Anna groaned in pain as she slowly came to. Her weary eyes flickered open to a dimly lit room. The fireplace nearby was roaring, and created wonderful warmth that filled her whole bedroom. She was lying in her bed, and figured that all of her thickest blankets had been piled on top of her to warm her up.

There was a foreign weight resting near her, and as she began to push herself up, she could better make out what it was, or rather, who it was. Elsa was kneeling beside the bed, her head resting in her arms on the edge. She was sound asleep, although from the dark semicircles under her eyes, Anna figured that she had not been sleeping long. Elsa's hair was dishevelled and she had not bothered to change from the clothes she had been wearing when she saved Anna in the forest. The fabric was tattered and muddy – completely torn in some places. Anna felt the pang of guilt in her stomach grow worse when she noticed the bandages wrapped around Elsa's left arm.

Elsa stirred when she felt Anna's movement. She slowly opened her sapphire eyes to see her sister sitting up in her bed, looking over her with concern. Upon making eye contact, they both smiled at each other. Elsa sat up and arched her back to stretch it out. Anna winced when she heard a few unsettling popping sounds. Elsa then got up and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Anna giggled. "I didn't realize you got bedhead, too," she observed, noting how Elsa's bangs fell messily in front of her eyes. Elsa smiled before quickly running a hand through her hair. When she pulled it back, there was not a single strand that fell out of place. "What! How did you do that?" Anna demanded.

Elsa laughed softly. "Ice," she merely replied.

Anna stared at her for a minute while playing with her own tangled hair. "That's cheating," she eventually said.

Elsa shrugged and laughed again. There was a long moment of silence, where the only thing either of them did was stare at the other. Eventually, Elsa sighed, "Anna…"

"I know, I know," Anna interrupted, "I never should have done something so stupid. I should have told you where I was going. I should have waited until after the storm to leave the castle. I should have dressed warmer. I should have brought a map so I didn't get lost." She was counting off each "should have" on her fingers. "I should have–"

"Anna!"

Anna stopped to look into her sister's eyes. "Yes?" she asked, preparing for the worst.

"Just…just don't ever do something like that again," Elsa said, her eyes filling up with pain.

"I'm sorry, Elsa," Anna said, hanging her head shamefully, "You must have been worried sick."

"Anna, I had to save you from freezing to death," she told her bluntly.

Anna winced, understanding just how much those words hurt both of them. "I'm really sorry," she whispered.

"What were you thinking?" Elsa demanded, anger now beginning to fill the remaining space in her eyes, "You knew about the storm! You knew how dangerous it was going to be! And yet you still rode off into the forest of all places without any thought?"

"I…I wasn't–"

"Do you ever think things through, Anna? This is the second time you've gotten yourself lost in the mountains during a blizzard with no easy way out! Did any more consideration go into this time than the last?"

"At least I wore winter clothing this time…"

"At least? A pair of mittens, a thin cloak and no hat does not count as winter clothing, Anna!"

"It was better than a ball gown," Anna muttered.

"What were you doing that far up the mountain, anyway? Did you seriously get lost that badly that you ended up traveling uphill to get home?"

"No, I–"

"What could have possibly been going through your head to travel that far?"

"Why are you yelling at me?"

"Because I was scared, Anna!" Elsa cried, "I was so afraid that I was going to lose you again! The only things I can think of right now are 'what if' scenarios: what if Bjorn hadn't returned home when he did? What if we didn't realize that he came from the mountains? What if those wolves got to you before I did? What if I didn't catch you…?" Elsa trailed off as her gaze once again landed on her sister. "Don't you see, Anna? I can't lose you again," she whispered.

There was something about the way Elsa said "can't" that made Anna flinch. The stress on that single word told her that Elsa was not exaggerating – she literally could not take losing Anna again, and that knowledge made Anna's heart clench tightly. "Elsa, I'm really, really, really sorry," she said as earnestly as she could.

Elsa sighed heavily. "Anna…"

"I mean it, Elsa! I swear I'll never act before thinking ever again!"

