Chapter warnings: Graphic violence, brief mentions of suicide.
~Seven months earlier~
"Elsa, you can't run from this!"
She turns around at the voice barely being carried by the howling wind.
Her own voice is pleading. Desperate. Her arms out, placating. "Just take care of my sister." Words unspoken ring with clarity inside her head.
And I'll be no threat to anyone.
"Your sister? She returned from the mountain weak and cold. She said that you froze her heart."
There is sadness etched on his face, but it doesn't reach his eyes. Elsa barely gives it a thought. "No…" She gasps, eyes focusing miles away, her mind racing. "No…" She gasps again, and she sounds so weak and feeble. It can't be. Please… no. Not Anna.
He continues.
"-to save her but it was too late!" He keeps talking but Elsa does not hear- Can not hear anything but the blood rushing through her ears.
"-hair… white…"
She refuses to believe it. This can't be the end. Anna was going to be happy and safe, away from her! Basking in a sun-soaked kingdom, taking her first steps in her new role as the crown princess of Arendelle…
Happy… Her dear sister would finally be as happy as she deserved to be.
"No…" The smallest voice and a shake of her head. This wasn't real.
"Your sister is dead. Because of you."
"No!" She staggers back as her world crumbles around her. She turns away, unable to share her private mourning. She stumbles forward but her legs give out. She needs to leave. She needs to be alone. She needs…
Anna…
She sobs. Great, heaving gasps of air as her lungs burn. She welcomes the pain. Cruelly, the storm ceases, then. It's utter silence but for her agony. Lying here, in her grief, she feels all of it. The last thirteen years of anguish and guilt… it was all for nothing. She caused her sister so much pain for so long, and this is what it all amounts to. She always had been a coward, and now it was too late to do the one thing that would have truly protected Anna.
In the space between her pathetic gasping, she hears a sword leave its scabbard. She does not fight. She does not dare. Finally, too late, it's going to happen. Her breathing begins to slow.
Will I get to see her? Just once more would be fine. She imagines a stolen glance at bouncing twin braids before she's shunted off to where she belongs.
"No!"
She hears it. Or she imagines she does. A brash, courageous voice… Even in her thoughts, Anna is there, always trying her best to make things better.
Then, she's sure of what she hears. Metal on ice. The vicious snap of it. Cracking. Shattering ice. A cold exhalation.
A last gasp.
She turns her head, her peripheral catching a hint of ice-blue fingers. Her eyes go wide at the sight. Frantically, she tracks her gaze along a delicate arm, up, up, and when she finally sees her, she's struck in the chest by the shock of it. "Anna!"
She bounces to her feet and moves - as quick as her spent body will carry her - to the front of the haunting statue of her beloved sister. From this vantage point, Anna's face, etched with both determination and fear, stares up at a once-towering monster. And now… at her. How fitting.
Elsa is coming apart at the sight of her, still and quiet. It's so very unlike her dear Anna, who was always so full of life and love. "Oh, Anna! No… No! Anna, please no."
She feels the tears gathering. The dam is beginning to break again. Finally, with a desperate sob, she calls her sister's name. In her heart, she knows it will be the last time she'll ever speak again. When she's done... when she has been left utterly spent, threadbare and raw, emotionless in the face of the heaviest loss she'll ever endure, she will flee. With all her strength and determination, she will swiftly make her way up to her mountain refuge, sequester herself, and wait for the end of it all. However it may come.
She imagines she'll be able to help it along quite nicely. She might even get creative with it. Grip her own heart with ice… constrict it once for every time she thinks about her. The memories, at least, will be sweet.
I owe her that much.
She doesn't know how long she spends there, wrapped up in a one-sided embrace as she pours every last ounce of love and loss into her display of grief. Probably just a few moments. Time plays cruel tricks on the ones left behind.
