#oh look more gale whump who would have guessed this from me

[swifty-fox]

Buckies + [INJURY] 👹

[INJURY]: after having been badly wounded themselves, the sender tries to reassure the frantic receiver by cupping their face and comforting them.

Buck had never been good at being hungry. It made his head swim, his thoughts dumb and slow quicker than it seemed to others. Perhaps it was early exposure, perhaps he was just a little less strong than the rest of the guys in some small fundamental way. But the longer hunger gnawed away at him the more he found himself lost and dazed, lightheaded to the point of stupidity.

Mostly he's able to hide it by hovering around Bucky, taking his lead and following his orbit because that was something subconscious at this point. Could hover at his shoulder with arms crossed, face set in contemplation at whatever someone is saying and let John do the talking while he tries to force his sluggish brain to comprehend.

It's when he's alone that it becomes something dangerous perhaps. Moments like now where he's pacing along the fenceline as he tended to do on the days when the cabin walls felt a little too close. There's voices shouting in harsh German, but then there's always voices shouting here. By the time it registers he's the one being addressed he's already being grabbed, keeled over with the butt of a rifle to the gut. Too close to the fence, or so he assumes, his brain too fogged to parse his developing library of knowledge of German phrases.

He knows he's being called a dog.

It's the smallest ounce of madness, of captive frustration. Of the lack of fucking food in his belly turning his temper to something silk thin and volatile.

He spits right on the guards' stupid mud-covered boot.

In a second he's pinned against the fence, the metal screeching and bowing under the weight of two bodies. A fist on his face, in his gut. When he falls that spit-covered boot tenderizes his ribs and stomps on his thigh, his hips.

He takes it quietly as possible, arms raised to protect his stupid head, blood filling his mouth and nose like vomit. Perhaps there's some of that too, the steel-covered toes meeting his gut with such force it folds him in half and spews unnamed liquid from his lips.

By the time the guards allow his fellow airmen to peel him from the mud like a linen blown from the clothes rack he's hurting like he's never hurt before. Ribs crackling with every inhale, feet that can't quite seem to obey. Head aching worse than ever. It's Benny and Jack who drag him into the cabin, dump him into John's bunk because there's no way to get him in there gently. He settles back with a barely bitten-back whimper, has all of two seconds to take a breath before John himself is there, dark features pinched in worry and anger.

"My God, Gale." he hisses, breath wobbling out of him. he takes in the violence wrought on the blondes body, eyes skipping around as if he doesn't know where to look first past the mud and blood and refuse that clung to them all.

"My god," he repeats, unbuttoning Gale's jacket and tugging up his sweater to prod at his chest, his abdomen as if to make sure none of his organs had burst like a balloon. He certainly felt like a few had.

"Gale," John repeats, stunned out of nicknames and bravado.

Gale realizes he needs to speak, needs to answer to reassure John and the boys he's fine, nothing he can't walk off.

He needs something to eat. He needs the taste of blood out of his mouth.

He reaches up with a clumsy hand and cups John's face, drags his thumb across the starpoint of his cheekbone. leaves behind a filthy smear of blood and dirt.

"Shh," he soothes his man as one would a spooked horse, as one would a loyal dog. "Shh, it's okay."

John turns his head and presses a kiss to the center of Gale's palm, comes back with lips stained wine-red.

[collapse-and-comfort]

So @lurkingwhump completely spoiled me by requesting I use this post (one of my favorite things) by @aliceinwhumperland “where the whumpee is scared of the medical personnel because of something the whumper did to them. They’re struggling against the sympathetic medics, and the caretaker just can’t take it, so they enter the treatment room and manage the calm the terrified whumpee down with loving touches and soothing words, promising to stay there with the whumpee.” I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed writing this! Thank you so much!!! 💕💕💕

(CW: Hospital setting, implied medical torture, panic attacks)

Leave it alone, Caretaker told themself as their nurse finished up stitching their split brow. They could hear raised voices coming from a room down the hall. They didn’t have to know it was coming from Whumpee’s room to know it was coming from Whumpee’s room.

Though the medical staff hadn’t given them much choice in the matter, Caretaker regretted leaving Whumpee’s side. They nodded their way through the nurse’s recommendations for further wound care. They were too polite to say they’d had enough wounds in their lifetime and that they knew that song and dance by heart. To their credit, they waited until the nurse finished speaking before stalking off toward Whumpee.

