In Time

By Eversskye

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. No, the lyrics to Yatta will not be in order with the chapter titles.

Chapter Three: If There's a Change in You

They fell on a large bed of snow in the valley below North Mountain.

Anna gasped, sputtering a mouthful of flurries from her lips. Shakily she pushed herself up, dusting the sprinkles of white from her hair and her clothes before narrowing her eyes to look at the girl beside her.

"Elsa!" she screamed, unsure if her heart was pounding so quickly from fright or frustration.

Meanwhile, half buried within her own creation, the former queen did not seem to share her sister's distress. The light blonde sent a mischievous smirk towards her younger sister before bursting into laughter at the scowl directed at her.

"Seriously, Elsa! I can't believe you did that!"

The shorter girl huffed and crossed her arms. "I thought we were going to die."

If looks could kill, perhaps Elsa would have at the very least quieted down by now. As it was, the strawberry blonde's glare only served to amuse her further. The older girl fell back into the snow and she lay, part of her cheeks burrowing in its softness while she chortled.

"Anna, being so serious doesn't fit you. You should have seen that look on your face when we fell. It was priceless. I'd give my life to see that any day."

The former queen remained on the ground, moving her arms and legs to create a snow angel.

Once again, Anna marveled at the newfound playfulness her sister showed. Elsa was out of character. Too happy, too childish. But it was difficult to remain angry at her sister when Elsa was like this, Anna eventually realized, her eyebrows relaxing reluctantly.

Elsa was in her element. So happy, so carefree as she continued to bury herself within the snow. As she lifted her head slightly to look at her sister, the flakes on Elsa's hair seemed to shimmer under the moonlight.

She was beautiful. A child of winter. Perhaps it was only after she had run away, was Elsa finally able to freely do the things she was forbidden to as a child.

Anna could feel her heart thundering in her chest, suddenly for a much different reason than before. The young queen's mouth was suddenly dry as she watched Elsa laugh without abandon. Her cheeks felt warm, and Anna shook her head as though to clear them of those foreign thoughts towards her sister.

"Alright. I know I suck at trying to be the more mature one. But now your laughing at me is getting out of hand."

She turned, about to stomp away, yet the grin on Elsa's lips stopped her.

"Don't pout, Anna."

Tilting her head slightly, the former queen extended an elegant hand in silent command to be pulled up. Anna rolled her eyes, noting how royally spoiled her sister was behaving at the moment. Nonetheless, she reached over to help the older girl stand.

"I'm not pouting," Anna grumbled.

The taller girl chose not to reply. Instead, Elsa suddenly dashed forward, deeper into the valley.

Anna wasted no time in sprinting after her.

"W-wait! Why are we here?"

"Hurry Anna! I have something to show you."

With that the two ran into the night, completely oblivious of the chaos happening upon the cliffs above them within the ranks of Anna's search party.

It was a lake that Elsa had wanted to show her sister. A frozen one, with ice so clear the moonlight seemed to shine within its depths rather than being reflected from it. The surrounding pine trees, heavy with snowfall, served only to accentuate the picturesque feel of their surroundings.

Anna felt her eyes widen, mouth opening slightly at the sight. She took in a deep breath. "It's…"

"Gorgeous," Elsa completed, a warm glint in her eyes as she observed the current queen. She flicked her wrists expertly, and a pair of skates formed around their feet.

It was something they hadn't done in a very long time. Slipping and sliding, they made their way to the center of the lake. Back and forth they twirled and skated, never more than a meter apart.

As she felt the nightly breeze lay kisses upon her skin, Anna tried to relax and calm her mind of its confusion. There were so many questions left unanswered, and none of Elsa's actions made any sense. Even her own emotions were filled with uncertainty, but Anna was reluctant to break whatever moment they were having by resuming her quest for answers.

Since she was a child, Elsa had always been the one whose company Anna sought for most. It hadn't changed in all these years, she mused. So despite all of her perplexity, what Anna felt most was a deep yearning for the other girl. To be in Elsa's company no matter what the cost. Unanswered questioned be damned.

Still, it did not help matters any that what Anna felt was not entirely appropriate at all. Elsa did not feel like just her sister. There were times that Elsa did not seem like her sister at all. It was almost like they'd just ran off for a secret affair.

Was it possible to be so attracted to someone? And her sister, nonetheless. Any time now, Hans would catch them and find out.