Elsa was quiet for a few minutes, once again staring at her younger sister as if she was waiting for the universe to snatch her away. "Why were you out there, Anna?" she eventually asked.

"I…I was going to see the trolls," Anna admitted.

"The trolls? Why? And what was so important that it couldn't wait?"

"I wanted to help you, Elsa!" Anna told her defensively, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I remember you telling me that Grand Pabbie did something to alter my memories, so I wanted to see if he could do the same thing for you – so I could get the old you back." She suddenly realized how that sounded, so she quickly clarified, "I…I mean, make it so that the past thirteen years of isolation never happened. You would never know the fear, and sadness, and guilt I know you're living with now, and…"

Elsa put a gentle hand on Anna's arm. "I appreciate the thought, Anna, but I don't want to forget the past thirteen years," she said softly.

"But why? They were terrible for me! Which means they must have been agony for you!"

Elsa bit her lip as she thought momentarily. "I'm not going to tell you that they weren't," she said carefully, "But I cannot forget the troll's prophecy about my powers. The past thirteen years have certainly shown me that my powers are dangerous, and I cannot forget that, ever."

"But, Elsa–" Anna was suddenly cut short when Elsa raised her hand to stop her.

"But I learned something else over that time that would be lost if I forgot about all of the bad memories: I learned about love, Anna. First, about the love I have for others, especially you, Mama, and Papa. Then, I realized the love you all had for me." She paused to draw out a long, shaky breath. "I thought I was a monster, Anna. And there are times when I still do. During some of my darkest moments, I could not comprehend why I had the comfortable, privileged life of a princess with a warm, happy family when I should have been treated like a witch or an animal. I didn't understand why I was never thrown in the dungeons, or tortured and beaten until my powers were under control by force – or why I wasn't just simply burned at the stake.

"But then it hit me after one very dark night: despite what I was, you still loved me – you, Mama, Papa, Kai, and Gerda… A…and that…that meant more to me than anything in this world. It's what gave me strength to keep fighting, and to try and get my power under control. As long as there were people who I knew that cared about me, then I would not allow the darkness in my life to change the person they cared for."

Anna, for once, had no remark. She could not even bring herself to make a sound; she was so awed by her sister's words. She merely stared at the Queen with the utmost reverence. Eventually, Elsa's eyes shifted back and forth before she waved a pale hand in front of Anna's face. "Hey? You still in there?" she asked partly humorously, partly with concern.

"What? Oh, sorry," the Princess blushed, "I…I just… I never really thought of it that way, and…"

She was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in," Elsa called, and seconds later Gerda was entering the room.

"Oh, Princess Anna, it's good to see you awake, dear," she said as she walked over to the bed. She then turned to Elsa. "I came to see if there was anything you needed, your Majesty. Also, the Doctor did say that those bandages should be replaced every day or so, and I do believe it has been that long."

Elsa looked down hesitantly at her injured arm. "Oh, yes, thank you for reminding me, Gerda," she said quietly.

"I'll be happy to take those old wrappings now and I'll return with some fresh ones shortly. My mother always said that sometimes a wound heals fastest when it has a few moments to breathe," the maid replied gently.

She carefully helped Elsa unwrap her arm. Underneath the gauze there was a piece of bloodied cloth that she opted to leave so the wound stayed out of sight. Anna felt guilty again when she saw her sister wincing from the pain, obviously only revealing the tip of the iceberg on her face.

"There. I'll be back soon. Is there anything you would like, Princess?" Gerda asked as she turned to leave.

"Oh, no thank you, Gerda… At least, not right now," Anna answered, "I will probably want something to eat later, but right now I'm ok."

Gerda nodded before taking her leave. Anna then turned to Elsa. "So, is it really bad?" she wondered hesitantly.

Elsa looked at her arm again, and tenderly brushed her fingers over the piece of cloth. "It wasn't too serious," she told her, "They had to furiously clean it before cauterizing it because the Doctor was paranoid about rabies, but I doubt anything like that would happen. I think my body's too cold for infections to spread."

Anna winced. "Ouch, cauterization? I bet that must have hurt," she said lightly.

