c9

With all the excitement of recent weeks, Elsa had been neglecting one of her most important duties; that of dutiful aunt. She loved Iduna like she was her own daughter, and why shouldn't she? She was Anna's daughter, and anything that Anna might produce was something to be cherished.

And about as energetic. Even as a child, Elsa had never been able to keep up with Anna and Iduna was every inch her mother's daughter in that regard. While there were some games Elsa would not risk playing, even now, she did have a strategy to tire Iduna out so they could share more intellectual pursuits.

Elsa crafted an icy playground in a back courtyard, carefully laying soft snow to cushion falls. With everything planned ahead of time, she reasoned, there was no need to worry about an ice bolt to the head or heart on accident.

There were slides and swings and a snowball fort, and Elsa transformed her gown into pants as she engaged Olaf and Iduna in an all out war. By the time Iduna claimed victory, Elsa was the one that was worn out, collapsed on a wall of snow. She let out an 'oof' when Iduna plopped onto her, and wrapped her arms around her niece.

"I give!" She squeezed her, smiling tiredly. "Would you like to go inside and play a different kind of game?"

Iduna tilted her head, giving this some serious thought before she nodded and asked. "What kind of game?"

Elsa pushed herself up with a groan, lifting Iduna with her. "Jaina has been showing me a game she plays sometimes, and it's really fun."

Like sunshine, Iduna beamed, "Auntie Jaina game?"

"Yes," Elsa laughed, face coloring slightly. "Auntie Jaina game. It's called Hearthstone. There are these cards, you see, and they're enchanted so the pictures move!"

She set Iduna down in the Royal Office, letting her scurry about as she sat at her desk and pushed some books aside. By the time she had the decks settled, Iduna had wandered over and climbed into a seat to watch.

Elsa smiled at her, showing her some of the cards, the pictures animating as she moved the cards. On one, a dragon roared and flapped its wings, and Iduna looked delighted.

Deciding on a modifiedversion of the rules Jaina had explained to her, Elsa set a deck for her niece. Iduna couldn't really count very high yet, so they were going to wing it.

Iduna crushed Elsa, with help of course, but the absolute joy on her face when that dragon devastated the board with a flying pass of magical fire and a tinny roar was more than worth it. They played a few more games, the matches boiling down to them throwing cards down and watching the magical effects happen. It was almost as fun as the real games she'd played against Jaina. Jaina, who her mind kept going back to, and had been going back to all day.

Jaina was a complicated woman, with a complicated past, who often saw herself as some kind of monster. Needless to say, Elsa could relate. And she couldn't even be entirely sure that if the same sequence of events happened to her that she would have done much, if anything, different.

She'd like to think so. Elsa liked to think she'd be different. But if someone murdered Anna or Iduna, if someone destroyed Arendelle, if she'd been left alone and angry and driven half mad with grief? There was no telling what she'd do.

Elsa pushed those thoughts from her mind, preferring to think positive. About dimples when Jaina smiled, the smattering of freckles across her chest, the way she laughed and how bright her smile could be. The way she lost herself in research or work and her passion when explaining the things that excited her.

At how peaceful she looked when she slept, how the years and cares had slid away over the months. And Elsa was proud of her for letting go of the hatred she'd harbored for so long. She pressed her hand to her chest.

"Auntie?"

Elsa snapped out of and looked down at her niece. "I'm sorry I was … thinking."

Iduna smiled at her, and held out her arms for upsies. Elsa picked her up, propping her on her hip as she walked out of the library and nearly ran over Anna. She promptly handed the flailing girl over to her mother. "I was just going to look for you."

"You two have a good day?" Anna asked, hefting Iduna up and grinning at her as the girl wrapped her arms around her neck.

"The best!"

"Really?" Anna looked at Elsa and Elsa nodded.

"Oh yes, absolutely the best day. Good luck getting her to calm down."

"Gee, thanks. Oh hey, Jaina was looking for- and there she is." Anna glanced back down the hall as the mage approached, then gave her sister a knowing look, before she rushed over to Jaina.

