Healing The Blooming Crocus

by JLATS

Anna and Elsa are thriving in their new respective roles. But despite feeling fulfilled, their lives aren't easy every day, and soon a threat hangs over both Arendelle and Northuldra lands. It's time for Anna to show her leadership skills and for Elsa to protect those she loves. Will they be enough? Post-Frozen 2. Sequel to Untangling The Frozen Knots ᚛ PM me to get a free copy!

16. Bless this good and solid ground

Chapter 16:
Bless this good and solid ground

---

The valley was silent at last, now that the fight had stopped and metal clangs and war screams didn't fill the air. Anna's ears still rang, but she was happy with the outcome.

She looked over to the spot on the battlefield where Elsa had landed in dragon form and made a move toward her sister with admiration, but she saw that the Snow Queen was excitedly chatting with the Spirits, so she stopped with a smile. She deserved that moment. Anna saw Rapunzel approach on her right, and chose to prioritize the health of the soldiers.

She walked to her while she casually wiped the blood off her sword in the crook of her elbow.

"Any bad news?" She asked, and Rapunzel widened her eyes at the redhead's gesture.

However, no one else around them seemed to have been shocked by it, so she blinked and answered with a smile.

"Lots of casualties, many wounds, but nothing I couldn't take care of. No dead people. I mean, on our side."

"Good. Excellent, in fact." Nodded the redhead.

She turned to the highest ranked man of the group of guards that surrounded her, and smiled.

"General, I have to say, you and your Corona counterpart are simply amazing. Your troops handled everything superbly."

The soldier modestly bowed at her original compliments. "It's because we were prepared for this event, Your Majesty. Nobody surprises Arendelle twice."

The Queen smirked, then turned to Rapunzel.

"I'll walk with you to the medics. Believe it or not, I only used half of my vials."

"Believe it or not, that doesn't surprise me." Chuckled the brunette.

The two women grinned and bumped each other's shoulders, then moved out of the battlefield with Anna's guards.

The Princess admired how all of them could still stand without any problem, and made a remark to the Queen. She grinned. "Of course. They are the best of the best."

The soldiers literally walked next to her so they all heard, but hid their smiles. Also, if they were honest, many times in the fight, Anna had been the one protecting them. Since what happened during the Collapse, she was not willing to let someone else die for her.

Rapunzel enjoyed the joyful mood of the proud Queen - even if she was as optimistic as Anna, she would never have thought that the war would end in such a happy atmosphere - and took that opportunity to joke.

"Nah, Coronian soldiers are better."

Anna gave her a look. "Don't get me started again on the idea of an annual sports event between our kingdoms."

They laughed, then cleared their throats to remain serious monarchs in front of the army, especially when they finally arrived at the clearing where many groups did their report to them.

An hour later, the Queen looked around, her hands on her hips with pride as she ascertained that her allies were fine. Some soldiers sat on the ground and talked to their colleagues, others helped injured colleagues lifting their arms to drink water, others assisted in storing the weapons… Anna's heart felt at peace.

Her eyes scanning the people, she then jolted in excitement when she finally recognized her sister's face in the crowd.

"ELSA!" She yelled in high pitch, and the soldiers next to her had their ears ringing.

She went through the mass of people, utterly beyond herself and bursting with happiness. She however tried to remain polite as she gently but firmly shoved aside the soldiers on her way. "Move, move!"

Anna eventually arrived at her elder's level, and Elsa was busy smiling and shaking hands as many soldiers had come to her to either kneel, express their admiration or simply stare at her closely to make sure she was real.

"Move aside, that's my sister!" Chuckled Anna, her eyes filling with tears.

The emotion was mirrored in Elsa's eyes when she turned, and it wasn't just due to her exhaustion. The Queen's admiration and pride were clear, and the admirers slipped away when Anna made the rest of the space between them in a run.

She tackled Elsa in a hug and the blonde almost fell backwards, but thankfully she was used to her baby sister's strong embraces. Nevertheless, Anna quickly stepped away to place her hands on each side of her face, and beamed in jubilation.

"How did you do that? It was insane! No, incredible! No, unbelievable! Not that I didn't believe it. I believe in you. I knew you could do it. Not that you could do that specifically, because, huh! I mean, who could think about making a goddamn dragon? But still! And you were amazing, and beautiful, and–"

"Maybe breathe?" Suggested the blonde with a smile.

Anna interrupted herself with a chuckle, and did as advised because she actually would faint if she continued. Then the siblings giggled at each other. The redhead squealed in delight as she tackled her in another hug, which the elder warmly gave back.

"We won." Whispered Anna's tired but happy voice on her shoulder.

"We won." Confirmed Elsa with a smile.

After a moment, the redhead parted to admire her once more, with as much excitement, once again admiring her face with her hands on her cheeks.

Elsa melted in a smile. That sparkle in those teal blue eyes…. It felt like their young childhood was just yesterday, and it filled her heart with love. She however masked her smile with timidity and looked down.

"The kids of Arendelle inspired me." She shrugged modestly. "I got the idea of combining the elements to form a dragon based on their imagination, not mine."

Anna got speechless at the reveal, and dropped her jaw. It then turned into a smile. "They sure are amazing."

"The future of the country is in good hands. And good brains." Grinned Elsa assuredly. "Really, all of it is thanks to them."

A beaming brunette approached with a jog. "What's this I hear, someone being modest about creating a dragon?!"

Elsa and Anna turned around with a chuckle at Honeymaren's voice and her exaggerated tone.

The redhead smiled and stepped away from Elsa. The Spirit widened her eyes when she saw the raw emotion in her lover's, and could only brace herself when she approached with speed and force. Honeymaren dropped on her girlfriend with all her weight and tightly wrapped her arms around her, relief and adrenaline heavy on her heart.

"Mitt lys, it- it was incredible. I should bow to you after such an admirable Fifth Spirit act, it was insane, I just- I have no words." She whispered to Elsa's ear with a shaking voice. "I love you so much, and- and admire you so much, I…"

She wanted to continue her praise for hours, but she couldn't when a ball of emotion blocked her throat. Rare tears started to fall from Honeymaren's cheeks, and the hands in Elsa's back clenched even harder than before.

The blonde closed her eyes as she felt the intense relief and pouring stress flowing out of her lover, and she hugged her close. It wasn't the style of the huntress to be this overwhelmed, so Elsa rubbed her back tenderly and leaned to whisper in her ear.

"Shhh… It's over… It's okay… I'm okay."

Honeymaren let out a small whimper.

"I… I was… I'm so happy, Elsa, but… Never do that again without telling me first." She muttered on her shoulder. "...Except maybe if it's to make a show for the kids."

Elsa chuckled warmly and turned to kiss her cheek. Anna smiled tenderly where she stood as she discreetly wiped tears from her own eyes at their love and humor.

The girlfriends stood in each other's arms for a moment, and Elsa cupped Honeymaren's face to rub her tears lovingly. The brunette tilted her head in the touch, leaning in her palm, then she gulped and her chestnut irises filled with determination.

"Alright. I have to go check on the warriors. I have to undress Avgos for the crazy move he did earlier, he almost died trying to save me from the blow of a pirate."

Elsa blinked, then laughed at her vocabulary. "I think you mean giving him a dressing-down." She corrected, and Anna giggled next to them.

Honeymaren waved her hand at her in a dismissive gesture.

"We're all too tired to make correct sentences now. See you around." She added with a wink, heading to where the people had gathered.

As she walked away in the clearing, Elsa stared at her with all the love in the world, and Anna couldn't help the smile that grew on her lips. She followed her gaze, admiring the fierce Northuldra as well. A few seconds after Honeymaren disappeared into the crowd of celebrating fighters, Elsa's breathing grew heavier, and Anna turned with a frown.