Just barely.

They broke into a jog when they heard a crash and shouting,

Shit!

In the room, there was a curtain obstructing their view, but that didn’t stop Caretaker. The metallic slide of the curtain rings on the rail didn’t pause the scene in front of them. A stand laid on its side and various medical supplies were scattered in a chaotic pattern on the orderly blue and white checkered tiles.

And then there was Whumpee. They stood, chest heaving, as they fought with Doctor and Nurse who were trying to reason with them. Whumpee looked helpless and utterly pathetic in their pale, spotted gown. Their pallor made them look like they were fit for a grave, rather than a hospital bed.

“No! NO! Let me go!” Whumpee snarled as they tried to pull away. They would have, Caretaker guessed, had they not been so weakened. “Don’t touch me!”

“Easy,” the doctor said as they adjusted their gentle, gloved grip on Whumpee’s wrist and pressed a hand to their shoulder, trying to keep them still or get them back onto the bed. “You’re safe, Whumpee. Please try to-”

“No!” Whumpee yelled as they tried even more desperately to wrench themself free.

Caretaker knew in the pit of their stomach this was not going to end well.

“Whumpee,” Caretaker said. They didn’t raise their voice. It was soft and casual. They were there.

Doctor’s attention flickered over to Caretaker. They expected to be rebuked, but whatever authoritative words were on the Doctor’s lips fell short when they recognized Caretaker as someone who could potentially help calm Whumpee.

Cursing and writhing, Whumpee took that opportunity to twist violently enough that Nurse and Doctor had no choice but to relinquish their holds. They moved backward with uncoordinated steps and they glared at the other three people in the room. Their face was bloodless and their mouth was agape, as though there were no words for the pain and no amount of breath they could draw could quell their panic.

Caretaker moved next to Doctor and Nurse. They had to do something.

“Can you give us some space?” They asked, keeping their voice low and as unobtrusive as possible. Nurse and Doctor exchanged an inscrutable look, but they both nodded and backed away toward the other side of the room.

For a horrible second, Whumpee looked at Caretaker as though they were a stranger and the lines of their body were unreadable. Caretaker couldn’t guess if they were going to run for the door or take a swing at them. Perhaps they would tear themself apart instead.

“Caretaker?” Whumpee said. Their words came out in a rushed whisper. “ I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t, I didn’t!”

They began to gulp air in through their mouth and they stumbled backward until their back struck the wall. Panic flashed over Whumpee’s face when Caretaker reached out to help them and Caretaker retracted their hand.

“Hey, Whumpee,” they said. They felt their throat tighten, but they kept their emotions at bay. “Hey, hey, hey. No one’s going to hurt you. I would never hurt you.”

Whumpee’s eyes looked distant as their knees gave out and they sank to the ground. They drew their knees up to their chest and they covered their head with their arms. Caretaker thought they were going to collapse in on themself.

“Oh, Whumpee,” Caretaker said. The sharp, desperate sounds of Whumpee’s breathing made Caretaker feel like a blathering idiot, but a stubbornly solemn part of them focused on Whumpee and doing whatever they needed to do for them. “It’s okay, Whumpee. Nobody’s mad at you. We’re all here to help, okay?”

Caretaker heard another stuttered apology as Whumpee cringed tighter into themself. They stepped closer and crouched down, careful not to obscure Whumpee’s path to the open door. They weren’t quite an arm’s length away. Caretaker hoped they seemed unthreatening, that Whumpee could understand them.

“Whumpee?” Caretaker asked. No response. “Hey, Whumpee. It’s Caretaker. You’re safe, okay? I know it doesn't feel like it, but you are. I’m here with you. I’m...I’m going to put a hand on your leg, okay?”

Caretaker put a slow, careful hand on one of Whumpee’s knees, hoping to anchor them. Whumpee allowed the contact, but continued to gasp.

“Deep breath, Whumpee.” Caretaker said. “Can you take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth?”

Whumpee took some deep, but jolty breaths that quivered back out of them. Then Caretaker heard a change. Their breath was quieter, steadier. Caretaker watched Whumpee’s shoulders move up and then down when they let the breath rush out of their mouth. It could have been an eternity - Caretaker was unsure - but Whumpee’s breathing became something closer to normal. (In Caretaker’s periphery, they saw Nurse gathering the fallen supplies and cart before leaving the room.)

