Author's Note: You guys have made me so happy the past few days. I've been flooded with PMs, Reviews, Alerts, and Favorites from you all! Thank you so much for your support and kind words! Also, a couple more questions started popping up, so I will address these in this section. If you have any positive or negative comments, suggestions or questions, please feel free to hit the review section below and let me know! Happy Reading!

Reader Questions:

1. Why is the potion selective on Robin's fond memories of Regina? Kitsis and Horowitz (the creators of Once Upon a Time) depicted memory potions as being selective, so I chose this particular memory potion to be that way also.

2. Will we see more of Elsa? I would be very disappointed if we don't get to see more of her. ;)

3. Why is Elsa's "freezing heart" ability depicted as turning Marian bad? In the original fairy tale "Snow Queen" by Hans Christen Andersen, the Snow Queen's ice powers had the power to freeze people's hearts. According to the tale, a person with a frozen heart sees the wickedness in everything around them.

Chapter 10

Arendelle. Years ago.

"Alright. Do it."

Elsa frowned. She couldn't believe she let her sister Anna talk her into this again. She was the ruler of Arendelle, for crying out loud. There was absolutely no room for error. And yet here they were, out in the open woods, where someone could see what she can do. "I don't know, Anna," Elsa said, "Someone might see us."

At this, Anna rolled her eyes. "So? Everyone in Arendelle knows."

"Yes, but there are still other kingdoms nearby," Elsa reasoned.

Anna grunted. "Oh my gosh, Elsa. Just do it!"

With a frustrated sigh, Elsa finally conceded. She raised her arms. Jets of ice sprouted from her hands, freezing the ground she and Anna stepped on. The surrounding area solidified, and before long that small part of the woods became a mini-winter wonderland.

Anna cheered. Then she dropped to the ground, moving her arms up and down to make a snow angel. Elsa laughed. "I thought you wanted to build a snowman."

Anna sat up. "I did, but this is more fun…" she threw a snowball at Elsa's face.

"Hey!"

Anna burst out in laughter. "Gotcha!"

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "You chose the wrong woman to pick a snowball fight with, little missy." She waved her arm and a barrage of snowballs shot out toward her sister.

"Ugh, no fair! Using your powers is cheating!" Anna whined. She got up and built as many snowballs as she can. Elsa dodged each successive attack easily. But Anna didn't give up, constantly creating snowballs by hand.

This was probably why she gave in to Anna's wishes. Fun. Happiness. With her sister, after those many years of shutting her out. Her heart danced with joy as they continued their play. How long had she wished for this to happen? How long had she wanted for things to be back to the way they were with her sister? She remembered, as a child, they played like loving sisters should. They were best friends. And now, now it was finally happening. Everyday of their lives, they were joyous. This seemed impossible after their ordeal with her powers, but Elsa owed it to her sister to once again prove her wrong. It was possible to find happiness again. Not only that, but her rule in Arendelle was the most prosperous the land had ever seen. This, as her people called it, was the era of peace. And their beloved Snow Queen made this all possible. How perfect.

A twig snapped on a nearby tree. Elsa stood rigidly, her body tensing. What was that? An intruder? Anna's snowball splat on her face.

"Hah!" Anna cried as her snowball hit. "I got you! I got-"

"-Ssh, someone's here," Elsa turned toward the green trees. Slowly, she crept toward it. Who could this be? With a nervous sigh, Elsa readied her powers and pounced.

The woman behind gasped, her dark brown eyes staring back at her in shock. The woman wore a hood over her long ebony hair. Her red lips fell apart, and her skin was so pale she would have blended with the snow. Elsa immediately recognized her. She was one of the royals in attendance during her coronation day, the beautiful princess from the closest kingdom to Arendelle.
"Snow White!"

The shock immediately left Snow's face and she grabbed Elsa by the arms with a sense of urgency. "Queen Elsa, please. You've got to help me. Regina's guards are close to finding me!"

Anna ran towards them. "What's going on?"

Elsa cursed in her head, knowing full well that Anna's interference would make this all the more complicated. "Nothing," she spat, her eyes narrowing as she pulled away from Snow, "We're leaving." she turned her back on the runaway princess.

"Wait, Elsa," Anna said.

"C'mon, Anna," Elsa muttered through gritted teeth, "Let's go home." Elsa took Anna's wrist but she yanked herself away.

"We need to help her," Anna declared. "Look, she's hurt!" Anna ran to Snow's side and gestured toward the wound she was referring to. Elsa eyed Snow again and realized the clothes above her right waist was stained with blood. Snow covered it as if it was something to be embarrassed about. "This is nothing," she said, "I just need a place to hide for the night."

Anna smiled at the princess reassuringly. "Don't worry. Our palace has lots of rooms to accommodate you."

Elsa's heart dropped. "Anna!"

Her younger sister shot her a warning look. Elsa sighed frustratingly. She yanked Anna away from Snow. "Can I talk to you in private?" Elsa grumbled, but she didn't wait for her sister to respond.

Elsa led Anna a few paces away, far enough so Snow couldn't hear them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Elsa began.

