Well, here we are, nearly two years later and this story is finally coming to an end, and I've somehow managed to finish this just in time to celebrate being accepted into my first year of Masters, yay! ^^

I would also like to thank you all so, so, so much for making time for this little 'fic and sticking around until the conclusion, I really really hope you liked it.

I don't think I'll be writing anything else Frozen related however, but if ever you want to talk Elsanna/Frozen, I'm always on Tumblr. You can always come and say hi if you want, I promise I don't bite :)

When Anna opened her eyes the next morning, it was to a warm and very cosy bedroom, the bright sun pouring in from the grand glass window on her right, casting it's golden rays onto the fancy blue motifs decorating the walls around her. As Anna watched the duke and Persian blues intermingle together in what was an abstract work of art by the shadows dancing on the hard wall, she sighed deeply, feeling content, and overcome by a sense of both utter placidity and eagerness to begin this new chapter of her life. A chapter she had chosen to write for herself by taking things into her own hands.

Indeed, her decision to renounce to the crown of Arendelle had been made official, the royal duty now falling on her cousin Oleg's shoulders, and to everybody's relief, the transition had gone rather smoothly. She had nonetheless been well aware of the lingering traces of disappointment in her parent's faces when she had signed the royal scroll in an elegant signature beholding to the privileged upbringing she'd been lucky enough to get, thus formally handing the power over to her extended family, but Anna had been certain that both her mother and father understood where she was coming from and the reasons behind her decision, which they both respected. Her father had made it that much more evident when declaring himself that his daughter's happiness was what mattered most to him (and the subsequent hug Anna had given him demonstrated all of her love and gratitude towards the one man who had raised her and loved her all though her twenty years). While she knew that there might be a little lingering tension around the dinner table in the upcoming weeks, Anna was fully prepared to face it, especially when the weight on her shoulder reminded her why exactly she had felt compelled to make such a choice.

Looking down, she smiled, almost on impulse. Elsa was still soundly asleep, dark long lashes closed beneath a mop of tousled blonde hair (hair that Anna would take delight in combing and taking care of later, if Elsa so wished), and her placid and serene features filled Anna with an unexplainable urge to smile –if Elsa was at peace while lost in her own subconscious world of dreams, then Anna could venture to say that she had done something good, that they were on the right path, and when she looked back up to the almost-shining window again, the future had never seemed to bright to her. Almost absently, Anna brought a hand to Elsa's cheek, her long fingers barely daring to bring the smooth pale skin beneath for fear of disturbing the obvious placidity Elsa was currently basking in. The physical touch of her skin to her lover's made what had momentarily seemed to be a picture taken out of an artist's wildest imagination into something more real, something tangible, as it finally began to sink in to Anna that this was her life now, this image of beautiful calmness, elegant serenity and welcomed companionship were what she could look forward to when waking up every morning.

The adoring smile on her face only widened.

Opening her eyes to this, a moment of shared peace with the one person who she wished to fully give every piece of her heart to –just the two of them- it held something distinctly special, something nobody else be they from her close acquaintances or from a faceless member of those who made up the society of Arendelle would ever have knowledge of. Now it didn't feel particularly special to Anna out of the fact that she felt like she was depriving the people of something that only she was experiencing, but rather, it was something that she didn't have to share with the public eye (while she had decided that she was no longer going to rule her father's kingdom and take up his title when he became too old for it, Anna nonetheless remained of noble birth despite the path she had chosen, meaning that more often than not, her movements, words and actions were susceptible to be a source of scrutiny and intense analysis and subsequent interpretation from a certain part of the population as a means to pass the time). This, however, this big fluffy bed where it was just herself and Elsa, shielded from the sometimes prying looks from the outer common world, this was something she could call hers –theirs- alone, and Anna felt very little embarrassment at relishing in the fact.