"Yeah," Elsa replied casually, "The Doctor's office is still coated in ice."

Anna could not help but laugh, despite feeling even worse about putting her sister into a situation that ended with such a painful procedure. "Can I see it?" she asked carefully.

Elsa looked away. "You don't want to, trust me," she responded.

"Come on, Elsa, you should have seen some of the scrapes I gave myself after crashing my bike so many times," Anna insisted, even extending one hand out to receive Elsa's arm, "Besides, I have to check something."

"Check what?" Elsa countered with an eyebrow raised.

"The shape of the bite marks. I need to make sure it wasn't a werewolf that got you," Anna answered matter-of-factly.

"Anna, werewolves don't exist."

"Says the ice-wielding sorceress."

"How would you even know the difference?"

"Um, my sister's a witch and my boyfriend's adopted family is a group of rock-trolls," Anna said with a laugh, "I think I know what I'm talking about."

Elsa looked like she had something to say, but chose not to. Instead she rolled her eyes and gently pulled the cloth away before allowing Anna to take her arm. Once the initial shock of seeing such ugly marks marring her sister's perfect skin had worn off, Anna just stared at the wound. It was not just an impression of teeth: because the wolf had grabbed on and threw her away, each tooth left a small line through her skin. Some were deeper than others, and the two that were obviously left from the fangs were the worst to see. It certainly did not help that the wounds had been cauterized, since the dark, almost black, burned flesh made Anna sick to her stomach.

To lighten the mood, she put on her mock-serious face and said, "Oh, yeah, this is bad. We're going to have to lock you in a closet during the next full moon."

Elsa laughed softly. "You will do no such thing," she told her, "Besides, it wasn't a full moon last night, which meant that there were no werewolves running around the forest when we were out there."

"Hmm, I guess that's true…" Anna then trailed off when her eyes spotted something she had never noticed before. "Hey, Elsa, what are these?" she questioned as she traced her fingers along two very similar scars on Elsa's wrist.

Elsa suddenly withdrew her hand rather quickly. "N…nothing," she snapped.

"They certainly didn't look like nothing…" Anna's eyes grew as wide as saucers with realization. "Oh my God, Elsa…"

"Anna, y…you have to understand–"

"When?" Anna demanded harshly, "And why, Elsa? A…and were you…were you c…close?"

Elsa remained silent, her eyes only focused on the telltale scars on her wrist. After a few minutes passed and she gave no indication that she would answer Anna's questions, Anna snapped, "Don't shut me out this time, Elsa. If those are what I think they are, you have to tell me."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Elsa replied, her voice cold and defensive, "Despite what you believe, I can still keep some secrets from you."

"Well, this isn't a secret anymore!" Anna exclaimed, "I know what those are! The only thing I ask now is why, Elsa!"

"Just piece together what you know about me, and you'll figure it out," Elsa told her bitterly.

"Elsa," Anna said, her tone suddenly very quiet, "Please. This isn't something I can just throw a theory together for. I need to hear it from you. I promise I won't ask you to reveal any more of your past after this."

Elsa sighed heavily. "This is pretty much the worst of it," she admitted sadly. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment in deep thought. She used the time to force herself to re-live those two nights, and after she was sure she could talk about it, she drew a deep breath and pointed to the older of the two scars. "This happened about four years ago, when I was seventeen," she explained carefully, "It…it was on the day y…you got angry with me for ignoring you…"

"You'll have to be more specific," Anna said sheepishly, "I yelled at your door a lot around that time… Part of being a moody teenager, I guess."

Elsa gave her a half-hearted smile before delivering the blow: "It was the night you said you hated me."

Anna's jaw dropped in horror. "No…" she whispered, "E…Elsa, I…I'm so sorry. I…I didn't mean it…"

"Anna, it's alright," Elsa assured her, "It…it wasn't just you. Besides, I'm still here, so clearly what you said didn't have that great an impact on me."

"But… I regretted saying those words my whole life, Elsa! Im…imagine what would have happened if you had…"

"Anna! Please don't blame yourself… If anything, you were the one who saved me."

