A/N: So, apparently the links to my social media don't work? Ugh...well, I'm working on them right now, so if they're not fixed by the time you finish reading this, try again a bit later. Until then, enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 39: The Early Winter

The darkened clouds hovered over Kairi as she led Naminé and Xion through a massive forest. Their feets crunched the red and gold autumn leaves that were buried under sheets of snow or sprinkled ever so slightly with a sparkling frost. Despite how beautiful it looked with the warm colors of the leaves contrasting against the white of the snow, the bitter cold temperature that nipped at each girl's skin was not. Naminé and Xion were used to these temperatures during the winter, so despite the chill, it was manageable. Kairi, on the other hand, being an islander, didn't fare any better than when Sora had visited this world. In fact, she fared worse, not having the same natural body heat that he would radiate whenever she was feeling chilly during their wintertime temperatures of only sixty degrees.

If the cold wasn't enough to stop Kairi and the girls in their tracks, then the lack of any sort of path had them scratching their heads. Normally, the trio has been generally lucky with their ship transporting them either to a decently populated area or town, or in an open area that gave them some sense of direction to civilization. This time around, they were completely on their own to try and decide where to go. The fact that the it was getting close to the later hours, indicated by the lavender hue in the sky, didn't help either. Neither of them had flashlights, something Kairi always regretted not bringing, so all they could rely on is lighting a branch with a Fire spell until it burns out, should it get to that point.

"Huh, where did the ship place us?" Naminé asked as she looked around the area.

"In the middle of a forest?" Xion asked while shrugging her shoulders.

Kairi sighed. "That's a problem. There doesn't seem to be any road or path that could lead us anywhere." She took out her phone to check her seashell tracker. "And the seashell appears to be not far from us...and it's...moving…?"

"Did your seashell sprout legs suddenly and walk away?" Xion asked as she put her hands on her hips.

Naminé shook her head. "Doubt it. Can't think of anything that is capable of doing that."

"Well, it's getting late anyway." Kairi said as she looked up at the darkening sky. The wind suddenly blasted past her, causing her to shiver and wrap her arms around herself. "And it's chilly too…I could use a coat or a blanket or something. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm freezing! Let's make a campfire or something!" She started bouncing up and down, hoping it would warm her up.

Xion kicked the leaves around momentarily. "Maybe we should just focus on getting to the nearest village. We've got plenty of munny to stay at an inn or something and then we can search for the seashell tomorrow."

"Yeah, good idea." Kairi nodded. "Let's get going before it gets dark."

Despite how miserable she was from the cold, Kairi figured it was smarter to just try and find a warm, indoor place to stay as opposed to risking catching pneumonia from sleeping out in the cold by a campfire overnight. At least jogging through the woods helped circulate everyone's blood more, helping to warm up their bodies a lot better. Even though Kairi wanted to try and find her seashell while it was close by, she knew they'd be screwed if they stayed out until it was completely dark trying to searching for it, only for them not to find it. The trio agreed to find someplace to stay and then they could search for the shell in the morning.

Upon traveling further into the woods, a new sound echoed with the calm wind. The girls stopped in their tracks and listened closely. It was definitely a voice, a voice that belonged to a young man, but had the tone of an innocent child. Xion, having experience with navigating the woods thanks to living in Twilight Town, suggested to Kairi and Naminé that they follow the voice, hoping this could mean they're either close to a town or a campsite. As they followed the voice, it got louder and more clear. They could even hear the pitter and patter of soft footsteps, almost like toddler footsteps.

It took them a moment to realize that the voice belonged to what could only be a live snowman. Kairi softly gasped as she looked ahead and saw the snowman skipping back and forth between two piles of autumn leaves, his round feet leaving prints in the snow that rested on top of the leaves. Xion and Naminé looked at each other with their eyes wide. How was this snowman talking and walking? He didn't look like a Heartless. In fact, his innocent expression was anything but. In a moment of irony, his presence was rather...warm. He gave off the immediate best friend vibe, but that didn't stop the girls from questioning the logic or magic behind this.

"Oh wow! There's a big one too!" The snowman exclaimed as he picked up a large leaf and threw it into a pile. He noticed another leaf in that same pile and picked it up. "Aww, you're just a little guy!" He cooed. "Here, you can go here!" He said as he tossed it into a second pile. "Wow, I know Anna and Elsa are just gonna LOVE these!" He suddenly turned around and noticed the girls. "Hi there!"

Kairi screamed and accidentally kicked the snowman's head into Xion's arms. "Oh my gosh!"

"Hey there!" He greeted Xion.

"Okay, this is creeping me out." Xion said as she tossed the head to Naminé.

The snowman gasped as he saw Naminé's face. "You look just like Elsa!"

"Uh...okay, here, we'd better put your head back on your body." Naminé said as she placed the head right back on. "There! Better?"

"Oh, much! I was starting to feel light-headed for a second there." He said with a chuckle. "Sooo, why are you three all staring at me? Do I have something on my face?"

"Well...other than the carrot-" Kairi started to say.

"Aaaah! I have a carrot on my face! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" He began scurrying about.

Kairi sighed as she caught the snowman in place. "No! I'm talking about your nose!" She softly tapped it.

"Oh! Thank goodness!" He sighed of relief. "Now, new friends, let me start over. Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

"Olaf! Nice to meet you! I'm Kairi!"

Olaf gasped as he touched the tips of Kairi's hair. "Oh my gosh! You have red hair! I love red hair. It reminds me of summer and I just love summer!"

Naminé giggled as she began poking Olaf close to his armpit, causing him to laugh. "You're so cute! My name is Naminé."

