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Anna woke up to sunlight streaming through her window. It must have been mid-morning by now because the sun was already in line with the top of her window. But she was so sleepy and her bed was so warm, surely she could drift off for a little longer. Then she remembered something that made her sit up. Today was her 16th birthday.
Anna thought back to her birthday last year. How her father had let her eat all the chocolate she wanted and how her mother had hugged her tight and said how proud she was of her. A sharp pang shot through Anna’s heart. She missed them so much. She wondered what she’d be doing if they were here now. Maybe they’d sing her happy birthday around a big chocolate cake and wrap her up in a warm hug. Anna could really use a warm hug right now.
She pushed off the covers and tried to push the sadness out of her mind too. It was her birthday after all, she should be happy. She got dressed and headed down the hall to the library, already planning for a day of re-reading all her favourite stories. She went straight for the fairy tales section when she got there, intending to pick up The Little Mermaid, but stopped short when she saw a book she didn’t recognise, pale green and gilded in gold. She picked it up and was thrilled to discover it was a collection of fairy tales of Arendelle. 12 brand new versions of stories she’d heard many times before. She knew a lot of her kingdom’s stories already, but was always thrilled to hear about new versions. It made her feel included in the kingdom outside the castle to hear the stories they told each other, especially hearing different versions of the stories she’d grown up hearing. She loved hearing how different people brought different perspectives and interpretations of things.
Anna turned the book over in her hands, examining it. It was really a beautiful book, and so perfect for her that she wondered if someone had put it there as a birthday surprise. But who could it have been that knew she loved fairy tales of Arendelle best? She didn’t think any of the castle staff would have known to choose Arendellian stories specifically. She thought back to the last time she remembered talking about Arendellian stories. It was to Elsa, or to her door anyway. Sometimes when Anna was really bored and lonely she just sat outside Elsa’s door rambling to the air about whatever was on her mind. A couple weeks ago she had been recounting a slightly different version of the story of Frigg the Fisherman than Anna had heard before and mentioned how she loved seeing the changes in stories and wondered if they reflected changes in Arendelle’s people.
Could it have been? Could Elsa have been the one to put this book here, as a birthday present for Anna? Tears sprang to Anna’s eyes. She sometimes wondered if Elsa didn’t care about her at all. Why else would she respond to Anna’s constant attempts to connect with only silence? But if this was Elsa… that meant that she did care. That she was listening when Anna rambled to her for hours on end. That she remembered Anna’s birthday today and wanted to give her a little bit of happiness. Anna hugged the book to her chest and cried. She missed her sister so much. She often wondered if there was any point in continuing to talk to Elsa. It had been over 10 years at this point with no change. But the appearance of this book fed the stubborn hope in Anna’s chest that refused to die. Anna grabbed tightly to that hope now as she turned to take the book to read outside Elsa’s door. Maybe today would be the day that everything finally changed. And if not today… there was always tomorrow.