It was odd, how things turned out in the end. As a child, she had often been put to bed with fairy tales of brave princes wearing shiny silver armours, riding atop elegant and strong white horses to come and save the poor damsels in distress and the lovely pair would always end up riding into the sunset together, the promise of living the happiest of lives one could only dream of in the real world looming across the horizon. Back then, when she had still been innocent and completely unaware of the fact that real life seldom was a mirror image of what happened in fancy story books, she too had pictured herself countless times as one of those lucky women, clutching the back of a handsome young man from a good family as the two of them would be galloping through a field of delicate pink camellias or brilliant hibiscus. Of course, things didn't turn out quite the same way the eight year-old Anna had imagined them, given that Anna now seemed to have found herself taking up the role of the gallant prince charming coming to Elsa's princess-in-need-of-help rescue. It hadn't been easy, and Anna would fully admit it: patience and conversation had been needed on both parts to get to know each other at first and later mend the bridge after the poisoned drink incident, however both she and Elsa had persevered, determined to fight for their relationship together, which, while it certainly wasn't a relationship that was all that conventional in Anna's esteemed entourage of the upper class sphere of society, it was something both women were determined to make work out in the end.

As if sensing her inner determination and also willing to show her own commitment, Elsa nuzzled her face into her neck languidly before peeling back her eyelids, two endless pools of azure the princess would all too eagerly drown in gazing back up at her, a lazy smile on her thin lips. Anna felt a sudden fuzzy warmth spread in her chest at the gesture and grinned back, almost silently daring Elsa to try and beat her at it.

"Well, look who's awake?" And she punctuated her question with a feather-light kiss to Elsa's forehead, effectively making the older girl giggle in the process as Elsa's hand came to the back of her neck gently, pulling her in closer if that were possible. "Sleep well?"

"Better than in a long time, I have to admit. Hopefully this isn't a one-time thing?"

"Of course not!" Anna chuckled, her hand playfully swatting the other girl's pale shoulder. "I can promise you that waking up like this when I'll be eighty years old and covered in wrinkles will still have me just as thrilled as I am right now."

"Well, now that you've said it, don't think you'll be getting rid of me that easily."

Anna had been about to answer that no, she certainly wasn't planning on doing anything of the sort, but Elsa stopped her short of doing so by lunging for her, tackling her into a hug and pecking her neck repeatedly, and Anna momentarily froze. Usually, the princess had always been the one to initiate anything remotely intimate between them, as she had gathered rather quickly that Elsa's rather shy demeanour would stop her from acting out on the impulse, so to be on the receiving end of such an open and genuine display of affection –genuine and spontaneous affection- from the older girl, making Anna feel appreciated for just, well simply being Anna, was such a reversal of their usual roles that she felt lost for a moment. It felt good though, so good to feel as wanted as she wanted Elsa, to be valued as her own independent person and receive the same loving sentiment that she so easily gave to others. Of course, Anna wasn't looking for any type of exchange or sense of devotion between them, per se, but feeling someone give her back something she so effortlessly gave to countless others and on the same scale as her, it made the brunette smile as the distinct sound of her beating heart increased at the knowledge of this new level of love she was the subject of. At this love they felt for each other.

"I really can't tell you just how much I love you, you know that?" Her words a quiet whisper, almost lost to the air, as her lips brushed against Elsa's pale collarbone.

She felt the older girl chuckle in response beside her, and her hand tightened slightly on her shoulder for a moment before it began to brush up and down the length of her arm, the princesse's delicate touch a silent expression of the depth of her statement without having to utter so much as an added murmur. To re-discover this unique and special complicity they had carefully crafted with her, this closeness that for a time had seemed impossible to recover, it made Anna all the more grateful for what she now had, and all the more determined for the pair of them to work hand in hand, talk things through when it was needed, and simply make the most out of little every-day things so as to turn them into something a thousand times better. It would be a memory, a memory worth remembering that they would one day be able to look back on and laugh about at each other's side, when they would be old and grey, two ancient women sitting side by side in front of a warm fire, their fragile hands still linked together as they would then look back on the quintessence of their relationship, those tiny moments that would be seemingly trivial to anyone else, but to both herself and Elsa, remembering those little moments would be what cemented their relationship into something pure and true.