The blonde gave her sister a sign before quickly sitting down. She did it abruptly, and right where she had been standing, with a slumping gesture that made her bottom strongly hit the ground. The movement was rare from the Fifth Spirit; Anna had always seen her slowly sitting on her legs or with them crossed. Clearly the blonde didn't plan to meditate. She even seemed exhausted, and the Queen rushed to kneel at her side.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. I just need rest." Assured Elsa with a very tired smile.

Anna didn't even have to ask her what was going on, or if she had been attacked by another poisonous dart. It was obvious that the enormous amount of magic gathered to form the dragon had a price. The redhead knew the kind of energy it could drain off her sister, and how briskly tired it could make her. She still remembered Elsa's state when she had saved her from the flames a couple years ago.

"There, there…" She murmured tenderly as she gently dragged her a bit further, so she could rest her back against a tree.

"Thanks." Murmured Elsa back, but it was more out of fatigue than affection.

Anna smiled and put all of her will into making her comfortable, shifting her body here and there. She then ran to the blankets at disposal, grabbed one, then took off a piece of her armor. She wrapped it to make a pillow, which she placed behind Elsa's head.

The hubbub of the happy crowd was far from their spot, and they enjoyed quietness. Now that the sisters were just the two of them, the Spirit could ask the question that had been burning her lips.

"Hans isn't among the prisoners, isn't he?"

Anna sighed, expecting the remark. "No. He ran away."

The Queen had a sad smile. "I knew it a long time ago, but I didn't inform you or the others to not make it look like the fight was for naught."

"It wasn't." Smiled Elsa tiredly. "Look how many bandits we arrested today. That makes less people to help him. Soon, no one will follow him anymore."

Anna nodded, then nodded more assuredly, and a genuine smile was back on her optimistic features. Elsa, on the other hand, was growing more and more tired by the second. A silence passed, and she let herself be lulled by Anna's hand moving in her hair as she removed twigs from it. The Spirit then lifted worried azure blue eyes to her.

"Did… Hans escape because of me?" She asked weakly.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it my… Fault again. Like with the dome. Did he…"

"No, you cutie." Assured Anna with a smile, cutting her in her slow sentence so she didn't exhaust herself with the rest of it. "It's not because of your dragon. You gave a spook to those pirates and it was awesome, but there's nothing to be guilty about. According to the soldiers, he left as soon as he could. As angry as I am, it doesn't surprise me at all from him. When we tied the pirates up, I heard them ask each other where the rest of their pals were. I think that Hans left with them. But it's not a big group, given how many we arrested today."

Elsa couldn't answer much, so she just gave her a tired smile.

Anna placed her hands in hers and looked around, then sighed. "He may have escaped, but today is a great victory. The noose is tightening for him."

Another silence emanated from her sister, but she knew that Elsa agreed.

Now that all danger was gone, it was easy for the siblings to relax. The Queen wasn't entirely appeased though, a bit of worry still present in her heart at the sight of Elsa's state. The latter struggled to keep her eyes open now, and her head started to tilt.

Anna had a nervous chuckle. "You're such a dramatic dork."

"I just… Want to stay awake with you…. A bit longer." Replied Elsa, but her smile didn't curl her lips fully. She tried to focus on Anna's eyes, tried to lift her hand to caress her cheek when she saw her baby sister's face knotted with anxiety, but she didn't have the strength.

"Anna…"

"What?" Immediately answered the redhead in a slight gasp.

Her teal blue eyes hadn't detached from her, growing concerned with time.

Elsa's head felt dizzy, like she hadn't slept in days. "Don't worry. The Sun will shine again upon…"

Her sentence slowly vanished and she closed her eyes. Her head dropped, but rested in Anna's reactive hand.

"Elsa!"

The blonde didn't answer.

Anna quickly moved forward and felt her pulse, then sighed in relief. Elsa simply was asleep. Sitting back on her heels, the redhead gave a stare at the serene Fifth Spirit recharging her energy.

"You're impossible. What were you about to say? Upon Arendelle? Upon me? Upon you? Do you even mean the actual Sun? Are you referring to Corona as our ally? What was it?" She grumbled. "Ugh. We're gonna have a chat when you wake up, young lady. And I'll elect a decree that forbids you to say dramatic things before passing out. And another that forbids you to hide your weakness to Honeymaren. I know that you waited for her to leave to sit down."

Anna then realized that there was no point in saying all that to her unconscious sister, and pouted with a 'humph'.

Yet, she could almost see a twitch at Elsa's lips, like a smirk.

---

"She will wake up in a few hours, don't worry. My magic may not inform me of people's health status, it's obvious that she's just taking a nap." Smiled Rapunzel.

Honeymaren sighed, her eyes still on her sleeping girlfriend. "I'm aware. I just…"

She started to nervously fidget with the leather pad she had just removed.

"...When she's missing, it's weird. Truly, it's like… Like all glow is gone. I'm attracted to her like a moth is to a flame, so when–"

Rapunzel chuckled, and the Northuldra blushed and groaned at her own words.

"That was a gross comparison. I… I mean…"

The Coronan smiled. "I get it. She's your light. Now I see it."

Honeymaren had a sigh of relief, but it also showed tiredness.

"You're cute. Both of you. Together." Assured Rapunzel. "You'll be a lovely couple for years and years, I can tell."

The Northuldra awkwardly looked elsewhere, though she took the compliment at heart. The Princess grinned.

"You two have definitely found each other. This being said, soulmates aren't predefined, they're–"

"They're made, yes. It's a two-person job. And destiny, if it exists, doesn't do it all." Nodded Honeymaren. "We are attracted to each other, we have to go forward together now. With the same intentions, the same goal."

Her attention detached from Elsa's asleep figure to turn to Rapunzel with a smirk.

"You have a lot in common with Anna, but I didn't expect 'romance novels' to be on the list too. She gave me a speech about soulmates too."

The Coronan shrugged. "We love love."

They chuckled together.

Olaf walked by Elsa as he helped soldiers moving crates of supplies around, and he noticed that her blanket had fallen on one side. He put his crate down and hummed a tune as he placed it back over her shoulder and tucked her with love. Then he resumed his task and assistance, and the two women smiled at him go.

Another movement in the clearing attracted their attention; the last group of bandits was being moved away and they grunted as they were held by Arendellian shackles. Coronan and Northuldra warriors helped them load the thugs on board of a wagon, then once it departed, they gave each other a happy thankful greeting.

Rapunzel smiled at the possible new friendships made today. In the haste of the fight, the three people surely had protected each other's lives.

She gave a smile to Honeymaren before heading to Anna who was watching the wagon go. The Northuldra nodded, remaining in position to watch over her lover.

Now that the enemies were gone, Anna and Rapunzel commissioned their respective armies to help them clean everything. The two leaders agreed that there was no way they would leave the valley in that state; they had to pick up all the discarded weapons and make sure to extinguish the remaining fire from the flaming arrows that had dropped on the ground. The Spirits were happy to help, despite their tiredness after the dragon. They saluted Rapunzel's respect to Nature and her dedication to retrieve it back to how it was, despite the place not even being part of Northuldra territory.

"Do you think that we can melt those pirates' blades and maces into iron alloy? It can help to build solid structures in Arendelle." Wondered Anna out loud as she removed a two-handed sword planted in the ground.

Rapunzel smiled. "Maybe. You seem to already have plenty of ideas."

"Seeing all those different weapons really makes my imagination work, yeah. I mean, the range of possibilities!" Said the Queen, adding the weapons she had in her hands to the pile that her group was making.

Rapunzel smiled at the mix of fighters helping, then turned to her friend. "Hopefully we can craft and create good things out of this conflict."

Anna nodded. "I'll take care of it right after I make the ceremony to pay respect to the fallen and visit their families."

