A/N - The next few chapters are very complicated. Like... I got a bit of a headache writing them; trying to piece everything together and make sure it all lines up. I realise only now that that may make the reading experience...difficult? Hopefully it's still enjoyable :')

If the world was ending, you'd come over… right?

It had been a while since she'd woken up in peace. She'd slept peacefully with Kristoff lately, but had still been plagued with night terrors. This was the first night that she could remember not dreaming. She slept soundly, and woke up feeling good.

She was lying almost entirely on Elsa; her head resting on her mildly bony chest. It was only slightly uncomfortable, but the sound of her heartbeat made up for it. Her aqua eyes slowly fluttered open, lazily trying to focus on the window ahead of her. She narrowed her eyes, confused to see the shape of a person in the light. Was she dreaming? Maybe she should stay for five more minutes.

"My Anna."

In an instant, Anna shot up; the word, "mama!" escaping her lungs. It startled Elsa awake; she too sat up quickly, grabbing Anna with concern; "are you okay?! What happened?!"

Elsa followed her sisters' glance to the window. She didn't believe her own eyes. "A spirit?" her voice was barely a whisper. Then she was able to make out the figure. A hand shot over her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. Oh my god.

"I saw you!" Anna exclaimed. "In Ahtohallan! I know it was you!"

Elsa wrapped her arms around the younger woman and held her close. She'd seen her there, too, but this felt different. How was she here? And why?

"My sweet Anna." She opened her arms, offering a hug.

As much as Anna struggled to run to her, Elsa held her close. "Mama!"

"Maybe we should go," Elsa suggested. She was able to get out of bed, keeping her arms wrapped tight around that struggling body. "Come on, sweetie. Let's go," she urged gently, trying to get Anna to walk with her.

"Wait! You're supposed to tell us!" she said quickly, voice raised. "What am I supposed to do?! Eira wouldn't tell me!"

"Anna, please come with me," Elsa begged.

"Come here, my littlest love."

Elsa was about ready to pick Anna up and physically drag her out of the room, but then she stopped struggling. They stood still; Elsa not releasing her grip. She didn't let her guard down. But Anna had calmed. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Now is not the time, nor the place."

Elsa couldn't believe it. She felt disassociated from reality. This couldn't be real. Anna was long-since used to this now, but she was frustrated. "Tell me!"

After a beat, the woman stepped closer, revealing herself. Iduna. She looked at them with warmth in her eyes. "My loves."

"Gods, mom, please," Anna urged. "Eira said there wasn't much time."

"I'm afraid she speaks the truth," she said softly, gently folding her hands in front of her. She was wearing that white flowy gown again; hair falling loose over her shoulders. "I tried to locate my books from the past. I wanted to leave the answers for you, but I'm afraid things haven't gone according to plan."

"Is something coming?" Anna questioned; Elsa still firmly at her side.

"You've been frightened," Iduna said sadly. "You are all right.

"But the spirits are still unhappy," she reminded her. "Eira told me that the world is…" she trailed, thoughts rushing around in her mind. "Is Eira against us? Did I trust the wrong one again?"

Iduna shook her head. "No, my darling. Eira is an old friend of mine. Someone I should've listened to long ago. Perhaps if I had, you wouldn't be in this alone."

"What did she want you to do?" Elsa questioned quietly; a bit suspicious of the situation.

"When I was very young, I was told by a spirit by the river that I had been chosen to guide them; to care for them," she explained. "She told me that I was pure. For it, I was given access to special abilities. As a young child, I did not truly understand these abilities. I took advantage of it. I was unaware of the gift I was given." She trailed a bit, but managed to get back on track without the daughters noticing. "I was told many years ago about what would happen if I chose to keep the two of you apart. I made the wrong decision."

"You knew of our futures?" Anna questioned; eyes widening. "You knew what would become of our family?" She sounded hurt. Her heart tightened. Another betrayal.

Elsa noticed her sisters' change in behaviour, and squeezed her a little tighter. She looked at her mother, desperate for good news. "But you overall did the right thing for us, right? And are here to tell us that everything is okay?"

Iduna seemed to let out a silent, heavy breath. She seemed disappointed. "There was an opportunity that I stole," she admitted, shifting her glance over to Anna in particular. "Although Eira explained the consequences to me, I still feared the worst. I wanted to give you both a chance to be normal. To live normal lives. And I'm afraid the results were the exact opposite."

"Normal how?" Elsa questioned hesitantly.

Her expression showed pain. Her words came weakly. "I wanted you both to be separated from any and all magic."

Anna's gaze fell as her brows furrowed. The words confused her. Elsa didn't need to think about it. She knew. She knew without knowing. Her grip slipped and she staggered backwards slightly, struggling to keep her eyes on her mother. "You were…"

Iduna took half a step forward, hands instinctively reaching out, but Elsa held her hand up in defence. That's when Anna noticed the change of feel in the room. Then, Elsa's voice came coldly; tone deep; "you were going to take my magic from me."

