The heavy curtains were tied back to let the winter sunlight stream in through the tall windows. Anna laid back on the sofa, enjoying a relaxing, informal breakfast, one of the firsts of the new year. She'd been allowed to go home to Arendelle for the holidays; Christmas would have been fun with Rapunzel and Eugene, but in the end nothing beat time with her immediate family.

Elsa was eating her breakfast at the table like adults were supposed to. Stacks and stacks of paper were laid out in front of her: figures from the most recent shipping imports. Anna alternated between gobbling down breakfast and knitting a particularly long scarf — a hobby she'd picked up on the long voyages between kingdoms. As she got crumbs in the yarn, Anna could feel Elsa's silent exasperation and disapproval radiating across the room.

Kristoff sat next to Anna, her feet plopped over his lap as he practiced his reading by going through the daily announcements from the neighboring kingdoms.

"Flodheim regrets to anoe… announce a massive heist of their stores of dried sugar beets," he read. "Expect higher prices until summer."

"That's a shame," Elsa remarked as she flipped through a page of her own reports. "Gerda loves those beets. We'll have to see if there are any other kingdoms with stock."

"Also the 80th birthday of the Queen Mother is approaching. Flodheim hopes its sister kingdoms are blessed with similar felih… felici…"

"Felicitations," Elsa aided.

"…felicitations."

"That's a polite heads up that they want everyone to give her stuff," Anna said with a grin.

"Anna! You're an official member of the consulate now," Elsa said. "What would the Flodheim ambassador say if he heard you say something so coarse?" But Anna could see the quirk of her sister's lips all the same.

"He wouldn't say anything," Anna said, "because he'd never hear me say it. Just like I never hear the things he says about us behind closed doors."

"Weideland," Kristoff said, once the two sisters had paused long enough, "is planning release of new stamp."

"Hmm, very important news that is," Anna said, grabbing a slug of orange juice. "Totally worth the messenger bird."

"The new design," he continued with a slight roll of his eyes, "will celebrate the upcoming wedding ceremonies of Princess Josephine, the Crown Princess of Weideland and…" Kristoff's face twisted in displeasure and disbelief. "Prince Hans of Southern Isles?!"

Anna spit out her orange juice, drenching her scarf.

"What?!" Elsa snapped as frost shot across the small table.

"I don't know!" Kristoff said. "Maybe I'm reading this wrong? Here, you look."

Anna threw her scarf to the floor and scrambled for the missive. Her eyes darted down and down the hand-penned lines until they found the one in question.

There it was: Princess Josephine of Weideland to be married to Prince Hans.

"I…" Anna said. "I don't…"

She didn't understand.

True be told, Anna didn't think too much about her "adventure" from the last summer. It was easier not to, and most of the memories were cold and unpleasant ones. Oh, her actual accomplishments had been great, and she still humble bragged about saving half a dozen kingdoms from wintery death whenever she could, but as for everything else…

Well, it wasn't like any of it had led anywhere. And it wasn't going to lead anywhere. And even just remembering it'd happened wasn't fair to Kristoff.

Anna knew who Hans was. He was an act. He'd always been an act. A charming facade. Anna knew that… but she never thought that he would get married to someone else so soon—

She blinked as the missive was ripped out of her hands.

Elsa was holding it now, pacing the length of the small sitting room as she scanned the document.

"Impossible!" she muttered. "I can't believe— That stupid woman!" She whirled to face Kristoff and Anna. "We warned them! We warned all the royal families! And his brothers! What were they thinking?! They promised us they wouldn't let him free like this!"

Kristoff coughed awkwardly. "Well, Anna said most of his house arrest stuff got dropped this past summer. In exchange for helping out with that blizzard thing," he said. "Isn't that right?"

Elsa groaned. "Don't remind me about that. I still can't believe you didn't put up more of a fight when they started re-discussing the charges."

Anna blinked before realizing that Elsa was specifically talking to her.

"I wouldn't have been able to get the stone without him," Anna said sheepishly. "It felt wrong not giving him credit."

"You know what feels wrong? Letting a sociopathic murderer get unfettered access to the continent's royalty," Elsa said. "Parole is only for people who deserve it. For people who've changed." She lifted an eyebrow. "Or do you honestly think he turned over a completely new leaf?"

"I…" Anna's head swirled as she glanced between Kristoff and Elsa; the missive clutched in her sister's hands had iced over. She sighed. "I don't know what I thought."

"Ooh, and take these! You have to take these."

"Olaf, I can't take everything."

Anna sat on her bed as the snowman waddled around her room, packing her suitcases for her. Christmas had rushed by; January and February had passed in the blink of an eye. The seas were clearing up again which meant it was time to resume her ambassadorial duties.

"Oh, I know…" Olaf said. "Ooh! But what about this? You can't just leave this!"

Olaf passed her a roughly-carved reindeer figurine. Anna smiled; it'd been Kristoff's gift to her as a welcome home present.