The brunette gave her a look. "You're admirable and I encourage you to do such acts, but you should have a break now that the war is over. You deserve it. There's no rush."

The Queen winced, disagreeing. "Hans is still out there."

"I know." Insisted Rapunzel. "I mean about the commemorations. You have a whole schedule already and it's good, but you should slow down. Pace them."

Anna nodded at her wisdom and smiled, then made a comment about how ready the Princess was to become Queen. The brunette blushed and nudged her shoulder.

Cleaning up took hours, and when they came back to the glade to join the others, they saw that Elsa was awake and replenished. The Spirit congratulated the two women for their idea when they met near the wagon filled with weapons. After a hug to the pair, she transmitted them the other Spirits' compliments, and the friends smiled modestly. Eugene and Kristoff brought them water to relieve their effort.

Elsa then noticed how Anna was making small circles with her arm to ease some pain. The blonde frowned.

"What happened to you?"

Of course, Anna said it was nothing, so Elsa turned to ask Eugene, because the last time she saw her sister during the battle, they were together.

The Prince winced a bit, then told with some sass the moment the Queen had fallen on the ground along with a thug when they bumped each other in battle. She had picked up the gun he had dropped to use it against him.

"The gun?" Repeated Kristoff.

Anna gave him a glance, and he could see in her eyes that she had acted that way because it was her last resort. He knew how firearms had deeply marked his wife during the Collapse; she acted tough as a Queen and never showed any tears in public, but Kristoff was with her at nights when she cried.

Eugene continued his story.

"Yes. He had just tried to kill a Northuldra, so she didn't think much and acted fast before any of them could stand up. However, with the recoil, she slammed her arm on the ground."

Several impressed but also amused murmurs sounded around Anna.

Elsa eyed her sister. "Don't you know that firearms have recoil?"

Anna grunted loudly with an eye roll. "I never shot with any gun, ever, alright?"

"Neither did I. Yet I know that they have recoil." Retorted Elsa.

"You train with soldiers, though." Pointed out Rapunzel. "You never learned how to shoot during your sessions?"

"No." Replied Anna. "I rather prefer to train with swords, it's way less cowardly."

Honeymaren was attracted by their discussion and came in. "I agree. Also, as shocking as it may be to learn that you killed someone with a gun, I have to say, I'm impressed that it was your first time shooting at someone ever and you killed him with one bullet. That's remarkable."

Anna was glad that she at least received a compliment. She remained humble, however.

"Honestly, it wasn't that hard. We were face to face."

Olaf joined the conversation too, wondering why everybody was surrounding Anna like that.

"Didn't you shoot with a cannon the day they got delivered?" He asked with a frown.

The redhead opened her mouth to automatically retort, then she closed it. He had a strong point.

"I... I didn't think it would be the same."

Olaf wanted to say 'It obviously is, firearms are just tiny cannons.' but he saw Elsa walking forward to inspect Anna's arm closely, so he stepped aside.

"I'm fine, Elsa, I swear." The redhead sighed, but tenderly this time.

Her elder didn't care and was very attentive, serious and concerned. Anna remembered that day after the Great Thaw when she had been biking in the courtyard and fell; it had been the first time Elsa saw her getting injured, and the blonde was as panicked as gentle.

"I'm calling a physician." Said Elsa, taking her out of her thoughts, and Anna blinked.

"Wait, what?"

"Hopefully one of them is available now that the harmed allies have been taken care of."

"No, Elsa, there's no need–" Started Anna, but her hand clenched air as she failed to grab her arm, Elsa already trotting away to the medical tent.

They could only witness the blur of white that was her long hair and recently remade Fifth Spirit outfit when she went away in the glade.

Honeymaren frowned when she saw Anna exaggeratedly grumble.

"She means well, you know."

They all turned to the brunette. Her voice was tender, in love for Elsa and Anna's relationship, but also undeniably tainted with reproach.

Anna sighed. "I know, Honeymaren, it's just that… We have Rapunzel right here."

The Princess, who had been amused by the situation just as much as her husband, waved her hand at the Northuldra. Honeymaren widened her eyes when she finally understood.

"Oh, I had completely forgotten!"

"It's okay." Assured Rapunzel. "Elsa too, apparently." She added with a chuckle. "I suppose that when it comes to Anna's health, she…"

"Drops everything, including her brain?" Sighed the redhead. "Yep."

They all chuckled nervously, but couldn't blame Elsa. Her childhood trauma was obvious enough to all of them to not be questioned.

She soon came back with a physician, or rather was making one run to follow her, because she had more energy than him. The poor man had been jumping from one injured soldier to another and helping the Northuldra healers, so it was a bit cruel to make him jog like that.

Hopefully, when they arrived at the group, Elsa slowed down and helped him retrieve his breathing. He let out a thank you as he held to her shoulder to calm his heart, a touch which Honeymaren would have twitched at if it weren't comical. She then felt pity for the poor man and served him water.

"Elsa, you didn't have to." Insisted Anna. "We have Ra–"

"Shhh, no debates. Let the physician take care of you. I won't let you talk your way out of this."

The man then inspected Anna thoroughly, to the others' amusement and the Queen's annoyance, but she remained regal to the physician's eyes.

Once he was done, he smiled at her. "It's just a sprain, Your Majesty. Nothing bad."

"HA! See? I told you." Jolted Anna, nearly yelling at her sister's face.

The others laughed.

Elsa sighed. "Alright, sorry for being paranoid."

The physician looked serious, though.

"I heard from my colleagues that you're going to head back to Arendelle soon, to go home and address your people, but I advise you to not make any effort doing so. Do not lift anything."

Honeymaren smiled. The man clearly was aware of Anna's previous statement that she was going to help the army move their iron canteens and bags on the way, and the redhead's dropped jaw was priceless. He had hit right.

As the physician made a splint for the Queen, Honeymaren smiled at Elsa's satisfaction. The blonde agreed that Anna shouldn't make any effort in the following days. If anything, after such a fight, she deserved to lay back. Rapunzel was glad that the physician gave her his diagnosis and that she didn't just heal her with magic, because she was of the same opinion.

Elsa's joy however was short-lived. An Arendellian lieutenant arrived running, and was panting hard. Apparently, he had been running for a while and searching for the group of royals everywhere, or rather, for Anna, as he bowed to her immediately.

"Your Majesty, we looked everywhere, but there's no sign of him."

Anna frowned confused teal blue eyes, and Elsa's ones switched from her to the man back and forth confusedly. The physician hurried to pack his stuff and leave when he felt the tension in the air.

"Wait, what? Did you ask soldiers to look for Hans?" Frowned the blonde.

"I didn't do anything!" Nearly blurted the Queen, but once more she adopted a royal attitude.

"Why did you give them such a task? They're already exhausted from the war, and you told me–"

"I didn't do anything, Elsa, I swear!" Cut her sister.

She turned to her husband, but the King lifted his hands innocently, so quickly it looked like she had been sending him daggers with her stare. "I didn't order anything."

"Your Majesties, if I may…" Said the soldier, still out of breath. "We took this decision on our own. My platoon didn't suffer any injury, so we headed to his suspected direction as soon as the bandits were arrested thanks to Lady Elsa's intervention."

He made a quick admirative bow to the person in question, and she blushed.

Kristoff nodded. So that was why a group was missing from the call. They couldn't find any bodies and were confused about their disappearance.

"But we didn't find anything, my Queen, I'm so sorry. We failed you. The bandits he fled with are really good at hiding their tracks."

Honeymaren had a wince. If the pirates were as talented as her Northuldra fellows, then yes, the soldiers had no chance.

"You didn't fail me at all, lieutenant." Assured Anna. "Your sense of initiative, as surprising as it is, actually will be rewarded. It's clear that you did your best."