It feels like an eternity passes before she hears it. A howling, anguished scream from just above her. As she struggles to make sense of what's happening, Elsa quickly looks up to see Anna - her precious Anna - and her heart plummets. Her sister looks like such a wretched, pitiable thing. Her screams almost inhuman as they fill the air. Elsa is lost. Terrified. She shushes and coos and whispers in Anna's ear as she draws her close, hot shame washing over her when she smiles in relief. Relief! Her sister is in obvious distress and she's just clinging to her, smiling brokenly.
Useless.
She pulls back, eyes darting frantically, trying to understand. Anna is still screaming and when Elsa follows her wide - too wide - eyes, her heart shatters all over again.
The sword, meant for her, is lodged inside a mangled stump of an arm. Blood is pouring down the blade, gathering at the hilt before it plop, plop, plops on to the icy fjord. So much blood. Too much. Far too much. She's going to lose her sister all over again.
She screams for help. Screams so loud it burns. She hears the sound of crackling ice and fractured steel. The sword is quickly covered in ice before it shatters, fragments embedding themselves into her sister's arm.
Anna is nearly retching between renewed cries of pain and Elsa's vision is blurred as she screams again. It's impossible to tell if anyone hears her, so panicked and loud she is. So blinded by her own pointless tears.
She needs to control this. Conceal it. She can't afford to feel right now. Anna needs help, and Elsa's fear is just making things worse.
Anna's screaming has stopped, replaced by ragged breathing and choked sobs. She swallows and tries to speak, "Elsa? Are you-" She cries out again, trailing off into muffled whimpers. The bloody stump of her arm doesn't bleed as it should, and Elsa can see ice - her ice - coating the wound.
"Shh, Anna… Help is on the way. I've got you. I'm so sorry." Elsa glances around, careful not to move her sister too much, She sees the body of the man she spoke with earlier. It is utterly still. Lifting her gaze up from the sight, she spots another man - Kristoff, was it? - running toward them. He nearly trips in his haste to reach them. Elsa just barely notices the small snowman trailing up behind him.
"Okay. Anna, sweetheart?" Her sister looks at her then, and it's all she can do not to break down into fresh sobs at the pain in Anna's eyes. "S-someone is coming. We need to get you comfortable while we assess the damage."
Anna nods erratically, eyes red and cheeks tear-streaked, and yet there's the ghost of a smile. "Elsa… A-all right."
"Carefully now…" Speaking through shuddering gasps with a wavering voice, Elsa slowly guides them both down onto the ice, hollow assurances falling from her lips. She is painfully aware of the metal shards still violently embedded in her sister's arm.
"D-did he hurt you, Elsa? I'm s-"
Elsa shakes her head jerkily, affection and grief overwhelming. Her sister's capacity for love is nearly impossible to comprehend. "Shh, don't speak. Just lie down." She cradles Anna's head against her chest as they both look at the man sprinting up to them. He falls to his knees, sliding the last few meters.
He blanches when he sees Anna's arm. Olaf gasps as he clumsily comes to a stop behind him.
"Kristoff-" Anna tries.
"We need to stop the bleeding as much as possible. Kristoff, can you make a tourniquet?" Elsa asks.
"I…" He looks as overwhelmed as Elsa feels.
"Anna?" Olaf is visibly distraught as he stares wide-eyed at the scene.
Elsa manages to spare a pitying thought for the creature.
"Give me your arm." Her voice is clipped as she addresses Kristoff. At once, his arm shoots out before her. She easily slices through the fabric of his sleeve with a shard of ice, removing several thin strips and tightly wrapping them around Anna's forearm, just below the elbow. She should have cleaned her sister's arm of blood first. A stupid mistake. I won't make another.
With the bleeding almost completely stanched, Elsa carefully inspects the gruesome wound. Mangled flesh and bone seem to hold the sharp pieces of metal in place. A thin layer of ice coats the tip of the limb, and the unbloodied skin looks… sallow. Panic rises within her once again. Anna's arm is beyond saving, cleaved in two and blood red. The steel shards are embedded several centimeters into the forearm.
