Breaking Ice

Hi everyone! Here's a new one-shot. Enjoy! : )

"Come on. It will be fun." Elsa grabbed her sister's hands and pulled her out onto the frozen pond. Usually, it was Anna who tried to convince her to do activities. Now, it was her turn. Anna slowly skated onto the ice, her hands tightening around Elsa's as she fought to keep her balance.

"Fun. Right." She rolled her eyes, though a large grin on her face betrayed her real feelings. "How do you even do this? I've been ice skating twice now, and I still feel like I'm going to fall flat on my face every time I move."

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. Ice skating had always come natural to her. "I don't know. I've never really thought about what I do to ice skate. I just do it." As Anna grew steadier on her feet, Elsa began to release her grip on her sister. "I'm going to let go now."

Anna fiercely shook her head. "Don't you dare. I'm going to fall."

"No, you're not." Elsa let go and skated backwards, away from her sister. Anna stood still for a moment. A smile began to form on her face.

"Look. I'm not falling. I'm..." Her feet began to shake first, then her legs. With a yelp, her hands flew into the air, her legs jerked forward, and she landed hard on the ice. Elsa covered her mouth with her hand and fought to stifle a laugh. Only her sister could fall standing in one place, even if it was on ice.

Anna groaned. "Remind me to never do that again."

"I'll try." Elsa began to skate around the pond, feeling the cold air brush against her face as she picked up speed. Though it was only a pond, it was large enough for them both to skate without feeling crowded. She closed her eyes briefly, allowing her feet to take her where they willed.

A sick feeling abruptly punched her in the stomach, and she slowed down, her mouth open to gasp in air that suddenly seemed to be nonexistent. She curled an arm around her stomach and tried to breathe in again. Danger! Her mind screamed at her. Look at Anna. She turned her gaze toward her sister who was trying desperately to reach her by crossing the middle of the pond toward the edge. Her hands were outstretched, shaking every so often as she fought to remain standing. Her eyes were focused on her feet, her brows furrowed in concentration.

The words "thin ice" repeated in her brain. Somehow, someway, she could just feel that something wasn't right. "Anna," she managed to choke out. Her sister kept coming toward her. Apparently, she had not heard her. She raised a hand, trying, begging for her to stop. As Anna closed in on the middle of the pond, the churning in Elsa's stomach increased, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming in pain. Anna looked up then and stopped.

"Elsa? Are you alright?" Before she could answer, a cracking noise pierced Elsa's ears. One moment, Anna was there, looking at her with concern, and the next moment she was gone, a gaping hole in the ice the only evidence she had been there in the first place.

"Anna!" Elsa screamed. The ice cracking seemed to have cured her of her pain, and she hurried to the hole. Anna surfaced for a moment, gasping for air, and then went under again. Elsa kneeled by the hole, her eyes searching for any other signs of movement. More crackling noises resounded. She glanced down. Ice quickly spread out from her, moving in all directions, including toward the hole.

She curled her hands into fists. She needed to get it under control. If she didn't, the ice would cover the hole, preventing Anna from coming back up. She would die, and it would all be her fault.

Except, she couldn't afford to sit and wait for her heart to calm down and her ice to dissipate. If she did, Anna could still die. And it would still be all her fault. Uncurling her hands, she waited, hoping and praying Anna would surface again.

With a splash and a gurgle, Anna resurfaced, her hands flailing in the air as they looked to grab something, anything to prevent her from submerging a third time. Elsa quickly grabbed onto one of Anna's hands. The ice kept moving out from her and began to run up Anna's arm. Her hands started to slip on the smooth ice around Anna's hand as she struggled to pull her out of the water. With a thought, she removed the magical ice skates from her feet. She needed as much friction as possible. She pulled harder. Every muscle strained. The ice began to move toward Anna's neck.

And then, she saw it. Her ice hitting her sister in the head, a streak of hair turning white. If she let go now, her sister could die. If she continued to hold on, her sister could die. Either way, her sister was going to die.

