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gokitetour · 1 month

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The Top 7 Famous French Castles

Some of the most exquisite castles in the world, each rich in grandeur and history, can be found in France. The Château de Versailles, Château de Chambord, and Château de Chenonceau are a few of these famous sites. The Château de Versailles, which was first constructed as a hunting lodge for King Louis XIII and then extended into an opulent palace by his successor, Louis XIV, is a testament to the wealth and power of France. It is a monument to French elegance and sophistication with its expansive grounds, elaborate rooms, and stunning architecture. The unique Renaissance architecture of Château de Chambord makes it a marvel of French design. It was commissioned by King Francis I and displays the opulence of the French royalty with its elaborate embellishments, double helix staircases, and expansive woodland domain. Renowned for its exquisite beauty and picturesque location, the Château de Chenonceau is tucked elegantly above the river Cher. Because of the enormous impact of the ladies who molded its history, it has been dubbed "The Ladies' Castle" and is characterized by its famous arching bridge and rich gardens. These castles captivate tourists from all over the world with their ageless elegance and charisma, serving as architectural wonders as well as windows into France's rich cultural legacy.

Here are some famous French castles.

1. Château de Versailles: The home of the last king of France: Without a doubt, the most famous castle in France is the Palace of Versailles. Before the monarchy was overthrown in 1789, Louis XVI, the last king of France, lived there. It is situated 20 kilometers southwest of Paris. The palace was built on a 1,070-hectare park with magnificent French gardens, and it occupies 67,000 square meters. With seven hundred rooms, 1,250 fireplaces, and 67 staircases, it's about as opulent and extravagant as a structure can get. Some of the best examples of French arts and crafts may be seen here, from the King's Apartment to the Hall of Mirrors.

2. Château de Chambord: The largest castle in the Loire Valley: Situated 5 kilometers from the river, the Château de Chambord is the biggest castle in the Loire Valley. It was constructed in the 16th century amid a vast forested park halfway between Blois and Orléans. The castle's Renaissance-style architecture is claimed to have been influenced by Leonardo da Vinci. Head to the northwest side of the moat for a stunning view of the castle reflected in the water. Use the audio tour tablet when you visit to learn about the history of this beautiful fortification erected by French King Francis I.

3. Château de Chenonceau: A castle built over the Cher River: Situated in the Indre-et-Loire department, 30 km east of Tour, the Château de Chenonceau is situated in the center of the Cher River. Beautiful bridges connect it to the ground, and to the north are magnificent gardens, and to the south are woods. Its architecture, which combines early Renaissance and late Gothic elements, makes it one of France's most visited castles. Don't miss the park's labyrinth, and make reservations in advance if you wish to eat lunch in the castle's garden restaurant, L'Orangerie.

4. Château de Fontainebleau: From King Louis VII to President Charles de Gaulle: Originally built in the 12th century, the Château de Fontainebleau has been expanded, renovated, and remodeled by various monarchs, an emperor, and a president over its long history. The castle, located near Fontainebleau and surrounded by a massive forest of the same name, contains 1,500 rooms and is one of France's greatest structures. It was one of Napoléon's favourite palaces, and the previous king's Parlor still has his throne and crown. You should use the extremely educational audio guide offered during your visit to understand more about the castle's historical significance.

5. Château de Cheverny: Hanging around Marlinspike Hall: Cheverny is undoubtedly not on par with the other French castles that we have included in our list of the most exquisite. But this amazing 17th-century rural estate is most known for being Hergé's basis for the Château de Moulinsart, or Marlinspike Hall in English, that he drew for the Adventures of Tintin comic books. Period furnishings and ornaments have been kept in this little castle. For this reason, even if you are not a fan of Tintin, it is a really enjoyable historical site to visit.

6. Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte: Discover the castle that inspired the architecture at Versailles: The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, located 45 kilometers southeast of Paris on a magnificent 500-hectare estate, is a magnificent representation of French craftsmanship and elegance. Famous for being the castle that inspired Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte has symmetrical French Baroque architecture, exquisitely designed interiors, and gardens à la française. The Carriage Museum, the panoramic dome, and the subterranean Styx River are the attractions of a visit. Be sure not to miss the candlelit visit, which takes place every Saturday after dark if you visit between May and October.

