It started in her heart…and then circulated throughout the rest of her body like a cascading warm wave of pure bliss. As if waking from the deepest of slumbers, Elsa's eyes cracked open, a heaviness threatening to shut them anew in the first moments of her new consciousness.

After another instance, and once the blinding light that had engulfed her vision seconds prior dimmed ever so slightly, the first colour Elsa could understand was an auburn shade that immediately brought forth emotions she could no longer appropriately comprehend. All she knew was this heat that radiated all around her was intense enough to somehow free her from the encasement of ice so deep it had imprisoned even one who could once control that very element at whim.

'E-Elsa…!?' A voice said her name.

Elsa. That…is my name, isn't it?

'Elsa!' The hands that Elsa realized were embracing her squeezed more fiercely, a sharp breath exiting next to her ear. 'Oh, my gosh! Elsa! Elsa!'

Such emotion. Such raw, unfiltered emotion shaken with desperation.

Elsa pushed back from the individual, even the shape of the being before her strange. A sharp chill filtered through her veins, and Elsa pieced together the notion that if she parted from this person for too long, she might become frozen again. Thus, she hugged the girl once more, holding her out of necessity, although she would be lying if she said she didn't feel something inherently fond for the girl.

'We gotta get out of here.' The girl went on, staring into Elsa's eyes. They were so close. It made her a little shy. But why? Slowly; ever so slowly Elsa was noticing her brain melding with reality and accepting the progressive truth of her world. 'Are…you okay?'

Even constructing words proved difficult. Elsa was aware that she could talk, should she want to, but the connection between her thoughts and lips was bizarrely foreign.

'I…' Elsa started, fearing the return to life as she knew it. She had settled into the nothingness of omniscient transcendence. The fragility of her mortal coil was terrifying. This girl she knew meant more than she could currently grasp, and that scared her. This space of unyielding temperatures below anything a normal living creature could endure actively constricted her.

'Of course, you're not. I mean, I'm disoriented after, like, twelve hours of sleep. I can't imagine what months of hibernation does to someone.'

Elsa blinked, noticing the red streaks decorating the otherwise aesthetically pretty being in front of her.

Blood. That…isn't good.

Blood was leaking from the young woman's nose and ears. Her eyes were filled with veins. She looked very…sick.

'Anyway, w-we better go. I'm…uh…running out of juice here.'

Juice? What a funny thing to say.

'Where is…here?' Elsa looked around. The answer was still beyond her grasp.

'Ahtohallan. You got trapped or something. Doesn't matter. You okay to come with me?'

'Yes.' Elsa nodded, her weak hands tightening onto the girl's clothes. She gave confirmation readily, instinctually knowing this wasn't some random individual that had come to "save" her. However, Elsa felt her legs give out, and she stumbled, weakness overwhelming her entirety like another rush of present condition.

'Whoa…!'

'Sorry.' Elsa breathed out, struggling to stand but failing. 'I…'

'It's fine. I got you.' The girl shook her head in understanding. She took Elsa's arm and threw it over her shoulder. 'Come with me. I'm never letting you go again. Never. We're getting out of here.'

'How…?'

'Good question.' The girl chuckled nervously. 'I mean, I want to say I thought that far, but…'

Suddenly, the ground collapsed, and the world plummeted into the abyss. Shards of ice were surely about to crush Elsa and the girl in seconds, but the fire that encircled her savior warded anything away, the sheer concentration it must have taken for the elemental power not to hurt Elsa taxing in and of itself as well.

Nonetheless, Elsa collapsed upon the ground, the impact painful, further accented by hard substances that tore into her legs and hands. Shells? They soon melted, the sand beneath her turning to ash, with parts of her body soaked with water. Elsa's eyes widened as she heard the young woman groan near her, walls of the sea surrounding her in a way that teetered her toward claustrophobia.

'W-what's…happening?' Elsa stuttered in fright.

'I'm…sorta evaporating the water before it can drown us, I guess?' The girl revealed. 'Ouch. That really hurt. And I'm already…' She started coughing suddenly, blood splattering from her mouth, by the sounds of it.

