No matter what season or time of day, it always kind of felt like a muggy summer evening at the Valley of the Living Rock. Like the sky intended to rain but couldn't quite be bothered. It was charming at first, and felt distinctly magical. In fact, the first time Anna visited, it was the first time anything in her life had felt really, truly magical. Of course, the fact that it was so utterly forbidden probably also contributed to that. And all the glowstones. Everybody knows glowing equals magic.

Eventually though, amidst the spurting geysers and the perpetual mist and the fuzzy wet blankets of moss and condensation, the sense of overwhelming dampness trumped all else. She didn't sit down - nothing could ruin a perfectly nice day out like a wet butt.

The younger trolls emerged first from their caves, crashing into their giant human brother or cousin or whatever they considered Kristoff to be in their particular kinship system. Anna could kind of understand why people would be wary of them, at first glance. They were admittedly funny looking. From a distance, one might think they were human. Only slightly shorter and more stout. They walked stiffly, like little old people, even the young ones. And their skin was an odd colour. Not quite grey, not quite human colour, just in between enough to make someone rub their eyes and question if they were seeing things.

Anna had been ready to protect Elsa from any social dangers. Ready to jump in front of her, speak for her, defend her from invasive questions (the trolls could be rather...blunt. Pun intended) and personal space violations. But surprisingly she hadn't needed to. Elsa liked the trolls. And the trolls liked her. A lot. Especially the children.

She allowed them to take her by the hand, and she hopped merrily from stone to stone. Jumped over geysers. Admired their mushrooms. One of them even gifted her a glowstone and Anna noted an unpleasant feeling bubbling inside her. They'd neve given her anything and she'd come here lots of times. She knew most of the children by name.

The feeling must have bubbled to her face because Kristoff's hand landed on her shoulder and he assured her, 'It's just because she's shiny and new. Don't worry. They still love you.'

It wasn't reassuring though, only more confusing. Because the bubbling feeling seemed a little like jealousy, but that wasn't it. It was...jealousy-adjacent? She didn't crave attention from the trolls. In fact, she was charmed to see Elsa looking happy. More than happy. She looked somehow healthier than usual. Stronger. Her back was straighter. Her eyes were brighter.

'I'm not jealous.'

'Yeah, right,' His voice dripped with sarcasm, 'And I wasn't jealous either, the first time I brought you here, when they basically ignored me.'

When he put it like that, it made her even more certain of what she was not feeling. 'Doesn't she look...radiant?'

'Um, sure?' Kristoff looked to Anna with eyebrows raised, and back to his stony family with their exciting new friend. 'She looks...well. What are you, falling in love or something?'

'Do you think it's the magical energy of this place?' She was thinking out loud now, unable to avoid the conclusion her thoughts had been leading to the whole time, 'Maybe she doesn't belong in the castle with me. Maybe she belongs...out there...somewhere…'

'Anna,' Kristoff stepped in front of her, hands on her shoulders, 'take it from an orphan who was raised by trolls. Nobody belongs anywhere. We're all just kind of here and nobody knows why. Just...trying to get by. Now, can I please get one of those sandwiches you promised me? Driving that carriage is hungry work.' He looked her straight in the eyes and smiled.

Anna smiled back. The words actually did quell the strange uneasiness in her stomach, just a little. 'Sure. Let's go get the basket.'

By the time they'd all finished their little picnic lunch and Pabbie emerged from whatever important work he had been attending to in his cave, the feeling was back, stronger. What was it? And why did she feel so guilty about feeling it?

'You ready?' Anna asked. Hans's unfortunate behaviour the other night had left an ugly shadow over what could have been an exciting day. Elsa smiled and nodded but her hands trembled as she rolled up her right sleeve. Anna took her left hand for good measure and squeezed.

The feeling grew.

Voices died down and all eyes were fixed expectantly on the dull metal cuff with the grey stone embedded into it. Pabbie's stony old finger left a glowing green mist behind as he traced the cuff's runes and patterns, muttering softly.

'You've worn this for some time now.'

It wasn't a question, but Elsa nodded anyway.

'And you haven't been able to remove it, all these years.'

Anna rolled her eyes. Now they were just stating the obvious. But trolls were like that, sometimes. Lumbersome.

'The metal has been crafted by humans...but the stone comes not from this world...'