7. Château de Chantilly: A domain for art and horse lovers, 40 km north of Paris: Two castles, the 15th-century Petit Château and the 19th-century Grand Château, are located inside the Chantilly estate. They are situated in a vast park with a French formal garden, sizable water ponds, cascades, and a rustic town that recreates the way of life in the rural areas of the past. The estate also houses the Great Stables, the Chantilly Racecourse, and the Condé Museum, which has the second-largest collection of historic French paintings in France, after the Louvre. There are days when the Great Stables host horse shows.

Conclusion

Discovering the well-known French castles is a voyage through beauty and time, providing an insight into the country's rich past and breathtaking architecture. Every castle narrates a tale of kings, queens, and cultural legacies, from the opulence of the Château de Versailles to the elaborate architecture of the Château de Chambord and the enchanting charm of the Château de Chenonceau. Visitors are taken to an opulent and elegant realm as they are astounded by the elaborate rooms, expansive gardens, and magnificent architecture. These recognizable sites serve as both reminders of France's great past and a display of the country's architectural brilliance.

Getting a France visa from Delhi is the first step for visitors from Delhi who want to go on this amazing trip and experience the charm of magnificent castles for themselves. With the visa in hand, kids may see historical landmarks, take in the allure of French culture, and make lifelong memories. Visiting these castles is an amazing trip that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of France's attractiveness, whether it's meandering through the grounds of Versailles, scaling the spiral staircases of Chambord, or crossing the arched bridge of Chenonceau. Travelers leave with a greater understanding of the beauty and history these great structures possess, and with each visit, they become a part of the monuments' enduring heritage.

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elsanna-shenanigans · 2 years

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February Contest Submission #12: Lyfjaberg

Words: ca. 4,500 Setting: Canon AU Lemon: no Content: Mental health issues (Elsa), Norse mythology Song: Lyfjaberg by Wardruna

Ut in ditt indre ventar bratt ein sti

Høgt der på Lyvjarnut stend møyar ni

Elsa sighed out of relief as the mountain her dream had shown her finally came into view.

She currently found herself at the foot of said mountain, a valley full of pine trees, the ground covered here and there with patches of snow. Their branches gently swayed in the wind while an owl hooted in the distance.

The mountain itself was imposing. It’s sharp rocky surface, which was fully covered in snow, made it look like it was extremely difficult to climb. However, on the bright side, she could see a very small hardened trail that covered at least a part of the massif before her.

If it were under any other circumstance, Elsa would have marveled at nature’s beauty and would have taken her time to soak it all in.

However, she wasn’t here for some sightseeing.

She sadly looked down at the frozen form of her sister clutched in her arms. Gazing at Anna’s unmoving form made her relive the harrowing scene that transpired yesterday.

She remembered how sorrowful she had been when Hans had confronted her, telling her that he was too late to save her sister. She had felt guilt and regret as he had informed her that she had killed her own precious sister.

Tears had been streaming down her face as she had collapsed on the ground, the raging snow storm around her had dissipated in an instant as grief had consumed her.

Mere moments later, a loud and sharp clattering sound had prompted her to momentarily dry her tears and look up. She had seen, out of the corner of her eyes, how Hans had fallen backwards, the pieces of a broken sword scattered around him.

But that hadn’t been what she had focussed on.

As she had laid her eyes on her sister’s frozen form, her heart had broken again. It did not matter that Hans had lied moments earlier, for his words had still become reality.

Her sister had died, frozen solid, by her own magic. In her final act, her sister had chosen to protect her.

“No…No…Anna…” She had whimpered, her hands hovering over Anna’s frozen face. The eyes that had held so much happiness and joy were covered in a thick layer of ice.

Elsa had lost it then, hard sorrowful sobs had racked her entire body as she had flung her arms around her sister’s neck.

Elsa remembered how cold Anna’s body had felt and how, for the first time in her entire life, how much that cold had bothered her.

