Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or Milo from Atlantis: The Lost Empire—they belong to Disney.

Author's Note: I don't have a Tumblr, but here's my contribution for Elsanna week! I'll try to make each prompt creative and break from the usual mold…which means some things might not be entirely fluff. Or they might be long. Or complicated. Every prompt is connected in a way, even if it doesn't seem like it until Day 7, where everything will hopefully fall into place.

For Day 1, I did some research to get away from the usual kissing under the mistletoe moments (don't worry, you'll still get your kiss!), and the explanation behind this one is located at the end. Accounts vary, so I apologize in advance if what I found is wrong, and let me just say that there are no set rules in this particular 'verse. Regarding the Norse gods, and all. While my personal headcanon is that Elsa's powers were a blessing from Skadi…erm…you know what, never mind. Here, they're a legend—old tales and stuff. Maybe.

…Just enjoy Day 1, and also pretend that Atlantis didn't take place in 1914 because I need Milo Thatch for reasons. :D Also, they are unrelated in this particular one—everything's basically the same except Anna's just a princess from another kingdom spending time at Elsa's for the holidays.

To This Day

Day 1 – Mistletoe

Yes, Anna could have gotten a normal mistletoe like everyone else.

Yes, it would have been much, much easier to obtain.

And yes, it definitely would have been safer.

…But really, this was about Elsa.

And Elsa deserved so much more.

"My apologies, Princess Anna, but I think I may have misheard your request," Grand Pabbie said as he blinked a few times in rapid succession, his weathered, stony face chiseled into a puzzled look. "What is that you want…exactly?"

Anna took on a more resolute stance, placing her hands on her hips as she smirked proudly at the elder troll staring up at her, his mossy eyebrows scrunched together. "I think you heard me the first time," the princess stated simply, narrowing her eyes a little as he shifted on his feet. "And yes, that's what I said."

"But…are you sure about this, Your Highness? Couldn't you have gone for something more…" Here, he gestured helplessly with his rocky hands, brow furrowing even further. "…simple? I am sure that Queen Elsa cares more for the thought rather than its value. And with the supposed history behind this particular—"

"That's exactly why, Grand Pabbie!" Anna exclaimed excitedly, causing more than a few trolls to glance over from their spots back in the main clearing. She had shooed them away earlier when she had first arrived, wanting to speak with the elder troll in private. No need for everyone to hear her master plan, after all.

"Elsa deserves more than just any old mistletoe, and this one is the most important one! I read about it in a book!"

"Yes, but do you not remember what this book of yours said it did?" Grand Pabbie asked in exasperation, frowning.

"And don't you remember what happened afterwards?" Anna countered, her lips curling back into a smirk as the frown vanished on the elder troll's face. He blinked once, dark eyes softening. She could almost see him mentally sift through the vast library of his knowledge, eventually coming across the same version of the story she had.

"It is still a dangerous journey to undertake, Your Highness," the elder troll finally said. "The old legends, they are…well, they are uncertain. Your quest may very well be in vain."

"But we'll never know unless I try!" the princess persisted, sinking to her knees in front of him until she was almost at eye-level. "Will you help me, Grand Pabbie? Please? Pretty please with fire crystals on top?"

Anna gave her best puppy-dog pout, teal eyes big and filled with hope, but ready to turn immediately doleful if he turned her down. There were very few individuals in all of Arendelle who could hope to withstand its power.

And unfortunately, the elder troll was not one of them.

"Very well," Grand Pabbie conceded with a loud sigh, his mossy eyebrows relaxing for the first time since their conversation began. "I will point you towards its most probable location, but I cannot guarantee that you will find it there."

The princess excitedly stood up. "Yes! Oh, thanks Gr—"

"However," the elder troll interrupted her with a pointed look, "you must promise me that you will find a guide, or a traveling companion of some sort to accompany you on your quest."

She sat back down.

"And it will not be just any promise, no…It will be binding. So do not think you can go off on your own with none the wiser." He ran a hand tiredly down his face, heaving another great sigh. "If Queen Elsa does not kill me for allowing you to go on this journey in the first place, she most definitely will if I allow you to go alone."

