A/N: HELLO FRIENDS! This is my first foray into the Elsanna fandom that isn't nsfw crack. |D I'm still a little self-conscious about it, but! I wanted it out there. ;u; The title was given to me by cyonapie on tumblr because I can't title things to save my life.

Friendly reminder that this fic is most definitely an incest fic and that's literally the entire basis for the plot, so if that isn't your cuppa I'd hit the back button now! I'll have non-incesty Frozen fic later, but this was the most requested from tumblr orz

"You did what," Elsa's voice was flat, expression as neutral as she could possibly manage.

One of her advisors had just announced that she had an entire week to prepare herself for the upcoming ball, where she would be paraded around in front of a myriad of suitors in an effort to find a match for her.

And she hadn't been told a word of the plans. They had gone behind her back, planned a ball, invited the nobles from neighboring countries...

"Your majesty, you've been turning down suitors on a daily basis!" Rhine, the one who had been tasked with breaking the news to her, wrung his hands. "What were we to do? Arendelle needs an heir!"

"Arendelle needs no such thing!" she said, coldly, the frost creeping from beneath her feet punctuating her words. "I am twenty-two, Rhine! Arendelle will need no heir for some time! Besides," she crossed her arms over her chest. "I am your Queen. I am fully capable of making my own decisions. The fact that you went behind my back on the matter, used royal funds to orchestrate this secret ball..."

"We were only looking out for the kingdom, your majesty! And the people are beginning to talk... have you heard? They're calling you the "Ice Queen" now, you've turned down so many..."

Eyebrows rose delicately over clear blue eyes and Elsa's pale skin flushed.

"I-I- very well. I will attend this ball." She shifted her weight, looked away from Rhine, whose expression brightened considerably. "But I will do so on my terms. I have no obligation to choose from these suitors, either."

Rhine's expression dimmed once more.

"But your majesty-" Elsa held up her hand to stop him mind-sentence.

"But nothing. I am my own person, Rhine. It is your duty to advise me, not control my entire life. Remember on whose head the crown rests." And with a dismissive motion, she left the room.

Outside, she pressed herself against the door and her entire regal facade dropped, her expression grew worried as she pressed a hand to her chest. She had to find Anna.

Anna was in the garden. It was winter, so there were no flowers for her to be admiring - instead, Elsa found her sister making snow angels with the help of Olaf. The little snowman was trying his hardest to copy Anna's movements, but stubby legs and skinny stick arms meant that his angel was looking... less than stellar. Anna, it seemed, was coaching him.

"Here! Try pushing you arms down a little harder, like this!"

The area around the fountain was littered with lopsided, goofy-looking snow angels, courtesy of Olaf. After a few minutes of observing the two of them Elsa finally let out a soft giggle, one delicate hand covering her mouth. Anna's head popped up from the snow, followed by Olaf holding his own head aloft, a great big grin crossing his snowy face.

"Elsa's here!" he exclaimed, hopping up and running towards the queen, arms outstretched. By the time Olaf reached Elsa's legs and hugged them, Anna had stood up and beaten some of the snow off her dress. Elsa sank down to hug Olaf as well, giving Anna time to come bouncing over to the two of them.

"How long were you there?" she chirped. "Did you see, I'm teaching Olaf to make snow angels!"

"I saw," Elsa said with a laugh, standing. After a cursory glance around the courtyard to make sure nobody was around, she grabbed Anna's coat collar with one hand and pulled her sister into a breathless kiss. When they parted, Anna was panting and red-faced, her breath visible and her lips covered with a thin layer of quickly-melting frost.

"Wow, uh. It's only been an hour... I missed you, too, but-"

"We need to talk," Elsa said after a moment. She looked down at Olaf, who was glancing between the both of them with his hands over his mouth and a happy expression on his face, bouncing a bit as he watched. "Olaf... a little privacy?"

"Huh? Why?" He asked. Elsa raised an eyebrow, cocked her head to one side. Realization dawned slowly and his smile grew much wider. "Oh! Ohhhhhh! Okay! I'm going to the kitchens, then! You girls have a good time, now!" he bounced a bit, waved as he walked away, legs carrying him towards the castle while his torso and head were facing the sisters. Elsa and Anna both waved until he was out of sight, Elsa shaking her head just a tiny bit, a small smile on her lips.

Once Olaf was out of earshot, Elsa guided Anna over to a stone bench, using her magic to clear the snow off of it. The girls sat down, Elsa holding Anna's hands in hers, their knees touching. Anna in her winter gear and Elsa in a much lighter dress, though still made of fabric. She reserved the ice dresses for parties or when she needed to impress people - or when she needed the confidence boost.

Anna's expression had changed; now she was worried, gaze shifting back and forth nervously.

