The weeks that followed Elsa and Anna's announcement brought a sense of normality back to Arendelle. With the elemental spirits living in harmony with humans once more, and Elsa there to facilitate any potential conflict between the two worlds, an outsider looking in might conclude that peace had, once again, been restored to Arendelle – potentially for quite some time to come.

For the most part, Anna's ascension to becoming Elsa's queen was met with positive enthusiasm. While many would follow-up their "congratulations" with questions regarding an heir and the sisters' eventual and "inevitable" marriage to a suitable man, Elsa's interpretation of Arendelle's reaction to her selection of a queen was obviously tentatively accepted as a temporary means to manage the kingdom alongside Elsa's new responsibilities as the fifth spirit.

That wouldn't do. But it was fine for now.

In the last few weeks, Elsa had undertaken a new routine that she found was more than a little fulfilling for her. In the first half of her day, Elsa would ride the Water Nokk throughout the land, surveying the various peninsulas and ensuring all was well with nature. If there were any anomalies, she would be quick to identify which spirit was in distress, and adjust the elements corresponding with it accordingly. The more Elsa engaged with her role as the bridge between the spirit world and the physical one, the more she learned how spirits truly operated. Although the knowledge was now innately in her mind, seeing it in practise firsthand helped solidify the intangible theories implanted.

In short, the four great elements had their avatars, which Elsa and Anna had met in the Enchanted Forest. Some were newer than others, like Gale and Bruni, while some have been around since the very beginning, like the Rock Giants and Water Nokk. Like the fifth spirit, the avatars of the four elements could be reincarnated or have their powers passed on. Apparently, the wind and fire spirit were more susceptible to requiring this, while the Water Nokk claimed he was near immortal. Why this was, exactly, Elsa hadn't exactly ascertained, but was interested in learning as more time went on.

That being said, Elsa had discovered that the four great elements could control their corresponding natural impressions upon the world only so much lest they were in the direct vicinity. Therefore, nature somewhat flowed in a mechanically, beneficial way for all life on the planet.

Until humans began to affect such a process more than not.

The dam built by Elsa's grandfather was a perfect example of how something manmade could throw nature into chaos. To prevent something that catastrophic from happening again, Elsa took it upon herself to keep in contact with her respective partners from other kingdoms. She urged them to inform her of anything worthy of concern regarding their weather, just in case.

Already, Elsa had made personal trips to Chatho and Eldora to deal with earthquakes and sandstorms respectively. Chatho's expansion of their kingdom sent remnants of the Earth Spirit into confusion and panic, while pieces of the Wind Spirit were simply feeling mischievous, as seemed to be expected of it at this point.

Thankfully, Elsa's ability to travel had been greatly improved since becoming the fifth spirit. When absolutely necessary, she could summon the Water Nokk to take her across incredible bodies of water without the need to prepare and utilize a massive ship for the journey. On land, Elsa had recently learned to harness the power of wind to practically fly. It was more like gliding, really, but it had impressed Anna to no end, which always brought Elsa such intense pleasure. While using the wind was a little more hit or miss (it was such a spontaneously unpredictable deity), the Water Nokk seemed to truly enjoy Elsa's company, the two forming a deeper and more powerful bond with every trip they went on together. He was always willing to appear whenever Elsa asked it of him, and considering he was the only spirit that could consistently speak to Elsa, it made for nice dialogues during particularly long treks, even if the Water Nokk still had some trouble accepting Elsa's true love completely.

'This is what I was meant to do.' Elsa smiled to herself, stepping into an isolated cave she had found while on one of her patrols of Arendelle's incredible land. It was only accessible by water, and the jagged rocks and pieces of the mountain that ultimately contained her home prevented all ships from even attempting to navigate through the pocket of intrigue. Elsa, however, allowed herself a small investigation early on in the recent weeks, and had made visiting the space part of her routine for a very special reason.

The cave was, according to the Water Nokk, considered a "pure point". These were supposedly special parts of the earth where nature seemed to flourish and resonate with itself to the point of creating a sort of crystalized incarnation of its energy – the same essence that made up most of an element in its physical form. An aurora, Elsa learned, was a similar phenomenon.