Anna reached out to place a hand over his, smiling gently. "Elsa isn't a killer, Grand Pabbie. I doubt she'll actually resort to killing you, but if it will 'save your life', then…I promise."

The rocky hand beneath hers glowed a faint gold, along with his eyes. "Again, Your Highness."

She swallowed, trying to stifle any nervousness at the fact that what she would say next would be magically binding. She'd read enough books by now to know that the consequences of breaking vows like these were…harsh, to say the least. Not that Grand Pabbie is harsh, or anything, Anna thought as she raised her chin, posture straightening even with her kneeling position.

"I, Princess Anna, do hereby swear that I will not go searching for the legendary mistletoe alone, and I swear that I will find someone to accompany me on my journey."

A shiver went up the princess' spine as the troll's magic went into effect. It settled over her being, whispering consequences into her ears in an ancient tongue. Grand Pabbie's eyes resumed their normal dark color, his hand no longer glowing.

"It is done," he whispered solemnly. The elder troll then offered a tight smile, now ready to divulge the mistletoe's location.

She couldn't bring Kristoff along.

Sure, the gruff ice harvester was her second best friend—the position of first obviously claimed by Elsa—but it was precisely the fact that he was her best friend that she couldn't tell him about the mistletoe, let alone drag him off to go with her. And besides, if he knew it would be dangerous, he'd do everything he could to stop her—probably even tell Elsa. Anna didn't know what Elsa would do if she caught even a whiff of her plan, and she found herself thanking the council for the umpteenth time for keeping the queen busy with holiday preparations.

And good thing Anna was known for being the outdoors type and mingling with the townsfolk, or else the servants would have noticed something. If she was gone for too long, though…

She also couldn't bring Olaf.

The poor guy was just a snowman! What if she lost him on the way? What if they somehow came across a place with too much heat for his personal flurry to keep up with? What if he scared off any villagers they might come across, and the next thing they know, they'd be chased away with pitchforks and torches?

Besides, she was pretty sure Elsa had some degree of awareness over where her creations were, and the last thing she needed was for the queen to wonder what the loveable snowman was doing so far from the castle and the town.

"Are you sure we'll be back before nightfall?" Anna asked her new traveling companion, teal eyes narrowing as she shifted the pack on her shoulders to a more comfortable angle. The air had started to chill, and they had just started the trek up the mountain, the winter's snow impeding their progress a little. Although, she could probably take comfort in the fact that they didn't need to go all the way to its peak. Only…about halfway.

…Which might as well have equated to where Elsa's ice palace would be on the North Mountain.

At least you have experience…And just be glad it's within Arendelle's borders. Like, wow, lucky doesn't even begin to describe it, the princess reminded herself as the man in front of her glanced back from the map held in his hands.

"I'm starting to think the villagers of Frigga's Grove meant we'll make it back to the village before nightfall if all goes well. Not…the castle," Milo answered with a frown, brown eyes worried from behind his pair of ridiculously large glasses.

His full name was Milo Thatch; a linguist and archaeologist of sorts searching for clues to the location of the fabled city of Atlantis. He had chased a lead all the way to Arendelle, but had discovered that it was yet another dead end, and had chosen to at least stay for the festivities. Thanks to Anna's fortunate collision with him on her way back to the castle—she should really learn to watch where she's going whenever she's excited—the princess had accidentally spilled the maps he had been carrying, and soon learned that he was an expert navigator.

It had been just past dinnertime, and with her conscious effort not to arouse any suspicion from the queen or the servants, Anna had decided right then and there that the lanky man would have to do. She had all but demanded he meet her at one of the inns in the morning to talk at greater length, promising a sizeable amount of money to fund his search in return, and Milo had quickly complied.

His background as an archaeologist under his grandfather, and experience in handling artifacts was the icing on the cake.

Anna didn't want to accidentally break the thing when they found it, so…

"The village?!" she exclaimed, aghast. "But it took us hours to get from the main town to there! I mean, horses would've made it easier, but then I'd have to get one for you, which would be suspicious, but…never mind! That means we'd have to spend the night and set out in the morning! We can't do that!"