Elsa merely ducked her head, embarrassment colouring her cheeks a light shade of pink as she tried to hide behind her strands of messy hair.

"Hey," Anna cut her short in her retreat, placing one hand at the back of Elsa's neck and drawing her in for a kiss. Her lips were sweet, they drew Anna in, and in that moment were far more inviting than the finest of chocolates someone could offer her, and the princess clung to them, the hand on Elsa's skin moving upwards to tousle her hair and the other one moving to her back, bringing her in to close as much distance between them as possible. They had been apart for far too long, and from today, Anna was well set on changing that for the better.

What had started out as a chaste kiss quickly escalated into something far more passionate, both of them giving as much of themselves as they could to the other in an attempt to establish a new basis upon which they could rebuild their relationship, something deep, something meaningful, something they could use to define what they had in something other than mere words. The skin-on-skin contact anchored them there, in a picturesque decor set to frame their new beginning, anchoring them in the present moment, and making them all the more aware that if their future was a sort of ideal they were striving to make happen as best as possible, that it was also something they could take an active part in setting the course on right from that morning.

Or they would have, had a rumble from Anna's stomach not rudely interrupted them.

"Well, as much as I would like to spend the day here with you, I'm afraid that my stomach seems to have different plans. So, what would you say to the best hot chocolate the royal kitchens can offer and then a special day for just the two of us, you and me?"

The smile she got in return nearly lit up Elsa's face, her large blue eyes twinkling in excitement as Anna pulled her out of their shared bed, their hands still linked together when they closed the bedroom door behind them.

Breakfast had been a relatively simple affair, Anna never one for the grand ceremonies when it came to her own person unless it was absolutely necessary (and a mere breakfast was, to her at least, not befitting of such an excessive spectacle), but the ever-present hot chocolate had indeed been welcomed by both of them, Anna so eager to actually go out and about that Elsa had had to point to her upper lip twice for the princess to realize that she had been about to go out with a brown coating covering them, not exactly the most befitting image of a proper noblewoman to give to the public. Quickly licking it away, Anna then took Elsa's hand in her own –ecstatic to notice that the other girl no longer seemed to fear people touching her- and before Elsa even got the question of where exactly they were going past her lips, Anna had already shut the main entrance door to the castle behind them and lead the pair of them out into the bustling town of Arendelle.

As they ambled down, through people, children, carts, shops and the odd stray animal here and there, it felt like she was being reborn with each breath she took, a new Anna who was now ready to fully chose to relinquish the crown and her title if it meant that she could spend the rest of her life with the laughing blonde by her side, as her equal. Without even thinking, she gently put her hand on Elsa's bare arm, travelling down until she reached her fingers, linking both of their hands together, and stealing a quick glance to her left showed her that Elsa seemed to have caught on, an earnest smile on her lips for whoever past them by, as if she were proud to be able to show them all that she and Anna were now a unit, that they were happy together, and would be so for a (hopefully) long time to come.

Such a surge of optimism was most welcomed after the last grueling weeks Anna had been through.

Elsa felt her heart swell in her chest as Anna's soft fingers wrapped around her own, such a different (and better) display than what the brunette had offered her a few months ago. While the overly enthusiastic young girl could still be seen beneath the princesse's now much more mature features, Elsa noted that that persona seemed to have somewhat tempered don in the time that they had spent apart. It was a little saddening, to no longer see Anna's eyes fill with brimming excitement at the most trivial of things, such as meeting a stray dog in the street or having a good fortune and finding a lone lost coin on the ground and wondering who it could possibly belong to, such an ability to only see the good and positive side of things had been something she'd been drawn to at the start, and something Elsa had found to be quite endearing after a while. However, as she stole a glance to her left, while Anna's smile definitely radiated of happiness, there was almost something reserved about it, and seeing that the exuberance she had once had no qualms at openly displaying to the public of Arendelle no longer having it's place upon her features was indeed quite saddening.