For it had been, and was still, so wrong for her enthusiastic and kind sister to feel so cold.

What had happened after was still a blur to the Queen. The only thing she could remember was the guards forcefully prying her off her sister’s form and escorting her back to the castle. The rest of the day was still hazy to her, she only knew that she had stayed in her room. Weeping in one moment while angrily lashing out in the other.

She had expected that she wouldn’t be able to sleep that night but, surprisingly, sleep had found her rather easily.

It was the simplicity of the dream she had that night that had been so memorable.

“You’ve found us.” A voice said, ending her daydreaming.

She looked up, unconsciously holding her sister’s frozen form closer to herself as she stared at the woman before her.

It was the same woman who had appeared in her dreams the night before. The same woman who had convinced her to depart on her current journey to bring back her sister.

The woman was clad in a long white robe, the bottom part gently swaying in the wind. Her blonde hair was braided, with the braid resting on her shoulder. The same sympathetic look on her face.

“I did.” Came Elsa’s reply. She still had her doubts about the woman’s credibility but on the other side, Elsa would do anything to bring her sister back so for now, she would trust the woman. “You said you could heal her?”

“Straight to the point, huh?” The woman chuckled softly.

“Obviously.” Elsa frowned. That was not the answer she expected to get. Perhaps, in hindsight, this journey had been a mistake. Perhaps this was all some figment of her imagination to cope with the loss of her sister.

“Oh perish those melancholic thoughts, Elsa. I assure you, I am real.” The woman’s reply startled her. She could read her thoughts?

“How?” The one worded question was the only response Elsa could muster for a while which made the woman chuckle again. “Who are you? What are you?”

“I’m known by many names.” She started, a small amused smile grazing her lips. “But you may call me Eir, I am one of the handmaidens of the Mountain.”

Handmaidens? Did she stumble upon some sort of cult? Perhaps another civilisation that had, unbeknownst to herself and the rest of Arendelle, been living in the Kingdom this entire time?

Eir laughed.

“The existence of my brethren and I is a bit more complicated than that, Queen of Ice, but you aren’t here to learn about us.” In a small gust of wind, the woman before her disappeared. “You are here to save your sister.”

Elsa startled as the voice sounded a lot closer now. Readjusting her grip on her sister’s form, she looked to her right to see Eir curiously studying Anna. Before Elsa could even question how she disappeared and reappeared in the blink of an eye, Eir let her hands gently trace over Anna’s frozen face.

Elsa had no idea what the other woman was doing but assumed she was doing something to bring her sister back. After some time, Eir hummed to herself and looked up towards Elsa with a comforting smile.

“She’s still in there.” That simple statement stunned Elsa.

“She’s still….Alive?” Elsa dared to ask in a pained whisper. Eir nodded.

“She is!” She exclaimed enthusiastically. While Elsa didn’t quite share Eir’s mood, it felt like a huge weight fell off her shoulders. Her sister was still alive. “It’s quite difficult to explain but she’s holding on.” Eir turned towards her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “She’s quite the fighter.”

“That she is.” Elsa smiled fondly as she looked down at her sister.

“My brethren and I can help her once you arrive at the top of the Mountain.” Elsa’s face fell at that.

“What? Why can’t you help her now?” It felt as if her new found hope got crushed instantly.

“Because that’s just how the Mountain works, dear.” Eir sounded rueful. “Climb to the top, Quen of Ice, and you and your sister will be reunited once again, I promise you.” Eir stepped away from her, towards the mountain until she turned around again to face Elsa once more. “You can leave your backpack here, you won’t need it. The Mountain will provide for you.” She smiled warm heartedly. “Good luck.” With that, she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Elsa’s thoughts were a mess after Eir left. She wanted to yell out in frustration and cry out in happiness. The most important part was, however, that her sister could be saved.

Carefully setting Anna down for a moment so she could shrug off her little knapsack with food in it. She had brought it along when she had departed this morning to make sure she had enough food for her journey but she decided to trust Eir’s word and leave it.

Elsa gathered Anna back in her arms. Granted, carrying her frozen form around like this was a bit difficult but Elsa didn’t care. With determined steps, she started towards the trail that would lead her up the mountain.

