The deck exploded next to Anna, sending her flying through the air and crashing into the mast. She pulled herself to her feet, the cannon-fire almost as deafening as the screams of the wounded and dying.

It was all happening in slow motion; the splintering of wood and retort of the cannons, the sailors rushing across the deck.

A man died right in front of her, his face frozen in surprise.

Someone shouted her name and she looked around frantically. The sailors were all staring at her, the living and the dead both.

"It should have been you." One of them said.

Anna lifted her hand to her face and it came away slick with blood.

"Anna!" Kristoff's voice broke through the haze, and Anna's eyes snapped open.

She was laying on the ground besides the bed, tangled in her sheets. Kristoff was kneeling next to her and he gently lifted her up and put her back into bed. "Wha?"

"You were tossing and turning in your sleep," he explained.

"Just a bad dream," Anna whispered, grasping for Kristoff's arm so she could cling to it. To his comforting presence and reassuring warmth. "It's okay."

He was here, and awake and okay and and and….

She only realized she'd started crying when Kristoff pulled her into his arms and brushed his fingers at her face. He didn't say anything, simply held her and waited for her to cry it out.

Anna buried her face into his chest, getting his shirt wet and snotty but grateful he was here.

Only after the sobbing had stopped did Kristoff say anything, "It's not okay, is it."

"No." Anna shook her head, and then pulled it away to look at him. "I keep dreaming about the ship battle. I still don't know if I did the right thing. But people died, Kristoff. And I killed them. And the thing that scares me the most is I know I'd do it again if I had to. And I might have to. What if there's a war? Arendelle hasn't been in a war since..."

She trailed off, having been about to say 'since before Grandfather's time' which made her wonder who, exactly had started that war. Had it been Arendelle, or had that Queen been like her son?

Something else to find the truth about and the thought was an exhausting one.

"A very long time," Kristoff supplied for her.

"We have to be prepared," Anna decided. Maybe the one good thing she could say about King Runeard is that he would have been prepared.

She sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the notebook she kept on her night table. "While I'm not going to put Arendelle on any kind of war footing, I do want us to be prepared. I've already decided to double the number of our ships. So we'll need sailors; the best men and women we can find. Do you think Captain Ohnaka would be interested in a position?"

"I'm not sure I like that idea."

"He's experienced."

"He's a pirate."

"Maybe we need that kind of experience." Anna stuck her tongue out of her mouth and scribbled a few more ideas.

Kristoff sat next to her, "I'm not sure where I'm seeing the link between dreaming about how bad the battle was and…" He peeked at the paper, "Having a volunteer standing army. Are you sure that's the message we want to send?"

"We have to be prepared," Anna said again, clutching at the notebook. "I have to be prepared. For everything and anything. Maybe if I'm prepared, no one will die when we're attacked."

And that was a when, in her mind. Not an if. The Southern Isles would want to make Arendelle answer for routing their ships. It didn't matter that they'd immediately saved the sailors in the water. It didn't matter that they had sent them home. "What do we know about King Jerome?"

"Not much. He's ruthless and has been rattling his sabers at his neighbors for about a year now." Kristoff looked into Anna's eyes. "How about a compromise?"

"What kind of compromise?"

"Allow citizens to volunteer for military training, to be called up in emergencies or attacks. A kind of reserve guard. We already have that system in place, kind of."

Anna took a breath, and then nodded. "Honestly I like that idea a lot better…formalize it as a militia or something. Arendelle is not…. it's not going to be…I don't want to be my grandfather."

"Anna, you're not Runeard."

"I've just been thinking. I've had time to think, now that the crisis is over. All these thoughts are rattling around inside my head and I see how easily my grandfather came to be ruled by fear and how easily that could be me."

Kristoff took Anna's hands, squeezing them lightly, "Runeard wouldn't have these doubts and he wouldn't question himself. You are Anna. Kind and gentle, beloved by our people and yet strong enough to stand not just behind them but with them."

His smile made her chest soar, "I don't think you fully grasp what it meant to them to see you stand up like that. You didn't have to, but you did. I hear them talking about it. About how you held everyone together with the sickness, about sailing out to confront the blockade and then helping with the wounded after. Keep this up and you'll be legendary."