"Amputation…" She says, almost to herself. Removing the bits of steel would be cruel. The pain unnecessary. Now or later, most of the forearm will have to be removed. The risk of infection is too great, and the damage far exceeds modern medical techniques. "Kristoff, go get help. Ask for Oskar Thomsen, the Royal Physician." While she speaks, she crafts a short letter to the doctor, explaining the situation. "Tell him it's urgent, and to prepare for a possible amputation. Answer his questions as best you can and spare no details." She stamps the message with Anna's royal seal, freezing the mark to the page. Pride flares in her chest when she sees that her sister carries it with her, just as an Arendelle princess should. She hands the letter to Kristoff with haste. "Hurry!" He turns to leave and she brings her eyes back to her beloved sister. She looks so pale. Not at all like the beautiful peach tone she remembers from the ball.
"Elsa?" Anna whimpers as Elsa rests a cool hand on her forehead. "Am I gonna die?"
Off to the side, she hears Kristoff's short intake of breath. "Kristoff, go. Now!" Her patience is running thin with this man, but she does not doubt his concern for her sister.
Elsa's vision sharply focuses on Anna's face, and she sees fresh tears run down freckled cheeks. "Anna… I'm here. I'll keep you safe. We'll get you fixed up and… and you'll be dancing and climbing trees again in no time at all." Elsa's voice nearly breaks as she speaks, but she stays strong. Anna deserves nothing less.
Anna smiles at that, eyes brightening. Elsa considers it a small victory.
Just then, Olaf carefully trods toward them, his twigged hands wringing together. Elsa feels a strong pang of sympathy.
"Hey there, buddy," Anna breathes, wincing. Her demeanor seems to shift as she addresses the nervous snowman.
"Anna, what… w-what happened? Did you have an accident?"
He looks close to tears, and Anna chuckles mirthlessly before regarding him with a patient smile. "Something like that, Olaf. I did something silly. I'd do it again, but… it wasn't one of my more graceful moments." She glances at her sister's forlorn expression. "You've met Elsa, haven't you? She's the reason I'm still alive."
"Oh! Hello again, Elsa! Anna is really nice. Thank you for letting her live."
Elsa can't help the choked sob that bursts forth. Olaf recoils as though he'd done something wrong. She bites it back as best she can, eyes shut tight. It doesn't stop the tears.
"Elsa, it's true! If it weren't for what happened back on the mountain, I wouldn't have frozen when I did. I would be dead if not for your magic. The sword…" She swallows, gathering herself. "He would have killed me. He could have hurt you." Her eyes are shining with fresh, unshed tears.
Elsa is momentarily stunned at the implication in her sister's words. "Anna, that's absurd! If it weren't for me, you would be safe in the castle at this very moment, warm and content." Elsa's voice is high and stressed. She refuses to let Anna rewrite history just to spare her ego.
"Els-"
"Wait, you were frozen?!" Olaf's voice manages to cut through the tense atmosphere, halting the brewing argument in its tracks. He clears his throat. "L-like me?" He adds, sheepishly.
"Not... Quite. I was frozen solid. It… protected me from-" Anna's eyes slam shut and she groans in pain. "from his blade. It protected us both." Her gaze rests upon Elsa once more, and her smile returns.
"But, Anna, you don't look frozen anymore! What happened? Your- Did Kristoff make it to you in time? Did he thaw your heart?" Olaf's wide eyes peer at her, waiting patiently.
Anna's strength seems to be fading. "Well, no. At least, I don't think so? All I remember is jumping in front of that sword and then…"
"Olaf, I think Anna needs some rest. S-she has a lot of healing ahead of her." Elsa's words are empty. False. She just wants to end this exchange so that she can focus on Anna's safety as best she can.
"Elsa, it's all right. Really." Anna looks to Olaf, looking for all the world like a tutor explaining an idea to a curious pupil. "Suddenly, I was frozen, and then I wasn't. I can't really explain it, but…"
"An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart," Olaf whispers the words in wonder. Reverence. "Anna, you love her, don't you? Your sister?"
