Almost (Hiatus)

Chapter 3: Interrogation

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Anna asked; her tone, unusually serious and uncomical. Not that she knew, of course - she could feel Elsa hiding something from her, something big and terrifying ever since that day when Kai called her for a talk.

Elsa, still tensed, averted her gaze and turned her attention to the window. It's a warm, and sunny day in Arendelle but she could feel the room's temperature drop dramatically at her her sister's words, forcing Anna to hug herself and shiver.

"Don't hide anything from me, Elsa." Anna persisted as Elsa stayed still, refusing to look at her sister's stare which is easily piercing right through her like a knife. She balled her fists, trying to keep her powers locked in her while the memory of how she once lost control crossed her mind. No, she mused, I can't afford to make that same mistake again. Anna's tone was cold, the kind of coldness that could be compared to hers but she didn't bother to ask how or why, they are sisters after all.

"Answer me, Elsa. I'll help you with whatever it is, I promise. Just tell me what it is." Elsa bit her lips, preventing herself from speaking in fear that she might slip and tell her about him. She could see how paranoid she has become ever since he escaped and letting Anna fall into the same abyss of darkness is not in her plan. Other than that, she couldn't think clearly with Anna pestering her like this.

"No, Anna. I'm not hiding anything from you." she lied. Anna, still hugging herself because of the cold, forced a straight face. Unfortunately for Elsa, Anna knew her far too well to be fooled and her powers made the venomous lie quite obvious. The temperature dropped once again as the tension and pressure began to get to Elsa. She tried her hardest to conceal, don't feel like before but to no avail. Her powers are getting out of hand, escaping through the tips of her fingers as her emotions reigned in her mind.

It swirled inside of her like a bottled up storm, waiting to be unleashed to both of them. After a long silence, Elsa turned to look at her sister, expecting to see an outraged Anna but what she saw was different. Anna wasn't mad. Instead, she was worried. Worried that whatever it is, it's that bad for Elsa to go to the trouble of lying about it. "What is it, Elsa?" she asked again.

Elsa had to swallow a knot on her throat as the tension refused to subside, as her mind refused to calm down. "It's nothing, Anna. Stop pestering me." Elsa, knowing she has no choice, scoffed in a futile attempt to push her sister away but Anna, being the stubborn girl that she is, did the opposite and took a step closer. "No! I'm not a little girl anymore. I can help you. Why can't you see that?" she growled. Anna woke up to the realization that she just yelled at her sister, the queen, and sighed exasperatingly, immediately regretting what she just did.

"I know this is not my concern but I'm your sister and I can't let you suffer like this. See, this is what you're good at. You've been isolating yourself in this blasted room, Elsa, just like what you did before when -" she stopped in mid-sentence when Elsa gasped loudly; both of their eyes went wide. Anna just made a huge mistake of unintentionally blaming Elsa for her isolation even if she was aware that Elsa did it for her safety and not for herself.

Anna covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes still staring at Elsa who couldn't believe what she just said, visibly hurt by the words that spilled out of her mouth. "I - I'm sorry, Elsa. I didn't - I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry." she stammered.

"You should go. Please." Elsa pleaded, keeping her hands together near her chest. Out of regret, Anna did what her sister said and left the room, leaving Elsa to sob out the pain that was beginning to - ironically - burn in her chest. Why can't Anna just leave her be? Hans is not a topic she would like to talk about with her. Nothing but her soft whimpers filled the whole study while on the other side of the door, Anna was doing the same thing.

~~~

"Princess Anna is in the garden, sir." Kai informed the buff mountain man the moment he took a step in the castle. "Please call me Kristoff." he smiled. Kristoff just got back from the north mountain with Olaf and Sven when he heard about the argument that happened between Elsa and Anna. People's gossips reached him, prompting him to go back earlier than usual. "And, thank you." he said before making his way to where Anna is said to be, the garden.

"Anna," he called out; silent as a whisper but loud enough for her to hear. Anna had her face buried in the palm of her hands which are now soaked by her tears when Kristoff saw her. "Hi, feisty pants." he jokingly said in an attempt to make her laugh but it was futile. She neither laughed nor smiled. Instead, she looked up at him with sore eyes, glistening brightly. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."

She turned to him, biting her lower lip. She didn't know if she should talk about it but her emotions and need to share her feelings - to express it at the least - kicked in making her start the story unconsciously. "It's about Elsa. I'm sure she's hiding something from me and I didn't want her to face it alone, whatever it is, but then we - we got in a little arguement when she refused to tell me. I didn't - I didn't mean it, Kristoff. I didn't mean what I said to her, I swear." she broke into tears once again, leaving Kristoff to pity her from the side. He knew he's not allowed to interfere with the matter since that he is not involved in it in any way so instead of meddling, he wrapped his strong, protective arms around her, burying her face on his rock-hard chest which is - at the same time - as soft as a pillow for Anna.

In a matter of seconds, his top got soaked in Anna's tears but it just made him hug her tighter and hold her closer to him. "Everything's going to be okay." he comforted as he placed his chin at the top of her head. He continued to rub her scapula gently, calming her down little by little. "I don't want to see her isolate herself again." she mumbled in between whimpers.

"I suggest you give her what she wants. Leave her alone for a while, okay? I'm sure she'll come to you whenever she's ready to talk." he answered. Kristoff raised Anna's chin, cupped her cheeks, and wiped away her tears with his thumbs; his hazel eyes locked at her blue ones like he could see through her. "Look, Anna, Elsa is your sister and she just wants the best for you because she loves you. I suggest you trust her and her decision." he explained further.

"I do. I trust her but Elsa, albeit wise and responsible, can be really selfless at times. For crying out loud, Kristoff, she isolated herself ever since we were little all because of me! Other than that, you saw how she fled Arendelle to save everyone from her cur - powers." she corrected herself, not wanting to refer to Elsa's ice magic as her curse like Elsa does.

"No doubt she won't think twice about destroying herself if it's necessary and I can't let that happen to my sister. She may not care about her own safety but I do and that's the reason why I wanted to know what her problem is. Heaven knows, she might be risking her life behind my back." she hugged him again, grabbing a part of his top tightly.

"But still, you're right. I should trust her and I will." Anna said, smiling like it's the first time in a long time. Kristoff mirrored her expression in his own version and spoke, "That's my good girl."

~~~

On her study, Elsa continued her work with an unreadable expression on her face. She didn't take the fight very well that it affected her a bit more painfully than it should have. If only Anna could understand, she mused. Once again, Hans successfully tore a rift between them - just like he did on her coronation day.

What are you so afraid of?

That scoundrel. She gripped her quill tighter, unconsciously releasing her emotions until the quill was completely covered in ice. What does others think she should do? Tell Anna about him and his escape? Absolutely not. She knew Anna would find out soon but still, she kept on hiding it, keep the crisis for herself. One thing's for sure, the sooner they find Hans, the sooner it is for Anna and her to stop the ridiculous misunderstanding they are currently in.