The guard nodded humbly, still panting. She smiled at him, proud of his and his men's behavior. They took her revenge very seriously and at heart, and meant to end this fight with full justice.

Honeymaren stepped forward. "I can ask the best trackers of the tribe to search for him."

Elsa placed her hand on her forearm. "No, Honey. All the Northuldra need to rest for now. Besides, there is no need. It's too late. He is always one step ahead, we should have guessed it."

A sad silence passed, and Anna smiled. "Thank you, Elsa."

The Spirit blinked, a bit lost. "Why? I just gave a pessimistic opinion. And I want to arrest him just like you do."

"I know." Assured Anna. "But you're right. And I don't want the Northuldra to be in any trouble because of it. In fact, I don't want the Northuldra to ever intervene anymore. This is a royal decision."

Her order may have sounded cold, it actually came from her heart, and Honeymaren accepted it. They knew that she referred to the danger they had been exposed to lately, not because it wasn't their business.

Anna looked at her friends, and close family.

"Elsa, Kristoff… This is our business now. We'll track him down and for good. The war is over, and now it's personal."

Her husband and sister approved fiercely, and the others admired her.

Olaf looked offended. "What, I don't get a role in this?"

Anna chuckled and kneeled to be at his level.

"Quite the opposite. Once we catch him, we will need a good storyteller to tell the kids. Don't you think so?"

The snowman beamed in joy, and everyone smiled. They easily imagined Olaf exaggerating parts theatrically.

The soldier placed his hands behind his back. "If you don't need my help, I will join my platoon now, Your Highnesses."

He then turned to Eugene. "I actually speak for my team when I say that it was an honor to fight by your side, sir."

The Prince smiled with a modest nod, appreciating the gesture.

The guard however was so exhausted that when he bowed to take his leave from the royals, he lost his balance and stumbled forward.
Eugene's reflexes were fast, and he stretched his arms forward to hold him and prevent him from slamming his face on the ground.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Replied the soldier, trying to remain strong and serious despite his tiredness.

Eugene called two Coronan soldiers to help him. Anna observed the group walking away.

"They all did so much for the country. And I owe you so much." She added, looking at Rapunzel and Eugene.

"Please, we didn't do anything. Thank the amazing soldiers. My father often says that they are his pride." Replied the Princess.

"Says the one who can heal wounds at will." Snorted a voice behind them.

Ryder appeared, and he was brushing his hands after taking care of the mounts.

Several stares turned to him, and he blushed. "Sorry, was that too familiar? I shouldn't have talked to you like that, Princess Rapunzel." He said, looking down awkwardly.

Eugene laughed. "Don't worry." He assured, coming near him to pat his shoulder. "You did an amazing job, on the battlefield. I wanted to congratulate you. Though, I'm not surprised. Honeymaren did tell me a lot about you."

The herder eyed his sibling. "In a good way, I hope."

Another laughter erupted from the Prince. Maybe it was the adrenaline or the stress from the battle going down now that they had won, but he was very jovial.

"By the way, Ryder, thank you so much for taking care of the harmed soldiers so often in the fight. I saw you bringing them to the medical tent." Smiled Anna gratefully.

The man shrugged. "No problem. I'm a herder, you know. And you'd be surprised how similar stressed reindeers and panicked soldiers are."

His tease was of dark humor, but they all smiled.

"Speaking of healing wounds… Do you want me to have a look?" Suggested Rapunzel, gently walking to Anna and giving Elsa an amused glance.

The Spirit frowned in confusion, then she suddenly widened her eyes, and laughter echoed all around her. She blushed furiously at the reaction she triggered.

"Oh, sweet Ahtohallan, I'm such an idiot." She mumbled.

Honeymaren passed a hand along her back. "It's okay. Anna is glad of your care anyway."

Elsa's embarrassed eyes drifted to her, and the redhead grinned to confirm it. It helped to vanish the blood in her cheeks, and Rapunzel only smiled instead of mocking her as she fumbled in her inside pockets to find a vial filled with tears. Judging by her state, only one tear would suffice. They observed her work with common fascination.

"I'm still glad you healed my ribs, by the way." Smiled Elsa after a moment, recalling the event months after the Great Thaw, which seemed a lifetime away.

"You're welcome." Grinned the brunette, proud and happy to help.

She had used her magical powers to serve only the interests of her fake mother for most of her life, and she was very grateful to be able to catch up and make herself useful to everyone now.

The simple mention of the memory gave Elsa the sensation that her ribs tickled a bit, and she absentmindedly placed a hand on them, remembering how she had come a long way since that day she had crafted herself an ice prosthetic. Kristoff followed his gesture and remembered her flawless creation, once again admiring her magical talent.

He then suddenly gasped, and the others were startled.

"I just realized, I didn't know you could fly!"

The Snow Queen blinked, lost in his change of topic, then laughed. "I can't fly, Kristoff. I just borrowed Gale's powers."

The man put his hands on his hips with sarcasm. "Oh yeah, like it's a normal thing that everyone can do."

She tilted her head good-heartedly and Kristoff smirked. "It's good to have a goddess as a sister-in-law. Or should I go for 'dragon maker'?"

They all laughed, except for Elsa who only bit her lip with timidity. Honeymaren crossed her arms. "The second option is preferable. The term 'goddess' is already taken for Ahtohallan in my culture."

It was both a truth and a lie; she actually wanted to be the only one to call Elsa her goddess.

"Is there one day where you will not be an ice nerd with her?" Teased Anna, who of course couldn't be resentful, for she was praising her sister even more.

Kristoff chuckled. "How could I not be? That dragon was super impressive. The soldiers who were fighting with me cheered out loud. Some even let out some curses in surprise, then looked at me with embarrassment because I'm the King, but I forgave them, because I was in the same state."

Elsa shrugged. "It was nothing, really."

Honeymaren scoffed in astonishment.

"Say that one more time and you're sleeping alone tonight." She threatened, and Elsa blushed even more. She would never let the blonde diminish herself.

"I don't mean to be rude, but you are making a lot of movements being excited about her dragon." Said Rapunzel's voice next to Anna as she healed her. "I don't want to waste tears because you made me lose focus."

Kristoff grinned and gestured to another part of the glade with his chin. "Come on, let's find some private place to chat. You've got to tell me how it was to become one with the other Spirits. Did you feel more things than before? Could you feel all of the ice of the world, like your powers have increased tenfold?" He asked excitedly, his tone rising.

The blonde was impressed, because he was the first one to make this remark despite the numerous questions she had already answered, and he actually was right.

"I did, yes!" She answered just as excitedly. "It was like I was connected with everything. It was–"

Ryder cut her rambling with a groan. "Ugh, yeah, go elsewhere, you two. I hear enough praise all day with my sister at the camp, I'm sick of it!"

Everybody laughed except Honeymaren, who tried to slap his head, but he ducked.

Kristoff and Elsa walked away, the Snow Queen explaining how incredible it was to perceive the land as a whole from the Giants' point of view.

---

Joyful rhythms echoed in the Forest as Northuldra musicians played a traditional piece of celebration. It was really beautiful and touching to see the Arendellian and Coronan soldiers gathering in a large circle and dancing to the tribe's music.

Away from the part of the camp where they all were assembled, someone quietly observed the scene. Her bright white outfit contrasted with the shadow of the tree against which she leaned.

The Snow Queen had her heart soaring at the happy sight, but also seized with some worry. It was noticed by the wise old woman who approached her.

"What are you scared of?"

Her tone was gentle, but Elsa heard that Yelena was a bit upset that she didn't enjoy the party like the others. She sighed.

"You know by now that I'm always concerned."

"I am aware indeed." Smiled the Northuldra chief with respect. "This however doesn't answer my question, dear Fifth Spirit."

Elsa looked down for a moment, then consented to turn to her fully.

