'I'm alive…!' Olaf spun around in Elsa and Anna's room, his voice reflecting how excited he was to have been brought back to life. Elsa wiped her brow with relief, thankful that Anna had the foresight to have gathered what remained of the little guy. It was…surprisingly easy, Elsa had to admit. She simply touched the rocks and sticks that had once been attached to the snowman and she could pull the rest of him together almost as effortlessly as the first time; when she wasn't also attempting to reattach what made Olaf…Olaf. His soul? His brain? He didn't have a brain though. Olaf was, for the most part, a mystery, really. Imbued with Elsa's magic, he could walk, talk, think, learn, and feel. Perhaps it wasn't worth fretting over at this moment, but Elsa's creative mind had always found his existence something of a Pandora's box in relation to her true power. Now that she was officially the fifth spirit, the concept of creating life didn't completely feel outside the realm of her natural might, but that knowledge brought with it even more questions…

'You did it, Elsa!' Anna pounced on her sister, kissing her right on the cheek with a flair of dramatic emphasis.

'That was…the best nap I've ever had.' Olaf chuckled, checking himself out. 'Did I get taller?'

'Um…I don't think so?' Elsa giggled.

Before proceeding to the grand announcement to Arendelle that was now planned for approximately twenty minutes from now, Elsa had proposed attempting Olaf's recreation. She hadn't expected it to be so simple though, more than aware that she might require a few attempts or even days to properly gauge Olaf's possible re-emergence. Thankfully, that wasn't the case.

'You okay?' Anna was still holding her sister by her arms, her right eyebrow upturned in curiosity.

'Oh, yes. I'm fine. That was…rather seamless. I'm just taken aback by it all.' Elsa answered honestly.

'Well, you created him to begin with, right? I'm not super surprised.' Anna nodded with her arms crossed, releasing Elsa. At least she seemed to be in a better mood for the time being. Elsa would need to keep an eye on her, however. The morning's episode was nothing to sweep under the rug. Not at all.

'True. But creating the same Olaf from before is what surprises me.' Elsa shrugged, allowing herself to simply accept what she had done; especially since Olaf brought Anna such joy. Indeed, bringing a life into the world for her sister…wasn't so outrageous, was it?

'I'm a different Olaf? Really?' Olaf tapped at his body in seeming horror.

'No. No, you're definitely the same.' Anna knelt down next to the little guy, padding him out lovingly. There was something truly mesmerizing about watching Elsa's little sister attend to someone else's emotional needs. She was always skilled in that area, Elsa knew. Her reading sessions and the like with children were further proof of this. And she really was the individual almost anyone knew they could go to with any problem.

Absolutely enchanting…

Elsa forced herself back out of her imagination and snapped her fingers, a clear sheen reflecting over Olaf for a moment as his snow was eternally solidified.

'There. No melting on us again, understand?' Elsa winked.

'Promise! Although I didn't actually melt. I just sorta…flurried away.'

'Okay. Okay. Let's not get into that…' Anna's voice quivered, the memory, no doubt, more than slightly unpleasant.

'Agreed. We have an important meeting with our people to attend.' Elsa affirmed.

'Oh? What for?' Olaf's eyes went wide.

'I disappeared for quite a while, so, it's time I let everyone know I'm back.'

'Really!? I guess they'll need to know I'm back, too! But who used magic to bring you back, Elsa? I didn't think that was possible. Unless humanity unlocked the ability to reincarnate, a practise only seldomly even attempted these days!'

'It was me.' Anna stood up, her expression a mix of embarrassment and mischief.

'You? How!? This is information overload!'

'I used magic.' Anna shrugged, her attempt to be a bit coy somehow ridiculously adorable to Elsa, although the older sister felt a sense of dread toward where this conversation was heading.

'Um, Anna. Sweetie. That's not a thing.' Olaf said as kindly as he could, as if talking to a child. 'Even I know that. You've tried a bunch of times, and it never worked.'

'Yeah, well, I was never in a position where I had to or I'd never see Elsa again.' Anna waved her hand over her face as if fanning it to keep the potential tears at bay. 'A-anyway, you'll hear all about it during the announcement. It's a pretty cool story.'

