A/N: Okay first of all I just want to say how much I love you guys and that I can't believe how much you all seem to be loving this story. And a special thanks to everyone that took the time to leave a review. It seems like you all want me to continue so who am I to deny what the people want. I can't promise quick updates but I always try my best to give you the quality you all seem to enjoy in my stories. I hope you enjoy this chapter and remember, if you feeling kind please be sure to leave a review. Nothing makes me write faster than seeing all those numbers go up!
Disclaimer: I do not own frozen.
Where… am I?
Standing in a dark stone corridor, Princess Anna of Arendelle frowned, casting a worried glance at her surroundings. Beside her the moon shone brightly through a large scale window casting a silvery blue zeal on anything's its rays were able to touch. In the limited space she could see, the princess was relieved to see the familiar sight of her countries crest hanging dutifully on the wall.
"Is this the castle?" she wondered aloud. Staring at her families crest, Anna's face crumpled in confusion. It looked like her home, but at the same time she couldn't deny how… off something felt. Unfortunately, as a resounding throb of pain echoed through her skull, she was left unable to continue her path of thought to nurse her skull.
Her head felt… fuzzy, she realized. Like the time she'd snuck a sip from her mother's goblet. It was hard to think straight. This left the poor girl very disoriented as she struggled to remember how she had gotten out of bed. The last thing she remembered was crying over her sister's cruel behavior. And then after that, nothing. Could she have been sleepwalking?
Before that thought could continue any further, Anna's attention was distracted by the sound of a child's laughter echoing through the dimly lit hallways.
At this the princess' face twisted in surprise. She'd heard a child… but that had to be a mistake. When her father had first set about closing the castle and reducing the staff, the children workers were the first to be told to leave. This knowledge was etched firmly in her memory as it was then she lost many friends, as well as her sister, all at the same time.
Lost in her own thoughts the princess was nearly blindsided as, once again, a fit of joyous giggles reached her straining ears. With a start, Anna realized the sound was getting closer. She wondered if a child could have possibly snuck inside.
Impossible to know, Anna stood her ground, staring off into the darkness as she waited for whatever the sound was to show itself. As she waited, her breath froze in her throat as the sound of footsteps, slapping against the cool stone floor, echoed to her ears. With each step the mysterious person could be heard coming closer and closer. Unable to move, Anna drew her hands to her chest, cradling them under chin as her face grew more anxious with each passing second.
Waiting and waiting, the ominous sound of running footsteps echoed in her head, causing it to become even more mottled than before. Finally, as Anna could see the darkness of the castle beginning to swirl around her, a startled gasp emanated from her throat as a pair of tiny feet stepped just within rang of the moons light.
"H-Hello," she tried speaking, hoping not to scare the child. But despite her voice, the child did nothing, remaining at the edge of her vision. "Are you lost? Do you… know where you are?" trying again to get its attention, her attempted ended in failure as it refused to move a single inch.
Just as Anna began to wonder if she should make the first step, her heart jumped as one of the feet moved, stepping in her direction. The person moved slowly, as if knowing the effect they were having on the princess' nerves. Up the shin and over its shift, the child looked to be wearing finely crafted bed clothes embroidered with beautiful patterns. From there the silver moonlight reached higher exposing the young child's pink, chubby arms.
Catching this, Anna's brow began to furl at the familiarity of it all as her mind began to spin once again. Mirroring her own, almost exactly, the child's arms were pressed against its chest, hands clasped together in a tight hold.
Looking down at her own for the briefest of moments, a pit of unexplainable emotion formed in the pit of her stomach. For whatever reason, Anna suddenly didn't want the child's face to come into light. In the back of her mind, she knew she wouldn't like it. And yet, as the child continued to move forward, she continued to stare as if mesmerized by the sight about to unfold.
One by one, features Anna had seen growing up all her life came to light, shinning in the pale glimmer of the full moon. With each sight, Anna's hands gripped each other tighter and tighter. And as a head of bright strawberry blond hair came into view, the startled princess was frozen, staring at the figure in front of her in confused disbelief.
