Elsa sat in her room, rereading the same sentence in her book over and over again. No matter how hard she tried, the princess just couldn't focus on the novel in front of her. Something had been bothering her all day - a sinking feeling that had latched itself onto her stomach since waking up that morning. For a fleeting moment she considered tracking down her younger sister for support, but the idea was quickly dismissed. Elsa hadn't spoken more than a few words to her sister in the last twelve years, and on top of that Anna had taken the trip to Corona along with their parents.
Elsa sighed, putting the novel down and burying her face in her hands. There was no one she missed more than Anna. Elsa knew exactly how much her isolation had hurt her sister - the younger princess would knock on her door constantly to try and entice Elsa to come out and play. At least, she used to try. In the last few months those little knocks were few and far between, and now Anna was on her first trip abroad. Though Elsa was a bit envious of her sister's opportunity, she was mostly just anxious for her family to return. The loneliness she often felt had gotten worse since their departure a week ago.
Elsa opened her eyes to see a snowflake gently settle on the bed cover. With a pang of guilt the princess folded her arms and quietly recited her manta: conceal, don't feel. In a few moments the gentle snow had stopped, and Elsa rose from her bed. The snowflakes on the floor would quickly turn to water, which needed cleaned up before it ruined the wood.
The first thing Elsa noticed as she walked through the halls was the unnatural quietness. Even with the gates closed and staff reduced, Anna usually managed to find some way to make a commotion and cause trouble. With her gone, the castle had lost its life. Elsa turned the corner into the great hall to find the second strange thing of the day. A messenger, wearing the bright sun crest of Corona, stood with his hat in his hand. Kai stood before him, bowing quickly.
"Please sir, wait here and I'll fetch Princess Elsa."
The sinking feeling in her stomach increased, and with all her willpower Elsa buried her fear and drew herself up to a more imposing stance.
"There's no need Kai. I am right here." She strode toward the messenger, curtsying slightly. "Welcome to Arendelle, good sir. I am Princess Elsa. Please come inside, sit and rest."
The young man bowed low, taking a seat at the large table. "I thank you Princess, but I am afraid I cannot stay. My ship leaves with the coming tide."
"Very well," Elsa said, motioning for Kai. "At least enjoy a drink while you're here." The messenger rose quickly, a pained expression crossing his face.
"Princess Elsa, I'm afraid I must decline. The message I must give you is extremely important."
Elsa blinked, confused by the messenger's insistence. "Well then, go ahead. Give me your message," she said finally. "I assume it is from my parents and sister. Have they extended their trip?"
The messenger lowered his head. "That is just it Princess. Your family never arrived for Princess Rapunzel's wedding."
Elsa's stomach dropped, as did the temperature in the room. "T-they didn't arrive on time?"
The messenger looked up sadly. "They never arrived at all."
The silence was deafening, and with each passing second the temperature continued to drop. The messenger and Kai looked around in confusion, and Elsa knew she needed to be alone.
"I...Thank you for your message," she said hoarsely. "Kai, please escort him to his boat." The messenger bowed once more.
"The entire kingdom of Corona sends its deepest regrets for your loss."
As soon as the two men had left the room, Elsa was running. The pain inside her chest was building, the temperature lowering in the air around her with each second. She reached her room, slammed the door, and let go a blast of ice and snow in an instant before sliding to the ground in tears.
Losing her parents hurt bad enough, but Anna? Elsa curled into herself, sobbing into her sleeves. She would never get the chance to apologize for years of shutting herself away. She would never see her baby sister's face light up a room again. She would never again see her beautiful face at all. Her parents and sister were gone, and with them the chance of once again being a happy family. As Elsa sat in her frozen room, she imagined for a moment that she could once again hear the quiet voice of her sister at the door, and she wept.