Elsa mumbled something under her breath.

'What's that, child?'

'The Fair Folk?'

Pabbie nodded, 'I believe so.' He raised his hand, lifting and spreading the glowing mist that shrouded the amulet. Figures formed in the mist, crude and dreamlike. Difficult to make out. A pale blue humanoid figure, and a pale yellow one, walking side by side. Holding hands. Running from a menacing crowd with pitchforks and torches. Hiding in the trees together. They embraced, and a wall rose between them. The yellow figure ran away, looking back briefly, while the blue one stood, watching, fists against the wall. The wall became a box, shrinking around the blue figure. The box became a cage. The mist dissipated.

That was it. If it was supposed to tell a story, then the story was very unclear to Anna. She figured the blue figure was probably Elsa - the whole ice and snow theme. But the yellow figure. Well. She didn't know who that was, or what exactly had happened, but she had the urge to punch them.

'The Fair Folk are tricky.' Pabbie continued. 'But they are also highly legalistic. Arrogant. And they fancy themselves masters of poetic justice and irony. Therein lies their hubris. And also...their weakness.'

Anna had no idea magical races held such...specific and nuanced views of each other. It was rather fascinating, if she was honest. She wondered how the Fair Folk would describe the trolls.

'Yes. I'm familiar with them.' Elsa nodded seriously. 'So, how do I take it off?'

'You cannot take it off.'

His words hung, unexpected and brutal in the stifling silence.

'So I'm stuck like this forever?' The devastation in her voice was cutting and Anna winced at her naive optimism in coming here. Pointlessly rubbing salt in a wound couldn't be healed.

'Of course not.' This was beginning to feel like some kind of riddle, especially coming from someone who called the Fair Folk "tricky". 'You yourself cannot take it off. It will come off the same way it went on.'

Even some of the trolls were scratching their heads now, looking at each other all confused. A geyser erupted, hissing into the silence.

'Betrayal!' one of the small trolls shouted. Apparently the little mist-show had made perfect sense to them.

'Ooh, ooh, is it cold-blooded treachery?' said another.

'I know! An unexpected knife to the back from the one you hold dearest!' They really spoke with far too much enthusiasm, like it was some kind of fun guessing game. Even Kristoff cringed at the utter lack of sensitivity.

'Not quite.' Pabbie said, 'Not quite. Rather, the foundation required for betrayal. The essential precondition. Trust.' His face fell into soft creases of sympathy and he gripped Elsa's graceful hand in his own gnarly ones. 'A gift far greater than magic, that was taken from you.'

'Thank you.' Elsa was choking on her words again, managing a very polite smile. 'I appreciate your...assessment. And your time.'

Anna nodded gratefully at Pabbie and led Elsa away before any more unfortunate commentary erupted from the crowd of stony onlookers.

Now, Anna wasn't exactly an expert in the removal of magical amulets, but this seemed to her like a fairly favourable outcome. She'd expected something much more complex. A series of rare artifacts - crystals and metals, perhaps - that would have to be collected from exotic locations and melted in a mystical forge deep underground to create the...bolt-cutters of truth? The three of them would have had to embark on a perilous quest and make all sorts of zany friends along the way. Elsa would have been so enamoured with Anna's bravery and so grateful to be freed from the amulet, she would have swooned and fallen into Anna's arms dramatically, and they could have kissed and ridden off into the sunset on a dragon.

Okay, so, she might have daydreamed about it more than she cared to admit. But as exciting as that all sounded, it would have been...extremely logistically problematic. And potentially life-threatening (though such was the price of adventure, according to the storybooks). This was a much easier solution, surely. How hard could it be to build trust?

Judging by the resignation in Elsa's eyes and the fake smile plastered on her face, and the pieces that were slowly fitting together to form one very sad picture, perhaps quite difficult.

'Never have I ever…' Kristoff ran his finger over the top of his goblet, a devious grin emerging on his face 'cut a giant ribbon with giant scissors.'

'That's not fair!' Anna said. But she still took a nice big gulp of wine. 'You're just picking on me! You know I'm the only one who's done these things.'

'Hey, you chose this game! And those are the rules.'

She crossed her arms, pouted, and nodded at Elsa to have her turn.