“Good, Whumpee,” they said as they breathed a cautious sigh of relief and moved their hand to Whumpee’s shoulder. “Just like that. Nice and easy.”

Whumpee slid their arms from over their head and tucked them between their thighs and their stomach. Gooseflesh broke out on Caretaker’s arms as they remembered the needle marks on the crook of Whumpee’s arm and on their neck.

Whumpee raised their head and looked at Caretaker, who was uncertain what emotion truly ruled over their features. Sadness, fear, anger and humiliation were warring with one another.

Caretaker ran the pad of their thumb back and forth over Whumpee’s shoulder. Though they were breathing more calmly, Whumpee was shaking. Caretaker wished there was something they could do to change what happened to Whumpee, the vast majority of which they were still clueless about, but they knew that the energy they spent wishing they could change the past was better spent helping Whumpee.

“You need to let the doctors help you,” Caretaker said. “It’s okay, I’m right here.”

Whumpee remained silent. Something glazed over in their eyes and they shook their head ever so slightly.

There was an announcement over the intercom, and bustling in the hallway. Another crisis in another area. Maybe that’s what hospitals were for, the compartmentalization of agonies. Caretaker needed to convince Whumpee of the safety and necessity of their own room, that their pain could be contained.  

“I can’t do this,” came Whumpee’s voice.

“Do what, Whumpee?” Caretaker asked as they continued to rub Whumpee’s shoulder, then their back.

“This,” they said, their words strained and hopeless. They eyed the room and Doctor before looking back down as if in defeat. “Any of this.”

“Okay,” Caretaker whispered as they moved their hand up to brush Whumpee’s hair behind their ear. “It’s okay.”

The words hung in the air and Caretaker grappled for something to say, something that would make everything okay. They continued to run their hand through Whumpee’s hair and their gut twisted. The only goddamn way out was through.

Whumpe’s gaze wandered back up to them, somehow managing to be both pleading and defiant, as though they were daring them and begging them to take away their anguish. Caretaker didn’t know if they were going to lash out at them or fall apart.

It was the latter. Perhaps they were too scared and too tired for it to have been anything else.

Whumpee’s features crumpled and they hugged themself tighter. Tears slid down their face and they began to sob, softly at first, until the force of it wracked their body. Caretaker eased themself down onto the cool floor. They put one arm over Whumpee’s shoulders and put their other hand back on Whumpee’s shoulder.

”Ssshhh.”

“P-please,” Whumpee stuttered. “Please d-don’t ma-make me…”

Their words broke off in a new, pitiable gale of emotion that made Caretaker want to cry.

“Shshsh, it’s okay, Whumpee,” they said as their hold on Whumpee became more protective. “I’ve got you. I’m not going to let anybody hurt you. We’re only going to help. Tell me what you need.”

Whumpee continued to weep, hard and discordant. Caretaker spared a glance at Doctor, who watched on with concern and empathy. Caretaker was thankful for their patience; they hoped against hope that they wouldn’t have to strain it, but they would stay on the floor all night if they had to.

“I want to go home.” Whumpee said after a while. Their words were shaky and hoarse, but more coherent.

Caretaker felt as though the floor had fallen from beneath them. It was blindingly unfair that Caretaker couldn’t make that happen, that Whumpee had to be here and that Caretaker had to dash their hopes of leaving. And how long would they have to be here? How long before the extent of Whumpee’s trauma became clear? The damage that would last the longest was likely not physical.

“I know you do, Whumpee,” Caretaker said. “But we need to make sure you’re okay. And I know you’re scared, I do, but we can’t let you go on hurting.”

Caretaker expected Whumpee to try to pull away, and they expected their crying to ratchet up to an intensity that would surely make them ill, but Whumpee took several shaky breaths, sniffed and cuddled in closer to Caretaker. Maybe it was Caretaker’s imagination, but they didn’t seem to be shaking as hard.

“Can I ask you what we can do to make this easier for you, Whumpee?”

Whumpee drew Caretaker’s arm tighter around them like a reliable old coat, then they tucked their head into Caretaker’s chest. Several quiet, emotional hiccups jostled Whumpee, but Caretaker felt a tiny nod as they stroked Whumpee’s hair.

