A/N - Part 2 of the last one. Went back and rewrote the middle of this one, so I'm desperately hoping that caused no inconsistencies haha

Enjoy!

She woke up. She was wrapped in a few blankets. There was a campfire about twenty feet from her; there were people roaming around. Someone saved her. Someone took her in. She moved her head, relieved to feel the pain was gone. It confused her, but she knew magic was an incredible thing. Hers was so limited compared to what was out there.

She sat up, keeping the blankets wrapped over her shoulders, concealing her entire frame. She looked around; her now-dry white hair falling freely over her shoulder. She noticed how clean it looked. She sat up more, pushing the blankets off her shoulders. In a fast instant, she quickly pulled them back up as she found herself nude. Oh gods… She was clean; someone had bathed her. But where was her dress?

She looked around. The people walked past her as if she didn't exist. They didn't look like her; they almost looked foreign. Not at all what she was used to seeing; their clothes were… interesting. A bit too revealing, even for her. But she needed help. She flagged down a young, approachable-looking woman. She smiled and walked over, kneeling in front of the queen. "Do you feel better?"

Elsa nodded. "Where are my clothes?" she asked quietly.

"They were too ratty," the woman replied. Her voice sounded sweet; she couldn't have been more than thirteen. "I can find you something new, if you like."

"Please. And… if I may," she began. With a nod to continue, she spoke; "how far am I from the Kingdom of Arendelle?"

She thought for a moment, then; "a bit," she said simply. "A lot, actually."

Elsa stared at her, then forced a smile. "Thanks. I'll wait here for the clothes?"

"Yep!" She got up and hurried off. "Be right back!"

She was confused. She didn't feel hungry anymore, either, which only added to her confusion. This place is weird. She zoned out for a brief moment, only to then be startled back into consciousness by an older woman snapping her fingers in her face.

"Welcome back," the woman said. "You look good. Do you feel good?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes. I thank whoever saved me. And I thank you for allowing me to stay here for the time being."

The woman smiled. "I found you," she revealed. "Took quite the tumble, didn't you?" She got a light laugh in response. "But you don't look like a mountain-girl," the woman pointed out. "So why were you out there alone?"

"I got lost," Elsa said. ""I'm trying to find my way home, but I don't know the woods."

"I see." The woman was approached by the one who went to fetch the clothes. She then handed them to Elsa and hurried off. The older woman stayed.

The monarch stared at her, sitting in an awkward silence. She was waiting for privacy, but it soon became abundantly clear that that wasn't an option. "How far is Arendelle?" she questioned, attempting to create a distraction as she lowered the blankets to dress herself.

"Quite far from here," the woman replied. "Across the sea. May be quicker if you go through the fjord, but it's a bit damaged. Hasn't quite healed from the destruction last year."

What? "Destruction?" she prompted.

The woman nodded. "The wave. After the dam was destroyed by the queen."

She had to stop. She was wearing enough to no longer care about modesty- what was being said was far more important, anyway. "What queen?"

The woman laughed a little. "I thought you said you were from Arendelle?"

Elsa felt horror in her soul. "I've been away for a while. I got lost going home. Arendelle has a new queen?"

"Yes," she said simply. "We've had a new queen for about… What has it been, maybe nine months now?"

Nine months? She didn't know what to say. How was that possible? Oh my god. Anna. "Princess Anna is queen now?"

The woman nodded. "And what a fine queen she is, although a sad one. She doesn't interact as much as people thought she would. Poor thing has been devastated."

"You-" She couldn't say that she was shocked that this woman didn't recognise her. "Okay. Whoa. Anna's queen." Of course. But then she became fearful again. Panicked, almost. Oh my god! I've been gone for nine months?! Anna's been alone for nine months?! "I have to get home!" she exclaimed, startling the woman. She grabbed her arms. "Please! You have to take me there! It's been so long!"

"Whoa, there," the woman grabbed Elsa's wrists and removed her grip. "I'm not taking you anywhere. You brought yourself out here, you can take yourself home. I may consider offering you a map, but you mustn't be so demanding."

It made her fume. Her sister was in danger, and this woman was denying her aid? She took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll accept a map, if you'd be so kind."

She nodded once, pulling a map out of her pocket. She held it up out of reach, "you must learn something about this world, little girl. You will not always receive what you think you deserve. You must acknowledge the selflessness around you. You must acknowledge the kindness. And you must learn your manners."

