Arendelle hadn't seen a winter storm this severe since the queen's powers were revealed. All ships were tied down, all trades were placed on hold, and nearly everyone had hunkered down in their homes until better weather arrived. As usual, Elsa was stuck in the castle, but this time she had a free evening, and Anna was nowhere to be seen.
The queen paced back and forth softly between the dying embers of the fire and her favorite armchair. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Anna to be out in what could be considered dangerous weather, but she generally knew when to call it a day and head back to the castle. Regardless, Elsa knew that she would show up eventually, so she sat down at the desk and pulled out a book.
Engrossed though she was in her story, Elsa could make out the sound of boot-steps and hurried apologies from down the hall, meaning Anna had finally come in from the storm. Building the fire back up to a roaring flame, Elsa walked up to the door, and opened it, knowing that her sister's figure would soon fill the frame.
"H-hey! I th-thought you might be in here!" Anna slipped past her sister, her hands tucked tightly under her cloak.
Elsa looked at her sister with concern. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong? N-nothing's wrong, I'm just a little c-cold from being outside."
"Anna, you're shivering, stuttering, and you haven't taken your hands out from under your cloak. What happened?"
Anna looked guiltily at her sister, and pulled out her hands, revealing the early signs of frostbite on her fingertips.
"I d-didn't think it was that cold out, and I didn't notice until I got inside."
Elsa sighed and gestured to the seat closest to the fire. "Come on, I'll get you some dry blankets. Let's get your thawed out before anything serious happens.
"Th-thanks, Elsa. You're the best." Her sister nodded and found some dry blankets and proceeded to wrap them around Anna.
"Put your hands closer to the fire. It'll help." Elsa took Anna's hands in her own and held them close to the flames.
Even though the heat was inviting, it stung on her fingertips, and despite her best efforts, Anna couldn't help but whimper at the pain.
"Els-sa, it hurts. The cold really hurts."
Elsa froze. The fear and pain in Anna's voice struck a chord. She tried to ignore the twinge of fear that had settled in her chest. The memory of Anna being struck with her magic was taking control and she was powerless to stop it. The more she tried to fight it, the worse it became until she was visibly shaking and sat down in an effort to try and quell the feelings that haunted her.
"Elsa? Are y-you okay?"
The queen remained silent, only shaking her head in response.
"Y-you're shaking!" Anna stood up. "What's wrong?"
"J-just stay away. Go back to the fire."
Anna clumsily scrambled over to her sister, sitting herself next to her on the sofa. "But something's wrong! Was it s-something I said?"
Elsa said nothing, wrapped her arms tighter around her waist and brought her knees up to her chest. If Anna could just leave her alone for a few minutes, she could regain her composure. But it wasn't in Anna's nature to take a subtle hint, and she continued to try and get an answer out of her sister.
"Elsa," she said, looking around her in surprise, "i-it's starting to snow! You gotta tell me what's wrong! What are you scared of? What's going on?"
She couldn't look at Anna. Every thought in her mind was trying to get past the memory that was making her shake in fear. No matter what she said to her, she wouldn't leave her alone and that only made matters worse.
"It's okay," Anna said, hugging her sister tightly, despite Elsa's efforts to break free, "You didn't do this. I did this to myself. You didn't freeze my fingertips, you didn't cause this storm. You don't have to worry about doing it ever again, because I know that you won't. I'm sorry if I scared you, and I'll try to be better about it in the future. Please calm down, there's nothing to be afraid of. Do you know why I know that? Because we love each other, and because of that, we could never hurt one another like we had in the past. Please say something…"
Anna's words seemed to work. Elsa relaxed, and wrapped her arms around her sister instead of herself, holding on tightly. The longer she held on, the better she felt, until she was able to speak again with a clear mind. "I'm sorry, Anna." She drew a deep breath, and sighed. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's alright!" Anna pulled apart from the hug, still holding her sister's hands. "You're okay now, though, aren't you?"
Elsa nodded. "I'll be fine. But you should be back by the fire so you don't lose your fingertips."
Anna pouted at her sister. "You're no fun. How am I supposed to enjoy the company of my favorite person if she's being so…so…"
"Responsible?" Elsa suggested, with a grin on her face. "I will spend the remainder of the evening with you, doing whatever you want, but only if you fix the issue at hand first."
"Fiiiine." Anna sighed in defeat and settled back into the chair nearest the fire. "But you better keep your promise!"
Elsa pulled over a chair and sat next to her sister. "You have my word."