The result was a cave that, when lit, was a myriad of blues, reds, greens, and oranges. It was almost like entering a rainbow crystal, with a singular point of origin near the back of the somewhat tiny sector. At that spot Elsa could almost feel the earth's spirit when touching the base of the construct. It was here, deep in this magical cave, that Elsa had begun a specialized project the moment she had located such a rare display of nature's untouched beauty. By drawing in the raw spiritual energy around her, Elsa found she could more easily extract from her own soul and manifest it into tiny fragments of crystalized magic.

It was an exceptionally delicate process, one that Elsa could only attempt in complete silence and peace. After all, Elsa was, essentially, attempting to take particles of what made her, well, her, and synthesize those pieces that were no bigger than grains of sand into something more than worth any effort exerted.

After weeks of proceeding with this routine, Elsa was nearly done with her creation, its magnificence mirroring the beauty of the prism cave almost perfectly. Although it was a somewhat small end product, it was the culmination of almost a month of dedicated processing. Elsa was pleased. She was also slightly nervous. All things considered; she still measured the actual work involved simple compared to what came next.

Nonetheless, there was no going back on what one of the queen's of Arendelle had decided. She had set her plans in motion, and she wouldn't run away from what she earnestly wanted to do now that the veil over her eyes had been lifted once and for all.

Indeed, as Elsa rode the Water Nokk about the land, the midmorning sun basking her in its golden light and reflecting off of her platinum garb, Elsa could only smile. Her hair whipped about her face gloriously, and she had these moments to herself and to be with nature as was intended.

Yet, she knew she would return to Anna soon enough so long as no other kingdoms needed her in relation to natural disasters. She would relieve her little sister of "queen duty", and allow her to do whatever she wished – be it manage her newly reopened "Anna's Warm Hugs", or entertain a mass of children throughout Arendelle, or remain at Elsa's side as she undertook the duties of a queen that were more suited to her particular leading style.

All in all, the sisters of Arendelle had finally found peace together…mostly.

Anna was certainly feeling better most days, but there were still some mornings when Elsa found her sister clinging so hard to her she thought her nightgown might get torn. Not only that, but Anna had notable night terrors where she would awaken Elsa with sudden fits of tears and uncontrollable sobbing. As the weeks had passed, and Anna continued to convince herself Elsa had returned and life could somewhat return to normal, the episodes reduced in frequency, but were still very much a part of Anna's existence. Even with the therapy she recently diminished to once a month, Anna still struggled to not live in a state of paranoia – a fear that Elsa might disappear from her life again.

It was…difficult for Elsa to not feel terrible for causing her precious sister so much distress. All she could think to do was love Anna as much as possible with every chance she had. Yes, the sisters were living the better part of their days proceeding with their obligations and callings, but once dinner time came, Elsa made an effort to always set aside that time and onward for herself and Anna. If such evenings included Kristoff, or Olaf, or Sven, or Gerda Jr., or even Mari, that was fine. But only a select few were allowed into that limited time between the sisters. In most cases, Anna and Elsa chose to simply enjoy one another's company, be it going for a walk, having a fancy dinner, riding their horses out into the countryside for a picnic, or snuggling up to a good book. Whatever they decided to do, so long as they could be close to one another, Elsa didn't care; and she had a feeling Anna was of a similar mindset.

This specific day, with the middle of spring showcasing nature reincarnating itself throughout the land gorgeously, Elsa had a specifically strong wish to see her little sister. She assumed it was because of the fact her secret project in her highly exclusive prism cave was almost complete, but that didn't sway her desires. Sometimes the queen sought out the various smaller groups of Northuldra people to check in on them, or Elsa might even simply take a tranquil moment for herself in a quiet piece of land before returning to Arendelle. On occasion, Elsa had even ventured back into the Enchanted Forest, making it all the way to the edge of the Dark Sea and wondering what ever became of Ahtohallan and if its physical landscape would return someday. Perhaps it was up to her to make it before she passed on…

However, nothing else seemed to matter to the queen as she urged the Water Nokk back to Arendelle this fine spring day. She was giddy with excitement. Aside from her secret project, Anna's official coronation celebration and ball was taking place very soon. Within days, in fact. Elsa had invited all of the kingdoms Arendelle had any form of relationship with – and this included kingdoms that had been actively involved in her suitor selection process. While Elsa had kept in semi-frequent contact with the likes of King Arthur, King Leon (he had recently married), Prince Sorey, and Prince Maxwell, she didn't see some of them as much as she would like (King Arthur especially high on the list for…reasons). Therefore, the idea of having a rather large celebration in the name of Anna's ascension to the throne was even more appealing to Elsa.