"I don't- I don't like this tone. You're not- not going to end it between us, right?" she asked, her usually-bright voice meek and young-sounding. Elsa felt a squeeze in her chest at the tone and tears sprang to her eyes.

"N-no, of course not- I wouldn't ever..." words failing her, she pulled her sister into a hug, inhaled the scent of Anna's hair and skin and the crisp, clean scent of cold in the air. When they parted, Elsa reached up to move a stray strand of hair out of Anna's face. "I would never. But... we do have a problem."

"I'm gonna kill them-" Anna said from between clenched teeth, standing and beginning to stalk towards the castle, her shoulders tense and hands balled into fists. She hadn't taken the news of the ball well at all. Elsa scrambled to catch up to her, grab her arm-

"Whoa, whoa, relax, hold on," Elsa said, trying desperately to calm her sister's fiery temper. "Just like every other suitor, I can turn these ones down..."

Elsa didn't expect Anna to turn, her expression to soften. The strawberry-blonde's shoulder slumped beneath her winter cloak.

"But... Elsa... Ice Queen? You can't... you can't keep them away forever." Anna sounded so, so young, her temper having deflated into an almost pathetic wheedling. Elsa placed her hand on her sister's cheek, rubbed her thumb on the girl's cheekbone, over her freckles. Anna's gloved hand raised to rest on Elsa's bare one. "We've got to do something. We've got to- I don't know- tell... someone...?"

Elsa leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Anna's. Their noses touched, and Anna made a small motion with her head that rubbed them together.

"We can't. We can't tell anyone... ever." It was painful, having to hide like this. After hiding her entire life. But this... this was to protect Anna, too. And even though it hurt... it hurt so much less than all those years without her.

Anna's expression hardened, her eyes growing serious.

"I'll think of something. We'll think of something. This will work out, you'll see!"

And then, with a reassuring peck on the lips, Anna turned and walked, briskly, into the castle.

Elsa hardly saw Anna for the next week. It wasn't by choice - she was kept busy by preparations for the ball, paperwork to be done, visitors to be greeted... but whenever she had free time, she did try to seek out her sister.

Which would have been much easier if she could actually have found the princess.

As the week wore on, Elsa became more and more stressed. Parts of the castle began icing over and she found her food freezing before it reached her mouth. She'd sit in the corner of her bedroom, alone, hugging her knees tight to her chest and repeating the mantra that she thought she'd discarded: Conceal it. Don't feel it. Don't let it show.

Only, this time, it wasn't her powers that she had to hide. But this secret... she couldn't see any way at all that it could turn out well. Somehow, the people of Arendelle took well to her powers, after the initial freeze. Perhaps they were just pretending to, so that Arendelle wouldn't be plunged into yet another horrific blizzard at the hands of their queen, but either way worked for her. At least she wasn't being met with torches and pitchforks, and she did try her hardest to help her people...

But this? Was a bit much. How was she going to... get out of this... she'd spent so long without her sister. She couldn't lose Anna. Not again. Not ever again. If something happened to Anna, Elsa would die.

The snowstorm that formed above Arendelle was, luckily, actually in winter this time, so there was no way to properly link it back to Elsa. But anyone who entered her room, saw the coating of ice creeping up to the ceiling and the tears making tracks down her cheeks, could tell better.

It only got worse on the night of the ball. Elsa had spent hours perfecting her dress, melting and refreezing the ice crystals to accentuate herself properly, forming the pseudo-fabric to her skin, weaving the train... nothing seemed to look right to her eyes. It was- hopeless. She didn't see any point in this ball, not when it was just an obvious attempt at ripping her apart from her sister once more. She wasn't going to give Anna up... she just wasn't sure how she was going to ensure that the two of them stayed together. The storm outside whipped into a frenzy, battering houses with snow and sleet.

She paced across her room, avoiding the bumps and jagged ice shards sticking up from the floor. She could do this. She was a queen. The queen. She made the rules around here, not her advisors. She- she could go against their wishes if she so chose!

But that... was only for tonight. Eventually, she'd need to pick a man, settle down, raise an heir. And... Anna couldn't help with that, as much as the two of them wanted her to. Arendelle deserved a normal royal family...

Her stomach in knots, Elsa built up her courage and left her room, ice crackling as her door shut behind her. She took a deep breath, knocked on Anna's door.

"Snowflake, are you ready...?" she asked, voice soft and worried. She was greeted with the sound of rapid movement, followed by a weak cough.

"I'm, uh-" another weak cough, "I'm sick. You'll have to go without me. I'm sorry..."

Elsa's heart dropped into her stomach and she choked back tears. She'd have to... deal with this on her own tonight. She began the walk to the ballroom, trying to steady her breathing, building up the regal mask that she'd been using with her advisors, trade partners, suitors, everyone she came in contact with. She repeated her mantra under her breath, using it to build armor around her. Nothing could affect her. She'd be fine. Everything would be fine.