"And then I'm Xion. And...I like ice cream!"

"You like ice cream?" Olaf twiddled his twiggy fingers. "I love ice cream too, especially when it's all soft and warm and melty!"

"And me and Kairi, we love ice cream too." Naminé rubbed her hands together.

"We like the same thing? We should be friends!" Olaf giggled.

"You know, I've always wanted to meet a snowman." Xion said with a smile as she pulled off one of Olaf's coal buttons.

"Ahhhh! Not the buttons! Not my belly buttons!" Olaf cried out before Xion immediately put it back on his belly. "Oh! Much better!" He sighed. "Now that we all know each other-wait, hold on a second. Why do you three all have the exact same face? Are you triplets?"

"Uh, not exactly, but...it's a long story." Kairi answered while brushing hair behind her ear.

"Oh good! I love stories!"

Xion rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Yeah, but this one is really long, and we don't have time to tell it right now."

Olaf's smile faded as Xion and Naminé started walking past him. "But...but...why? You're not leaving now, are you?"

"We need to, Olaf." Naminé said softly.

"Yeah. We're...not exactly from around here, and we need to hurry to the nearest village or town and find a place to stay for the night before it gets too dark and cold out." Kairi explained while kneeling down to his level.

"Oh! Hey, I know a place to stay!" Olaf jumped up and down.

"You do?" All three girls asked in unison.

"Sure! It's the most wonderful place in the whole world!" He began prancing through the woods and in a different direction. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Great! Let's go, girls!" Kairi encouraged.

Xion ran forward and grabbed her by the wrist. "Hold on, Kairi. Are you sure we should be following him?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

"He's a talking snowman. How would he know a place to stay? Besides, he could always be luring us into a trap." Xion expressed her concern.

Chirithy popped out of Kairi's hood, shaking his head. "I'm more worried about him getting us more lost…"

Naminé shook her head. "Look at how sweet he is. He's just an innocent little guy, I'm sure."

"Yeah, come on, Xion." Kairi urged her.

Olaf stopped in his tracks and waved toward the girls. "Come on, girls! I'm not getting any older!"

Xion rolled her eyes before shaking her head. "Alright, but if we end up being fed to an abominable snowman, Kairi's going first."

Unfortunately, Olaf was way too fast for the girls and they lost track of him. Kairi inwardly groaned, trying her best not to blame Xion for a solid minute due to her suspicion being the cause of Olaf getting ahead of them. Fortunately, he came running back to them. The downside, was that he was screaming in distress. That could only mean one thing. Olaf ran past the girls and hid behind a tree, only for Kairi to crouch at the sight of Soldier and Marine Rumba Heartless spawning around them.

"Heartless!" Kairi summoned her Keyblade. "Guess these things like to follow us everywhere."

"Considering we have Keyblades, I'm not surprised." Xion said with an eyeroll.

With a small turnout of Heartless, Kairi and Xion both began fighting with the Soldiers while Naminé tackled the Marine Rumbas. Her Thundara spells made mince meat out of them, the voltage of the electricity holding them in place. This allowed Kairi to bounce between Heartless and help finish any Marine Rumbas that were within reach of her Keyblade. Unfortunately, her overconfidence left her wide open behind and a Soldier kicked her right in the back. She managed to bounce off the impact of the kick and swiped with much force, knocking out the Soldier.

Xion began zipping around, hitting multiple Heartless in a row, and knocking them up in the air. The levitating enemies gave Kairi the chance to also zip across, utilizing her Seven Wishes ability, and finishing off the Soldiers. While this first round of Heartless was taken out without any problem, a herd of Winterhorn Heartless as well as a group of Gold Beats decided to show up and give the girls a hard time. Kairi decided to handle the golden magical Heartless this time around while Naminé helped Xion go after the Winterhorns. She leapt and twirled around the Gold Beats, unleashing Watera spells that followed her around a stream before the constricting spells burst, weakening the electric-based Heartless.

Naminé began shooting Fira spells at the Winterhorns while Xion tossed her blazing Keyblade around, hoping that Fire Raid would be a big help in taking the Heartless out. While they were, there was a Winterhorn behind her that she missed. The Heartless charged at Xion with its antlers, sending her flying forward, only for another to do the exact same thing, knocking her back to the first one. It was like a game of volleyball as Xion was tossed around before finally landing on the ground unconscious. Kairi helped rid the two particular Winterhorns by finishing the last of them off with Fira spells while Naminé hurried over and cast Cure on Xion.

"You okay, Xion?" Kairi asked as she helped her up.

Xion nodded before shaking her head. "Yeah, just a little brain freeze."

"Time for a little cool down!" Naminé said in a confident tone. She looked over to the tree where Olaf was hiding behind. "Olaf? You can come out now. The Heartless are gone now."

Olaf breathed a sigh of relief. "Good! Those shadow things are never very nice, but I can always count on you and your fancy keys!" He giggled while hugging Kairi's legs.

"Well, they're gone for now." Kairi muttered while looking around. "But…I'm sure they're elsewhere too."

Xion stepped forward. "Do you think maybe they made it to town?"

"Hopefully not. Hopefully they leave the townsfolk alone. Then again, that's wishful thinking."

"Then we'd better hurry before the Heartless hurt anyone else…" Naminé suggested as a shiver ran through her body. "And before we freeze our bun buns out here."

"Yeah, Olaf, can you continue to show us the way?" Kairi asked.

Olaf bounced up before he began prancing in the direction of town. "One road trip, coming right up!"

