Disclaimer:

Frozen and all characters are © to Disney. No profit made, no infringement intended.

Warnings:

Mentions of icest.

Reflection

Elsa wasn't entirely sure if she was content or not. Logically, she knew that she should be (except perhaps for the fact that her arm was starting to fall asleep), because how could she not be happy with how Anna was essentially curled into her side – sound asleep as they sat on the couch, with one freckled arm wrapped around her waist and waves of free, burnished hair spilling over her shoulder.

She should be content, she mentally reiterated as she frowned at the thoroughly innocent, cheerfully crackling fire, and heard the whoosh of the winter winds zipping past outside her chambers. Really, because it had taken months of slow, steady progress in her and Anna growing familiar with each other again, and they'd finally become fully comfortable just over the past, few weeks. Now they were truly sisters again – sisters who could do everything together, could talk about anything under the sun, could pick the other up when she was down or just cause all sorts of mischief that Elsa herself had honestly thought she'd left behind in her childhood years.

Anna had taught her how to have fun again, she mused, and sent the top of the copper head a fond look as she continued to draw light patterns over her sister's shoulderblade with her fingertips. She'd brought home the oft-unmentioned but valuable lesson of allowing yourself to do something enjoyable just because you could, and worry about the aftermath if and when it came. It hadn't come today, but there had been that one time last month where they'd both received a stern talk from Gerda about ink and what it did to tapestries.

From long habit, Elsa brought up the hand that wasn't currently caressing Anna's shoulder to hide a smile, and then dropped a kiss to her sister's head in exchange for a soft sigh and a brief tightening of the arm that rested on her own waist. It had been fun, though, which had been the whole point, and the tapestry had been salvaged thanks to the skills (and experience, courtesy mainly of Anna) of their staff.

So. She was sitting here in complete relaxation, in front of a lovely fire, with Anna's warm body snuggled against her own in lazy relaxation. She'd fulfilled all her duties for today, had a lovely meal and just recently shared a cup of sweet tea and a snack with her sister. All in all, it had been a resoundingly successful and perfectly wonderful day.

Elsa tapped the fingers of her free hand against her own lips, and stared into the fire as she wondered why it was, then, that she felt so unsettled. The only somewhat unusual thing that had happened today was that Kristoff had stopped by for the first time in a while, having just returned from the first ice-harvesting trip of the winter season. His visit had been brief as he was leaving again in the morning, but Anna had been happy to see him.

She stopped herself at that, and narrowed her eyes a fraction. Something about that thought had been off somehow, and she went over it a few more times.

Anna had been happy to see him.

Anna had been happy to see him.

Anna had been happy to see him.

Anna had. Singular, only her, and Elsa worried at her lower lip with her teeth in much the same way that her mind worried at that notion, because now that she actively thought about it, she herself had been more annoyed than anything else at Kristoff's appearance, though she certainly hadn't shown it or even noticed at the time. Why, though? Kristoff was a loyal man, a good friend and one of very few to whom she would entrust even Anna's safety. Some part of her, however, had reacted almost violently to his arrival – she just hadn't recognized it until now because her control was so ingrained that it tended to kick in without her even wanting it to.

She'd been jealous, she realized some moments later with a start that was more of a ripple up the side of her body that Anna wasn't resting against, and an abrupt widening of her eyes. Jealous not of Anna for having an admittedly handsome, trustworthy man come visit her, but at Kristoff for having Anna greet him in a way that she normally only did with Elsa. An excited squeal, an almost-leaping, tight hug, a clear, loud laugh and a firm kiss to his cheek. Everything Anna had done (and Elsa had been in the same room) had sent her envy shooting higher and higher, and if her iron control hadn't clamped down automatically, chances were that a wall of ice would probably have firmly intersected itself and separated Anna from Kristoff and vice-versa. Or worse.

Mine.

The thought cropped up entirely on its own, and the arm she had around her sister's shoulders tightened its hold before Elsa realized what she was doing. She hardly even noticed as it was, because she was too busy staring blindly at the mantelpiece as her brain chased itself in gleeful little circles and was entirely too delighted at the fact that she was finally listening.

She wanted to be the only one Anna greeted like that. She wanted to be the one whose cheek Anna kissed – the one her sister would run so excitedly to, and the one that Anna would hold so tightly and grin so honestly at seeing. And it was not only downright selfish of her to feel that way, but also completely foolish because Anna was the type of person who was so open with her affections that she would greet anyone she cared about in such a manner. It was one of the things that Elsa loved most about her.