"Well…maybe Queen Elsa won't send out a search party right away?" Milo offered sheepishly as they paused in their walking, pushing his hat down to cover his ears better. "It's just one night. It can't be that bad."

Anna rolled her eyes at his response, crossing her arms. "You don't get it—Elsa loves me. Like, loves me enough to probably propose soon…Ooh, but she's going to get upset when I won't show up for dinner with her, then she'll try to find me in my room, and when I'm not there, she's going to freak out!" At this point, she had uncrossed her arms to gesture wildly, eyes growing wide. "She's going to ask around, and since I didn't tell anyone, she'll panic even more, and since it would be nighttime too, I wouldn't be surprised if she sent out search parties anyway! And they're not going to find anything for hours because hey, we're pretty far, and then she'll get even more upset, and—"

"Okay, okay…I think I get it!" Milo interrupted, frantically waving his gloved hand at her to stop. "The longer you're missing, the more the queen will panic. So just…here's what we're going to do: we're going to double our pace, hope we don't run into any trouble on our way to the cave, grab Baldr's mistletoe, and run for it. We won't stop by the village for the night; just…travel by moonlight and hope bandits or wild animals don't find us."

Anna blinked.

"Does that sound good?"

"Y-Yeah, it…it does. We should…We should get going now, yeah. Good plan."

They resumed their trek up the mountain after that with double the speed, and thankfully, the only form of trouble they encountered was a gap they had to take a running start to get over.

And maybe a rope bridge with more than a few planks missing, and several that looked on the verge of rotting.

And maybe an eagle or two that thought they were a threat to its eggs.

And maybe a few large icicles that almost impaled them. Several times.

And maybe another bridge that looked even worse than the first one.

And maybe an almost 90 degree climb to the cave because the stone steps that served as the main path were covered in ice so slippery, it would be impossible to walk on unless you were Elsa, or an ice harvester trained from birth.

And maybe it was freezing cold too, but so what?

"Just…gotta…catch my…breath…" Anna wheezed from her spot, where she had all but flopped down just inside the cave's entrance. The lack of snow within was but a small comfort to the cold invading through her layers, and a distant part of her noted that she should still keep moving somehow so as not to fall asleep.

But good God, I'm so exhausted right now…

The princess glanced to her side, and saw Milo in the same position as her on the stone floor, his chest heaving rapidly as he tried to catch his breath, too. The linguist seemed to be faring worse than her, in fact—this must have been the most strenuous activity he's ever been through, probably.

"Hey…are you…alright?"

Milo answered her with a particularly loud wheeze, managing to raise an arm and wave her concern away before immediately flopping it down with a wince-inducing 'thud'.

"That last eagle…was relentless…" he finally choked out after a few minutes of silence had passed between them, broken only by their heavy breathing and the faint howl of the wind outside.

"And we need…to talk to…those bridge builders…about their shitty work," Anna offered, managing a weak laugh. "We almost died."

"Several times!"

It took probably five more minutes for them to gather the strength to stand up again, legs shaking from the burning in their calves. It took another five minutes to find the torches they had packed and the box of matches to light them. Suitably prepared, they made their way to the back of the cave, footsteps echoing on the stone and their fires casting shadows on the walls. A simple wooden wall with a door greeted them at the end; close to rotting and serving as nothing more than a flimsy barrier to keep the odd animal out.

"It's definitely not part of the original design, which seems to have dated back several centuries, if the steps and the hints of the façade beneath the snow were anything to go by," Milo explained after they passed through. "Whoever added it must have worked on the bridges too, but the harsh conditions make them seem older than they actually are. If I wasn't so busy with my Atlantis work, I'd probably come back in the spring when the snow's gone to check it out some more. It's definitely some fascinating stuff, if you look past the horrible things we had to go through to get up here."

"Do you…Do you think that person might still be here?" Anna asked, glancing around anxiously at the stone corridor they were passing through. "Or anyone else, for that matter?"

