A/N - The responses have filled my heart well and truly, I can't stop smiling. Lets all applaud Guest's review from Arendelle's Untold - One-shots prompt on April 17th (did i get the date wrong last time? It was April 17th) for bringing this story back to life! This story is truly one of my favourites to have written, and I'm so happy to be revisiting this.

TheLifeStruggleIsREAL - Honestly I was also surprised The Cave was brushed past in the movie, it seemed like such a turning point that just didn't turn. I'm happy to be one of the people bringing attention to it, and I'm so glad you enjoy this story.

Hopeful -Husky - You should have seen the smile on my face upon reading your comment. It means the world that people like these.

Queenfixerupper - as you wish! I'm looking forward to doing so!

MissDee9 - Of course! I love exploring this! It helps having really awesome prompts :)

That Guest - I was literally trying to work out what the next chapter should be for Arendelle's Untold just so i could put an authors note to let you know lol, I'm so glad you found this! Thank you thank you thank you! Heart shattering is my go to for any story haha! You truly made my day :)

whumpydump - awwhh! thank you! I try my best!

Anonymous - You're in luck bc I started writing just as you sent in your review!

My best intentions, keep making a mess of things. I just want to fix it... somehow.

Her big, brave sister. A woman usually so collected and bulletproof, was wavering under her stare, a flash of surprise in Elsa's eyes, one that echoed pain, pain that can only be found in the rejection of the person you love most. Her heart, faster than her head, was gearing up to ripping into Elsa, tearing apart every second of that night Elsa coaxed her to tell all. The blood around her body was burning, her chest aching. It hurt, everything did. But if anything stopped Anna in her tracks, it was going to be Elsa. It always was. As pissed off as she was, she loved her more than she loved herself. It only lasted a few seconds before Elsa appeared to brace herself, her facial expression returning to that of a statue - concerned, and most definitely hurting - but still in control.

"Anna?" Elsa asked once more, as Anna absentmindedly began to sort the cushions and blanket around her. "Please." She croaked, swallowing her pride and her tears. The countdown to detonation had jolted to a halt. At least, on her part. Perhaps there was a misfire, but Anna was struggling. Her little sister was wriggling in her seat, brushing her hands through her hair. Nope, Anna was never one to sit still, but agitation, that was foreign to her. She felt helpless as Anna continued to move around uncomfortably, feeling the heat of the spotlight glaring on her. Silence filled the room, something that was used to be only be exclusive across make-shift borders such as doors and not letting people in. But that wasn't what they had agreed upon, doors and hearts were meant to be open. Secrets, there were none between them. It was all so wrong. The rhythmic tapping of the branches against the window outside made Elsa want to rip her hair out, every hit being another blow to how long it was taking Anna to be honest with her.

"The nightmares, is that what this is?" Elsa tentatively asked. Her voice shaking with each careful step forward "I'm doing everything -"

" - No." Anna spat venomously, waving her hands dismissively in the air. Once again, Elsa was off the mark. It was all the more upsetting, for her to be so blind to what was right in front of her. She had created this idea in her head that they were so in tune with each other despite being opposites, that their love knew no feat, that their years apart was no match for their blood. She couldn't decipher if Elsa was purposefully avoiding it or simply unaware, both options hurt. "No, those God damn nightmares" She blinked, taking a deep breath. "It's not that, just don't." She spoke sternly, glancing to Elsa. Her older sister sat awkwardly across from her, her lips wound tightly shut. "Don't try and guess."

"Okay." Elsa whispered. Shot down and guilty, her shoulders dropped in defeat. Anna was so much better at this, if the tables were turned, by this point Elsa would be blubbering into Anna's sleeve being assured it would all be okay. So far, she hadn't provided anything but irritation. Anna, and angry, Two words that didn't go together. Anyone who knew her would say there was no such thing, she always led with love. No matter the problem. The one time Elsa did feel Anna's wrath, was a stern telling off you don't want me to follow you into fire, then don't run into fire. She was put down a peg or two, and promptly reminded that they were a team, it was anger rooted in fierce protectiveness, a nurture that both sisters shared, the difference being that Anna enforced the feeling as a sign to run to each other, not away. This room, this second, she couldn't feel it. There was no signs of Anna hurtling at her with full speed into a hug. Fixed to the sofa, Elsa could see that even the notion of sitting beside her would further hurt her cause. So, she kept her distance. Something Anna had so valiantly and tirelessly spent years teaching her not to do.

