Always You

xvi. Party Time

Anna

The next day was spent busily preparing for the party, but something about Elsa was off. I couldn't tell if she was just upset about our fight from the night before or if it was something more, but I hardly had a moment to talk to her with everyone bustling about. People started gathering outside as early as two o'clock, anxiously awaiting what lie inside the castle. The last party we'd had was a month ago, to celebrate Kristoff proposing. I wondered what Elsa's party announcement had said, but I didn't really care at this point... The temperature in the castle was consistently dropping as the day went on, and I was desperate to talk to my distressed sister.

"Anna, do you think this dress is alright?" Rapunzel asked, walking over to me. Her choppy dark hair had been curled beautifully, and she wore a plain purple sheath dress with some simple jewelry and white flats. She looked completely put together and royal, like a fresh breeze on a stifling hot day.

"Wow, Rapunzel, you look-" Flynn cut me off.

"Stunning," He breathed, walking past me to hug her as if I wasn't there. I looked away as she giggle-blushed, kissing her husband with the passion of newlyweds. I hoped Kristoff and I weren't as annoyingly lovey-dovey as they were... It was starting to really get on my nerves. As I walked toward Elsa's room, where she would undoubtedly be, Kristoff pulled me into our room.

"Hey," He said, looking adorably uncomfortable in a formal coat and pants. They were a dark navy color, complete with a deep purple sash, and he fumbled with the cuff links as she spoke.

"Hey yourself," I replied, a habit that was becoming most noticeably ours. It was kind of a sweet habit we were getting into, and I really enjoyed it. "You look nice." I told him, earning a throaty chuckle from my mountain man.

"Right, I don't look completely out of place at all." He half-joked, and I tsk'ed at him.

"You're going to have to get used to formality. You're going to be a royal, after all." I walked over to my mirror, touching up my still perfect makeup. He looked at me, wearing the outfit that matched his. My dress was deep purple, strapless, and hung just below my knees. The small ruffled slip underneath caused it to be just slightly fluffy, and I wore a navy blue ribbon around my waist and a navy scarf around my elbows. My shoes were small navy kitten heels, and the locket I always wore hung around my neck as usual.

"You make it look so easy, m'lady." He joked, smiling as he pulled me to him by my waist. His height and muscles dwarfed me, letting me cozy myself into his chest. My hair was down and straight =, so there was no worry of messing up any highly sprayed curls. I looked up at him, standing almost a foot taller than me even in heels, and just smiled. I could feel the rosy glow in my cheeks, mirrored on his face. "I love you." He said to me, as if I didn't hear it enough.

"I love you too, sweetheart." I replied, using the gooey pet-name that he always hated. Any kind of "emasculating nickname" got under his skin, and I secretly enjoyed making him a little angry once in a while. He was usually so collected. "Anyway, what did you pull me in here for? I need to talk to Elsa." I explained, and he nodded.

"Um, nothing, I just... Yeah. I don't know really, just missed you I guess." He said, trying to get the words out. I could tell he was lying, but I didn't press the issue. He'd tell me when he was ready, I knew. I nodded.

"Okay, well the party starts in half an hour, so I've got to go talk to Elsa while I can. I'll meet you down there, okay?" I kissed him quickly one last time before leaving our joint room and heading to Elsa's.

When I walked in, she was smoothing her long hair down over her left shoulder and looking in the mirror. She looked fabulous, as always, in her own simple dress. I was blue and long sleeved, a more casual version of the ice dress from earlier this summer.

"Um, hi..." I said, startling her. She jumped a little before taking a deep breath and looking at me.

"Oh, hi, Anna. What's up?" She asked, still preoccupied.

"Are you okay? You've been kind of... Off today." I told her. She nodded slowly before replying.

"No, I'm... I'm fine. Great, actually. Shall we go start the party?" She flashed me a bright and see through smile, but again I decided not to press the issue. Elsa was an enigma most of the time.

Kristoff

Anna looked beautiful in her dress, dancing through the crowd to make her way to me. With a glass of something in one hand and the other draped around her waist, we made out way through the crowd, exchanging pleasantries with people whose name's I couldn't remember and whose faces barely registered in my mind. Finally, I had managed to sit down at a table and have some time of just silence. It was quickly gone as Flynn sat down next to me, sipping from his glass.

"Hi," He said, smiling. "Some party, huh?" He asked. I chuckled.

"Yeah, they really like parties." I said, skating the surface of that can of worms. Anna and Elsa loved parties, they reveled in the warmth and the energy of them. If they could have one every day, they probably would. Not to mention all the chocolate they ate during parties... Never had I seen such small girls pack away so much food in one night. It was astonishing.

"Clearly. Rapunzel is so happy here," He said, wistfully staring at the girl who I had gotten pretty close to since our captivity. She was a very sweet, kind, and excitable young girl. Rapunzel was exactly the type of girl who Anna would be friends with, and I was glad they had met. I just hoped it was as easy for me and Flynn.

"Yeah, and having her around is great for Anna. She never really had friends growing up." I said, saying a little more than I probably should have. Maybe it was whatever was in those three glasses I'd drained.

"Neither did Blondie. She grew up trapped in a tower alone." He divulged, finishing off his glass and waving a waiter over to grab two more. He handed me one and I took it graciously.

"Yeah, Anna spent thirteen years alone in a castle." I said, chuckling a little. I still wondered what had happened to make Elsa shut herself alone in her room at eight years old. Anna didn't know, either, and I wondered if anyone ever would.

"So, how you feeling about the baby?" He asked, changing the subject abruptly. I didn't know him very well, but something told me I could trust him. Maybe it was the way he had frightened Hans into leaving.

"Um, I'm scared. Scared shitless. But we'll make it work." I said, and he nodded as he sipped. "How did you know Hans?" I asked him, the question that had been on my tongue since he'd sat down.

"Oh. Yeah, I knew him growing up, in a roundabout way. My dad was sort of friends with him, and I used to help his brothers beat him up." He said, not sounding even a little sorry about it. "Maybe that's why he turned out so..." Lacking words, he just shuddered. I nodded, agreeing that that could have a link. We sat in silence then, drinking and observing the jovial crowd before us. By now it was almost ten o'clock, and people's cheeks were rosy with drunkenness as they danced. Mothers tended to sleeping children, whining children, and the children who still weren't ready to leave. A crowd of tired little girls were gathered around Anna and Rapunzel, and I watched as a mother with a small bundle in her arms offered the child to Anna.

Anna held the baby in her arms carefully, peering into it's face in wonder. A small hand reached up to wrap around her finger as she rocked and cooed the baby, her cheeks red as she smiled in amazement. She looked so natural, so beautiful, and I knew we would be okay. The lost look on her face as she handed the tired mother back her small charge let me know all I needed to; Anna would do anything to be a good mother to our child. Flynn saw what I did, patting my hand as I turned back to him.

"You guys will be great parents," He assured me before standing up and walking over to Rapunzel. He kissed her forehead, grabbing her hand and leading them out of the ballroom and toward their bedroom. I walked over to Anna, who immediately leaned against me.

"I love parties," She told me sleepily, her voice so quiet I barely heard it.

"Me too. Ready for bed?" I asked her. People were mostly cleared out, leaving Elsa talking to the last couple alone, who left as Anna and I did. I caught Elsa's eye as I shut the door, and there was a look of such loss and sadness in them that I had to fight the urge to run and hug her. She headed to bed a few minutes after Anna drifted to sleep, and I found myself wondering where Jack had been that evening.