A cool hand slipped within her own, and Anna felt her face warming up. She entwined their fingers together, as Elsa looked at her adoringly, innocently.

Anna's heart shuddered as she took in a warm breath. The air smelled fresh. Like wintery pine and freshly fallen snow.

Like Elsa herself.

They were standing impossibly close. If the young queen had leaned just a tiny bit closer, perhaps she would be able to feel the older's breath upon her own. She swallowed hard, attempting to pull away from clear azure eyes that seemed to shine with something she could not comprehend.

Only to land upon Elsa's lips. Soft and smooth. Anna could remember them upon her own just moments ago in that chaste kiss she was given before they had fallen down.

And falling she still was, probably. Closer.

Anna had never felt that way before. Not with Hans. Never with Hans, did she feel in a kiss as though there was something in it so delicate, her heart ached to protect.

Closer.

Her eyes closed and they touched.

She couldn't breathe.

Anna took a while to realize that it wasn't due to the kiss. They were both under water. Somehow, the lake had partially melted.

With frantic wave of her arms, Anna soon reached the surface, gasping for air. Cold and drenched, she caught sight of a large piece of ice floating nearby and swam over towards it, arms leaning onto the mini glacier for support as she caught her breath.

"Elsa! I swear. If this is another one of your jokes, I'll…" her words drifted off as she turned around.

The former queen was nowhere to be found.

"Elsa?"

Groaning slightly, Anna pulled herself from the water to sit upon the ice, frantically craned her neck back and forth in search of her sister.

"It's not funny. Where are you?" she yelled.

The lake was empty, save for a few scattered sheets of floating ice. Below her, the water seemed eerily calm.

"It's okay. I'm not angry anymore! Just…come out, Elsa."

There was no reply.

"Elsa!"

A thought occurred to her then, that perhaps her sister was still in the water. At once she jumped, diving back into the cold depths to search for any sign of life at all. It took a minute of drowning in the worst fear Anna had ever experienced in her life, but with luck, her fingers managed to grasp onto something that vaguely seemed like an arm.

Upwards, she pulled, and soon they both broke free into the surface.

She did not know how she managed to bring them back to the shore, but after what seemed like an eternity, she finally set foot on land. Throughout the time, Elsa did not open her eyes, did not wake up at all.

At first she believed that the older girl had probably taken too much water into her lungs. Yet after a frantic attempt at reviving her sister, Anna realized that Elsa was breathing. She had been breathing, even when Anna had first pulled her from the lake. Lying upon the ground, the older girl was more pale than Anna had ever seen her before. Still, there were no wounds that could be seen, and drowning did not seem to be the cause of the girl's lack of consciousness.

Come to think of it, there was no reason why Elsa had stayed in the water for so long. After all, Anna recalled that her elder sister knew how to swim.

Eyes wet with worry, the strawberry blonde draped one of her sister's arms around her shoulders, letting the older girl lean on her for support as she trudged through the snow in search of help.

"Please, hang on."

Her back ached, and her arms had lost any feeling long ago. Anna continued on, however, half pulling half dragging her sister and herself through the forest. A light seemed to shine not too far ahead, and for the first time in forever, Anna allowed herself to hope.

"Anyone? Is anyone there? Please help!"

She sighed in relief when a deep voice echoed back, followed by the wooshing sound of a sled.

"Who's there!?"

She watched as a tall, broad figure approached, carrying what seemed to be a lantern. Behind him trailed a reindeer tugging on a sled full of ice blocks. As the mountain man stared at her suspiciously, Anna found herself rushing to explain her situation in hopes that he could offer his aid.

She did not manage to speak more than a few words when he bent forward suddenly, raising his lantern to take a better look at the girl draped around her shoulders.

"Elsa!" the stranger exclaimed.

What happened afterwards occurred in a blur as Anna was pushed backwards. Before she could completely gather herself, her older sister was already in the muscular arms of the ice harvester. He carried Elsa easily to the sled, laying her upon the ice blocks and grabbing hold of the reins to motion his reindeer into action.

Anna quickly grabbed hold of his sled before he could leave, narrowing her eyes frustratingly. It was obvious that the man knew who Elsa was, but Anna felt that she could not trust him just yet. His intentions remained unclear despite the worried reaction he seemed to give upon seeing the unconscious girl.

"Who are you, and what are you planning to do with my sister?"

The young man rolled his eyes.

"What else? I'm trying to save her. Wasn't that what you were calling out for?"

