When Elsa opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sunlight sparkling off the walls of her ice castle. Had everything that happened all been a dream? It would make sense, she had never seen the boy before in her entire life. In the first place, why would there even be a boy beneath the ice?
It wasn't until Elsa had gone a full round around her castle, and even fixed the spikes that she had unintentionally created when Hans' men stormed the place - odd, why did she remember fainting and waking up chained to the dungeons in the palace - that she realised she was floating. And that she didn't feel cold. At all. Sure, a side effect of her powers were that she had an enhanced tolerance to the cold, but she could still feel the chill. Things were not adding up.
She remembered Anna screaming at her to move, and the searing pain across her back as Hans' sword cut her open. Hadn't she frozen Anna's heart? Wasn't Anna supposed to be dead? In fact, wasn't she supposed to be dead? What was going on? Elsa had too many questions, and no answers to any of them. By this point, Elsa was certain that the scenes flashing in her head were, in fact, memories and not dreams. So what did this mean?
After a few more rounds of pacing, or rather floating, around her castle, Elsa came to the conclusion that the only ones that would likely have answers were the trolls. Steeling her resolve, she made her way down the mountain and towards the Valley of the Living Rock. However, when she reached the valley, the trolls remained as rocks, and did not uncurl themselves as they had when she had last visited as a child. For a moment, she thought she was at the wrong place, until a rock near the center shook and uncurled to reveal Grand Pabbie. Elsa sighed in relief and floated towards him, but frowned in confusion when he turned his head from side to side, as if he was avoiding looking at her. She floated directly into his line of sight when she realised that he wasn't looking at her, but through her. He couldn't see her! Panic started to rise in her chest when the elderly troll frowned and reached out a stubby arm, muttering a soft "Queen Elsa?" Elsa nearly hugged the troll in relief, but when she reached out her own arm to take his, she went right through his body. Her mouth dropped open and she screamed in a mixture of terror and shock, but Grand Pabbie made no move to acknowledge that he had heard her, and only frowned deeper.
"I hope this isn't my old age getting to me...but I sense the late Queen's magic."
Late? Elsa thought. So she had indeed died.
"If I am right, Queen Elsa, I believe you are here. I can feel your magic, but I can neither see, nor hear you. I'm not sure what is going on, and I'm afraid that if you are here for answers, I cannot give them to you. My Queen, I am sorry."
Elsa didn't know if she wanted to cry or scream in frustration. Instead, she bowed to Grand Pabbie. Even if he couldn't see her, he had sensed her presence and answered at least one of her questions.
As if he could feel her gratitude, Grand Pabbie smiled.
"My Queen, your sister is doing well, and she has redeemed your story. The kingdom is in good hands. You should visit her."
Anna was alive! Although she knew Grand Pabbie wouldn't hear her, she let out a 'thank you', before turning away and heading towards Arendelle.
The first thing Elsa noticed when she floated through the gates was that Arendelle was still frozen. The second thing Elsa noticed was that while Arendelle was still frozen, it was beautiful. The sun was starting to set, and the light reflected off the snow capped house. As the sun went below the horizon, the street lamps turned on, casting the entire city in an almost ethereal glow.
Initially, Elsa feared people would see her and wonder why their dead queen was back, but she realised if Grand Pabbie couldn't see her, it was unlikely that people would. As she floated through the city, a sense of pride swelled up in her chest as she observed vendors closing up for the day, a satisfied smile on their faces. Elsa had thought that freezing over her country had set them up for doom, but it seemed as though everyone was doing well. Children waved goodbye to their friends, and families welcomed each other home with a warm smile. Her countrymen were happy.
Heading towards the palace, Elsa passed by the plaza where the fountain she had frozen over before she escaped was. Instead of terrifying spikes, there was an ice sculpture...of Olaf? He was much bigger than her, and was on one leg, his arms outstretched and a happy smile on his face. But what confused Elsa was the tiny ice snowflakes placed to seem as if they were swirling around him, much like actual snowflakes had when she first created him. It was as if it was a tribute to her powers. Immediately, Elsa shook the thought out of her mind. There was no way they would pay tribute to someone that had frozen the country over. Maybe dying did things to a person's brain. It was just a coincidence.
Approaching the palace, Elsa paused at the gates. What was she doing here? Grand Pabbie had said Anna was doing well...but what if he had been wrong? She didn't think Arendelle could handle another emotional snowstorm. This was a bad idea. Just as she had turned around to return to the mountains and think of what her next course of action would be, she heard her sister's voice.
