Elsa Comes Out: A Night Out

        The table was filled with rainbow of fruits, a bow filled with eggs, platters of bred and slices of ham and carafes of water, juices and wine. Far more food and drink than was needed for the four breakfasters at the table.

        “Elsa, dear, that has to be at least the seventh yawn this morning.”

        “I just had a bad night’s sleep, that’s all, Auntie” came Elsa’s reply, through another muffled yawn.

        “Did you get any sleep?” Anna asked.

        Elsa wasn’t about to tell Anna about the dreams she’d had, not with their ‘Aunt’ and ‘Uncle’ around. It had been enough of an embarrassment telling her sister how she felt about the man, she wasn’t sure she could handle telling her about having dreams about Kristoff.

        “I’m fine,” she yawned.

        “Why don’t you let me handle everything today?”

        “No. no,” Elsa said, waving off her sister, “I can, aaaawh, I can do it.”

        “I remember when you were first made queen, Blondie,” Uncle Eugene said through a mouthful of bread, “You’d end up spending half the night awake worrying about this or that.”

        “And you didn’t care about anything,” his wife shot back.

        “Except you, of course,” he kissed her cheek as she rolled her eyes.

        “Speaking of, Elsa,” Rapunzel said, ignoring her husband, “Who was that young man you two danced with last night?”

        “Hmm?” Elsa said, looking up from the small bowl of fruit she’d made.

        “The young man in the purple, all his clothing was too tight?”

Anna giggled, Elsa sighed and looked at her elder cousin, “That would be Kristoff” she said, “He’s Arendelle’s Ice Master,” If there was one thing she was sure her Auntie would love it was talk of, well, true love, “He’s courting our Anna here.”

        Sure enough, the older woman’s face lit up, “Courting you? Oh my goodness my dear, why didn’t you introduce me!”

        Their cousin’s hands were all over her sister, fawning over the girl, Elsa couldn’t help but smile. Eugene, leaned over to her.

        “He seemed rather…eager to cut in with you and I. Why is that I wonder?”

        “I do employ him, Uncle, and who better to ask about Anna than me?”

Elsa didn’t like the way her uncle grinned at her.

        “Well he wasn’t able to stay, you see” Anna said.

Now that was a lie. Elsa knew for certain that the man had been able to ‘pay a visit’ to her sister. She popped another berry into her mouth.

        “You should have let me dance with him.” Rapunzel said.

Anna glanced from the older woman to her sister, “I think he had plenty on his plate between the two of us, Auntie.”

        Elsa especially didn’t like the smirk Anna gave her.

 

        The rest of the day wasn’t much better for the Queen of Arendelle. Mundane approvals for merchants, the royal ship’s resupply. There was also a fire the night before and petitions were made for use of the royal coffers in rebuilding the homes that were damaged.

        The former Queen and King of Corona also wanted a tour of the castle, and the city at large. It was past midday by the time the royal party had made it through the castles apartments and had ventured out across the bridge into the city itself. They toured the market square, went over the harbor district, Anna showed her family through the stores on the colloquially named ‘Craftsman’s Alley’

        It was the fifth time Elsa caught herself doing off while walking that she finally excused herself from the others. Exhaustion would be the official story, Anna would handle anything else for the day, their Auntie insisted. A queen needed rest like anyone else.

        And so the Queen of Arendelle lay in her bed, the icy blue of her pajamas matching the sheets. She yawned, staring at the ceiling, the walls, the curtains, the window. She turned over, curling the bed sheets.

        Kristoff burst open the door and Elsa sat up with a start, covering herself.

        “Kristoff, what are you-”

        “We have to get out of the castle, Elsa!” He said, slamming the door behind him.

        “What’s happening,” she asked.

        “There’s people. They’re coming to the castle,” Kristoff moved to the window. It was dark outside, Elsa realized. She must have fallen asleep after all, “I have to get you out of here.”

        “What about Anna?” Elsa asked as the man came closer to the bed.

        “Elsa, they’re coming to make her queen,” he said grimly, “And kill the witch that’s taken her throne.”

        “What?!”

A hurried and curious hammering came from the door, “Damn, they’re here!” Kristoff pulled Elsa from the bed and to the window.

        “Kristoff, wait, Anna.”

        “I have to get you out of here, Elsa.” He climbed up the sill and kicked out the window, the wind whipped and pulled at Elsa’s nightgown. Kristoff pulled her close, and leapt from the window.

        Elsa opened her eyes. She wasn’t flying through the air, just laying in her bed.

Uugh, it was just like the night before. She rolled over again, pulling the sheets with her.

        She continued to drift to sleep, dream, and awake many times over the course of the day. Dreams of Kirstoff, her parents, Kai and Gerda, and Olaf.

        Her final dream was one she hadn’t expected. Herself and Anna sailing on a ship, nothing but the seas and dreams ahead of them. During the day they commanded a crew, ventured into unknown lands, and at night, they retired with the help of their first mate, Kristoff. When she finally awoke again the dream brought back sharp memories of a day weeks ago. As she twisted and turned feelings from the dream assailed her and before long she’d found her hand betwixt her thighs.

