Chapter 10

Once changed, in Anna's clothes no less seeing the sisters weren't planning on going back to Elsa's room until it thawed and Elsa wasn't feeling safe making an ice dress, much less an ostentatious one, Elsa led Anna into the gardens surrounding the palace grounds. They strolled arm in arm through the various flora for a while before Elsa spoke up.

"So, Ibsen, how does the rest of the story go?"

Anna scrunched up her face, "You know I don't get your obscure literary references, Elsa. But if you must know… It ends well, I'm just not really sure about the middle," she chuckled slightly.

Elsa shook her head. "He's not that obscure," she said taciturnly.

Silence followed, only to be broken by the sound of the birds chirping and the brook babbling. Anna could tell Elsa was working up the strength to tell the rest of the story, so she remained content with just being in her company until she did.

"Elizabeth and Annika were playing inside in their own winter wonderland," began Elsa. She stopped to sit on a bench under a willow tree and brought Anna with her, never unlinking their arms. Elsa rested her head on Anna's. Anna was particular engrossed in this part, because she never knew what happened and this was a huge step for Elsa in getting comfortable in opening up.

"Elizabeth covered the entire ballroom with ice, making it into a exquisite ice rink. Little Annika loved sliding along it. She would giggle nonstop over the magic. It was the most beautiful sound Els—Elizabeth ever heard and it was her favorite sound. It was like church bells to her ears."

Anna's face lit up just like it did when she was five. She loved when Elsa would tell a story because she had an amazing way with words, whenever she felt like expressing them. She had to giggle at that thought. Elsa smiled warmly at her.

"The girls were playing in the snowfall where they created a snowman named Olaf with the help of Elizabeth's ice magic. Neither of them knew where the magic came from, but sneaking into the ballroom in the middle of the night was their greatest secret they shared. Though, Elizabeth had a feeling their parents may have known about these little adventures and chose to ignore it. That is, until this fateful day."

It was with trepidation that Elsa continued the story. "Things were going well and the girls were having a wonderful time skating with Olaf and sledding down undulating hills Elizabeth made, when Annika wanted to play a game of snow catch."

Elsa's voice hitched, "Annika would jump from hill to hill as Elizabeth created them on the spot. Normally, this was fine, but on this night Annika was a little more rambunctious than usual. She had gotten really good at this game and at jumping in the snow that… that she was faster than she had been." Elsa swallowed hard. Anna gave her hand a squeeze, letting her know that it would be okay. That "Annika" was okay. They were together, in a garden, and nobody was hurt. Her silent assurance gave Elsa the strength to go on.

"It didn't help that Elizabeth got swept up in the moment as well and made each subsequent hill higher and higher. It wasn't until too late that Elizabeth realized she couldn't keep up with her younger sister. She called to her to slow down, but Annika was having too much fun to hear the warning. Suddenly, Elizabeth slipped on the ice. She actually slipped! She had never slipped on ice of her own creation. Elizabeth's control was slipping."

Elsa's heartbeat increased and she wasn't sure she could go on, even with Anna's reassuring presence. She closed her eyes for a bit to recollect herself. She needed to do this. Anna needed to know. She wanted Anna to know. There would be no more secrets between them.

"As Elizabeth slipped, Annika leaped into the air. She had the fullest confidence her big sister would catch her. And why not? She always had in the past. That was what big sisters do, protect their little sisters. Unfortunately… unfortunately…" she cleared her throat. Come on, Elsa, you can do this. "Unfortunately, Elizabeth was unable to catch Annika. In her panic, she threw her arm out and accidentally shot out some ice magic, which hit Anna in the head. Luckily, the momentum of the hit threw Anna into the path of a snow bank and she wasn't injured more. Elsa ran to her sister's side and gathered her in her arms letting her know she was there. Suddenly, a strand of Anna's hair started to turn as white as her sister's. Elsa called out for their parents. In Elsa's panic, the room started to freeze over from the floor to the ceiling. It took all our parents' strength to bust open the door, which had also frozen over. Maybe if I hadn't frozen the ballroom, mama and papa could've gotten there sooner and you would've gotten the help you needed sooner. Maybe we would not have had to be separated."

Elsa hadn't realized she had reverted the names to their real names and no longer spoke in the third person, but started speaking as if recalling the incident and not telling a story. She hadn't realized she had admitted to another insecurity regarding the incident. But Anna did. She noticed all of it. She also noticed that despite such an emotional retelling of the story, Elsa had yet to expel any of her magic. The grass was still green, there was no frost on the flowers, and not even a small flurry appeared above their heads. If this wasn't a breakthrough, she didn't know what is.

Elsa couldn't speak anymore. She just sat there silently watching a family of ducks stroll by. She wasn't ready to make eye contact with Anna just yet.