She refrained from rolling her eyes. She didn't come here for a lesson or a lecture. She only wanted to go home. "I am thankful for your kindness. I just need to get home to my family. Please."

"And not a simple thank you for saving your life," the woman said with disbelief.

Elsa stopped, took a mental step back, and sighed, disappointed with herself yet again. "I-" She hung her head in shame for a moment, brushed her hair back, and looked at the woman with sincerity. "I'm so sorry. And… I'm so thankful. Truly. I have much to learn of the world, I know. I apologise for any offence. I thank you for your kindness, and will ask for no more. I will repay you for the clothes and for your troubles as soon as possible."

The woman smiled lightly, satisfied. She held out the map. "Then you'd best hurry home."

Elsa accepted the map gratefully. The woman helped her to her feet and handed her a satchel full of supplies to get her home. "You'll need most of this, if not all. A compass, some food, some matches. Take care of yourself. And try not to fall off anymore cliffs. The next stranger may not be so kind."

She nodded, putting the bag over her shoulder. "I thank you again. Truly."

They'd parted casually, and then Elsa was on her way home, alone. She felt grateful that the cold didn't affect her. The loose t-shirt cut top and trousers weren't made of the warmest material. She'd walked alone for hours, following the riverbank that she'd thankfully stumbled across. The fresh air was nice; moving her legs felt better than ever. She'd been given a few snacks for the trip, mostly apples and bread; it was enough to tide her over. She was mostly grateful for the canteen of fresh water.

Her mind had cleared. Her anxieties were minimal now that she was alone; she was never really a people person. She preferred it this way. Alone. But she could always be alone with Anna. Anna wasn't intrusive, somehow. Especially when they sat together in peace. Chatting, braiding hair, sleeping- anything. Anna's company was pleasant, and it gave her peace.

Gods. I miss you. Her desire to see her sister again was her only real motivation. Even with the weight of the world on her shoulders, knowing that she only had a short amount of time to inform the new queen of what was coming, she felt at peace knowing that Anna was just around the corner. The thought of hugging that tiny woman made her feel safe, and she knew she'd feel even safer once in her arms again.

Luck didn't seem to be on her side. She knew the opposing spirits were going to do everything in their power to keep her from Anna, but she never expected she'd be facing off with death so often. The spirits of Ahtohallan were too weak to fight the opposers; they couldn't guide her anymore. They had to protect themselves.

But she felt powerless in the world. Those around her had so much more. What was she supposed to do?

She had to stop walking. The woman who had saved her from her fall, healed her and sent her on her way, was standing in front of her. There was about two dozen feet between them, but Elsa didn't need to get any closer to recognise the woman. It confused her; she knew she hadn't been followed, and the camp was hours away. How was the woman in front of her? It set off her spider-senses. She felt her magic rushed to her fingertips, ready to protect her. "Can I help you?"

The woman said nothing. She didn't move. She simply stared.

Elsa suddenly felt unsafe. She glanced around at her surroundings. She saw nothing at first, but then became hyper-aware of something that made her stomach flip. She was surrounded.

The people from the camp were hiding in the trees and bushes around her, watching her. She couldn't tell if they were armed, but that didn't matter. Their presence was enough to set her off. She looked back at the woman- who was gone. That was it. She had to run.

As fast as her legs would carry her, Elsa ran in the direction of where the woman was once standing. She followed the clearest path she could find and ran, leaving a few barriers of ice behind her as she went, hoping to block the path to save herself from being followed.

She looked over her shoulder for a brief moment. No one was there. When she turned back to look where she was running, she crashed into someone. They tried to grab her arms, but she fell backwards out of their grip. She scooted backwards on the ground, looking up at the man looming over her; his expression unreadable. "What do you want?" she asked, voice shaking.

She couldn't believe her eyes. Despite all she'd seen and faced in her life; despite all she herself was capable of, she had no response to what she'd witnessed. He turned to ash. Dissipated before her eyes and blew away in the wind. She stared, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, at where the man was once standing. Spirits.

She took the satchel off her shoulder and left it on the ground, stumbling to her feet as she got up and ran. Please. Not again!

Everywhere she looked, the woman seemed to be there. The same woman that had saved her. Saved her? Or used her? Tracked her. Copied her? Her mind was racing. Was her magic sampled? Maybe they knew all along who she was. And that woman…

She knew Anna.