Of course, Elsa understood. Anna hadn't had an easy time of it at all, what with the unwelcomed will of both of her parents to see her take up the royal crown and duties that ran in her bloodline, and she would be lying were she to say that sneaking glances at Anna during those long and tortuous weeks of separation hadn't made her heart bleed at seeing the other girl look so lonely and almost obligated to give up that exuberant part of herself to conform to the title she was born to uptake, but it was as Elsa looked at her now –at how Anna held her head high, her shoulders back smile –while utterly genuine- almost painfully pulled back tightly across her thin lips that all of those features she had acquired, mastered, and now came out almost instinctively without Anna even remotely upset at all (no she wasn't, she was smiling) that hit Elsa hard.

And it was the ever presence of those features that doubled her determination to help Anna let go of them for good, undo the bad habit. If the princess had been kind, patient and encouraging toward her when it came to mastering her powers and how to adapt and live with concepts such as freedom, friendship and love, then surely Elsa could help undo the remnants of a life the princess had chosen to turn away from.

"Hey Anna?"

The brunette stopped, turned back towards her with a mix of incomprehension and surprise written across her face, and Elsa seized the moment. Bending over slightly, she brought her lips to Ana's pointy nose, pecked it, and in a flash, she leaned back.

It seemed to have done the trick, as Anna's momentary initial confusion quickly morphed into a genuine laugh, one that came from the bottom of her heart, her eyes crinkled with happiness, almost twinkling, and her smile widened into what she remembered to be the utter embodiment of gaiety. It was a start, Elsa thought, and as she all to willingly followed Anna's lead, she decided that this was the way that she could help Anna heal, take her by surprise, when she wouldn't be able to predict and prepare the response she wanted her body to give, and let the young woman acquaintance herself with the joys of the spur-of-the-moment and of not having to think every minute thing through, down to the last detail. Impulse and unpredictability were, after all, key notions for Anna to re-familiarize herself with, ones Elsa felt the princess deserved to be returned to her so that she too, could fully experience the future moments they had to look forward to.

"Does that mean that I owe you now?" Anna inquired, a hint of playfulness in her voice and one eyebrow raised high on her forehead, barely-concealed laughter dancing on her every word.

"If you want to take it that way... Maybe?" Elsa ventured, already appreciating the sense of déjà-vu of their banter and of Anna's more relaxed stature. "We could always spend the day taking a look around Misses' Freya's shop, I've heard that the latest dresses she's brought in are selling really well."

Anna pondered on it for a moment, almost saying yes, but changed her mind at the last second. Today was meant to be just herself and Elsa, just the two of them trying to start again and find a common ground upon which they could build each other up again, together. While talk of new dresses, elegant gowns and rich garbs were more than certainly a topic she could easily go on about for hours and was something she indeed held a certain amount of interest in, it just felt too... Impersonal to sacrifice their first day together for it. Shopping and material goods weren't something she wished to be at the basis of their reconciliation: too much artifice, too much superfluous details, it was simply... A little excessive. No, Anna would much rather settle for something simpler, more down-to-earth, but something both she and Elsa could shape up to turn it into something unique and meaningful to them.

Which is why she came to a stop in front of a very familiar little shop, one they had both taken a habit of dropping in to before Anna had messed things up, and as she held the door open, the little bells and unmistakable high-pitched bark welcomed them as she stepped in after Elsa. Indeed, Kristoff's little shop hadn't changed one bit, the ever present lingering (and mouth-watering) smell of chocolate making Anna lick her lips and stomach almost growl in anticipation.

It would have to wait, however, because no sooner had the door closed behind them that an excited bark echoed through the shop and in the next moment, Elsa found herself tackled to the ground, Sven's wet tongue licking her cheek as the dog's tail waved from left to right in a fit of excitement at receiving familiar visitors. Anna grinned at the image, her lover (because that was now what she could freely call Elsa, no social constraint whatsoever) laughing, on her knees, as she was pushed back against the shop wall, Kristoff's large companion's paws on her dress and its nose nuzzling Elsa's right cheek. It was sweet, something so childish and innocent, so ordinary and common, but something that nonetheless made Anna's heart melt and her cheeks feel warm as she watched the smile on Elsa's face widen as the poor girl tried to calm the overly-enthusiastic animal in her arms by petting it.