'Are you going to be okay?' Elsa asked, shuffling in close to the young woman to avoid getting further soaked.

'I think so?' She wheezed, grunting as she pulled Elsa's arm over her shoulder again. 'Just…come with me, Elsa. We got a bit of a trip to make, and…' Further coughing, the smell of blood even more nauseating than before.

Elsa's vision was blurring between darkness and light. She was faint. Her limbs were weak. Her head was pounding. She felt safe with this girl, but couldn't place her name. Why? She was important. She had to be. Elsa was alive before…before being trapped, right? Wasn't she? Too many questions. Not enough time. Survival was the key.

'If you could…like…create a raft of ice or something, that might be helpful.' The girl suggested.

'You mean…use magic?' Elsa asked.

'Yeah. Uh…yes? Oh, boy. You're super out of it.'

'Magic…' Something in Elsa's memories sparked with both joy and horror at the word. Magic. She could use it. Ice magic. Yes. But how? And should she? Would it cause more pain? Wait. What pain?

'It's fine.' The girl continued. 'You've saved us more often than I can count. It's about time I…do something…'

She was shaking. She was breaking apart. The smell of blood was getting worse. She had one eye squinted shut. They were barely moving. The water was closing in.

'That's…totally what I want to say…but…' The girl gasped, a tiny sob escaping her lips. 'Darn it! So…close. I finally…almost have you back…but…!'

'I…' Elsa was having difficulty seeing straight. She felt like she was also going to pass out. But if she did, would she wake up again? This young woman was so precious to her. That was an irrefutable fact. Elsa couldn't piece together the exact details, but it was knowledge she knew was truth almost more so than her own name. What could she do to save her? To help?

'Ugh…Elsa.' The girl began to whimper. 'I…can't…It hurts…'

A surge of desperation filled Elsa in that moment. Such unfiltered agony for her sake. This girl had ventured to a corner of the world to save Elsa from a darkness she thought she was prepared to navigate for eternity. Yet, she had simply been numbed to the sensation of being alive. Of longing to protect someone as precious as this girl.

Unfortunately, Elsa was given no more time to consider the information on the brink of revealing itself to her. In seconds, she was consumed by the Dark Sea, the girl's incredible power gone and the rushing, deep waters of the immense depths of nature itself tossing the newly awakened woman about like she was nothing. With only her weakened state to confront this new form of danger, Elsa searched for the girl. She stretched her eyes open and attempted to swim within the brutal currents, but knew making any form of progress in her condition was foolhardy at best.

Her lungs screaming in pain, Elsa attempted to stroke through the darkness, reaching into the familiar abyss of hopelessness and scooping back an unyielding emptiness. Was she brought back only to lose her sense of self all over again? Without even knowing why her heart itched with familiar affection for the girl that felt more naturally connected to her than anything else the world could offer?

No…!

Elsa couldn't. She wouldn't. She had to…had to…!

But if she didn't get air soon, it would all be for naught. Magic, was it? She could use magic, correct?

'You…you're alive…? She did it? Truly?'

Another voice she knew. Not as intimately, but close to her soul. So close, in fact, it felt like another part of her. An extension of her self even.

Water Spirit.

'Yes.'

A rush of power pushed through Elsa and, before she knew it, she was being carried to the surface. She gasped for air once she could, the storm all around her more prevalent than ever now that she was not in the protection of the girl's warm fire.

'Stay here a moment.'

Elsa managed to do that much, swallowing more water from the rapid waves than she'd prefer, but thankful she was brought up from the depths. In another few seconds, the girl was also brought forth, although she was undoubtedly unconscious, blood continuing to pool below her nose and within her ears.

'Hold her.' The Water Spirit demanded. Elsa was already doing so.

In another show of supremacy over that which he inhabited, the Water Nokk pushed Elsa and the girl through the Dark Sea, navigating the currents to make their travels amidst it seamless and only subtly uncomfortable. Considering the alternative, however, Elsa felt she didn't have room to complain. She would survive a few more mouthfuls of the Dark Sea. Before the Water Spirit had interfered, Elsa was looking at a very possible death at sea. Not unlike her…parents.

