

Anna shifted her feet to the floor, sitting upright. "I'll come with you."

"No, no, you stay there, I won't be long."

Anna closed her book, setting it down on a side-table. "I think I could use a walk too, Elsa. How about we both take our cups down to the kitchen, and we can get more hot chocolate together."

"Anna," Elsa began, her eyes full of concern, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Anna looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Elsa gestured with her empty hand at the room. "You're so concerned about the door being shut even for a few minutes, even though there's a key in here. Have you been in here without me before?"

"Oh, plenty of times—"

"I don't mean when I locked myself away," Elsa said with a small grimace of regret, "I mean in the last few months since…you know."

Anna knew at once what she meant; the memory of slowly and painfully turning into ice wasn't about to go away anytime soon.

"No, I haven't," she admitted.

Elsa walked away to the door, gesturing to Anna to follow. "We'll talk on our way to the kitchen, shall we?"

Anna was only too happy to accompany her dear sister. Picking up Elsa's empty cup from her desk, Anna joined Elsa on the way out to the kitchen. Splotches of rain splashed against the windows lining the walls, and even though the curtains were not drawn, the heavy rainclouds still darkened the light, lessening the brightness of the castle's interior. Autumn had definitely arrived with a cold and abrupt hello.

Near the kitchen, the sisters met with Gerda, who had come up to answer the call of Elsa's bell from the library.

"Oh, we were just going to the kitchen ourselves," Anna told her.

Gerda reached for the cups. "I'll take those down for you."

"Really?" Anna asked, "You sure? I mean, we're so close to the kitchen ourselves."

"Why is your cup still full, Elsa?" Gerda asked, obviously spotting Anna's still-full mug.

"Oh, that's mine, actually," Anna said, "I forgot all about it, because I was too into my reading."

Gerda nodded. "You want another hot chocolate, Elsa?"

"No thank you, but I'll have tea instead."

"And reheat my hot chocolate while you're at it," Anna interjected, "Hopefully I won't forget it this time."

"You go back to the library and I'll bring your hot drinks down," Gerda urged, "Go on, go back where it's warm."

"She's right," Elsa said, linking her arm through her sister's, "We'll be warmer in the library."

"I'll bring down lunch for you as well," Gerda called, interrupting the queen, "You must be hungry."

Anna sighed dramatically, putting a hand over her belly as though famished. "I'm starving to death here!"

Gerda chuckled. "Very well, I'll bring up lunch too."

With that settled, Elsa and Anna made their way back to the library in silence, but a pleasant quietude that spoke of contentment between two close siblings. It was Anna's next words that caught Elsa off-guard.

"Have you heard anything from the Southern Isles again?"

Elsa stared at her in surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I thought they'd tell you what they decided to do with…Hans." Anna still couldn't say his name without a pang of emotional distress piercing her heart. "You know, imprisoned him, or what."

"They definitely imprisoned him," Elsa confirmed, "I got a letter just yesterday from the Southern Isles stating just that."

Anna stopped in her tracks, forcing Elsa to stop as well.

"You did?"

"From their king," Elsa confirmed, "He was very apologetic about what had happened and insisted that they did not tolerate such acts toward allied kingdoms, especially against royalty."

Anna sighed in relief. "I hope they keep him in there for what he did to us."

The two women resumed strolling. Finally, Anna cleared her throat, and when she spoke, it was uncharacteristically soft.

"Elsa…I never told you what happened in the library that…that day," Anna confessed, "Because I did not wish to upset you with it."

Elsa swallowed, her throat having gone dry with apprehension. "Has this anything to do with Hans?"

Anna nodded, looking at Elsa with eyes haunted by bad memories. "Yes," she whispered.

Putting an arm around Anna's shoulders, Elsa guided her sister into the library, making sure the door stayed a little open. Once inside, the two sisters walked to the sofa, sitting down side by side. Preparing herself for an awful revelation, Elsa sat back on the cushions. Anna, however, remained sitting upright, her back straight as any queen's. Looking at her, Elsa realised right then that she had no idea where Anna had been all that time when she had been in the dungeon. The next time she had seen Anna again after forcing her from her ice palace was on the frozen fjord, a solid statue of ice.

Anna begun with how Kristoff and she had raced back at full speed on Sven back to the castle, after having been informed by the trolls that only an act of true love could thaw her frozen heart. How both Kristoff and Anna had then come to the conclusion that they needed to see Hans, thinking the trolls had meant a true love's kiss.

"Anyway, Kristoff brought me to the gates, where our servants were waiting," Anna related, "and they took me inside the castle where Hans was—right here in this library, as a matter of fact."

