Frozen Joy

When the accident happened, Joy retreated into a quiet, dark corner, where she sat isolated, all alone. Her usual glow dimmed, extinguished into nothing but the faintest of weak light. When Elsa's sister fell, unconscious, Fear grabbed the controls, pushing a petrified Joy away, with no resistance from the latter. She had watched, eyes wide, mouth open but not speaking, as Elsa screamed for her parents, clutched her little sister in her arms. Joy didn't care how far she retreated, as long as she retreated out of sight, into the shadows, her back pressed against the now frosty walls of Headquarters. Her eyes, once so bright and full of life, dulled, turning into glassy mirrors, reflecting a soul quaking within. The soul of an eight-year-old afraid her sister was dead.

Joy slid down to the icy floor, arms wrapped around her knees, head down, as Elsa, the very next morning, locked herself away from Anna. Thirteen years of isolation, Joy unmoving from her spot, letting Sadness and Fear take all control of Headquarters. The accident was her fault–happiness was too dangerous for Elsa. It had hurt her sister. What good was joy when it only lead to near-tragedy? No, better to stay out of the way. At least Sadness and Fear could not hurt Anna. They couldn't harm a little girl, like Joy could. Better to let them have the controls.

For ten years, Joy stayed in her darkened, frozen corner, curled up, unmoving. Though she let the other Emotions take over Headquarters, she had only one rule for them:

"Make sure Anna's Joy is happy," she pleaded, "That's all I want. That's all Elsa wants."

And Sadness and Fear made sure they could see that Anna's own Inner Joy was kept bright and content, even despite the locked door between the two sisters. Every now and then, the door of Elsa's room opened, just a little bit, to watch Anna race up and down the halls in her own imaginary games. Or, if the younger was outside, Elsa would watch through her window, but never join in. It was too dangerous–Anna needed to be protected from Elsa's curse.

Perpetual frost and ice formed a sheen that glimmered on the floor of Headquarters, but only at Sadness's feet was it most concentrated. Little spears of ice jagged up around Fear's feet, holding him in place. Anger rarely came to the controls, and nor did Disgust, and yet even they weren't hiding in the shadows, too frightened for Anna's safety to come out.

But the loss of Joy was not all that happened, for far worse things happened on the islands of Elsa's personality.

Over the years, all had to watch helplessly from the windows as each island–Family, Friendship, Goofball, and Magic all lost their colour, one by one. Magic had lost all colour the moment the ice struck Anna unconscious, and crumbled away into the fathomless chasm below. Goofball Island lost its colour, turning drab and grey, the very same night of the accident. After all, games were too dangerous. Within twenty-four hours, Goofball Island had become lifeless and its sister city, Magic crumbled into ruins. The magic did not exist for Elsa anymore. Her powers no longer deserved to be admired, to be beheld in awe with wide children's eyes anymore. It deserved to be reviled, to be beholden in terror with wide eyes.

At least, while all their hues had all but faded to pale imitations of colour, the family and friendship islands continued to stand. Their shades had faded like a cloth left in sunlight's reach for years, but they were still there, as long as Elsa's mother, father, and sister continued to love her.

Yet, one day, on the day of Elsa's coronation, the remaining islands' colours briefly brightened as the two sisters spoke to each other as if the thirteen years had never happened. As if they had been so close as they should have been for all those years. Even Joy had to smile when the two sisters discovered the scent of their favourite sweet, chocolate. For the first time in forever, Joy came back to the controls, eyes riveted on the display, but staying at a distance, not wanting to be hasty in hoping all was well again. It would only go away again, it would never last. And it did not–Joy retreated into the shadows again, observing, mute, from a distance.

The Coronation Party rolled on, a humdrum period, Elsa too busy meeting more foreign ambassadors and dignitaries to notice Anna's lengthy absence. But when Anna's voice called out for her sister, Joy perked up, hands to mouth as she watched, waiting for what Anna had to say, only for even that flicker of hope to be blown out like smoke from an extinguished candle. Anger, Fear, and Disgust sidled Joy away from the controls as Anna continued yelling at Elsa, icicles cracking down from the ceiling and jutting out of walls. The tension as Anger grew hotter, his head smouldering, was near-contagious. Even Joy tensed, arms tucked around her middle in the same way Elsa did as she walked away from a fed-up Anna. She jumped, knocking several books over as Anger smashed his hands down on the keyboard.

"ENOUGH!" Anger howled, and onscreen, Elsa echoed this explosion of frustration.