The queen did not know how to respond, so despite the confusion raging through her mind, she followed him silently across the forest while praying that it was the right decision to do so.

It turned out that Elsa did not need any help after all. She awoke shortly after the sled had started moving. There was an air of calmness around her as she glanced at her companions, lips upturned in a smile and eyes unsurprised, as though she had been awake the entire time.

Stifling a scream of relief, Anna grabbed her sister into a tight hug, choosing to ignore the onslaught of other emotions through her mind at the moment. The younger girl had half a mind to strangle her sister for all the trouble she had caused, but the worry Anna had experienced for the past while left her exhausted. Instead, she chose to bury her face in the elder's shoulders instead, sobbing slightly.

Elsa's smile widened, and she raised one hand to pet her sister's hair lovingly. She paused when her fingers touched something cold and white.

"We should build a snowman," the former queen observed, blinking as snow began to fall upon them.

After all that has happened, this is the first thing she thinks of upon waking up?

Anna was not alone in her sentiments. Before she could reply, she was interrupted by a snort from their strange rescuer, who had earlier introduced himself to her as Kristoff.

"Haven't you had enough adventures for today?"

The young man's tone was warm and tinged with amusement, as though he had experienced a similar conversation with Elsa before. Breaking apart from the hug, Anna stole a glance at her sister, whose eyebrows were raised slightly in defiance.

"We should build a snowman," she repeated.

There was no need for Elsa to say anything else as shortly afterwards, Kristoff sighed and raised his hands in surrender.

"Fine. But only after we arrive. God knows you need your rest."

At this, Elsa rolled her eyes and shrugged.

Bitterness boiled within Anna's stomach as she quietly watched her companions interact. Elsa and the mountain man…how long had they known each other? How much more does Kristoff know about Elsa than Anna did about her own sister?

With each question running through her mind Anna could feel an unfamiliar jealousness rise to her throat. She fought the urge to glare at Kristoff, wishing to replace the position in Elsa's heart that he no doubt held. For the past few years, he had accompanied her sister and taken Anna's rightful place.

She felt angry at the unfairness of it all. Yet try as she might, the young queen could not come up with a reason to hate the man. He had been nothing but kind to them. And truly, it was not his fault that Anna was separated from her sister for the past many years.

She settled with clutching tightly to Elsa's arm as the sled rode into the night.

Building a snowman, as it turned out, was impossible by the time they reached the tiny cabin that was Kristoff's house. The sky had cleared once more and the ground seemed to be devoid of any snow or ice. If Anna had noticed the lack of coldness within the ever-frozen North Mountain, she was too tired to mention anything. After a quick dinner, she collapsed into a deep sleep beside the fireplace, resolving to confront Elsa with her questions as soon as she woke up the next day.

Once the current queen of Arendelle had fallen asleep, Kristoff motioned for Elsa to step outside with him. They settled side by side near the door, Elsa's eyes looking into the distance while the ice harvester watched her with a grim expression on his face.

"It's working, isn't it? Arendelle will thaw, just like how you had planned."

The long haired girl nodded as Kristoff continued.

"But you haven't told her yet-"

At this Elsa raised a hand to silence him, finally turning to look at her companion.

"She doesn't need to know. At least not yet."

"Elsa, yes she does! She deserves to know."

His voice deepened in its attempt to not awaken the royal inside while also fighting the urge to scream at the same time. He placed both of his hands on her shoulder, shaking them while she shook her head at him.

Her voice was soft when she replied.

"I have to do this, Kristoff. Arendelle depends on it."

He sighed. "I hate it. But I'll always help you, you know that. Tell me, is this what you really want? Would you be happy with what happens in the end?"

Elsa nodded.

"Of course. We really should build a snowman before time runs out though."

For the second time that night, Kristoff snorted.

"Idiot."

Then he smiled sadly, shaking his head as he walked back inside.

End.

A/N: Things will definitely pick up next chapter. Actually, I did not originally plan to end this chapter here, as it had been my intention to finish the next chapter of Snow Red first before dealing with this story. My other story has taken and will take a lot more time than I want it to though, so I figured posting whatever I have here so far wouldn't be too bad of an idea. This story is kind-of like my breather in writing, for whenever I want to take a break from the many plotlines running through my head as I plan for the other story to continue.

Once again, thank you for every favorite/follow/review. I hope this chapter did not disappoint too much. I have half a mind to rewrite it, but I can't really pinpoint what I want to change.