A/N: Hey folks, got a short but important chapter up for you all. I like reading all of your reviews and predictions about what's coming up. Please keep them coming!

As for updates over the next month, they may be a bit haphazard, only because I'm in my last month of college and everything is chaos... *cries in work*. I have stuff written though, so I hope to continue updating. Writing feeds my soul just as much as I hope reading my work feeds yours.

Chapter 3

Saturday afternoon (Valley of the Living Rock)

Anna could feel her heart pounding in her throat as Grand Pabbie's words rang in her head. Three days to find help or I lose Elsa.

Deep down, it felt to the princess that she'd stumbled upon more questions than answers, but the only one that mattered in that moment was –

"Who do we need to find?"

Grand Pabbie raised a hand, a fog of mist swirling before them to reveal the silhouette of a tall, wispy man poring through a book. "The one you go to seek is known to many people by many names. But in this land, he calls himself Alvar. He is a skilled man, renowned across the lands for his work with magic. He will have the answers you seek."

"Alvar, Black Mountains, okay, got it. Thanks, Grand Pabbie." Anna jumped up to leave but was stopped by Kristoff, who turned back to the old troll with a knowing look on his face.

"Something tells me you're not done yet."

The old troll broke into a small smile. "You are learning, my blonde grandson. Yes, there is more." He sighed and admitted, "Alvar will not be willing to help."

"What?! Why not?" Anna growled impatiently.

Grand Pabbie returned a sad smile, "He had faced many trials in life, princess. And sometimes when those trials become too much to bear, people tend to lose faith in themselves and retreat away from this world…"

He turned to the mist once again, "Such is the case of Alvar. In order for Elsa to be saved, you must convince him to resume his purpose once more."

Anna normally cherished such challenges, but far too much was at stake here for her to enjoy this particular one.

And yet, if this was how she could save Elsa…

"I'll talk to him. I'll get him to help." She turned to the old troll, "Is there anything else we should know?"

The troll produced a scrap of paper and handed it to the princess. "When you reach the Black Mountains, you can use this map to find what you seek." He turned to Kristoff, "You two should be on your way. Time is scarce and Alvar is a rather stubborn individual."

Anna managed a small smirk at his words. "Well, he hasn't met me yet."

Kristoff chuckled softly, as did the others. "We'll get going. Thanks, Grand Pabbie." He rose to turn back, but Anna lingered, throwing her arms around the old troll.

"I can't thank you enough, Grand Pabbie. I know you're busy…"

The old troll smiled at the princess' simple gesture. "What I do, I do with pleasure." He clasped Anna's hand, "Have faith, Anna. I believe you will be successful in your journey, but you must also believe in yourself."

Anna swallowed the unconscious fears that Grand Pabbie had voiced aloud and nodded in response. Whether she believed in herself or not, she had to save Elsa…

And that meant finding this Alvar and giving him a dose of much-needed therapy.

When Anna returned to the edge of the valley, she was greeted by a frantically pacing Sorenson and an equally wary Sergeant Geir.

"Were the trolls able to help, princess?" Geir asked as they entered the clearing.

Anna's gaze drifted to Elsa, who still slept in the sled. "No, but they did tell us who could. We'll need to head to the Black Mountains."

The way they looked, the princess would have thought she'd told them she was jumping off a cliff into the mouth of a waiting shark.

An undecipherable expression emerged on Sorenson's face. "Ma'am, if I may interject, the mountains are treacherous and difficult to navigate on horseback, let alone a sled. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Anna felt her confidence waver. She had never been to the Black Mountains before and had no idea if his point was valid, but she pressed her case nonetheless. "Time's running out and if this Alvar can help Elsa, it'd be better if we take her with us."

She missed the small flinch Sorenson made at those words as Kristoff piped in. "Unfortunately, he's right, Anna. We can't take the sled with us. We won't be able to move fast enough with it."

Those weren't the words she'd expected to hear from her boyfriend. "But if we take her..."

He sighed, "I know what you mean, but we can't navigate the sled through the dense forest. And the mountain is full of wild animals. We can't guarantee her safety, Anna. There's too many ways for this to go wrong."

Anna turned to look at Elsa, her heart sinking at the thought of separating from her sister, especially now. As much as she wanted to object, Kristoff did know his way around these mountains.

