this was one of the first drabbles i ever wrote for this fandom. i just found it again lol

It wasn't strange for Anna to miss Elsa at breakfast. The young monarch was consistently up at the crack of dawn to prepare for the day. Anna knew this only because of the strange (if not unwelcome) habit her sister had for sneaking into her room and placing a warm kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning, Anna," she'd whisper, to which Anna would drowsily mumble her own greeting before falling back asleep.

It wasn't strange for Anna to miss Elsa at breakfast because she usually slept half the day away anyway. The servants gently pushed her in the direction of the dining room when she somehow found herself in the western portrait room (the only portrait room she avoided consistently because the pictures were rather dark and sad and didn't like talking much). Wandering through the cold hallways, she had the strangest sensation she was missing something. Which would probably be rectified if she could keep her eyes open instead of relying on muscle-memory to get her to the dining room.

Huh. She literally could get there in her sleep…

She was halfway through her oatmeal, staring blankly at the seat opposite her, before she realised that contrary to every other day, this one wasn't empty.

A snowman was staring back at her, grinning, a twiggy arm raised in a wave.

Nope. Not this morning. She'd stayed sane for 13 years. She wasn't going to go crazy today

"… 'M going back to bed…"

Getting up, she trudged back to the hallway. The servants that had been bustling there only a few short minutes earlier seemed to have vanished, and tentatively, she pushed open the door.

Oh my heavens…

Snowmen. Snowmen everywhere. All in different positions and places- was that a snowman wedding?

Okay, so she wasn't going crazy. Biting back a smile, Anna walked in the opposite direction of her bedroom, towards Elsa's study. She took time to look at each snowman, appreciating the detail put into them.

Or, rather, lack thereof.

How the heck had she missed these on her way to food- well, that was the answer, wasn't it…

Following a trail of several little snowmen playing tag, lingering at a fat one eating a carrot, she almost missed Olaf, who was hugging a little snow-girl (if the flower on her head was any indication). Anna would have missed him entirely had he not seen her first and called out her name.

"Anna! Look at all the snowmen!" She grinned at him.

"They're wonderful. Did you make them?" she asked, more out of politeness than anything else. She already knew who had done the snowman.

Regardless, Olaf shook his head. "Nope. Elsa made them all. One thousand, eight hundred, and twenty-three. She made me a friend!"

Grabbing the hand of the snow-girl he had been hugging, he tugged. It popped right out of her body, and he gave a sheepish chuckle. "Heh… we're gonna stay here… Say thank-you to Elsa for me!"

Without another word, he popped his friend's hand back in and toddled off to… go and do something. Anna could never predict what when on in his little snow-brain, but she simply shrugged it off. She had a big sister to see.

As she walked down the hallway, she noticed a difference in the creations. Slowly, they were getting bigger, more elaborate—but, they were also getting sadder. If snowmen could even be sad. Olaf never was. Not really.

But the smiles vanished. They stopped doing things—they'd just… stand there. A hand came up to cover Anna's mouth as she looked on.

Standing in front of Elsa's study were two snow-people, their features so accurate and precise. If Elsa had spent half the night on the other thousand-and-whatever number of snowmen, she spent the other half on these two.

With a regal expression on both faces, Anna found herself looking at her parents, staring blankly with hollow eyes.

Was this how Elsa remembered them? Cold and distant? Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, she stepped forward. Without bothering to knock, she entered Elsa's study.

The sight that greeted her would, once upon a time, have set off the most playful side of her. Now, gazing into the snow-covered room, it was a deep-seated fear and worry.

The only time Elsa lost control was… well, was during bad times.

Glancing around, she found her sister hunched over the antique desk, a quill held in her limp grip. Rushing forward, Anna kneeled next to her. The snow on the floor began to seep through her nightdress, but her attention was focussed on Elsa, looking so soft and small, surrounded by paperwork.

"Elsa?" Anna asked softly, placing a hand on her sister's arm, brushing her hair from her face where it had fallen from her braid.

Elsa twitched for a moment before slowly opening her eyes. "Elsa, are you okay? What's- your powers?"

"Morning, Anna," she answered, ignoring the questions. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked away, almost nervous. "I'm fine. I'm really good. I just…"

She trailed off, hands fidgeting as she looked away for a moment.

"What is it, Elsa?" Anna asked. "You can talk to me about anything, you know, right?"

Elsa nodded. "I just wanted to ask…" she began, swallowing. Anna nodded her head, trying to find that line between encouraging and and impatient. She almost missed the smirk that appeared on her elder sister's face as Elsa looked at her from the corner of her eyes.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"