"Elsa! You're back!"
Elsa whipped around. Could Anna...see her? As Elsa froze in disbelief, another, much younger, voice rang out.
"Mommy! I'm home!"
A small child, barely reaching her hip, ran through Elsa and towards Anna, jumping into her arms. Anna planted a small kiss on the child's head, before she stood up, holding the child's hand and walking back into the palace. From this angle, Elsa could see that the child looked almost exactly like Anna had when they were younger. She had the same turquoise-blue and radiated youthful innocence. Her hair was braided in the same twin braids Anna always wore when she was younger. However, the child had golden blonde hair instead of Anna's strawberry blonde.
This is Anna's daughter, Elsa realised with a start. Why did she name her child after Elsa? And how much time had passed since she died? Judging by the age of the child, it had to be at least 10 years. Turning her gaze towards her sister, Elsa took in Anna's appearance. Her sister had definitely aged, her face having lost most of its baby fat and taking on a more angular, mature look. Her eyes no longer held the same brightness it had when they were kids, but still shone with kindness and love. Her hair was twisted into the royal bun, the crown nestled comfortably behind the braid. Anna was Queen.
I wonder who her husband is. Before Elsa could stop herself, she had followed her sister and niece into the palace.
Floating behind them, Elsa took in the interior. It had remained mostly the same, yet there was a noticeable change. Despite it being nightfall, the place was still bright, the windows thrown open. The buzz of servants going about their jobs floated in the air. The place felt alive.
The duo turned into a room, and Elsa followed behind. Inside was a fireplace, and a huge man sat behind the desk. Upon their entrance, he stood up and knelt down, the child having let go of Anna's hand and running towards him. He picked her up in a bear hug and spun her around with ease, the child giggling in glee. Anna joined them and kissed him on the cheek.
This must be the King consort.
Elsa vaguely recognised him as the man who had followed Anna up to her ice castle. Frankly, she was just glad it wasn't that blasted Hans. She had never had a good feeling about him, and especially not when Anna had wanted to marry him within 5 minutes of their meeting. Not to mention, he was also the one that killed her. So there was that.
"Mommy, can you tell me the story of Queen Elsa again?"
Elsa had planned to leave upon seeing Anna's husband, but she had to stay around for this. Grand Pabbie had said that Anna had redeemed her story, and Elsa was curious to find out what he had meant. The family nestled comfortably in front of the fireplace (and was that a reindeer that had joined them?), Elsa seating herself opposite them. It wasn't like they could see her anyway.
Anna cleared her throat in an overly dramatic manner, and Elsa couldn't help but let out a snort. Her sister may have aged, but it seemed her dramatic flair for things hadn't changed.
"When we were kids, your aunt and I were super close. Nothing could pull us apart. And my sister was special. She had powers of ice and snow. At night, when everyone was sleeping, we would sneak into an empty room and she would cover the entire place in snow, and we would spend the entire night playing in it."
As Anna recounted their childhood adventures, Elsa couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes. She had thought that Anna had forgotten about them, especially the magical aspects.
"But one day, an accident happened. It wasn't her fault, but our parents refused to let me see her again. You know, I love your grandparents, but I could never forgive them for taking away the person I loved the most away from me. More than anything, I couldn't forgive them for making her so fearful of herself. Her powers were beautiful, but they made her think it made her dangerous.
"When they died, my sister locked herself in her room. I only figured out years later that she blamed herself for their death, but she couldn't have been more wrong. Their deaths had nothing to do with her. After that, I never saw her except for occasional glimpses I would catch when she was out of her room.
"But you know, even though she was in her room most of the time, my sister was an amazing person. Even before she was officially coronated as Queen, she was already running the country after the death of our parents. Because of her, the country didn't fall to ruin. And because she took up the responsibility, I could play around even though I couldn't see her. She gave up her childhood for mine.
"But on the day of her coronation, I...pushed her too far. I was upset she wouldn't approve of the guy I wanted to marry back then, and I lashed out at her. She was right though, he was a terrible person, but I wouldn't find out until much later. I shouted at her, and she released her powers. I had forgotten about them, and retracted in fear, but I should have reached out. She had been alone for so long, and had been so scared of herself, and I only made her fear herself more. She ran away to the mountains after that."
Oh Anna..it wasn't your fault.