"I'm afraid that all of it will happen again. The surprise attack, the conflict, the poison, the war… I…"

"What if it does happen?" Intervened Yelena, cutting her when she paused with emotion.

Elsa frowned slightly. "What, you're going to say that I should not be fearful, for we will all face it together, once again?"

The chief simply smiled at the equally clever woman. Who sighed one more time.

"But this is my duty, as the Fifth Spirit. To make sure that the Forest is safe. To maintain harmony."

Yelena approached and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Then you just said why you should rest and enjoy the party. Today, your duty is accomplished. Do you think we're endangered right now?" She teased slightly.

Elsa had a small eye roll. Of course not, the place was filled with soldiers. She didn't answer anything, and Yelena smiled.

"And do we look anything other than harmonious to you?" She asked, looking at the people.

Elsa followed her gaze.

Anna and Honeymaren were having a traditional dance at the warm light of the fires in the middle of the crowd while the cheering musicians hit their drums.

The duo was slowly turning around in a circle, looking at each other with huge grins, their bodies in opposite directions. Their right arms were raised and their forearms touched each other's while their left ones were placed horizontally in front of their navel, both with palms up. It was an ancestral dance of peace. Their feet followed the sound of the music, growing faster and faster. They jumped and switched arms every now and then.

Elsa's heart burst with happiness to see how much fun her sister and her girlfriend were having.

"No. We really are." Smiled the Fifth Spirit, tears coming to her eyes.

She turned to the old woman with an emotional smile.

"Thank you."

"I simply helped you see a truth you already knew."

Elsa shook her head. "Not just for that."

The Northuldra chief raised a curious eyebrow.

"Thank you for helping us turn the page." Smiled the blonde.

Yelena smiled and nodded wisely.

They watched the dancers again and saw that Rapunzel and Eugene had joined the party after paying attention to the girls to mimic their moves.

Elsa's back got gently bumped as a nudge. "Go on."

"You know I don't dance." Smiled the blonde.

"At least go sit near them. The Spirits will be fine. I'll keep an eye out, I promise. If the Wind Spirit has any warning to make, she will be clear about it. Go! You deserve to have fun just as much as them."

Elsa smiled warmly. She pressed Yelena's forearm as a loving gesture, and the chief smiled, then she joined her family and friends. She observed the two duos dance and exchanged a smile with them when they noticed her presence, and clapped in rhythm along the people, giggling like a child at the floating joy in the camp.

Olaf stood up to ask her to be his partner in dance, then he remembered that his creator only liked to dance in private. So he turned to the Northuldra kids and noticed a girl who had been standing on the side for several minutes now and eagerly waiting for a moment to join the adults. He asked her if she wanted to step in, offering his hand like a true gentleman. She was delighted, and they actually were the same height, so it was perfect. The tribe and guests laughed when Olaf and the girl joined the dance with energy.

A few hours later, the returning convoy was about to leave.

The drivers only were waiting for the Queen to hop on her wagon to depart, but Anna was busy talking with Yelena. The two leaders seemed to have an important discussion, so nobody dared to rush them, but at some point Kristoff felt bad for the whole cortege.

He called his wife, and she hurried to salute the old woman before running to him.

Anna however struggled to find him among the numerous wagons heading to Arendelle. She knew his silhouette by heart, but now that the soldiers had removed their helmets, he wasn't the only tall muscular blond in the crowd. She finally spotted her sister in one of the wagons at the head of the convoy, and blessed Ahtohallan for gifting her a passion for sparkly outfits. As she ran to her loved ones with a bright smile, Anna saw that Rapunzel and Eugene had boarded with Olaf in another wagon, further back. She mentally congratulated her husband who surely used ruse to assure them a quiet return. She felt sorry for the Coronan couple, though.

Honeymaren and Kristoff each offered a hand to help the Queen climb on board, and Anna was glad that her arm injury was healed so she could enjoy it fully with a giggle.

Right when she was about to sit then give a sign to the drivers, several Northuldra detached from the observing group and rushed to her. They all had their arms charged with gifts, the majority of them being food, as they knew Anna's interest for their specialties. Even carefully wrapped, they smelled divine. The redhead had a gasp, raising her hands.

"Oh my goodness, are you sure? I mean, thank you, but… There's no need! Also, I gained a lot of weight recently, I have to be careful. You have no idea how many merchants offer me something to eat from their stalls every time I stroll through the town. Seriously!" She added when she saw Honeymaren laugh next to her on the wagon. "They really insist, and I can't say no. They want to thank me for all the enhancements in town during reconstruction, especially the marketplace."

The acute Northuldra huntress indeed had noted that Anna had slightly gained weight, but nothing alarming. Besides, she was certain that Elsa was delighted by it; Honeymaren knew that her girlfriend always worried for Anna's health, and this was proof that the Queen was in good hands. The redhead was prone to depression since the Collapse, and it made Elsa even more anxious.

"Accept those gifts, Your Majesty." Teased Honeymaren, however serious. "It would be rude to decline, and you have etiquette, right?" She said with a horrible accent, which likely was intentional, but Anna didn't hold it against her.

She blushed a bit. "Now that you say it..."

Some of the generous Northuldra chuckled at their interaction, and stretched their arms even more.

"Please, Fifth Spirit, it would make me so happy." Smiled a woman, handling her some beautifully wrapped roasted fish.

The name was a great trigger for Anna. She loved it when Northuldra people called her Fifth Spirit. She preferred when the tribe only called Elsa as such, and liked the title of 'half of the Bridge', but there was something quite powerful in the name of Fifth Spirit. In those rare moments, she understood how Elsa felt... And she knew that despite her sister's modesty and introversion, the blonde secretly loved it. "Alright, alright."

She turned to Kristoff, who had been observing her with a loving grin. "Do you think this wagon can handle all the gifts?"

The King's grin extended. "Isn't it made of the best wood in all the realm?"

Ryder, who was sitting next to him, asked the drivers if the mounts could handle it. The Arendellians laughed, and one turned.

"My horses are the strongest of the land, Your Majesty. I can assure you they will be up to the task. The real question is, will your company have enough room to sit?"

Anna blushed a bit. Now that was a way to see how literally covered with gifts the redhead was. All the packages and baskets filled until the tiniest space in the wagon, and Honeymaren, Elsa, Ryder, Kristoff and herself soon found themselves pressed to the sides, even if the wagon was one of the largest of the convoy. Nevertheless, everyone laughed about it. When the group of wagons reached the edge of the trees, Anna stood up and waved goodbye to the Northuldra families until they were tiny points at the horizon. Kristoff casually had his hand against Anna's back, ready to catch her in case she would fall. Such a feat was impossible, though, given how many items were surrounding her.

Honeymaren smiled when the redhead eventually sat down, and she looked at the convoy behind them. She spotted Olaf in his distant wagon, and he seemed to already be in the middle of an intense topic, according to his big gestures. She had a grinning wince.

"How long do you bet before Olaf drives Eugene crazy?"

Elsa chuckled next to her.

---

Anna's eyes were on fire.

Elsa noted that her teal blue irises weren't only filled with anger; she wasn't just upset, she also was devastated. The blonde had broken her heart.

"I've seen the way you looked at me when we parted." Hissed Anna. "You seemed to try to memorize every inch of my face, like it was the last time you saw me and you wanted to remember me before… Whatever would come after and that you apparently had embraced already."

Her voice was trembling, and tears had started to make her eyes glisten. Kristoff found his breathing cut, and the others silently gasped at the reveal.

Elsa stood there with a shy face, a heavy ball blocked in her throat.

"What the hell, Elsa? Did you plan to die? What possibly went through your brain?"

"I… I'm sorry, I…" Blabbered Elsa, shame so heavy on her shoulders that it felt like an anvil.

However Anna's questions weren't really the ones she wanted to ask. She reformulated by asking one last one.