"Why are you here, Elsa?" She asked tiredly.

Elsa's eyes grew to the size of saucers, the words suffocating the room of oxygen. It was a burning inside her that reminded her of that trip to Ahtohallan. As the water crashed around her, with her tiny body thrashing under each wave violently. She could barely find her breath, let alone determine which way was up, which way led to the surface. This felt similar, only the emotional toll of it all was like a boulder resting on her chest, dragging her further and further down to the sea bed, helplessly. Elsa inhaled deeply. "You're my sister. Why would I not be here?" Her heart dropped to the floor, well and truly trampled on. She wanted to go and cry. But she couldn't leave, not now. Was this what Anna felt all those years? Had every hard conversation Anna had with her in the aftermath of The Thaw feel like this? Every second felt like an eternity, there was no way she could survive this. How had this question even come into her mind?

A dissatisfied nod from Anna sent Elsa further into her worry. How was it she was doing everything wrong?

A default response, a cliché and tale as old as time. Why this moment? Why now? Anna sighed sinking deeper into the sofa once more, pulling a cushion on top of her. That sentence should have meant everything. But words of affection were so often paired with betrayal. I can't lose you either, Anna. Words before she was sent into that Cave, where she came face to face with hell itself. She hoped not to spell it out for Elsa, a small part of her wanted this to continue on. She wanted Elsa to figure it out, but every dead end that Elsa was encountering only shone a light on how little emotional understanding Elsa had of her sister. The scales uneven, and the weight of responsibility towards the wellbeing of the sisters was only adding to Anna's side. She would have to make Elsa understand, warily, her eyes flickered over her older sister. She hadn't seen her so unsure in herself before. She savoured the sight - just a little. It meant, that perhaps Elsa would listen this time, that she would learn. Ultimately, Elsa would have to consult Anna for help in what the next step should be, rather than presuming she had the answers already. She truly now, was stepping into the unknown.

"You got your happy ending, Elsa, and I'm so glad you did. You of all people deserve it." Anna explained, her eyes diverted between the floor and her sister. "But though you broke every rule book going, it somehow all worked out in the end. You had mothers guidance, you had the warning in the lullaby. It was all handed to you. You were never truly alone" She said glumly, twiddling her thumbs. "I'm still waiting for mine - my happy ending." It felt horrible, she had everything. Kristoff was head over heels in love with her, and she had a sister who absolutely adored her, and two friends that would go above and beyond to aid her in any times of trouble. It was supposedly picture perfect. But there was a raging storm that brewed in Anna's heart that wasn't stopping, the imbalance put her on a cliff she couldn't find a way down from, and soon she would teeter off the edge. Maybe she was jealous of Elsa - no, it was envy. She didn't reap any benefits from Ahtohallan that Elsa had. Other than gaining a much happier sister, which was was so grateful for, there was nothing in it for her. She would give the shirt off her back to help someone in need, Anna was no stranger to going without for the sake of someone else. But the fact Elsa encountered their mother, and she had not, was the last straw. The fact alone that Elsa was the one to explain the whole bridge theory, instead of finding out together. It was all brought back to those seconds when Elsa pushed them down into the Cave, leaving her behind.

A loss that they had gone through together was now dichotomised by Ahtohallan, and their differing levels of power. The last memory Elsa had of her mother was that smile that shone down on her as she finally discovered her purpose, and found out who she was. Anna on the other hand, was gifted the torturous images of her parents crying out as water came raining down on them and their ship, changing the course of their voyage and their lives in a matter of seconds. Whilst Elsa found closure, Anna's wounds were ripped open, raw and unrelenting.

"We talked about this -" Elsa started, wondering how they had once again come full circle. Grief was by no means linear, but had they really made that little progress?

"That's all we've ever done" Anna intervened, looking sternly into Elsa's glassy blue eyes. "It's not working, Elsa."

"Why?" Elsa asked timidly. The first question she asked that didn't feel defensive of herself. "What do we need to do differently?" She continued, leaning forward in her seat waiting intently for Anna's response.