Whatever she said to her made Jaina's ears turn red. Elsa leaned her hip against the door, folding her arms as Jaina looked at Anna's retreating form, then back towards Elsa. Elsa simply raised an eyebrow expectantly, though she waited for her sister to be out of earshot before saying anything. "What did she say to you?"

"Nothing that can't wait until later." Jaina idly ran her fingertips up Elsa's arm, a welcome sensation that set her mind racing and her body humming.

Slowly, Elsa took Jaina's hand, pulling her inside. "So you were looking for me?"

Once she was inside the library, Jaina closed the doors and turned the lock. Almost as soon as she had, she had Elsa pinned against the door, lips locked on hers and hands pulling her hair free of its pins.

Oh. This was certainly a pleasant surprise.

They moved again, Elsa pushing Jaina towards a bookshelf, Jaina pulling her to the table, Elsa turning them around and pressing Jaina on top of a stack of books. Slowly, deliberately, Elsa pulled at the laces of Jaina's bodice, breaking the kiss so she could watch Jaina's breasts fall free.

She lifted her gaze to Jaina's eyes. "You're so beautiful."

When Jaina opened her mouth to protest, Elsa put her finger over her lips. "You're beautiful."

Jaina was so much more than beautiful and Elsa could write poetry about Jaina and all the things that she admired about her, but thought that maybe at times like this, what she'd said was what Jaina most needed to hear. That she was beautiful and wanted and desirable.

Stepping back from Jaina, Elsa let her dress drop, dispelling her magic as she did so. Jaina drank her in and it was Elsa's turn to feel beautiful and wanted and desirable. Elsa took only long enough to strip Jaina down the rest of the way before she was on her, hands roaming and caressing across bare, freckled skin.

Jaina's fingers, long and nimble and calloused from weaving spells and writing reports, stroked up and down Elsa's back, then to her sides and, predictably, her hips. The touch lingered there, burning Elsa in a pleasant way.

Elsa kissed Jaina's throat, then bit lightly there. Jaina's fingers dug into her hips as her lover tilted her head back with a groan. Jaina was warm beneath her, her skin comforting in its texture and softness and Jaina's reaction to the bite made Elsa feel more aggressive. She left a trail of teeth marks from Jaina's throat to her chest, hand grasping at Jaina's right breast as Elsa nipped at the left. A low whine vibrated through Jaina's throat and she dragged her nails up Elsa's spine to tangle her fingers in her hair.

A light tugging made Elsa moan Jaina's name, and Jaina tugged again, and pressed her head against her breast, insistent and needy. Elsa obliged, flicking her tongue across the nipple, circling it before sucking it into her mouth. She continued to use her tongue to compliment the suction, mirroring the action with her thumb on the other breast. Jaina shuddered underneath her, holding Elsa's head against her breast, Elsa's name echoing through the library as she writhed underneath Elsa.

Elsa slid her free hand down Jaina's body, stroking at her thigh and the tendon where leg and pelvis joined; and there she stopped, looking up at Jaina with a teasing smile on her lips.

Jaina whined, staring at Elsa with desperate need and again Elsa obliged, tracing her fingers around and across Jaina's folds, enjoying the slick warmth almost as much as she enjoyed the sound Jaina made when she did so.

It was a reckless thing, to be so heedless of where they were, but Elsa scarcely cared, turning her head to nip and bite at Jaina's throat and her breasts. She explored her with a finger, and as their times before, marveled at how good and right it felt to have this woman respond to her, their skin melded together and the soft, low gasp as she drew Jaina towards the edge of the abyss.

"Jaina," Elsa breathed, sinking to her knees, pulling her legs up and over her shoulders, wearing her like a necklace. Words caught in her throat, traitorous words that she muffled against Jaina's skin, Jaina's fingers digging into Elsa's hair as Elsa pressed her tongue against her clit.

Jaina shuddered, her hips jerking. Elsa pushed her thoughts away, pushed away the unexpected ache in her chest, focusing instead on the movements of her tongue and her fingers and the ragged, breathy moans of her lover.