Elsa wasn't sure what to do. It really depended on Anna. She was hoping it was due to having overexerted herself and simply needing rest, but the older sister was sensitive to the flow of nature's energy in the world – especially as she was now – and whenever she came into contact with her little sister…she didn't feel a thing. There was no magic to speak of. If she hadn't experienced the overwhelming heat that Anna had created personally in order to save her, even Elsa would have questioned her claims.

'Anna…' Elsa started, fearing the worst and potential embarrassment at her sister's expense if she was to elaborate upon the events that led to Elsa's return. 'About your magic.'

'Hm? Yeah?'

Elsa hesitated. Her sister was already emotionally fragile still; there was no denying that. Crushing one of her lifelong dreams prematurely seemed more than a little harsh. Elsa had to tread carefully. This was nothing new for the queen when it came to handling difficult matters.

'I'm not sure what you have planned in relation to the announcements to be made, but you should proceed to let your magic rest after what you put it through. Your lines continue to feel weak, and truly require time to recuperate.'

There. After all, I could be wrong, and her magic could actually return after enough recovery. Oh, I do hope to be wrong…

'Wait. So, it is true? Anna has magic!?' Olaf's mouth practically dropped off his face.

'That's what I've been saying!' Anna groaned, but then she fixed her beautiful eyes on Elsa, a somewhat grim expression falling over her. 'But you're right. I should be careful. I went sort of crazy with my magic right out of the gate.'

'You did.' Elsa held Anna's slender waist, lightly stroking her lovely curves. 'And it is beyond appreciated. But yes, you should be careful going forward.'

Anna sighed wistfully.

'So, no grand demonstrations of my new magic?'

Elsa bit at her bottom lip, hating that she was being forced to say this.

'I would recommend not mentioning it in full detail, for the time being. Just in case.'

Anna blinked, her eyes widening in disbelief.

'In case of what?'

The door to the sisters' room was knocked upon politely, Jarvis' kind but gruff voice slipping through the thick-wooded construct in a muffled manner.

'Sir Leonard is requesting you both proceed to the entrance of the palace to prepare for the announcement, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna.' The man relayed.

'We will be there in just a moment.' Elsa had to actively hold her irritation at bay. She returned her attention to Anna, taking a deep breath and finally voicing her true concern. 'In case you can't use magic anymore, Anna.'

The look on her little sister's face was almost too painful to take in. She obviously didn't believe Elsa, her mouth twisting in a mixture of laughter and agony.

'You're not serious. Magic doesn't just go away, does it?'

As Anna's visage proceeded to fluctuate through a wide array of emotions, Elsa clarified in an attempt to calm her sister before such an important moment in Arendelle's current landscape.

'It's only a fear I have. That's why I want to be very cautious moving forward. You strained your newly awakened elemental lines so mercilessly that they might not recover from the sheer stress you put them through.'

Anna clearly struggled with this potential reality, her frustrations tracing back to the very moment Elsa learned she had ice magic back in their youth. Anna had made it clear that part of her would always be jealous of the "gift" Elsa had. It wasn't a difficult matter for Elsa to wrap her mind around. Any younger sibling would feel an inferior complex in relation to such events. And now, when it finally seemed as though Anna was just as "special" as Elsa, the older sister was dashing her hopes with her own worries that might not even be worth mentioning, given enough time.

After a profound beat, Anna clapped her hands and shook her head in annoyance with possibly herself.

'That's fine. If I had to trade any magic I might have for you in my life, it's a no brainer. I'd choose you every single time, Elsa. Obviously. It's a bummer. Yeah. But when I think about a future alone with fire spells versus one with you? Uh…duh. It's not even a contest.'

Elsa beamed, hugging Anna tightly and speaking intimately into her ear.

'That being said, as the fifth spirit, let's not discount what power I might have when it comes to magic. Therefore, do not give up hope just yet. This is only a worst-case scenario.'

Anna gripped Elsa back.

'Right. Got it. That's how your brain works, after all.'

