Chapter 20

"My dear, are you quite sure it was Kristoff?"

Anna had just finished telling Pabbie what she had heard when she was unconscious in the snow. She had thought that he was going to dismiss it as just a dream, or a hallucination, but he seemed to believe her. Being learned in magical arts, Anna supposed he had seen and heard stranger things than hearing a dead man's voice.

"I'm sure." she said firmly. "I heard him telling me to get up. If I hadn't listened, those wolves would have killed me. That can't be a coincidence, right?"

Pabbie scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps."

Anna sighed. "Pabbie, please. I need to know. Is there a way for me to speak to him again?"

The elderly troll gently took Anna's hand. His rough, stony fingers clasped her hand tightly. "I do not wish to lie to you, Princess." he said gently. "There is a way. But in your case, it may do more harm than good. What you are asking can be very dangerous, especially for someone under so much emotional strain."

"Dangerous? How?"

Pabbie hesitated. "While under the influence of the spell, one might be tempted to... stay."

"Stay? What do you mean, stay?"

"To remain with their loved ones on the other side. In your current emotional state, you may very well be tempted to do this."

"You think I'm weak. Please try to understand, I need to do this. I understand that what I'm asking can be dangerous, and I'm willing to take that risk."

"No, Princess, not at all. I am only saying that I do not want to see you come to harm, least of all by my hand. It may do more harm than good because, although there is indeed a way for you to commune with Kristoff, I'm afraid it can only be attempted once. Please, I urge you to consider what you are asking and not to make any hasty decisions. Sleep on it, and speak with your sister about this, I beg you."

Anna didn't like it, but he was right. "Alright, Pabbie. I'll talk to Elsa about it."

"Thank you, my dear. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?" he asked, his warm smile returning.

"Not that I can think of."

"Do you have any questions or concerns about your baby?"

Anna thought for a moment. "Not really. It wasn't hurt when I was out in the snow, was it?"

Pabbie shook his head. "It was one of the first things I checked when Elsa brought you back. Your baby is still perfectly healthy."

Anna pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Pabbie."

"No thanks necessary, Anna. But please, do try to be more careful in the future."

"I will." she said, releasing the troll. Stretching, she gave a huge yawn. "I think I'll go to bed now. Goodnight, Pabbie."

"Goodnight, Anna. Sleep well."

With a final wave goodbye, Anna left the small hut and made her way to her own. Sweeping aside the curtain, she was surprised to see Elsa sitting upright in her bed. Anna had made certain that Elsa was asleep before she had left. The blonde's eyes lit up when Anna entered.

"There you are!" she sounded relieved. "I was wondering where you'd gone."

"Sorry." Anna said, slipping into her own bed.

"Where did you go?"

"I, uh..." she coughed. "I went to see Pabbie."

Elsa cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

Anna sighed. Now is as good a time as ever, she thought. "Well, um... I wanted to know if there was a way for me to... talk to Kristoff."

"I'm sorry, what?" Elsa was sure she'd misheard. "What brought this on?"

Wringing her hands nervously, Anna could barely meet her sister's gaze. "I heard his voice when I was unconscious in the snow. He told me to get up. If he hadn't, those wolves would have eaten me. I don't think that's a coincidence, it can't be, right? So I went to Pabbie to ask if there was a way for me to talk to him."

"And?"

"...There is. But according to Pabbie, it's dangerous. And he said I should talk to you before making any decisions."

Elsa thought for a moment. If it was possible for Anna to speak with Kristoff, Elsa knew that she needed to do it. She needed closure, or the pain of those memories was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. Nobody knew that feeling better than Elsa did.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Well, I... I want to do it. I need to do it. For him, to tell him how sorry I am for... Doing what I did. Even if there is a risk, I owe him at least that much."

Elsa said nothing.

"What do you think I should do?"

"I don't think I can help you make this decision, Anna. This is for you to decide, and you alone. All I can tell you is to do whatever you think is right."