Elsa could feel the pressure of Jaina's thighs, and the way her muscles tensed and twitched, tightening around her head, just before Jaina clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle herself. Jaina's hips twisted involuntarily as she came, wrenching Elsa's neck enough to send a spasm of pain through her. She pulled away, gasping and seeing stars.

"Elsa?" Jaina pushed herself up, knocking over a stack of books as she did so. "What's wrong, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Elsa waved one hand, rubbing her neck with the other and not quite hiding her grimace.

"Oh gods…" Jaina pulled Elsa up, "I'm so sorry, baby."

"It's fine," Elsa repeated, suddenly struck with how funny the situation was, even as she flushed at being called a pet name like that. It was a giggle at first, before turning into a full out laugh interrupted by an exclamation of pain every time her neck twinged.

Jaina stared at her for a moment, still clearly worried, though she smiled as Elsa laughed. "I can't tell if I should be embarrassed or you should be proud of yourself."

"Proud," Elsa gasped, resting her face in Jaina's chest, though her shoulders still shook. "Very, very proud."

❄️

Baine Bloodhoof was, well, huge. Anna found herself staring up at him with a mixture of awe and … awe. This was a real life Minotaur! She'd read so many stories growing up but had always loved mythology. Stories of Greek heroes and Egyptian gods, Atlantis and even some old tales from far to the East.

The Minotaur was sitting awkwardly at one of the long tables in the kitchens, chatting with the Queen of Gilnaes and one of those tall purple-blue long-eared women that made Anna question a lot of assumptions she'd had about her sexuality.

She'd been trying to figure out how to politely join them in their conversation with Iduna reached up from Anna's arms and grabbed onto one of Baine's horns.

"Oh! I'm so sorry about that!"

Baine sat very still, though he smiled. "It's all right." He tilted his head, making the girl swing as he did so, and she squealed in delight.

Anna didn't know why she was so surprised. Maybe because she hadn't thought someone with a bull's head could be so expressive. It was a kind face and she liked it. "She's uhm. Very curious and excitable and probably has more questions than I do so I'm sorry ahead of time."

At least Elsa wasn't around to tease her about having a daughter just like herself.

"She's adorable," Tess Greymane said, with all the air of someone who found kids charming as long as she never had any of her own. "And I think we'll be happy to answer most questions."

Anna wanted to know about the Tauren and the Worgen and the Elves and so much more, but didn't know where to start. She got the impression they deserved more than what their positions within the Horde and Alliance might suggest. "Fair warning, I chatted Miss Whisperwind's ear off last night."

The Night Elf snorted at that, watching the girl curiously as Iduna swung up and climbed onto the horn, before scrambling to find purchase on Baine's head. Her voice was melodic, though slightly higher pitched than the High Priestess's. "I understand your world has magic. Your sister is evidence enough of that. But are you aware of other kinds of magic? Nature based, perhaps?"

"Uh … not that I've ever heard of? You might want to ask the Trolls. Our trolls I mean, little round rock people. Why?"

Still watching Iduna, the Elf shrugged. "Just curious." She waved her hand, and vines grew from the floor, winding up and around each other until they formed something like a beanstalk. Iduna stared wide-eyed, then jumped onto the vines, which twisted around until they formed a kind of perch for the girl to observe everyone from.

"Okaaaay then." Anna eyed the beanstalk, eyes darting up to her daughter and then the ground as she had vivid memories of her own misadventures climbing tall things she wasn't supposed to when she was Iduna's age.

But Iduna was content to lounge up there, so Anna turned one eye back onto the others. "How did you do that?"

"I'm a Druid. My name is Manadh." Manadh leaned back, admiring her handiwork. "Druids are … guardians of nature, I suppose. We protect the land and the animals that live on it and try to ensure that there is balance."

"Like if the wolf populations are too low there are too many deer and all the plants are kinda screwed?" Anna asked.

Manadh raised her eyebrow. "Sometimes yes, actually."

Once again Anna had about three million two-hundred and forty-three thousand questions. Give or take a dozen. But to her credit she snapped her mouth shut before it all came out in a flood.