'I'm sorry.' Elsa parted from Anna, still holding her hands between them.

'Nah. One of us needs to be in reality if I'm always skipping around in La-la Land.'

'You're hardly that bad.' Elsa wanted to reassure. Anna had gotten so much better, really. She…was really growing up.

'Uh, guys? Should we…go to that announcement thingy now?' Olaf interrupted, pointing at the door with his stick hand. 'Don't want to keep Arendelle waiting and all, right?'

Elsa nodded to Anna confidently.

'Well, shall we?'

'Shall.' Anna grinned. 'And I want to lead it; at least for the first bit.'

Elsa felt her heart flutter with pride. Yes. Anna could continue growing up again. Thank goodness.

'I would love that, Anna. Thank-you.'

'My people of Arendelle, thank-you for joining me today on this…uh…sorta cloudy afternoon. Is it going to rain? That would be a bummer.' Anna started, becoming distracted by the, admittedly, mostly overcast day. Elsa listened from a partially open door leading out to the front courtyard where Anna projected her voice as much as possible to their people.

'I want to start today's assembly with a big old "I'm sorry". Yeah. I definitely owe it to pretty much all of you. These past few months have been hard, to put it ridiculously lightly. Losing Elsa…was the worst thing that could have happened to me.'

There were murmurs of agreement and encouragement throughout the crowd, Anna's place in Arendelle's heart remaining strong despite how guilty she felt for struggling with a mortal blow to her emotional balance.

'And no matter how "understandable" my reaction to the tragic news might have been, I know I failed all of you as the person who should've led Arendelle in my sister's absence. A week or two without me, fine, but not a whole season.'

More sounds from the crowd, an interesting mixture of positive and negative noises, perhaps. Elsa felt her heart speed up at the thought of Anna being booed off the pedestal, but she had to have faith in her people and the years upon years of work Anna had put in to solidify her place in the soul of Arendelle.

'So, with that, I want to move on to the second part of this gathering: I want to thank everyone who supported me during my time of hopeless need. Sir Leonard. Gerda. Kai.' Anna cut herself off and began waving her hands. 'Come here! Yeah! You! Hey! Leonard….! Don't you dare leave me hanging!'

Gerda and Kai stepped up beside Anna easily enough, but Leonard was far less enthusiastic, dragging his feet to be the centre of attention. He certainly didn't like having the spotlight on him. Some things never changed.

'Lord Daryun. Who we see up in front with his impressive fellow guards!'

Daryun was likely blushing, Elsa could imagine. He didn't do well with such attention either.

'Everyone at the palace was so good to me, as I'm sure many of you noticed. So, let's give them a big applause!' Anna started the clapping, and within seconds, all of Arendelle joined in, the sounds of thousands of citizens echoing Anna's appreciation.

'Louder! Louder! I can't hear you…!' Anna screamed, and Elsa gripped at her dress, a wave of pride and endearment overwhelming her. This girl was so glorious, and she had chosen Elsa; her sister and another woman, against all odds. It was so…unbelievable. Elsa almost wanted to pull her away and show just how lucky she felt to have her.

'That's what I like to hear! Aw, yeah! Arendelle's got it going on!'

After some more cheers spurred on by Anna's encouragement, Elsa's younger sister lifted her hands to indicate she would like it if everyone quieted down. Respectfully, Arendelle listened, perhaps understanding that the true purpose of this grand meeting was about to be revealed.

'Okay.' Anna breathed out. 'So, yeah. I recognized how far gone I was. I was in a pit of despair I didn't see a way out of. The only light I could think of came from Elsa, and she was gone. What was a girl to do?'

There was complete silence in response to Anna's rhetorical question, baited breath filling the air.

'I had to try. For myself and Arendelle…I couldn't give up. Elsa was lost to me, but until I saw the body, I would always have hope. That hope would destroy me if I didn't do something. I had to…kill my hope.'

Elsa swallowed, hearing the severe emotion in Anna's voice. It was difficult to listen to, because Elsa could picture her poor sister wallowing in misery so vividly; especially after everything she had been through up until this point to begin with.