'It is nearly complete, then?' The Water Nokk spoke into Elsa's mind with his deep, almost sorrowful voice as they neared Arendelle's castle.

'You can tell?' Elsa felt the smile in her voice as she answered.

'We are connected, more than less. Your joy is…palpable.'

'Forgive me.'

'There's nothing to forgive. But…are you sure?'

'More than ever in my life.' Elsa laughed, the Water Nokk stepping up onto a piece of land surrounding the back part of the castle; the same part of Arendelle Elsa had ventured to awaken the spirits to begin with. What a journey it had been up until this point.

'Then, come what may, understand you have earned my loyalty, Elsa. I do not sway in the face of such unblemished commitment to one's path. I am your steed from now until the end.'

'Fjora might have something to say about that, but thank-you.' Elsa teased, dismounting from the Water Nokk.

'Who is this "Fjora"?'

'My other horse.' Elsa winked, finding the Water Nokk's glare amusing. 'Say "hello" to Yelana for me!'

With a stubborn snort, the Water Nokk galloped away and back upon the water, eventually sinking into it to become one with arguably the most important element of them all.

As Elsa prepared herself mentally for the role of "Queen of Arendelle", she almost didn't notice a strange shadow near the mountainside of the fjord surrounding her homeland. Her heart jumping slightly at the sight, Elsa squinted and leaned forward until the shadow stirred and a being stood up tall, measuring a foot or two above Elsa. She allowed the momentary passing of fear to leave her before taking a step back and crossing her arms over her chest in seeming irritation.

'I was wondering when you would appear.' She huffed. 'I've been back for almost a month now. I expected a swifter greeting from someone who evidently had some knowledge of what was to come when the spirits began losing control of themselves.'

'I'm a busy troll.' Devil's seemingly favoured human form took shape as Elsa knew it, black hair hanging about his face messily and cold, tired eyes meeting Elsa's own. He pulled at the dark cape concealing the majority of his person, his long, sharp features no longer as intimidating as Elsa recalled upon first meeting him a few years ago now.

'Not "testing" other poor souls, I should hope.' Elsa sighed.

'You are fully aware that none could compare to the show you and your sister provided. I can hardly muster the desire to even conceive such effort anymore. No. My particular interests rest in research now.'

Elsa wasn't sure she loved that idea either. Who knew what sort of trouble this eccentric being was capable of even when all he was doing was "research"?

'So, did everything play out the way you envisioned?' Elsa asked with sincere curiosity.

'No.' Devil shrugged, to Elsa's surprise. He wasn't one to admit a lack of knowledge so readily. 'Not everything. Most of the events were somewhat predictable, but I will admit my surprise with others.'

'Such as?'

'Anna's despair.' Devil's voice lowered, catching Elsa off guard. 'It was glorious, but pitiful all at once.'

Elsa's jaw tightened.

'I wish you didn't derive such pleasure from my sister's pain.'

'Old habits die hard.' Devil chuckled. 'But for a light to diminish to nothing with no hope in sight of returning? Even I couldn't bear to observe such a pathetic end to her story.'

'She told me you spoke to her.'

'…I did.' Devil muttered.

'Thank-you.'

'A whim at best. I wanted to see what she would do.'

'And now you know.'

'Command of fire magic so great it evaporates the Dark Sea? I wish I had the foresight to follow her and her merry band back into the Enchanted Forest.'

'You didn't?'

Devil laughed.

'Who knows.'