"Sven! Sven, get back here!" The burly and angry voice came from the room behind the counter, and the silhouette of the strongly built baker quickly followed suit, Kristoff wiping a trail of sweat from his brow and his face very much reddened by both what must have been hours of hard work and anger at his four legged companion's mischief. "Sven, come he-Princess Anna?"

The sight he made was almost comical, with his eyes wide open in utter confusion and his mouth half way closed, Kristoff truly was one of those men who happened to have quite the particular features, ones Anna had grown fond of and had been many a time a source of amusement for her. (Not that she would ever tell her dear friend as such out of fear of upsetting him any further than he was already).

"Oh god, Princess Anna, I'm so sorry –Sven, get back here!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright." Elsa tried to offer amidst her giggling as Anna and Kristoff eventually managed to pull Sven away, the embarrassed shop owned sending him to his basket in the back, the animal keeping its head and eyes downcast as it saw to its punishment.

"I'm really sorry, Sven can be a little overbearing sometimes."

"No harm done, I'm still on one piece." Elsa offered lightly, as she took hold of the other blonde's extended hand and let him pull her back to her feet.

"So, what can I get you two? The usual hot chocolate and cakes? Or the new cinnamon biscuits perhaps? They're really selling well at the moment." Wiping his hands on his smudged apron, Kristoff lead them back to the counter, gesturing to all the confections he had to offer, each pastry looking more appetizing and inviting than the one next to it. The man truly was a master in the art, Elsa mused, as her eyes roamed over the array of different colours and shapes decorating the treats' toppings.

"You do know that you can call me Anna, and just Anna, right?" The brunette next to her said, smiling, no doubt embarrassed at being referred to by a title she no longer wished to hold. "There is no need for formalities between us, we're friends, and equals."

"Afraid old habits die hard, to many of us here in Arendelle you'll always be our Princess Anna." And Anna felt her face flush at the confession, unsure as to whether it was due to embarrassment or due to the knowledge of how deep her people loved her. "I'm not going to lie, it's great seeing the two of you back here together though."

"Yeah, yes, I'm really happy we managed to sort things out, "Anna said earnestly, grateful that the topic of her noble stature had been dropped, and her hand unconsciously reached out for Elsa's, taking hold of the other's fingers. "But we're both in it for the long run now, and no princes, no dukes, no balls or anything else along that line are ever separating us again."

"Do you want to take a seat? I'll bring you the hot chocolate as soon as it's ready." Kristoff asked, already gesturing to the empty table to their right, the one right next to the clear glass window.

"Ah, we're not staying." Anna answered a little awkwardly, hoping to not upset their friend's hopes, as she held her hand up to stop him in his tracks and not wanting him to go to the trouble of making them something neither one of them would be staying for.

"We're not?" Elsa inquired to her left, a newfound curiosity in her eyes as she stared back at Anna, slightly puzzled by the princesses' sudden decision.

"No, we're not. There's something I need to do, that we need to do, and unfortunately, we can't stay here for it."

The mischievous gleam in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Elsa, who felt her heart flutter as she began to wonder what Anna could possibly by cooking up for them both. She didn't recall the princess mentioning any obligation either had to see to today when they'd woken up that morning, nor had she had wind of any guests they were expecting (since the castle was still winding down after the whole Westleton affair, it would be a little soon for such commotion to take place again), so Anna's words definitely weren't born out of some tight schedule they both had to keep to. What on earth was she up to?