"The door guy? Oh, probably not since the wood is pretty aged. But other people?"

They rounded a bend, and came across a large room with braziers and torches lit with golden flames, illuminating the various objects within—some neatly placed on shelves and stands, others haphazardly strewn about. There were swords, musty tomes, spears, urns, armor, shields…They all looked like ancient artifacts, definitely. Another wooden door waited at the far end.

"—Maybe. Someone had to have lit these, unless…magic, or something," Milo whispered as they stopped beside a statue of some warrior or god. Perhaps both. "Be careful, Your Highness. We don't know who else might be lurking around."

"I told you not to call me that," Anna hissed, throwing him a look and receiving a barely-concealed smile in return. She stepped further into the room, moving as silently as she could while the linguist observed the statue with sudden interest.

Okay…Grand Pabbie said that I'll know it when I see it, and that it's shaped like a weapon, the princess thought as she passed by a large hammer resting on a pedestal that reached just a little over her knees. Then again, I doubt he imagined his guess was correct, let alone actually finding Baldr's mistletoe…

Anna passed by a bow that looked like it could be made out of ice, and some kind of horned, rusty helmet, nearly reaching the last third of the room before she spotted the most peculiar weapon propped up against the wall, right next to a few ordinary-looking spears. She couldn't tell if it was a spear, or an arrow, or some sort of glorified dart, or even a sword, but she knew that it was a weapon.

And it was completely crafted out of mistletoes.

Scores of the parasitic plant were bundled and tightly wrapped together to form the legendary weapon that supposedly killed the light god Baldr; its white berries standing out like stars in a green night sky. Surprisingly, the plants hadn't decomposed yet—perfectly preserved as if Loki had handed it to the blind god Hoder just the other day.

Anna immediately grabbed it, unsurprised to find that it wasn't all that heavy. In fact, she was more surprised at how casually it had been treated, considering it was a god-killer and the same plant that resurrected that very god in a different version.

She wasn't sure which story was correct, but she secretly hoped it was the latter.

"Psst! Milo!" the princess hissed as she carefully made her way back to where the linguist was excitedly hopping up and down in front of the statue, a broad grin stretching across his face as he flailed his arms around. "I have it, so let's—What? What's so interesting about this old thing? We're kind of in a hurry, remember? Elsa freaking out? Some guy that might be living here? Ring any bells?"

Milo suddenly grabbed her shoulder with the hand not holding his torch, directing her to stand right in front of it. "Look at the shield! Do you see it? Those runes circling the perimeter?" he whispered in her ear, barely restraining himself from shouting his discovery to the world.

"Yeah, why?"

"It's the key to finding the key to finding Atlantis! The Arendelle lead wasn't a dead end after all!" the linguist breathed, letting go of her to place his torch on the floor, and grab the shield off of the statue. "Oh, when my colleagues back home hear about this—"

"Wait…what? The key to finding…the key?"

There was brief, terrifying moment where the shield was apparently heavier than he had expected, and Milo nearly dropped it on the stone floor. Anna's heart leapt to her throat when she saw him manage to stop it a mere centimeter away, arms trembling. In unison, they both looked toward the door at the opposite end of the room, frozen in place and holding their breaths.

No sound at all, save for the crackling of the torches.

There's probably no one else here but us, anyway, Anna hoped as she slowly moved to place her torch next to Milo's, haphazardly sticking Baldr's mistletoe in her pack. Hands now free, she helped the linguist lift the shield, and with some careful maneuvering and hissed instructions, managed to help him buckle the shield to his own pack. No longer caught off guard by its true weight, Milo was able to handle it a lot better than before, and even gestured for Anna to turn around so he could better secure Baldr's mistletoe to hers, wrapping it in some cloth he had brought along.

Stooping to grab their torches, they finally hurried on their way.

"So this…Shepard's Journal is actually in Iceland? Not Ireland?"

"That's right! Multiple failed expeditions to Ireland, and it turns out that we were all off by one letter! And the particular runes on this shield is my proof that the location was indeed lost in translation! Isn't that crazy?"