Elsa knew better than to pry with Devil unless absolutely necessary. He was an enigma on the best of days. However, no matter how harshly he spoke, or his insistence on being perceived as heartless, Elsa knew better. His actions in the past and even recently spoke volumes, after all.

'She still cannot wield magic freely.' Elsa decided to elaborate.

'Of course, not. She fried her circuits during her first outing. There's no coming back from that…yet.'

Elsa's eyes widened.

'Yet?'

'I suspect you'll require a gift of some kind soon? That is customary for humans, is it not?'

Elsa didn't know how to respond. Was she being too ignorantly hopeful, or was Devil actually insinuating…? But how could he possible suspect…?

'Oh. I truly miss these moments of disbelief, Elsa.' Devil teased.

Elsa could only shake her head and sigh, pushing a hand through her platinum blonde locks.

'You know of the celebration in Anna's name in the coming days, then?'

'Naturally. Am I invited?' Devil sneered. This time, it was Elsa's turn to shock him.

'I would prefer that you attended, yes.'

The break in the conversation was worth it, because Elsa knew she had rendered Devil speechless; which was rare enough to relish.

'…I'll think about it.' He sulked openly.

'You were planning on making an appearance anyway, were you not? I figured I may as well officially invite you.'

This brought Devil's mischievous grin back to his creepy visage.

'How kind of you.'

'I promise it'll be worth your time.'

Devil raised a brow, a sparkle in his eye.

'You intend on providing me more entertainment?'

Elsa winked before turning to face the small hill that led up to her castle.

'You'll have to wait and see.'

Upon entering Arendelle Castle, Elsa was greeted by maids and soldiers her entire way to the Great Hall, where Anna was likely still attending to the daily needs of their people. The sisters agreed that Anna had a charisma about her that allowed her to handle almost any situation presented by the people with impressively authentic empathy and patience. While Elsa wasn't exactly terrible at performing such a role herself, it came so much more naturally for the younger of the two girls, in most cases.

As Elsa rounded a corner of the halls to traverse upon a main corridor to the Great Hall, a certain voice caught her off guard, commanding her immediate attention and pinching at old memories that the queen was fond of and disgusted by simultaneously.

'Elsa…!'

Gerda Jr. practically ran to her from out of nowhere. Had she been dusting? Sweeping? Preparing to beat out a carpet or retreat to the kitchen to help with lunch for the castle? Whatever the case, the tiny girl scampered with urgency, stopping just short of Elsa and looking up at her with those same painfully sweet chocolate eyes.

'Gerda. Good morning.'

'You're back early.'

'I am. Fortunately, nature seems to be in order well enough to afford me a hasty return.'

'Anna will be happy, I'm sure.'

'I hope so.' Elsa smiled, and caught the blush spreading across Gerda's round cheeks. Even after all these years and everything they had been through the younger girl was still fixated on Elsa in such a way. On one hand, it was flattering, of course. However, on the other hand, and especially now that everyone's memories had been rewritten, it was troublesome for Elsa. She wanted Gerda to find happiness romantically. All the more reason, she supposed, to move forward with her current plan…

'Are you and Anna going out this evening?'

'I think so. The weather is agreeable, and it's been some time since we have gone for a ride together.'

'Ah! I shall prepare your horses, then.' Gerda nodded gleefully. 'What time do you think you'll be departing?'

Elsa laughed. Gerda continued to improve her interpersonal skills. Hardly a stutter to speak of. It was difficult not to be proud. The road had been rocky, but somehow Elsa, Anna, and Gerda had found a common ground of respect and friendship…even if Anna still got jealous of the girl. How adorable. Adorable…and understandable. After all, Elsa experienced such an emotion almost any time Kristoff – or a male in general – attempted to be flirtatious with her sister.

'Shortly before dinner time, I imagine. A picnic would be pleasant, I think.'

'Leave it to me, Elsa! It will be my pleasure!'

'I trust you with the task, then, Gerda.' Elsa gave her maid a gentle bow. 'Thank-you for your efforts.'

