"The word of the day is believe," Anna announced one morning at breakfast. "Believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything."

Elsa smiled. "I like that one."

"Me too. Is it motivational enough?"

"Of course it is."

Anna grinned and continued to eat her oatmeal. It was a peaceful morning. The smell of Elsa's chai tea wafted throughout the room. A comforting wind blew outside. It so happened to be snowing. And for the first time in ages, Elsa had no responsibility for it. She watched the falling snowflakes and smiled contently. Winter was her favorite season without a doubt. "Maybe we can go outside when the storm is over."

"What if we have a snowball fight?" Anna offered.

Elsa smirked. "If you're up for the challenge."

"Ha!" Anna exclaimed. "Beating you will be cake. Well, not actual cake but it'll be easy."

"We will see about that," Elsa replied. She took her plate and stood up. Approaching her sister, she embraced her in a side hug. "I have to go now. When the storm stops, we'll go outside. Make sure you wear a hat and gloves."

Anna smiled at the slight concernment in her sister's voice. She took the hand resting on her shoulder and peppered it with kisses. "No worries. I promise."

With one last look of affection, Elsa left the dining room.

Anna loved snowball fights. Not only were they fun, but she could spend time with her sister. It was such a joy to see Elsa laugh and be goofy. When they were together, it felt like she had her lost childhood back.

The storm had stopped long ago, so now there was a foot of snow on the ground. Giggling, Anna watched as her boots sunk into the snow. She left a path of footprints in her wake.

In the courtyard, everything was covered in white. The water in the fountains had froze, and it shimmered brightly in the sun. She watched her breath vanish in the frigid air.

In her hand, she held a snowball. Seeing Elsa was distracted, Anna chuckled it at her.

SPLAT!

It pelted Elsa's back. She whipped around, seeing a giggling Anna a few feet away. She gasped and summoned a snowball in her hand. "Oh no you didn't!"

She tossed the snowball at her sister. Soon they began running around the courtyard, laughing.

Elsa hasn't felt this way in years. Radiance and thrill in every fiber of her soul. The sensation of breathlessness from laughter. So much joy. More than she could ever imagine. She was free. She was with Anna, the source of her exhilaration.

The glee disappeared faster than a blink. Her heart rate slowed down as her smile faded.

One minute Anna was running from her. Laughter had filled the courtyard. The next, there was only silence, and Anna had stopped. Her back faced Elsa and her head was down.

What just happened? Is she okay?

"...Sunshine?"

Finally, the princess turned. She had a hand covering her eye. Her face was contorted, as if she was...

As the realization hit her, Elsa's eyes widened with raw panic. No, no, no, no, no...

It couldn't be real. She couldn't bear the thought.

"Elsa catch me!"

"Wait! Slow down!"

The queen stumbled backward as memories plagued her mind. Terrible memories that haunted and controlled her day to day.

"Anna? Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Anna said simply. "A snowball hit my eye, that's all."

Elsa gasped horridly. That's all?!

Fearing the worst, she rushed towards her sister frantically. Anna outstretched her arms, ready to hug her it needed. But Elsa reached to cup her cheeks, hands shaking. "Oh Anna! I'm so sorry! I—I didn't mean to hit you. It just happened!" As Elsa confessed, tears stung her eyes.

Anna grabbed Elsa's hands and held them. They felt cold. "Hey, Hey! It's okay! I'm not hurt!"

A sob escaped Elsa's throat as Anna gently squeezed her hands. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be," Anna soothed. "I'm not blaming you. It was an accident and I know you didn't mean it. But you're right—it did just happen. And that's okay. Things just happen. Mistakes happen. I make mistakes, Kristoff makes mistakes, Olaf makes mistakes, everyone does. I'm not hurt, I'm not bleeding or in critical condition. I'm still here and I still love you. No matter what." She wiped a tear trailing down Elsa's cheek. Anna kissed both of her hands, knowing very well Elsa despised them.

The queen nodded, completely overwhelmed. "Thank you."

Anna's face creased with sympathy. "How about we take a break. Let's get you some water.

"Okay."

The sisters walked inside, leaving behind the warm and bubbly feelings from earlier. Elsa gave a shuddering sigh as she leaned against Anna.

Anna could hear the remorse in her voice. "You have nothing to feel sorry about. You're okay. I'm okay."

Knowing this, Elsa nodded slowly.

They sat in comfortable silence at the dining room table. Elsa finished her water and pushed the glass aside. She laid her head on the princess's arm. Anna gently threaded her fingers through Elsa's wisps of hair, comforting her.

"I still feel bad, but I know I shouldn't. I don't know why."

"It's okay, sis," Anna replied. "They're just your feelings."

Elsa sighed and closed her eyes, relieved her sister wasn't hurt after all. "Maybe I just need to move on."

"Exactly," Anna said. "You'll eventually forget about it and hopefully then it won't matter."

"I love you," Elsa whispered.

"I love you too," Anna stroked her back. "And for the record, I totally beat you."

"You did not," Elsa gasped, standing from the chair.

Anna jumped to her feet. "Maybe that's undecided then."

"What do we do?"

"We're going to go back outside so I can beat you fair and square!" Anna declared.

Elsa laughed. "No, I'm going to beat you fair and square!"

And with that, the sisters raced outside to finish their snowball fight.