Icicles and rime coated Headquarters in less than the blink of an eye. Fear clapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wild with terror.

"Run, run!" he gasped, fingers flying over the controls, "Now!"

Onscreen, Elsa fumbled with the doorknob, sweaty palms slipping, before she managed to grip and turn it.

"They'll be after us! They'll want us exiled! See! They think she's a witch, a monster! We can't go back! We can't go back!"

Elsa ran. Ran and ran and ran. She didn't care where or how far, only that she put as much distance as possible between her and Arendelle and Anna. The mountains seemed as good an option as any, being so far away and distant as to be in near-isolation. Joy stared at the distant figure on the screen, seeing how so much snow lay on the mountains. Without realising it, she began to walk to the display, Sadness startling as she came to her side.

"Joy?"

"I–I want to try something."

"What?" Sadness whispered, "they think Elsa's a monster."

"I know–I mean, I saw what happened. Let's try something. Just once?"

Sadness sniffed, eyes downcast. "You can try, Joy."

"Oh,don't worry, I'll try."

Joy brushed her fingers against the buttons and dials of the control panel, but did not press anything. She watched, leaning forward over the panels as Elsa fell deep into troubled thoughts.

Maybe it's time for a happier memory. After all, no-one can get hurt out here.

Joy pressed a few buttons, and Elsa created a snowman, inanimate for now, an echo of a core memory now tinged entirely with blue. Yet, this was a happy moment, and Joy could feel some of her old energy and enthusiasm returning. Fingers slow and hesitant at first, she quickly began to gather steam, eyes wide with excitement, her smile growing and growing until it was a grin that near stretched ear-to-ear. All the other Emotions were struck speechless as an elated Elsa formed and decorated her ice palace in the mountains, frozen fractals and geometric patterns forming. Angles, line segments, triangles, diamonds, fractals, and all manner of patterns spiraled and spread all around the palace foundations. The chandelier was a glorious display of geometric artistry, all triangles and sharp angles glittering with grand magnificence.

Joy was, for the first time in thirteen years, truly in her element, and behind her, the Magic Island, now restored like new once more, glowed with brilliance, but not one of them noticed. No-one noticed that it was happiness and joy that brought life back into Magic It would only be at the climax of Elsa's unbridled exhiliration would they turn around and see the Magic Island newly restored, in the shape of a snowflake.

Once again, Joy retreated, horrified, when she saw Anna turned into pure ice, an arm outstretched to stop a sword that should have been for Elsa. All she could do was stare, dropping to her knees as tears leaked over her fingers, folding into herself in grief. Sadness knelt down, a tentative hand on Joy's shoulder. Joy allowed Sadness to draw her into an empathetic embrace as Elsa wept with grief, guilt, and remorse. Even Anger, Fear, and Disgust were quiet, unmoving as they stared at what had happened to their Elsa's sweet little sister. Warmth turned into cold, flesh turned into ice, a woman of nineteen who should have deserved all the life and happiness in the world. Elsa would have given the sun, the moon, and sky to have Anna back. To feel her warmth, her embrace, to hear something, anything that would tell Elsa that Anna was at peace, that wherever she was, she was okay.

"Anna…our dear Anna…" Joy whispered, still clinging on to Sadness. "She's gone…she's sacrificed herself to save us."

"Shh!" Disgust hissed, "You hear that?"

All the emotions fell into absolute silence. Nothing of any note entered their ears, until Joy tilted her head, asked if it sounded like a faint heartbeat. Even Sadness looked up, around Headquarters, as the heartbeat grew louder. Both stood back up on their feet as they watched what was happening on their screen.

"Look!" Joy pointed at the first signs of colour melting away what once was ice into thread and flesh.

Joy shook with emotion, tears unchecked, as Elsa blinked, looking up at her little sister, who, completely thawed and alive, now gazed down at her, the smallest of assuring smiles on her lips.

"Anna?"

Warmth spread through Headquarters as Elsa and Anna clung on to each other in their hug, Elsa burying her face in her sister's shoulder. She didn't want to let go, not as long as she could assure herself that her sister was truly, truly alive and warm.
Joy's smile wobbled. "I…I think everything will be better from now on, don't you think?"

At least, I hope so…

"I love you," Anna murmured, answering Elsa's astonished question of her self-sacrifice.

Love. Love leads to happiness and joy.

Joy understood now.

She knew what went hand in hand with happiness, so long as Anna was at Elsa's side.

Love was joy, and joy in turn was love.

A/N: I originally posted this on Tumblr a few months ago as part of Frozen Fandom Month.