"Actually, it was thanks to her that I met your father. I had set off to find her, and met him along the way. The journey was truly a magical experience. We met talking trolls, a supersized snowman called Marshmallow, and Olaf - the snowman I built with my sister when we were kids. Her powers were so amazing, and she was so powerful, that Olaf had come to life. It was like a dream. Unfortunately, he melted away when she passed, but I will always remember what he told me - some things are worth melting for.
"I truly saw the beauty of her powers when I found her. My dear snowflake, I wish you could have seen the castle she had built from scratch with just her powers. I don't know how to get there anymore, but it was ethereal. The way the sunlight reflected off the ice. And my sister - when she emerged from behind the wall inside. I had always known she was beautiful, but when I saw her, my breath was taken away. She was glowing.
"I tried to convince her to return, but I couldn't and pushed her too far again. I'll tell you the details when you grow older, but your father brought me back to the castle when I was on the verge of freezing. The trolls had told us that only true love would be able to save me, and back then, I had thought that my true love had been Prince Hans, but I was so wrong. He had left me to freeze to death.
"From the palace window, I saw my sister on the frozen fjord, and Hans approaching her with a sword in his hand. Later on, I found out that he had captured her and she had escaped, but when he told her I had died because of her - which was a lie because I am still very much alive - she had broken down. I tried to warn her, but couldn't make it in time.
"Your father eventually saved me, but I couldn't save my sister. If I had just been a little faster...if I hadn't pushed her so far...maybe she would still be here today.
"My little snowflake, I named you after my late sister because I know that you will grow up to be an amazing queen just like she was. But unlike her, I don't want you to be scared of yourself. I want you to be proud of who you are. And while I couldn't protect my sister, I will do everything to protect you. You are worth melting for."
By this point, Elsa had tears running down her face. She never knew her sister had loved her so much, or blamed herself for her death. All Elsa wanted to do was to reach out and wrap Anna in a hug, but her body would just go straight through. Thankfully, Anna still had her family.
Anna's shoulders were shaking with silent sobs, and her husband was rubbing soothing circles on her back, young Elsa wiping away her mother's tears with her sleeves, her own eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"I'm sorry...I don't know why I'm so emotional today. I know I probably sound crazy, but I feel like my sister is here with us. She may have left the country in an eternal winter, but it has actually brought Arendelle so much good. So many tourists are willing to come here because winter here holds a beauty like no other, and our trade is doing so well. I just wish she was here to see how her country has prospered. I can only hope she has forgiven me, and is doing well in the other life."
Oh Anna, I am right here. And there is nothing to forgive. It was never your fault.
So this was what Grand Pabbie had meant when he said Anna had redeemed her story. Her sister had made it such that the world would not see her as an evil witch that froze her country and left it for doom, but a revered queen that had brought prosperity.
Deciding that she had heard enough, and not wanting to intrude on her sister's family, Elsa stood up and made her way to the door. However, just before she left, she turned around and whispered a soft 'I love you, sis', and created a small snowflake to float towards the family. As Elsa floated past the door, she heard Anna gasp in surprise, and knew her message had been delivered.
That wasn't the last visit Elsa made to Arendelle. Ironically, her death made her less fearful of her powers, and she often made her way down the mountain to simply observe her people. On special occasions like Christmas or the Spring Festival, which just so happened to coincide with her sister's birthday, Elsa would make sure the ice was extra firm so people could skate with ease of mind, and cast a soft snowfall to make the city extra pretty.
Elsa also learnt that she wasn't completely invisible - she could make small snowflakes that were visible to those she intended it for. She would go around as often as possible, watching out for people who felt alone and found it difficult to believe in themselves, and would cast a mini, personal snowshow for them. While they couldn't see her, they could see her magic, and it was enough to bring them hope and make them feel less alone. As the years passed, Elsa once again became known as the Snow Queen, this time, as a spirit that would visit those who had lost hope and bring it back to them.
A few years after her reawakening, Elsa had heard a voice calling out to her. For a moment, she thought she had lost her mind, but could the dead even go crazy? Deciding she had nothing to lose, Elsa followed the voice, which brought her to Atohallen. There, she discovered she was the fifth spirit, and made friends with the other four, especially with the wind spirit, who she named Gale. They had comforted her when Anna passed peacefully in her sleep, well past her prime. That day, Arendelle mourned the loss of another queen, and for the first time since Elsa's coronation, another blizzard blew through the city.