Just like Olaf had promised, there was a down that was a few miles out of the woods. Once the girls got out of the woods and into the fjord, it was an easy trek. Well, it was almost easy. The snow was really soft, resulting in Naminé losing her balance and slipping onto her bottom while they started down the hill toward the town. She slid down a bit, giving Kairi and Xion an idea. Xion used her Keyblade to cut a piece of a log that was large enough to fit all three of them and Olaf, and off they slid down the hill, making the rest of the trip a breeze, literally. It was definitely dark at this point and everyone was freezing and ready to get inside.

The town was rather charming in its size and architecture, creating a sort of intimate feel in the streets. The lamps were on, giving the evening moths a perfect meeting spot, but also giving the town just enough light to see where Kairi and the girls were going over a short distance. There were local shops, bakeries, and plenty of vendor carts that had already closed up for the night. They would've liked to have seen the town in greater detail, especially Kairi, who couldn't help but make comparisons between this town and the one in Radiant Garden, having that same fairytale vibe, especially with the tall castle at the end of the town with its stone walls and aquamarine colored spires and rooftops. There was even a large snowflake at the tallest point.

"Wow, this is a nice little town." Naminé said as she turned around, getting a good look.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, kinda reminds me of Radiant Garden a bit, except there's no technology around, at least as far as I can see."

"I think I see the inn right there!" Xion pointed out a large two-story building that had a lot of rooms.

Olaf nodded as he skipped past the inn. "Oh, that's a nice inn! Nice and warm and cozy!"

Xion nodded as she put her hands on her hips. "Well, looks like Olaf was spot on."

"Thank you for helping us, Olaf!" Kairi bent down and thanked him.

"Wait, where you going?" He asked.

"To stay at the inn?" Naminé answered, confused.

"Oh, you silly girls!" Olaf laughed. "That's not here I'm taking you! That is where we're going!" He pointed his twiggy arm at the large palace, causing each of the girls' jaws to drop.

If Kairi was ever going to start doubting Olaf, this would be the point. She remembered back to the last time they visited a palace. It ended with the three of them being tossed out. Then again, Razoul wasn't exactly the friendliest person they met in Agrabah, and he was the only one they had trouble with. Naminé made the argument that they tried sneaking in last time while this time, they were being invited in. Olaf was a snowman though, not a prince. What sort of authority did he have over who did or didn't enter the palace?

At this point, with the wind picking up and snowflakes starting to fall, Kairi decided to just roll along with whatever Olaf was doing. She didn't just want to get inside, she needed to. Her arms, legs, and face were starting to grow numb and lose their color. Naminé and Xion were also starting to suffer more from the cold now than they did earlier in the day. Once they stepped into the Great Hall of the palace, they were greeted with pure warmth, not just in temperature, but by the colors and designs of the carpets, tapestries, and curtains.

"Wow...this place is beautiful…" Kairi marveled at the decor.

Xion nodded. "Yeah, but now I have an even bigger question." She looked down at Olaf, who was still completely intact. "How are you not melting, Olaf? It's warm in here!"

"I know! Doesn't it feel wonderful?" Olaf asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, but shouldn't you be melting since you're made of snow?"

"Nope! That's just silly. Everyone knows permafrost can't melt." He chuckled.

"Permafrost?" Naminé repeated. "It sounds like some type of magic spell."

Olaf nodded. "Elsa made me my own permafrost so I will never melt! Now, come on, new friends! Let's go meet my best friends!" He said before prancing down the hall and toward the parlor, leaving the girls shrugging their shoulders at who these 'best friends' were. "Anna! Guess who I found out in the woods?" Olaf popped into the parlor.

Anna, a chestnut hair-colored girl of about 19-20 years old and all bundled in her dress and cloak, came to the doorway to answer. "What is it, Olaf?" She poked her head out, perking up as she saw Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. "Hello?"

"Uh...hi!" Kairi greeted sheepishly. "Hope we're not intruding, but if we are, we can leave."

"Oh no, you're not intruding. I was just waiting for a couple people to return back to the castle. They've been gone a while and I'm getting worried."

"Oh, sorry about that. We're not exactly from around here and Olaf found us in the woods." Xion apologized.

Naminé nodded as she ran a hand up and down her arm. "We needed a place to stay for the night and he guided us into town. We were going to stay at the inn, but Olaf insisted staying here."

"If you don't mind the company, we can wait here with you until your friends come back." Kairi suggested.

"Well, you three seem really nice. I'm sorry you got lost. The forest outside of Arendelle isn't exactly clear with its directions to the kingdom." Anna laughed sheepishly. "You three have got to be freezing in those outfits though."

"Yeah, it was a little chilly outside." Xion laughed.

Anna went around and rested her hands on Kairi and Naminé's backs. "You three can come up to my room and borrow some of my winter dresses for the time being."

Much to the relief of all three girls, but especially Kairi, the normal clothes consisting of summer dresses, crop tops, skirts, and shorts, came off as soon as Anna gave them free roam in her closet of casual dresses. There were so many different styles and colors for different seasons and occasions. Cooler colors and darker tones for winter, warmer colors and earthy tones for autumn, brighter tones for spring, and summer was all over the place. However, each of them gravitated toward the winter dresses. The multiple layers and soft fabric were so comforting against their cold skin that started to slowly warm up as they completed their dressing.