'O-of course!' There it was. As Gerda lowered her brunette head, Elsa could practically see the steam emanating from her person. The truth of the matter was Elsa found Gerda attractive in her own merit. Hardly comparable to Anna in any way, shape, or form, but she could draw a comparison to Kristoff for Anna, at least, and calmed her nerves, when needed, with the parallel.

'Anna is in the Great Hall, I assume?'

'Oh, yes.' Gerda's still somewhat reddened face met Elsa's gaze. 'It's been a busy morning for her…'

Elsa wasn't sure she liked the tone being used. Nonetheless, Gerda had taken Elsa's disappearance rather hard as well, so, it was nice to at least see her so consistently committed to her work again. She surely felt bad for losing all ambition once Anna revealed Elsa's untimely fate. So long as she proceeded to work hard though, there was really no ground to stand on when it came to any form of punishment for her for shirking her duties; not when Anna herself had done the same and more.

'I see.' Elsa replied with her trademark contemplative affirmation. 'I shall support her, then, if needed.'

'How fortunate for her.' Gerda tried to mask her envy in her words. Unfortunately for her, Elsa knew her too well by this point to simply not hear her contempt. Jealousy truly was a formidable opponent. How frightening.

'I'll speak with you later, Gerda?' Elsa decided to close the interaction, Anna's wellbeing always taking precedence.

'I would be honoured, my queen. Take care.'

'You, too.'

With that, Elsa made her way the short distance to the Great Hall and allowed the guards on either side of the doors to grant her entrance with but a nod in their direction. They smiled at her apprehensively, and Elsa's curiosity only continued to grow as she stepped into the massive space and observed her immediate surroundings with the regality she was both praised and sometimes considered intimidating for.

'…time has passed since the suitor selections. Is our kingdom truly going to receive an heir, Queen Anna? Weeks have gone by since Queen Elsa's last official word to the people. There are still some who…are not certain about the future of our home.'

Elsa almost wished her sudden entrance hadn't been noticed, but when Anna perked up and gave her a wave, the jig was up, and she was forced to step into the ring with her sister. She was quite curious as to how Anna planned on responding to the repeated concern. After all, almost daily, the sisters took on the question on varying levels of urgency. This particular occasion was instigated by none other than Kai himself, Anna clearly having completed the morning's first barrage of issues the people of Arendelle may have had.

'Good morning, everyone.' Elsa addressed the room consisting of Kai, Leonard, Anna, and a couple of guards stationed near Anna's throne.

'Hey, Sis.' Anna beamed, her gorgeous blue eyes never failing to diminish Elsa's confidence in proceeding with exceptional grace.

Elsa stood in next to her sister, giving her slender shoulder a light touch and squeeze before acknowledging her directly.

'Don't let me interrupt. Proceed.' Elsa spoke to the room and her sister.

'Right.' Anna didn't even skip another beat. She had truly settled into her role as a queen, and took her duties very seriously. The past few weeks, she had been studying quite frequently before bed, reading about the laws of the land, Arendelle's history, and the various rules in place to manage the facilitation of the kingdom as fairly as possible. She had gone through various documents her father and mother had created, and even went so far as to expand her research to other kingdoms that had consistently proven invaluable to Arendelle's development and stabilization. Paired with her already impressive interpersonal skills, Anna had grown into her role incredibly well. Elsa thought she was beyond attractive in a crown and a more regal black and deep green dress, but her confidence and overall demeanor was contrastingly alluring when measured against the Anna Elsa knew so intimately.

'There are processes currently being considered for producing a legitimate heir.' Anan began, her tone serious and understanding of the gravity to which she spoke in. 'It is an unbelievable responsibility and decision to find an answer to, especially when Elsa has made it abundantly clear that she has no intention of marrying.'

Not exactly what Elsa said, but that was fine. All the better, she thought, a tiny grin pulling at the side of her mouth.

'Then…this is why you were made queen? But what of a partner for you?'

Anna paused at Kai's question. Again, it wasn't one completely foreign to the sisters at this point but, much to the frustration of their people, they didn't have a definitive answer quite yet. How would she respond?

Once Anna took a deep breath, she leveled her gaze and gave her reply.

