Sisterly bonding and Shakespearean games

A/N: I was planning to update this one on Valentine's Day but the Chyoa website was down for most of the day so I missed my window by a couple of hours. Still, I was deeply in the zone for this one so I hope you enjoy what I came up with.

Happy reading!

Anna's POV

Arendelle Castle – The Sauna

The corridor leading to the sauna was silent, save for the soft patter of their heels against the stone floor. The warmth of the room ahead drifted through the air, wrapping around them like an invisible veil of steam, promising comfort and relaxation. But despite the cozy atmosphere, Anna’s mind was a whirlwind of uncertainty.

She stole a glance at Elsa, who walked beside her with an easy grace, her expression light, content—free.

Anna should have been happy. No, she was happy. Seeing Elsa like this, so unburdened after years of quiet suffering, was a gift she never thought she’d witness.

But the problem was…she wasn’t sure how much longer this peace would last.

Elsa still thought that strange, itchy reaction earlier had been due to an allergic reaction to something on the dirty towel. That wasn’t true. Anna had caused it.

When they had visited the sauna earlier that morning, she had—without really thinking it through—decided to test something.

Something huge. Something that still terrified her to acknowledge.

Her powers.

Or rather…whatever had happened to her.

Because somehow—impossibly, ridiculously—she had awoken that morning changed. And not just changed in some vague, emotional way. No. She had felt it the moment she stirred, deep in her bones, humming in her veins like an unspoken truth she had yet to grasp fully.

She had tried to ignore it at first, pushing away the odd sensation, chalking it up to lingering excitement over Elsa’s upcoming coronation. But then she had known—as surely as she knew her own name—that there was something different inside her now.

And so, in that moment of impulsive curiosity, she had reached for that difference. Focused on it. Willed it into something real.

And it had worked.

Elsa’s reaction to the towel had been immediate. A minor, harmless reaction—just an itch, a little irritation. Nothing serious. But it had proven it.

Anna had done that. Anna had made that happen. Made her will a reality with nothing but her thoughts.

She didn’t know how. She didn’t know why. And she didn't know why HER of all people, all princesses had been chosen by this foreign deity to ascend to goddesshood.

But the fact remained: She had changed.

She bit her lip, staring ahead as they neared the sauna doors.

"I should tell her..." She told herself silently.

It was a simple truth. She knew keeping secrets had only ever hurt them both. After all, wasn’t it secrets that had kept them apart for thirteen years? And supernatural secrets at that, especially?

And yet…

She turned to look at Elsa again, watching as she tucked a loose strand of blonde-platinum hair behind her ear, as she let out a quiet breath, as if simply breathing felt easier now. This was the happiest Anna had seen her in so many years.

How could she ruin that?

Elsa deserved this joy, this peace, this moment where she could just be. She had spent most of her life carrying a weight too heavy for one person to bear—her fear, her magic, the kingdom, their parents’ expectations, the constant suffocating need for control. And now, finally, miraculously, she had let go of all of that. Sure, the miracle was technically her doing but all the same...how could Anna possibly drop this on her?

"Hey, so funny thing—I woke up a goddess this morning. No big deal. I might have already used my powers on you. But don’t worry, I only caused mild irritation! Haha!"

Oh no...that wasn’t a conversation to have right now. Not with Elsa’s coronation only days away.

"I’ll tell her. I have to tell her." She thought herself, trying to muster the determination from within as she clenched her fists, steadying herself. "But not quite yet. Not when everything was finally good again. Not when Elsa had only just started living after years of isolation."

She would tell her after the coronation. After Elsa had her moment to shine, to stand before their people and take her rightful place as queen without any more burdens than necessary.

After that…Anna would tell her everything.

Even if she had no idea how.

She exhaled as they reached the sauna doors. Elsa turned to her with an easy smile, oblivious to the storm of thoughts racing through Anna’s mind.

“This time,” Elsa said, her tone slightly amused while reaching for the handle, “let’s hope the towels aren’t out to get me.”

Anna let out a breathless chuckle, forcing herself to match Elsa’s lightheartedness. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Let’s hope.”

And with that, Elsa pushed open the doors, and the warmth of the sauna welcomed them once more.

Minutes later, the warmth of the sauna had wrapped around them like a comforting embrace, the air thick with steam and the faint scent of pinewood. Elsa leaned back against the smooth wooden bench, eyes half-lidded as the heat seeped into her muscles and she poured sweat into her not-bothersome towel.

Anna, seated beside her with her legs lazily stretched out, had been tapping her chin in thought for a while thinking of something they could do to pass the time and distract themselves. Something fun they could bond over.

Before long, a sudden realization struck her like a lightning bolt and soon a mischievous grin slowly curled across her moist lips as she turned to Elsa.