Kairi wasn't used to wearing dresses with longer skirts or longer sleeves, but it felt like a nice change during the harsh winter temperatures. Naminé was normally simple when it came to her wardrobe, sticking to simple white summer dresses, but got a kick out of the different shades of blue throughout the dress she chose. Xion didn't have any experience wearing dresses really and found it oddly satisfying to twirl the green skirt of her dress around. It almost made her feel more...like a girl? As someone who lived with three other guys, and only had one other girl friend in Twilight Town, she appreciated it.

"Wow, these are so cute!" Kairi twirled in her dress.

Naminé nodded as she giggled while looking at herself in the mirror. "I love it and it's so comfortable!"

"Yeah, it kinda makes me miss wearing skirts back home." Xion smiled and nodded as she held out the skirt of her dress.

"I'm glad!" Anna smiled widely. "You three all look great!" She checked the clock as it struck the top of the hour. "Well, supper should be ready in the kitchen. I hope all three of you are hungry!"

"We sure are!" Kairi answered as her stomach rumbled. "Thank you...uh...I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

Anna's eyes darted back and forth when she realized she loaned her clothes to three girls that she didn't even know the names of. "Oh wow, this is awkward, I'm sorry! My name is Anna, Princess of Arendelle."

"Princess?" All three of them in unison before bowing.

"Oh, no need to grovel! I see you've already met Olaf. What are your names?"

"I'm Kairi, and this is Naminé, and Xion, of...someplace far away from here!"

"Well, if that's the case, you three have definitely worked up an appetite. We've got chef's famous beef stew with hot chocolate." Anna said with a nod.

"Sounds delicious!" Naminé said with a sigh.

"It also sounds like a great time for a cup of coffee…" Chirithy said with a sigh as he popped out and flopped onto the ground. "I'm cold and tired…"

"Awww, you brought a kitty with you?" Anna cooed as she knelt down to Chirithy's level.

Kairi laughed as she helped Chirithy up. "Kind of. This is Chirithy."

"He's got a bit of a coffee problem. Just a small one." Xion said sarcastically.

"I don't have a problem!" Chirithy argued.

Olaf gasped as he reached out toward him. "Oh! I wanna pet the kitty!"

Chirithy's eyes widened before he started trying to get away. "Whoa! Hold on there, buddy! I'm not that kind of cat! This isn't what it looks…" He stopped as he felt Olaf scratched the back of his head. "Oh...ohhhhhh….I like that…" He sighed. "Fine, I'll make an exception for you. Can you get my right shoulder blade?"

Xion rolled her eyes. "Oh brother…like he isn't pampered enough."

All teasing of Chirithy aside, the flavorful scent of the stew was calling everyone's name. Kairi found it quite funny that neither of them ever really kept track of their appetite unless they were at rest somewhere. That being said, if the girls were offered free food, they weren't about to turn it down. Xion had become quite a food enthusiast thanks to living not far from Le Bistro and was always looking forward to trying new unique recipes, and the stew that was served in Arendelle's palace that night was no exception. The beef, the vegetables, the spices, it was all fantastic. Kairi and Naminé also dove right in, but they were more concerned about filling their starving bellies as opposed to analyzing it like Xion did.

"You know, it's been quite nice having some company over. The last several days have been awfully quiet here in Arendelle." Anna said as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. Kairi tilted her head, curious to hear more. "We've had a recent illness breakout in the town as well as the early winter snow. It's killing the crops and animals, making it really difficult for our harvesters."

"Mysterious illness?" Kairi repeated. She exchanged a concerned look with Naminé and Xion before huddling them close. "Do you think the Heartless have anything to do with this?"

"It depends. Maybe we should ask Anna if she's seen any around." Naminé whispered.

Xion nodded. "If she has, then it looks like we've got a job to do around here."

"Right." Kairi agreed. "Anna? Are you familiar with these shadow creatures called 'The Heartless'?" She asked.

Anna's eyebrows furrowed. "Y-Yes. We saw them quite a few times about a year and a half ago, back when Arendelle was under a deep winter spell."

"Yep, but our oddly spikey friend beat 'em with his fancy key!" Olaf said in a perky tone.

"Oddly spikey?" Xion repeated.

"Fancy key?" Naminé murmured.

Kairi gasped as the two descriptions came together. "Wait! Anna, do you know a boy named Sora?"

"I know Sora too?" Anna asked, all three girls nodding in response. "It's a long story, but he was a big help to us."

Kairi simply smiled. It definitely sounded like him, always offering a helping hand to a friend, whether old or new. She wondered if Anna knew about his disappearance. Aladdin, Jasmine, and their friends had no idea of what had happened. Thankfully, over the past month, Kairi had garnered enough strength to accept what had happened and was able to share it with mutual friends without any hesitation.

"If you know Sora, does that mean you know he's missing?" Kairi asked softly.

Anna nodded. "Donald and Goofy paid us a visit here over the summer, asking if we had seen anything in regards to him. Unfortunately, we haven't. We went and asked the trolls to see if they knew anything, but all they could say was wherever Sora was, it was beyond what they could see." She folded her hands together. "Are you three searching for Sora?"

"Yeah. We have a clue that we've been following, but we're also looking out for anything that could lead us to him faster." Xion explained.

"Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help you three. I want to help Sora too, if I can."

Naminé smiled. "Thanks. We'd like to help you too. We're wondering if it's possible that the Heartless are responsible for the disease that's in your kingdom?"

"I'm not sure. We haven't seen any Heartless in town since the disease broke out." Anna answered while shaking her head. "But, while my sister is out investigating, I thought I'd help her out and maybe try to look for answers." She darted her head back and forth, making sure none of the other attendants were close by. "It's kind of secret, but I'll take you back up to my room and show you what I found!"