"I guess." Yawning, Anna settled herself under the covers. "Wow, these beds are itchy. Night, Elsa."

"Goodnight."

"Love you."

Elsa cursed herself as she felt a tingle run down her spine. Gods, did she love hearing that.

"Love you too."

Hans was awoken by one of the servants knocking on his bedroom door. Looking out the window, he saw that it was a few hours after dawn.

"Prince Hans? Prince Hans!"

Rubbing his eyes, Hans sat up and cleared his throat. "What is it?" he said groggily.

"Your father has requested that you join him and your brother for breakfast."

In the middle of a yawn, Hans' mouth snapped shut. His father was actively seeking his company? What did he want? Hans was immediately suspicious.

"Why does he want me there?"

"I'm sorry, he did not tell me, Your Highness."

Hans sighed. "Very well. Tell him I'll be there shortly."

"Yes, Your Highness."

As he heard the servant's footsteps heading away, Hans got up and began to get dressed. His slightly anxious frame of mind, however, distracted him, causing him to almost leave his bedroom wearing two different shoes. King Walder almost always took his meals in his study, and had certainly never actively sought to spend time with any of his sons. Hans knew something was wrong.

As he entered the dining hall, he saw that his father and Claus sitting in silence at the large table, which was laden with dishes of ham croissants, toast, various fruits and many other foods. Hans noticed that his father was smiling, and immediately his suspicions grew. He never smiled.

"Ah, Hans!" the King exclaimed. "There you are. Come, sit and eat!"

Hans took a seat next to his brother, and across from the King. "Good morning, Father." he said. "Claus."

Claus replied with a grunt. Hans could tell that his brother was just as uneasy as he was. He began spreading jam on a slice of toast.

"Father," Claus said. "Might I inquire as to why you asked us here?"

The King's smile widened, and he clapped his hands together. "Ah, yes. I'd almost forgotten. Hans, Claus, I have excellent news regarding my plans for Arendelle."

This was enough to get Hans' attention. He looked up, keeping his expression blank, but feeling a sense of cautious optimism.

"Oh?" he asked. "And what might they be?"

"I have decided to appoint Admiral Bjornstad to lead my forces, once the supporters of the south are assembled."

Hans clenched his fist under the table. So, the old bastard was trying to rile him up, was he? Well, two could play at that game.

"Bjornstad? Isn't he the man with that horrible scar across his face?" Hans asked, with an air of casual curiosity. He took a bite of his toast, pretending to be hardly interested.

This was clearly not the reaction that King Walder had been expecting. "Yes, that's him." he said, his smile fading.

Claus caught on quickly. "Oh, I was thinking of the wrong person." he said with a chuckle, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "But Bjornstad has an excellent service record, does he not?"

"Yes, he led our forces at the siege of-"

"Enough!" King Walder yelled, standing up and sending his plate flying. "Get out, get out both of you!"

Hans and Claus pretended to be shocked by their father's sudden outburst. "Father, what ever is the matter?" Claus asked.

"I said get out!"

The two brothers stood, bowed and left the room as several servants hurried out of the kitchens to clean the food that had been flung all over the table. Claus waited until the hallway they were in was out of earshot before he burst out laughing.

"Did you see his face?" he asked. "Oh, I thought he was going throw something at us!"

"Stop laughing. Don't understand how serious this is?"

Claus frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He's chosen someone to lead the attack! We don't have long to set our plan in motion." Hans spoke in a hushed voice, in case their were any servants nearby.

"Gods, you're right." Claus whispered. "Although it should still take him some time to contact all of his followers."

"I'd give it a week. Two, at most. We have until then to kill the old fool." Hans said bitterly. "Speaking of which, what progress have you made with procuring the poison?"

Claus grinned. "I've contacted an old friend of mine who should be able to supply what we need. All we need to do it go and retrieve it."

"Good." Hans said. "Where do we need to go?"

