Polar Vortex (Jelsa Fanfic)

Chapter 2

Dedicated to sweetpea4444 for pestering me in real life to upload more of this story. So, without further ado... The story...

Lavana took a deep breath.

You can do this.

Slowly, she put her palm into Elsa's awaiting hand, grasping tightly. Raising a foot, she paused briefly before setting it on the ice. Holding her breath, she checked if that foot was steady before shakily managing to get both feet on the slippery surface.

It was only after a brief check around her surroundings did she deem it safe to keep moving forward. After a few wobbly steps, she felt the task impossible to overcome.

Apparently Elsa sensed her growing distress, "Don't walk like you do on land." She instructed, "I'll show you, okay?"

When Lavana nodded her assent, Elsa let go of her hand and gracefully pushed off, stopping a few feet away, "You push one foot backwards, and the other one. Then you glide. I'll catch you if you fall." She held her arms out.

"You mean, my foot has to leave the ice while I'm moving?" asked Lavana, terrified.

"Well, basically. You'll be alright. I mean, falling can't hurt you."

Lavana swallowed. Even though she knew falling on ice wouldn't harm her physically, it was her ego she was more concerned about. Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven (he was just introduced to her) were standing a little way off, watching her. They were not helping matters.

Pushing off, she wobbled on one foot, before immediately switching to another. With growing confidence, she increased her speed. Before she knew it, she was in Elsa's embrace.

"You did it!" She exclaimed, "I don't want to be nit-picky now, Lavana, but your legs are a little stiff. Just relax."

"Relax? But... I might fall!"

Elsa tilted her head, "Are you really afraid of making a mistake? All ice skating athletes make mistakes. It's unavoidable."

Lavana stopped hyperventilating, and pondered over the subject of falling. What was she to lose, besides an iota of pride, if she fell? She certainly wasn't going to fall through the ice.

With a sigh of resignation, Lavana tried to relax her joints, then glided over the ice. For a fleeting fraction of a second, she thought she had actually succeeded in positioning her blade just right on the ice, before...

CRASH! One second Lavana was skating, the next head over heels, tumbling right into Anna. The next moment, they were a mess of limbs and fabric as they tried to separate themselves from each other.

"That... Was..." Wheezed Anna, lying on the ice after untangling herself.

Lavana held her breath, flushing. She had already caused trouble, on her second day.

"... SO FUN!" She beamed, propping herself up with an elbow. She grinned at Lavana. "First time I ever tumbled like that since..." her eyes held a faraway look, "Well, for a very long time."

Unsure what to make of this comment, Lavana turned to the others. All of their eyes were glazed over with nostalgia.

"Uh, still there?" She inquired, making the words sound like she was joking. However, her furrowed brows suggested otherwise.

Kristoff was the first to recover. Quickly recomposing himself, he gave a slow nod at the girl, hesitating, as if he wanted to say something. However, he shook his head slightly, showing Lavana, without words, that they had a secret. Something they wanted to keep hidden.