"What's crazy is how we somehow got down the mountain in one piece," Anna said as she fiddled absently with the copper strands of her twin braids. She had lost her hat somewhere between crossing one of the bridges and dealing with round two of the eagles' wrath. Thankfully, it wasn't as cold compared to being on that mountain.

"Those glorified birds are evil."

Unfortunately, night had long since fallen, and even with the break they had for dinner, her body was beginning to protest the abuse it suffered today. She wanted nothing more than to rest and to stop walking, but…Elsa was waiting for her.

Probably a very worried, very angry Elsa.

Her steps slowed for a moment as she briefly entertained the idea of putting off the queen's wrath for as long as possible…before picking up again as concern for said queen's panicked state overrode her fear.

"So…tell me again why you'd go through all this trouble to get Baldr's mistletoe? I mean…no offense, but you don't look like someone who'd be interested in ancient artifacts, and if you wanted a normal mistletoe, well…"

"It's a…secret," Anna answered as she came up to walk beside the linguist, who had his compass out. The moon was out tonight, and although they had enough light to see their way, she still wished they could have used the torches. Unfortunately, that would give them away to any bandits lurking in the distance. Also staying clear of the main road was a hard enough decision already.

"That's what you said this morning…Or could it be that it's for the queen?" Milo asked, his tone teasing, and she didn't need to look to see the grin on his face.

"I-It's not!"

"Hey! If it is, then good job! A bit unconventional, but suitors would have a hard time topping this—"

"Oh, please," Anna interrupted, crossing her arms with a huff. "The whole town knows that Elsa's in love with me—they'd probably scare off any suitors before they even have a chance to reach the castle's gates."

She saw Milo glance at her from the corner of her eye. "So it's true, then? What happened last year?"

Whereas Elsa would probably have gone quiet and anxiously wrung her hands, Anna merely beamed at him, her heart swelling at the memory. "True Love on the frozen fjord? Yes!"

"I meant the Christmas in July fiasco, not…never mind," the linguist laughed, adjusting his ridiculous glasses as his brown eyes softened. "You really love her…don't you?"

The words sent heat rushing to the princess' face, and she fiddled sheepishly with her braids. "O-Of course I do," Anna softly replied. "I've…loved her for years, actually. Our parents were close friends, so we kind of grew up together. And even after all that happened, all the years refusing to write back and keeping the gates closed, I still couldn't stop loving her."

She didn't stop talking even as Milo reached out to lightly grab her arm, guiding her as they moved further and further west back towards the main town.

"I mean…it's crazy, right? And all my life, I never thought she'd actually…love me back, you know? It's a dream come true! She kissed me after I thawed on the fjord—did I tell you my heart froze over and I sort of died? Because…yeah, that happened, and the priests wouldn't stop bothering me for a week trying to get answers, but I honestly can't remember too much anyway—and then Elsa just wouldn't let me out of her sight for the rest of that day! And Milo, it was just…amazing, having her back."

A dreamy smile danced on her lips.

"And we reconnected after that, getting to know each other all over again, and…kissing a lot. I thought it was impossible, but somehow I found myself falling deeper and deeper in love with her. Did you know she hides her laugh behind her hand because when she was younger, her teeth were crooked and she was self-conscious of them? I mean, Elsa obviously got them corrected, but the habit just stuck over the years, and…it's really nice being reminded that she's flawed, just like the rest of us. She's still perfect, though—probably the most gorgeous woman in all of Scandinavia, and she has this adorable fear of dirt and worms."

"So naturally, you had to tease her." Milo remarked, amused.

"Of course! And oh my God, you should've seen the look on her face the first time I did it after the Great Thaw! I was banned from the castle for two days! Two!"

He arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay…Elsa said two, but it was more like one, really. Maybe even half a day, but that's as low as I'm going! She cracked pretty easily, even if it was supposed to be me being punished. Because she's just…she's just so…caring. And she hides it a lot because she's just worried about hurting people with her powers. I mean, sure, she learned that love thaws the ice and snow, but…old habits die hard, and she has relapses sometimes."

