AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first fic, so I hope it's enjoyable. Just a few notes:

Italics signifies a flashback, regular font is present day.

Anna & Elsa are still sisters but not royalty, and Elsa has no powers.

Think of this world as a modernized version of the one in the film. Arendelle, Weselton, Corona, etc., are countries that behave like our world.

The taxi crawled along the cobblestone streets, jostling the passengers inside. The driver didn't seem to mind. Anna stared out the window at the old buildings as they went past. Grey, brown, black, red—the architecture was lovely and old. The people of Weselton went about their lives as usual: working, shopping, eating, playing. "It's a lot like Arendelle," she thought, "and not at all like what they told us." But there was one difference she could discern. In those faces she watched, Anna noticed a grayness, a sadness. "That's what economic sanctions will do," she thought.

Anna turned to her right where Kristoff and Rapunzel sat. Both were asleep, piled against each other. She smiled. She was thankful that they both decided to come along with her on this endeavor. She was barely a few sentences into asking them a few weeks ago before they both said yes. "It's good what you want to do," Rapunzel had said, "and besides, I've never been there, so double plus!" Kristoff had smiled and replied, "I go where you go, lady!"

Elsa, however, was a different matter.

Anna distinctly remembered her sister's face upon telling her the philanthropic mission she was planning. Those icy blue eyes had stared at her with such disappointment. Anna felt like she was in the principal's office, sitting in that uncomfortable chair in front of Elsa's massive metal and glass desk, being lectured to. "Anna, in theory what you're proposing is a good thing, I suppose. If it were any other country, you'd have my full blessing. But it's simply futile. The government of Weselton knows what it did and it got what it deserved. Our government did the right thing. That's simply the geopolitical situation." Anna had left her chair and walked over to the far side of the room, looking out the window, dejected at Elsa's words.

"What do you know about helping others, Elsa? What gives you the right to pass that kind of judgement over me?" Anna had replied. "What have you done for anyone other than your investors, huh? You only even speak to me when your assistants make time in your schedule…" Anna remembered choking back tears then and was doing it even now. She remembered Elsa softly placing a hand on her shoulder and said, "Look, this company employs a lot of people and provides goods and services to the citizens of Arendelle. And as its chief, I bear a lot of responsibility, Anna, and I'm sorry that keeps us apart. God knows mom and dad wouldn't have wanted that…" Anna recalled the sharp tinge of pain that had entered her heart upon the mention of her parents. She had turned around to face Elsa, the tears welling up in her eyes again. Elsa had seen the anguish on her face, and the two had shared a hug. "I'm sorry, Anna. I shouldn't have said that." Anna had let herself be led back to the desk, where they'd sat down again. Elsa had leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I still think it's an unwise decision but it's your life, Anna."

Anna had then stood up and sighed, "Thanks, sis."

The taxi stopped suddenly, snapping Anna out of her memories, and waking Eugene and Rapunzel. The driver pointed out the window, "Your hotel." They all got out, the driver helping them with their bags. Kristoff was kind enough to cover the cost of the ride. Anna couldn't help but notice the amount of military types in the area, some going in and out of the building. Nearby were parked some jeeps with armed soldiers in them, and further down a street Anna thought she saw a tank. A fighter jet rumbled by far overhead. "How strange," she thought. Taking her bags, she went inside.

"I'm sorry, what? No no, please, slow down. How do you know that? Well she's a headstrong woman, always has been. I'm sure she's fine. Maybe she's…I don't know. Listen, let me put you on hold for a minute, okay? Thanks."

Elsa pressed the button and put the receiver down, letting an exasperated groan. She got up and walked over to the mini-fridge, opened it and took out a bottle of water. She twisted the cap off and took a generous gulp. She took a deep breath, sat down and picked up the phone again.

"Rapunzel? Yes. Look, have you tried the consulate or the embassy? They have to care, she's a citizen of Arendelle. Yes, I understand that they're busy and so should you. Yes, I watch the news, I know what's going on. Well I guess you guys picked a perfect time to go there, huh? Ugh, Rapunzel, listen, I know this is very alarming for you, but trust me, Anna is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, there's really no need to worry. She's probably at a hotel somewhere, or staying with a friend. Maybe she got lost somewhere. Well I don't know, do you? If it's only been just over twenty four hours, then file a report with the local police and keep in contact with the embassy. She'll turn up. No, there's no need for me to come down there right now. Call me again if the situation changes, okay? Goodbye."