'Never have I ever…' She always spent a million years deliberating over what to choose, like the fate of the world depended on it. Adorable. 'Eaten...a...worm?'

Kristoff took a sip, shrugging nonchalantly.

'That's disgusting!' Anna said.

'Hey, I lost a bet. And I'm a man of my word.'

Elsa chuckled, 'At least you know he's honest, right?'

He certainly was. And Anna intended to use that honesty to embarrass him and make him drink, 'Never have I ever wet myself in public!'

Just as predicted, as she'd heard the story so many times before (and even though they laughed about it now, he was quite distressed at the time), Kristoff rolled his eyes and lifted his goblet to his lips. After a minute, surprisingly, so did Elsa. And oh, how badly Anna wanted to ask to hear that particular story. But she wouldn't. Not yet. But she made a mental note to keep an eye out for the right moment. When Elsa was less fragile. And more drunk.

'See? It happens to the best of us!' Kristoff stood up, patting his belly, 'But speaking of, that wine's gone straight through me. I'm gonna go take a-'

'Thanks!' Anna cut him off, 'For sharing. Please enjoy yourself. And don't go too close to the stream!'

'Yeah, yeah.' And with that, he disappeared into the trees, stomping off in that lumpy way of his.

Anna shivered and pulled the cloak around her. They'd been settled in the little clearing playing drinking games for a few hours now, but the cool wind clearly heralded the coming evening. They had maybe two, maybe two-and-a-half hours until sundown, and she had to get home at a reasonable hour.

Sometimes Anna could get away with coming home drunk.

Sometimes Anna could get away with coming home late.

Anna could absolutely not get away with coming home late and drunk on a Saturday night. And she didn't intend to stop drinking. It kept a lid on the wedding nerves that were always simmering away under the surface. Daydreaming about epic magical quests only helped so much.

'Are you cold?' Elsa asked.

'Nah.' She didn't want to admit it. The feeling was so strong now. 'Not really.'

'It's getting late. Shouldn't we be getting back soon?'

It was true. It was getting late and Anna had made no attempt to pack away the remnants of their afternoon snacks, the wine, the picnic blankets. She was sprawled very comfortably in the nook of a huge Oak tree's roots. Not the body language of someone anxious to make good time.

'Well... I should probably be getting back soon.'

The uncomfortable feeling had grown stronger now, and it lingered in every inch of her body. Heavy like iron jewellery she wished she could remove. But apparently, in a twist of poetic justice, the real mystical forge was inside her all along. Because somehow all the red wine in her stomach had refined the vague discomfort into a crystal clear truth she could no longer ignore.

Her head swirled as she got to her feet, and she gripped the tree for balance, but mostly for emotional grounding. She was definitely drunk and she was going to do something reckless. She was going to do exactly what her father had explicitly told her not to do.

She had to.

'I should be getting back. But you don't have to come with us.'

Drunk Anna really just said that. Sober Anna was going to have such a mess to deal with later on. Drunk Anna was going to break her own heart so that sober Anna could face herself in the mirror.

'I'm sorry?' Elsa struggled to comprehend, 'What?'

'You're free to go. If you want.'

'Is this a trick? What about the scouts? The intelligence patrols, your soldiers? You said yourself, I'll just get caught-'

'That was at the castle.' Anna hadn't expected to have to argue this. 'We're out of range now. They only patrol here once a week. You could get a headstart before I get back.'

'I…' Elsa's mouth hung open. 'I have nowhere to go.'

'There are plenty of ports nearby to the west.' Anna gathered up the goblets into the centre of the blanket, 'You could make it by nightfall if you leave now. Take these. Sell them. They're pure silver with real rubies. Actually, I'm not supposed to take them out of the castle, but I do it all the time anyway and nobody notices- but that's not the point! You can get on a ship. Get a new identity, escape from all the rumours in Europe. Go to the New World! Go on adventures!'

Go on adventures without me. Adventures with other girls. Braver and more valiant girls. Fall into their arms. Write me all about it. These things she didn't say because if she did, she would definitely cry and if Elsa refused to leave out of pity then all of this was for nothing.

'Anna...this is crazy. What about your father? He'll be angry.'

'Yeah, he will. But he has to live with his decisions. And I have to live with mine. So I'm setting you free. Like a flock of doves.'

'A flock of...doves?'