"Go ahead," Manadh said, amused.

"Can anyone be a druid? Is it just elves? Is it related to the werewolf thing? What about Jaina's magic is it anything like that? What other kinds of magics are there? I mean she kind of explained some things to Elsa but I wasn't paying attention when Elsa was talking about it but that's totally my fault I get that." Anna took a breath.

"Anyone can be a druid," Baine interjected. "Though they would need to already have an attunement to nature to even begin."

"Druidism is most common among my people and the Tauren," Manadh explained. "But Trolls and Worgen are also strong with nature. Druidism is also practiced among Jaina's people, though it's not quite the same thing."

Tess cut off a laugh. "We'd be here all night explaining the werewolf thing."

"I've got time," Anna said, smiling at them. Whatever it was about them, she liked these strange people. And maybe she could sort of help Elsa out by taking on some responsibility.

Ambassador Anna.

She kind of liked the sound of that.

❄️

How a single person could be so cheerful was absolutely baffling to Sylvanas. No, no, it was absolutely batshit insane. And yet here she was in the company of the very definition of relentless sunshine.

Her fingers itched to yank on that long golden hair, and Sylvanas was quite pleased with herself for ignoring the urge. It would be bad for diplomacy, after all.

Plus it would make Proudmoore even more of a smug bitch than she already was. Sylvanas's gaze fell onto the Lord Admiral, the red points of her eyes narrowing as she studied her. Before she could really suss out where Jaina's eyes were pointed, Rapunzel bumped into her.

"Woops, sorry!" Soulful green eyes looked up at her. "Do you always just stand there like this, brooding?"

"I am not brooding."

"You totally are. I'm an expert in brooding." Rapunzel shifted to stand next to Sylvanas, mimicking her pose and giving a rather accurate version of the expression on Sylvanas's face.

Oddly charmed, Sylvanas inclined her head. "So perhaps brooding is my natural state."

She felt eyes on her. That woman that had come with Rapunzel, the one with an obvious attraction to her. Something easy enough to exploit, though when she looked, Cassandra diverted her eyes. Much to Sylvanas's cold delight, Cassandra averted her eyes in the general direction of Alexstrasza and remained staring at her.

Rapunzel, evidently, seemed to notice where her bodyguard's gaze was pointing. "Is that like … a thing?"

"What?"

"Dragons not wearing pants."

Something strange, unusual and perhaps a little frightening for a number of people happened. Sylvanas threw her head back and laughed. It was a loud, deep laugh, something approaching a cackle. She finished with a soft snort, red pin point eyes darting up and down Rapunzel's form. "Does it offend you, girl?"

"Oh! No, I mean there are a lot of cultures on earth that … uh … don't wear much." Rapunzel straightened her shoulders, a flush rising to her cheeks. Embarrassment, yet also a reminder of life, hot blood rushing beneath the surface.

Sylvanas couldn't remember what that felt like and had no particular inclination to try. She found herself leaning in a little too close, hearing the rush of Rapunzel's blood as her pulse spiked. "It is not useful for war. Too easy to lose a limb, or have one's guts spilled out onto the grass. But it is nice to look at."

Rapunzel stared at her with wide, emerald eyes. "…I guess?"

That pulse sped up further when Sylvanas bared her sharp, fanged teeth. "I could kit you out in something, though it might better suit the boudoir than the battlefield."

She was having entirely too much fun, and as she straightened she caught the dagger glare Cassandra was now casting in her direction. Sylvanas ignored her, calling out. "Proudmoore! I would like to see the status of the new Dwarf mining town in the Southern Mountains. And I'm rather curious why the mines nearer to Arendelle remain closed."

"Something about the hidden folk, I'll ask the Queen … But she was very insistent on the matter." Jaina said, almost absently, before she walked over. Her unease standing next to Sylvanas was palpable and only made Sylvanas's day better.

As she called up a portal, Sylvanas remarked casually. "You know, you have been positively glowing, Lord Admiral. Even if I do say you looked much better with my arrow in your back."

Sometimes she just liked to live dangerously.