"Me?!" the princess gaffed. Believing herself to have gone crazy, Anna stared at a perfect copy of herself in her childhood years and felt her eyes go wide with disbelief. But no matter how she looked at the child, she couldn't deny the impossible resemblance between them. In the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder if her parents might have made a third child in secret.
Doing a little mental math in her head, Anna had to put the child at maybe five or four years of age. "Hello?" her voice was shaking and couldn't have been more than a whisper, but regardless her younger self remained completely silent.
Staring up at Anna, the young child's face was frozen in an expression of awe. It unnerved the older teen to be looked upon in such an expression. With her eyes wide to the extreme, the little girl stared at her unblinking in unexplainable wonder. A little lower on her cherub face, her lips could be seen bright red in color and stretched almost painfully wide on her chubby, baby faced cheeks. It would have been adorable in any other situation.
"Ahahah!" making the first sound since her appearance, Anna nearly jumped as her younger self began to laugh, jumping up and down in excitement. Around her feet the hem of her shift twirled, glinting in the silvery rays. Then, before Anna could make any motion to stop her, the princess felt her breath stop as the child threw herself forward, sending her directly at her knees.
Flinching back, Anna closed her eyes waiting for the little ball of laughter to collide with her legs. But just as the little girl was about to make contact, the princess opened her eyes only to stare in shock as, instead of a jarring impact, the little girl continued running, phasing through her legs.
Standing frozen for a moment, the strawberry blond haired teen felt her body quake in shock. In her legs where the child had run through she could still feel them tingle where they had made contact. The sound of another fit of laughter finally shook free from her shock as she forced her body to turn and see what the phantom child was up too.
Up against the window, Anna watched as the child stared up at the night sky, marveling at its beauty. With a jump of realization, she recognized the expression to the exact same she been wearing when she'd been looking at her. Or rather, as Anna just learned, through her. The child didn't seem to see her at all!
Taking small, minuscule steps towards the child, Anna reached out with her hand, staring at it in fear as it grew closer and closer to the child's head. Stopping with just a breaths space apart, the princess took a deep breath of courage before pushing her hand forward… and right through the girls head.
Like she'd caught fire, Anna pulled her hand back and stared at it amazement as her chest rose and fell with her shocked breath. She didn't understand what was happening. Everything around her was confusing and strange. Why did she wake up in such a place?!
"Wow…!" the smaller Anna sighed, marveling at the night sky. Hearing this, as Anna's mind continued to race with fear and doubt, the sound of her younger self's gasp of amazement stopped her frantic panic forcing her to look at the child and smile at her innocent.
Still cautious, she couldn't help herself as she dared herself closer to the window to catch what was causing her younger self to act so mystified. Seeing it with her own eyes, the princess was helpless but to agree with the child as the beautiful scenery in front of her left her breathless. She wondered how long had it been since she stopped paying attention to such things. Since when did she forget the beauty?
Casting another glance at her child self, Anna's fears slowly dripped away until only a strange sense of anxious calm remained. It was actually kind of nice to see such a happy expression on the child's face. She looked so innocent, so pure.
Suddenly, Anna flinched as a feint tugging sensation appeared in her head, urging her in a new direction. And no sooner did this happen, that the young child broke away from the window, hopping back to the hallway and dashing off back into its darkness, giggling all the way. Listening to her retreat, Anna's ears perked as she listened to the child chant in a singing voice. "Elsa, Elsa, Elsa!"
Even without the tugging in her mind, Anna knew she was supposed to follow the child. Like a firm hold in her heart, it was as if someone was guiding her, telling her where to go. She didn't know where she was, or why she was there. But she knew if she listened… something was going to happen. Feeling a flash of fear at this realization, Anna felt lost as she was faced with such a decision.