Elsa felt a twinge of apprehension again, watching as Anna brushed back an invisible tendril of hair behind her ear, the way she did when anxious. She braced herself for hearing what had become of Anna—somehow, all these things were related, she knew. Hans, the library, wanting to know where the key was kept in this room, and not wanting to door to be shut fully. She prepared to be angry on behalf of her sister, to wish to send a letter back calling for stronger punishment. Whatever had happened had clearly affected her sister deeply, enough to cause her to be too anxious to be alone in the library for a moment. Anna was still continuing with how she had explained to Hans what had happened, and how only an act of true love could save her. This was when her voice cracked, and she fell silent. Seeing how upset she was, Elsa did not hesitate to wrap an arm around Anna's shoulders and draw her close.

"I'm sorry, Elsa," Anna managed, "It's…it's just what he said next that's…"

Elsa prepared herself for the worst. "What did he say to you, Anna? What was it?"

Anna took a shuddering breath. "He said…if only there was someone out there who loved you."

Elsa gasped, horrified. "What?"

The younger sister bit her lip, her eyes shining with tears. "It's true, I'm afraid."

"You didn't believe him, did you?"

Anna lowered her eyes, staring at her hands in her lap. Her unspoken words were loud and clear. Tears burning her own eyes, Elsa pulled her sister into a tight embrace, feeling the latter lean her head on her shoulder, arms winding around her waist, returning the hug.

"Oh Anna, it's not true!" Elsa insisted, "It's not true at all, you should know that. I always loved you, even if it wasn't obvious, because you're my little precious sister, and nothing will make me stop caring about you. Our parents loved you, even the servants, Kristoff, Olaf…" Her vison blurred as tears leaked from her eyes, "Oh Anna…there will always be someone out there who loves you. I'm so sorry, Anna. I didn't know."

She held her sister tight as the younger sobbed into Elsa's shoulder. One of Elsa's arms wound around Anna's shoulders and the other hand gently held her head to the former's shoulder. Once Anna calmed down, she loosened her embrace, allowing the younger to sit up properly again, wiping her eyes, sniffing a little with her tears. The sisters still held on tight to each other's hands, an eternal link of support and love.

"Did anything else happen?"

Anna nodded. "Yes. He put out the fireplace with a jug of water and locked me inside the room. He…he knew I was…well…"

Dying. Both finished the sentence in their heads, but did not speak it.

But Elsa was confused about one thing. "If he locked you in here, then how did you get out?"

"Get out?" Anna echoed, as though confused by the question. Then, to Elsa's surprise, she laughed weakly. "A carrot."

"A…what? You lost me, Anna."

Anna wiped her nose, her eyes red from her tears. "That sounded silly didn't it?" another soft little laugh, "It was Olaf who found me."

"Olaf?"

Anna nodded. "He somehow—don't ask me how—somehow unlocked the door with his carrot nose."

Elsa, though befuddled how the snowman had unlocked the door in this fashion, still felt a rush of gratitude that Olaf had managed to find Anna in time. She reminded herself to thank him later. That was worth at least one warm hug.

"Thank goodness Olaf found you," Elsa said, squeezing Anna's hands tightly.

"It was Olaf who reignited the fireplace and spotted Kristoff and Sven coming back to the castle. I asked him to help me get to Kristoff and…well, you know how they say the rest is history? Well, the rest is history."

Both sisters fell into silence at the conclusion of Anna's story. Elsa still couldn't believe how cruel Hans had been to her little sister, and to think that he had said that to her, destroying her faith in love for that little moment.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you something Olaf had told me before we went to find Kristoff. I had told him I didn't even know what love was anymore, and he said something I'll never forget."

"What is that?"

Anna gazed up at Elsa, her eyes still shining with tears. "Some people are worth melting for."

Despite herself, Elsa couldn't help a warm smile at the words. "That helped?"

"A lot—and I won't forget it."

"Because it is true, Anna," Elsa insisted, "Because you are worth melting for. And trust me when I say this: I'll be writing another letter back to the Southern Isles' king calling for harsher punishment. Do you mind?"

Anna shook her head. "I don't mind—I would be happy not seeing Hans again."

"Good, because I don't wish to see him again, and I will see that proper justice is done. No one tells my sister that no one loves her and gets away with it. Because you are loved by so many people, including me, and don't you even think of forgetting it."

Despite the tears of before, Anna finally managed a genuine smile, opening her arms for an embrace. Now with one sister's memories shared—halving a burden—and another sister understanding the other's fears, they both shared a warm hug, knowing they still had each other, and would always be there no matter what. Both were so glad to have the other back in their lives.

"Thanks Elsa." Anna said, her deep gratitude and love for her sister ringing true in the two words. She felt Elsa squeeze her shoulders.

"You're okay, Anna," Elsa told Anna in a loving voice, "I've got you."