Chapter 5

"So…"

El looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Where are you from?"

Much to Anna's dismay, her bath had been postponed by a persistent three-day rain. The river was beginning to flood and they were both stuck in the cottage until the storm receded. El was perfectly content sitting in an armchair and reading a book for hours on end, but Anna had no such patience.

It had now been just about a week since her crash, and her ribs and shoulder were healing well. She could manage normal arm movement as long as she didn't strain herself too much. Her leg was slower in its healing process, and she was in no condition to walk yet, but the constant throbbing had subsided.

The past three days had been torture for her. She was stuck in bed all day, and the only form of entertainment El kept on hand was books. She had spent some time reading, but most of it was spent in thought and stealing glances at El.

Anna couldn't help but admire her. Her whole appearance screamed confidence, and she rejected the typical femininity found in most women's clothing. She mostly wore, from what Anna could tell, men's trousers that fit loosely and a tanktop with a jacket. Her hair was nearly always in a single braid, stray bangs hanging over her forehead. She had sharp features and a strong jaw. She was so ridiculously attractive that it almost angered Anna.

El was a creature of habit, and woke every morning to promptly fix a cup of black tea with one scoop of sugar, pick a book and her reading glasses from the shelf, and sit with her legs tucked under her and read for several hours. She would get up to get Anna what she needed, but she never spoke unless Anna struck up a conversation. Anna had talked about herself mostly, and it seemed like she had told El nearly everything about herself. But even when she tried, she could never get more than short and vague answers about personal questions.

Still, Anna was so bored that day that she decided she'd try again. El pursed her lips and her eyes returned to the book. "I'm from the area."

"Any family around here?"

"No."

Anna drummed her fingers on her thigh. "I see." She glanced out the window, staring at the dark and listening to the rain. El had started a fire when the sun set and the wood crackled. El stood and added more wood to the fire, and Anna looked at her profile. "Can I ask you a question?"

El stoked the fire and turned, sitting on her heels. "Of course."

"How do you feel about me taking the throne?"

"With all due respect, I don't follow the government very much. I probably wouldn't notice a difference." When Anna's eyes fell she realized that wasn't the answer she was looking for. She crouched in front of her and rested a hand on her knee. "Are you worried about ruling?"

Anna sighed. "It's never been something I've looked forward to. I don't consider myself to be a person interested in this sort of thing, but there's no one else to take over. I can't ask The Committee to just continue what they're doing and skip out on my responsibilities."

El gave her a soft smile. "I think it will work out just fine for you. I don't know you very well, but it seems like you tackle anything you need to."

Anna returned the smile and they shared a brief silence. She then spoke in a decided tone. "El? I'd like you to sleep with me tonight."

She looked back at Anna with confused eyes. "I'm sorry?"

Anna flushed. "I-I meant in the bed. Not on the floor," She stammered. "I feel awful that you've been sleeping there for so long, your back must be killing you."

"Oh, of course." El stook and rubbed the back of her neck. "Thank you for offering, my back has been pretty sore. I'll go get ready for bed."

When she closed the bathroom door, Anna fell back against the pillow and smacked her forehead.

Smooth, Anna, very smooth.

El splashed water on her face and looked in the mirror.

You can handle this. You're just sleeping next to her, nothing more has to happen.

She changed into a loose-fitting shirt and went back out into the main room, finding that Anna had also changed into one of her tank tops. El had found that ignoring Anna's beauty over the past week was becoming increasingly more difficult. Anna tied her hair back into a ponytail and patted the space next to her with a smile. El's eyes followed the exposed curve of her jaw briefly and then sat down, pulling the blanket over herself and lying on her back.

The bed was just a little too small for both of them to be laying down and avoiding touching each other. El's shoulder was hanging off the edge of the bed and she shifted uncomfortably. Anna finally huffed, "This isn't going to work," and turned on her side, forehead resting against El's shoulder.

She sighed contently while El lay perfectly still, trying to ignore the hammering in her chest. As Anna drifted into a deeper sleep, her arm came across El's stomach, fingers barely skating underneath the hem of her shirt and resting on El's hip. She exhaled tightly and forced her eyes shut, praying for sleep to distract her from the fire she could feel under Anna's fingers.

Hello again!

After reading a review someone left, I realized I didn't explain the time frame very well. This universe is set in the 1940s-1950s, a time period where swords and carriages were still used by royalty, and the luxury of things like indoor plumbing doesn't reach an isolated cottage in the woods.

I chose this time period to toy with some older, traditional aspects of royal processes, while also allowing El's character to not be restricted by hyper-feminine clothing shown in the canon Frozen universe. I hope that this curves any confusion!

Thanks for reading!

Kalle B.