It indeed was a difficult climb. The hardened path snaked between outcrops of sharp rock formations and was in some areas very steep. From time to time, she had to pause, not only to catch her breath, but also to readjust her grip on the frozen form of her sister.

As she made steady but rather slow progress, she let her thoughts wander. Of course, due to lack of conversation or anything else to keep her occupied, those thoughts turned out to be rather dark in nature.

She blamed herself for this entire fiasco. Even now, as she was climbing the mountain, Arendelle was still covered in a layer of snow. Her own sister had become victim to her destructive powers and only illustrated that her parents had been correct all along.

It was a foolish thought of her to think she could have anything that resembled a normal life. She was a danger to everyone around her. Even if this trip resulted in success and her sister was revived, how could she ever go back to her Kingdom? Her people feared her, saw her as nothing more than the cursed woman she was.

Perhaps Anna had been wrong in saving her from Hans’ sword. Perhaps it would have been better for everyone involved if she had died so they could be freed from the storm that rages inside her.

“Don’t think like that, dear.” A very soft, almost motherly voice sounded from up ahead, blocking the path forward.

Elsa looked up, not realizing she had unconsciously gazed at the frozen figure in her arms as her thoughts had consumed her.

Before her stood, at first glance, a young woman, even though Elsa could see the lines denoting a more mature age in her visage. She was wearing the same white robe as Eir and had auburn hair that reached a little beyond her shoulders.

At first, Elsa wanted to ask what she was talking about. It was an automated response from her. Years of isolation made sure that Elsa kept everything related to emotions and feelings tightly locked up. Conceal. Don’t Feel. The mantra her parents had taught her after Anna’s head incident had been ingrained on her very person.

Most days she felt like a puppet. A construction molded from her parent’s teachings. Fake smiles, fake laughs, fake interests. Sometimes she wondered if there even was a real Elsa to begin with.

She doubted it.

The fake masks she wore, even in her rather short reign as queen so far, seemed like the only reality she knew and would ever know.

Depressing thoughts, perhaps, but it had been her reality ever since she had been a little girl.

“That is where the problem lies, my dear.” The soft voice spoke again. This woman could hear her thoughts, just like Eir. That meant she was most likely also a handmaiden. The stranger smiled.

“That is correct.”

Elsa sighed. The idea that someone could read her thoughts and emotions like that, discover her deepest secrets didn’t sit well with her at all.

“Don’t worry, dear, everything I see and hear, everything we will speak of will never leave this mountain.” The woman offered a reassuring smile, it did nothing to help her uneasiness though.

“Are you here to check up on Anna again?” She inquired, the woman shook her head.

“I am not, my dear, I am here for you.” Elsa frowned.

“For me? Why? I’m not hurt, I’m perfectly fine.” Even she herself could hear the rather defensive tone of her own voice.

“Not all wounds are physical in nature, Elsa, I’m sure you know that.” Elsa tensed.

“Who are you?” Elsa asked. The woman’s brow shot up in question, no doubt noticing her deflection.

“I am Blith and, as you guessed before, I am a handmaiden of this mountain.” She smiled pleasantly again.

“Well, Blith, it was nice meeting you but I need to get going now. I need to reach the top as soon as possible.” Elsa greeted politely before she tightened her hold on Anna’s form and pushed past the handmaiden.

“This is as much your journey of healing as it is your sister’s, Queen of Ice.” Elsa had only made it a few paces behind her and froze as she heard it.

“What does that even mean?”

“It means, Elsa, that you need to stop running away from your fears.” Came the simple reply that angered Elsa more than it probably should have. After all, Hlif was right but, at that moment, Elsa didn’t really care.

She, carefully, put Anna’s frozen form down, making sure it was sturdy and in no danger of falling over before she turned around and stalked towards the older woman.

“You have no idea what you are talking about.” She gritted out. Blith’s eyebrow rose again, totally unfazed by her sudden anger.