Oh. Right…

The sensation of wet sand came next, sticking to Elsa's elaborate, white dress. She took a few more breaths of liberty, and then looked out to the Dark Sea, rain continuing to pour upon her damp state as she bore witness to the majesty that was the Water Spirit.

'Thank-you.' She said breathlessly.

'Always, Mother. Now, take care of her. We shall meet again, I'm sure.'

And it was gone, the mixture of masculine voices finally reaching Elsa as two men crowded her and the girl she also had to thank for saving her life.

'Anna! Elsa?' The smaller of the two men screamed in a montage of panic and confusion.

Anna…Anna!? That's right! Anna!

'Queen Elsa. It's…I have no words.' The larger man addressed her, directing his attention back to Anna. 'But I do know she needs to be resuscitated. Do you know how to perform that act?'

'I…no.' The other man's shoulders slumped.

'Then allow me.'

Without missing a beat, the larger, darker man bent over Anna, pumping her tiny chest in a consistent rhythm for what felt like too long before tipping her head up slightly and breathing into her mouth with his own. He then repeated the process no fewer than four times, each session filling Elsa with progressively more complicated feelings.

Anna was…her sister. She was the one Elsa had thought about over and over again during her isolation. Anna. Her precious Anna. Irreplaceable. They had…grown up together before Elsa's powers made them…? Still fragmented. Still complicated. The important bits were coming forth, but Elsa still felt as though she wasn't comprehending precisely how much Anna meant to her.

Her heart was shattering as this man touched her sister. Even if it was to save her, something in Elsa twisted and turned in uncanny disdain. It didn't feel normal.

'So much blood…' The other man commented weakly, his eyes glistening. Was he…Anna's lover, by chance? His reactions seemed to indicate as much. Yet, that didn't sit well with Elsa either. Why?

'She saved me.' Elsa felt the need to say meekly, as if still convincing herself that it was true.

'Now, we have to save her. She used some crazy power and…I think it broke her. I-I mean, it was so much fire. And for so long. And it was her first time, I think. And…come on, Anna!'

The larger man, still at work, flinched back, Anna spitting up water violently but not awakening. Elsa shuffled in close, placing a hand upon her sister's chest and noting the shallow breaths coming forth.

'She's breathing.' Elsa confirmed with relief, tears lining her eyes before she understood what was happening.

'Daryun…!' The smaller man practically tackled "Daryun".

Daryun. Yes. I know that name, too. He's…strong. And kind. He's…a soldier?

'Er…Kristoff?' Daryun made a face, and both men parted awkwardly.

Kristoff. Why does that name…irritate me? That doesn't seem fair. He appears reasonable enough. He clearly cares for Anna. What more could I want? Am I just more possessive than anticipated?

'We should…uh…get her back to Arendelle. Quickly. She needs better conditions than this to rest. Maybe even see a doctor.' Kristoff took off a layer of his clothes, wrapping Anna in the various materials he had that were surely keeping him warm amidst the storm. He then picked her up, cradling Elsa's sister so tenderly that a strange jolt of annoyance circulated through Elsa all over again.

'Indeed.' Daryun turned to Elsa, a smile stretching across his jagged, powerful features. 'She did it. She brought you back to us, my queen.'

Queen. Why does my chest tighten at such a label? Who wouldn't wish for such a title? Does it have something to do with my past? With my magic? With Anna…?

'Thank-you…' Elsa brought a hand to her forehead, blinking away the resonating trembles in her mind. 'Sorry. I'm…feeling off as well, unfortunately.'

'Hm.' Daryun offered a large hand as he stood, indicating his desire to help her up. 'I…er…can carry you, if needed.'

'Don't push yourself, Elsa.' Kristoff added, already beginning to traverse toward the path behind the beach, clicking his tongue and calling for someone named "Sven".

Sven was…an animal of some kind?