"Can you handle marrying a legendary queen?"

"I can handle marrying Anna, the woman I love, and everything that comes with it." Kristoff said, and leaned in to kiss her.

Six Months Later

Elsa nursed the mug on the table in front of her. She couldn't tell if it was too sweet or not sweet enough but with each taste she found she cared less and less. She lifted her eyes to Kristoff and smiled. "We should make a habit of this."

"Yeah." He grinned at her, "Having a good time?"

She nodded and took another sip of her drink. With everything that had happened since she'd abdicated, she hadn't been able to spend as much time with Kristoff as she'd have liked. It always seemed like Anna or Olaf came first, and now Honeymaren.

It really wasn't fair to him.

Granted, they hadn't talked much, mostly drinking in silence and watching the blonde woman playing a guitar and singing in the corner. But it was quality, quiet time and she'd missed it.

There was just something a little different about this kind of quiet, as opposed to that spent with Honeymaren, or alone in the forest, or even quietly reading next to Anna.

Elsa liked that it was different with all of them.

The woman finished her song and Elsa turned her attention back to Kristoff. Five years ago she'd have never expected this man to be a part of her life, let alone engaged to her sister. He was no prince, no noble, just man of the forest with a reindeer for a best friend and somehow that just made him so much better than any alternative she could think about. Maybe because he was a good man, which was the most important prerequisite for any who'd marry her sister.

Something else occurred to her and she giggled so hard she snorted.

"Is there something in my teeth?"

Elsa waved her hand, covering her mouth with the other one and it took her a moment to calm down enough to speak, "I just realized, father married a Northuldra from the forest, Anna is going to marry a man of the woods and I'm in love with a Northduldran reindeer herder." She picked up her drink.

Kristoff tossed his head back and laughed. "I guess your family has a type." He wiped at his eyes and grinned at her, "So when are you going to marry Honeymaren?"

Ale went down the wrong pipe and Elsa started to cough. Kristoff jumped up and beat his palm on her back until she managed to clear her throat and wave him off. "It's a little too soon for that, don't you think?"

"Maybe," He said, hovering a bit longer until he was sure he hadn't just killed his soon-to-be sister-in-law and returned to his seat. "But you've thought about it, haven't you."

"How did you know?"

He shrugged, "Maybe because it was something I kept thinking about for like a year before I was ready to ask Anna."

A year sounded about right to Elsa, "Do you have any advice?"

"One." He held up a finger, "Don't wait for the perfect moment, it'll never come until you make it happen. Two." He held up another finger, "You've got to do the reindeer thing."

"I'd look completely ridiculous," Elsa pointed out.

"Yeah, but Maren won't expect it, at all."

Kristoff was right, and Elsa sat back in the booth. Mare wouldn't expect her to ever do something like that. Maybe it would be really touching to her that Elsa would even try.

He touched her hand, taking her out of her reverie, "And three. Whatever you do, do something that's from the heart. That's the most important thing of all."

"Thank you," Elsa said, putting her other hand over his.

Nodding once, Kristoff smiled at her and then finished his drink and stood. "I promised Anna I'd get you back before it got too late, since she said she had plans."

"Should I be worried?"

"Nah, she said something about sister stuff."

"What are you going to do with your night?" Elsa got up as well, making sure to leave a generous tip for the waiter; and then put an even more generous one into the beautiful singer's hands.

"I think Sven and I will go have us time," Kristoff decided.

"Talk about true love," Elsa quipped, then took Kristoff's offered elbow for the walk back to the castle.

?

Anna sat in the secret library, legs pulled up underneath her body and a book opened in her lap. The pages were illuminated by a lamp that hung from the wall, as well as hundreds of glowing crystals that Elsa had created just for her. The combination made her feel at home and yet closer to her sister, no matter where in the world Elsa might be.

She'd just needed a little quiet time, if she was at all honest with herself. Elsa had been right, this place was an Anna place, too.

"There you are," Elsa said, her head appearing from the door, followed by the rest of her body. "Would you like to be alone a little longer?"

"Oh! No, that's okay, I was waiting for you. Where's Kristoff?"

"Bonding time with Sven, but he should be back before it's too late for a game or two."