She took a deep breath and composed herself before addressing her guards. "Geir, please take my sister back to Arendelle."

The man nodded, "As you wish, ma'am."

The chamberlain's assistant cut in, "And what should I tell Kai, my lady?"

The question gave Anna pause. She had told Kai she'd be back soon enough to fulfill her duties as princess regent, and yet, here she was, getting ready to leave the kingdom for two more days.

Truthfully, it was a disaster waiting to happen, especially with the powerful enemies they had made since the Thaw. But what choice did she have?

As she often did in such moments, Anna found herself wondering what Elsa would do in her place.

Her sister, consummate monarch that she was, would demand that Anna care for the kingdom first, her own life be damned. But if the roles were reversed and Elsa were the one trying to save Anna's life, would her sister do any differently?

She managed a smirk. Of course not.

Anna straightened up as she replied, "I'm heading to the Black Mountains to find help for my sister. Tell Kai we'll be back in two days with an answer to Elsa's plight."

Sorenson didn't seem pleased. "My lady, the kingdom-"

"Is in capable hands, Sorenson." Anna's tone left no room for negotiation. "I'll be back in two days. Can I trust you to handle things until my return?"

She could see the conflict in his eyes as he struggled with the words he'd been prepped to say, but finally, he hung his head. "Yes, Your Highness. We'll take care of the kingdom until you return."

Content with his response, Anna clambered onto the sled and pulled Elsa into her lap, a lump in her throat as she studied her sister for perhaps the last time.

No, not the last time. She remedied. J-just for now.

In the half hour she'd been away, the queen's complexion had turned grayer still, almost resembling the color of ash from a night's worth of firewood. Her breathing was raspier, and barely audible above the chirping of the birds and the soft babbling of a nearby brook.

Anna brushed a gentle hand across Elsa's feverishly warm cheek, swallowing painfully at the unnerving sight.

"Three sunsets before the magic saps her of all her energy."

Her breath hitched at the reminder of what little time they had left. She focused instead on the comforting feeling of Elsa's soft skin on her fingertips.

"I'll be back in two days, Elsie."

Cutting a bit close, aren't we? What if something goes wrong? You're pretty good at screwing things up, after all.

She shoved the monster in her mind to deal with at a later time and continued with a conviction she didn't quite feel. "Two days, not a moment longer. We'll find the man who can help you and convince him to get his butt to Arendelle…" She let herself chuckle at the non-existent joke, "And then, once you're feeling better, we'll go on that holiday, I promise."

Whether or not the ice palace was actually standing was an issue to be unpacked at a later time.

Anna shook her head to rid herself of the negative thoughts and instead bent over to plant a tender kiss to Elsa's forehead. "You be careful, okay?"

It didn't take much to imagine Elsa smiling back at her with a playful smirk on her lips and a fond twinkle in her bright cerulean eyes; her words a gentle reprimand borne from fond exasperation.

"I'm always careful, Sunshine. It's you I worry about."

And it was true. Elsa had always worried about her, always looked out for her. Heck, that was their entire childhood, for crying out loud! Anna had tried to return the favor for years now, but Elsa had been wary to being so vulnerable, even with the only person she could trust with her heart.

But now, her sister needed her and for her sake, Anna was willing to brave anything, let alone untamed forests and treacherous mountains.

"It's my turn to look out for you, Elsie. I'll take care of you, I promise."

"Anna?"

She glanced up to find Kristoff standing beside her, sympathy evident in his eyes. "I'm sorry, feisty pants, but we should leave now if we want to get there and back in time."

The princess nodded slowly before clambering out of the sled.

She vaguely recalled Sorenson speaking to her – probably words of assurance - but her attention, and her heart, remained with Elsa even as the guards turned towards home. A lone tear made its way down her freckled cheek.

Saying goodbye had been difficult enough, but watching her sister return to Arendelle, fearing the consequences of this decision should she fail…

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, soft and warm in its comfort; an anchor to hold onto in turbulent times.

"We'll save her, Anna."

Kristoff drew closer to pull her into a supportive hug as he added with a hint of levity. "With the Hero of Arendelle and her trusty ice harvester on the case, Elsa will be back on her feet in no time."

Anna managed a tentative smile at his joke before she looked back to the leaving party, her heart heavy with worry as Elsa drifted further from sight.

"Yeah, we'll save her."

We have to. Cause I can't live without her.