Elsa didn't urge the younger woman any further however, of a mind that if Anna did indeed have something planned (and her enthusiastic expression certainly lent itself to such a possibility), she might as well go along with it. Asking the princess would probably only ruin the surprise anyway, and Elsa didn't really want to ruin the momentum simply out of a curiosity she could contain for another while at least, patience was one of her virtues after all. Besides, the excitement she could read all over Anna's face as they exited the shop and the princess pulled her into one of her frantic runs once again, dashing by another range of display windows, puzzled looking families out on their weekly visit to the market and the odd stray cat here and there calling for food was not something that Elsa wished to erase, and as she followed her younger lover, she actually found herself slightly surprised to be enjoying the idea of Anna surprising her, and the excruciating wait she was now putting her through almost as much as the kind gesture itself.

They passed by both houses and shops alike in a blur, the only one thing Elsa did make out was pavement upon which their running feet echoed as they reached the more deserted parts of Arendelle before making it to the bridge and surrounding river just outside of the bustling city. The absence of noise was al little destabilizing at first, so used to it had both of them gotten, but quickly, the serene melody of the flowing water of the nearby river floated to Elsa's ears, calm and peaceful, and as she followed Anna's lead through the numerous little white dotted flower at her feet, she found it all to be oddly relaxing: the two of them in a completely natural amphitheater filled with long blades of emerald green grass that reached up her leg, tickling her ankles, a clear blue sky stretching over their heads where a bird and it's little hatchlings darted over the treetops in the distance, and the few purple narcissus scattered here and there made the whole bucolic picture seem to have been taken straight out of a mix of an artist's finest work upon which a refined poet would have transcribed their own graceful words in an elegant scripture.

Anna's shoulders relaxed, as she carefully set down the paper bag Kristoff had generously offered them as they had left his shop, and eased herself to the ground quietly, almost afraid that uttering a single word louder than a mere whisper would disturb the enchanting spell unfolding in front of them. This was the life she wanted.

"Remember last time we were both here?" She mused, voice barely above a murmur, the sheer beauty of the scenery swallowing it's noise and instead, leaving naught but a trace of nostalgia in the wake of her words, a sort of longing for a past they could not repeat, "We made the-"

"The flower crowns, I remember." Elsa smiles ruefully as her fingers brushed the petals of the purple flower next to her knees, almost willing the touch to be accompanied by the same feelings they had shared back on that day.

"Do you want to try and make them again?"

They both beamed as their nimble fingers weaved together the fragile petals, turning them into something stronger as they linked them to one another, creating a new wholeness out of multiple individual small and delicate leaflets, and the act felt oddly familiar, as if their bodies had never given up the memory of that first time they had done this while the incident itself may have been pushed to the backs of their minds. Another little gem recovered, another little fantasy that they had created brought back to the light of day and re-moulded again admits laughter, kisses and skillful work. As Anna cautiously brushed off the dust and pollen residues from her last petal, she then raised the delicate confection over Elsa's bowed head, placing the colourful flowers atop her mop of blonde hair, giving Elsa's forehead a chaste kiss when her hands let g of the royal attribute.

Queen of my heart.

When comparing Elsa to the scared, meek, skinny little thing she remembered her to be when she had first stepped into the walls of Arendelle castle, Anna was thrilled to see none of that poor girl in the face looking back at her. Elsa now radiated confidence, strength, happiness -true happiness- and while it wasn't something Anna could see or touch with her own bare hands, just having the knowledge that Elsa was basking in such positive concepts was enough for her to be happy right then. Getting to see how far she had come, to see her having managed to grow into her own person, gain her own independence, master her body and feelings and how she chose to express them, and knowing that for the most part, Anna had been the one there every step of the long and rocky road towards self-confidence, encouraging her to believe in herself whenever she could, reminding her that there was no shame in being who she was and getting to see Elsa finally loving herself, it was simply hugely rewarding.

