Chapter Text
As soon as the sun set below the horizon, there were few things to do in Arendelle. The town was plunged into silence and calm, lulled by the gentle lapping of the waves on its rocky shores along with the delicate movement of the leaves of the trees caused by the wind.
However, there was one place in the kingdom where if you pricked up your ears, you could hear the laughter of two little girls sneaking into the corners of the castle, trying not to upset any of the residents.
Princesses Anna and Elsa were playing in the middle of a wintry landscape inside the Great Hall, it being late summer. The place was full of fluffy snow scattered on the ground like a welcoming blanket, glittering stalactites hung from the chandelier made of ice so pure it could pass for glass, a magical and adorable setting.
There was no reason to fear, it was the secret of the royal family: the crown princess possessed powers of snow and ice. A beautiful gift that was given to her at birth, although they did not know the reason.
Arendellians had clear opinions about magic, particularly after a certain incident that took away one of their most beloved kings. Despite loving their rulers, they would not hesitate to rebel if they felt threatened. For Elsa's own safety, the number of people aware of her quirk was limited to three.
The night was short for both, they decided to make the most of it.
Anna leaped from one mound of snow to another, screaming with joy, trusting that her sister would make another pillar on which she would safely fall. They almost forgot that some guard might discover them as they roamed the halls in his nightly routine.
"Catch me," cried the youngest.
The other girl led with flick of her wrists as if it were a secret dance, letting the snow flow until it materialized into higher and higher columns, allowing Anna to land softly, letting out laughter.
"Again, again!" Anna shouted, pushing herself forward with all her energy.
"Wait" Elsa pleaded, feeling like she was losing her balance.
For a few moments her body floated in the air before she began to fall.
As soon as the little princess jumped off that platform, Elsa thought of the worst-case scenarios. She had slipped, and there was no way she could create another pile of snow to cushion Anna's fall. She helplessly raised one of her hands, accidentally firing a bluish shot from her powers.
With great fear, she watched as that blast of icy magic brushed her sister's hair without her noticing, then it all happened too quickly.
A loud thump, a crack, and a high-pitched howl of pain. Anna hit the ground, moaning for help. The light layer of snow that was left as evidence of the first hours of night play was not enough to prevent her injuries.
"Mom, Dad!" Anna bellowed as she grabbed her left ankle, causing concern in the eldest.
Elsa tried to get close to her, but her sister turned away in fear. As if she had caused the incident on purpose. That simple gesture hurt her deeply.
The wound looked bad, the foot was bent at an odd angle, and the joint area was beginning to swell. It must have hurt horribly; she didn't need to be a doctor to know it.
Wide open, the doors swung open as the worried monarchs of Arendelle entered. For some reason Elsa didn't understand, they both still wore work clothes instead of nightgowns.
"Elsa, what did you do?" Her father asks in an authoritative voice when he sees his two daughters in the middle of the frozen living room. “It's getting out of control!”
Both he and the queen went over to cradle Anna, who was still sobbing. They ran off in search of the royal doctor to treat the child, leaving the other little girl who was also frightened abandoned.
"It was an accident," she muttered to nothingness. “Sorry, Anna.”
Anguish and sorrow crept into Elsa, who trembled, repeating in her mind repeatedly the same phrase: "conceal, don’t feal." She knew firsthand that any strong emotion would get her powers out of control.
She stood alone, accompanied by the moonlight streaming in through the windows, feeling cold for the first time in her life.
She went back to her room, covering herself with the sheets up to her head, listening to the hustle and bustle of the castle staff upon learning that Anna had been hurt. She wept silently, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth.
Why did she allow herself to be persuaded to run away to play that night? Would Anna be, okay? Would she be punished for that?
She couldn't be the whirlwind of irrepressible energy that was her sister. Yes, they were both princesses, but Elsa was the heiress, she was destined to become queen of Arendelle. She couldn't get bad grades, she couldn't get distracted, she couldn't make excuses to go out and play or have bad manners, she had to be the perfect daughter.
Anna could go to the castle library, tear pages out of all the books, and only receive a reprimand that would last no more than a week. If Elsa thought to fold a single sheet, she would probably receive a disappointed sermon from King Agnarr, followed by a month of tasks to repair the damage.
"Are you here, Elsa?" Queen Iduna's soft voice asked as she entered the room, approaching her daughter's bed. “Don't worry, your sister will be fine, nothing broke. Can you tell me what happened?”
Iduna tried to wrap her in her arms, but was immediately rejected by the little girl, afraid of causing her some kind of harm. Her magic was responsible for the accident, even if her intentions were good there was a chance of hurting others. When she looked up, Elsa saw her mother's gentle smile that, without pressuring her, reminded her that she trusted her. She approached her slowly and hugged her tightly, letting that touch take away her sorrows.
Her felt like she could only be honest with her. Her mother did not treat her as the blameless Princess Elsa of Arendelle, but as what she really was: an eight-year-old girl.
"I slipped," she began, her voice trembling.
Her mother listened carefully to the whole story. When she finished it, she assured her that after a few weeks of rest, Anna would return to her usual antics. she checked that Elsa had no injuries, swaddled her carefully, and told her a story until she fell asleep.
For the rest of the night, another doubt assailed Elsa's mind during her sleep: "What would have happened if...?"
There were so many possibilities: hitting her sister with her powers, breaking her leg, falling on her side or head... what if it had been more serious or had killed her? Would her mother look at her with the same loving gaze?
She was so tired that sleeping wasn't even restful.
Opening her eyes at the first light of dawn, she could see her parents resting on a pile of blankets at the foot of Anna's bed, as they used to do when either of them got sick. A sweet and ordinary scene, except for the light layer of frost that covered the whole room.
"What if...?"
Fortunately, this time, she would never know.