On one of the highest floors in the palace were the royal chambers, including Anna and her sister's rooms. They included a lot of space, making Kairi's bedroom at home look like a closet in comparison. Anna took the girls back up to her room and shut the door behind them, almost as if she were worried about anyone else hearing them. Hidden up on a high shelf in Anna's closet was a large book. She reached up and grabbed it, bringing it out and showing it to the girls. It didn't really appear to be anything special to them. It was a dark-colored cover and had some foreign writing on it that Kairi couldn't read for the life of her, so neither Naminé or Xion fared any better with knowing what this book was supposed to mean.

"A book?" Xion mused.

"It's not just a book! It's Secrets of the Magic Makers!" Anna bounced up and down before sitting on her bed.

"Sounds neat! Never heard of it. What's it about?" Kairi commented before joining her on the bed.

"This book contains old tales, histories, and shares information about all kinds of mythical creatures that only exist in lore." Anna answered while flipping through the pages. "Now, this might sound crazy, but this also is like a field guide! There's recipes in here, like how to turn a flower into a frog!"

Naminé chuckled in amusement. "Wow, I could use a book like this."

"Who's this guy?" Xion asked as she pointed to an illustration in the book. The blonde-bearded man who stood firmly in front of a waterfall intrigued the girls. He held a sword in the ground with the sun shining brightly in each corner and a dragon off to the side to complete the illustration. "He looks official."

"Oh! That's an illustration based on the Saga of Aren. It's a poem that shares a legend of how Aren was a legendary hero that carved the fjord of this kingdom."

"Whoa!" All three girls gasped.

"With the Revolute, his sword with a yellow diamond, bright as an eye…" An unknown voice quoted.

Kairi's head popped up at the sound of the voice. She gasped while Naminé and Xion's jaws hanging slightly. A young woman of such regal presence strolled in as casual as a queen could while retaining her professionalism. The girls scrambled off the bed and bowed their heads, paying respect to her. While she appreciated the gesture, the queen could only giggle. She never was one to hold herself to such high regard, nor did she go around demanding respect like an authoritarian figure. After thanking Kairi and the girls, she turned her attention over to her sister, whose face seemed to light up.

"Elsa! You're back!" Anna hopped up from the bed.

Elsa smiled and nodded. "Yes, and I see we have some company."

"I'm Kairi, and this is Xion and Naminé. Sorry for dropping in like this. We're not from around here and needed a place to stay, so Olaf brought us here. We can go stay at the inn if you like." She rambled on, her nervousness obvious.

"It's alright. Welcome to our castle. It's a good thing you came when you did. We used to keep the gates completely closed to any outsiders."

"How come?" Naminé asked.

"Because of this…"

Elsa held out her hand, leaving everyone but Anna curious. From her palm, a small flurry of sparkling snowflakes flew floated out and around. Kairi gasped, marveling as Elsa directed the flurry to float around her before circling Naminé, who could only laugh. Xion followed the snow up until it flew close to her face, one of the tiny flakes nipping her on her nose. It was definitely real snow. Continuing to show off her powers, Elsa took the flurry and turned it into a small snowball, only for it to burst, releasing sparkles all around Anna's room. It was one of the most beautiful sights any of the girls had ever seen.

"You can use ice magic!" Kairi gasped. "You're a magic maker! Just like in the book!"

Elsa's smile faded and her eyebrows furrowed. "What book?"

"Eh…" Anna laughed sheepishly. "While you were out, I might have tried doing a little research to see if I can figure out how to get rid of the disease and came across this book, Secrets of the Magic Makers!"

"The Blight, the disease is called the Blight. And where did you find that book?"

"Olaf and I might have discovered a little secret chamber in your room." Anna twiddled her fingers while bouncing off her toes. "There were all of these books, but this was the one that caught my attention the most! It could have the answers we need! It could help us cure the Blight!"

Kairi placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Wait, do you think there's something in there that could help us find Sora?"

"There might be! There's a spell in here that can grant your dreams! Magic can be really powerful when used to its full potential, right Elsa?" Anna asked in an affectionate tone.

Elsa sighed and smiled. Whatever tension had built up inside of her subsided for the time being. "You'd be right, Anna." She looked to Kairi and walked closer to her. "You're searching for Sora too?" She asked, Kairi nodding in response. "I'm sorry. I wish I could do more to help. He was a friend to me when I needed one the most, even if I didn't know it then."

"That sounds just like him." Kairi laughed. "But, don't be so hard on yourself. You're a queen. You have a whole kingdom to look after. I can't imagine what that's like."

"There's a lot, but I'm honored to carry on my father's lineage and his kingdom."

Xion leaned toward Naminé and whispered, "She's so cool!"

Elsa looked toward Anna and rested her hand on the book. "Anna, I appreciate you putting forth the effort, but I need you to put this away and leave the book alone."

"What? But Els-"

"I need you to let me handle this."

"Elsa, you don't understand, this book could have the answers we're looking for! A cure for the animals!" Anna argued.

"Anna, that room was left secret for a reason, and I suggest you do the same with that book." Elsa began to walk past the girls and out of Anna's room. "It was nice meeting you three, but I have to go."

Anna, with her expression slowly but surely fading, watched as her older sister shut the door behind her with a little more force than she had hoped for, indicating her frustration with this whole situation. Kairi didn't understand Elsa's logic. Then again, how could she? She knew all too well from Anna's side, always wanting to help, but constantly being told to 'stay out of it' for reasons that nobody ever wanted to give. Looking back, she knew that whenever Sora and Riku wanted her to stay on the island, it was to protect her, no thanks to her (then) lack of experience with a Keyblade, but didn't stop her from feeling frustrated and left out too. It also didn't help her confidence. How could she have confidence in herself if they didn't? If she felt frustrated with her two best friends, she could only imagine what Anna felt like, being brushed off by her sister.

