Elsa pushed forward through the stinging wind and snow away from the palace. She knew she had to put as much distance between herself and her former home before her guards realize she was missing. Her pace was slowed by the flurries of snow swirling around her, trying to push her back to her cell and almost certain death. It felt as though even her powers had turned against her. She surveyed her surroundings as she walked. In her foolishness she had turned her beloved fjord into an expanse of frigid, white nothingness. It was her fault, all her fault. She felt the knot of guilt tighten in her chest. The wind blew harder.
"Elsa you can't run from this," she whirled around to see Prince Hans slowly walking towards her. The wind pushed his red hair away from his cold eyes.
"Just take care of my sister," Elsa replied. Her heart ached at the thought of what Anna must be thinking of her now.
"Your sister?" He asked incredulously. "She returned from the mountain weak and cold. She said you froze her heart."
"What? No…"
"I tried to save her but it was too late. Her skin was ice. Her hair turned white." Elsa's heart sank further. "Your sister is dead…because of you." Elsa felt her heart rip apart in her chest. All the grief, the self-hatred, the fear paled in comparison to this. She had failed to protect the one thing she had sworn to herself never to hurt. She sank to her knees. The knot in her chest broke open and instead was replaced with the nothingness of grief. The wind stopped. Snowflakes hung suspended in the air. Elsa knelt to the ground, frozen with grief, as immovable as the frozen fjord below her. She felt Hans looming behind her. She heard him draw his sword but couldn't find it in her to defend herself. She deserved this. She drew a last breath anticipating a swift end. No sword fell however and she felt an unnatural warmth on her back. A warm glow grew brighter behind her. Just when it began to feel unnaturally hot she heard a cry behind her.
"No!" shrieked Anna as she threw herself between Hans and her sister. Flames coursed from where Hans was standing and licked furiously around Anna's body. Elsa reacted at once, sending a burst of ice at the source of the flames. They immediately ceased. The smoke cleared to reveal a startling sight. Anna's body was frozen in fear before Elsa. Her skin was blue and crystalline; Her face was frozen mid cry. The fire had melted off her outstretched hand but had stopped before doing any more damage. Elsa stood in front of her frozen, baby sister. She reached out her hand and tentatively caressed her frozen face. Elsa fell onto Anna in a stiff embrace. She hadn't touched her sister in 18 years but now she clung to her icy form.
"I'm so sorry Anna," she sobbed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kristoff looking at them with disbelief. Olaf sat bereft looking at what was left of his first friend. Elsa held Anna tightly hoping she could somehow atone for all those years she had stayed away. She wished she could tell Anna how hard it had been, how sad it had made her to stay away, how she would take it all back if only Anna would come back to her. She wished for the first time to feel the cold, to feel her baby sister and not feel so numb. As she wished this Anna's body started to warm. Her stiff limbs became soft and and all the ice melted away.
"Wha- Anna?" Elsa asked unbelieving of what she was seeing.
Anna whimpered in pain as her arm thawed. Her outstretched arm thawed and began to bleed and she cried out in pain. Elsa quickly froze the flesh and laid Anna down on the ground. She created a small pillow of snow to rest her head on. Anna whimpered softly. Kristoff ran over to them and grabbed Anna's other hand, holding it close to his heart. She smiled up at him. Olaf stood over her protectively and Elsa stroked her hair
"You sacrificed yourself for me?" She asked.
"I love you," Anna said weakly. Olaf gasped.
"An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart." He exclaimed happily.
"Love will thaw," Elsa said cautiously. "Of course. Love," with growing confidence she let go of all her fears that had plagued her since she was a little girl. Anna loved her. She let that feeling course through her body. Anna loved her. As she let go the fjord around them began to melt. Anna loved her. The snow disappeared from the grind and the dark clouds above the dispersed. A large ship that had been trapped under the icy fjord came up from underneath them and they floated safely as Elsa melted the snow around them. Arendelle returned to normal. The newly emerged sun glittered and danced on the thawed fjord. Anna lay on Kristoff's lap cradling her injured arm. He held her close, whispering reassurance that everything's no would be alright. Behind her Elsa heard a pained grunt. She turned and saw Hans slumped over on the deck, his body lay at an unnatural angle. He stirred gently. She walked towards him hesitantly and leaned over his unconscious body. Elsa reached out to see if he was alright. His skin felt hot against hers like he was burning from the inside. He stirred slightly at her touch. With a jolt his eyes sprang open and he sat bolt upright, grabbing Elsa's outstretched arm. His grasp burnt her like a hot iron and she cried out in surprise and pain. Hans pulled her close to him, a pained look on his face and a wild look in his eyes.
"You froze my heart." He whispered in disbelief and then sank back into unconsciousness.