And, she realized with sudden, heart-clenching clarity, it was also one of the reasons that she had fallen in love with her.

It was almost as terrifying of a moment as the one she'd spent escaping the impact area of a falling chandelier. It had her heart pounding just as hard in her chest and her breathing speeding up until it felt as if she'd just run a good mile, and the only thing that kept her at least somewhat grounded was the familiarity of Anna's warm weight effectively holding her in place, as if the princess was determined to keep her from running off again even in her sleep.

Elsa wasn't sure how long she'd just vanished into her own mind for, but when she came back to herself the fire was burning a good deal lower than it had been, and a touch to the side of the teapot confirmed it to have gone cold. Granted, that could also be explained by the fact that winter had moved in, she admitted a touch sourly, and dispelled the lingered snow and ice with a sigh and a wave of her hand. At least the drop in temperature hadn't woken Anna.

Anna, who would have known that something was wrong from a single glance, and who certainly had the right to ask – even to insist on an answer. And Elsa was really glad that her sister was still sleeping soundly, because she had no idea what she would have said in response.

Oh, I'm alright – I simply realized that I'm in love with you and probably have been for some time. Hardly a cause for concern.

God... even she had to chuckle at that, though she was well aware of Anna's breaths steadily warming her shoulder and took care to do so quietly even as she turned her gaze away from the fire and studied her sister as if for the first time.

There was no doubt that Anna was beautiful, both when she was in the gown of a princess and when clad in the occasional set of pants and shirt that she liked to wear when up to something particularly dusty, like horse-back riding. If Elsa had to pick a so-called persona that she personally preferred, though, it would be this one, with the younger woman clad in a simple shift and a warm robe, hair free to tumble about her shoulders and her body loosely wrapped in a thick blanket to ward off the chill of the night. This was not the princess, or the mischief-maker, or the outdoors-woman. This was simply Anna – sleeping, slumped over and a little rumpled to look at, with the fingers of one hand loosely curled in the material of Elsa's own robe as she snored softly.

Almost absentmindedly, Elsa wound a lock of soft, fiery hair around one finger and held it up to better see it. It glittered in the firelight like molten copper, and she imagined that if they'd been a little closer to a wall, she might have seen faint, almost water-like reflections spreading over stone and wood in a manner that she somehow just knew would be utterly enchanting. Because that was Anna's gift – that she could share her warmth with the world in much the same way that a sunbeam refracted through crystal, that she could cast light into the darkest heart with no more than her smile, and that she could teach even the Snow Queen what it was like to love.

Not that she hadn't loved Anna before, but this somehow felt... bigger. Warmer than even the golden fire, softer than Anna's skin when she traced a smattering of freckles with a careful fingertip, and when she brushed the stray locks of copper hair away from her sister's face, just looking at her filled her heart so completely that it brought tears to her eyes. It felt wonderful, and Elsa was going to enjoy that while it lasted, because she was quite sure that when the novelty of her realization wore off, it would probably hurt. A lot.

How on earth had she only discovered this now? In hindsight, it was so obvious – just looking at Anna would always lift her spirits, and the sight of her sister smiling at her was enough to make her breath catch in her throat. It was so natural – so logical. The sky is blue, grass is green, snow is white and Elsa loves Anna, because what other person could she possibly ever love like this? The feeling was so intense that it almost physically hurt, and yet all it made her want to do was smile.

And smile she did as she held Anna a little tighter, and threaded careful fingers through soft hair before dropping another lingering kiss to the crown of the younger woman's head. She stayed like that, with her eyes closed and her face pressing delicately into her sisters hair, and inhaled the myriad of scents that made up the essence of a single, unique individual – clean linen, honey-scented soap, fresh air, pine sap and even a faint whiff of horseflesh.

Anna.

"I love you," she whispered into that gentle warmth, and only barely managed to stomp down on her shock when her sister's hold on her tightened in return.

"Hmm." Anna's head shifted subtly under her own, and Elsa could feel the caress of warm, somnolent breathing against her skin before a nose brushed the base of her throat, immediately followed by the faint press of soft lips. "Love y'too, Els."

Elsa ended up falling asleep right there, on the couch and in Anna's embrace. The murmur had been low and only halfway conscious at most, no more than a mid-sleep, instinctive response.

That was exactly why it was enough.

xXxXx

Note:

Feeeeeels.