The storm outside raged on.

The start of the ball was a blur. She was announced, she met with suitors, had her hands kissed so many times she was afraid she'd accidentally frozen a few lips, danced...

Well, she didn't really dance. Every suitor who pressed her was denied, gently but firmly, on the grounds that she didn't dance. Ever. A young man - a noble's son, from Westerlen, if she remembered correctly - seemed content to stand next to her and discuss local politics, the quality of the food... for a few moments, she let herself relax. Let herself smile.

He had a nice face, a gentle expression. Dark hair and eyes, so different from Anna's, but he was... attractive. She supposed, if she had to, she could see herself with this one. He was quiet, not at all pushy, and he seemed content to stand with her and just... talk. He didn't press her, didn't even try to touch her after they'd met. He'd blushed a bit - was he younger than her? She didn't know. But overall... he seemed nice enough.

She let herself imagine the two of them together. Marriage in the castle gardens, Anna the Maid of Honor, Olaf the ring-bearer... a small wedding. Summer, maybe? Summer was a good time for weddings, right? And maybe... children. Two? Three? She didn't want them fighting over the throne... but she didn't want just one. She'd be busy, the child would need a playmate... oh, no, what if... they were born with powers...?

Tears sprang to her eyes again and she turned away. The Westerlen boy drew closer, asked if she was okay. She wiped away any evidence of her tears, reassured him that she was fine.

He... seemed really nice. Pity she didn't know his name.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the interruption, but it seems we have a late arrival!" came a voice. Elsa looked up. Another one? She began looking around as the voice continued. "May I present... Prince Andre of Val-de-Mer!"

Prince... Andre? Elsa raised an eyebrow. She hadn't seen that name on the guest list. But the man that walked up to her...

He wasn't much taller than her, and terribly young-looking. Clean-shaven, with a round face, and a spattering of freckles across his cheeks that made him look mischievous, playful. His hair was short, gently curling around his face, and a delicate strawberry-blonde. His uniform gave him square shoulders, an angular form, and he was dressed in a deep forest-green with gold accents, with tall, black, high-heeled boots.

He was gorgeous. And, as he knelt down in front of Elsa, she realized: painfully familiar.

In shock, she allowed him to take her hand, blushed furiously as he brought her hand to his lips and pressed them gently against her bare skin. The warmth spreading up her arm at that- she was afraid her dress would begin to melt.

"My lady?" His voice, too, was almost familiar - much like her father's, though... younger, perhaps? Not nearly as deep and resonating, but...

He stood, looked her in the eyes, and gave her a cheeky grin. And that was when it clicked.

"Your majesty, may I have this dance?" he asked.

"Prince... Andre?" she asked, expression still a bit wary. "You... you may."

The Westerlen boy looked crestfallen as Andre led Elsa away.

As they danced, Andre's hand on Elsa's hip, Elsa leaned in and hissed:

"Anna, what are you thinking?!"

Anna's- Andre's expression grew mischievous, a familiar twinkle in his- her? eye. When she spoke, her voice was considerably higher now, far more feminine. It was still just above a whisper, though.

"I'm solving our little problem."

"Did you bribe the Val-de-Mer family for this?"

"Of course not!" Elsa appeared to relax a bit, before Anna continued. "I had the trolls replace their memory! I'm a bastard son, just discovered, and fifth in line for the throne, now!"

"Anna!" Elsa hissed. Anna made a shushing noise.

"Andre, remember? Andre."

"Andre, then! This isn't right-" Anna's expression changed into a pout, making her look less like the man she was posing as.

"You with someone else isn't right!" she said earnestly. "You belong with me, and I'll do anything- anything at all, to make sure we stay together!"

Elsa's expression softened a bit.

"You're... such a child." Anna looked hurt. "But... if this works... I owe you so much."

Anna brightened considerably, her expression taking on a roguish smolder.

"So... how do you feel about bedding a prince tonight?" she asked. Elsa chuckled, shook her head.

"But we've only just met, Prince Andre!" Elsa said after a moment, giving Anna a coy look. Anna looked crestfallen, before Elsa reached her hand up to take Anna's shorn locks between her fingers.

"You... really cut your hair?" She asked. Anna nodded. "...for me...?"

Anna pressed their foreheads together.

"Of course I did. I love you, you idiot."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! If! You have any questions or prompts or ideas or idk cookies or something that you want to get to me, I'm pandypaws on tumblr and my askbox is always open! please be gentle ;u;

Additionally, if there is any kind of demand for it, I may well do a smutty follow-up/epilogue to this fic!

Next up: the beginning of a non-shippy werewolf AU! or, at least, a series of scenes because what is plot