Elsa loving her back was just the icing on the cake. It meant both everything to her that there was someone out there who was so devoted, stayed by her side through thick and thin (a loyalty that she would endeavour to return for as long as she lived) and loved her as fiercely as she herself loved the older girl. And it was something that Anna had decided she would remind Elsa of as frequently as possible from now on, for she had come to realize the significant importance of communication between them. While at times it certainly wouldn't be pleasant, Anna had no illusions that there would be fights and disagreements between them sometimes, such things were expected in a couple, taking the time to talk it through calmly like she had talked Elsa through believing in herself and trusting in her powers was what Anna now felt was the right thing to try to do.

"Do you ever just get that feeling when something feels so... I don't know, just feels so right?"

Elsa's quiet question made Anna ponder for a moment.

Right and wrong had for a long time, for her at least, been a concept of justice in the way that a decision made by her father would be right or wrong depending on the set of rules families like hers seemed obligated to abide by. More often than not, justice and what was deemed morally correct stemmed from social customs and form a general consensus among members of the society of Arendelle and the authorities such as the Crown, choices that would frame social life rules. Anna herself had, for a long time, just went along with it because to her, it had become somewhat of a norm to merely conform to the laws of her city (laws her father had always tried to make fair for everyone concerned, be they rich or poor), since they had been a framework in which she had grown up. A norm she automatically abided by, of sorts.

Except that Elsa had changed all that. Loving a servant was no common feat among royalty such as herself, and even rarer was the richer party willing to let everything go to be with the latter (as a matter of fact, Anna had never really heard of it happening in any neighbouring kingdoms, as of yet), and coming to the eventual acceptance that her feelings went far beyond mere platonic affection for the blonde and went against the rules established by the class of society she belonged to had been an incredibly difficult thing to come to terms with. Being groomed from her birth to take up the throne, the pride at endorsing such a responsibility in her family's name was immense, and it had been an ever present shadow looming over her shoulder as she had grown up. It had been a daily goal to strive for, an inevitable fate she would be bound to, or at least, it had been, until Elsa had unexpectedly come in to her life. And discovering with her so many other facets there were to life –simple life, devoid of the grand artifices she was constantly plagued with- and namely how much being valued for herself and being able to return the favour in kind had meant to Anna ad been a very destabilizing experience, all the more so with nobody around her able to understand what exactly she had been going through when she'd called things off with her partner.

"I...I don't know. For a long time, right and wrong were to me words that held only a legal meaning, you know what I mean? Someone steals a loaf of fresh bread from the bakers, that's wrong. Someone saves a woman from drowning, that's right. That's sort of how my life was ruled for a long time, because while I thought that I was doing the right thing by leaving you behind, telling myself that it's what I needed to do because a written text dais so, those weeks spent apart showed me that it was actually the complete opposite. It felt wrong seeing you like that, alone again and with nobody t really turn to, it felt wrong to give up all the hard work we had accomplished together, it felt wrong of me to go back on my word and leave you floundering without so much as an explanation for my actions, and most of those feelings were born out of abiding by the words dictating our society. It was me, I realized, I was the one who could actually see for myself what was right and wrong, and that it didn't necessarily apply to the law at all.

I know I can't ever take back what I sais and what I did but-" And on impulse, Anna tightened both her hands around Elsa's, "Know that I am so, so sorry for doing that to us, to you. I would take it all back if-"

Her heartfelt apology was cut short by a pair of wet lips crushing her own, toppling them over into the soft bed of lush green grass and coloured flowers, as she gently lay atop her older partner, fingers at the side of her face as they gave each other every ounce of love they could spare into their shared kiss.

It was both sweet and passionate, a sense of discovering something new with a twinge of a most welcomed past coming back to the surface after being repressed for far too long, as both Anna and Elsa in that moment redefined what it meant to be together (and for good, this time around), taking all the time in the world to savour every possible angle of the definition. Creating 'them' was a mutual dance, where the two girls both gave and received everything from one to the other, giving birth to something intrinsically unique –something nearly secret, known to them alone and that nobody else could ever hope to be privy to- a tiny ember they could now take care of together with the upmost love, passion and devotion to make it last for the rest of their lives.