        She sighed and panted at the thoughts of the dream, watching her sister with the man before they both turned to her. It was just feelings of caresses and sighs. Anna’s shining bright eyes, a smile. The queen moaned into her pillows, and the dream in her head wavered. With a groan she cast her mind back to it; Anna stripped Kristoff, both of their hands running over his chest.

        Maybe they should give the town more money for rebuilding.

Elsa screwed up her eyes, doing her best to forget she was queen. She just wanted to be a girl. Anna smiled at her and Elsa and Kristoff shared a kiss before taking her sisters cheeks and kissing her herself. In the dream her sister tasted of strawberries.

        The fruit merchants were trying to get lower taxes on their wares.

        Elsa slapped her fist against the mattress.

She felt like her clothes and sheets were sodden with sweat. She pulled herself out of the cocoon of sheets and opened her window. A soft breeze blew in, scents of the mountains and a chill of their snow wafted in. It felt good. Summer was waning. Night had crowded into Arendelle while the queen had slept, or tried to sleep. Trails of smoke curled from homes, and a scant few lanterns lit the windows, save the harbor that was ablaze with light, as always.

        Elsa’s chest rose heavily with frustration. This was the first time her sleep had been like this twice in a row. She’d done her best to deny whatever longing she’d had but an ache inside her told her she no longer could. Oh God she never should have danced with him at the party.

        Elsa rifled through her clothes, looking for the most mundane she could find. The slight chill to the air, and venturing into the mountains had her grabbing for a heavier cloak and dress, both were green. Over the dress she pulled on a tan brown bodice tying the lacers as best she could.

        There, ready. She went to the window and looked out over the city that expected her to know what to do, but she never really did. She took a step up unto the sill, and stopped. Something was wrong…

        She jumped down and hurried to the chest of drawers, yanking open a drawer and rummaging around. She pulled out her shawl, the shawl, and wrapped it around her head enjoying the slight earthy outdoor smell of it. With that the queen smiled and threw herself out the window.

        Below her feet frost sheeted out as she slid over the shingles and expelled herself into the garden. With the self defenestration over with Elsa pulled her cloak about her and hurried out of the castle walls.

 

        Winter was coming quickly this year. Elsa had only been out the town gates for an hour and already a light dusting of snow could be seen over untouched grass. It was probably from the rains a few days ago. Elsa could already see the lines of people begging her to get rid of the snow, for a longer summer, for at least a taste of autumn. She trudged on, following the winding path further into the woods, the mountains, and eventually, into the snow.

        Anna hadn’t lied about one thing to their aunt. Kristoff did have to leave yesterday morning. He’d be high in the mountains, where the wind and the rain and the cold could all meet and make the ice he was ever so fond of.

        A thought shined in her head, of Kristoff with a statue of her made out of ice, outside his little cottage, she couldn’t help but laugh at it.

        Speaking of Kristoff’s home, what was it Anna had told her? Kristoff would be in a sort of hovel up near the ice when he would be our harvesting, not the shed that Anna had been in. The Ice Lake then, inside a small valley to the west of the north mountain. Kristoff always said that’s where he went for his ice.

        The North Mountain. Well that was easy; she practically already knew the way. Elsa walked on as snow slowly started to take over the path as well. Heavy footprints rutted and dimpled the powder. Elsa couldn’t help but notice an additional set of footprints in the snow, and almost ‘O’ shaped track. A reindeer had been on the trail.

        She walked on, following the trail and the tracks. And it wasn’t long before she was hiking up the snow clad slops of the north mountain. It was all very nostalgic, and Elsa couldn’t help herself humming an almost forgotten tune. She pushed through the tree line and finally spied the lake.

        Like with the snow, even in the late summer or early autumn the lake was completely frozen over. Except for the large gashes in the ice, large rectangular cuts in the ice, a mirror smooth black sheen reflected the moon back up into the sky. That would be Kristoff’s handiwork no doubt. There were so many pits of exposed water. The man was clearly the right choice for ice master if he did this all on his own.

On the coast right by the ice was something, something that Elsa could really only describe as a tent. A lean-to, probably covered in heavy cloth, or skins, Elsa thought, though it was hard to tell with it covered in snow like it was. Kristoff never mentioned much about his living arrangements when he was working. For some reason Elsa always imagined an actual cottage out there, by the ice. Hah well that was a dream long gone.

        She came closer to the tent and finally noticed someone out on the ice. Well, a man, a sledge and an animal. A Reindeer. She skirted the ice, getting closer to the working man. He was… singing something. A work song, Elsa figured. She watched him as he plunged the ice saw into the snow, in time with his singing. She watched him hack enormous block of ice free from the shelf, watched him and Sven haul them out of the water, chopping them to size. He lifted one ice block, it must have weighed at least two hundred pounds. She couldn’t see the man’s body but she could imagine what it would look like, muscles knotting and releasing, sweat beading, his hair matting to his forehead. Elsa bit her lip and rolled over.

        Oh God she was acting like a little girl seeing a shining knight for the first time, with tales and songs of chivalry and courtly love ringing in her ears. She shook her head. Kristoff wasn’t the kind of person to kneel below a window and sing sonnets. Stumble across words and walk away in embarrassment more like.