'We both understand the importance of an heir, and are working together to find the best solution. There are multiple venues we are considering closely, and once a path is chosen – and you can be sure we're picking something – everyone will know. I'd bet we work something out in a month or two. It's a big deal, and because of that, we're not going to do anything rash. Does that make sense?'

Kai smile gently, nodding.

'It does. Thank-you. I know you have spoken to many of our people about the matter, but I wanted to have the conversation directly. This kingdom means everything to me, and an uncertain future has helped me lose sleep as of late.'

'Aw! Kai!' Anna giggled. 'Don't worry. We got this. Trust me.' Anna looked up to Elsa at her side. 'Trust us.'

'Thank-you, Queen Anna.' Kai looked to Elsa and gave a courteous bow. 'You have chosen a perfect partner for ruling the kingdom, for the time being, Queen Elsa.'

Elsa smiled proudly.

'Oh, I know.'

With that, Kai excused himself and left the Great Hall. The moment he left, Anna jumped up from the throne and cracked her back, displaying her dramatics for all to see as she stretched.

'Man! That seat gets hard on the tush still! You'd think my butt would have developed a callus or something by now.'

'Thankfully, it has not.' Elsa chuckled, and the moment she allowed her imagination to escape her enough to tease images of the subject matter, she had to consciously subdue further contemplation lest she lose the composure she managed to display for Leonard and the guards remaining.

'How went making sure the world doesn't blow up today? You're back early, so, I'm guessing all is well.'

'A slight exaggeration in relation to part of my job, but yes, everything is fine. I thought I would relieve you early so we could go for a ride this evening and have a picnic. The weather is quite nice.'

'Oh! Yeah! Totally!' The way Anna's entire face lit up constantly reminded Elsa of how lucky she was. Even after a lifetime together, her little sister was absolutely ecstatic to spend time with her.

'That sounds like a fine idea. You've both been working hard. I wouldn't mind being in charge for a little while.' Leonard cracked his neck to the side in an attempt to seem more frightening than he ultimately was, deep down.

'Right?' Anna agreed. 'I'll just get changed, check in on the bakery for an hour or two, and then I'll be ready? Oh! But I promised I'd read a book to the kids at the square. You wanna come? I got a new book and it seems really cool!'

Elsa's heart felt too large for her body the more she listened to Anna. As Leonard had said, they were both working quite hard these days, and therefore, their time together was sometimes mitigated to dinner and a short evening before bed.

'That sounds perfect. What time should I meet you?'

'Hmm.' Anna crossed her arms, scrunching her face up. 'I'm thinking around three? Does that work?'

'Yes. That gives me the chance to solidify some paperwork and so forth in relation to your party.'

'Oh! That's totally in a couple of days, isn't it?'

'It is.'

'I'm excited! We haven't really had any celebrations since…you know. So, this is going to be great!'

'Agreed.'

A moment passed between the sisters, their eyes locked and wishes clear upon one another's faces. Elsa wanted to kiss Anna. She wanted to hold her. She didn't want to resist her urges anymore. However, she also couldn't be selfish. Anna knew this, too, and simply turned away, perhaps the temptation too great for her as well.

'Then I'll see you later! Good luck with your side of the queen thing.' Anna waved adorably, the growing distance between herself and Elsa carving a hole in the older sister's swollen heart as she walked backward to the entrance to the great hall.

'Thank-you. I'll do my best.'

'That's a given, my perfectionist of a sister.'

Elsa blushed, providing Anna a subtle wave.

'I'm looking forward to our time together.'

'Me, too! It's gonna be great! Bye!'

And she was gone. Elsa always needed a moment to recover from the overwhelming affection she felt for Anna when they parted. It was always an act of coming off a high – an emotional high. Everything else always seemed so…mediocre in comparison.

'My queen.' Leonard cleared his throat, snapping Elsa back to reality.

'Right. We have some work to do.' Elsa convinced herself. No matter how much she wanted to be with Anna in this moment, duty called…for now. In time, Elsa would selfishly embrace her evening with Anna, surely reinforcing the dramatic scenario she was prepared to create in less than a few days.

Wait for me, Anna. The next step in our lives together is clearer than ever before.