Elsa slammed the phone down. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Rapunzel was a nice girl, at least in the handful of times they'd met, but that phone call was too much panic and paranoia. A prime minister's daughter should have more sense than that, she thought. But she could see how the friendship between she and Anna worked. Both were effervescent to say the least, and full of good intentions and charm, and a certain naivety about the way the world worked.

Elsa, however, knew the ways of the world. Everything in her life had taught her something important. Her strong educational pedigree provided the foundation; with her intelligence she could handle anything. Her business acumen was astounding—working her way up in her father's firm from just a clerk to CEO was proof of that. Under her leadership the company grew and grew, turning massive profits and smashing the competition. She was a shining jewel in Arendelle, looked upon by many. That offered her a lot of clout in influential circles, both at home and abroad. Her mother's position as a Minister of Foreign Affairs certainly helped, too.

Elsa opened a drawer of her desk and pulled out a framed photograph of her family. It was a candid of time spent at the beach many years ago. Everyone looked so happy. She traced her fingers over the glass, remembering the conversation she had with Anna so many weeks ago. She remember the feeling of pain in her heart upon mentioning the death of her parents so casually to Anna. The young girl never seemed to have dealt with that tragedy as well as Elsa did. She thought, did I really deal with it that well myself? She put the photograph back in the drawer and slammed it shut. Her mother and father's deaths taught her the most important lesson of all: the world was a cruel and unforgiving place, and anything that was yours could be taken away. Unless you fight for it, she quietly reminded herself.

Her assistant buzzed her on the intercom, informing her of her next meeting in ten minutes. She glanced at her watch. She gathered up her papers and her tablet, pausing to check her reflection in the window before leaving the room.

Dear Diary,

Wow, I haven't written those words in forever. When I get back, I should look for my old diary, should be good for a laugh :-P Anyway Kristoff, Rapunzel & I have been in Weselton for a little over a week now. We stayed at the hotel the first several days so we could get on our feet, even though it would've been real nice to stay there longer. But we found ourselves a nice little bungalow to rent and operate out of. We've already made some headway in our work here, which makes me feel great.

What happened between Weselton and Arendelle can't be changed. Politics is like that, I guess. But that doesn't mean that the people have to suffer. They weren't the ones who did anything wrong. Since we've been here, I've been talking to the people of Weselton and getting to know them and their stories. Their quality of life has been severely diminished because of the economic sanctions. Basic commodities and goods are in short supply, and the price of practically everything has skyrocketed. There are long lines for basic items like bread and milk and meat. Stores are rationing their items, and some families must go without what they need. Banks are struggling to stay afloat with all the pressure put upon them. The whole country is going through not only a socioeconomic crisis, but a crisis of national identity as well. The once proud people of Weselton are searching for answers yet they still try to hold their heads high and carry on. I admire them for that.

Kristoff has been wonderful. He's taken it upon himself to do the heavy lifting around here, both literally and figuratively—after we rented this place he went out and found furniture and appliances and all the other things we needed to get by. He's always the first one up each morning, prepping for the day's work, and he's the last one to go to bed each night. He always keeps a positive can-do attitude and is always thinking of ways we can do more. His passion is so genuine and so inspiring. I love and adore that man so much. Rapunzel is so great too. She's not above using her status in Corona to help effect change. She's enjoying her time here so much, interacting with the locals and making their lives better. She's almost a minor celebrity around here, it seems. She's in contact with her parents and trying to get their government to assist by sending some kind of aid package of loans and supplies, but apparently there's some kind of delay, she says. Like I said before, politics. Anyway, we've teamed up with a couple of local charities and churches to get people the supplies they need, in addition to the ones we had sent down.

There's one weird thing I've noticed since we arrived. There's a fairly strong military presence here. I mean, I knew Weselton had its own army and such, but it seems rather large for such a small country. They always seem to be clustered around the government buildings and big hotels and other businesses, lots of armed soldiers in jeeps and important-looking generals. I've also seen a lot of them coming in and out of the city. I can hear them at night sometimes. It seems there's a lot more in the mountains and forests further inland. Today I tried talking to some of the locals about it, but most of them seemed unwilling to discuss it. One of them came up to me afterwards and mentioned rumors about a military coup. That's crazy! I know the situation is bad but does that kind of thing still happen these days?

I wonder what Elsa's doing right now. I miss her. I want to call her but she's probably busy with work. She's always working. Maybe tomorrow.