"How did you dare do this to me, after everything we've been through?"

A long silence followed. It was so deep that if the time weren't at war, one could have heard the cries of seagulls in the distance, or wind. But even Gale seemed to have stopped moving in shock.

Elsa opened her mouth several times, but humiliation made her close it again. As well as fear, for how intense Anna's stare was.

"...I'm so sorry, Anna…"

"NO!" Shouted the redhead. "No apologies anymore. Stop this. You owe me the truth. The whole truth."

Elsa shrugged with sadness. "There is nothing else to say other than I wanted to save your life."

"But you had a plan."

"Yes." Admitted the blonde. She found herself unable to lie, like Anna had actually cast a magical spell on her. "And it was to surrender to allow you to live."

Anna breathed out with emotion.

"Why." She murmured.

Another silence followed, and Elsa was about to explain, when the redhead continued.

"Why must you always think that the best solution is to sacrifice yourself?"

Anna's shattered voice and distressed eyes made Elsa instantly break her shell and cry. The blonde lowered her face, unable to look at her sister anymore.

The Queen tilted her head, not letting her escape her eyes.

"Have you even thought about Honeymaren? How she would react when she learned that you left without a goodbye? And the Northuldra? How about the people of Arendelle, who admire and cherish you just as much? And Kristoff? And Olaf? And Rapunzel and Eugene? And–"

Her voice suddenly waved and turned to a sob, and she clenched her eyes shut as she bit her lips hard. She lifted her head up with a long inhale to stop her cries. She however couldn't finish her sentence, though there was no need. Everybody knew that she was the last person on the list. Even if purposely placed last, Anna however would be the first to be devastated at Elsa's unfair leave.

She stomped her feet as she looked elsewhere and the two sisters cried. Kristoff slowly walked in and put his hand on her shoulder. She didn't reject the touch but wasn't ready to hug yet. She desperately wanted to hug, needed to, but also wanted and needed to hurt her sister like she had hurt her.

"Why do you always take such stupid decisions?!" She threw angrily.

Elsa scoffed, her cheeks covered with tears. "I had just given the last drop of my magic to form the dragon, I couldn't do anything, I was… I was powerless!"

Anna was about to retort but Elsa was having none of it.

"What the hell did you want me to do? Wouldn't you have given your life for Arendelle's safety?"

The redhead's breathing got cut.

"...I…"

Then the realization fell on her like a cold shower.

"...Maybe so."

Anna even shivered at the admission, and the feeling made her wake up in a jolt.

Out of surprise to find out this was all a dream, and confusion as her brain tried to understand where she really was, her hands clenched on the closest things they could touch. Which were the edge of a bench made of wood and someone's knee. Immediately, the fresh air, the smell of the horses, the crack of the wheels and the sight of the sky came to her.

She looked around frantically, and met Honeymaren's surprised eyes, as well as Elsa's worried ones. The blonde had been startled by Anna's sudden grasp at her knee, and she frowned at her panic.

"Are you alright?"

Anna gulped. "Y-yeah."

The Spirit recognized that lost gaze. "Hey. It's okay. You fell asleep. You're on the wagon. You're safe. We're almost home."

"...Home?" Repeated Anna, still disoriented.

The blonde gently smiled. "Well, I may now call the Northuldra camp home too, Arendelle still is my birthplace." She teased to appease her sister's mood.

It was effective, so effective in fact that Anna's eyes filled with tears due to her heavy relief, emotion and love. She let out a sob and tackled her elder in a hug.

Honeymaren and Elsa exchanged a surprised stare, but then the Northuldra politely looked away when she saw that Anna started to weep on the blonde's shoulder.

Despite being silent, her cries seemed intense, and Elsa hugged her against her with closed eyes. She kissed the top of her hair and rubbed her back with calming whispers.

"Shhh… It's okay. I'm here. Take your time. The stress and exhaustion from the fight are getting to you. It's normal that you had a nightmare, even more that you crack and break down."

After a while, and several kilometers of gentle shaky movements of the wagon, Anna was lulled and lifted her head to her elder. She quickly rubbed her tears.

"Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for." Assured Elsa. "Wanna tell me what it was about?"

Honeymaren, Ryder and Kristoff were talking together and not paying attention, so Anna didn't take long to accept and confess. She told every detail, and Elsa nodded.

"What led you to think about all that? I know that nightmares are stupid creations from our subconscious, but… Still."

Anna rested her head against her. "I suppose that I remember that time I thought you separated us with that dome."

Elsa felt devastated. "Oh, Anna…"

"No, no, don't defend me. I thought that it was your intention, but it wasn't, and I falsely accused you, and…"

The blonde lifted her chin gently. "Hey. Do you remember when, after the Collapse, I came to spend time with you? That nightmare I had, with an ice door separating us? How about that, uh?"

Teal blue eyes blinked at her for a moment. Then she had a nervous chuckle. "We really are traumatized dorks, aren't we?"

The Spirit smiled. "Better laugh from it than cry."

They kept cuddling for a moment, observing the landscape together, until Anna stopped sniffing and they parted. Elsa looked around for an iron canteen.

"Do you want some water? I swore I saw one in the bags when we packed…"

Ryder got lost in thoughts while he observed Elsa fumbling around then giving her thankful sister a water gourd.

"I just realized something…" He mumbled, but as he was near, the Spirit heard.

"What?"

"Well, you can create snow at will, right? And make ice appear out of nowhere?"

Elsa lifted an eyebrow. "...Yes?"

"So you have an infinite amount of water. I mean, as magic goes. You can provide and drink as much water as you want."

The Snow Queen had a wince. "That'd be gross."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, would you drink your sweat?"

"What does it have to do with– How is that the same thing?!" Blabbered the herder.

"It is the same thing. You're asking me to eat or drink my ice. It's like if you purposely run a kilometer in order to sweat to then drink it."

Ryder looked disgusted, and Elsa pointed it out. "See?"

"But that's… Wait, does the snow come from… Inside of you?"

The blonde was about to reply, when they got interrupted.

"We've arrived!" Announced the driver, and everybody turned to see Arendelle.

In fact, they heard the kingdom before even discerning it fully; through the distance, roars of joyful clamors and claps echoed to them.

They all smiled at the reception. Anna forgot her previous tears when the applause reached her heart, and made it swell with happiness and pride.

"You know what?" She said with a grin to her sister.

The latter smiled at her contagious expression. "What?"

"Coming back home victorious from war definitely is something I can tick off my bucket list."

---

Gale was delighted and proud to help as a voice carrier for Anna when she made her speech to the Arendellians and the Coronan soldiers.

However, the Queen hadn't even reached the center of the stairs in front of the castle that acclamations of praise exploded around. The playful Spirit didn't interrupt them, despite Anna's begs for her to calm them down so she could speak. Elsa and the others smirked at the scene, and the Fifth Spirit certainly didn't help her stop the cheering.

Eventually, the packed courtyard turned to silence, and Gale did a large conical twirl in front of Anna so she could be heard from everyone without hurting her voice.

"Citizens! Soldiers! Allies, friends, and families! It's with a proud heart that I stand before you to announce that the war is over, and that we have won!"

It was no news to the crowd, but it didn't prevent them from roaring in happy exclamations and loud applause. Some people jumped, children who were sitting on parents' shoulders waved their arms in joy, triumphant fists raised to the sky, and the group standing behind Anna smiled warmly at the beaming joy that emanated from the audience.

The redhead chuckled and lifted a hand to calm them down so she could continue her speech.

"Thank you." She said once the courtyard finally turned to silence again. "I planned to say more than that, you know." She joked, and everyone laughed. "I am deeply happy with our victory. Of course, it doesn't change the sad fact that we have lost a lot during the Collapse. While today's success is of great celebration and will help us all to do our best to stand up again and go forward as Arendelle always does, I'll ask you to please observe a minute of silence for the fallen."