"You're right," Anna said. "I can't leave this."

Olaf beamed at his thoughtfulness and packed it in along with the dozens of other little trinkets Anna hadn't been able to say 'no' to. The snowman was in the middle of championing a nesting doll set of her, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven when one of the palace servants burst in.

"The queen needs you at once!" he said.

Olaf and Anna looked at each other.

"Any particular reason?" Anna asked.

"Not that she has shared with me, your highness."

With no further explanations coming, Anna hopped off her bed and let the servant lead her to her sister. Olaf followed close behind. They arrived at door of Elsa's study at same time as Kristoff and another servant. The three of them shrugged at each other in confusion before entering.

If there'd been a fire in the fireplace, there wasn't anymore. Elsa was pacing back and forth in front of the mantle, wringing her hands together fretfully. She looked up as they approached, her face locked into a neutral sort of grimace.

"What's… up?" Anna ventured.

"I just received a messenger bird from Weideland."

Weideland. Hans and the princess.

"Ooh, Weideland," Olaf said as Anna's stomach was seized by a weird sort of clammy, flippity feeling. "Where's that?"

"Please tell me they listened to your warning and canceled the wedding and we're not gathered here to hear terrible news," Kristoff said.

"They didn't," Elsa said. "And worse, the ship Princess Josephine and Hans took for their honeymoon…" She closed her eyes. "Apparently there was a storm. The wreckage was found a couple days ago. Bodies too. No survivors."

Anna's heart thudded loudly in her ears. The world seemed too soft and too loud at the same time.

Hans couldn't be dead. He was too crafty to be dead.

He'd survived a blizzard with her. Wolves. Ancient spells. And now she was just supposed to accept that he was gone? Like that? Because some stupid little scrap of paper stuck onto the leg of some stupid little bird said so?

"Anna?"

Someone was gripping her hands. They were saying words, speaking to her. Anna blinked and saw the concerned face of Kristoff staring back at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, pushing him gently away. "It's just… a shock. That's all." She forced her breathing under control, composed herself. "Are… are they sure he was on the ship?"

Elsa's face darkened; her sister didn't need to ask who 'he' was.

"Believe me, I'm just as skeptical as you," she said, resuming her pacing. "If anyone could set up something like this, make it seem like an accident, it's him. And if it was a genuine storm…" Elsa sighed. "I think it'd be best for you to put off your return to Corona until more news arriv—"

"No!" Anna yelled.

Elsa halted in mid-step. "Anna," she said. "I'm only trying to keep you safe. Regardless of whether it was a storm or some sort of trick…"

"A trick," Anna repeatedly flatly. "People are dead and and your first thought is how to keep me here because, oh no! A trick! Whatever shall poor Anna do?"

"Anna, you know it's not like that."

"Then what?" Anna said. "What is it like?"

Elsa drew herself up and clasped her hands together primly. "I trust you, Anna. I trust you more than I trust anyone else in this world," she said. "But when it comes to him…" Elsa bit her lip. "Let's just say you've never quite had the best… judgement."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Elsa rubbed her temples. "I really don't want to have to go over this again."

"This is getting rather emotional," Olaf whispered to Kristoff. "Don't you think it's getting emotional?"

Kristoff cleared her throat. "Maybe we should all take some time to process this news?" he ventured. "You know, step out for a bit? Cool our heads?"

"No," Anna snapped. "Elsa has something she wants to say."

"For the love of— Anna, you agreed to marry the guy after only knowing him for three whole hours!"

"Oh! Oh! So we're dragging this through the mud again!" Anna inhaled sharply. "I can't believe you. That was one time. One time! And it happened forever ago!"

"It was last year!"

"Two years! Also, people are allowed to make mistakes, you know," Anna said. "They're allowed to grow and learn and change and—"

"Yes," Elsa said, a sliver of irritation dripping into her voice. "They are. But just because they're allowed to change doesn't mean they always do. Anna, the second time you met him, you ran off with him again."

"That's not—! I was trying to save the world!" Anna protested. "I did save the world!"

"But it was him, Anna. Anything could have happened."

"We had an escort."

"You ended up losing that escort."

"And it wasn't like I had a choice," Anna continued. "What was I supposed to do? Sit around Corona as the snow piled up and wait for you?"

"Well, it would've been smarter than what you ended up choosing."

Anna inhaled sharply, her nostrils flaring.

"Ugh," she groaned. "I can't— I can't believe you!"

Anna spun around and stormed off.

"Wait, Anna!" Olaf called out. "Elsa didn't…"

Anna slammed door behind her and fumed down the corridor. Moments later she heard Kristoff shout her name. He jogged to catch up beside her.

"She's just worried about you," he said. "It's what families do."

"I know…" Anna said. She scuffed her foot against the tiled floor. "But she can't just… She's been worried about me her whole life. She keeps it bottled inside her, like it's something only she can understand. And when things start to shatter, she thinks she's the only one it affects." Anna sighed, looking at the walls that surrounded her. "We were both trapped here for over a decade. Trapped from the world. Trapped from ourselves. All because it's what our parents thought would keep us safe. It's what she thought would keep us safe… I don't want that."