"We need to help her," Anna said, "You and I both know what's happening in her kingdom."

"I know," Elsa agreed, "Which is why I've severed all ties with them, trade routes and other properties. It's a miracle she was even able to cross Arendelle borders!"

"But she needs our help!" Anna reasoned, "Are we really going to turn away someone in need?"

Anna's eyes were as fierce as her tone. Truly, Anna wanted to help, and her resolve was always tough to sway the moment she'd decided on something. Unfortunately for her, so was she. "We can't house her, Anna." Elsa said, "Arendelle has been invisible from Queen Regina's reign of terror and I intend to keep it that way. She doesn't know we even exist. Peace is maintained here. We're not helping a wanted fugitive."

"But-"

"-That's final, Anna!" Elsa roared. Anna stared at her sister in wide-eyed shock. The tension that had been escalating between them finally burst out. Anna sighed.

"I can't believe you." Anna mumbled, walking over to Snow.

Elsa frowned. Her sister never learned when to listen! "Where are you going?"

Anna turned to her. "I'm going to help Snow whether you like it or not. I'll take her to the abandoned cabin. I'll be back before dinner." Anna faced Snow. "Are you alright?" her tone was softer, "Follow me."

Elsa watched them leave, torn between her ideals and her sister's. Keeping the peace in Arendelle was top priority. How could Anna not see that? With a frustrated sigh, Elsa stormed back to the palace, the area of snow she'd build for them reverting back to normal.

As time passed, Elsa couldn't help but grow worried. It was almost dinner time and Anna hasn't come back. Did she lose her way? Did someone ambush them? Elsa shuddered at the horrible thoughts. No. She probably lost track of time while being with Princess Snow. Nevertheless, Elsa's concern won over and she left to cross the borders of Arendelle.

She hurried her pace. It was a night darker than most. If Anna had indeed been lost, she'd surely not be able to find her way back. Elsa rummaged through the bushes and grumbled every time she felt them scratching on her. Oh, the things she would go through for her sister! If she had listened to her in the first place, if she had only obeyed, they would both be enjoying a nice dinner right now. Elsa continued her trek toward a slightly uphill slope. Just over this hill, she knew, was the cabin Anna had been talking about.

They found this cabin in the woods when they were younger, back when they played more. Back when everything wasn't so complicated. The thought of Anna's smiling face as she urged her to keep going through the woods made Elsa smile.

The cabin finally came into full view, and the warmth she felt from the beautiful memory was pushed out, replaced by a twisting, uncomfortable fear. There, a number of black uniformed soldiers had already surrounded the area. Soldiers she had never seen before, but Elsa assumed they were Queen Regina's. "Anna!" Elsa exclaimed. Fear seeped into her as she ran toward the cabin. Where was Anna? Had she been caught? Was she too late? If something happened to her… Elsa didn't even want to think what she'd do.

A voice from an angry soldier sliced through the air: "Princess Snow is gone. This woman helped her escape!"

Elsa heard her sister's short grunts echoing throughout the woods as a soldier dragged her out of the cabin.

The sight of it got Elsa's blood boiling. "Let her go!" she bellowed.

A few soldiers turned heads as she ran toward them. Anna gasped. "Elsa?"

Elsa shot a jet of ice to one direction, then another in the opposite side. Several men were down, but the remaining soldiers surrounded her as they drew their swords.

"She's a witch!"

"A sorceress!"

"Get her!"

Elsa made a lifting motion. An ice wall rose from the ground, shielding her from impending attacks. She spun around sharply, unleashing another burst of ice. She felt a stinging pain from behind her and she instinctively whirled around and blasted her attacker with clear colored spikes.

She heard metallic rattling. Something wrapped around her, something cold and hard. She looked down at herself and realized the chains had restricted her movement. Elsa screamed, unleashing a burst of sonic ice energy. She heard Anna calling out for her, telling her to stop, to calm down, but her powers were taking over. She continued unleashing chilled blasts with force as powerful as the rage inside her, but a sharp pain hit her head, and her vision blurred.
She heard Anna screaming, but it was nothing more than a far echo now. Elsa fought hard to stay alert, but consciousness eventually escaped her.

…

"Anna!"

Elsa sprung awake. The moonlight was shining down the bleak night. She looked around sharply. She was by the cabin, but there was no one in sight.

"Anna!" she called again, desperately. She attempted to stand, but realized the chains that bound her had reached its limit. Elsa tugged hard, the panic she felt from before filling her.

She couldn't help but imagine the worst. Queen Regina's reign of terror reached even the ears of the people of Arendelle, though to them they were just rumors. Elsa hoped it was just that. Rumors.
She tugged harder, once more. Her hands emitted ice as she continued to struggle. Come on, come on!

The chains that bound her started chipping. Elsa roared, exerting one final effort to escape. The restraints shattered. Elsa ran, deeper into the woods, toward Regina's kingdom. Arendelle's peace was at stake, but all Elsa could think about was her sister's safety.

Anna, please. Please be okay.

She had no clue how long she had been knocked out. It could have been hours, it could have been days. And who knows what they've done to her sister by now.