“Oh I don’t?” She started in an equal sarcastic and chiding tone. It kind of reminded Elsa of her own mother chastising her if she had done something wrong. “When your powers were revealed to your people during that ball you ran away out of fear of what the people would say. You ran away, leaving your kingdom without a leader and plunging it into eternal winter before locking yourself away in the mountains. And then, when your sister found you and informed you of the situation, you let your fear take over once more, pushing away the very person that tried to help you.” She nodded towards the frozen statue behind her. Elsa hung her head in shame, her anger disappearing like snow on a sunny day for Blith was right.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked into forest green eyes.

“You are not to blame, you know.” Blith started softly, her tone returned to the warmth it had radiated before. “You have been taught almost your entire life that your powers were a curse, that they needed to be hidden, that they should be feared.” Elsa swallowed at the intensity of Blith’s gaze.

“I am here to tell you, dear, that everything you have been taught is wrong.” Elsa’s eyes widened at that. She wanted to protest, to tell the handmaiden she was wrong. Her powers were dangerous but she silenced her before she could utter a single word. “They aren’t a curse, far from it, they are a precious gift that could do so much good.” Elsa shook her head in defiance.

“They aren’t.” She whispered, not believing what she was hearing. How could anyone think that?

“Just think about all the things you could do, Elsa.” Both of Blith’s hands were now squeezing Elsa’s shoulders in a comforting manner. As if the handmaiden tried to squeeze all of Elsa’s doubts and fears out of her. “You could provide permanent shelter for the poor and homeless by constructing buildings from ice and snow. You could spare a mother’s heartbreak by employing snow constructs as soldiers instead of real men. You could transform the biggest smile on a child’s face by entertaining it with even the simplest of tricks.”

Elsa’s eyes widened. She had never thought about her powers like that. Could they truly be utilized like that?

“Of course they could, Elsa. The possibilities are truly endless!” She said. “Granted, It would require quite a bit of training but I am certain you could achieve all of that and so much more.”

Elsa was still in awe, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Blith chuckled lightly.

“The most important part is that you let go of this fear, Elsa.” Blith used her thumb to wipe away a single tear that had rolled down her cheek.

“How?” Elsa’s voice was so small, so fragile, that she barely recognised it as her own.

“By stopping to pretend you’re someone you’re not.” Blith extracted her arms from Elsa’s shoulders and took a graceful step back, giving her an encouraging smile. “Break the strings your parents have suspended you on. Ditch the fake smiles and let your masks fall, Elsa, become the regal Queen I know you to be.” She smirked before continuing. “Become the kind and caring woman and sister that Anna knows is hiding in you.” Elsa blushed lightly.

“And most importantly dear,stop pushing people away.” She emphasized. “don’t be afraid to show and to tell how you really feel.” Elsa felt like there was more to that last statement than it sounded.

And indeed, Blith smirked.

“You should know by now that there is no hiding your feelings from me.” Elsa begged that she wasn’t talking about what she thought she was talking about.

“Why are you so afraid to tell her?” The handmaiden inquired.

“Are you kidding me?” she asked incredulously. “She’s my sister!” She hissed out, as if the very word hurt her.

She never meant to fall in love with her own sister, it had just kind of happened. Even though their parents had separated her, Elsa always made it her mission to ask servants to update her on her sister. However, it hadn’t been until she had seen her seventeenth summer that she had noticed the change.

That year she had noticed that she really wanted to hug Anna close again or that she desperately wanted to taste Anna’s lips on her own. She found it quite difficult to put it even into words but somehow, along the way, her sisterly affections towards Anna had morphed into more romantic ones.

She had never uttered a word about it to anyone before, of course. She had decided to bury it with all the other things years ago, figuring it was just a phase and that she would get over it.

Well, that proved to be a lie since she was still not over it.

“Why not tell her?” Blith repeated.

“Because there is no way she could ever feel the same and I really do not want to compromise our fragile relationship even more.” Elsa sighed. “And then there is of course the whole issue with us being both women and sisters.” She added sarcastically.

“I do not see why the latter would be a problem.” Blith calmly stated. “What’s between your or your partner’s legs has little relevance. Love is love Elsa, whether you love a man or a woman, it doesn’t matter.” She shrugged her shoulders. “And while falling for your sister is indeed uncommon, it’s not totally unheard of.”