"And I don't want that either," Kristoff said. "But, if that message is true and Hans really is dead, then that's really big news. And regardless of what's "safe" or not, it's only natural that the two of you need time to process it."

Anna looked away. She wanted to stay mad. She wanted to hold onto the seed of anger that'd planted itself… but she couldn't. Her lips broke into a smile.

"You're right," she said. "As always."

The two shared a small peck on the lips and Anna excused herself to resume packing. Only once she'd shut herself in her room did she allow herself to shudder and then scream into her pillow.

A couple days before Anna's ship was due to leave for Corona, Elsa knocked on her door. She stood for awhile in the center of Anna's bedroom without speaking, her fingers twisting back and forth. Anna sat down on her bed, waiting.

"Look," Elsa finally said. "I know we both said some things earlier this week. And I'm sorry. I know this position really important to you. I want you to succeed. I want you to be able to do things you want to do." She gave a small sympathetic smile. "It's just hard to stand back and not do anything when I'm worried, that's all."

"Yeah, I know," Anna said. She stared at her hands clasped in her lap.

She understood Elsa's feelings perfectly.

And that was part of the problem. Anna understood Elsa's feelings because they were her own: Why couldn't Elsa see that she worried about things too? That she had trouble standing back and not doing things for the exact same reason?

"There haven't been anymore reports of storms or anything out of the ordinary for this time of year," Elsa continued. "So I'd be more than happy to see you off to Corona, but…" Elsa took a deep breath. "Would you consider taking… me? Along?"

Anna stared at her sister.

"But you're the queen," she said.

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"We can't be on the same boat!" Anna said. "If something happens—"

"'If something happens' is exactly why I want to go," Elsa said. She sat down next to Anna and then gazed forward, not looking at her. "Just let me come with you to Corona and then I'll head straight back home. It just, if something happened… if there was a storm and something happened to you, I simply couldn't…" She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Look, I know it's risky having the two of us on one ship, but if something happens, it can't. I can get rid of storms. If there are waves, I can freeze them."

"You can't deal with everything that could happen though," Anna said. "You're not invincible, Elsa."

"Well, yes. But that's not—"

"One day you're going to run into something you can't solve with your powers. You won't be able to protect me."

"Anna…"

"I know. But until then," Anna said, "I'd be happy to have you aboard, sister."

It was the morning of the fifth day of their journey. The fair skies got a cheer from all the sailors on board, even if a bit of chill and fog lingered throughout.

Elsa was standing with captain by the helm. Her advisors had not been happy with the decision to place both the queen and the only, immediate heir to the throne on the same ship, but — as usual — Elsa won out. 'I have magical powers than can protect me' tended to win a lot of arguments.

Anna was currently fidgeting near the bow.

She loved Corona and Arendelle but hated the journey between them. Besides knitting, there was only so much she could do without tripping into things and earning a number of grumbles from the sailors. She'd tried to read in her cabin but quickly got seasick. Gazing into the horizon helped, so Anna started by gazed starboard.

When that got boring, she switched to port.

She switched back.

Anna's stomach began to settle, and she breathed a sigh of a relief. She was about to head back downstairs when she caught a tiny, dark shadow out of the corner of her eye in the fog. It was just a blip, but it was enough. She squinted at it for awhile, and then back-stepped until she bumped into the nearest sailor.

"Do you have a spyglass?" she asked.

"No," he said gruffly. "Why?"

"Oh, it's probably nothing," Anna immediately said. "But I think there might be something out there."

She pointed into the fog. The sailor's eyes narrowed and then widened.

"It's open ocean, so it shouldn't be anything," he said. "Just a piece of flotsam, all betting. But still, better safe than sorry." He turned to another passing sailor. "Oi, Black Jim. Need to nab your glass for a second. Thanks."

The sailor put the borrowed spyglass to his eye. "Well, blessed Mary, mother of—" he whispered before sucking in a deep breath. "MAN OVERBOARD!" he hollered. "BROAD OFF THE STARBOARD BOW!"

He tossed Black Jim's spyglass to Anna as he hurried across the deck. She caught it fumbling, and then held it up to scan the water as she felt the ship start to turn beneath her feet. It took awhile, but Anna finally re-spotted the… well, spot and twisted the spyglass to get better focus. It was still so far away, the fog obscuring so many details, but it did seem to be human-shaped, a body draped across a flat piece of driftwood.

Colors were slowly emerging too. Most of the figure was was a dingy grey, but there… up where the head would be was a shock of orange hair.

No.

It couldn't be.

"What's going on?"

Anna snapped the spyglass down, her hands shaking. Elsa was standing beside her. Her sister's fingers curled over the railing as she stared at the emerging figure.

"I— I think it might be Hans," Anna said.