Whumpee remained silent and after several minutes, Caretaker wondered if they should ask again.

“It’s so bright,” Whumpee said. Their voice seemed distant now, like a drowning man begging for air beneath the waves.

“Can we?” Caretaker asked as they looked up at Doctor and quirked an eyebrow toward the lightswitch. Caretaker wasn’t sure that the room was exceedingly bright, but it didn’t have to make sense to them. Doctor nodded and turned off the ceiling light.

“Good?” Caretaker asked.

“Yeah,” came the uncertain answer.

“Good,” Caretaker said, allowing themself to feel some sense of relief. “Just tell me what you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

Doctor discarded their white coat, and it was agreed that the privacy curtain would stay partially open. With each adjustment to the environment, Whumpee slowly - so slowly - began to relax against Caretaker, but Whumpee’s fingers knotted themself in Caretaker’s shirt with sudden fierceness.

“Can you stay?”

‘Yeah,” Caretaker said, not waiting for a response from Doctor. “Yeah, Whumpee. I’m not going anywhere.”

Whumpee’s hand unclenched and they sniffed again.

“We can have a cot brought in,” the doctor said. “It’s no trouble.”

“Let’s get you off the floor,” Caretaker suggested as they gave the doctor a grateful half-smile. “Gonna freeze our asses off down here.”

Whumpee let out a huff that passed for laughter, nodded and allowed Caretaker to help them to their feet. Caretaker offered quiet praises and kept one arm on Whumpee’s side and the other on their arm, keeping them steady. They wrapped their arms around Whumpee and rubbed their back. There was ferocity in their softness as they assured them again they were staying. Hesitantly, Whumpee wrapped their arms around Caretaker’s middle.

Whumpee allowed themself to be guided back to the bed. Once Whumpee’s head touched the pillow, Caretaker smoothed their hair back with the hand that wasn’t holding Whumpee’s.

Whumpee’s grip tightened on Caretaker when Doctor approached, but Caretaker could see that behind the spike of panic, Whumpee was coaching themself, talking themself into taking a breath and staying still.

“That’s good,” Caretaker said with a smile. “Just breathe.”

Doctor seconded the opinion as Nurse walked back into the room holding a paper cup in one hand and a plastic cup of water in the other.

“Can you take these, Whumpee?” Doctor asked as Nurse proffered the pills. Caretaker appreciated their practiced calm more than they could have articulated. “They’ll help you relax.”

Whumpee’s eyes shot up to Caretaker and their head lifted off the pillow.

Caretaker nodded and gave Whumpee’s hand a little squeeze. They kept their bloody language calm, as though they would be untroubled by whatever Whumpee chose. Thankfully, that seemed to be enough because Whumpee accepted the pills.

The duration of the examination and treatment was...surreal. There was tension, yes, but it was offset by Caretaker’s soft words, Doctor and Nurse’s gentle, professional care and the promise they would stop if Whumpee became too uncomfortable. Luckily, most of the questions the doctor asked could be answered with nods or short phrases.

Worst of all was when Whumpee’s wounds were revealed.

“Just look at me,” Caretaker told Whumpee.  

Whumpee did. Their eyes welled with tears, but none of them spilled as Caretaker ran their fingers up and down their forearm and hushed them.

Caretaker had glimpsed the wounds. They wished they hadn’t. There was no bloody mess, no angry infection. What had been done to Whumpee had been clean and clinical. And cruel.

Caretaker was unsure if they believed in hell, but they hoped Whumper was rotting there just the same.

By the time the Doctor and Nurse finished, Whumpee had dropped into a listless calm and Doctor asked to speak with Caretaker in private. They left Whumpee’s side for the second time since they’d arrived in the hospital, but they promised their absence would be brief.

As Doctor spoke, Caretaker listened and asked questions, taking the news of Whumpee’s condition as it came. They nodded and crossed their arms. They hoped they looked more confident, more prepared, than they felt.

“And I’m back,” Caretaker said as they returned to the room. For some idiotic reason they tried to affect the tone of a TV host, but their voice sounded too flat and tired. Nevertheless, it earned them a tiny smile and a sleepy hey from Whumpee in return. It was as though all the emotion and anxiety from the last little while had been dispelled. Contained, more like. Boxed up and set aside until it could be handled.

Caretaker managed a smile of their own and they toyed with Whumpee’s hair until they slept.