The townspeople and soldiers nodded. Some closed their eyes, others looked down, some placed a hand over their heart. Those on top of the stairs did the same as Anna, closing their eyes and only letting the fjord breeze fill the space. The space and time, in fact, for the silence was longer than a minute, but nobody seemed to mind. After a moment, Anna spoke.

"Thank you."

Several polite and thankful claps fused here and there, and she imagined that they were from the families and friends of the victims.

"Now, it's very important to me that we thank our allies from Corona, for Prince Eugene's tactics and Princess Rapunzel's healing magic undoubtedly were pillars for our victory."

She pointed at the couple with both hands and Eugene smirked proudly with a wave, while Rapunzel timidly but happily smiled at the roaring crowd that doubled in applause. The Princess and the Queen exchanged a look. Once again, Anna easily imagined that many families in the crowd were thankful for her magical tears, as they helped their loved ones and brought them home safe and sound.

"A pillar for our victory, uh? Yeah, as if Elsa's dragon weren't the reason why the war ended." Whispered Ryder to Honeymaren's ear, but the elder nudged his ribs with a small smile.

"Shhh, you idiot. Have respect."

He felt bad right away. "Sorry. I'm really nervous and not thinking it through."

The herder then bent to whisper even quieter, and hurriedly. "How the hell can you not lose your nerves when you're in Arendelle? This is all so overwhelming. It's so different than home. So… Classy."

Honeymaren smiled at his stress. "Relax. It's a matter of habit. For me, Elsa helps."

The latter had overheard her answer, in fact their whole conversation as she stood right next to her, and she smiled discreetly.

"Today, tonight, tomorrow, we feast!" Declared Anna, finishing her speech in the meantime.

The crowd applauded even more, and she stood on top of the stairs for a long moment until it calmed down and the townspeople eventually parted. Some went to shake hands with Coronan soldiers and others even invited some to come eat in their homes.

The Queen entered inside, the others following. Anna, Kristoff and Elsa were however surprised when the group got led to a room on the first floor by the staff, and found that Mattias had been organizing a small party for them. Furniture had been moved around and large barrels of beer adorned the place. There were several smaller barrels filled with non-alcoholic beverages as well, in case people weren't in the mood after such a tiring event.

Anna nudged Mattias with her elbow when they all made it inside the room with grins.

"You little minx! I knew that you planned something in the castle while we were on the battlefield. I could see how agitated you were after your decision that you would not participate in the fight. How the hell did you drag those barrels up the first floor?!"

The man chuckled. "Generals have their secrets."

He winked and she grinned even more. Mattias then made a respectful head tilt to his Queen. "I selected the best brews with Kai, I hope you'll enjoy it."

"I'm counting on it." She beamed.

Mattias lifted his finger to count the people around him - they were so many that they barely fit in the room - then grabbed several tankards. He poured Arendellian beer in most of them, then filled the rest with different juices for those who said that they didn't want alcohol. He then handed the tankards one by one with a warm smile, which was always returned by the person.

The group chatted here and there and happiness floated in the air along fruity scents. Instinctively, they started to form a circle.

"A speech, Your Majesty?" Invited Mattias when he picked the last tankard as his, and joined the others.

The redhead smirked. "I was precisely about to."

She cleared her throat, and the little conversations around her immediately ceased.

"Though I already made a speech outside, to the kingdom and the allies, so I'm not gonna annoy you all with another one…"

Everyone around her let out audible reactions to her words, either to insist that she wasn't annoying, or to exclaim that she should keep going.

"Alright, alright, I'm kidding." Laughed the Queen. "Of course I want to give you a long speech too. You're my family, my close friends, and I think it's important to thank you personally. Actually…" She raised her eyes to the members of the staff present in the room, and Kai blinked surprised eyes, who instantly filled with emotion when he understood what was about to happen. "I want to thank the staff first and foremost, because without you all, we simply would be dead. You did amazing back during the Collapse and acted perfectly when we engaged for today's battle. The evacuation, your reactivity… I'm serious when I say that I couldn't be grateful enough."

The maids and valets bowed with modesty, some with glistening eyes. Anna then turned to the smiling assembly.

"And of course, all of you played an amazing role. Each one of you, really. Ryder, Honeymaren… Your incredible skills and support really reinforce my opinion that Arendelle has never been more complete than since we established that peace alliance with the Northuldra. Rapunzel, Eugene… Without you two and without your army, the battle would have gone much worse, or even been lost. Well, obviously, I still eternally admire Elsa's final intervention, and of course I will come to her later, who do you think I am…" She said in an aside, as she looked at the blonde who timidly averted her eyes and smiled with a blush. Honeymaren grinned and held her against her.

"...But I sincerely think that you have been of precious help, in general, on a personal and country scale. So thank you for your presence. Speaking of general…" She grinned, turning to Mattias.

"What a transition." Snorted Olaf.

"I'll get to you later, Olaf, but if you tease me about syntax, I could skip your part." Reacted Anna right away with humor.

They all laughed and the snowman had a guilty smile.

"Speaking of Mattias, I was saying, I owe you everything, from the competent army training to my strategy in attack formations. You may have preferred to stay on the side after wearing the uniform for so long, which I respect and understand entirely, but with the advice you gave me along my first year as Queen, it's like you were there with me on the battlefield." She assured, and he smiled with teary eyes. "I gave you the highest rank possible so I can't do much more than that… But you have all my gratitude."

Several laughs sounded around her.

"And this comes from a person who has a sister who made someone the Official Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer to thank him for saving my life…" She added, and laughter increased.

Mattias bowed while Elsa groaned slightly at her sister's tease.

"Now, Olaf, as you insist…" Teased Anna. "Know that your role has been just as important as anyone's. I read many war records before heading to battle, and it's not included in it nor something we read in history books or realistic adventure novels, but it's capital for a country at war to also find happiness in the little things. You brought joy to the people by helping with the kids, joking during construction, and lightening up the mood for everyone all along. I am very grateful, buddy. Genuinely. When I couldn't find the light wide enough to both reassure me and the Arendellians, you managed to expand it. Thank you."

The snowman fidgeted with his coal buttons, and had a big smile he tried to keep modest when everyone smiled at him. Elsa's eyes filled with emotional tears at her baby sister's wisdom, even more when she saw Anna turn to her husband.

"My King…" She started, an emotional sigh escaping her lips, and she dissimulated her emotion in a gulp.

"You never called me that." He snorted, appeasing her with humor.

She chuckled along with everyone.

"Yet you acted like a King. It's only been less than a year since you have this role, and yet you ace at it. I insisted and will forever insist that you can spend your days ice harvesting if you wish instead of taking care of the tasks that protocol and responsibility shove in your hands, as I can do them myself, but you keep insisting in return and delivering admirably."

The blond man smiled tenderly, and the others melted at her words.

"Every day, and it goes back years, you are by my side, but also where I am not and need to be. You're like a shadow and a protection at the same time, following me and planning forward all at once. I won't state the obvious saying that I owe you my life a hundred times over, but here, screw it, I'm saying it; I deeply love you, Kristoff Bjorgman of Arendelle, and I will forever cherish those–"

Kristoff couldn't wait any longer and had been noticeably fidgeting in impatience as Anna kept rambling. His love for her had grown with each word, and he had put his tankard on top of one of the barrels in a splash before jumping forward to hold her cheeks and kiss her.

The Queen could only close her eyes in rapture after widening them in surprise when his soft lips offered an intense touch.

Several whistles flew through the room while the monarchs exchanged their love. Anna passed her free arm around his neck to respond to his embrace, her other hand still busy holding her tankard, their kiss passionate despite the polite speed of it.

Kristoff retracted, and his cinnamon brown eyes got lost in her smiling teal blue ones.