"I don't know." Anna mumbled resignedly. Did she herself have to change anything? No, she wasn't sure she did. Though Elsa's use of we was incredibly necessary, and much needed. It left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. She had been doing everything she could to get out of mental cage that The Cave put her in. She was certain that by now she had gone through a hundred different variations of that event, desperately clawing at a way to make things turn out differently. But they all ended with Olaf dying, and they all started with Anna being pushed away by Elsa. She sat in the dark because those thoughts got so loud that any other stimuli was just a mental overload. Analysing every thought and feeling, Anna was sure she could perform the impossible, be a confidant in herself - just as she had always been to others. It was a letter from a civilian in Arendelle that drew the line - detailing the loss of a family member, Anna had to face the harsh truth. She couldn't handle anyone else's emotions right now, not on top of her own. A woman who was powered through people pleasing, not answering them was slowly killing her. It was a sacrifice she had to make, she had already given so much up of herself in order to dedicate the time to trawl through her memories to navigate the light at the end of the tunnel.

"I told you that this wasn't going to go away" Anna remembered. "I feel like you want it to." Thoughtfully, Anna joined Elsa in leaning forward, choosing every word carefully.

"Of course I want this to go away, Anna. I hate seeing you in pain. I hate seeing you like this, I want my sister back." Elsa emphasised, fuck all she wanted to do was take Anna's hands into her own. Or hug her. Anything. But she had to let Anna lead this time.

"Maybe she isn't going to come back." She sighed deeply. The Cave had conquered her, it had won. It scared Elsa, Anna had pushed her to be her best self, she found the good in everything. There was close to nothing that the duo didn't prevail. This hopelessness, the distance between the Anna she was once knew and the one that emerged physically from those dark, claustrophobic walls of sorrow only grew further with each knew sentence that came from Anna's mouth. "Maybe, this is who I always meant to be."

"How could you think that?" Her heart continued to seize with each breath. Slowly, Elsa began to realise that The Cave was plaguing more than just her nights. It was seeping into their everyday life, and was affecting more than she could ever anticipate. She should have known, the moment The Cave became just that, a title of a horrific event. Its notoriety hanging over the Castle, following the sisters for evermore. This was such a shift from their first conversation, Anna had been so adamant against what Elsa had done. She hated her, and fought tooth and nail to get the idea that there was another way through. When did Anna ever accept anything? Why was she taking this lying down?

"You found your destiny Elsa. If - as you say - a bridge has two sides, maybe I was supposed to learn something too." Anna shrugged her shoulders. "It's no secret that I rely on you guys, or that I've always been optimistic." Playing with the hem of her sleeve, Anna's eyes narrowed in sadness, her breath shaky. "Maybe the universe decided I needed a wake up call. Maybe it was always meant to have happened."

"I meant to send you back to camp, Anna. You were never meant to end up in that cave with Olaf." Elsa spoke sincerely. "I pushed you away, that was my doing. Not the universe"

"You never meant to strike me with your powers, we were never meant to spend our childhoods separated. But here we are." They came to a vulnerable pause, the words hanging in the air. Neither one of them knowing what to say to each other. With the focus turned inwardly, Elsa became hyperaware of how shaky each breath she was making was. It became a conscious effort not to cry, she wouldn't shed a tear. Not when Anna was the one who was supposed to be crying, why wasn't she? The winds had come to a stop, and so the silence was even more deafening. Looking at Anna, she seemed calmer than when the conversation began. It was a small blessing that they were communicating, but dam she hated everything she was saying, This wasn't her baby sister. Not the one who sang loudly outside her door, using pots and pans as percussion, this wasn't the girl who climbed a mountain to save her, knowing even less than she knew now. Ignorance was bliss.

"I get it now." Anna mumbled. Elsa's eyes darted to her, burying her own feelings once more.

"What's that?"

"All those times you said I couldn't help, because I didn't understand." Anna breathed, she ran a hand through her hair her eyes fixed on a distant side table, still avoiding Elsa's gaze. "The Cave, you weren't there. You can't ever understand. You can't help me." Guilt flashed across her face. "I kept persisting, asking you to explain it to me. I thought the more I knew, the more I'd get it." Shaking her head, Anna looked painfully to the floor. "It hurts, every time we go over what happened. It doesn't change anything, it just means I remember more." She briefly glanced at Elsa, taking in the sadness that was resonating from her face. Then to her hands, hands that had worn gloves for years in order to conceal her powers. "That must have been horrible, every time I tried -" She cut herself off, squeezing her eyes tightly shut momentarily. "I thought I was helping you - I thought I had. But then Ahtohallan happened and it was like you were a whole new person in a matter of minutes. I could never have got you there."