Anna bit her lip, trying to contain the ridiculously happy smile on her face.

"But honestly? She's the warmest, kindest, gentlest person I know. And I love her for it; flaws and all."

Milo didn't bother holding back his smile. "I can see why the townspeople would be protective of you, if you love their queen that much, and vice versa. I'm happy for you, Anna! I can only hope to find someone to love just as much as you love Queen Elsa."

"Maybe you'll find love when you find Atlantis, hmm?" Anna offered with a teasing wink as his face reddened.

They walked in companionable silence after that, with Milo processing all that she had divulged to him before asking her to tell the story of the Great Freeze, all the way from the very beginning when Elsa's parents died. They covered more distance as she talked animatedly, the hours passing as the moon traveled across the night sky. With the story exhausted, and having already known about Milo's side from their journey earlier that morning, the two moved on to talking about…just about anything, really.

At this point, it was more to keep themselves awake as they trudged on, fighting the call of sleep.

…And while they had been lucky enough not to cross paths with bandits, it seemed their luck had run out with the wild animals. Not counting the eagles back on the mountain, of course.

"Did you hear that?" Anna whispered as Milo tore his gaze away from the compass to glance around at their surroundings again. Their steps slowed, ears pricked for anything out of the ordinary.

An owl in the distance.

The faint howl of the wind through the ice/snow-covered trees.

Growling.

Wait…growling?

"Wolves!" Anna shouted as she spotted a few pairs of gleaming eyes behind them, followed by bared fangs. They wasted no time in running through the snow, fighting sore limbs and lack of sleep the whole way, carried purely by the adrenaline pumping through their veins. Anna grabbed Milo's arm as she overtook him, practically dragging him after her as the shield's weight began to take its toll on his speed. She knew enough about him by now to know that he'd rather die than lose his evidence. They managed to dodge the trees in their way, the wolves' snarling ever-present behind them.

"Are we almost there yet?" Anna asked as they narrowly avoided running into a boulder. A howl rose up behind them.

"I-I don't know!" Milo shouted, sparing a glance at the compass as they ran. "We're m-more southwest than west right now, so—"

A snap of teeth far too close to his pack abruptly cut him off, and Anna screamed in terror, Milo joining her as they pushed for more speed.

"I…I think I see the fjord!" the princess cried as she caught sight of something shimmering beneath the moonlight not too far away. "Milo, we're almost there!"

"Anna, we're on the wrong side! We still have a ways to go before we reach the tow—AH!"

"Milo!" Anna shrieked as the wolf snarled into the leather of the linguist's pack, digging its paws into the snow. She reached behind her to grab the torch hanging off the side of her pack, tugging it out and taking a swing at the beast. It flinched as it grazed close to its muzzle, and her next strike landed true. There was a pained yelp as the wolf let go, and Anna yanked Milo after her, urging him to go faster. Through the trees ahead of them, her eyes landed on what seemed to be flickering torches in the distance—the search parties, perhaps.

"Help! Wolves!" she shouted, hoping they could hear her. The snarling persisted behind them as they continued to run, the trees thinning to their left until they beheld the fjord in its full glory. They were running along the side of a hill, following the slope down and allowing gravity to help increase their speed as the torches in the distance grew closer.

Anna tripped, taking Milo with her.

Screaming, they both tumbled down the hill, the world spinning as they rushed closer and closer towards the dark waters of the fjord…

The first thing she noticed was the cold.

"—na…nna…"

The second thing she noticed was the weight of Baldr's mistletoe resting near her right leg.

"Anna…Anna!"

It must have been dislodged when they fell in…

"Anna!"

The last thing she noticed was the familiar face looming over her, ice-blue eyes shining with tears under the light of the guards' torches.

Elsa…?

The Queen of Arendelle looked haggard; her platinum blonde hair lacking its usual luster, and both her braid and frosted-back bangs looking as though they had been repeatedly ran through with anxious hands. Dark circles had begun to form underneath her eyes—eyes that darted all over her face in terror before filling with relief at seeing her own open.