“Alright, I’ve got it,” She said, sitting up straighter. “Since you never had time for plays while you were busy ruling a kingdom in silence—” she waggled her eyebrows, and Elsa rolled her eyes with a small smile, “—how about a little game?”

Elsa arched a curious brow. “Oh?”

Anna smirked. “I’ll give you a Shakespeare quote, and you have to guess the play. Simple.”

Elsa let out a soft chuckle. “You do realize I’ve read some Shakespeare, right?”

“Oh, some Shakespeare,” Anna teased. “But I’ve read all of it. Multiple times. And I bet I can stump you.”

Elsa tilted her head, intrigued. “All right, you’re on.”

Anna clapped her hands. “Great! Let’s start easy.” She cleared her throat, her voice dipping into a dramatic tone:

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!”

Elsa smirked with a confident look. “That’s Macbeth.”

Anna snapped her fingers. “Ding ding ding! You got it. Okay, let’s try another.”

She grinned, barely waiting before launching into the next one:

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of **** but once.”

Elsa’s lips parted, her brows furrowing slightly.

“That sounds…” she trailed off, then a spark of recognition flashed in her eyes. “Julius Caesar.”

Anna huffed and crossed her arms while she gave her a mock glare. “Alright, alright, not bad. But let’s see if you can keep up.” She leaned in, dramatically lowering her voice:

“The better part of Valour, is Discretion.”

Elsa blinked once, then twice. “Hmm…” She pursed her lips in thought.

Anna chuckled. “Uh oh. Is my big sister struggling?”

Elsa shot her a look before tapping a finger to her temple. “No, no, I’ve got this…Henry IV, Part 1.”

Anna groaned, throwing her hands up. “Ugh! I was sure that one would trip you up!”

Elsa smirked, sitting a little straighter. “You underestimate me.”

Anna narrowed her eyes playfully. “Fine. Let’s see how you do with this one.” She cleared her throat again, taking on an air of sorrowful reflection:

“The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief.”

Elsa took a deep breath, her expression briefly thoughtful before answering, “Othello.”

Anna snapped her fingers in frustration. “Seriously?! I knew that one was too famous!”

Elsa chuckled, obviously feeling a bit pleased with herself now. “I believe that’s four in a row. Are you ready to admit defeat yet?”

“Ohhh no, no, no,” Anna said, wagging a finger. “One more. And this one will stump you.”

Elsa raised an amused brow. “I’ll believe it when I hear it.”

Anna grinned like a cat about to pounce. She took a deep breath and delivered her final challenge:

“Why, then the world’s mine oyster, which I with sword will open.”

Elsa opened her mouth, only to pause. She blinked, the confident smirk on her lips fading slightly.

Anna’s grin widened. “Ohhh, what’s the matter, sis? Can’t place it?”

Elsa pursed her lips, running through all the plays she could recall. “…Richard…?” She trailed off, shaking her head. “No, wait. That’s not right.”

Anna tapped her fingers against her knee, waiting. “Come on, you have three seconds.”

Elsa huffed, massaging her temple. “Argh, I know I’ve read this somewhere…”

Anna counted down, dragging out the final number. “Three…two…one! Time’s up!”

Elsa sighed in defeat. “All right, you win. Which play is it?”

Anna grinned triumphantly. “The Merry Wives of Windsor!”

Elsa blinked. “That’s from Merry Wives? That’s not where I expected it to be from.”

Anna giggled. “Yes! And that means you finally lost.” She leaned back smugly. “So, what do I win?”

Elsa sighed theatrically. “The satisfaction of knowing you have read more Shakespeare than your older sister.”

Anna gasped, placing a hand over her heart. “The honor is mine.” Then, with a wicked smirk, she added, “But also, you have to do a dramatic reading of Romeo and Juliet with me someday.”

Elsa groaned. “Anna…”

“No excuses! You lost, you agreed to the game, and now you have to do it.”

Elsa sighed, rubbing her temples, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. “Fine. But NOT the balcony scene.”

Anna pouted. “But that’s the BEST part!”

Elsa rolled her eyes playfully. “Exactly.”

Anna snickered at last, leaning her head back against the sauna wall with a victorious sigh. “You know, I really missed this. It has been so long since we played a game. We should do this more often."

Elsa glanced at her, her barely-covered and sweaty chest rising with her deep breaths. “Me too, Anna. And I agree.”

Anna let out a long, contented sigh, letting silence settle between them for a moment. The heat wrapped around them, thick and drowsy, as the wooden walls of the sauna creaked softly in the warmth. Then, after a beat, she turned her head toward Elsa, her expression shifting into something quieter, more thoughtful.

"Being serious now," She said, her voice softer than before, “do you have any favorite quote from Romeo and Juliet?”

Elsa blinked at her, looking slightly taken aback by the sudden shift in tone. “From Romeo and Juliet?” She repeated, as if weighing the question.