Her dear sister giggles then and Elsa's heart leaps. It's a pained sound, but even Anna's grimacing smile is infectious as Elsa struggles to keep up with a wet smile of her own. This is so much, so fast. Anna's voice captures her attention. She feels helpless and frightened and she is desperate to hear her response.
"Of course I do! Elsa means the world to me. I'd do anything for her." The words are simple and yet Elsa is struck dumb by her sister's reply. Suddenly, teal-blue eyes are boring into her, and Anna continues, breathless, "I've missed you, Elsa. I'm so sorry for what happened at th-" Anna releases a sharp cry of pain, and Elsa's fear and uncertainty resurfaces before she stamps it down. She can examine her mistakes later. Anna's words of love swell her chest with elation. It's destined to be short-lived, but right now, Anna needs her.
"Sweetheart, it's all right! I've got you." She scoops Anna up into her arms again, gently. "Doctor Thomsen will be here soon. I wanted to take you to him, but I was worried… Your wound…" She trails off uncertainly, glancing at her dear sister's arm before fixing Anna with a piercing gaze. "I'm sure this is the right decision. I know it is. Time is pressing but we need to be cautious as well." To her own ears, it sounds like she's trying to convince herself as much as her imaginary opponent. She turns to Olaf, and the poor creature looks so lost and frightened. "Olaf, love?" Elsa keeps her voice as calm as she can. He looks at her with such a profound sadness. Elsa stares at a spot just past his head. "Anna needs your help. Go after Kristoff. Do whatever you can to help him. Hurry along now, okay little one?"
"I can help? I can- yes! Okay, yes Elsa, I'll help! Anna can count on me!" His peculiar face is screwed up in a fevered determination as he turns and runs in the direction that Kristoff took off in minutes ago.
Elsa looks after him for a moment before focusing all of her attention on her sister, frail in her arms. "I wish I could take away the pain. You don't deserve any of this, Anna." She falters at the end, lips trembling. Still, she's staying strong. She needs to. Suddenly, thoughts become words and she doesn't dare try to stop them from tumbling forth. "I... didn't deserve what you did for me. I could have stopped him! I could have pierced his heart in an instant if I wanted to but I just… I thought you were gone. I thought I had killed you! My wonderful, sweet sister. I thought you were dead and I just… gave up. I am so sorry, Anna. I always seem to find a way to hurt you." Her tears are falling onto Anna's brow and she realizes they must be so cold on her sister's skin. The thought crushes her again and she hastily, angrily wipes her own tears away and wills herself to regain her composure. Sighing softly, she carefully wipes Anna's forehead dry with trembling fingers. Her hands are too cold. She knows they are. She curses herself again. "After everything I've done… Anna, why? Why would you sacrifice yourself for me?"
"Elsa, weren't you listening? I love you," Anna says simply, and the gentleness, the compassion in her eyes is more than Elsa can bear. She has to look away, even if she can't help the small, tremulous smile gracing her lips.
"Your tears…" Anna says suddenly, and Elsa is taken aback by the smile in Anna's voice. "Y-your hand… on my head. The coolness, it felt- I don't know. Elsa, could you help me? Your powers? Your magic?"
My… Magic? Elsa's head spins. "What do you mean, Anna? How could my magic help you? My magic caused all of this! The doctor will be here soon and he-"
"No, Elsa, listen!" Anna's voice is gravelly and slightly slurred, yet she sounds frantic. "It felt good, when you were touching me. I felt… relief. The coolness seems to help so much. It feels like it's underneath my skin. It feels incredible. Could you please… I mean, could you try? My arm hurts so much, Elsa. Please help me. I can't- I'm trying so hard to stay with you, here, talking to you like I've always wanted, but I can't do it. It hurts so much. I don't want this. Please, Elsa!" Anna is sobbing now, and her words are difficult to understand between the gasps of pain.