"I would never have got to Ahtohallan without you, Anna." Elsa asserted, her face quickly twisting into grimace. She had got there without her. It was a stupid thing to say. She didn't mean to say it how it sounded. In an attempt to recover her blunder, Elsa quickly spoke up before Anna could shoot her down. "You have helped me in unimaginable ways, I could so easily still be in that bedroom if it were not for you." This time, Elsa took Anna's hands into her own. Not willing to take this distance any further. " I discovered one part of myself in Ahtohallan, but I found myself in you. I found our family. That's more important than anything." Gently rubbing her finger over Anna's palm, Elsa spoke with her whole heart. "Talking, it did help me. Every question you asked, as hard as it was, you wanted to know all of me. That was the first time anyone had ever done such a thing. You were helping me, Anna." She straightened herself, taking a deep breath. "I'm so sorry that I haven't helped you."

"You've tried, at least." Anna murmured. "There isn't a solution, Elsa. I'm always going to feel like this." She waved her hands limply in reference to herself, before drawing her knees to her chest, gripping the cushion tighter in her arms.

"How do you feel?" Elsa probed.

"Like I've been left behind. Everyone has moved on and I'm just stuck - Olaf, he doesn't ever mention it. He's so unaffected by it." Anna mused. Once upon a time her and Olaf were on the same whimsical wavelength, one of excitement and wonder. Despite flurrying away, Olaf continued to be the happy little snowman everyone fell in love with, his main worry in life seemed to be getting the high score in charades, and how many months away they were from summer. In keeping her promise of holding on tightly to him, Anna couldn't get that image out of her head. How she brokenly gathered Olaf's remains - his carrot nose and sticks devoted to warm hugs - and tucked them neatly into her bag. "Do you remember the fjord? Hans, and the sword?" Elsa nodded lightly. "You heard that sword, and you stayed. You just sat there." Anna said, looking to Elsa for confirmation.

"I did." Elsa choked.

"I can only imagine, that it feels like that." Searching Elsa's eyes, hoping to have not offended her. "I couldn't lift myself off the cave floor...like, the weight of the world was on my shoulders. Like I couldn't breathe."

That event was years ago, in the timeline of things, had the Cave set her that far back? Seemingly so. Elsa thought back to it, she tried not to think about those days when she could help it, as Anna had explained, she had found her happy ending. There was little to no use thinking back to that time except for remembering how far she had come. This was so much worse than she had anticipated, she was wrecked with guilt. Still firmly in the belief that Anna could never have crossed those waves, she found herself sharing the same thought pattern as Anna had these past few months. What could she have done differently? What if she had just...maybe if she tried..

Regretfully, Anna continued, barely above a mumble - much to Elsa's surprise. "And you're always going to notice too late."

Another spear to the heart, because she was right. She had failed Anna again. She saw signs, and waited them out. She wanted to give Anna space, because that's what she herself would have wanted. But they aren't the same. She shouldn't have tried to replicate how Anna had helped her. She should have done what Anna has always done to every person she came across who confided in her, she should have asked how she could help. That damn charades game that she coaxed Anna into, one she lightly laughed through and tiredly competed in. They hadn't won against the boys, that was never going to happen because Anna didn't want to be there. Elsa, a welcomer of distraction should have realised that Anna, her sister who felt so heavily, would want to sit in those feelings with someone rather than talk them away. She opened her mouth to say something, but there were no words. Just regret.

"If its okay Elsa. I think I might head to bed." Anna was tidying away the blankets and cushions, her back turned to Elsa who looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Do you want me to come with you, just in case you have any nightma-"

"No, thank you" Anna shook her head, dumping her cushions in a nearby box before heading out the door. She didn't want the next few hours to be a product of her guilt trip. Elsa would undoubtedly visit in the early hours of the morning, as routine. There wasn't any point in having her arrive earlier just because they talked.

Elsa felt a new crack form in her heart with each step forward that Anna made. She wanted to run after her. You've done enough damage, Elsa. She had held her hands, that was something. Elsa wasn't completely and stupidly oblivious now. As the door shut, the thud of the wood against the frame gave permission for Elsa to feel. The sadness that had been brewing and bubbling throughout the whole conversation was overflowing, her tears streaming down her face and ice seeping from beneath her, spreading across the floor. She should have known. She should have acted sooner. She didn't have any idea what to do. The vastly empty room and quiet halls surrounding it became an arena, her heartache taking centre stage, echoing harshly. She tried to stifle the noise, hyperventilating as she tried to take deep breaths. Air, that was what she was lacking. Hastily, Elsa began to walk to the stables, nobody was ever there. She could cry until her heart was content - not that she was sure it ever would be again. The hot tears that scattered against her cheeks breathed in the cool night air, the bitter temperatures weren't that beneficial to her throat. But it was miles better than inside. Trudging along the hay, Elsa found a corner to hide herself in. She thought over everything Anna had said in the conversation, and tried her almighty best to place herself in her shoes.