'Very well.' Elsa took Daryun's hand, his grip firm and strong. He lifted her as though she weighed next to nothing, bringing the woman close as he strode beyond the beach to the wagon that must've brought the group to this point. Elsa could feel her cheeks reddening, thankful the trip was short enough not to give her too much time to fixate on the bizarre revulsion she felt toward an otherwise charismatic occasion.

Sven honked excitedly at the sight of Elsa, and she had to admit, there was a similarly lovely notion of tender familiarity with the reindeer. Another friend. Another piece to the puzzle Elsa was just beginning to see a picture for. Her life remained relentlessly mysterious to her, but not impossibly so anymore.

'Will she be okay?' Elsa had to ask. She felt Anna was the key to figuring out a vast majority of the picture she needed to see as soon as possible.

'I…hope so.' Daryun kept his voice low, possibly to hide the honest truth from Kristoff. 'This is beyond anything I've seen on the battlefield. I fear her influx of power could have a negative effect on her frail form. Unlike you, Princess Anna hasn't had years to properly facilitate her body when it comes to using such might. It's like a muscle unharnessed for years suddenly forced to work beyond its logical capability. She was likely working with pure adrenaline, and she could very well pay dearly for the act.'

'O-oh…' Elsa blinked, tears dripping down her cheeks.

'I'm sorry, my queen. That was…too honest of me. It is a bad habit of mine. I…'

'No. It's fine.' Elsa lowered the sound of her words as well, she and Daryun close to the wagon with Kristoff now. 'I prefer the truth over lies regarding such matters. Thank-you…'

Kristoff finished tucking Anna into the wagon with another blanket and some pillows, erecting a clever cover over the back end of the cart with a pole lining the side. He fastened the tarp into a hook on the parallel side, and offered the remaining space to Elsa with a wave of his hand.

'I don't think I need to say anything, but could you look after her on our way back? I'm going to push until we're in Arendelle. No breaks. She needs to see a doctor as soon as possible. Keep a cloth to her nose and dab her ears as needed. She's still bleeding.' The man's voice trembled, emotion lacing every syllable, but the bondage of his gender denying him from breaking down completely.

Daryun eased Elsa in next to her sister, and she pulled a few blankets up and over her shaking form. She wasn't cold. She was just…scared. For too many reasons to count, but primarily because of Anna's state and the understanding that her sister was in a very dangerous place.

'I'll do whatever it takes to ensure she's as comfortable as possible.'

'Thanks, Elsa.' Kristoff made a strange sort of expression that bordered on anxious. 'It's…really good to have you back. Anna needs you. More than maybe any of us could really understand.'

Elsa looked to her sister, a smile impossible to subdue. She touched the girl's pretty hair, tucking a longer piece behind her ear. This feeling…was more than Elsa could evaluate logically in the present moment. But that didn't stop her from stating another truth above anything she currently knew.

'And I need her. She's my everything, after all.'

At some point throughout the journey within the Enchanted Forest, the storm finally subsided, and there was a pleasant afterglow of relief that accompanied the calmness that followed. Elsa felt as though she could finally relax, and once she did so (practically half an hour into the trip), the reality of her existence began to take its somewhat confusing toll on her mental state.

With every minute, the smallest of details were returning to her mind one by one. She didn't notice them all, of course, but some hit her more profoundly than others. Whenever a piece of her childhood's puzzle fell into place, for example, she found herself both nostalgic and remorseful, depending on the exact shape of the thought. Any memory that contained images of herself and Anna, Elsa could hardly contain a smile that insisted on forming upon her lips. When her mother and father were involved, however, that smile would quickly fade, a ping resonating in her heart.

Elsa soon discovered that uncomfortable beating in her chest was directly in relation to her powers and how her father decided to handle them. Isolation. Fear. Concealing instead of feeling. The more Elsa recalled, the more old scabs in her soul surfaced and tore, reminding her of a past she might sooner be willing to forget.

If not for Anna. Those pieces of Elsa's history proved more precious than anything else.