Elsa can't keep up. She doesn't comprehend- What does Anna want her to do? Her touch is dangerous! She could hurt her sister. Freeze her. Destroy her. Her touch is vile, she's sure of it. Fear grips her. She needs her gloves. She's a monster that needs a leash. "Anna, I'll just hurt you. I can't be trusted to use my powers! Not around others, at least. Please, the doctor w-"
"I don't want the doctor!" Anna screams, and Elsa's heart leaps from her chest. "I need you! I need my sister to help me! Please, Elsa." Anna grips Elsa's hand. It was lying on the ice by Anna's side all this time. "Elsa, you can help me. I know you can. I love you, and… and you love me. Right? Don't you?"
She sounds so unsure, and Elsa gasps in despair. "Oh, Anna! Of course I do!" She is so tired, and her eyes and throat burn from all the tears.
Anna's smile is small. Private. "You won't hurt me. Just focus on helping me."
Anna brings Elsa's hand to her mangled arm, and Elsa forces her fears away. Banishes them, for now. Shaking madly, her hand gently strokes blood-soaked skin. It feels too cool to her touch, remembering the warmth she felt from Anna, before the accident that forced their separation..
The tips of her fingers are hovering over shiny red flesh. Anna sighs in grateful relief, but Elsa still can't believe it.
"Elsa…" She gasps, the word leaving her lips slowly. Reverently. This is mad! "Elsa, thank you. That feels so much better. It's incredible."
Elsa can't believe her ears. Slowly, she presses the whole of her hand down onto the mangled flesh, not once cowering at the gruesomeness of the wound. Her brow furrows in concentration and Anna sighs again gently. The sound relaxes her and the tension starts to ebb away. She feels the magic at her fingertips, tendrils of ice snaking out beneath her sister's skin. Oh no… "Anna!" Her voice is soft, but urgent. "Anna, maybe we should stop. This is dangerous. You don't know what my magic can do. Please, I can't hurt you again."
"Elsa, it's all right." Anna's voice sounds far away, lilted and serene. She brings her hand to Elsa's cheek and runs her thumb along smooth, cool skin. Elsa feels that familiar, long lost warmth, then. She craves it. Elsa had forgotten… The Ice Queen persona is powerful, and it was true enough that the cold never really affected her, but it was warmth - sweet, enveloping, loving warmth - that she found the most comfort in. "You're doing wonderfully," Anna continued, "I feel… It's not numb, but more like… slowed? The pain is slowed. It doesn't throb or- I'm probably not making sense. The pain was shooting up my arm and now it's just… trapped. You're amazing, Elsa."
Anna's smile is like the sun. Elsa is blinded, yet she can't look away. She swallows roughly, cheeks pinked. Praise is something she has never gotten used to. It came so rarely in between their parents' furtive whispers and fearful caution. Even Anna's desperate, awed pleas for her sister's attention were but a gentle - and at times not-so-gentle - reminder of her shortcomings. She has wanted for so long to be the sister that Anna needs. A protector, a confidant, someone worth the admiration Anna showed her in their childhood - before reality and disillusion stole that from them both.
The love she feels in this moment... It feels like her childhood recaptured. Anna's bright smile and gentle eyes. Her relentless optimism and her supportive urging for Elsa to be herself. Anna always brought out the best in her. Even if Elsa believes that her worst moments as a sister were a result of her own carelessness, she can't ignore the fact that Anna - her sweet, loving sister - makes her feel… wanted. She makes her feel wanted and as though she can do anything. Elsa feels free in Anna's presence. Supported unconditionally by someone she has only ever wanted to make happy. Anna loves her and Elsa, beyond a shadow of a doubt, loves her dear sister back with a tireless, eternal devotion.
"Love..." Elsa's voice is low. Whisper soft. Realization dawns and she smiles to herself.
"Elsa?" Anna asks gently. Elsa starts, prompting a small giggle. She realizes then that she never bothered responding to her sister's praise, stuck as she was in her own head. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." She giggles again, and once more Elsa is struck by her sister's impossible joy for life.