She imagined Olaf dying, leaving Anna in that dark, cold horrible cave. That place, she wished she could demolish it, Tear down every rock that held the memory of her pain. She wished that every memory was stored in water, she would freeze every drop so that nobody would ever relive such a thing. If she had the power, she would dry the ocean for the sister. But that simply wasn't possible. It would have been done long ago, she was sure. Plus, as Olaf so often reminded her, 60% of the human body is water, whilst he was 100% (or as he argued, 98% due to the carrot, stones and twigs).

"Elsa, what are you doing?" Kristoff quietly emerged from the darkness, holding a bunch of carrots. Startled, Elsa hurriedly dried her tears, and tried to find a steady rhythm in her breathing. "Are you okay?" He asked again, concerned at her lack of reply. Those two, mostly bound by Anna, weren't all that close. They had their moments, but Elsa wouldn't opt to speaking with him about her issues if Anna wasn't available. But this wasn't about her. It never had been. It was Anna, the person they loved most.

"It's Anna." She said guiltily, feeling a wave of sadness crash into her chest once more.

"What?" He looked panickily between the Queen and the Castle. It had to have been bad for Elsa to have dragged herself out to the stables, alone. "Why are you out here?"

"I've ruined her, Kristoff." She sobbed, hugging herself tightly. Dropping the carrots, Kristoff rushed to her side.

"No, Elsa you wouldn't have -"

"But I did." Raising her voice, her tear filled eyes looked piercingly into Kristoffs. "I should never have pushed her away like that - I was trying to help her but, she's so much worse for it." Elsa sighed deeply, she could feel a headache coming on. "The Cave, she told us that she was struggling. We should have seen it.. I should ha-" She trailed off, another wave of tears robbing her of her voice.

"What's happened?" Kristoff asked seriously.

"Nothing is helping her... we've both tried talking to her but i- it isn't doing anything. She's hurting, badly" Elsa replied her voice wavering. "I don't know what to do." Elsa stood "I don't know what to do" She repeated, quieter so, with panic rising in her voice. She began pacing the stable up and down pensively. "That God damn fucking cave." Gritting her teeth, Elsa grumbled. "We weren't there, Kristoff. All this time - we've jus - we've been pretending that we understood. I thought we got past it." Slamming her fist against a column, ice materialised instantaneously across the wood. Gulping, Kristoff stood quietly, letting Elsa vent. "I've been so stupid. I wish I could have been there." Pointedly, her gaze turned to Kristoff, her eyes wide "I'm gonna get my hands on those darn trolls and they're gonna take us back, they're gonna reverse it or fix it, whatever the fuck they do."

"No no no no." Scrambling towards the Queen, he grounded Elsa. Placing both hands on her shoulders, looking intently into her eyes. "We can't do that. They, can't do that."

"Then what do you suggest?" Elsa folded her arms, rolling her eyes.

"Ahtohallan." Shrugging, Kristoff took a step back from Elsa. The pause that erupted breaking the fast pace of their conversation unnerved him. Had he not actually have been engaged to The Princess, he was certain Elsa would've struck him right and then there, This was her sister, and nobody messed with that. He hoped his suggestion had substance, that he wasn't meddling in something he should avoid.

"Go on." Elsa furrowed her brows, her pacing coming to a stop.

Clearing his throat, Kristoff continued delicately. "You said it had answers, and well.. you have questions." Sucking his lips briefly, he took a deep breath. "A lot of them, actually. You're looking for truth about the past, it has that.. right?" He looked awkwardly towards Elsa. A wave of relief washing over him as Elsa nodded, confirming his suspicion.

"It does, that's correct." Elsa said thoughtfully, her eyes diverting towards Anna's bedroom window.

"So it's worth a try. " Kristoff said, smiling lightly to himself. "For her."

"I'll do anything." Elsa whispered.

A/N - Well this is the longest chapter I ever did write (It's actually about two hundred words off my dissertation length, which I spent days writing. So the fact I wrote this in considerably less time *pat on the back* It's been a good few hours, so to that most recent review. Anonymous, turns out you weren't in luck because I finished this hours after. I thought maybe I'd send this out shortly after your response but once again, I've written more than I intended.

The next chapter will be Ahtohallan.