"You can do it, Elsie," her sister mumbled, her eyes closed and her shoulders drooping in exhaustion. The ice slowly crept up her neck. "You can do it." Her head lolled to the side. With one last heave, Elsa pulled her sister up onto the ice and jerked her hands back as soon as Anna was out of the water. The ice stopped spreading but still remained, encasing Anna's hand, arm, and part of her neck in a death grip.

Elsa closed her eyes. "Love will thaw. Love will thaw." But the fear still pulsed in her veins, and she could feel her mind begin to think about concealing and not feeling and the ice remained. She looked so cold, her clothes soaking wet. Anna needed to get back to the castle, but how could she carry her there if she couldn't even touch her?

"Hey, I decided to join you guys after all, and woah." Elsa looked up. Kristoff appeared from the trees surrounding the pond, Sven following closely behind. He blinked a couple of times as he took in the sight, and then rushed over to Anna, his feet sliding as he trekked across the ice. "What happened?"

Elsa lowered her gaze. She just couldn't stop staring at that dreadful ice. "Please, just get her back to the castle and near a fire. I will explain later."

Thankfully, Kristoff didn't say a word. He quietly picked up Anna and mounted Sven. "Are you coming?" Elsa shook her head. He patted Sven on the side, and the three were off.

She didn't know how long she stayed, kneeling on the ice, staring blankly at the hole where water still sloshed around slightly. Anna had almost died again because of her. All of her hard work, all of her struggles to control her powers had been for naught. She was still dangerous, still a threat. A hand on her shoulder finally made her look up, and she realized the sun was setting, and Kristoff had returned. "It's time to go home." She nodded, too numb to be able to say anything at all. The ride was silent, and before she knew it, they were back at the castle.

He led her by the hand. She followed without question. Let him lead her where he willed. She didn't care, not now. He stopped her in front of a closed door. Somehow, from the fog that seemed to cover her mind, she knew it was Anna's room. She started to fight back. Please, anywhere but here. He kept a firm grip on her hand. "She's going to be alright, but you need to talk to her."

A whimpered noise escaped from the back of her throat, and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. "I almost killed her again. I can't go in there."

"You must." His voice was stern, and her brain was too fogged to come up with a retort.

"Please," was all she could manage, but Kristoff didn't listen. Keeping one hand on her shoulder, he used the other to turn the doorknob and open the door. Anna lay in her bed. A roaring fire blazed in the fireplace, and multiple blankets rested on top of her. Her eyes opened, and she gave a weak smile.

"Thank you for saving me."

Elsa stiffened. She hadn't saved her. She had almost killed her. Kristoff gently pushed her into the room and stood behind her, his bulky frame blocking the doorway. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She clasped her hands together and began moving slowly toward her sister.

Anna's smile fell. "Elsa, it's not your fault. I know your ice reacts to your emotions. I know you were afraid. But, I'm okay. I'm alive, thanks to you."

Elsa shook her head. Her tongue felt weighted down. She could form no words. She started to turn away.

"Please, Elsa, don't shut the door on me again. I love you. Please, don't do that to me again." Her sister's voice broke toward the end.

Suddenly, the fog from her mind lifted, and Elsa blinked multiple times, as if she were awakening from a deep slumber. Her sister was alive. Running away from what could have been was the whole reason they had never been allowed to be friends until now. And it had broken her sister, hurt her in ways she never could have imagined. She had come so close to doing it again.

She ran to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry Anna. I'm so sorry." Anna softly began to run her fingers through Elsa' hair.

"It's okay. You're okay." Elsa wept, tears running down her face until she felt she could cry no more. Finally, she sniffled and looked up at her sister. Anna smiled at her. "You know I love you, right?"

"I do."

"And you love me, right?"

"I do."

"Then don't shut the door." Elsa nodded. No more words were needed. She rested her head against her sister's shoulder. Love will thaw. And for the first time since Anna fell, the fear in her veins stopped pulsing.