It took only a moment before Anna's conflicted face morphed, becoming the picture of determination. As scary as this entire experience was, the thought of allowing her past life to continue, unchanged in its infinite loneliness was not an option. If it did in fact change anything. For all she knew she could simply be crazy. But wherever this adventure took her, Anna had to believe it was better than what waited for her back home. And with this in mind, the princess of Arendelle took her first step forward.
Running after her younger self, Anna was forced to listen for her as the darkness seemed to swallow everything around her. But it seemed to matter how fast she ran, the distance between them only seemed to grow. This drove the princess to push her feet even faster, drowning out anything but the sound of the sweet childish voice calling out the name of her sister. This lasted for an immeasurable amount of time for Anna, leaving her alone and in the darkness as the voice suddenly stopped.
About to panic, the sight of a pale door, embroidered with snow flakes calmed her racing heart. A worried look flashed across her features as she recognized the door as Elsa's room. But too far gone, the princess refused to back down.
As she approached, the muffled sound of the little her's voice could be heard from the other side. Getting even closer, Anna was shocked to hear a second voice. Unable to understand what was being said, she forced her feet to carry her even closer until she could peek inside. This where a startled gasp left her lips.
Snuggled under her covers and dressed in her favorite blue night gown, her sister Elsa stared up at her younger self clearly annoyed at being woken at such an hour. This was irrelevant to the little girl as she continued to pester her elder sibling, insistently asking for her to get up and play.
Anna was forced to stumble back, holding her hands to her chest as she processed what she'd just seen. Something about the picture was familiar, shockingly so. For a moment she had to reminisce, thinking back over the many playful nights she and her sister had spent running around the castle causing chaos wherever they went. And with that came understanding.
The little her, the little Elsa, the… everything. It was almost as if she'd stumbled inside a memory. But the only question was… a memory of what?
As the princess of Arendelle attempted to unlock this new mystery, she nearly got a door in the face as it swung open, releasing two giggling little girls into the open night. Seeing this, Anna's face was strewn with fearful determination. Whatever this was seemed to involve her sister in some way. And that alone was enough to get her attention.
Running after the girls and hearing her sister's laughter echoing off the walls, Anna couldn't help but allow a small smile to curl at the edges of her lips. It had been so long since she last seen her sister, let alone seen her smile. It left her with a kind of euphoria that couldn't be explained. This memory, or dream, or whatever it was, seemed a million times happier than her normal life. And so, as she ran through the castle halls staring at the picture of her childhood, she allowed her mind to lose itself in the moment and fall completely under its spell.
Once again she couldn't say how long this lasted. Running down a set of stairs, the younger Anna pulled on her sister's arm, urging her to hurry and leading her through a set of large doors. Right behind them, the dreaming girl grinned at the sight of the large, open room of the castles ballroom. As this happened she watched her younger self jumping up and down, urging the tiny Elsa to… do the magic?
Giving the small ball of energy a queer look, Anna had no idea what she meant. But in that moment, a wave of Déjà vu wracked her frame, actually forcing her to take a step back. With another dizzying wave of confusion, the princess felt her eyes widen with shock as a glow began to light up, seemingly in young Elsa's very hands. Sure that she must be wrong, Anna's amazement was taken another step further as Elsa's voice echoed through her pounding head.
"Ready?"
One word, just one, simple, five letter word. But as it slipped through the little girls pale lips, Anna found herself captivated, unable to look away as her younger self nodded her head, frantically waiting for her sister to 'do her magic'.
As the small ball of ice was thrown to the ceiling, Anna stared at it, frozen in every way possible. With it in sight, the voice in Anna's heart called out louder than ever. She knew this was the moment, that this was what she was supposed to see. In her heart the presence of the snowball set off an explosive reaction in her head. It was like seeing the missing part of her soul that she never even realized was gone.
And so as the ball finally reached the height of the roof, the princess felt her vision go wide, watching in unadulterated fascination as it exploded in a glittering storm of magical snow.
In the moments that followed Anna could only breathe as her mouth gaped in awe. Bellow her, her younger self began to dance, twirling in the magical display and shouting over and over how amazing it was. Too dumbfounded to speak, Anna could only nod her head in agreement.