"I don't get it." Anna said softly. "It's like she doesn't need me anymore now that she's a queen. Am I really that worthless?"

Kairi shook her head. "No! Of course not!" She sighed, holding her head low. "I...I know how that feels, trust me. For the longest time, I felt like I couldn't help Sora because I wasn't strong enough, and I didn't think he believed in me either."

"That's how I feel! All I want to do his help my sister, be a part of her life. We were locked away from each other for so long."

"Well, you were able to save your sister once before. I'm sure Elsa knows your worth. She might just be stressed out about the whole Blight situation." Kairi suggested.

Naminé nodded. "Maybe try talking to her in the morning when she's well rested?"

"We'll even go with you, try to give you some extra support." Xion said as she curled her hand into a fist.

Anna smiled. "Thanks, girls." She let out a loud yawn, indicating her own exhaustion. "Actually that does sound like a really good idea."

"Okay, let's rest, girls. We'll regroup in the morning." Kairi said as she clasped her hands together.

The original plans for the morning were for Kairi and the girls to return back to the woods to see if they could track down her seashell, considering it was rather close to them when they were there the previous evening. However, with all that went down the night before between Anna and Elsa, the trio agreed that Anna could use friendly support right now. After a hearty breakfast, which took place without Elsa, leaving Anna to assume that she had already left earlier that morning to begin her royal duties. According to Anna, ever since the Blight broke out among Arendelle, Elsa had been visiting the locals more and more, hoping to calm their anxieties, especially those whose animals and crops were affected by the Blight.

As the morning hours grew on, the commotion in the palace grew. Suddenly, there were many voices echoing through the massive halls. It sparked Kairi and Anna's curiosity, leading them to checking it out. The voices were coming from the Great Hall, and upon arrival, Anna spotted her sister, perched professionally on a raised platform with a massive crowd gathered in front of her. Elsa had to have called a gathering of the town's locals to make it easier on herself to counsel and address any concerns regarding the Blight.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Xion asked.

"My sister, a crowd's gathering around her. I think this has to do with the Blight." Anna answered quietly.

"Winter is already here and we don't have enough food to last us the week!" One grumbling villager yelled out.

"Everyone! Our royal ship is loaded with rations of food, apples, wheat, dried vegetables, cheeses, cans of pickled herring, and sausages. There is more than enough to go around if necessary." Elsa announced.

"How does that solve our Blight problem? My cattle are falling one by one!" A farmer called out.

Elsa sighed, trying to stay calm. "We are trying to work that out. We are looking into finding out what is causing the problem and from there, we can figure out how to fix it."

"Working it out won't solve anything! As the queen, it is your responsibility to give us answers!" Another villager yelled.

Kairi could by Elsa's breathing that she was starting to get anxious, but was fighting to conceal it and not show it. Her first instinct was the help her out, but without knowing all the details of the situation, and recounting the trouble she had gotten into in previous worlds after getting involved with personal matters, she stood back. The fact that Anna, with a firm scowl on her face, looked about ready to rip these locals apart for what she would consider disrespecting her sister, also influenced her decision. Besides, Anna was Elsa's sister and the princess of this kingdom. If anyone had any right to stick up to these distressed villagers and for Elsa, it was Anna. She finally shoved her way through people and ran up onto the same raised platform as Elsa.

"Hey! Don't talk to my sister that way!" Anna yelled.

"Anna…" Elsa muttered firmly under her breath.

"Look, my sister is doing her absolute best, and it might seem like she doesn't have the answers...but thanks to this," She held up the Magic Makers book for everyone to see. "Everything is going to be solved really soon. Within this book is countless amounts of stories, recipes, and spells. Surely, there is something in here that will cure the animals and can rid Arendelle of the Blight."

"Anna!" Elsa called in a firm tone. She turned back to the crowd, keeping her chin up in as much of a professional manner as possible. "You'll have to excuse my sister."

"Uh...Elsa?" Kairi called out, getting her attention. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I think we might have a bigger problem than Anna interrupting."

The crowd all turned their heads and gasped at the sight of various Heartless spawning right within the hall. Elsa ordered everyone to leave the hall and outside for their own safety. Kairi drew her Keyblade with Naminé and Xion taking stance right beside her. Feeling confident in her own abilities thanks to her having encountered the Heartless before, Elsa decided to jump into the battle with Kairi, despite Kairi's concerns about whether the queen should be fighting the Heartless. Elsa insisted that she'd be okay, but there was one in particular that she knew needed to take cover.

"Anna! Take cover!" Elsa demanded.

"But Elsa…"

Kairi looked back at Anna with utmost confidence. "Don't worry, we've got this!"

Anna nodded, obeying bother sister and her friends' orders and ran into the parlor, shutting the doors behind her and hoping the Heartless wouldn't follow her there. Kairi and Elsa nodded as each other before rushing into battle. This time, not only did the girls have Winterhorns and Gold Beats to be concerned about, but now there were Parasol Beauty Heartless to deal with. They weren't enemies to be taken lightly. They liked to spin around while lunging toward the girls and shot a plentiful amount of laser attacks in various directions. Kairi found herself dodging or guarding most of them before striking back with her counter attacks. If Elsa wasn't using her ice powers to do massive damage to the Heartless, she was creating walls of ice in front of her and her party to block the laser attacks from the Parasol Beauties.