Anna nodded, though a nervous flicker passed through her eyes. “Yeah…I’ve just…been thinking a lot about them today, actually.”

She looked away for a moment, pretending to focus on the way the steam curled into the air. In truth, her thoughts were tangled. She had devoured that play in her youth, swept up in the tragedy of star-crossed lovers, in the way love itself had felt inevitable, inescapable. It was romantic, beautiful, heartbreaking.

But now? Now, the idea of love being something fated, something beyond her control, felt a little too close to home.

Ever since her ascension—since that inexplicable surge of divinity had intertwined with her soul—she had felt...different. And worse, she had begun to see Elsa and think of her differently, feel things she never would have expected before. A lingering glance. A racing heart when their fingers brushed. A gnawing realization that, in some cosmic, untouchable way, something between them had shifted.

Was it because of her her goddesshood? Because she now carried within her the very cosmic essence of **** without the taboo considerations to concern herself with from a moral & theological point of view?

She wasn't sure. But she knew one thing—if she let herself think too much about it, she might start panicking.

So instead, she turned back to Elsa and asked again, "Well? Got a favorite?"

Elsa inhaled deeply, tilting her head slightly as she considered. “There are a few,” she admitted, her voice distant, like she was searching through old memories.

She let her hands rest lightly against the bench, her fingers tracing over the wooden grain. And then, almost absently, she began to recite:

“My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep; the more I give to thee,

The more I have, for both are infinite.”

Her voice was soft, nearly reverent, carrying the words like they had lived within her for years. Elsa clearly hadn’t meant to recite it—hadn’t even realized the lines had risen to the surface of her mind until they were already leaving her lips.

Anna inhaled sharply, her hand coming up to cover her mouth before she could stop herself.

Elsa blinked, suddenly aware of the quiet intensity of the moment. She turned to find Anna staring at her, eyes wide, lips slightly parted as if caught in the middle of an unspoken thought.

The silence stretched.

Elsa exhaled a quiet chuckle, a transparent attempt to brush off the weight that had unexpectedly settled over them. “I suppose that was a bit dramatic,” She murmured, looking down at her hands.

Anna swallowed, forcing a small smile. “No, it was…beautiful.”

It was beautiful. And it hurt.

Because for all of Elsa’s grace, all of her poise and control, Anna could hear it—could feel it—in the way her sister had spoken those words.

Elsa hadn’t recited them as a romantic would. She had spoken them like someone who had only ever been outside of love, watching it from a distance, not out of simple lack of opportunity like herself but...due to making the conscious choice to be immensely wary of love, never daring to step too close.

And Anna suddenly realized something: Elsa had probably never let herself want love before.

Not because she didn’t deserve it. Not because she couldn’t have it.

But because, for so long, she had been too afraid to even try. To share her secrets, her magic with anyone out of concern her relationship would end as doomed as Romeo & Juliet's.

A pang of sadness twisted in Anna’s chest. How lonely must that have been?

Still, she pushed down the lump in her throat and willed her voice to sound light again. “I didn’t think you’d go for Juliet’s words,” she teased gently. “Would’ve pegged you more for a "parting is such sweet sorrow" kind of girl.”

Elsa laughed lightly, shaking her head. “Maybe. But I think…I just liked the idea of it. Love as something boundless. Something that grows one way or another the more you give it away. Like seeds you find too beautiful to hoard and so you let them go. Then, if you are patient and nurturing with the love you give away, those seeds can grow and spread far and wide.”

She let out a quiet breath, glancing down. “It always felt…like something that wasn’t meant for me,” She admitted, her words a pained whisper.

Anna’s heart clenched.

She wanted to say something—wanted to fix that thought, to tell Elsa that she deserved love, deserved to have something just as boundless as the words she had spoken. But the words wouldn’t come. And after the last time she silently willed something into existence, she didn't trust her abrupt thoughts without careful consideration.

So instead, she reached for Elsa’s hand and squeezed it gently. Elsa looked up, meeting Anna’s gaze, and for a moment, there was nothing but warmth between them.

Then, Anna smiled. “You know, I could still make you do that dramatic reading with me.”

Elsa groaned. “Anna—”

“No, no, you lost the game, remember? A deal’s a deal!”

Elsa sighed, but the tension between them eased, melting away into the comfortable air of the sauna.

For now, it was enough. But Anna knew she wouldn’t forget this moment.

Not for a long, long time.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to one of my staunchest, most loyal readers who is a massive Shakespeare fan. And a good friend of mine whose opinion I value. So, Happy Valentine's Day, Blue. I hope you enjoyed it.

And to the rest of you, I hope you had fun with the sisterly bonding here as they continue to make up for lost time. More to come on the next chapter before they leave the sauna but for now, thanks for reading. Please remember to leave a comment and until next time.