Anna wasn't expecting all that and wasn't sure if she should go on with her story. It ended up taking a turn in another direction. It was a good turn, but still, she wanted Elsa to see what a strong person she's always been, not feel bad about the incident all over again. Anna plucked up the same courage Elsa did in recalling all that to forge on.

"Um…so, in the end Eliza.. oh forget it, Elsa thought in order to be strong and protect her sister, she had to be distant and stay locked in her room. But what she found out was that true love was an even stronger force than restraint. And Elsa regained the strength she had hidden away to fight against her fear and be there for her sister, no matter what."

Elsa sort of choked out a mixture of a sob and a laugh at the anticlimactic nature of Anna's story. They continued to sit in a companionable silence.

"Elsa?"

"Hmm?"

"My point is, you were always strong. You still are strong. You never backed down from a fight. You'd fight all my battles against papa and the staff. You fought the battles of my nightmares and let me sleep in your bed in order for you to keep the monsters away. You may have let fear best you for a bit, okay thirteen years," Anna conceded when Elsa gave her a skeptical look. "And even then, you had to be strong against my persistence and you did that because you loved me. Leaving Arendelle and everything you've known, especially since you hadn't been out of the castle for thirteen years, took strength. All to keep the people you loved safe."

"Anna! That's the worst time to be strong. That wasn't strength. That was me giving in to fear."

"But you did it out of love. Well, maybe a warped sense of love, but you did it because you loved us. But when push comes to shove, you rise to the occasion and show fear who's boss. Don't you see? You are the most loving person I've ever known! And that's where your strength lies. You are strong enough. You don't ever have to hide."

Elsa sat quietly letting Anna's words marinate.

To bring her point home, Anna added, "And you invited me out here with you, even though your instincts said to run. You told me what happened when we were kids on your own. And interestingly enough, your powers never kicked in during any of this."

Elsa looked up at her surroundings. Anna was right, nothing was frosted over, there was no snow, and no one was shivering. She looked back down at her ungloved hands. The love she had for Anna overpowered any fear she may have had about Anna knowing the truth. It overpowered the emotional spurts of power she would normally have. It overpowered her need to run because she realized that would hurt Anna more than her knowing the truth. Anna was right, she did that all on her own. All because she loved Anna more.

She relaxed shoulders she hadn't realized tensed up during all of this. If she could tell Anna all that, she certainly could tell her about her dream and the journal. But there were still questions she had herself. She really couldn't open up this can of worms with Anna without having the answers to questions she was certain Anna would ask. She came to a solution that hopefully Anna would be fine with.

"I think that's enough story time for one day. Now, before you start protesting," she raised her hands, halting Anna's speech because she could see she was gearing up for another lecture. "Anna, I want to tell you what plagues me at night. I really do. And I'm not afraid to, it's just that…there are some questions that I don't have the answers to yet. Suffice it to say, it had to do with my imprisonment in the dungeons. But let me wrap my head around some of the details first before we have another story time."

"It doesn't have to be perfect. It's not a diplomatic mission. I'll always be here for you, just let me in," Anna croaked out.

Elsa reached for Anna's hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. Even though Elsa's hands normally were cold to the touch, this gesture was one of the warmest things Anna's ever felt, right after the hugs Elsa gave her when she was thawed. "I know. Just trust me on this one, just once. Please."

Anna gave her a grimace, thinking about it for a second.

"I'll tell you tonight. I promise."

Sighing Anna agreed. "No take backs."

Elsa smiled, "No take backs… Queen's orders."

Anna beamed back at her.

They saw Kai as they were approaching the castle. "Kai, please cancel all my appointments for today. There are some "documents" I need to finish reading."

Kai gave a look of understanding, quickly realizing she meant her father's journal. "Yes, your Majesty."

"Oh, and please give my sincere apologies. Thank you."

"Um, Elsa, what about your room? That much thawing is going to leave a wet mess."

Elsa almost forgot about that. She didn't really want to go see the result of her nightmare any time soon, but Anna was right. She couldn't just let it thaw naturally. It was probably for the best that she faced it now anyway. That way she could change into a more somber dress for what she had to do, rather than one of Anna's dresses. Besides, it was a little short on her and she was feeling a little self-conscious. Elsa gave a slight chuckle at that considering her usual insecurity was her reputation as the Snow Queen and how intimidating that can be to some.

Word of this morning's incident spread quickly through the castle and Kai interrupted her thoughts, "Your Majesty, Gerda and I have already begun reparations to your chambers." At this, he held up a bucket that contained pieces of icicles that were clearly chipped off.

"It has only been ourselves in your room. But if you would like to thaw the rest yourself, it would probably be faster." Kai had said this not in accusation, but to relieve Elsa of any further embarrassment of the rest of the staff dealing with her mess. Elsa was eternally grateful for Kai and Gerda's ceaseless devotion to her and her family.

"Thank you very much, Kai. Yes, I'll take care of the rest."