"Anna! Oh, thank heavens!" Elsa breathed, a shaky smile forming on her lips as a couple of tears escaped down her pale cheeks. "Anna, you're—"

"—the best person ever?" the princess rasped as her hand closed around Baldr's mistletoe, unseen by the queen.

Elsa blinked in surprise, her smile faltering as her brow furrowed in confusion. Her grip on Anna tightened. "Wha…What?"

She brought the mistletoe weapon up, holding it over the both of them.

"Mistletoe. Same one used in Baldr's legend," Anna giggled weakly, smiling brightly at the woman she loved above all. "Now you gotta kiss me."

She heard a few of the guards chuckle—along with a weak one that sounded like Milo's—as Elsa's widened eyes darted back and forth between Anna's smug face, and the soaked mistletoe between them.

"Is that…a sword?" the queen finally squeaked out, probably still in shock.

"Actually, it looks more like a spear to me."

Blue eyes softened as they finally settled on her own, fathomless love shining within as the ridiculous scale of the princess' gesture finally hit home. The smile had returned, shy and happy as pale cheeks heated red.

Anna knew not to be deceived by the moment, though—she'd receive her scolding soon enough when she was warmer and sitting by a bonfire, probably. But until then…

"Only you."

The sheer amount of love and affection in those two words warmed her shivering frame more effectively than any bonfire.

"Only you," Anna repeated.

It was a promise.

And as Elsa's breath ghosted over her heating skin, as her lips finally met the queen's for the first time in three days…Anna knew that it was one they would keep for the rest of their lives.

I just wanna see my baby…

NEXT: Day 2 – Deck the Halls

Author's Note: Well, there you go. This is my first time contributing to an Elsanna week thing, so hopefully it's okay. Other days are gonna be fluffier and shorter, I promise. I also forgot Elsa's birthday is December 21, so I couldn't tie that in…But you got a very brief reference to Skadi…? And a reference to the iconic Iron Helmet in Skyrim…? And a kiss at the end…? Milo's okay too, by the way. If anyone's wondering.

But moving on…Explanation time.

According to my research, apparently in Norse mythology, Loki used a spear (arrow/dart in later versions, and a sword in the Gesta Danorum) made of mistletoe to kill Baldr, a god of light and purity, by manipulating the blind god Hod/Hoder/Hodur into accidentally throwing it. Normally Baldr couldn't be harmed since all beings/objects (which somehow included plants?) swore never to hurt him, but for some reason, mistletoe was skipped over. One answer I found was that since it was parasitic, it didn't have to, but others have said it was because Frigga thought it was too young to make the vow.

As for the kissing under the mistletoe tradition, one answer I found was that after three days of failing to resurrect him, Frigga's tears landed on its then-red berries, turning them white and bringing Baldr back from the dead. In doing so, she reversed the mistletoe's bad reputation and kissed everyone who walked underneath it out of gratitude for getting her son back. Because of this, Vikings in the 8th century believed that mistletoe had the power to raise people from the dead. And on a somewhat related note, 1st century Druids in Britain also believed that mistletoe could perform miracles.

So…despite the fact that it killed a god (and brought him back in one version!)…you'd still have a pretty badass mistletoe to use, if you know what I mean. B)

Also, since this is already late and I had to crunch for time, I was originally going to have some crazy dude living in the cave and chase after them to get his stuff back…but I didn't have time to show that. So the explanation for the artifacts is that there is an obsessed guy living up there (past the door at the end and probably sleeping), collecting/making stuff from the Norse legends and preserving them with magic. As for how Grand Pabbie guessed where it was…the cave was once part of a grand temple to the old gods and it was a likely starting place? I'm really sorry for these plotholes—I guess I didn't really think it through.

Anyway, I'm really excited for Day 7 of Elsanna Week. :D It's probably not gonna be what most of you are thinking, but I couldn't resist. Also, I'm really behind because of the Korra finale and running errands for the holiday rush in addition to gift wrapping and stuff. Hopefully I'll get caught up.