When Elsa goes away, Anna falls mysteriously ill but what happens when she finds out her sister isn't ill but in fact dealing with the consequences for what the trolls did to her all those years ago. Now, together they must work to keep history from repeating itself.

Rating: T

Pairings: Elsa/Anna; I was originally going to leave it pairless but my muse has spoken.

NOTE: Regardless of the pairings, there will be no graphic descriptions of sex because I quite simply do not have the knowledge, experience or patience to write such scenes. This is a note that applies to ALL of my stories and should this story be marked to M it WILL NOT be because of sexual content. I'm just not comfortable writing such material.

Warnings: No warnings apply to this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or any of the characters.

PREFACE

Things were finally coming together after several months of adapting to her new role as queen and playing a more active and close role in her sister's life. When she looked back to where her life was compared to where it is now, Elsa couldn't help but smile with joy as she made her way back to the castle after being away for two weeks dealing with trade in several countries that bordered Arendelle.

But today, she wasn't going to worry about any of that because it was almost Christmas and her birthday party was that night. As she looked around the street from her carriage seat, she could see people decorating for Christmas; trees were being raised, decorations laying about everywhere, labourers in the street were carving nutcrackers and reindeer in the streets for people to watch with curious expressions. She could smell popcorn in the air as children sat together making long strings to go on the tree. It was a smell that brought back memories and made her realise it had been a while since she had had anything to eat.

The castle grounds had transformed since she left a couple weeks ago. They looked like something out of a storybook; the live nativity scene held a few of the castle staff and one of their babies as baby Jesus. The baby was laying sound asleep; Elsa had been hesitant to allow a real baby to be out in the cold for so long but she was comforted by the fact that they had several babies that would spend time out in the manger. Each baby would only spend an hour, at most, outside and while they were there, they were bundled excessively.

As she got closer to the palace itself, she could hear her guests chattering amongst themselves as they waited outside for her arrival. They all wore various winter themes outfits; some were dressed in bright red and green while others were dressed more subtly in traditional wear with Christmas themes accents.

Children could be heard running around, more excited about the holiday than the party they had, most likely, been forced to attend. She could remember how long Christmas Eve was when she had her birthdays celebrated before the incident; she and Anna would spend the night talking about their presents and what they wanted while the guests did their bests to feign an interest.

As Elsa's presence was announced, she could hear the people applauding as she made her way into the castle, her eyes holding a merry expression as she looked around for the one person she was looking forward to seeing since she left. She had been looking forward to seeing her sister since she left and she knew Anna had been looking forward to this party since it was announced. Anna was the only reason she was going through with this party because if it were up to her, they'd just spend the evening decorating for Christmas while the staff worked. Oh, the things she did to make her sister happy.

The party was spectacular; beautiful decorations, music being played by a well-dressed band, ladies gathered around the fire and gentlemen watching with joyful expressions. The number of political connections that could potentially be made today was mind-boggling as she realised there were representatives and officials from every country, including America. The turn out was far more than she had ever expected and her stomach began to churn slightly as her nerves washed over her.

As she looked around for her sister, she was shocked to realise that she couldn't find or even here her bubbly lively sister anywhere. In fact, the only person she could see who might know her sister's location was her new Master of Ice And Delivery who looked pale and was shaking slightly as he made his way towards Elsa with a weary look on his face. He was a close friend of Anna's as of recently. They had dated for a bit but called it off for some reason unknown to Elsa or anyone else but despite that, they were still close friends. She always searched for signs that the two were heading once again towards more but found none.

"Good evening, your Majesty," Kristoff said with a low bow and a kiss of Elsa's hand as he'd been trained to do when he became a representative for the castle. He had no authority to make depictions on anything but ice but he was still expected to follow certain protocol when he engaged with either Anna or Elsa in a public setting, of course, this did little to stop the way he would smirk and chuckle whenever he used any of the mannerisms that were so foreign and new to the boy who'd been raised by trolls.

He actually told Elsa that was why he hung around after Anna had broken up with him; they were the only humans he was actually acquainted with and oddly enough, Anna found this to be more than amusing. Anna told her that she just liked having someone to talk to who wasn't one of the maids or staff. She had also told Elsa how she felt bad for keeping him around sometimes in case he got any ideas. The main reason Anna kept him around was Sven; Kristoff was aware of this but he didn't really care because his reindeer enjoyed her presence as much as she enjoyed his. Although, Elsa found it amusing; more amusing than she was willing to admit to his face.

"Where's Anna?" Elsa asked, glancing around for her sister as though she were expecting her to suddenly jump from behind Kristoff and say 'boo'.

"She's... um... indisposed at the moment and can't come down," Kristoff said, looking decidedly uncomfortable as though he was failing to come up with the right words to explain why Anna couldn't come downstairs to the party. "She's taken... ill... um, sort of."