[ariddletobesolved]

Days We Spend Under the Sun (Chapter Two)

Written for @helsa-summer-event

Fandom: Frozen

Genre: Romance, Family, Fluff, Whump

Rating: T

Summary: Summer is not her favourite season, but a certain Admiral from the neighbouring kingdom is going to change that.

Perhaps we should call this a collection of Helsa fluff drabbles. External links (including some links to the prologue and chapter one) are in the notes. Enjoy!

Prompt 2: Blue Skies and Dandelion Fuzz

—

Chapter Two

One of the best things about the forest is the serenity it offers, this pretty much she knew.

Standing near the river bank, Elsa had been staring at her own reflection for a while. It was still early in the morning when she sneaked out of Hans's warm embrace and out of her own hut in the village. Not that she didn't want to stay and cuddle—despite the fact that the weather was rather hot, but she would like some space for her to think, and the river bank being one of her favourite places in the Enchanted Forest could offer that.

Her mind began to wander to the event that happened the day before. Hans was indeed full of surprises when it came to wooing her, she was aware of that fact. But the trick he pulled, when he broke into a gallop instead of stopping to let her summon the Nokk, was one she didn't see coming. Nonetheless, she still found the journey quite enjoyable. Even during a few stops did she not try to summon the Nokk. The way he held her close to his chest was something she found comfort in. Eventually, they arrived in the forest when the sun went down, and Yelena was the first one to greet them, accompanied by Honeymaren. After having dinner, they stopped by the stable-like area in the village to give Sitron an extra bag of carrots. Tired from the long journey, they finally turned in and Elsa, of course, had to share her hut with Hans. 

Sighing in contentment, Elsa began to stretch her muscles. It had been quite some time since the last time she was back in the forest, she almost forgot how different the place was from Arendelle. It was really quiet in the morning. There was no sound of people trading or arguing, no sound of hooves clicking against the pavement, nothing but the serenity of nature. She smiled, still looking at her own reflection, before a familiar set of eyes stared back at her. The Nokk.

The water spirit rose from the river, standing tall before her in the form of a majestic horse. Elsa looked up with one hand reaching out to gently caress the spirit. Affectionately nuzzling its face close to hers, it was as if the Nokk tried to tell her that it missed her. Elsa let out a chuckle, for she was amused by the spirit.

"I've missed you too, Nokk." She said. "Sorry about yesterday, but Hans had another plan. At least we're here now."

The horse walked around above the river, and Elsa tilted her head in confusion.

"Are you complaining, now?" She raised her eyebrow. But before she could react, she saw a flash of fire. It danced from stone to stone, before stopping beside her feet. Bending down, Elsa smiled. "Hello, little guy!"

The fire died down, and a blue salamander crawled upon her open palm. Elsa conjured a small rain of snowflakes to the creature's amusement, as it poked its tongue out to catch some fallen snowflakes.

"You like it, huh?"

Blinking and tilting its head, Bruni, the fire spirit, stared at her with something like glee. It was obvious that the fire spirit was glad to have her back. The blonde grinned, finding the gesture adorable. Looking up, she saw the Nokk staring at her intensely.

"What?"

The water horse motioned at the path towards the village.

"You want to see Hans?" She inquired. At the mention of the former prince, Bruni smiled wider. "Why, so you can try to drown him again?"

If Nokk could laugh, it would certainly roll onto its belly, Elsa was sure of that. The unspoken tension between the two brought back a memory of their first meeting. It happened shortly after Hans was released from a three hour long questioning, in which the decision sparked a brief tension between her and her sister. Anna, being the wise queen she was, decided that she found nothing harmful with his presence back in Arendelle. Hans was there to deliver an invitation under the Crown Prince of the Southern Isles' order. Elsa, refusing to accept it, mounted on the Nokk and rode across the ocean towards where his ship was in the harbour. They had a quarrel which resulted in him slipped on Elsa's ice and fell into the water. The Nokk, that was offended by Hans' accidental name calling 'water horse' did try to drown him, leaving Elsa standing on her ice.

"He is not the same man, you know." She sighed, making her way towards the majestic horse. Bruni crawled up and rested on her shoulder. "He has grown to be a better person, don't you worry about it."

Elsa smiled at that thought. It wasn't easy to get where she was, but time had given them a chance. Then, faintly, she heard some footsteps walking closer. She turned, only to see Ryder walking with a smaller reindeer.