        “Come on, Sven, that’s enough for tonight,” The man said, dropping another block onto the sledge, Elsa watched him harness up the reindeer and the two set back off to the shore. Back to his cozy little shack. Elsa imagined what it would be like inside, filled with animal skins, the only heat generated by those inside. She could be generating that heat. She imagined Kristoff walking inside and finding her, covered in the skin blankets and nothing else.

        With a smile she pushed herself up and followed Kristoff across the ice.

 

        Kristoff struggled through the heavy flap covering the opening to the lean-to. Most of the time these things would just be put up with sticks and burlap or leather, but he’d built this one a number of years ago after he’d found the lake. He was the only one that got ice from here, as far as he could tell, and a slightly more permanent shelter did him good. He dropped the lantern into the middle of the wooden shack and opened the latch, letting what little heat it gave out spill into the one room building.

        He shucked off his hat and pulled off the scarf. He’d been at this ever since the sun went down and it was a long night. Right behind him Sven pushed through the covering as well, shaking off the snow and ice covering his hide.

        “Hey buddy, ready for some sleep?” Kristoff asked, tossing the animal a carrot.

Sven caught the root and chopped it down. Kristoff felt practically dead on his feet. In the corner was a straw cot with a pile of blankets of any kind of make you could think of. Kristoff ran his hands through his hair and sat down and as he did a cold wind blew into the shed and he looked up.

        A woman had stepped in, in green and brown, a scarf wrapping her head. She pulled the shawl off and a tumble of platinum hair fell out.

        “Elsa?” he said standing up, the queen’s cheeks were flushed. That’ be normal for anyone else, but her? “What are you doing here?” 

        “I. I wanted to see you,” she said with a smile.

        “You came all this way to… see me?” he said slowly.

She looked around the room. And nodded to herself, like she approved of something. She took off her cloak, “Well… no,” she admitted.

        “Then why are-“

        “Sven,” Elsa said, kneeling down and scratching his head, “Can you’ve give us a little time alone?”

The Reindeer looked from the queen to Kristoff. Arendelle’s Ice Master shrugged. The reindeer looked back into the queens smiling eyes and got up.

        With the reindeer outside, Elsa pulled at the laces of her top.

        “Er, Elsa. What are you doing?”

        She threw the bodice onto the cloak. When the two had been a part in the weeks since their tryst there had been a sort of, well, agreement. It had just been something to get her to feel better. Just like the ‘days off’, it couldn’t be a real thing, she’d thought to herself then. She pulled off the dress, finding herself only clad in a beguilingly thin chemise. She could feel the cold from outside snaking little tendrils of chill into the room. She could also feel the warmth from the bed.

        “I thought that-” Kristoff began before Elsa moved closer took his face in her hands and kissed him. Kristoff was sure this was like a dream he’d had once. By the time she pulled away both of them were sitting on the cot.

        “Elsa. What are you-”

        “Kristoff, please,” she said back, trying to push him down. Trying and failing.

        “No Elsa, what are you doing? Why are you here?”

She sighed and looked down, “I haven’t been sleeping well lately,” she said, holding the man’s, “I’ve…uh… been having dreams. About you.”

        That was enough of a shock for her to push him flat on his back. Elsa climbed onto of the man kissing him again. The little fire that had kept her awake for most of the day was demanding satiation, to be quenched. Kristoff could feel her hips rolling over her own, and he couldn’t help but slider his hands along her smooth milky thighs up to her rear.

        “Elsa, I thought that…” Kristoff said as the girl pulled her lips away from his. He could feel her hands pulling at his pants.

“I think maybe I might…” she trailed off, her head falling onto his chest.

The two were still for a few minutes before Kristoff spoke up again.

        “Elsa?” He could feel the queens light breath on his neck, soft sighs to whatever little dream she was having. He wondered if it was about him. Kristoff sighed.

        She really must not have been sleeping well. He pulled the covers over the two of them. After a moment Sven peeked his head in.

        “It’s okay buddy,” Kristoff said.

The reindeer gave him a face, looking from the sleeping queen to his friend, “But what about her?”

        “Yeah I know. We’re in kind of a mess, aren’t we?”

        “I was outside,” Sven said back.

 

        Elsa looked up at her window, still open like she’d left it the night before.

The castle was glowing red and orange in the rising sun. The maids and butlers were awake by now, but no one else would be. And none of them would even dare to look in her room, not without knocking and getting permission. Elsa looked around the gardens and stepped into the patch of various blue flowers, her present from Anna. Slowly a mound of snow grew below her, propelling her up and up, past windows and beams and lattices to her window. She stepped off the drift and watch the snow evaporate, freeing the grass and blooms that she’d covered as if nothing had ever touched them.

        She hopped inside.

        “Back in my day, it was the would be prince charming that snuck in,” she’d heard a voice say, “Not the princess sneaking out.”       

        “Auntie?”

        Rapunzel, former queen and current Princess of Corona sat on the Elsa’s bed, as ever clad in varying shades of pink and white. She kicked her feet like a girl sitting at a brook. She was giving her the same grin her Uncle Eugene had the morning before.