Laying her weary head on Elsa's chest, Anna could hear her partner's heartbeat beneath the silky and soft material of her dress, beating loudly and full of love, a mirror of her own, and looking back up to her face to find a full range of pearly white teeth smiling brightly back at her was the best picture Anna could dream of.

"I really love you, you know that?"

It was a quiet confession, a whispered promise meant for Elsa alone, as Anna's lips brushed hers, pouring her words into her mouth before sealing the pledge with another kiss, one Elsa responded to of her own free will.

"Me too." Her hand came up to Anna's back, hugging her close so the princess could nuzzle her neck, the tickly feeling making her laugh. This, Elsa figured, must be the quintessence of life, the little moments like this, devoid of grand opulent ceremonies and of pompous artificial sentences unable to convey the true rawness of one's feelings. This simple, basic, nearly empty surroundings, which only reinforced the true weight of their feelings for one another, was where she as actually able to feel the sheer magnitude of just how much her love for Anna and the royal's love for her meant to her. How it meant everything that they now had all the time in the world to fully explore it, live with t day in day out with no fear whatsoever of seeing it come to an abrupt end, and staying by each other's sides no matter how things might change around them in the future.

"How about one of those chocolates form Kristoff's? Fancy one?" Anna murmured in her ear form where she lay atop her, her hand already inching towards the discarded fabric back to their left and pulling out the carefully wrapped treats.

Without waiting for an answer form Elsa –or knowing all too well that the older girl would only give a resounding yes to her question- Anna unwrapped the tiny treat and brought it to Elsa's lips, already chewing on her own one. The blonde took it complacently, closing her mouth around the offered snack only to have Anna's mouth seal her lips closed with her own. Elsa stifled a giggle as Anna deepened the kiss, a balanced blend of sweetness and delightfulness leaving her wanting for more when the younger woman pulled away, almost apologetic.

"So, how is that for a new beginning?"

"Sounds rather good," Elsa conceded, face flushed and cheeks almost sore from the wide grin that simply wouldn't go away, "a promise then, that this time, it's you and me?"

"You and me for good." Anna said determinately, fingers coming over her heart to draw a cross on the fabric of her dress, much like when children solemnly swore to keep their friends' secrets safe. It gave the whole situation a certain juvenile feeling, of young love, of something reborn and ready to flourish, a small bud that both Anna and herself would care for and make grow together, and the promise of upmost honesty that Elsa could read in her eyes only deepened her resolve to believe in this second chance they were so lucky to be getting.

She involuntarily shivered when something slightly cold touched her neck, a tiny spot of cold and-

"Elsa, are you doing this?"

They looked at each other. A moment of silence past. And then they laughed, Anna cupping Elsa's face in both her hands and kissing her nose before bringing it to rest on her shoulder, the princesse's arm coming to wrap itself around the other girl's shoulders as they both looked up towards the multitude of pearly white snowflakes that were now dancing around them, the thin icy confections landing all around them and painting a new tableau of a pure blank slate, the particles fitting together just like Elsa fit in her broken pieces and just like she had helped Elsa mend the many she had had when she had first set foot in the Arendelle castle., back when they had first met.

Of course, it hadn't always been easy, there had been a few missteps and misunderstanding here and there, but Anna and Elsa had mended that and decided to put it behind them in order to move forward, had sealed it off with a box of chocolates and a kiss by way of proof that this was a promise of a new future together. The white canvass now at their feet was nothing more to them than a confirmation that what they shared, it was special, it was true, and most of all, it was something that they would make last. Anna's fingers carding through the long strands of blonde hair, Elsa's calm breath on her chest, the princesses' heartbeat directly beneath her ear and the feeling of her warm skin under her palm, they were both at peace.

Two women finding each other again, the promise of unity as they watched the setting sun kiss the pink horizon, putting an end to what was said and done and a the promise of giving birth to something new when it rose again the next day.

Tomorrow, they would wake up together, ready for a new life.

Tonight, they would fall asleep in each other's arms, a light quilt of pale snowflakes enveloping their delicately intertwined souls.