Anna's eyes widened as if she silently gasped; her head shot up towards her mother. "What?"

"We wanted to do what was best for you both," Iduna urged desperately, trying to keep her tone neutral and loving. "We believed you'd both be better if you forgot it had ever happened."

"As if taking her memories really did us any good," Elsa nearly sneered. "You thought taking mine too would solve all of our problems?"

Anna held her hand up to calm her sister; "let's breathe."

"No," Elsa shoved her hand away, not breaking the stare. "That's why you were really going to Ahtohallan? To strip me of my power?"

Iduna went to speak, but stopped herself, and instead nodded her head. Anna was surprised for only a moment before the feeling dissipated. She wasn't sure why she'd expect anything else. She felt worried for Elsa. At the same time, she became aware of how unhappy she was with this new dynamic. She'd always dreamed of the four of them being together again; three of four were here. That had to be enough, right?

It wasn't. In fact, she hated it. She felt unsafe. She could feel the anger rising in her again. She was about ready for a fight. It surprised her; how quickly her feelings grew and changed within her. Had she always been like this?

"Bad decisions were made," Iduna replied quietly. "We see that now, although it is truly too late. However, the spirits stole us to spare you."

That last sentence changed their moods in an instant. Both relaxed. Iduna continued; "They decided simultaneously that I was no longer pure enough to be chosen, as I was acting against magic. They wanted to give the opportunity to Anna instead."

"The opportunity to do what?" Anna questioned.

"To please the spirits," she answered. "They were upset before, and now that they feel betrayed-"

"Elsa is directly linked to Ahtohallan, and you were going to have those spirits take her abilities," Anna figured. "Which acted as a betrayal against the trust they had in you?"

She nodded. "They chose a mortal, and I failed them."

"Then why would they then trust your daughter?"

"It was by sheer chance," she explained. "They believed you had no dark side. That you'd always be true. Now we fear there is a darkness inside of you; something caused originally by myself and the decisions I made when you were young. It has been fueled over the years, and you've hit a low within the past year."

"But pain is not darkness," Anna replied. "I mean, I'm not… evil. I'm just depressed."

"A feeling you should never have felt."

Anna narrowed her eyes slightly. "I've been depressed for nearly my entire life. Both of us have," she gestured between herself and Elsa. "We needed each other. We needed all of us to be together, more than anything. We needed trust and guidance; not fear."

"My sweet Anna, I understand your frustration," she replied quickly; softly.

The queen shook her head. "No, I don't think you do." A brief moment passed, then; "Eira said there were bad spirits attacking the spirits of Ahtohallan. Are you saying the opposite?" She needed to clear things up a bit for herself. Elsa had shut down and was keeping quietly to herself.

"No, that is correct," Iduna confirmed. "And bad things will happen to history if the Ahtohallan spirits are attacked, or destroyed. Most importantly… bad things will happen to Elsa."

"It would destroy her magic."

The words Iduna had in response shocked them both. "Which would kill her."

A wave of panic rushed through Elsa's being. "You were going to kill me?!"

"No!" Iduna quickly said, reaching out to her again. "Gods, no! We had no idea! We had no idea at the time what the consequences were. It's exactly why the spirits protected you! They knew what we didn't."

The sisters joined hands, staying close. Elsa kept her other hand pressed over her heart. She didn't know what to think anymore. She'd always been close with her mother. To hear these things… It was difficult to process. She was trying to be understanding.

Anna didn't seem so forgiving. She needed more information first. "How do I stop them from destroying Ahtohallan?"

"Eira told me that you may be able to reason with them," Iduna replied; the desperate tone not leaving her voice. "She said Astrid would be able to lead you there. There is no purer soul than that of a child."

"You've spoken to her recently?" Anna asked, perplexed. Astrid was only seven, if she recalled correctly.

But Iduna shook her head. "No. It's been many years. Astrid was her daughter. She told me tales about the past and future. Our connected histories, and the motivations behind the spirits. She was a lovely child."

The sisters exchanged a look. Anna turned her attention back to her mother; "But… Astrid is downstairs with Eira and Kristoff right now. She's only seven or so…"

Iduna also seemed confused. "That cannot be."

Anna didn't hesitate to flee the room; she left so quickly; Elsa could barely process it. Within a moment, the older woman followed as the mother watched them go. The queen flew down the stairs and into the library where her fiancé said they'd be. She burst through the doors, catching everyone's attention. "Kristoff!" Her voice was stern, attempting to conceal the panic. She smiled awkwardly then gestured for her lover to approach. "We need you upstairs please. Now."

Eira and Kristoff exchanged a look and a light laugh. He shrugged and stood, "guess we'll be right back, then," and made his way out of the room. Anna closed the door behind them and quickly led him back to the stairs. He stopped her before they started climbing.

"Did something happen with Elsa?" he questioned, pulling her back. "You're okay?"

She nodded. Then exclaimed, "No!" She grabbed his arms and pulled him down to her level, "it's Eira. I think she's a spirit, too!" her voice was a bit panicked, but she kept it a whisper.