The sleepovers. The late-night excursions. The adventures in uncharted territories. The laughing. The crying. The acting. Reading. Snacking. The trust. Everything that involved Anna brought Elsa a sense of joy she couldn't describe without feeling as though she was insulting just how valuable her sister was to her everyday life.

Until Elsa pushed her away.

The queen looked down at her sleeping sister, the blood finally ceasing to pollute her otherwise gorgeous features. The guilt that was overshadowing her otherwise glorious memories was truly a force to be reckoned with. How could Elsa ever believe she was better off without Anna? Was it some form of self-serving mercy? Fear? Ignorance? Immaturity? It was hard to say in the moment. In retrospect, how could Elsa think her sister belonged anywhere but at her side during her most trying occasions?

After all, wasn't it Anna who ultimately rescued her from a state of…eternal isolation?

The thought caused Elsa to shiver, and she snuggled in closer to her sister.

'So…uh…' Kristoff finally began speaking, his tone seemingly filled with uncertainty as he addressed Elsa. 'You're back.'

Elsa almost laughed, but felt it would be rude, and thus, muffled the urge. Better late than never, she supposed? Although she could give the man some credit; her return wasn't exactly a relaxing one.

'Yes.' She decided to say simply.

'It doesn't feel real.' Daryun was slightly ahead with his impressive steed, clicking his tongue to the horse in encouragement at regular intervals until this moment. Perhaps he was waiting for Kristoff to break the ice. 'I feel as though I should awaken from a dream any moment, as always.'

The large man coughed, as if catching himself saying something he hadn't meant to.

'Oh? You've dreamt of my return before, Lord Daryun?' Elsa giggled, his title coming back to her as she said it. Yes. He was the captain of her guard. The most powerful man in Arendelle. He had been…a suitor. Right? That part of her puzzle for Daryun remained hazy at best.

'I fear I'd be no better than a liar if I said otherwise.' Daryun sighed, defeat in his words.

'I feel rather treasured, then.' Elsa wasn't stretching the truth, yet a strange itch begged for attention within her heart. Daryun was important to her. In fact, she understood he was one of her closest friends. However, there was a strange sort of strain there, and Elsa suspected it originated from his previous status as a suitor. Daryun was (is?) in love with her. Logically speaking, Elsa couldn't think of a reason she denied the pursuit, really. Daryun was, after all, an attractive male in all the right ways. He was charming. Sincere. Considerate. Strong. Stable. The list went on. But even in this moment, Elsa couldn't step past the line of friendship. Certainly, she couldn't even consider being physically intimate with the soldier. But why? That didn't seem…natural.

'Well, you are. Truly.' Daryun's words lingered before he began speaking again with a little more fortitude in his delivery. 'Arendelle will surely be overjoyed at your return. It…hasn't been the same since your absence.'

'That's for sure. Anna was a mess…' Kristoff contributed.

Elsa could imagine. She felt similar bouts of unyielding depression at the mere thought, and she was still reuniting with her memories.

'How long was I away, exactly?'

'Approximately four months, my queen.' Daryun answered very quickly, which almost made Elsa laugh again until her head began pounding at the understanding of it all. Right. That explained her condition a little more clearly. The fact Elsa could even function somewhat normally was a testament to her ascension to the fifth spirit's level, she imagined. A normal human would likely not emerge on the other side of such an experience unscathed. Not that Elsa wasn't without her blights, but she could at least recognize herself and the position she was in. Mostly.

'I see…' Elsa expanded upon her thoughts verbally. 'It does feel like a dream, Lord Daryun; you're not wrong.'

'Certainly.' The man nodded.

'How's Anna doing?' Kristoff inquired after a beat.

Elsa had no problem looking down upon the girl, feigning a detailed inspection as though she hadn't been staring at her for the majority of the trip, drinking in every one of her pretty features despite the clear taxation her body had underwent. She couldn't wait until her little sister woke up. Elsa had a very good feeling she would be the key to making the queen feel a little more welcome to this new world she still felt rather alienated from.

'Well. She is sleeping soundly, for the most part.'

'Good. Good…' He repeated himself, that strange annoyance filtering through Elsa prominently enough for her to pry where she was sure she shouldn't.