Elsa's smile grows as her sister looks at her, first with mirth and then with confusion. "Love will thaw," Elsa says, recalling with startling clarity the words that Olaf relayed to her. "Of course!" Elsa looks around at the frozen sea surrounding them. "I think I can do it. I can fix this! Anna, I can fix it!"
Anna is smiling at her, affection plainly evident in her gaze. "I know you can, Elsa. I've never doubted you. Not for a single second." Anna tries to sit up, grunting softly with effort.
Elsa looks back down at her, brow creased. "Anna… please, be careful. The wound is still-"
"I know," Anna says through gritted teeth. "I know it is, but we need to stop this storm. People are hurting."
"We need to get you to safety. We should at least get you off the ice," Elsa says.
"No." Anna's sitting up on her own now, eyes lit with a fire only she could manage. Elsa swallows again. Anna looks down to her side, trailing her hand along the ice. She glances at the small fishing vessel a few dozen meters away. "Okay, actually we should probably move to the ship," she amends sheepishly. Her gaze flits over the fjord, back to the town proper. "B-but we need to move quickly! The citizens weren't prepared for a winter storm, Elsa. Firewood is scarce because of the season. Homes are freezing…" She groans. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have been so awful back at the ball. Those horrible things I said… It's no wonder you were afraid!"
Elsa couldn't let that stand. "Anna, no. I-"
"We can talk about this later. We will. But right now, your people need you," Anna said. The fire in her eyes remains, dulled though it is by her reflection of the past few days.
"O-okay, Anna. You're right." Elsa carefully withdraws the hand on her sister's wound, tension pouring back into her at the sight of it.
Anna turns to look at her. "I'll be okay. It's just for a few minutes, right?"
"Yes." Elsa is still looking. She needs to stop. "I am so sorry, Anna." Tears threaten again. She sniffles.
"None of that. I'm fine. Or, I will be. It was worth it, to save your life. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Might take a generous dose of laudanum first, though."
She grins and Elsa is laughing despite herself. "I love you, Anna." Slowly, Elsa rises to her feet. She's dimly aware of Anna's eyes tracking her every movement as she takes her sister's hand. "Let's get you to safety." Her smile is soft and Anna looks away, shyly concealing one of her own.
"Yes, a-all right. Thank you, Elsa," Anna says, standing feebly, her wounded arm supported gently by Elsa's other hand, magic still flowing under reddened, shredded skin.
Elsa glances at the wound again, fretting over the task ahead of her. She needs to get her sister to safety, and she needs to make sure she remains comfortable. Anna's screams are going to haunt her, she realizes grimly.
They make their way to the ship and Elsa crafts a flight of stairs with the flick of her wrist. They look far too ornate for the simple purpose of leading them onto the ship, but the awe in her sister's voice is something she'll never pass up the opportunity to bring forth.
"Elsa, it incredible! You just wave your arms and... " Anna trails off, muttering words like 'beautiful' and 'effortless' under her breath.
"Thank you," Elsa says softly. "I've never been able to show my magic to anyone… except for you."
"Well, everyone should see it! Beauty like this shouldn't be hidden away. Elsa, your powers make you who you are. They're just… beautiful." Anna grimaces. "I'm sorry, I'm just repeating myself now."
Elsa chuckles lightly, her breathing very slightly labored as she supports Anna's weight up the stairs. It wouldn't do for Anna to slip and fall. They reach the ship's handrail and Elsa helps her sister over it, always mindful of that dreadful wound.
"Okay, Elsa. Just set me down here and do your thing." Anna's voice is chipper but Elsa can hear it starting to waver. She needs medical attention.
Elsa scans the expanse of ice between their ship and the shore, yet she cannot see anyone rushing toward them. Kristoff hasn't brought the doctor back yet. What is keeping them?
"Elsa! Please, you need to hurry. You can do this. What was it you said? 'Love will thaw'? Well I love you, Elsa." Anna's voice wavered more and more, and Elsa knew her pain was returning with renewed strength. "Please."
