It shouldn't have bothered her any longer. It was years ago, perhaps decades or even centuries. In here, no one had calendars.
Still, the images were sharp and fresh, as though Anna had only turned to ice the very day before. Elsa could still see her, hair white and skin turning blue. She took uneven steps, like a puppet that its master just could not control correctly. The look of fear and confusion had stayed on her face forever.
"Elsa," Anna had yelled, even to the very end. "Elsa!"
She had turned to ice shortly thereafter, frozen forever.
No one had held back after that. Hans had attacked her, and she had struck back. Others had swarmed after her, yelling curses. The only person who came to her aid had been the ice man and his reindeer, and even then he could not do much against the army of attackers.
Elsa, however could do plenty. She sent ice forward, letting it build a wall between her and the others. Then, she had run.
No matter how much her legs ached, she kept going, even long after she had escaped the fjord and could no longer hear the rioting citizens and their curses.
"Elsa."
Elsa gasped, and looked up. Maleficent stood behind her, her staff raised and her raven on her shoulder.
"Elsa, is something wrong?"
"Y-yes." Elsa stood up, only then noticing the large patch of ice covering the ground beneath her. The white ice contrasted heavily with the green grass and dark dirt. Anyone who saw it would know that she had been there. "I apologize. I was thinking of the past."
"You were focusing hard on something." She raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, are you fine now?"
"I will be." Elsa looked to the ground. "I am sorry again for having bothered you, my queen."
Maleficent put her hand on Elsa's shoulder. Elsa looked up and froze beneath her gaze.
"Believe me, Elsa, I know that the past can hurt." She closed her eyes. "Those that you loved can hurt you. Just when you are ready to fly, your wings fall." She removed her hand from Elsa's shoulder and promptly turned over.
Maleficent's raven looked back to her, its eyes never leaving her.
Finally, when she was gone and Elsa's heart had stopped racing inside of her chest, Elsa walked away. Surely she could find something to get her mind off of what happened.
There was no point in dwelling on the past. Back then, she had not known Maleficent, nor had the queen so kindly allowed her into her land.
There was no way to ask for amnesty from Arrandell now, and certainly not in the future. What happened to Anna could never be stopped.
Elsa was lucky now. Finally, she had found someone who seemed to care for her and did not question her about her powers. She was in a place where she did not have to fear about hurting anyone ever again, and for that she should have been happy.
Elsa needed to put her past behind her. Heroes, redemption, true love - all of it was a myth, a fairy tale. What happened in the past happened, every fact frozen in time. It was ice that even she could not crack.