Elsa swallows as she walks through the forest, running a hand through her tousled pale hair for probably the thousandth time. Her pale blue eyes scour the multiple trees and bushes, searching and scared and longing. She hopes that she isn’t too late; she hopes that she still has a chance.
It’s been about a week since she’s returned and made everything right with Anna and the kingdom of Arendelle. About a week since the disaster that was the “frozen summer,” as many people have started calling it. Soon after the celebrations of sisterhood and opening up, Elsa was soon doing all the Queenly duties she’d been trained for. She has no idea how the kingdom (let alone Anna) could welcome her back knowing of her powers and what she’s capable of, but she can’t help but be grateful; she hopes to be the Queen Arendelle deserves.
In fact, she’s been so focused on fitting into the mold of Queen that Elsa ended up forgetting a very special person—a person who welcomed her before she could let anyone else do so, someone who stuck around until it all came to a head (her unstable powers, these confusing feelings and changes) and Elsa ended up saying terrible things and pushing her away, like she did with everyone else.
Her heart pinches and Elsa feels the guilt burn behind her eyes. It was terrible enough to shut Anna out, but to do it to her—
“—Todd, stop that!”
Elsa pauses, listening to the familiar laughter, and she suddenly feels fear and happiness grip her.
“C’mon, boy, cut it out!” The voice continues, laughing, “That tickles!”
Realizing the direction the sounds are coming from, Elsa walks slowly towards them, despite the adrenaline rushing through her. When she comes across some brush, she pauses, ducks, and watches from behind the leaves. She sees a familiar young woman sitting on the ground playing with a little fox kit, her smile wide and laughter loud.
Elsa swallows, forgetting for a moment how beautiful the young woman is. How the sun made her olive skin glow, how full of life and warmth her green eyes are, how her soft brown curls flowed over her shoulders and down her back, wild and free. Even with all those animal furs and hides covering her body (including a rather scratchy cloak made of donkey skin), Elsa can’t help but be fascinated by her. How could someone be so free? So full of spirit?
She’s like a fire, Elsa once contemplated during one of their past “meetings,” when the girl in donkey-skin would sometimes climb to Elsa’s window and just talk to her. The kind you can’t help but desire to reach out and touch—even with the risk of being burned.
And for someone as lonely as Elsa had been, the warm promise of friendship and love was always welcome—but so, so frightening. So frightening that she ended up being the one who ruined it.
Elsa clenches her fists, feeling her heart pound. This is such a bad idea, she realizes as she begins to rub her hands, trying to reel in her control. She’ll be lucky if her lovely girl in donkey-skin will want to even be friends at this point.
She probably doesn’t even remember me, she thinks, almost desperate. It has been a couple of years. I’m shocked that she didn’t move somewhere else, actually. I should go back. There’s no point, especially now that everyone knows about my powers. She probably won’t want to be around me anyway...
Which is rather depressing, Elsa isn’t going to lie. Granted, she has friends now; most important of all, she and her sister finally feel like family again. She is surrounded with more love than she ever thought could happen.
But her life just isn’t perfect if she isn’t by her side.
Elsa lets out a soft sigh and begins to turn around. It’s probably for the best anyway. Knowing her tentative luck, she might hurt her again—
“Elsa...?”
She freezes, then clenches her eyes closed, hissing out a curse. Elsa tries to stay still and silent, to give the illusion that she isn’t there. But her old friend has always had senses that were sensitive; a result of living in the woods for a few years.
“Elsa,” her friend says, her voice gentle. “Is that you?”
Elsa clenches her fists and turns back around, standing tall and her shoulders stiff. She takes a few breathes to gather her nerve, and then moves the brush away to reveal herself. As her friend’s eyes widen and her mouth drops open, Elsa takes a few steps into the area and bows her head.
“Marie,” she greets (her voice not trembling, no, of course not). “It’s been a long time.”
Marie blinks, then puts Todd down on the grass (coaxing a worried look from the kit), and then she also stands up. She’s a few inches shorter than Elsa, but Elsa feels herself tremble with fright (and maybe something else) anyway. With no expression on her face, Marie walks forward until she is just a breath away from Elsa and staring up into her eyes, and that’s really not helping.
Finally, Marie smirks and crosses her arms over her chest. “Yeah. Yeah, it has.”
There’s a silence between the two, one that nearly drives Elsa mad. She wants something to happen, but she’s not really sure what that something should be. Worst case scenario, Marie tells her to go away and never return (probably through violent means, if necessary). Best case scenario—well, Elsa’s not sure if that’s even an option.
But Marie is just observing her instead, her eyes roving up and down as she walks in a circle around Elsa.
“You look different,” she comments, her eyes narrowing.
Blushing the slightest, Elsa places her right hand on her left arm, realizing just how sheer, revealing, and flamboyant her new dress is. She clears her throat, feeling the burn of Marie’s eyes on her.
“I’m trying a new look,” she tries to shrug. “The other one was too...restricting.”
Marie raises a sleek eyebrow, then directs a gaze Elsa’s dress again. Elsa glances and thinks that for a moment she sees those lovely eyes darkening with something that makes her heart thump and knocks the breath from her. She quickly looks away, her cheeks burning.