'Kristoff, Sven, and Daryun helped me return to the Dark Sea; the last place I saw Elsa. Beyond the Dark Sea was Ahtohallan, apparently, where Elsa was "lost". Where she "went too deep" and could never come back from. Somewhere in the Dark Sea was my sister, and I had to find her. If I didn't…I was terrified what it meant for the rest of my life. What it meant for all of you.'

Anna paused again, likely gathering herself enough to not let her voice reveal just how broken she was from the mere thought of what she had to endure leading up to such a decision.

'Elsa got through the Dark Sea with her magic; magic beyond anything this world has ever known. Being her sister, I always dreamed of having the same power. I was even jealous of it, from time to time. Why her and not me, right? Why couldn't I use magic when I needed it most?'

One final beat.

'Well, I finally did it.' Anna let that sink in, and Elsa could feel the tension in the air. Her sister's words were just ambiguous enough to not immediately garner a real reaction until she clarified. What she suggested was that unbelievable. 'Elsa used ice to cross the Dark Sea – a treacherous body of water nobody had any right trying to beat. And I…went through it. I used fire magic to literally evaporate anything that came between me and my sister.'

Universal gasps followed by hysteria. Elsa heard Daryun himself quiet the crowd as Anna went on, a smile in her tone.

'It was my one and only time, maybe. I'm not sure. I used so much magic at once, as if I burned up every reserve my body had created until that moment – as if my latent ability had been waiting for that very second to finally show itself when I needed it most. Maybe I'll never use magic again. Maybe that dream died. But what I didn't manage to kill, was my hope.'

Confusion stirred in the crowd, and Anna's voice trembled as she turned away from Arendelle and faced Elsa's direction at the entrance to the palace.

'Because my hope is now back by my side, where it belongs. And trading any magic I might have for the person I love most in this world and any that might come after it? Yeah. Like I told her myself: it's a no brainer.'

Elsa took her cue and entered the stage Anna stood upon and she utterly couldn't hear anything above the sheer volume of Arendelle's cheers. Whistles. Clapping. Screaming. Crying. A wave of the masses raising their voices in disbelief. It was overwhelming. It was too much. Elsa didn't deserve such love and admiration, did she? Tears involuntarily filled her eyes, and her reaction was mirrored by Anna, who put out her hand. Elsa took it without hesitation, and the sisters embraced before all of Arendelle, Anna's voice murmuring the pure, honest truth to Elsa and Elsa alone.

'I love you, Elsa. My world. My queen. My sister. My best friend. My everything.'

Elsa wanted to respond, but she could only squeeze Anna tighter, her neck tense and mouth trembling in restraint. She really was back. Back to the reality she now knew she should treasure above all else. She thought perhaps she wanted more. She thought she couldn't be queen and still seek out more. But everyone needed a home. And Arendelle, with Anna, was Elsa's home. Even as the fifth spirit, she still wanted to be here before and above all else.

The cheering, applause, and shouts of joy lasted for nearly five whole minutes, Anna and Elsa eventually parting and waving to the crowd. Elsa could see the pivotal people in her life overcome by the moment as well. Daryun had his arms crossed over his broad chest, but Elsa noted the redness creeping over his cheeks. Leonard had come prepared, as always, dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. Kai and Gerda held one another, openly crying and allowing the tears to stream down their cheeks. Somehow, even in the sea of people, Elsa spotted Gerda's granddaughter, Gerda Jr., her hand over her mouth and her chocolate brown irises full of water. Kristoff and Sven were somewhat off to the side, but were clearly elated as well, Kristoff grinning handsomely and clapping his large hands politely. It was a sight to see.

'Wow…!' Olaf was suddenly at Elsa's side. 'They really love me, huh?'

Elsa had to giggle.

'They certainly do.' She had to agree.

When Elsa was finally allowed to speak, she took a second to evaluate the audience before her, taking in more faces she hadn't noted quite yet. Gabriella the botanist, Wael the reporter, Clara, Rona the fishmonger, Josef the hunter, Fredmund and his mom, Florian, Niels, Tilda, Bjorn and Bjarne, Leander, Lise, Thea, and Sigrid. The list went on and on. Elsa knew so many of these people personally. She cared about them all, truly. She had to make that clear. She was happy to be back. It was as simple as that.

