The journey was much shorter than the one to Corona, and as the docks of Arendelle sharpened on the horizon, Anna felt something she never had before – a sense of homecoming.

On the approach, she pointed out various sights to Annelise, jabbering faster with every passing second.

Beyond Arendelle, in the distance, Kristoff could see the mountains. He sighed almost imperceptibly.

As the ship finally eased into the dock, Elsa was clearly visible. Anna ran to the side of the ship and waved madly, crying out in excitement, waiting for the gangplank to be lowered. As soon as it was, she went careering down – skidding a little in a way that gave both Elsa and Kristoff a mini heart attack – and threw herself at her sister.

"Elsa!"

"Anna!"

They hugged for a very long time.

"You're ok!"

"I'm ok!"

"I was so worried about you – " Elsa was crying, though the guards, servants and the curious townsfolk pretended not to see – "You're home! You're safe!"

Olaf was hopping about, personal flurry leaving snowflakes everywhere, clearly desperately trying to contain himself so as not to break the moment between the two sisters.

Kristoff descended the gangplank, noting that Olaf was still just as uncanny as when they left. The little snowman threw himself at Kristoff's leg and hugged it. Kristoff begrudgingly smiled.

Anna squeezed her cold, frail-feeling sister as close as she could. "I'm home. I missed you, Elsa – I'm so sorry this all happened –"

"It's not your fault," Elsa pulled back, her hands still on her sister's arms but her damp eyes checking her over for bumps and bruises. "You'll have to explain exactly what happened. I'll have the staff make up some dinner – " satisfied that Anna's face seemed undamaged, she moved onto the rest of her and held up Anna's right hand. The knuckles were slightly puffy. "What happened here?"

"Oh," Anna flexed her fingers delicately. "I punched Hans again."

Elsa changed from concern to amusement, and tried very hard to supress a giggle.

"Here." She produced a handkerchief and conjured a small, strangely shaped lump of ice. She wrapped it up, pressing it gently to Anna's hand. "That will stop the swelling."

Anna gingerly applied it, and was unsurprised to find Elsa had made it an exact fit for her sore hand.

"Hey, Olaf!" She crouched down and welcomed him into a warm hug. "How are you?"

"How are you, Anna? Elsa's been going crazy, we've been so worried about you!"

"We're all ok now. I hope you've been looking after her though."

"Of course!"

Elsa turned to Kristoff, who for a few terrifying seconds felt certain he was about to be struck down with an icy wrath – "I entrusted you with my sister's safety, Kristoff, and you bring her back to me bruised, abducted, having taken an unplanned jaunt to the Southern Isles" – but instead, she examined him, too.

"Hello, Kristoff. What happened to your face? Is it all right?"

He grimaced. The bruise he'd sustained during their capture had now turned a fairly unpleasant yellow colour, which Anna had already pointed out clashed magnificently with his hair.

"Yeah. Should be gone in a few days."

"I'm glad you're ok, Kristoff." She offered him a smile, and after a moment of hesitation, a gently squeezed his arm.

Kristoff was more than pleased with this.

With a look at her sister and another brief hug, Elsa went over to Gerda and the guards. She embraced Gerda, and shook each of the guards' hands firmly, thanking them emphatically for keeping Anna safe even in the most unexpected of circumstances.

Anna felt a further rush of affection for her sister. She whispered to Kristoff. "I was worried I'd have to stop her freezing some butts. I am really glad that is not the case."

Kristoff nodded, and muttered a reply. "I thought I was going to be the first."

Anna grinned. "Nah, you and Elsa are friends now, remember? Was her book still in with our stuff?"

It was, and Kristoff made a mental note to return it as soon as he could. He didn't want to add overdue loan or lost my favourite book to his list of slights against the crown.

Elsa had finished thanking the guards, and they were all dismissed. Anna hugged all three of them at once, and they shook Kristoff's hand before sloping off to get some well-earned rest.

At this point, Anna took Annelise by the hand (she'd been staring with a kind of bewilderment at Olaf, who introduced himself with a great, toothless grin and trademark naivety) and led her towards Elsa.

"Elsa, this is Annelise – she's the reason that we're all ok. She's from the Southern Isles, but she risked herself to come tell us about everything Hans was up to – and did the most amazing thing where she spoke up as a witness for the king – I'm not really explaining this well at all, but – Elsa, meet Annelise. Annelise, meet Elsa."

Annelise automatically dipped into a very low curtsey. "Your majesty, it is an honour to meet you."

Elsa appraised the girl.

She must have been about the same age as her – a few years older than Anna – she had a kind, tired face, the worn hands of a servant, and Anna looked at her with a sparkling warmth. Elsa was curious to know exactly what Anna meant – but for now, smiled, and took the girl's hand gently.

"Thank you, Annelise. I will have Anna fill me in more fully on your role – but it is very clear that Arendelle owes you a great deal. Thank you," she glanced at Anna. "Should I have some rooms made up?"

"Oh! Yes," Anna enthused. "I kind of offered Annelise a job and a place to stay. At the castle. If she wanted it. She worked for the Queen, back in the Southern Isles, and I thought – if she wanted to – she could work here, and we could help her get settled –"

Elsa nodded. "Of course. Kai will find you somewhere to stay tonight, and I will meet you tomorrow: we can discuss what we can do for you. Does that suit you?"

Annelise nodded. "Thank you, your majesty."

Anna smiled broadly, and introduced Annelise to Kai who, ever the gentleman, inclined his head and offered his arm to the young woman from the Southern Isles.