"Good." Anna scooted over, patting the couch cushion beside her and beaming when Elsa took the seat. She set the book aside and held her arm out until Elsa snuggled in against her, "I want to have fun with all of you, but I wanted some Elsa time to myself."

"Mm, well you've got me now. Is everything okay?"

"Unlike some Queens, I actually know when I need to take a break," Anna remarked, only to get an elbow in the ribs. "Oof. Okay I deserved that. But yes, everything is okay."

Elsa giggled.

They both knew there was always some little crisis going on but as far as Anna was concerned there was nothing that needed Elsa's help and if Anna wanted advice she knew she could just ask. She was finding that, as she was figuring out her own way of ruling that she didn't need to ask as often as she had at first. Anna asked herself less and less what Elsa would do and instead focused on what Anna would do.

As a nice bonus, it allowed her to just be sisters with Elsa. Like right now, when they were far away from the world and all the good and bad that made it up.

To Elsa's credit, she didn't press, accepting Anna's answer. "Glad to hear it."

"Enjoy your date with Kristoff?"

"Yes. We went drinking and watched this lovely woman sing at the tavern. I know it's not advice time but you really should consider asking her to play at your wedding."

"Wedding talk is not royal talk so it's allowed," Anna assured her. "And I'll sneak out this week and listen, okay?"

"That's fair." Elsa lifted her head, "You know, I never really thought about it. Weddings, that is. I knew it was a possibility I'd have to consider, with my position, but I'd always known that with my powers and all my fear that it would never be an option for me."

"Oh Elsa." Anna stroked her hair, "I know now that … love and marriage and all that isn't the end all and be all of life. But did you ever consider it? Like as a day dream."

"Dreaming was dangerous," Elsa admitted. "A slippery slope to broken hearts and shattered hopes. Whether it was being with you again, or being able to hug our parents or…"

Elsa wet her lips, "Do you remember a servant girl? She left about a year before my coronation."

Anna wracked her mind. The servant situation had changed very rarely over the years though she hadn't understood why until after Elsa's coronation. With secrecy so important, they couldn't risk people talking. Besides Kai and Gerda there'd been maybe five others in the castle. But it couldn't have been anyone their age; Anna would have played with her and been a lot less lonely, "Wait, wasn't there a woman named Elisabete?"

"Yes, that was her." Elsa fidgeted with Anna's sleeve, "She was beautiful. I always stared at her whenever I saw her, but pretended not to. It was pretty easy to avoid her, obviously, since I so rarely left my room, but she was usually the one who came when I needed someone, or took my clothing. I think I maybe talked to her twice the whole time."

"Elsa, did you have a crush?" Anna shifted around on the couch so she could face Elsa.

"I guess? I didn't really understand what I was feeling and honestly between her being a servant and also about ten years too old for any sixteen year old, it was never going to be an option. But she made me realize that, powers and secrets aside, I could never marry a man." Elsa shrugged, and reached for Anna's hands, "Besides, I was never in the right mental place for a relationship, let alone a life-long commitment. So no, I never really thought about it."

"Clearly your opinion on some of that has changed," Anna noted, enjoying the blush that crept up Elsa's cheeks and singed her eartips.

"I guess Honeymaren just had really good timing when she walked into my life with her adorable baby reindeer," Elsa admitted.

"There's something I have to know." Anna leaned forward, a wide smile on her face, "Do all my romantic notions, all those songs about fighting for love, those books and stories, do they make sense now?"

"No," Elsa deadpanned.

"Seriously?"

"Maybe a little."

Anna made a show of thwapping Elsa on the shoulder, "Jerk."

"Ow." Elsa thwapped her back, "I just … how do you meet someone and then they just sneakily become a part of your life and someone you can't stop thinking about? The first time I met Mare, I just knew we'd be close. I didn't know how or why, only that she'd be important to me. But I wouldn't say I fell in love with her then. That came later, after we'd become friends."

"Do you know when you fell in love with her?" Anna kept her tone light, though she was honestly dying to know.

"The night we danced together," Elsa said before Anna had even finished speaking. "But that's an in hindsight kind of thing. The night I realized it was a night on the boat, when she asked me to sing for her."