'Are you and my sister lovers?' Elsa asked directly; perhaps a little too on point.

'What? Uh…No? Not right now? We're…on a break, or something. I mean…we were. A thing. For a bit. Not a bit. A while. Quite a while. But then…uh…she broke things off during the suitor stuff with you. We tried to be together again recently, but it didn't work out. So…no?'

The way Kristoff floundered was impressive, in its own way. He clearly cared about Anna on an exceptionally deep level, and realistically, she could see her sister being quite content with the man. But she hadn't been. Why? The question ran in line with Elsa's confusion regarding her strange aversion to Daryun. Nature dictated that picking suitable, compatible mates was the ideal for most monarchs on all levels. Not just monarchs, but humans, in general. Find a strong, loving partner, reproduce, and keep the circle of life healthy. So, was it simply a question of compatibility?

Elsa chanced a glance to Daryun, squinting in confusion.

She felt an indescribably strong bond with the man. She had…trained with him for hours upon hours. Yes. He was somewhat newer to her life, but they had become close friends very quickly. He understood aspects of Elsa maybe she didn't even comprehend quite yet. The positive qualities of the man filed through Elsa's mind all over again, yet her heart remained still romantically. Emotionally, he stirred a fierce level of attachment and fondness, but it stopped there. Any chance of the feelings evolving came to a complete and abrupt halt.

Why?

'I see…'

'I begin to wonder if any man has hope of coming between you and your sister, Queen Elsa.' Daryun saved the potentially awkward moment. 'I've never seen two siblings so bound by affection. As we witnessed for months, and even when our lovely Princess Anna succumbed to an unfortunate, premature state akin to death, you both struggle to function adequately without one another.'

The mention of Anna's second demise, naturally, reminded Elsa of her first. Two rushes of depression reminded the queen of just how far she could fall when her sister was involved. The guilt she suddenly shouldered at the thought of putting Anna through four months of such torment was immediately overwhelming. She would have to make it up to her somehow…

'Perhaps we require a man capable of putting up with both of us at once.' Elsa suggested, attempting to figure out her own feelings with the joke.

'S-share a guy!?' Kristoff exclaimed, his voice practically squeaking.

'Ahem!' Daryun coughed, his breath catching in his throat, it seemed. 'I-I…do not believe that individual would be considered unlucky by many, but…'

Elsa grinned.

'I doubt it would be a proper arrangement; especially with royalty involved.'

'T-true. True. Yeah. That'd be…weird.' Kristoff lowered his voice artificially.

Regardless, Elsa took a moment to work through the scenario. Was such an unconventional arrangement what she wanted? Hardly. Not even close, if she was being honest with herself. The idea of sharing Anna with anyone at all made her stomach turn so furiously Elsa had to wonder about her personal feelings in relation to the girl.

'My mind feels extraordinarily muddled.' Elsa diagnosed with honesty. 'I think I might rest for some time, if that wouldn't be too rude.'

'Of course, my queen.' Daryun encouraged. 'You and your sister have been through yet another incredible ordeal. Please leave the rest to myself and Kristoff. It's the least we can do.'

'Yeah. Take care of yourself.' Kristoff added, a tickle of nervousness still in the way he spoke.

'Thank-you very much. I'll do that, then.'

Elsa lay her head next to Anna's and held her body close, feeling her sister's breaths come and go with enough effort to cause the queen a bit of concern. There was a strange vibration occurring in the girl's chest, like a crackling in her lungs that Elsa wished she hadn't noticed. It would be difficult to find true rest knowing there might be something seriously wrong with Anna.

However, Elsa clearly underestimated just how weak her body had become, for the moment she shut her eyes, she entered into a darkness once more. Thankfully, this form of the abyss wasn't so terrifying. Indeed, with Anna finally next to her once again, Elsa of Arendelle found true rest after months of turning in her soul.

This was where she belonged. With Anna. No other human could ever come close to this feeling, and that in and of itself, raised enough questions for Elsa's subconscious to dance with…whether she liked it or not.