A/N: The chapter you've all been waiting for, for various reasons.
Saving other notes for the end.
Anna didn't fare well with silence. Never had.
Silence had always a cruel, lonely, taunting playmate, her words harsh and targeted in their quest for destruction.
But for so long, silence had been her only playmate.
It was her sole companion as she wandered around in a castle far too large for any child to explore on their own, treading carefully and speaking slowly, struggling to overcome the childish rambunctiousness that was prevalent in all children her age – but even more so in the feisty little redheaded princess.
Silence had seen her waiting with bated breath, ears pressed against a door, yearning to catch even a soft breath from the one person she most wanted to speak to - and the one person she would endure silence for.
Because if silence would bring Elsa back to her, then she'd bear its haunting nature for eternity, if need be.
But silence never had aided her in the past…and now?
The weary princess closed her eyes. With her ribs aching from the heavy sobs that sporadically escaped her trembling frame, her heart thumping dangerously in her throat, and her stomach twisting itself into infinite knots…it seemed this terrifying silence was all she had ever known.
Perhaps it was the only thing she would ever know again.
Anna turned her reluctant attention to Elsa's worryingly pale face. Free from the parasitic medallion, her sister's temperature had thankfully returned to a somewhat bearable level so that the princess could touch her once more.
But it was a painfully small comfort…being able to hold Elsa's hand as she passed. With the ashy pale skin stretched over her gaunt form, the woman was hardly recognizable as the sister she loved.
Seeing Elsa's suffering first-hand, knowing now just what had happened to her…it all served as fuel to the silence tormenting her, to the grief twisting its bloody knife into her heart.
Your fault, you know. Elsa would be alive if it weren't for you.
A strangled sob escaped her parched lips; eyes unable to look on any longer. "No…" came the hoarse whisper. "I-I did my best. I tried to save her."
But you failed, Anna dear. Just like we knew you would. And now you must look upon your failure.
Look at it, Anna.
Look at her.
She took in a shaky, raspy breath, but her eyes remained closed. She wasn't ready….she couldn't – how could she let her go?
But you must, Anna.
How else will you understand the ultimate price of your failure? How else will you realize how inept you are for the duties expected from you? You had one job, and even that you failed at, instead chasing after people you shouldn't have trusted and cures that don't exist.
Consider this punishment for your sins, princess. This silence is your future forevermore.
If she had had energy left to weep, perhaps she would have wept at those words and the truth they bore, but since her realization on the North Mountain, all Anna had done was weep.
Weep for the life her sister would never have.
Weep for the kingdom that was losing its queen.
Weep for the sisterly bond that would never be again…
Had it only been three days ago? All that talking and giggling and imagining a wonderful weekend with the ones they loved most? Was that moment fated to be her last happy memory, to be a blessed reprieve from her dangerous ineptitude and the destruction she would forever have to live with?
"This silence is your future forevermore."
Perhaps it was, but she could bear its presence no longer.
"I-If I had known…" Her voice was thick, words sticking to her esophagus. She coughed. "If I'd known then that that was o-our last moment together…I would have never left you alone." A fist clenched. "I would never have let this happen to you, Elsa…I'd-" A swallow. "I'd have saved you."
Would you, or is that just wishful thinking on your part?
"Yes, I would have! I would have protected you." A harsh whisper, more to convince herself than anything else really, because as much as she yearned to believe that she had an audience, that somewhere on the other side of that wooden door lay a blonde head taking in her every word…
Elsa was not listening right now.
She never would again.
Somewhere inside her, something broke with that realization.
Anna tossed herself on top of Elsa, tears cascading down her freckled cheeks as she pulled her sister ever closer. Her pain too great for words, all she could do was sob and beg and plead with Fate to give her – them – one more chance.
They'd just begun to understand each other. To love each other. To be happy together…
I didn't even get to see her ice palace.
The wayward thought – a pathetic non sequitur in this moment of absolute despair - brought with it a dry chuckle, followed by another and another until Anna could no longer stem her morbid laughter from bubbling out of her sore throat. Anyone else may have worried for her sanity, but thankfully she was alone in this large, dark, silent room.
Would always be, from now on….
And so she laughed.
She laughed at the world's cruelty in giving her a sister she had never really understood but loved nonetheless.
She laughed at the injustice of finally embracing her sibling, only to have that moment ripped away from her just as quickly.
She laughed at the irony that really, at the end of the day, her friends weren't missing out on much, because the ice palace was probably a puddle in the ground and honestly who'd travel all the way up the North Mountain to visit a puddle when they could just find Olaf's puddly remains in the castle courtyard.
"Just go back to your garden, Katja. There's nothing else left for you to be jealous about, nothing left for me to show you…not for all the baked goods in the world."
She closed her eyes once again.
And then it hit her like a lightning bolt.
Katja!
The family had just sat down for supper when the impatient soul began knocking frantically at their door.
"Katja!" More incessant knocking. "Katja! Please!"
The girl stood up. "Who could it possibly be at this hour?" She exchanged a curious look with her companions before hurrying to the door. The faster she got this over with, the faster she could return to her meal.
"Whoever you are, I really hope you have a good explanation for ruining Sunday supper cause-" And then she saw his face. "Kristoff?!"
The ice harvester was panting on her front porch, his shirt drenched and his hair slicked back with the sweat that rolled off him.
"It's…" He braced against the frame, puffing loudly, "Sorry…kinda in a hurry."
"Yeah, I kinda got that…" She gave him another glance, and then – "Wait, aren't you supposed to be up in the mountains with Anna?"
Suddenly, she was less upset about the interruption and more worried for her best friend, "Is everything okay? Why'd you come back so soon? Oh my God, did something happen to her?!"
"No-" He paused to continue recollecting his breath.
Katja's heart stopped. But Ivan – the more rational of the two – was quick to pick up. "No, everything's not okay or no, everything's fine?"
Kristoff took a gasping gulp of air and finally staggered to his feet, looking only marginally better for all his efforts. "No, everything is not okay, but Anna is fine… for now." With his breath back, the words came faster. "D-do you still have that flower Anna gave you? The purple one?"
Katja nodded uncertainly, "Yeah, it's over-"
Kristoff glanced over his shoulder and quickly cut her off. "Great, I'm gonna need that, like right now."
The brunette frowned. "Okay, I guess I'll be right back."
It wasn't much work to remove the planted flower, but there was a twinge of regret as she handed it over. It really was a beautiful flower. "I'm so gonna need an explanation for this."
"And you'll get it." Kristoff assured her, "You know, if all goes well, at least…"
His words sent a chilly shiver down her spine, "What do you mean?"
A strange melancholic look passed through his tired features, lending the twins the impression that perhaps he hadn't slept properly in days. "Well…let's just say that if this doesn't work, Arendelle will never be the same again."
The words took them aback. "D-do you need any help? What's going on?"
But the ice harvester was already shaking his head. "I can't explain right now, I'm sorry…"
And then, he was gone.
Ivan turned to her. "Did anything make sense to you just now?"
Katja sighed, "No…but I'm sure Anna will have some answers for us." She turned to look towards the castle, her thoughts drifting to her best friend. "I just hope everything's ok."
A/N: Kudos to those of you that remembered the flower Anna gave her friend. I know it feels weird that she didn't remember earlier, but honestly, sometimes the most obvious things escape us when we're stressed, and no one can deny Anna's stressed right about now. Whether Elsa will wake up or not...well, you'll have to wait and see, won't you?