"A small town, a day or two's ride nor-" Claus' eyes widened as he looked over Hans' shoulder. Following his gaze, Hans spotted a small boy crouched behind a suit of armor.

"Grab him!" Hans cried. The two of them pounced on the boy, who struggled desperately to try and get away. Unable to worm his way out of their grasp, the boy stared fearfully up at them. He couldn't have been more than ten years old.

"He was listening. He heard us!" Hans said.

"What did you hear?" Claus demanded. "Speak, boy!"

"I didn't hear nothing, m'lords!" the boy said in a quivering voice. "Nothing, I swear it!"

"Are you sure? When speaking to a Prince, it is a great crime not to tell the truth."

"I am telling the truth, m'lords! I didn't hear nothing at all!"

Hans stood and grabbed the boy by his collar. "He's lying."

Claus frowned. "We can't take a chance." He crossed the hallway and opened a window. He looked outside, seeing that it was a good forty feet to the ground. "Bring him here."

The boy continued to struggle. "Please, m'lords, I didn't hear nothing, I swear it!" Hans dragged him to the window and handed him to Claus.

"What's your name, boy?" he asked, taking hold of the child's arm.

"A-Anders, m'lord."

"And do your parents work in the castle?"

"Yes, m'lord. My mother works in the kitchens, and my father in the stables."

Claus smiled. "Good." he said. "We'll be sure to let them know what has happened to you."

The boys eyes widened as Claus threw him from the window. He barely even had time to scream.

"I apologize for asking yet again, Princess," Pabbie said, "but are you absolutely certain that you want to do this?" He was grinding several odd looking herbs with a mortar and pestle, and every so often, mumbled in a strange language, causing the mixture to glow momentarily.

"I'm sure, Pabbie."

Pabbie had prepared everything when Anna had told him of her decision. She needed to speak with Kristoff, no matter what. She needed to make things right. In front of her, Pabbie had prepared a brazier filled with glowing coals, but very few flames. Elsa sat next to her, clasping her hand.

"Pabbie, are you sure she'll be alright?" she asked anxiously.

"No, Your Majesty, I am not. But I'm afraid Princess Anna is very hard to dissuade."

Elsa knew this much to be true. "Anna, promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise, Elsa." She kissed her sister on the cheek. Even though she was extremely worried, Elsa still got shivers. "I'll be fine." She turned to Pabbie, who had set down his pestle and was examining the fine powder in the mortar. She took a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

Pabbie nodded, and turned to Elsa. "I'm afraid you need to leave, Your Majesty. Only Princess Anna may be present."

Albeit grudgingly, Elsa stood and made to leave. Before she exited the hut, however, she turned back to Anna and managed a weak smile. "I love you, Anna."

"I love you too, Elsa."

Then she was gone.

Pabbie held the mortar over the brazier, turning his still concerned gaze on Anna. "Are you ready, Princess?"

Anna took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It's now or never, she thought.

"I'm ready."

Pabbie poured the powder onto the coals, where it immediately started spewing out thick violet smoke.

"Breath the smoke, Princess."

Anna took a deep breath through her nose, the acrid smoke burning her nostrils. After a moment, she felt her head begin to spin.

"Pabbie, what's happening?"

"It's alright, Anna. Just close your eyes."

Anna did as she was bid. The dizziness only became worse, and she suddenly felt as if she was falling. The feeling seemed to last for hours, before finally, it stopped. She opened her eyes.

Nothing.

All around her was pure white. There was nothing that she could distinguish. No walls, no floors, no sky. No people. No people, that is, until she heard an all-too familiar voice from behind her.

"Hey there, Feisty-pants."

a/n: So with this update, I hit fifty thousand words. That is simply incredible. Thank you all for joining me on this incredible journey so far, and I hope you'll stay with me until the end. I know you guys hate waiting, but the next chapter may or may not be late, as I have an English SAC to study for for most of next week. I cannot express how sorry I am. Anyway, please please please leave a review, and if you aren't already, why not follow me?

Have a good one,

Cheesepuffs.