Anna sniffled and wiped away the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. "I…I was? But I didn't…" she stammered, "I…I mean, you and I didn't speak until the next morning, and…"

Elsa sighed heavily and refused to make eye contact. "I was so close, Anna," she confessed, "My powers had grown so strong that it sometimes physically hurt to contain them. That night had been the worst one so far. And no matter how much Mama and Papa pleaded with me from the other side of my door, I could not see myself as anything but a monster that needed to be destroyed. I saw it as the only way I could possibly protect you – all of you.

"I was ready – ready to face whatever I had waiting for me on the other side. But then Mama reminded me to think of you…to really think. A…and I realized how terrible it would be for you, Anna. To hear that your sister was so much of a coward that she just gave up? To hear that you would have to inherit all of her responsibilities because she was too weak to deal with them herself? … To be left without your only friend, whom you rarely saw anyway, and to never know of the demons that haunted her so badly that they forced her to spill her own blood?"

Elsa felt tears of both sadness and anger with herself beginning to fall down her cheeks, but before her ever-present self-loathing consumed her again, Anna reached over and took her hand in hers. She said nothing – she merely offered her a warm, supportive smile.

Elsa found the strength to continue, "I couldn't do that to you, Anna. No matter how great my pain was I could never hurt you like that. So I stopped myself. Mama and Papa were fortunately able to get into my room and further calm me down." She then allowed a small smile onto her face. "In fact, some good actually came of that experience: it was after that night that they decided that it was better if I actually saw you some more. I wasn't in my room as much, and…it was the closest thing to happy that I experienced since I was eight."

Anna leaned over and wrapped her arms around her. "That's when you gave me the snowflakes, wasn't it?" she asked quietly, "I finally completely understand the meaning behind them now, by the way. And thank you, again. I still use them sometimes when I'm scared."

Elsa smiled warmly. "That's what I made them for," she answered.

"Wait…were they ice?" Anna gasped as she pulled away to look Elsa in the eye, "I always thought they were crystal! They're not even that cold!"

Her older sister shifted her gaze away. "That was actually the most control over my powers I ever had since the accident…you know, until I built that ice palace," she said shyly, "I just…really wanted to cheer you up, and to let you know that I still cared about you."

"Oh, Elsa!" Anna sighed happily, "You really are the best sister ever!" She was suddenly quiet for a moment before tentatively asking, "And…the second scar? I…I have a feeling I know when it happened, but…"

Elsa's smile fell away from her face as she looked down at the floor. "When Mama and Papa died," she stated flatly, "I…I don't want to get into the details on this one, Anna. But long story short: I was in so much pain. I…I was grieving them, and felt guilty for never even hugging them goodbye, and I was angry because I had been having dreams before they left that foretold exactly that outcome, and they refused to listen, and–"

"Wait, what?" Anna interrupted, "You were having dreams about the storm?"

Elsa nodded weakly. "For about two weeks in advance, every night I dreamt of their boat capsizing when a massive wave struck it. I…I tried to warn them, but they were convinced that it was only my nervous mind wrecking havoc on my psyche. After they left, the dreams stopped and I assumed that they had been correct, but then one night it happened again – more real than anything before. I…I'm sure that I w…watched them… d…die."

Anna could only stare at her sister in horrified sadness. It was not just their parents that Elsa had watched die, if what she said was true: she had also witnessed her own sister freeze to death…and almost freeze to death – twice. Then there was the unfathomable trauma from countless nightmares, and the blaming herself, and the wondering why she was the only one with powers… "H…how did you do it, Elsa?" she whispered, "I would have gone insane by now, and I certainly would have ended it… All the terrible things you've been through… I can't even imagine…"

Elsa turned to focus her deep eyes on her sister. "I did it because of you, Anna. I stayed strong for you," she responded, "It's as I said: I could never hurt you, in any way. I know – now, more than ever – what it is like to lose a sister. And I will fight whatever wicked twist life throws at me to make sure you never know that pain. I swore that to God in Heaven on that night, and I make the same vow to you now."