A/N: Just a short one-shot to help you all recover from Chapter 15 of Frozen Fractals.
Storytime – as Anna had deemed it – was quickly becoming a regular occurrence in the castle.
Every evening after dinner, she'd pretend to give Elsa time to indulge in her usual habit of curling up with a book, whilst Anna herself went for a 'short walk' in the gardens.
Inevitably, the short walk lasted less than five minutes, and Elsa would only make it through two or three pages before she heard her sister's light footsteps as she tried to sneak into the library. Elsa would feign ignorance, hiding a smile as she let Anna creep right up to the couch, before the girl leaned close to her ear and-
"Boo!" she cried. Elsa just smirked as Anna huffed. "Aw, you knew I was here, didn't you?" Elsa put the book down, turning to grin at her sister over the back of the couch, saying nothing. "I'll get you one day," Anna said, wagging a finger in the older girl's direction.
Her eyes drifted to the thick book in Elsa's lap with affected nonchalance. "Whatcha reaaaading?" she drawled, clambering over the back of the couch, plopping down on the cushion beside her sister.
Elsa held the cover up for her to read as she said "The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's very good." She began to describe it to her sister. "It's got romance and a festival and a dashing captain who rescues a beautiful gypsy girl…" she trailed off, chuckling as Anna's face lit up. "I knew you'd like it."
The younger girl looked to the cover, narrowing her eyes quizzically as she ran her finger down the gold-lettering on the spine. "That's in French." Tilting her head to the side to read the words, she sounded them out. "Notrey Dayme dee Paris," she said, awkwardly, before turning her head right side up and beaming at the older girl. "Did I say it right?"
Elsa smiled fondly at her sister. "Close enough," she teased.
Anna pressed herself into the girl's side. "Will you read it to me?" she asked, suddenly shy. Elsa felt a tug in her chest. Anna was still cautious when it came to asking for things from her older sister, and after years of suffering Elsa's rejection of her requests, the older girl didn't blame her being apprehensive.
"Of course," she said softly. "But we'll need to find an English copy. I'm not so good at translating French on the fly."
Anna jumped up, thoroughly enthused by the prospect of being read to. She bowed comically. "At your service, my queen. Just point me in the direction of this mysterious book, and I shall return verily with it at once…verily," she frowned, stumbling over her effusive sentence.
Elsa giggled, pointing at a bookshelf nearby. "Over there, my liege. On the top shelf." When Anna almost tripped over the rug in her haste, the older girl quickly added, "Don't hurt yourself!" Her sister just waved her concerns away.
"What am I looking for again?" she called, reaching the bookshelf.
Elsa huffed, amused. Her sister was incredibly sweet, but at times she had the memory of a goldfish. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," she replied.
"Right, right," Anna muttered distractedly, running a hand along the shelf. "Oh! Found it!" She pulled the book down, whipping around and bounding back to the couch. "Don't forget to do the voices, okay?" she insisted, wiggling the book as she held it out to her sister.
"Okay," Elsa grinned, gently taking the book from Anna's grasp as the girl dropped into the cushions again.
"Oh, oh," the girl squirmed, "can you do a French accent for the captain too? French is such a dreamy language." She flopped into Elsa's lap, looking up at her sister expectantly.
"If you insist," the older girl sighed in jest.
Twirling her hands with a flourish, Anna closed her eyes. "Then you may begin."
Elsa just shook her head, smiling, as she opened the book, beginning with as grandiose a tone as she could muster. "Three hundred and forty-eight years, six-" she was interrupted by Anna softly taking one of her hands and placing it upon the messy red hair on her head, grinning up at her.
"Sorry," she said, sheepishly. "I just…really like it when you do stuff with my hair."
Elsa quirked an eyebrow. "Stuff?" she teased.
Anna blushed. "Yeah, you know, like running your fingers through it and…stuff" she finished, lamely.
The older girl took pity on her sister, and winked at her. "I knew what you meant."
Anna pouted, but it quickly morphed into a satisfied smile, and she let out an involuntary hum of contentment as Elsa ran her fingers through the girl's locks, gently scratching her scalp.
Heart full as she felt her sister snuggle closer, Elsa started again.
"Three hundred and forty-eight years, six months, and nineteen days ago today…"