"Don't worry, Anna. This will only take a moment." Elsa's heart is hammering. Her anxiety and fear return as she leaves Anna's side. She glances once more at her sister. She's scowling, hunched over her arm, jaw flexing in pain. Elsa forces herself to look away, back to her kingdom. "Don't worry, Anna. I'll be right there. From this moment on, I will always protect you."
And I love you too," Elsa adds. With those words hanging in the chilled air, Elsa draws a fresh breath. She stands tall, confidence slowly fading until she thinks of her sweet sister's courageous sacrifice. The deep and abiding love between them flows forth from Elsa's fingertips as she paints the pale grey sky with dazzling blue light. It reaches the dense cloud cover shrouding Arendelle and soon the entire sky is awash in pastel blues and purples. From a few paces behind her, she hears Anna's awed wonder, and she smiles proudly to herself.
The clouds begin to scatter, and the snow stops falling. For a moment, time stands still. Snowflakes hover all around them, silver-blue light radiating from each individual crystal. Elsa lifts her arms up smoothly, and the dazzling display follows suit. The snowflakes trace a path back up into the scattered clouds, gathering together above them before bursting out in all directions, blinding the both of them with a shocking array of blues, greens, pinks, and purples.
Anna gasps again at the display. "Elsa! That was incred-"
Suddenly, a groaning from beneath strikes them both in the chest, fast and hard. The ship begins to right itself, bobbing dangerously in the thawing waters. Ice cracks as it splits apart, evaporating swiftly in Summer's midday sun.
As the sea settles, churning the ship beneath them, Elsa struggles to maintain her balance. She freezes the water immediately surrounding the ship, eyes darting to her sister. She's huddled into herself in obvious agony, blood pooling beneath her.
"Anna!" As Elsa rushes to her side, a flurry trails in her wake. When she stops, a gust of snow blows over them both. Anna smiles through the pain, looking at her sister with warmth and gratitude.
"I knew… you could do it," Anna says. Her eyes soften and her eyelids droop.
"Anna, stay with me. The doctor will be here soon. Just a few more minutes, all right?" Tears prick at the corners of Elsa's eyes as she places her hand on her sister's wound. She notices the cloth tourniquet loosely clinging to her arm, bloodsoaked and stretched beyond usefulness. The blood is slick but she manages to slow the flow of it. "Please don't leave me." Her voice sounds so pathetic to her own ears. Anna needs her to be strong.
Conceal.
Anna lifts her hand to Elsa's cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, Elsa. Not now that we've found each other again."
Elsa smiles, chuckling brokenly. "We have. And you've done more for me than you can ever know. I can't lose you."
"I'm just... a little sleepy." Anna's voice is faint.
Conceal.
"I'll stop the bleeding. Just hold on to me, Anna." Elsa pulls her close and Anna clings to her shoulder weakly. Her weight begins to sag and Elsa knows her sister is losing too much blood, too fast. It's a miracle that she's managed to remain conscious for as long as she has.
"I love you three, Elsa." Anna's head droops onto her sister's shoulder.
Elsa inhales shakily. "Anna?"
No response. A storm brews inside her once again.
Conceal, Elsa.
Elsa closes her eyes, focusing on the warmth of Anna's body. She can hear slow, shallow breathing in her ear, and she stutters a sigh of relief. Magic flows through her and she feels under the skin of Anna's ruined arm. She feels the warm blood rushing to meet her touch. With all the finesse and concentration she can muster, she freezes the blood vessels shut, one by one.
By the time she opens her eyes, the bleeding has stopped. It's then that she realizes a voice had been calling for them. For Anna.
A/N: This chapter was a long time coming, and I do apologize for that. It went through several revisions and was eventually split in two. The second part is finished, for the most part, but my editing process is… less than quick. It will come, and soon. I promise!
In the meantime, please, leave your thoughts if you'd like. Thank you for your patience.