Elsa sat on her couch and turned the TV to the news, hoping for a report on what was happening in Weselton. She had read a few articles regarding the situation. In the last week or so, the military had staged a coup against the government, overthrowing the Duke and installing themselves to power. That was the extent of concrete information coming out of the country since they were denying entry to foreign news outlets. But there were mixed and unverified reports of much more. Some said there were riots in the streets and lots of bloodshed, while others said it was a relatively peaceful process. Foreigners were being rounded up and expelled from the country and some news outlets said no such thing was occurring. There were even reports that the new government, with no new head actually named, wanted to reestablish full trade relations with Arendelle. Good luck, Elsa thought.

One thing she was certain of was that this geopolitical situation was wreaking havoc on the markets. They had been closing much lower than normal these last several days. That in turn was wreaking havoc on her company. There were worrying murmurs from investors, which she did her best to dissuade.

As she watched the TV, Elsa's thoughts drifted to Anna. It had been a couple days since Rapunzel's frantic phone call and she'd heard nothing from no one. She was sure they had their own affairs to tend to, especially with everything that was going on. They're just really busy, she told herself. It's not like they would give up on Anna in the midst of everything. But you did, she reminded herself. Elsa shook her head, surprised at the thought. She would never think of her sister as some mere casual acquaintance. Sure, her job ate up most of her time and prevented her from spending time with Anna but that was just the nature of her work. When was the last time we actually had time together, she asked herself. Well, it was when she came into my office…no, that doesn't count. That was almost like a business meeting, she thought. Elsa thought carefully about it, her eyes darting around. It dawned upon her, and she put a hand to her mouth to stifle the gasp. She honestly couldn't remember when she and Anna had last been together, really together, like sisters should. She couldn't remember a lunch or a shopping trip or movie or even just a nice conversation. She felt her eyes water up, her insides churning. How horrible, she thought, how horrible have I been to her? That poor girl looked up to her and only ever wanted the love and acceptance and approval that one sibling can give to another, she told herself. She only wanted you to be happy for her and the journey she was going to take. That accusatory voice came slinking back, this time whispering: And look what you've done to her, Elsa. Letting her go away to some horrible place without so much as a care and now she's probably—

"Shut up," she hissed aloud.

Elsa got off the couch and grabbed her phone, pausing before dialing a number. She was rich, she was smart, and she had power. She knew people. She was going to get to the bottom of this. Anna was coming home.

Anna sat in the shade of the café's patio, sipping her iced tea and finishing a sandwich. The busy little establishment was in an equally busy square of the city, surrounded by quaint little shops and homes. It was a nice mix of modernity and the gentle past. The late afternoon sun cast a lovely orange glow over everything. Anna had accomplished a lot today by pushing into other parts of the city and spreading word of their goodwill mission. They were making many more contacts with locals who wanted to help and expanding their network. Their little bungalow had become a meeting center each morning, with everyone attending reviewing the previous day's work and its successes and planning that day's activities. She smiled, reaching into her bag for her diary to jot down some notes.

As she wrote, two military jeeps pulled up alongside the café. The drivers in each stayed put, idling the engines while the remaining armed soldiers got out, led by a tall bearded man smoking a cigarette and wearing large dark sunglasses. His camouflage uniform was more neat and better-looking than his men. Anna saw he had some kind of insignia or medals on the front of it; she assumed him to be a captain or high-ranked officer. They strolled into the café and looked around intently, as if searching for someone. Anna noticed the noise of the café died down considerably. As she watched, the captain and his soldiers converged on a busboy near the back who looked at them nervously as they approached. The captain pointed at him and said in a loud voice, "You come with us." The busboy was visibly shaken and in an instant, he threw his plastic tub of dishes at the men and ran into the kitchen. They chased after him and the sound of yelling and breaking plates erupted from the kitchen. The café was dead silent. After a few moments, two of the soldiers burst through the double doors dragging the busboy, who had a nasty bruise on his forehead and blood dripping from his nose. The rest of the soldiers and their commander followed. As Anna watched, they threw the busboy into one of the jeeps and sped off. No one had said a word or had done anything for his defense.