Several decades after Anna's death, Elsa finally accepted that, all things considered, she was likely immortal. Fifth spirit aside, she had already watched the coronation of young Elsa's (who was not that young anymore, but time had lost any meaning to Elsa) grandchildren and her niece's own passing, and would likely watch their grandchildren, and their grandchildren's grandchildren, grow up and pass as well. Not to mention, Elsa had already died once. She had long stopped wondering why she was brought back, and resolved to spend her time as the Snow Queen, bringing hope back to those who needed it.
Yet, she couldn't forget the boy beneath the ice, the memory as clear as ice that made up her castle. Elsa had reasoned that if there indeed had been a boy, he would likely already have died, if not from drowning, then from old age. Even then, she couldn't shake the feeling of her soul being tethered to another's. She had gone to Atohallen and remained there for days, hoping to find answers, but returned with nothing. Elsa had even left Arendelle for a few years to find the boy, or even a clue about him, but search as she might, she couldn't find anything on him.
It wouldn't be until several centuries later, when Elsa felt a disturbance in her own powers. Immediately, she went down to the royal palace of Arendelle, which had changed much since her own time as queen. Letting her powers guide her, Elsa ended up in what used to be her childhood bedroom. There, nestled comfortably in the arms of the current queen, lay a baby girl. Her chubby hand clutched one of the Crown Prince's fingers, a young boy who had golden hair much like her sister's husband. However, the baby girl had platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, not unlike Elsa's own. Elsa had been present for the birth of all the royal children, and this was the first one that resembled her. Elsa knew for sure when the baby girl let out a bright giggle and tiny snowflakes surrounded her. The baby had Elsa's powers.
Instinctively, Elsa knew that her powers were being transferred. She floated over to the baby princess and cast a small snowflake, blessing her as she had all the other royal children. However, unlike the rest, the princess caught her eye and let out another giggle, her other hand reaching out to attempt to grasp at Elsa, more snowflakes falling around her. Elsa smiled and cast another snowflake. She could only hope that unlike her, this princess wouldn't fear her powers.
With her powers slowly slipping away from her, Elsa's magic began to fade as well. Arendelle finally began to thaw. Later, this day would come to be known as The Great Thaw, the day where the second princess in several hundred years was born with powers of ice, bringing the country into another age of prosperity. However, for now, Elsa could feel that with her losing her powers, her time was finally coming to an end. She did not know what to feel, after all, she hadn't expected this day to come at all.
Returning to her ice castle, which was also beginning to melt, Elsa reflected on her life, both as a mortal, and as a spirit. She had long since come to terms with her regrets, and had fully accepted and even appreciated her powers. The only regret she had left was never finding the boy she saw trapped beneath the ice. She knew he was out there somewhere, she could feel it in her very being, but search as she might, she could find no trace of him.
Gale swirled around her, blowing her unbound hair into a mess. Elsa let out a laugh.
"I'll miss you too. Help me tell the rest I'll miss them as well, won't you?"
Just as she felt the last traces of her powers leaving her, she saw a figure land on the balcony of her melting castle. Immediately, she knew it was the boy she had been looking for all this time. Mustering all the strength that remained in her body, she rushed to the balcony, just as he threw open the doors and rushed in. Apart from the snow white hair and blue eyes, he looked exactly the same as she had remembered him in her dreams. Now that she saw him up close, she could finally see how handsome he really was. He wore a blue hoodie that had details of snowflakes around the shoulders and skinny brown trousers, showing off his slim but muscular figure. He was barefoot, and held a shepherd crook in one hand.
Never before had Elsa wanted more time. Why did he have to appear just as she was about to fade away! Couldn't he have come earlier, when she had had years left? Elsa could feel it, there were mere seconds left before she would completely fade away. Yet somehow she knew, just as she had when she first saw him through the frost, that this would once again not be the last time she would see him. They would find each other again someday.
Just before her body faded into millions of tiny snowflakes, she smiled brightly at him.
"Hello."
A/N: So...I initially intended for this story to be a short, angsty one-shot. But then I got hit with inspiration and here we are. The next chapter will be on Jack, but it probably won't be as long since y'know...Jack actually did die in the movies. I wasn't going to make Elsa's chapter so long initially, but as I was writing I really wanted to put in Anna's perspective of Elsa's death, as well as Elsa's take on becoming a spirit. Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!