“I like it.”
Oh. Well. Uh. Elsa looks up at the skies, as if silently asking the heavens for help. Of course they don’t answer, but she just can’t look at Marie at the moment.
“So, Snow Queen,” Marie says suddenly, walking back to the tree Todd was sitting near and leaning against the bark, her arms still crossed and her smirk back on her face. “What brings you to my lovely part of the forest?”
Elsa gulps and begins to wring her hands. “I-I’m just—I mean. I wanted to.” Finally, she opens her mouth and just doesn’t stop. “I know it’s really late and I really should have come here sooner, but things happened with my parents, me being taught about how to be a Queen, and then there’s that whole ice and snow powers thing—which I should have mentioned when we met, I know, but I couldn’t control it and I was so worried about hurting those I loved and that kind of included you even though we’d just met, but you were the first friend I’d had in a while and you were really fun to talk to and I didn’t want to lose you, but then I did lose you and then I became Queen and things happened and it all just got messed up and—”
A warm hand covers her mouth and Elsa blushes, seeing how close Marie is.
“Oh my God, Elsie,” Marie laughs, but not in a way that’s cruel. “I asked for an explanation, not word vomit. I get it. Things were rough. I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?” Elsa asks, muffled by Marie’s hand.
“Well, not now, anyway,” she replies, removing her hand. Marie looks up at Elsa and gives her a crooked smile. “You’d be amazed at the forgiving nature that can build up after a year. Well, somewhat forgiving. I’m less likely to cut anyone I’m stealing from. That’s something, right?” She adds with a nervous shrug.
Elsa blinks and gives her a look of concern. “You still steal?”
“Well, yeah, but only what I need. I’m not really the coarse little robber girl you met two years ago,” Marie chuckles, scratching the back of her head.
Elsa bites her lip. It always bothered her that her friend had to steal in order to survive. Back when she was hiding her powers and living in fear, she couldn’t do anything about it, but now—
“You could come live with me.”
Marie’s eyes went wide, and for once she’s the one left blushing and speechless. Elsa stares back, attempting to look as regal as she can, despite her blush. She knows it’s an odd suggestion to make, but it feels so...right. Like Marie was always meant to be with her in some way or another. If not as well, more, then as friends. She wonders if Marie feels the same; she hopes so.
“Anna would probably like you,” Elsa adds, when Marie stays silent, and she smiles. “She tends to like everyone when she meets them. And I want to make up for what I did, properly. I...I want us to be friends again.” Or more. More is also good, a voice resembling Olaf cries in her mind, annoying and not helping.
Marie looks away, frowning in a familiar way that makes Elsa’s heart ache. She knows that look too well. It’s not just one that was once reflected on her face, but it’s an expression with a story that Marie is not ready to tell.
Despite it, Marie allows herself to smile, though it doesn’t reach her eyes. She looks at Elsa with a tender expression and places a hand on the Queen’s elbow, her warm fingers bleeding through the fabric and nearly caressing the pale, cool skin. Elsa barely resists the urge to pull her closer, to touch her as well.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she says. “But I’ve lived that life before. It’s just...it’s not for me. But I would like to visit every once in a while, if you don’t mind.”
Elsa can’t help but smile, her cheeks flushing again. “I would like that as well!” When she notices how eager she sounded, her eyes widen and she bites her lip. “I-I mean—”
She’s not sure how that lush mouth managed to brush against hers, but Elsa can’t find it in her to mind. Moaning, she closes her eyes, wraps her arms around Marie’s waist, and tilts her head, trying to deepen the kiss. Marie gasps, reaching out a hand to tangle in Elsa’s hair, tugging a bit at the roots—not harshly, but enough to awake hungers that Elsa hasn’t felt since this thing began to grow between them, before both of their issues ruined it.
It doesn’t last as long as Elsa would like, but when they part for breath and lean their foreheads against each other, she still doesn’t find it in herself to mind. All she can focus on is how close Marie is, how much she wants to taste her again, and all her hopes that this could end up being something. Marie smiles back up at her, looking just as wanting and her hands rubbing circles in Elsa’s shoulders, and Elsa knows right then and there that there is no place she would rather be.
“When do you have to be back?”
“In a couple of hours,” Elsa answers. “I still need to answer a wedding invitation from the King and Queen of Corona.”
Marie blinks. “They’re...having a second marriage?”
“Oh, no! Their daughter, the princess, she,” Elsa pauses, laughing. “You know what? It doesn’t matter right now.”
She closes her eyes and leans her forehead against Marie’s, feeling all the love and desire surge through her again. Yes, she is certain. No other place can compare to her little robber girl’s arms.
Marie rubs her nose against Elsa’s. “Wanna see my tree house? It’s not far from here.”
Elsa smiles. “I would, actually.”
“Great, let’s go!” With that, she jumps from Elsa and goes to gather Todd up in her arms. She smiles over at Elsa and nods her head. “It’s this way.”
Elsa nods and proceeds to follow her, feeling all the more certain with each step.