Elsa's heart threatened to burst out of her chest when she finally had a good view of Queen Regina's kingdom. There was a burning smell that wafted the air, coming from the main square. She separated branches that obscured her view to get a closer look. Citizens had gathered around, for some sort of assembly, she thought, but as Elsa looked on, she realized it was a gathering for an execution.

There was someone tied to a pole surrounded in hay, someone who'd already been burning for some time.

"By the order of our Queen," the man on stage announced, "we have sentenced this woman to be executed, for harboring the fugitive, Snow White."

Elsa's heart dropped. This can't be. The color drained from Elsa's face. "No..."

"Let this be a lesson to all of you." the man roared.

Elsa stared at the burning body. She tried to find something, anything, that would prove to her that this poor woman was not her sister. She refused to believe.

Until Elsa's eyes dropped, and saw, at the center of the stage, Anna's clothes, horribly tattered. Her heart sank. The man was holding a bloodied whip- did they strip her naked in front of these people and whipped her before they burned her? A massive lump caught on her throat, her veins rigid in utter horror. This can't be happening. Finally, she found her voice.

Elsa screamed, her knees trembling and she fell in despair. She couldn't believe what just happened.

Hatred filled her veins as quickly as the ice inside her oozed out. Everything around her, from the grass to the branches of the tree inches away, froze. Icicle spikes conjured themselves as Elsa's anger overcame her. "Regina…" Elsa growled, adrenalin straining her voice. Her clenched fists glowed white and she stood up. She flicked her right hand. The ice that built up there transformed itself into a sharp dagger. Elsa moved forward toward the queen's castle. It barely mattered what happened to her now. Anna needed to be avenged, and on the night of her death, Elsa will do just that.

A mocking high-pitched laugh came from behind her. Elsa spun around sharply. There, standing confidently by the frozen trees, stood a man or someone who somewhat resembled a man, with reptile-like skin and chaotic curled hair. His eyes were so dark and almost hollow, that the way he gazed at her brought shivers up her spine. Despite this, an uncanny smile formed on his face. "Well well well, dearie. It seems you have quite a situation here."

Elsa shot her powers toward the man, but when he brought up his hand, her ice dissolved quickly into mist. She gasped as he laughed at her again. "How rude. Considering of course that I was trying to offer you-" his voice went up like a gnome, "-my services!"

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

The man gestured himself to bow. "Rumplestiltskin." The moment he said his name, he vanished. "At your service." his voice came from behind her, closer than she'd expected. Elsa jumped at the surprise as she turned toward him. He grinned again. "I know what you want, dearie."

At this, Elsa let out an incredulous chuckle. "I highly doubt you can help me."

Rumplestiltskin's eyes glinted at the challenge. "Not even a chance to see your sister alive?"

Elsa's jaw dropped at the question. "Impossible," she said, breathless, "I saw her die with my own eyes!" the statement she wasn't expecting to say so soon made her heart tremble, and again, her sadness overcame her. Her powers began to resurface, but Elsa sucked in a sharp intake of breath and sighed. "I've spent many years trying to bring my parents back from the dead. This feat is impossible."

"Impossible?" the mysterious man repeated. He paced around her, observing her, like a predator about to pounce on his prey. Elsa stood her ground. She wasn't going to let a random man break her. "I've been watching you for some time, dearie," Rumplestiltskin confessed, "And I've seen what you can do."

She glared at him. "What could my powers possibly have anything to do with bringing back the dead?"

Again, the smirk on the man's face surfaced in his grimy features. "It's not about bringing back the dead, dearie." he dared to step closer to her until his mouth was almost directly an inch away from her ear. "It's about re-assigning the departed to live."

Hope flooded Elsa's face. She turned her head to him. "You mean… reincarnation?"

Rumplestiltskin nodded his head slowly. "Your powers can assign life. Life that, without you, will have no way of even existing."

Elsa's heart skipped a beat. "So you can help me," she said, "bring my sister back?"

Rumplestiltskin shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."

Her anger came flooding back. "See what you can do?" she bellowed, her fists forming spiked icicles once again, "I need more than an empty promise. This is my sister's life."

"And I am all you've got," he countered, his tone cool despite her threats, "so if you ever want to see your sister again, you need to put some faith in me." he flicked his wrist and a long parchment appeared in his hand.

Elsa furrowed her brows. "What's this?"

"A contract," Rumplestiltskin said, "I will do everything I can to get your sister back, if you will do whatever it takes to help me with what I want."

A catch, Elsa thought. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. "And what is it that you want?"

Rumplestiltskin laughed. "To understand you, of course!" he said, "Your powers intrigue me. You have the ability to give life. That's never been done before."

So this is what he wanted. To have her be his guinea pig in whatever it is he wanted with her abilities. Elsa thought of what this man might do to her, or worse, to Arendelle, and she cringed. He must have sensed her hesitation, for he said: "How far are you willing to go to see your precious sister again?"

The turmoil inside her continued to swirl. She thought of Anna, her beautiful cheery face, and wondered if there was ever a chance like this to bring her back, to see that smile again. Finally, with a defeated sigh, she turned to Rumplestiltskin. "Where do I sign?"