This is my first story ever! I've been on here periodically for about 5 years, just reading. Frozen has recently captured my interest and I decided to do a one-shot on Elsa's introspective thoughts after the events of the movie. This is mainly set in the garden that Anna is briefly in during For The First Time In Forever. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything within the universe of Frozen

The air was crisp and refreshing as Elsa stepped out of the palace and into the castle grounds at dusk. The sky was painted with brilliant shades of blue, yellow and orange as the sun set and put the sky to sleep. There was just a bit of time before dinner and she wanted to find some time to herself after a long day of council meetings that needed to take place to stabilize the kingdoms, and send word to their allies of the events that happened within Arendelle before Weselton and the Southern Isles could twist the story.

It had been a week since the event known as the Great Freeze had ended, sending a traitorous Duke of Weselton back to his kingdom in shame, as well as sending Hans of the Southern Isles back with a French dignitary to be tried for his crimes in his own country. An act of undeserved mercy, Elsa mused, but she would rather not have his blood on her hands and have to explain to the King of the Southern Isles why his youngest was put to death during what was supposed to be a coronation ceremony.

But all these thoughts made her feel tired and heavy, so she escaped, if only for a moment.

Dressed in her icy gown, she made her way alone into the castle gardens, waving off guards that came up to escort her. 'Funny', she thought, she was the Ice Queen, with ice and snow at her control (finally), and the guards thought that she would not be able to protect herself. Still, it was their duty to protect her, so she made sure to be polite and give them a measured smile before dismissing them.

Once she arrived at the garden, composed of a small rock pond, a path running through it, and an old willow tree surrounded by ancient stoned walls covered in vines, she sat beneath the tree with her legs splayed out. Leaning her head back against the warm bark and closing her eyes, she let out of sigh of relief. 'This definitely isn't a queenly position to be found in,' she mused, but too exhausted to care about her posture at the moment. It had been a tiring week, convincing the vocal minority that no, she was not going to freeze everyone at the slightest provocation, and that yes, the doors would finally remain open for the first time in forever.

With open doors came the promise to Anna that she would never lock her door to her again, and even went so far as to have a key to her room made; the significance of such a gesture was not lost on either of them, and they both broke down crying in each other's tight embrace for a while. Reconnecting with Anna would not be easy; she missed out on a large portion of Anna's childhood and teen years, only seeing each other when Elsa felt safe enough to eat with the whole family, or when she was walking from her room to the library (Anna would memorize her schedule, then follow her animatedly to her studies, talking non-stop and crashing into various and expensive artifacts around the castle). But, she was determined to make it work, and to never shut her out. Not when Anna had been so caring, persistent, and understanding of her when Elsa was prepared to shut Anna out of her life so readily. She at owed the rest of the life to Anna, who had saved her from the brink of desperation and brought back the wonder of her own powers, which she had feared for so long.

At the thought of her powers she opened her eyes and blinked to adjust to the rapidly dwindling light. She opened her palm to the sky and felt her power course through her veins, as it always had. This time however, she had absolute control. She let out a small flurry of very large snowflakes, making each one more intricate than the last. After a minute or so, she closed her eyes and exhaled with both arms extended. When she opened her eyes, all but one snowflake, as big as her hand remained unthawed.

She smiled. 'Love will thaw,' she thought to herself.

Thinking of Anna gave her the power to thaw her chaotic, powerful, beautiful ice. She examined the snowflake in her hand more closely, and felt a surge of wonder she hadn't felt since she was little. The snowflake shimmered a wonderful shade of deep blue, it's magic reflecting the love in her heart, and the freedom and strength that being accepted by her people and Anna. Her powers were amazing, and could do so much good when unencumbered by her fears.

'Or my parents' fears,' she added. While they only wished to protect their daughters and the kingdom, the King and Queen had done so in exactly the wrong way.

But now none of that mattered. All that mattered was that Arendelle was safe, she and Anna had reunited, and that Anna had found the love she wanted all those years; from both her sister, and from Kristoff, who Elsa also owed a great debt to in his attempts to safeguard Anna. She closed her eyes again smiled widely. Yes, Anna would be safe and happy, as she had always wanted her to be.

"It's almost as beautiful as you, Elsa." The melodic voice of Anna woke Elsa from her reverie, looking quickly up at Anna's freckled face, which held a sincere smile that reached her eyes. She was wearing Elsa's room key around her neck as a pendant, which made Elsa feel a headrush of happiness. Returning an equally genuine smile with a tinge of pink on her cheeks caused by Anna's compliment, she replied simply, "Hi Anna." As Anna took a seat next to Elsa underneath the willow tree, she spoke, "You know, dinner is soon, and I didn't want you to be late for lutefisk sandwiches! So I came looking for you, but I ran into a horse on my way to ask the guards where you went and then chased a cat and got side-tracked, so now I'm rambling and here beside you!" She finished abruptly.

She gave Anna a light laugh at her rambling as Anna's cheeks reddened, turning her attention to the snowflake, taking it into her hands and examining it with childlike wonder. It was amazing that after all the trouble Elsa's magic had put Anna through, she still saw it as a beautiful gift and not a curse.

After a moment, Elsa replied, "Life's too short to miss out on a sister like you Anna," with a gentle smile, looking into her sister's teal eyes. Anna carefully dropped the snowflake in her hands and brought her sister in a tight hug, whispering, "I love you," in her ear, which Elsa returned.

When they untangled themselves, they leaned back against the willow tree, the bark now cool to the touch. Elsa leaned her head into the crook of the smaller girl's neck and they both enjoyed the moment between them, listening to the sounds of ducks and crickets move about, the gentle summer breeze blowing through their braided her, renewing their worn bodies and souls.

After a while, Anna offered, "We should get to dinner, it's probably ready by now, or maybe even cold!" making a face of mock disgust. At this, Elsa stood up slowly, stretching the stiffness out of her limbs, and helping Anna up. With a smirk she replied, "The cold never bothered me anyway, Anna." Anna rolls her eyes and gives a small laugh. "But yes, we should get going. Thanks for coming to find me."

Elsa smiled at her and took Anna's arm in hers and started walking towards the castle. Anna replied, "I will always be right here, Elsa."

Elsa's heart swelled and she smiled widely, as the pair of sisters walked happily back into the castle, the fading sun giving in to the warm summer night and the glow of the castle's lights. 'For being known as the Ice Queen', Elsa thought, 'it sure is nice to have a heart this warm.'

I hope you enjoyed this story! It's my first! I would love any reviews/criticism as I'm not usually a creative writer; I write mainly business papers for school. Thanks for reading Fellow Frozen Fan!