"That is so sweet." Anna didn't need to ask Elsa to clarify the in hindsight kind of thing. She'd experienced the same thing with Kristoff; a moment she could look back on and realize that that, that moment, that was the moment.

And then she leaned in, and whispered, "Speaking of the dancing, you will come for the Lutefisk festival this year, right?"

"Not on your life!"

?

"What would people say if I told them the Fifth Spirit was so goofy?" Honeymaren asked, hands planted on her hips. She tried to maintain a stern expression on her face but Elsa was just too beautiful and adorable for her to keep it up for long.

Elsa grinned sheepishly at her as she disentangled herself from a net, "I'll figure this out, Mare, I promise."

Maren laughed, heart aching just a smidge at Elsa's smile. It was still taking some getting used to, feeling like she was allowed to have these feelings for Elsa. To enjoy just watching her, for their hand holding to mean a lot more than it had before.

"Maybe you should stick to spear fishing. That one you picked up easier." She walked over to help disentangle her girlfriend. "It's getting kind of late."

"It kind of is," Elsa rolled her shoulders and then beamed at Maren with the kind of smile that Maren had come to associate with some kind of shenanigans. Don't tell anyone, but Elsa was more like her sister than anyone realized. "But not too late!" She stole a kiss, then laced her fingers through with Maren's and started to pull her. "I cannot believe I almost forgot."

Elsa was moving too fast to let Maren get enough breath to ask what she'd almost forgotten, and she figured she'd find out anyway. So she just enjoyed the way Elsa's hair whipped behind her as she ran.

"I love you," she whispered as the words became too much for her to hold in and Elsa glanced back at her and her lips formed the very same words.

They reached the edge of the forest and Elsa drew Maren out of it and then sat her down in the grass. She sat as well, close enough that their hips were touching, and pointed. "Look at that bright star there. Do you remember the lessons I gave you about the planets?"

"Yeah." Maren smiled, casually sliding her arm around Elsa. She'd only heard about the planets in some of the old stories and from listening to Yelana talk about the stars and the sky. For so long that was the only exposure she and Ryder had to the night sky. The real night sky.

It was one of the reasons she'd always been so fascinated by the idea of the stars. "Yelana said they all had names, but we call them something different than the Arendellans do. So which one is that?"

"Venus," Elsa said, and the way she said the name sent a shiver down Maren's spine. "You don't often get a view of it this bright. Has to be the right time of year. And it's the right time of year. Oh, damn, I should have brought a telescope … Next time."

"Venus…" Maren leaned her head on Elsa's shoulder. The name was familiar from some of the books in Arendelle's library that Elsa had borrowed for her. "Isn't that some kind of goddess?"

"Mmhm. Roman goddess of love. Known as Aphrodite to the Greeks but you could probably trace her back even farther." Elsa seemed pleased to be able to share knowledge with Maren and Maren didn't really mind. "I like her Greek name better, but don't tell the Romans that."

Maren loved it when Elsa told her things about the rest of the world, or brought her those books. The world was so much bigger and so full of history than she'd ever thought possible. There was just so much of it and there were nights like this where her feet felt itchy and she missed the sway of a ship beneath her feet or the sight of mountains and trees she'd never seen before.

Wistfully, Maren asked, "Do you think we could visit Rome or Athens or Cairo. Any of those places. Some day, I mean."

"And here I was trying to be romantic, what with the goddess of love and everything." Elsa smiled at her, "But I'd like to if I'm not somehow tethered to Ahtohollan."

"We traveled pretty far," Maren pointed out.

"Athens and Cairo are much farther away," Elsa murmured. Her hand sought the solace of Maren's and Maren gladly took it.

"Do you want to know a secret, Elsa?"

Elsa turned to look at her, the last rays of the sun lighting her hair up with a golden halo. Her eyes shimmered like the sea and Honeymaren was hit with a sudden stabbing realization that she wanted to marry this woman and spend the rest of her life at Elsa's side.

"What sort of secret?"

Maren wet her lips and needed a few seconds to remember her words. When she spoke, her voice was soft and gentle, "I don't need a goddess to show me what love is. I have you."

Those shimmering eyes teared up and then Elsa was pushing her down into the grass, her laughter ringing like music across the meadow.