Naminé worked on dwindling the Gold Beats down with her Blizzara spells before moving onto casting Fira onto the Winterhorns. Xion came in to help take down the Winterhorns, trying out a new ability that she had recently learned. She engulfed herself in flames and lunged toward the ice-based Heartless, sending them straight to their fiery doom. Kairi was impressed with Xion's new technique and congratulated her briefly before turning her attention to the Gold Beats and finishing them off with Watera spells. Elsa found herself in holding her own in battle, but came to a tough spot when she wiped out a Parasol Beauty with an ice attack, only for another one to spawn behind her and nail her in the back with a powerful laser before knocking her unconscious thanks to another harsh spin attack.

Kairi hurried over to Elsa and cast Cure on her before focusing in on the Heartless, ready to use her special Seven Wishes technique on them. She leapt up and began zipping back and forth between each Heartless, doing massive damage to them before Elsa had the perfect way to finish them off. Once Kairi was out of harm's way, Elsa stomped on the ground, causing the floor beneath her to freeze up with sharp icicles erecting from the ground and giving the Heartless an ice cold finish. Once the last of the Heartless finished off, Elsa took a moment to catch her breath. She wasn't used to using her powers in this way. Even so, she was glad to be able to help her new friends out with protecting the palace.

"Is it safe?" Anna asked, peering from around the corner.

"Yep! All taken care of!" Kairi answered.

"No, this is not all taken care of." Elsa said in a low tone.

Naminé stepped forward, running a hand along her arm. "We're really sorry, Elsa. We just wanted to protect your people."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about."

Anna reached out and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Elsa, the villagers were tearing you apart. I couldn't just leave you out there all by yourself, not when we have the answers right here."

Elsa groaned. "Anna, when will you learn? Magic isn't always the answer to your problems!"

"But what if it is this time?" Anna pulled out the loose piece of paper in the book that had the spell about granting dreams on it. "It's like I said last night, there is a spell in here that grants your dreams! We can use it to cure the Blight and it might help Kairi find Sora! Don't you want to help your friends?"

"I do." Elsa sighed, her tone reflecting her conflicting views. She would love to just simply help everyone, but with her title, that wasn't always easy. "But as the queen, I have to put Arendelle's matters before personal matters. If you want to help Kairi find Sora, then I won't stop you, but I need to be here while my people need me."

"Would you listen to yourself? You're shutting me out just like you used to! Why can't you just listen to me and let me help you?" Anna yelled, her eyes filling with tears.

"Anna, you just gave our people false hope and because I'm the queen, I have to take on the burden. So, do me a favor, and just stay out of this matter from now on. And that's an order."

Kairi watched awkwardly as Elsa stormed out of the palace and into the town where her people were waiting for her to continue on her current duties. Anna also stormed out of the hall, but further into the palace, leaving Kairi, Naminé, and Xion alone. If there was normally a point where Kairi would want to interfere and try to fix the situation, this would be the time. Even if it was a personal matter, this was something that could be easily fixed if the girls were willing to communicate with each other. Would it be meddling if she tried to get the two of them to talk it out and fix this?

"You know, I may not be the right person to suggest this, but maybe we should stick around for a bit longer?" Xion broke the silence.

Kairi nodded. "I think you're right. I don't want to go against Elsa, but I do think she's being a little unfair. Then again, I wonder if she's just trying to protect Anna because of what happened before."

"Maybe, but now they have the Heartless to worry about." Naminé noted.

"That too. Besides, I wanna see what this spell is really about. If it really can grant someone's dreams, who's to say it won't work on mine?" Kairi asked.

"Well, in the meantime, I think Anna and Elsa both need time to cool off. Let's go check the village and see if there are any Heartless around." Xion suggested as she began walking out of the Great Hall.

Much of the day was spent on Heartless patrol. The trio checked around the houses, the alleys, the shops, and the farms. Shockingly, there weren't any Heartless other than the swarm they had encountered earlier that morning. Kairi even decided to try and see if she could track down her seashell. It seemed that her shell had moved, but couldn't make out where it was now. She sighed, rubbing her head. Something told her it was going to be a massive headache trying to track down this shell. Naminé suggested that they try and help Anna and Elsa's situation first, otherwise tackling too much would only overwhelm the trio. Kairi and Xion agreed. Besides, they could always see if Anna and Elsa knew or had seen anything in regards to Kairi's seashell once their mind wasn't full clouded with this whole Blight situation.

As the day grew late, and the sun set on another day in Arendelle, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion returned to the palace. Neither of them had any idea how either Anna or Elsa were holding up, having not seen any of them all day since their fight in the morning. Kairi was starting to worry about Anna thought. She at least had an idea that Elsa was simply keeping busy, while there was a chance Anna was still upset over what happened earlier. Kairi had a feeling in her gut that Anna had locked herself up and wanted to check on her.

With the other two behind her, Kairi traversed up to the royal chambers and peeked into Anna's room, which was open a crack. She stood silently, staring out the large window that overlooked Arendelle. In her reflection, Kairi could see the sadness in her eyes. She knew that same sadness, feeling like someone you care about was trying to shut you out. Even if it was for good intentions, it didn't hurt any less. The trio stepped in quietly and joined Anna by the window, hoping that good company would brighten up her spirits a bit.

"Anna, are you okay?" Naminé asked.

Anna nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. There's just been a lot happening for both of us. That, and...I'm also worried about Kristoff."

"Kristoff?" All three girls asked in unison.

"My boyfriend." Anna said with a slight giggle.