“Perhaps not to you but imagine what the Arendellan people would say if I announced I was enamored by a woman and my sister at that.” Elsa sighed again. Why was nothing in her life easy?

“Well, love is never easy, my dear, but that’s why it is so valuable once you get it.” Blith’s hands returned once more to squeeze her shoulders encouragely.

“And really, she jumped in front of a blade for you, Elsa, while she knew it would be the last action she would take before being frozen. I say there is a high chance her feelings aren’t purely sisterly affection in nature either.”

“You think so?” Elsa asked, not quite managing to keep the hopeful tone out of her voice.

“I know so, Elsa.” Blith chuckled. “What did I tell you just moments ago?” She asked in mock sternness.

“To stop pushing people away?” Elsa offered a hesitant yet slightly amused smile.

“Indeed, so just tell her.”

After a long silence, Elsa eventually answered.

“I will.”

“That’s a good girl.” Blith beamed, making Elsa chuckle again. Hesitating for a moment, Elsa eventually shot forward, engulfing the handmaiden in a quick hug. Elsa noted that she felt surprisingly warm.

“Thank you for everything, Blith.” She murmured as she put her chin on the older woman’s shoulder. “And I’m sorry for getting angry at you earlier.

Blith patted her back. “You’re quite welcome, dear.” She said in that motherly tone again. “And don’t worry about it, sometimes we all need to let out some anger.”

Elsa extracted herself from the woman’s embrace, a genuine hopeful but happy smile plastered on her face.

“Now off you go, go save your love.” Blith motioned for her to continue her journey with a teasing smirk. Elsa blushed but went back to pick up Anna’s frozen form.

“Thank you once again, Blith!” Elsa called out without turning back as she marched ahead along the hardened trail, ever closing in towards the peak.

Blith smiled at her retreating form, content that she was able to heal the Queen of Ice.

Legg frå deg reidsle, legg di maske ned

Der du er på veg, er dei til ingen nytte

Børa letnar, framom kjem dei tyngste steg

Elsa didn’t know how long she walked after her encounter with Blith. It was really difficult to estimate time so high in the mountains. She did notice however that the air became lighter, making it a bit harder to breathe but still, Elsa soldiered on towards the top.

Eventually, the path became illuminated by standing torches along the side. Not soon after the torches appeared, she arrived at some sort of plateau, where she could see eight figures standing in a circle with a ninth person standing in front of them.

Pressing on, Elsa tightened her grip on her frozen sister even more as the snowy wind picked up. The wind was so strong up here that she wondered just how those torches managed to stay lit.

As she approached the people, she recognised Eir standing in front of the circle and Blith amongst the eight in the circle. Eir smiled as Elsa stopped before her.

“I’m glad to see you here, Queen of Ice.” Eir welcomed her. Previously, Elsa had taken a bit of a discomfort at the nickname she had given her, but now, after her talk with Blith, she found that she didn’t mind it as much as she used to. Elsa smiled. It was progress.

“I see that your mind is far less troubled than when you first arrived.” Eir stated satisfied.

“They are, I had a very good talk with Blith.” A smile tugged the handmaiden’s lip. “You’re welcome.” Blith called out from the background, resulting in all the other handmaidens to chuckle lightly.

“Place Anna in the middle of the circle and join me, the others will see to her recovery.” Eir instructed.

Elsa made her way past Eir, who Elsa believed to be the leader of this group of handmaidens if her earlier position and rather commanding voice was anything to go by. She passed between two other women before gently placing her frozen sister in the middle.

She then retreated back to take her place on Eir’s right side. With a simple nod, Eir instructed for the others to begin.

The eight women started dancing in a circle around Anna. Elsa almost couldn’t believe her eyes as they seemingly melted into the shadows.

Then, they started singing, and Elsa was sure she had never heard such angelic voices before in her life.