Elsa sped up. She didn't know if it was a race to Arendelle, but that didn't matter. She had to get there before anyone else could. Destruction or not, they couldn't have moved the entire kingdom. She knew how to get home.

She stopped. Suddenly, against her will. She let out a yell in pain as her body fell forward; her feet stuck to the ground. She didn't fall completely; her legs kept her up. She tried to free herself, but was unsuccessful.

The woman said something, but Elsa couldn't quite hear it. The woman repeated. "Vær forsiktig."

She knew the words. Be careful. She went to reply, but the woman beat her to it, "Vær stille."

Be quiet. Elsa brought her hands up closer to her chest, fingers tense, ready for a fight.

She felt the magic rush from her core to her hands as she felt defensive. "Jeg kommer til å telle til fem," she warned, voice stern. She was willing to give the woman five seconds to back down. "Then we fight." Her last three words were quieter as she mentally prepared for a battle.

The woman only smiled. Not a pleasant, welcoming smile like the semi-passive-aggressive one she had before. This one was twisted; full of malice and cruel intentions. "Then we fight," she declared.

Elsa quickly armed herself, and in the split-second it took her to ready her magic, the woman had already blasted her with something. It sent her flying backwards a few feet, throwing her into the trunk of a tree. She fell hard, barely reacting. After being thrown around by the Nokk, she felt pretty resistant. She got up quickly, sending blasts of her own power at the woman- but the dark-haired figure disappeared before she could be hit.

Elsa wanted to run. Every fibre of her being was telling her to flee, but she couldn't. She knew they'd follow. She couldn't lead them to Arendelle. "What are you hiding from?!" she screamed. "I thought you wanted to fight!"

She circled a few times. Nothing. She turned to run, only managing two steps before she was hit again, this time knocked off her feet. She fell backwards landing hard on the ground. It froze beneath her.

"You will not win this," the woman said tauntingly.

She wasn't ready to back down. She got to her feet quickly, readying another blast, but was overpowered once again. The woman waved her arm, knocking Elsa back to the ground without touching her. "You cannot remain untouchable forever."

Elsa brushed her hair out of her face and turned back to the woman, but sunk in defeat when she found herself alone. Anna…

Combining her own historical knowledge and what she'd learned from the spirits of Ahtohallan with this woman and her followers, she was able to piece together clearly: these were the opposing spirits. She feared it was already too late. She had to get back to Anna. They had to finish this.

She got back to her feet and ran in the direction she was heading before. There was no time to waste. Her mind was lost again. The spirits had been keeping them apart; how long had they been doing this? Maybe she didn't have all the answers like she thought she did. Surely she had enough. And Anna had to have something, too. They could combine their knowledge. They'd figure it out. Together.

She slipped. She let out a relatively aggressive curse word as she fell down the slope, crashing into the river water below. She quickly got up, pulling herself to land, slamming her hand against the ground. What the fuck is wrong with you?! She'd never fallen so often in her life. She was too frazzled. Focus. Get home in one piece. She stayed lying on the ground for a while longer, catching her breath. She was tired. They were weighing her down.

Leave me alone! She shook her head in an attempt to wake herself up more. She got to her hands and knees and crawled halfway up the slope, turning and sitting facing the water. She twisted her hair, wringing out the water. She knew this spot. This part of the river. She used to come here with Anna all the time when they were little. It made her smile. I'll find you.

And then some good. Something unexpected. Perhaps just another lie, but it felt real enough. It gave her hope; peace. Joy. Relief. Overwhelming emotions. She couldn't physically react. It echoed in her head.

"ELSA!"

A/N - Hopefully it's obvious enough, but if not: if you look at Anna's "visions" in earlier chapters, you'll see that she was seeing things through Elsa's perspective... It all ties together in the end :')

Reviews:

Wolf heart 22 - It's definitely been longer than a few hours! Thank you for your support! xx

elenasmcanonico - She was dead, frozen in Ahtohallan. Her spirit had been trapped there until Anna was able to wake it up! Thank you for your support! xx

BlueBun - Wow! Thank you so much! That's so honouring! I'm so glad you like what I write :') Hopefully, it doesn't disappoint! Take care xx

Susan - Thank you! So much! You're too kind! Stay safe! xx

I cannot even put to words how over the moon your reviews on the last chapter made me feel. I'm just... so speechless. Thank you so much, truly, from the bottom of my heart, for your love and support and encouragement. I'm so glad you all like what I write. You have no idea. Tusen takkkkkkk!