"Watch this!" Elsa's voice suddenly spoke. Looking down at the two children, Anna stared speechless as her older sister lifted her foot before stomping it back onto the floor, and creating a fine sheet of ice to expand outward.
Letting out a soft gasp, the princess couldn't believe her eyes as she looked from the approaching ice to her sister, switching between them again and again. As the ice began to close in on her, her heart leapt in her chest as she found herself backing away from it, pressing her back against the far end of the wall to escape its path. This did nothing to dampen the ice's pace however as it continued to expand until finally creeping under her frantic feet.
Falling on her butt, the teenage princess released a sharp cry of surprise at her sudden shift of balance. The floor felt freezing under then thin material of her dress' skirt. Fortunately, the beautiful sheen of the flawless ice distracted her from anything but its amazement.
With a trembling hand, Anna couldn't look away as she touched the cool ice, verifying its existence. And as its cool temperature met the tips of her finger, her breath seemed to just leave her, releasing in a cloud of frozen vapor.
In a quick flick of sight her eyes were back on her sister, staring in unbridled confusion. She swore it had to be a dream. It was the only explanation for what she was seeing. Her sister, her young, childlike sister was… magic. At that thought, Anna couldn't hold back as small, slightly manic sounding bark of laughter escaped her throat.
Around her the small snowfall from Elsa's snow ball was beginning to build on the frozen floor. This left small mounds of pure whiteness to accumulate all around the room. Unable to resist, the princess' look of awe remained ever present on her features, even as she dared herself to stand and step out into the dazzling powder.
As her foot landed on a patch of forming snow, she stared at it in amazement. Like a million tiny diamonds, the white powder glistening in the moonlight. Anna could feel her eyes go wide in amazement. She'd seen snow before but never like this. Anna was sure it was the most beautiful thing she had ever scene. Proving this point, Anna looked just in time to see another wave of frost fly from her sister's fingers. Like a midnight rainbow it glittered amazingly, glimmering and shining in an array of magical colors. It left Anna breathless.
At her feet, she looked just time to see her younger self dancing, laughing hysterically as she twirled in the winter wonderland. Reaching out with her hand she felt the snow fall on her open palm and closed her eyes, focusing only on the sensation. Could… could her sister have really made this? Anna's mind was frantic with the implications.
Basking in the soft fall of Elsa's snowstorm, Anna smiled. Being back in the snow was like coming home from a long journey. Every sensation seemed to call for her. The sharp, cool smell of the frozen flakes, the sharp, sweet crunch that could be heard as it feel under her foot. The frozen texture of the crystalized water as it sucked the warmth from her fingers, all of it calmed her to the point of complete and utter relaxation. And yet, at the same time energized her very soul with its majesty.
Unable to stop, her body seemed to act on its own as she began to twirl, dancing in the falling crystal like snow. Around her legs her pristine dress she had chosen for the party that never was spun around her body, twisting and swaying with each of her steps. It felt so natural, so easy. For whatever reason her heart seemed to sing! And as if proving this fact, as the good emotions continued to swirl in her belly, a joyous, gleeful laugh erupted from her smiling lips.
"Elsa! Elsa! Elsa!" the young Anna bounced with excitement. Without saying anything more she stared at her sister, waiting expectantly.
Making a show of it, Elsa stared at her younger sister, rolling her eyes as a large grin remained on her face. "Okay, Anna. I know already, calm down." Becoming even more excited by her sister's words, the younger sister seemed ready to explode as Elsa held out her hands, showing the icy floor in an extra layer of fresh glittering snow.
After covering a good amount of the room, she looked proud of her work before casting her bouncing sister a sideways glance. "Anna?" she grinned. "Wanna build a snowman?" And that was all it took for the strawberry blond headed child to dive face first into the snow, not caring in the slightest for its cold temperature, and giggling as happy as a person could be.