He gave her a look of uncertainty. "She helped us."

"My mother knew Eira many years ago, and even then, she had Astrid. The child hasn't aged in, like, ten years!" she explained quickly. "Oh, and, get this!" she pulled him closer; "Eira had told me she lost everything. What if she literally lost everything?! Her life?"

He furrowed his brows. "Okay but even if she is a spirit, why wouldn't we trust her? She's gotta be on our side with all she's done for us. Especially if she helped your mother, too."

She froze. He was right. She was panicked for nothing. There was no reason to not trust her. She relaxed, standing straighter, letting him go. "You're right."

"Anna."

The couple turned and looked up the stairs. Elsa was at the top, arms crossed uncomfortably. "Mother needs to talk to you still."

Kristoff's eyes widened slightly. He took hold of Anna's arm; "your mother is upstairs?"

She nodded. "She woke me up."

"She said she can tell you where to start," Elsa added. "Astrid will guide you there, if needed. It's where they first met."

Anna ran her hand through her hair. Her fingers got caught on a few tangles. She'd never found that hair brush. She sighed, putting her face in her hands. Fy faen. She nodded, took a breath, and started up the stairs, quickly combing out her locks with her fingers. Kristoff helped a bit from behind as they moved.

"Do you want me to stay here and handle your duties?" Elsa offered, walking alongside them. "I can talk to the General about maybe putting a few things on pause for the time being. I'm sure everyone would understand, given the circumstances."

Anna nodded, then quickly shook her head. "Uh… Elsa," she stopped and turned to her sister, unsure of how to share the news. "A lot has happened since you left," she explained quietly. "There was an illness that came through the kingdom a little while back, and… General Mattias is…" she trailed slightly, but Elsa got the idea.

She staggered every so slightly, putting her hand to her heart. She didn't know him; she'd never worked with him. She'd never had the chance. And still, the thought of a life being lost made her heart flutter. "I'm so sorry." She knew her sister had connections. She'd worried about others. "What about Kai and Gerda?" Did she really want to know?

She was sad to say. "They live in the city now. I relieved them of their duties not long after beginning my reign. I cut the staff nearly in half. I couldn't bear to see familiar faces. I needed a fresh start."

She understood, and was thankful to hear they were alive. The couple had taken care of her over the years; she had a close connection to both of them. "I see. Well, perhaps we'll have to invite them back in the future." They started walking again. "In the meantime, allow me to take care of things for you here. Give you one less thing to worry about."

Anna winced slightly. She didn't say what came to her mind; all the times Elsa had nearly destroyed the kingdom. But that was years ago. She was better now. "Thank you."

Elsa stopped her again, turning her so they faced each other. "Anna."

"Elsa?"

"I promise," she gave her a squeeze, "I will not let you down again."

Anna smiled a bit. "I'm trying very hard to believe you," she said simply. "This is a chance. I'll trust you with this. Be well."

She nodded. "Tusen hjertelig takk, Anna."

A brief moment passed before Anna pulled her into a hug. She returned it, and they stayed there a moment. "Jeg er glad i deg, Elsa."

She smiled, tightening her grip. "Glad i deg og."

A/N - The Norwegian lesson of the day that nobody asked for: "Jeg glad er deg" is a platonic "I love you" in Norwegian, reserved for friends and family. "Tusen hjertelig takk" means "a thousand heart-filled thanks." It doesn't translate directly very well, but the meaning is the same. And I'm sure you've noticed Anna say "Fy faen" a few times; it pretty much directly translates to "holy/oh f*ck."

I have been language-cramming like mad; hense the bad English. I'm so sorry for any typos or grammar errors. English is an impossible language to learn :')

Thank you for all your love and support; patience and understanding. I'm faced with a very dangerous and difficult living situation and it has been taking its toll on me lately, but I'll surely get out of this soon. It's been a bit too hot to be able to focus lately, but I'm still a few chapters ahead and will try to post more regularly :)

Reviews:

Wolf heart 22 - I'm glad you're liking it! I'm hoping to dig further into their relationship in a few later chapters, once the climax dies down a bit.

elenasmcanonico - Thank you! I appreciate your words a lot. Writing their relationship is very interesting, and I'm excited to delve further into it later on. And thank you for your personal care; I appreciate it greatly. All will be well in time. Tusen takk for your endless support! xx

Susan - Thank you for another caring review! I'm currently aiming for about 35-40 chapters, though those numbers are of course subject to change... And thank you for the care; it means a lot! xx

kvte - Words heal the most xx Thank you for your review!

BadEnglishSpeaker - Not cruel at all! I think it's important for feelings to be aired freely. Eventually, people get to a point where they no longer care about the other person's feelings, as they need to take care of themselves, and Anna has touched down on that point. Thankfully, Elsa is able to see and hear her! I'm glad you're enjoying what I'm writing! And thank you for your care, as well. The love is so overwhelming. xx

Thank you, friends. Take care xx