Anna hurriedly got up to leave the café and in her haste almost forgot to pay. She then walked down a nearby street to the bus stop she got off at in hopes to find a bus that would take her back the other way. No such luck. She walked another block, still nothing. She walked back across the square and found a bus stop but it wasn't the one she needed. She wished she had taken her bike today and that she'd stayed in an area of the city she knew better, or at least took someone with her today. She sighed in exasperation and began approaching passersby, asking if they knew where she could find the bus she needed. Most said they didn't know or instead just waved her off, mistaking her for a beggar. After another fifteen minutes of asking, she found someone who pointed out the direction of the stop she needed. She thanked them and rushed off. As she turned the corner, she saw the bus pull away. Anna hustled, waving and yelling at the bus to no avail. Sighing aloud, she stomped over to the bus shelter and sat down. She saw no schedule posted. "Guess I'll just wait," she said aloud to no one. The seat was kind of uncomfortable, and the sun was blasting right at her. Not good for a redhead like me, she thought. She leaned her head against the back of the shelter and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again it was dark and the streets were completely empty. She jumped up, shocked that she'd dozed off like that. Kristoff and Rapunzel must be worried sick, she told herself. She looked around again—not a soul in sight. She ran back to the square—silent. Anna felt a tremor in her hand and clenched it. "Get it together, Anna," she whispered to herself. She went back the way she came and stood beneath a street light, peering into the darkness. She remembered that the bus passed over a bridge before it went into an area of the city she didn't know well. She pulled her jacket tight around her and started on her way.

The city at this time of night was a completely different animal, not only just from the daytime but from any city she'd ever been to. There were barely any lights on in any homes or other buildings. Here and there, she'd hear a dog barking or the distant wail of a police siren. No cars passed her and she saw no one, not even a jogger or people walking home from a bar. When does this city shut down, she asked herself. She continued on.

There was a cool breeze blowing, whispering through the trees. Lucky for Anna, the streets were well lit. And the skies were clear, the moon not quite full. She watched the stars twinkle, their positions in the sky the only familiar thing to her right now. She felt some measure of comfort from that.

It had been twenty or thirty minutes of walking when she approached the bridge. She sighed in relief, for her journey was almost over. She knew the way back to the house easily from here. But she noticed a small group of people gathered on the far side of the bridge, clustered around a couple of vehicles parked in the middle of the road. Getting closer she noticed they were soldiers. She paused for a minute, clenching and unclenching her fists. She took a deep breath and walked on.

One of the men heard her approaching and quickly turned around, shining his flashlight on her. The others stood ready, clutching their guns.

"What are you doing out so late?"

"I…umm…fell asleep at the bus stop way back there," Anna meekly pointed, "and now I'm walking home…"

"Such a pretty girl like you shouldn't be out by herself in a place like this," replied another soldier. He sauntered up to Anna. "Haven't you heard that Weselton's a dangerous place now?"

The rest of the soldiers chuckled. Another one of them approached Anna. She drew back against the bridge railing. He leaned in close, toying with one of her braids.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

"…Anna…"

"And where are you from, Anna?"

"Arendelle. I'm here for—"

The second soldier turned back to his compatriots. "Hey, she's from Arendelle, fellas! She's good people!"

The first soldier spoke again. "You know, Anna of Arendelle, you really shouldn't be out this late. But you're lucky we're here to protect you." He slipped an arm around her waist and she recoiled from his touch. "But you know," he continued, "you are out past curfew, and we have to—"

"Shut up, soldier!" a voice boomed from one of the jeeps. The rest of them stood straight and went silent. A figure rose up from the backseat from where he'd been lying down. He looked them over sternly and then pointed at Anna.

"They're not supposed to know, you idiot. Let her go." The two soldiers crowding Anna trotted back over to the jeeps.

"This never happened, understand me girl?" Anna nodded quickly and ran off, not looking back.

She kept running until she was in a more familiar area. She leaned against a wall to catch her breath. She saw headlights coming up from around the corner up ahead. She tensed up but relaxed at the sight of a taxi. She ran over, flagging it down. The elderly driver said, "Please please get in, dear." She happily obliged, collapsing into the back seat. She mumbled out her address and they drove off. Anna took off one of her shoes, rubbing her sore foot. Flats like these were not kind during long distances.

Fifteen minutes later, the taxi pulled up to the bungalow. She paid her fare, giving the man a generous tip. As she stepped out, Kristoff ran up to her, grabbing her shoulders.

"Where have you been?!" She crumpled up against him. Over his shoulder, she saw Rapunzel watching from the porch, a look of relief washing over her face.

"It's a long story," she sighed. "Can I tell you in the morning? I just want to sleep now, Kristoff." He draped a protective arm around her as they walked up. Rapunzel hugged her tightly, whispering, "Thank goodness you're safe." She shut the door behind them as they entered.

Somewhere in the far distance was the sound of gunfire, and an orange glow suddenly bloomed with a low rumble.