Off to the side, Anna watched all this, a sad, melancholic expression on her face. Once again the sound of her sister's words seemed to echo throughout her very core, pulling forth memories she didn't even recognize. Staring off into space, the princess' face was blank. That phrase… just the sound of it seemed to capture her entire childhood. In her head she recalled all the snowmen her sister and her had built and smiled at the memory. But the more she thought about them, Anna couldn't help but find something off about the images. Like… like they were someone else's.
Frowning at this, Anna head pounded with new found pain. The pictures in her head looked off, no matter how hard she tried to remember. Landmarks she didn't remember in the background, dates and times that didn't seem as clear as before. Even the emotions seemed false.
Fighting to sort through her scattered mind, before she was even aware of it small snippets of thought trickled into her consciousness. With a startled gasp, Anna's eyes snapped open as pieces of her memory of her and her sister seemed to dissolve, only to resurface, completely different from how they had been only a moment before. Ballrooms and hallways appeared where trees and sky once stood. Night turned to day and simple enjoyment turned to magic before her very eyes. Almost falling once again, Anna face split in a wide and beautiful smile.
It… was real, she realized with amazement. Opening her eyes, she stared at the two children playing around her and shook her head in amazement. It was useless trying to make reason of it. Her heart, or what it was that had led her to this place, was telling her plain as day what the truth was… and she couldn't ignore it anymore. She didn't want to.
She understood the secrets, she understood the distance, and she understood the pain of what Elsa had been forced to hide. Unbelieving, the princess crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep herself together. For the first time in what felt like forever… she didn't feel alone. Not anymore.
And so with a large smile on her face, the princess shook the impossibility off the situation from her mind and looked at the small children; smiling as she watched them play. All around her laughter echoed off the walls. And hearing her sister's was a treat like no other. Taking this opportunity, Anna observed her sister, taking everything her brain could manage. It had been so long since she'd seen her, so long since she'd even heard her voice, without a door between them anyway. She wanted to savor the opportunity.
It was amusing to watch to the two girls finish building their snowman, especially as her younger self posed for Elsa, mushing her chubby cheeks together and giggling every other second. And seeing Olaf once again brought its own wave of memories. Once he was completed the two girls seemed very entertained with their new game, Anna skating with the newly born Olaf and Elsa leading them around the room with her powers propelling them on the ice.
For a moment the Princess was forced to take a step back and once again attempt to absorb everything that she was seeing. This, this moment, this day, this night, all of it was too amazing to breathe. In one foul swoop, she'd not only found the answer to her pain, but also understood her sister in a way she couldn't even fathom before this day. And yet, at the same time… something still felt wrong…
Her sister powers were amazing, magical, and most of all, beautiful! So… how could she have forgotten about it? By the looks of things they were best friends, that hadn't been an illusion. But… one day her sister just seemed to stop. So what had happened to force them apart? What could it be that could possibly make her forget something so… paramount to what made her sister who she was. It just didn't make sense!
"Catch me, catch me!" a voice shook the princess from her thoughts.
Looking up at the sudden shouts of excitement, Anna felt her heart drop to her stomach as the sight of her younger self came to view. For reasons Anna couldn't explain the sight before her left a cold sweat to form down her back. A voice in side her head was screaming for her stop what was about to happen. But no matter how much Anna tried to force her body into action, she remained planted where she was, watching in morbid fascination as her younger self continued to climb higher and higher atop the spires of ice. It was only a dream… she was helpless to do anything but watch.
"Anna, wait!" Elsa shouted to her sister. On the once smiling face of her sister, Anna watched Elsa's features crumpled in panic as the pace of the little girl became too much for her too handle. Unfortunately for her, the girl's laughter was too loud for anything but the thought of her next jump to register in young Anna's mind. And so, despite Elsa's desperate attempt to catch her sister, it was clear to both Anna and the casting ice witch that she would fail.
The moment Anna caught sight of Elsa slipping on the very ice she had created, she could feel her mind go blank, void of any rational thought. She watched the quick flash of light fly from her sister's fingers and could sense time slow. Inch by inch she watched in helpless horror as it moved, coming closer and closer to her younger self. Her breath was still, and her heart, cold in her chest.