'Arendelle.' Elsa began, and an encore of cheering occurred one last time at hearing the queen's voice. 'There is no other place I'd rather be but here in our fair kingdom. However, I also must apologize to you all. With great power comes amazing responsibility and questions. When I awakened the elemental spirits, I was elated to find out why I had powers. What my greater purpose was. Journeying into the Enchanted Forest and confronting each spirit – fire, water, wind, and earth – brought me closer and closer to a truth I had longed for all my life. Saving Arendelle from impending doom was, of course, the primary goal of my journey, but almost just as importantly, I needed to discover who I was and who I was meant to be.'

'So, as I'm sure Anna revealed, I became the fifth spirit of the world. I was selected, at birth, to take up this mantel as the bridge between our world and that of nature. I am tasked with maintaining the balance of both, and encouraging harmony between the land of humans and the land of spirits. Through the trials I overcame, I was deemed worthy of this great power, and if you thought I had amazing responsibility before? Well, let's just say I am sure to be a busy woman moving forward.'

Elsa was relieved when there was some laughter at her remark. She wasn't nearly as quirky and entertaining as Anna, but she tried, here and there.

'However, I no longer have as many questions. I know what my purpose is now. And I know what I need to do with my life. Thanks to Anna, I not only have the opportunity to serve my greater task as the fifth spirit, but I also have the wonderful opportunity to live my life as a human as well, until my natural body perishes and I truly become one with nature as the fifth spirit incarnated completely.'

The thought brought Elsa unparalleled sadness when considering Anna, but it was a thought for another day. Not now. She couldn't break down now. She had Anna at her side in this moment. She would focus on that.

'That being said, I cannot promise that my new duties will not take me away from you all more than not. Indeed, my intention and desire is to remain your queen, but in order to rule properly, I will need an unyielding partner. Conventionally, and perhaps ideally to most, that would mean having a king at my side.'

The way every single set of eyes stretched open in shock at where the announcements were going was incredibly comedic. Elsa almost felt bad, for she knew the vast majority of her people would absolutely love to see her married with a proper heir on the way. Elsa couldn't blame them, honestly. Yet, that wasn't who she was. It wasn't who she would ever be. She knew that now beyond a shadow of a doubt.

'But I've never played well with conventional expectation.' Elsa grinned. 'And it's with that mindset that I today, before all of Arendelle, crown my sister, Anna of Arendelle, as my queen and queen to you all, just as I feel she was always meant to be.'

It was clear as day that Arendelle did not know how to quite respond to this. Thus, given their pause and confusion, Elsa elaborated with a twinkle in her eye.

'I understand the need and want for an heir, and do not believe for a second that I will not give that particular aspect of my rule the consideration it deserves. Talks are already in progress with how to best handle such an important factor to any ruler's longevity. All I ask is that you trust this decision of mine. I have no intention to marry a man as of this moment, but I still need the support a royal partner can provide. Who better than my sister, who I trust with all my heart, all my mind, and all my soul?'

The clapping began slowly yet surely, and Elsa held Anna's hand, smiling at her younger sister who was seconds away from breaking down completely, it seemed. How cute. She was truly the most enchanting person Elsa could ever hope to be with. It was a relationship too precious to hide from the world ever again…

'My father always said, "many hands make light work". With Anna by my side as my fellow queen, I believe he is more correct than ever before. Please join me in welcoming "Queen Anna of Arendelle"! For without her, I would not be before you all today!'

The thunderous applause returned, and Elsa breathed it in, giggling with Anna as they both took the first step toward their new future together. Anna mouthed the words "thank-you", and Elsa returned the sly expression of gratitude with "you're welcome".

Lifting their clasped hands into the air, Anna and Elsa waved to their people. Two queens. One kingdom. A monumental page in Arendelle's history etched into time forever.

That was the easy part. Elsa thought to herself, scanning the crowd curiously. Now, for the far more difficult conversation in the coming days…