'Or an eagle or something. Whatever animal personally resonates with you. I'm bad at metaphors. I just thought doves because they're a symbol of goodwill, and they're so white and beautiful, and you're also pale and and beautiful and you smell so good and your hair's so soft-'

'Okay, now I'm really confused,' Elsa interrupted. 'Do you want me to leave or not?'

Gods, she had to make this as hard as possible.

'Of course I don't want you to leave! I'm gonna miss you so much but…'

But what? The stream trickled and the birds called, waiting for Anna to explain exactly what she meant when it should be obvious. It was written in the subtle unspoken awkwardness that had quietly underpinned all their time together. Wasn't it?

'But what I want and what I can live with are two different things. And I can't live with myself, knowing what I know, waking up every day next to someone who's basically still a prisoner!'

There. She said it. It wasn't so hard. Her heart was breaking into pieces but it wasn't so hard.

'So I'm just going to close my eyes now, so that I don't see which way you go.'

So that I don't have to watch you leave. And so that you don't watch me cry.

Anna scrunched her eyes closed and waited for the sound of clinking goblets and light footsteps growing quieter. But she heard nothing. She would open her eyes to find herself alone, surely. There was no question. There were much better options out there. As much as Anna was a romantic, and as much as she believed the warmth between them was mutual, she was also a realist. The confines of Arendelle, the whims of the council, being at the mercy of ruthless military men, it was too great a price to pay for the company of some spoilt, lonely princess.

A minute passed, full of nothing. Then soft lips pressed against her own. Gentle and warm, sending a weak, melting sensation down into her chest and throughout her body. Her heart broke even more - this must be one of those goodbye kisses she'd read about. Why was Elsa always so damn poetic?

Anna was no expert in goodbye kisses, but she was pretty sure they weren't supposed to last this long. Or progress to a hand in her hair and another on her waist. It was difficult to really ponder this though, with her knees buckling and the world fading away like the end of a bad dream, leaving the pressure of another body pressed against hers as the only real thing in the universe.

Elsa broke away, 'Oh ye of little faith.'

'What?' This seemed like a really inappropriate time for a Bible verse but Anna wasn't about to start arguing after...whatever that was.

'If I wanted to leave, I would have found a way by now.'

'But the council...they want to...like a weapon…'

'People always will.'

'They'll make you...like a puppet. They have ways. I've read about it.'

'Not if I co-operate. Willingly.'

It still didn't make sense to Anna but it was frankly hard to think very clearly with the breath on her face, and the arms snaking around her neck, and the wisps of blonde hair fluttering against her cheek in the breeze, and the heat that was burning in her cheeks and in her chest and oh gods, between her legs. 'Are you sure?'

'Anna. Listen.' Elsa cupped Anna's cheeks with her cool hands. Her eyes glistened but they didn't waver. 'I have been running since I was a child. Running from things that were always inevitable. Written in the stars since the day I was born. Just playing out an endless cycle. Capture, escape, run, hide, capture, escape, run, hide. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of…' her voice cracked just for a second, 'being alone. I'd rather face my fate. With you by my side.'

So damn poetic.

'And stay by your side as you face yours.'

Anna's daydream was all upside down now because she was the one swooning at Elsa's bravery. Falling into her arms. Knocking her to the ground, the two of them tumbling into the shrubbery. This part hadn't been in the daydream. Looking back, that was a definite oversight - it was the grand finale. What was the point of a magical quest if not to end up with hands running through hair and over the backs of necks. Elsa pinned beneath her with hands on Anna's backside, pulling her closer. Lips pressed together, harder than before, hungry, opening just a little, warm and wet and spectacular, like a blazing sunrise in her body and-

'So, uh…' A voice. A man. Kristoff, wringing his hands nervously. Ruining everything. Worst friend ever. 'As much as I'm...really, really enjoying this little show…'

They sprang apart like the repellant ends of two magnets and the sudden absence of contact left Anna with an embarrassing grunt of frustration.

'Kristoff! Seriously!'

'Yeah, like I said, really hate to interrupt,' his face was so red anyone would think he'd been the one making out in the bushes, 'but if you don't get back soon I'm gonna be the one facing my fate. And I'm clearly too young and handsome to die.'

He was right. He was a stinker, but he was right.

It was time to go home and face their fates, side by side.