Xion snickered as she folded her arms. "I knew it."

"What's going on with Kristoff? You said he was out visiting some trolls, right?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, but he still hasn't returned. He's visited the trolls before and it usually doesn't take that long to travel, especially with his reindeer, Sven."

"Do you think maybe the Heartless gave him any trouble on his way back?" Xion whispered to the other girls. "We did run into some in the woods with Olaf."

Kairi's eyes widened. "I hope not, but let's not bring that up with Anna just yet." She whispered back. "You know, Anna," She brought her tone back to normal. "It is getting dark out. It's possible Kristoff maybe took a wrong turn and is running late."

"I don't know. Kristoff knows his way around quite well, being a mountain man and all." Anna shook her head. "Maybe I'm just overthinking everything."

"Not necessarily." Xion shrugged her shoulders. "I worry whenever Axel tries to fix an electric or plumbing problem."

"I'm sure Kristoff his fine. He's hiked mountains before. Maybe, I should just go apologize to my sister."

"Yeah, good idea. We'll wait here, give you two some time alone to talk." Kairi said as she took a seat on Anna's bed.

Leaving her friends waiting, Anna hurried down the hall and over to Elsa's room. Upon reaching it, she expected to hear silence or Elsa talking to herself, which she did every now and then, especially when she was stressed. Instead, she heard voices on the other side of the door. She even recognized the voices. They belonged to Kai and Gerda, two of Anna and Elsa's most trusted stewards in the palace. Anna couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but it was enough to know that Elsa was having a meeting without her. She slowly stepped away from the door, her throat feeling like her heart had risen up and lodged in it. The last time she felt this pain was when she was younger, when Elsa was shutting her out of her life, and now, she seemed to be doing it again.

If anything that solidified Anna's doubts, it was this moment. She knew it. There used to be a time when Elsa would invite Anna to every meeting, hear everything she had to say, and seek her advice, but now, it seemed like Elsa had no need for her. With her eyes flooding with tears, Anna took off running back to her room where Kairi was lying down on Anna's bed, Xion was looking through one of Anna's books on mythology, reading about creatures such as trolls, garmrs, and ratatoskrs. Her favorites were the valkyries, the bird people that fought with such brutal strength. Naminé was sitting on the windowsill, sketching the landscape outside, taking advantage of the great view. Anna burst through the doors, interrupting the girls' peace and stirring up much concern once she fell to her knees, on the verge of crying.

"Anna? Anna, what happened?" Kairi asked as she got down to Anna's level..

"If Elsa isn't going to listen to me, then I'll just find out for myself." Anna said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Kairi watched as Anna hopped up from her feet and reached for the Magic Makers book from her dresser. She went back to sit with Kairi as she frantically flipped through the pages. As Kairi watched, she knew in her gut that Anna was set on something big, something having to do with magic. As Naminé and Xion joined them, Anna slowed down and finally set on a page that had a slip of paper in it. Written on it was DREAM COMES TRUE SPELL, just like she mentioned the night before when Kairi asked if anything in the book could help her find Sora. As she took the paper out and held it close, Naminé's gut started to feel like someone was piercing it. Xion and Kairi had to have felt the same way because all three of them shared a look of concern with each other before Naminé finally said something.

"Anna, wait! Something about this doesn't feel right." Naminé held her hand on top of Anna's.

Xion nodded. "Yeah, are you sure you want to do this without Elsa?"

"All she does is shut me out nowadays, so why should I bother trying to listen to her?" Anna argued back. She looked over at Kairi, who had the same uncertainty on her face. "Kairi, this could help you find Sora." Anna urged her.

Naturally, Kairi was caught in a bind. Should she risk it? There were numerous times in her journey already where she tried to take shortcuts and it led her to trouble. Then again, it was during those times where she was usually by herself and not with her friends, therefore, thinking for herself. Kairi did have that suspicious pit in her stomach, and yet, the fact that Elsa could also use magic, did give her better hope that maybe this spell could solve everything. There was nothing Kairi wanted more than anything right now than to find Sora, take him home with Riku, and live a happy life together, just like they used to. The idea was having more merit than she would've liked.

"If it means finding Sora and bringing him home sooner…" Kairi said as she gripped the paper. "Then let's do it."

Xion and Naminé sighed, hoping that Kairi knew what she was doing this time around. They decided to sit back, giving themselves some distance from her and Anna, not sure what was about to occur. Together, Anna and Kairi gripped the paper and gave each other a nod of approval before reading the spell out together:

"Wild awake!

Wind and snow!

Plant the seed

And watch it grow!

Say this spell,

And you shall see

All your dreams

Come to be!"

As the spell was read, a draft started up within the room. The more Kairi and Anna read, the stronger it got. Xion and Naminé both looked around, having no idea what beheld them beyond the page of this spell.

A/N: So to answer everyone's question, no, I am not basing Arendelle in this fic off of Frozen 2's storyline. I was originally going to, but between the film still being on the newer side and the film taking place a few years after Frozen 1 (which happens during KH3, a year prior), I decided not to go in that direction. Not to mention, I AM seriously considering a sequel to this fic and have been jotting down plot ideas and MAY wanna use Frozen 2 for my sequel. Soooo yeah.

That being said, I am actually basing this world's plot on a canon novel that takes place between Frozen 1 and 2 called Forest of Shadows. I read through the whole novel and thought the plotline suited the fic, so I figured I'd go in that direction. If you guys haven't read the novel, I definitely recommend you do so later on! It's a good read! Anywho, hope you guys enjoyed the first Arendelle chapter and will see you guys soon with the next one!