Dinner that night was extravagant – Elsa had gone all out, and Anna shook her head. Her sister really did not do things by halves.

Kristoff had declined the invitation – he needed to go home and see his family.

"You're not going to run off to the mountains straight away, are you?"

"No," he smiled, feeling the warmth of Anna's slightly sweaty hands with an overwhelming fondness. "I'll come back and say hey first."

"Good," she hugged him. "I can't believe you're making me explain the whole thing to Elsa by myself."

"You got this."

"I know," still hugged up to him, she looked up and smiled. "You know she's throwing a party tomorrow night, right? To celebrate us getting back?"

"She's throwing you a party."

"Will you come?"

He sighed. "Maybe. We did a lot of parties in Corona."

"Well, they were – gatherings. And you had fun!"

Kristoff huffed.

He really didn't want to go to a party. What he really wanted was to take Anna and Sven and head into the wilderness for a couple of days. There was a particularly beautiful valley, a few miles north, where they could set a camp, and go fishing, and take a walk, and he could practice reading.

But that wasn't Anna. Maybe in a different life.

In this one, she was a princess, and certain things were not allowed. Like unchaperoned camping trips.

"I'll think about it. Say hi to Elsa for me tonight."

So at dinner, it was just the two sisters, Olaf, and an extraordinary amount of exceptional food.

Elsa was more than happy with this.

"So, what happened, Anna? Tell me everything."

"Well, Corona was amazing…"

A regaling of the journey to and their time in Corona was not exactly what Elsa had meant, but it was what she got.

"…one of the coolest things was they had this – it was a bath, basically – but it had pipes, and running water – Elsa, it was crazy. As heir, I strongly recommend we look into this…"

The tale of Corona itself took up the first two courses, with Anna sparing no details about the guests, their cousin, the town, the murals – and it wasn't until dessert that Anna finally got around to what Elsa had really been asking about.

"So, the ship was attacked – I was just talking with Kristoff, and then there was a noise, and he went out to see, and this pirate pirate – big shirt, earrings, the lot – whacks him out of nowhere, and he went out cold," Anna took a mouthful of ice cream. "Most of the merchant crew just surrendered, so we got rounded up – two guys had to carry Kristoff, and Henrik and Oskar and Ralf were amazing, they were just taking them down – but they got us onto this other ship anyway, and chucked us in the brig. We were there for a couple of days – Elsa, it was gross, I mean, honestly – before Hans shows up."

Elsa frowned. Olaf gave a gasp, but Elsa shushed him.

"So he rescues us from the boat, sails us back to the Southern Isles – bearing in mind I've not had a bath since Corona, and so me and my clothes are just, yeesh, and I demanded an audience with the King," she grinned rakishly, seeming very pleased with herself. "I just kept thinking, 'what would Elsa do?', and did that. I think it worked pretty well."

Anna went on to explain what Annelise had done – and Elsa couldn't help but feel that there was something very personal in it. Though it sounded like this Jon was far more – physical, than Hans had ever been, it was undeniable that there was a resonance for Anna. A controlling fiancé with a dark secret. Fear and manipulation.

Elsa was glad that Annelise had got out.

"…so that's it. If it hadn't been for Annelise – and Annelise being so brave – we wouldn't have known what was happening. But now they believe us, about everything that happened here. Even the King," she shook her head. "Hans… lied right to his face. After he trusted him. Can you imagine? I could never have done that to mama or papa."

Elsa shook her head. In retrospect, she could see that her parents had been… perhaps ill-advised in their methods, but she could never have imagined treating them with such disdain.

"It sounds as though Hans will actually face some consequences, now. I'll write to Queen Agnes to clarify."

"I hope so. Something to like – put him in his place. He's so arrogant."

"You can say that again." Elsa leant back and poured herself some coffee. Anna scraped the last dregs of melted ice cream from her glass.

"So what did I miss here?"

"Not much. It's been getting colder – nothing to do with me, although Kai did look very concerned at one point – so we've been stockpiling for the winter. Ambassador Perrault has been in touch. He seems eager to visit again soon. He seems determined to give me a birthday gift in person."

"It's your birthday soon!" Anna sat agog. "Of course it is! Oh my goodness," She leant forward, stretching across the table and grabbing her sister's chilly arm. "We have to do something!"

"That will not be necessary."

"Yes necessary!"

Elsa could see her brain whirling at about a hundred miles per hour. "Anna…"

"It's like a month, isn't it? Oh! I better get planning," she smiled extraordinarily wide. "We haven't done birthdays since we were little! This is amazing! And then it's yule, and then…" she nestled back into her chair, extremely contented. "The end of this year is going to be amazing."

Elsa sighed. "If you say so."

As Olaf whooshed about the room on his belly, they sat in silence for a moment, Anna still thinking about birthdays, no doubt. Elsa decided to stop that short.

"So how are things with Kristoff? Was the trip good for you?"

"Oh yes," success. This had distracted Anna from birthday planning. "Thank you so much, Elsa. It was – amazing. Things are great." She grinned, and looked for a moment uncharacteristically nervous. "He wants me to go meet his family."

"The trolls?"

"Yeah. I'm really excited, but – you know."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I thought they already liked you?"

"Well – yeah, but…" she launched into a convoluted account of the last time she'd met the trolls, and Elsa smiled.

She'd missed her.

PS. my-secret-garden, I found your art and it's gorgeous! Gave me so many warm fuzzy feelings. Thank you 3