She didn't know what this was, or what was happening. She didn't know why her heart hurt, and she didn't understand why her very soul seemed to cry as the bolt of magic began to close in. But as the bolt finally hit the young girl and Anna's vision bleed into a black featureless screen, in the last moments of rational thought she was able to know one thing as fact. Despite her paralysis, despite not being able to even twitch a finger, down the slope her cheeks tears still feel freely, unexplainable but as cold as the very magic responsible for her pain.
In the moments afterwards Anna found herself lost in a realm of cold and darkness. Gone was the ballroom filled with magic, and gone was everything she could call truth. Nothing could be seen. So dark was this veil that in truth the young princess could not even tell if her eyes were, in fact, open. This, and the overwhelming sense of cold, was the only thing she could feel.
It was like she had fallen through the ice of a lake in the middle of winter. She was weightless, floating in a pool of frost as it continued to suck the heat from every inch of her body. In brief flashes of recognition, she was able to pick up a few sensations that stood apart from the empty coldness. Her sister's voice crying out her name, the soft and gentle touch of her mother's warm hands, the smoky, dusty smell of her father's study. All of these were able to penetrate the dizzying confusion of Anna's mind.
It wasn't until the beat of a horse's footsteps, and the gentle breeze of the night's air brushed against her skin, that Anna was able to fight her way through the darkness.
She didn't know where she was. Her mind refused to clear itself to even give her the smallest amount peace. And so as the sight of her mother holding her close to her breast and the pale full moon shinning above them registered in her eyes, confusion blasted through her core.
Her body felt heavy, like a thousand blankets had been placed on her form holding her still. Even the act of keeping her eyes open seemed to drain the poor girl of what little strength she had. Eventually, even that simple task became too much as her vision once again became black. For how long, the poor Anna couldn't tell. Only that when they opened the horses were gone and her father's voice could be heard, his tone quick and frantic.
It was hard for Anna to make out what her father had said, but the voice that followed rang in her ears clear as a bell.
"I recommend we remove all magic," it spoke in a kind voice. "Even memories of magic, to be safe," it added after a moment. "But don't worry, I'll leave the fun."
As Anna felt the cool touch of a rock hard hand against her head, her mind revolted against its presence. With every fiber of her being she struggled, squirming to say anything that could stop him. She didn't care what the context was, the reasons were irrelevant. All that mattered was whoever was touching her head was going to steal her precious memories of her sister. And that, Anna knew, was worse than anything that could happen in its stead.
Unfortunately, as much as she wanted to do something, anything, the blankets holding her down only seemed to increase in weight. She couldn't move, couldn't utter so much as a squeak in protest. Even just opening her eyes was too far from reach. This left the girl helpless, trapped in her own body as the magical creature violated her most treasured memories. If she could cry she would. If even a single tear was available it would be gleaming in the moonlight. But as the invading sensation of the troll's magic infiltrated her mind, Anna found even that luxury had been stripped from her.
And so, as the trolls hand once again fell on her forehead, the princess of Arendelle remained silent, still as a corpse as he finished up his work. In the back of her mind, just as the dream tormenting her very soul came to an end, Anna could hear the voice of a small child, of her younger self crying into the night. In her head, the voice was praying. A prayer that one day she might remember, a prayer for one day the spell to end and for her memories to return.
And, as Anna felt the last of her time drift away, she could only hope. Hope that when she awoke the things she had seen would remain and the prayer she had made all those years ago would be fulfilled…
Okay, I hope you all enjoyed that and weren't to confused. I had a lot of fun writing this part, honestly. Now once again I can't ask enough for you to take the time and leave me a review. favs and follows are appreciated as well. My ultimate goal for fanfiction has been to reach one hundred reviews and if I can manage this on this story I can't even tell you all how happy that would make me.
Next time: Anna wakes up from her dreams and is faced with the decision of what she wants to do with what she has learned.