“Sott og sår

or marg og bein

or kjøt og blod

or hold og skinn

i vær og vind

ut du svinn”

Their voices were slow but soft and yet held a warmth that could rival the sun. As they sang, Elsa could see some sort of symbols appear on the ground. Symbols she could not read nor recognise. they almost seemed otherworldly in nature.

Her admiration for the scene that played before her was apparently very amusing to Eir.

“Quite the sight, are they not?” She asked, her eyes twinkling.

“They are.”

Once more, Elsa couldn’t tell how much time passed but eventually they stopped singing and dancing and slowly came to a halt again. Elsa looked at Eir beside her but before she could ask her question, Eir nodded for her to go ahead.

Elsa rushed past the handmaidens and gasped as she saw her sister, unfrozen in the middle, slowly stirring as if she had been in a deep sleep.

“Anna.” She said in a whisper, tears of happiness and relief forming in the corner of her eyes.

Anna, hearing her name and no doubt recognising the owner of the voice that said it, blinked the sleep out of her eyes and sat upright. Her eyes widened as her eyes fell on Elsa.

“Elsa.” The princess murmured just as soft as her sister, as if she didn’t quite believe it was all real.

Not being able to contain herself anymore, Elsa shot forward and embraced her sister, burying her face in her fiery red locks.

It was quite a wonder how much that one simple hug conveyed.

“I’m so sor-” Elsa started but was silenced when Anna put a finger on her lips.

“Don’t you dare apologize, Elsa.” She said seriously. “Blith is right, you have lived in fear for far too long, sis.” There was a tenderness in her eyes that melted Elsa’s heart. “From now on, no more closed doors, okay?” Elsa could only nod as she tried her hardest to not let her emotions get the best of her.

Until a particular part of Anna’s comment made her pause.

“Wait, you heard our conversation?” She asked, a bit panicked. Anna’s eyes twinkled mischievously.

“I did.” Elsa’s eyes widened. That meant that…

“I’m so sor-” Once more her apology got cut off, but now, instead of a finger, it was Anna’s lips silencing her. Elsa quitely gasped in surprise before she closed her eyes and melted into the kiss. Her right hand unconsciously went to caress her sister’s cheek while Anna threw her arms around her neck.

Elsa felt like she was soaring through the sky.

A couple of excited claps broke the tender moment however. Both sisters blushed furiously as they picked themselves off from the floor and stood up. They had forgotten they weren’t alone on the mountaintop.

Elsa could see Blith’s eyes shining with amusement. Eir made her way towards them, passing by two of her fellow maidens and watched both sisters with an amused smile.

“Well it seems you two have a long talk ahead of you.” Both sisters shyly looked at each other before nodding. Indeed, they did.

“Well then I wish you a good journey back towards Arendelle, don’t worry about your descent, the mountain will provide you with everything you need.”

“Thank you, Eir, for saving my life.” Anna bowed gracefully in gratitude. Eir waved her away with a chuckle.

“You’re quite welcome, Princess of Ice, it was a pleasure to help you two.” Eir politely bowed back. “It is always a delight to unite two people in love. I bless you both with a long and happy life together.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she continued. “And if the issue of an heir comes up, feel free to make the trip back here, I’m sure Hlif would be delighted to help you.” She winked and while both sisters didn’t fully understand what she meant, they blushed furiously nonetheless.

“Uh, we will, thank you.” Elsa managed to squeak out while Anna merely managed to nod.

After that they bid their farewells and started their descent of the mountain, hand in hand.

Legg den att på Lyvjaberget

Hødgi der åar alle,

buktar støtt seg nord og nedan

Bergar den som berget maktar

From atop the mountain, she looked at how the royal sisters slowly descended their mountain.

“It has been centuries since you last blessed a couple, Frigg. You’ve taken quite a liking to them, haven’t you?” She heard Frith ask next to her.

“I would be lying if I said I haven’t.” The goddess answered honestly.

While she observed the new couple, engaging in playful banter, she found herself smiling. Sure, they needed to have an important talk and yes, it would change their relationship forever and it would be far from easy.

But Frigg believed in them, for it was written in the stars that those two were meant for each other.

#elsanna #february 2022 contest #prompt: never #lime

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