This story was written for ElsannaFluff February 2018 Contest with the prompt being music (word limit: 1500 words). Please check out ElsannaFluff on tumblr for more information on the monthly prompt contests (we do them every month yes) or join us on discord at discordDOTgg/TU9NpnH (you know what to do with that DOT. Thanks again ffnet for making linking things so hard).

Same Old Song

"Can you play me a song?"

Elsa rolled over in her bed with a groan and looked up at her sister sleepily. Anna's eyes were wide open and shining with anticipation in the pale moonlight.

"Sleep, Anna–"

"Pleeeease?"

Elsa let out the deepest sigh she could muster with her sister sitting on top of her chest. Really, why was it always during the night that Anna had these ideas? It seemed the little rascal needed no sleep to function.

"Okay," she agreed. "But if anyone hears us, I'm telling them it was your idea."

"You'll play quietly," Anna answered, hands on her hips and chest puffed like she was sure this was the best solution in the world. As if the grand piano could be played quietly at all. "Can I choose a song?"

"I only know one."

"Then I want that one."

"This?"

The note sounded awfully off-key.

"No, Anna–" Elsa took her sister's hand and spread her tiny fingers as far apart as she could without hurting her. She placed her pinky on the proper key. "This one. Try to reach it."

Anna tried to flex the finger on her own, but she barely grazed the key. "I can't do that," she grumbled in defeat.

"Can't do that yet."

"Why is this so easy for you and so hard for me?"

"It was hard for me at the beginning too. Now come on, let's go through it once again."

She woke up startled. The image of Anna falling lifeless to the floor haunted her every night, and with every nightmare the room looked even worse when she woke up. The castle was quiet, the only sound she could really hear was the cracking of ice creeping on the walls. She let out a slow, shaky breath in an attempt to calm herself down. But now that she saw her ice glistening in the faint green light of the Aurora, there was nothing left in her but panic, though.

She had to make it stop. There had to be a way to make it stop.

She gripped the fabric of her own nightgown tightly, pulling it taut until it stuck to her sweaty skin.

What if her parents came in here now. They'd be furious– no, disappointed she was doing this again. Like a small, unruly child, that just wouldn't learn her stupid lesson.

Conceal, Elsa, come on–

At first she thought she misheard, but once she focused she could clearly make out a tune. A muffled voice humming an old song in the dead of the night. The cracking stopped at once so she could really listen to her sister's voice. Quiet, virtually impossible for Elsa to hear from across the castle, through the thick stone walls.

Her panic gave way to sorrow.

It was some time before she heard the piano again.

On a warm Summer morning, as she was sitting down to eat breakfast she suddenly heard a wild cacophony that knocked the fork out of her hand. Ever since Anna's accident, the piano was left in a spare room right below Elsa's bedchamber. With no visitors coming in, and Elsa not coming out, there was nobody left in the castle who would use it.

A few moments passed before she heard another sound–a tentative, gentle note. Then another. The person–and Elsa suddenly felt very envious of that person–was simply pressing the keys in no particular order, not forming a melody. Still, after years of not hearing it, there was something oddly soothing about the piano's voice. Even if it was terribly out of tune.

She was on her way to getting her fork off the floor when the notes started forming a pattern. An awkward, choppy tune. The same old song. The same old mistake that little Anna had always made.

She let the fork lie where it fell. Somehow, she wasn't hungry anymore.

Sometimes she wondered if Anna was even aware that she could hear her play. And if so, then if she knew what she was making Elsa feel.

After that first time–what Elsa deemed was Anna's 'discovery' of the piano that she probably forgot existed–Anna took it upon herself to come to the piano room on a somewhat regular basis. A few minutes of random key pressing soon turned to half an hour at a time, which then turned into hours of focused work. At some point she had to ask for some music sheets, because the self made tunes turned to awkward renditions of melodies Elsa recognized. She even had someone tune the piano properly. With each passing day she became better, and Elsa found herself waiting for the dinnertime to listen to Anna's afternoon sessions.

With some pride, Elsa had to admit that Anna's skill surpassed her own. With seemingly no tutor and just determination–or boredom–to drive her.

And every so often she would break Elsa's heart all over again with the same old song.

A year passed and Anna was able to play tougher pieces fluently. Elsa was proud–extremely proud–but… at the same time, she felt she was losing the last remnants of connection she had with her sister. With a new hobby, Anna wasn't as bored in the castle as she used to be. She seldomly knocked on Elsa's door. She stopped coming to tell Elsa about her day, or ask questions that Elsa never answered.

She stopped playing the old song, too. She was never able to finish it anyway.

On the day they learned about their parents' death, she finally gathered the courage to talk to Anna. It was not much–it was extremely little, if she were to be honest. A short answer to a question. I don't know. She had no idea what to do now. She had no idea how to help Anna.

On that day, the castle fell silent again.

She didn't go to the funeral. She couldn't, not after so many years of avoiding everyone. Avoiding Anna. She felt she was so close to finally, finally be able to hide the wicked powers she possessed. It was hard enough to deal with the grief alone.

Anna came to knock on her door after the funeral. Her throat was so tight she didn't answer a single word.

At night, she couldn't sleep. She lay awake in her bed, watching the frost form intricate patterns on the canopy and listening to Anna playing the old song on repeat, never finishing, for hours.

For three years, whatever Elsa did, there was always one thing on her mind. The coronation. She dreaded it, of course. She feared what her life would look like from then on and anticipated every last possibility of things getting out of hand. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but wait for it like a child would for Christmas.

It was the last chance, she told herself. A final attempt to return to her sister's life.

She had the evening planned out to the last second, until things, as presumed, got out of hand.

The events were all just a giant blur. The coronation, the weight of the crown placed on her head. The ball. The guests. Seeing Anna's beautiful smile for the first time in years. Then, the fight. The flee. The freedom. Anna. Olaf. Anna, hurt again. The soldiers coming to take her. The blizzard.

Hans telling her Anna died.

Anna's frozen body.

Anna breathing.

And at last, warmth.

When she entered the piano room, Anna was already there, looking out the window. She turned around to face her with a smile as soon as she heard the door close.

"I have something for you," Elsa breathed out quickly, just in case her embarrassment took the better of her. She hasn't yet admitted to listening to Anna play every day.

"For me?" Anna sounded genuinely surprised.

Without another word, Elsa walked over to the piano and gave her a piece of parchment. Anna took it and skimmed through briefly, then did a double take. She looked back at Elsa surprised. "That's–"

Elsa nodded. "I figured you'd want it. It's a song I used to play to you when we were child–"

She didn't anticipate the pounce. She stumbled backwards and crashed onto the piano bench with Anna on top. Her old instincts screamed at her to push Anna away, but she silenced them, circled her arms around Anna's waist and just enjoyed the moment.

"Sorry," Anna muttered, propping herself on her elbow.

Elsa just shook her head.

"Will you play it for me?"

Elsa shook her head again. "I haven't played the piano in years."

Anna sat up and pulled her up as well. "Play it with me then."

"What?"

"You showed me how to play once," Anna said, placing Elsa's hands on the piano's keyboard and putting her own hands over them. She then looked at her warily, before asking, "is this alright?"

She grazed her fingers over Elsa's touch-starved skin and Elsa just nodded again, throat dry, not trusting her words right now.

Slowly and uncertainly, they started playing the same old song.