"Morning, Elsa."

She smiled. "Ryder! I didn't see you last night. How are you holding up?"

The young man returned the smile, half shrugging sheepishly. "Well, I'm fine, I guess? I've been taking care of the reindeers." He nudged the reindeer standing beside him, who nudged back. "This one is John."

"Oh," Elsa tried to bite back a laugh, "that's quite a name for a reindeer."

"I know." Ryder brushed it off as if it was nothing, certainly not aware of Elsa's amused face. "Oh, and one more thing, Hans is looking for you."

"Sure." Elsa turned to the Nokk, who was tilting its head. "I'll be there shortly."

"Great! I'll head off to the meado now." He said. "Also, the breakfast is ready, so you better go back soon."

Nodding, she looked back. "Sure. I'll see you later, Ryder."

"See you later, Elsa." With that, he took off with the reindeer.

Once again, she was left alone with the spirits. "You're coming, Nokk?" Instead of answering, the Nokk turned around and dived into the water. "So, it's just us." Elsa turned to the excited salamander, that was now crawling onto the top of her head. "Fine, it seems like you really are excited to see Hans."

She made her way towards a familiar path that led her back to the village. Taking a deep breath, she let the clean morning breeze fill her system. She looked up to the blue sky and sighed. Nothing topped a nice breezy summer morning. It was rather warm in the forest, since summer had arrived up north, but she liked it. Unlike Anna, Elsa wasn't a huge fan of summer. She couldn't really stand the heat, and would take every opportunity to take shelter under the shade. The reason why she agreed to Hans' suggestion to ditch the carriage—other than to spend more private time together on the journey—was because of her ability to conjure some clouds above them should the weather be too sunny.

The sound of children playing around and people starting the day got louder as Elsa walked closer to the village. From afar, she spotted a familiar auburn haired Admiral sitting on the ground with two bowls of steaming food beside him. He looked far too engrossed in a conversation with a brunette sitting before him, he didn't see her coming.

Elsa saw this as an opportunity to surprise him, but before she could do such a thing, Bruni already beat her to it. The salamander hopped from her head and landed safely on the ground, before it crawled towards the Admiral. Upon the tiny element of surprise, Hans almost jumped on his seat. Bruni settled on his shoulder, causing him to turn and saw Elsa standing nearby.

"Elsa." He looked a little taken aback, before flashing her a smile. "Have you been there for a while?"

"No." Taking a seat next to him, Elsa pecked his lips shortly. "I have just arrived." She then turned to the brunette. "Morning, Maren."

"Good morning, Elsa." Honeymaren smiled. "Did you see Ryder?"

"Yes, I did." Elsa nodded, taking a bowl Hans offered her. "Thank you, Hans." Turning back to her distant cousin, she continued, "So, what were you two talking about? You both seemed engrossed."

Honeymared glanced at Hans, before replying, "Nothing that would interest you, really. Hans was asking about the crops, yeah."

Hans smiled. He didn't say anything, instead, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. But something told Elsa that it wasn't exactly their main topic of discussion.

"Okay."

"Where were you?" Hans asked. "I woke up this morning and you were nowhere to be seen."

"I was at the river bank, talking to Nokk, before Bruni came." She smiled at the beaming salamander. "They missed you."

Hans playfully rolled his eyes. "Yeah, as if the water horse misses me. I wouldn't be surprised if the little guy here did, or maybe Gale, since it greeted me earlier before deciding to play with those kids." He gestured at the wind spirit swirling around two giggling children.

Elsa grinned in response. "What did I tell you? Nokk doesn't like it."

"What will the Nokk do anyway, try to drown me?" He raised a brow, before shrugging. "Anyway, you should finish your breakfast. Are you going to visit Ahtohallan later today?"

She shook her head no. "I'll go to Ahtohallan tomorrow."

"Great! Because I have a plan for the two of us later." Hans beamed, briefly glancing at Honeymaren, who shrugged slightly.

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

"That, Kaere, is for me to know," Hans poked the tip of her nose, "and for you to find out."

"Fine."

Elsa beamed. Excitement surged through her, as her mind began to think of a few possibilities. She might look as if she wasn't expecting much, but deep inside, anticipation was building up. She looked forward to whatever adventure he had in store for her.