"That better not mean what I think that means!" Elsa growled, giving Kristoff the best glare she was able to muster which seemed to work because the man paled and fell back a couple steps before standing up in an attempt to look unafraid.

"NO! Nothing like that! We're still broken up. And when we were together, I never... No, what's happening to your sister is... complicated and this is neither the time nor place to get into those details," Kristoff said, still pale but he'd returned to shivering slightly as though he had a chill but the room was warm.

"Is she okay?" Elsa whispered.

"She will be and that's what matters right now but it's complicated. I was asked to keep an eye on her until you came back; believe me when I say, you're better suited to handle this then I could ever be," Kristoff said, sounded hesitant.

"And what does that mean?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow at the man before her, finding her worries weren't becoming at all eased by his words. In fact, they seemed to be doing the opposite.

"It means this is neither the time or place. But my family assures me that she will be fine and that is all I can say at the present time. After the party, you'll find us in Anna's room; I really can't say much else right now but she does send her best and her deepest remorse that she could not attend," Kristoff said, startling her with the amount of formality he was putting into his words before he once more kissed Elsa's hand before disappearing from the room.

It was difficult to focus on the party after hearing Kristoff's cryptic words and part of her felt like she should be able to piece it together but she knew she was missing critical information. Of course, this did nothing to stop her from spending the rest of the evening worrying about the health and well being of her sister.

"Good evening, your Majesty. Such a wonderful party. I would have come to wish you a Happy Birthday sooner but you've been difficult to find with so many people seeking your attention."

This was the ambassador from France speaking in a soft-spoken voice but there was a clear motive in his eyes; this much Elsa could tell but she could not tell what the motive was. Jean Beux was known for his shameless flirtation so Elsa was not surprised when he placed not one but two kisses on her hand.

"I've heard tales of your beauty, so cold and yet alluring but seeing you in person does those words so little justice," Jean spoke in a clear voice, it was apparent he greatly enjoyed his flirtation but Elsa found herself unaffected and still worrying about her sister.

"Thank you. It is a pleasure to have you in attendance," Elsa said, forcing the worry out of her voice in an attempt to sound open and inviting.

"Oh, your Majesty, the pleasure is all mine, madam."

Elsa fought the frown that was threatening to form as the insistent man continued to attempt to woo her. She

"I hope you have a good evening," Elsa said, looking for a way to get out of the conversation that was making her uncomfortable in more ways than one.

"You as well, your Majesty."

Elsa wasn't aware the words 'your Majesty' could be made to sound so... unnerving but sure enough, the man had done just that.

The rest of the party went on without incident. Elsa was able to make several negotiations and secure several new potential trade partners by the end of the evening and secured her relations with several of her own subjects who found relief in seeing her interact normally instead of freezing everything. She knew it was a long way from her winter being forgotten but it was a step in the right direction. She felt like she had accomplished quite a bit during the night and if it wasn't for how worried she was about Anna, she might have wanted to rejoice everything she had done that night.

As she watched everyone leave, she was overwhelmed by a sense of relaxation and calmness. This was going to be her life now, attending parties, hosting parties, attending meetings and making decisions that impacted not just her life but the lives of people around her, the lives of an entire country now depended on her. It was a responsibility she knew she was going to have to face but for the first time, she realised that she was actually in the role. Everything had happened so fast after the coronation; she had made her public statement, celebrated Anna's birthday and gotten sick but now, things were slowly shifting into their new norm.

This was a thought that was both terrifying and relaxing. It was terrifying because of the amount of responsibility and the connections she would have to forge with her minimal social skills. But it was relaxing because she knew it could only get better from here. She had her sister back in her life and now she could take the time to make up for all the hurt she had put her through by pushing her away.

She was gaining more and more control over her powers and soon, she would be comfortable enough to maybe even throw away or burn her gloves. She was no longer going to fear her powers but embrace them and use them to bring forth a new wave of trade and economy. Perhaps she could create a location where ice could be harvested all year round, bringing forth an opportunity to make ice trade with other countries year-round; it would be an opportunity she had begun putting in place especially by giving Kristoff the authority to create his own team of summer ice harvesters. Her life was going in a positive direction and the fact that Anna was finally in on her secret made her heart swell with utter joy.

Thinking about Anna, she remembered that her sister was upstairs in her room with an infliction she still knew nothing about. As she watched the last of the guests leave, she retreated upstairs to her room the change out of her formal wear and put on something more comfortable before she made her way to her sister's room. The could feel nerves forming in her stomach as she went closer and closer. She could hear a hushed discussion going on inside the room; Anna was arguing with Kristoff about something. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she could occasionally make out a few words but nothing that told her a lot about what was wrong with Anna.

As she placed her hand on the doorknob, she came to the realization that it was really cold; the doorknob felt practically frozen in her hand.

With a quick knock, Elsa shoved the door open and was absolutely shocked as she felt a wave of concealed arctic air come blasting in her direction.