"I deeply love you too." He murmured, his voice overfilled with devotion, and she chuckled.

"Yeah, I think it was pretty self-explanatory." She joked, biting her lips. "Now may I finish my speech?"

"Y-yes, of course. Sorry." Apologized Kristoff, who inspected her outfit to make sure she didn't splash any beer on herself when he surprised her. He then quickly stepped back next to Mattias, and retrieved his tankard nervously.

Then there was silence as only one person hadn't been mentioned in the group yet. The Fifth Spirit's pale features filled with red blush.

"Now… Elsa…"

Anna's voice turned more calm, but not out of timidity, rather out of emotion.

The blonde turned glistening eyes to her, still not succeeding in erasing her tears despite her blinks, especially after the loving interaction between Anna and her husband.

"Sweet Ahtohallan, have mercy…" Murmured Elsa, bracing herself for what was about to come.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it simple." Smiled Anna. "I don't want to ruin my makeup."

Another wave of laughter sounded in the room since she didn't wear any when they headed to battle, and the blonde was glad that her Queen of a sister was still the comical dork she was as a kid. As the siblings locked eyes, Honeymaren felt Elsa's fingers slip in her hand, and the brunette held it warmly.

"Do I even need to say out loud how much I admire you and love you?" Shrugged Anna with a tender smile. "Everyone in this room knows it. Hell, everybody in the kingdoms of Corona and Arendelle knows it. Also, let's address the elephant in the room, except it's a dragon, because for goodness' sake, you made a goddamn dragon, and I can't believe that on the list of animals I once asked you to create, I didn't think of a dragon, but now that I saw it, it will take me years to recover from it."

Claps sounded around Elsa, and she gulped to swallow her emotion. Honeymaren's touch was the only thing preventing her from bursting into tears right then.

Anna continued to smile warmly. "You've never been more powerful, more incredible, more amazing and more you than since you found yourself in Ahtohallan and in the Forest, and I am infinitely happy to witness it."

At the word 'Forest', she clearly had been looking at Honeymaren, and the assembly wondered if she had meant 'Finding yourself in Northuldra's heritage and culture' or 'Finding yourself attracted to women'.

Anna kept going before she, too, drowned in her own emotion.

"Because yes, I'm only a witness, Elsa, and… It doesn't mean that I don't get to participate in it, and engage in it, I am grateful that you allow me in, but… It's so overwhelming and beautiful that I am a mere spectator. So… Thank you for… Thank you for allowing me in. I know it doesn't make sense, but…"

Her throat was getting tighter and tighter.

"I get it." Said Elsa, walking forward.

Instinctively, Honeymaren took the tankard off her hand before she even finished turning it in her direction. Anna grinned and put hers down, not risking another possible stain, and closed the half of the space between them to hug her sister deeply.

They remained like that for a moment, but for a shorter time than usual. Just like Kristoff's kiss, they kept it politely quick.

"I will always allow you in." Assured Elsa as she held her shoulders.

The redhead grinned to her elder, and the latter walked back to her position in the circle. The Queen happily grabbed her beer back.

"Alright then." She announced. "Now raise your tankard for Arendelle, for Corona, and for the Northuldra!"

They all executed with big smiles, following her gesture to all approach each other in the center.

"SKÅL!" She exclaimed happily.

They all replied back with joyful shouts, or repeated the word for those who could manage it - Ryder, for example, only laughed as the odd term - before they clinked their tankards together in one common movement and a satisfying sound.

For the following minutes, happy conversations resumed, and Elsa walked to her sister.

"Skål, really?" She snorted. "So we're vikings now?"

"With the fight we had today, I think so." Grinned Anna. "Hell, Elsa, we managed to win against an army in less than a day! It's epic!" She said triumphantly. "I'll have to start thinking about a glorious name for this day. Something that would make up for the Collapse…"

Elsa laughed out loud. "I think that our victory is due to our numerical advantage and strategy, but I can't wait to hear the epic name you'll choose." She smirked, exaggerating the word 'epic' in the same way Anna did when she was a kid.

Anna puffed. "Oh, yeah, as if the Spirits didn't put a glorious end to the battle." She teased, and nudged her elder with a move of her hip. "Magic aside, I'm really proud that Arendelle has such amazing allies, and that's something to celebrate." She added, looking up at Rapunzel and Eugene.

Elsa smiled as she followed her gaze. "I agree."

The Queen then held her chin as she thought. "Hmmm… How about… The Rise? Nah, that's too much contrast. Maybe… The Soaring? Or Launch, for a new start? Maybe it's too literal… Oh! Oh! I know!" She suddenly exclaimed, pointing at her sister with a large grin. "The Upturn."

She didn't know if Elsa's laughter that followed was approval or mockery, but she loved to see her sister express herself freely like that. The blonde had stopped hiding her laugh behind her hand a long time ago, and Anna noted that it coincided with her new life in the Forest. She was delighted to see how comfortable Elsa was now.

Several topics of discussion filled the room for the following hour, groups occasionally breaking when one person walked to the drinks with the others' tankards for a refill.

Suddenly, the loud sound of an explosion detonated outside, and everyone in the room startled, even Honeymaren. Despite her years of hunting experience, she couldn't possibly be prepared for the abrupt bang that echoed through the air. Another detonation followed, and another one less than a second after.

Everybody exchanged glances. Rapunzel looked at Elsa in worry, but the blonde quickly had her eyes on Anna who seemed to have jolted more than anyone else because of what the explosions could announce. Honeymaren, Ryder and Eugene listened carefully in case any scream would follow. Kristoff, who was the closest to the window, turned and looked at the town in the distance. It didn't take long for him to understand. His eyes lifted to the sky, and he let out a relieved sigh.

Anna quickly dropped her tankard on one of the barrels and rushed to the window too. Kristoff gently calmed her when she arrived running, smiling reassuringly and placing a warm hand against her back to ease her nerves.

"It's okay." He murmured in a warm soothing voice. "Look."

While the redhead breathed out in alleviation, the King looked up to Kai who had been standing by the door as usual. His soft tone turned stronger.

"Please tell the pyrotechnicians in the town that as much as I enjoy our return to peace, and would be the first one to encourage people to celebrate, noises like fireworks aren't the smartest sound to be heard through the kingdom right now."

Kai immediately nodded and bowed to Kristoff's regal and serious attitude. "Right away, Your Majesty."

He jogged out of the room and Elsa was certain that the butler would scold the wrongdoers. She then turned to Kristoff, fascinated by how he handled the problem. She however didn't say a thing, only smirking at the King, mostly because he was now hugging Anna tenderly and whispering reassuring words in her ear. The Queen had her head against his chest, turned to the window, and Elsa understood that she was letting go of the tears of panic that had raced to her eyes. Anna had her back turned to the guests, which was rare from her good-natured and welcoming character. They all interpreted that something was up, and they knew that the explosions had triggered her; themselves were still shook from it.

Rapunzel kindly cleared her throat and attracted the attention on her with a new topic of discussion.

Several new conversations resumed, but the Fifth Spirit didn't actually participate in them. She still had Anna's fear in mind. She wondered whether it was the explosions from the Collapse or during the battle that had traumatized her sister. Well, who was she kidding? It definitely was both. Her heart squeezed, and a ball of sorrow blocked her throat.

"Are you okay, mitt lys?"

The soothing voice that had appeared at her side was so warm and relaxing that she felt like she had instantly been immersed in a hot spring.

Elsa sighed and turned to Honeymaren. "I'm just…"

She breathed out, trying to calm herself, but the brunette saw the rigid muscles in her neck.

"...Nevermind." Sighed Elsa.

"Oh no, you're not going to flee that easily." Gently teased her girlfriend, hooking her hand around her waist and kissing her temple. "What's wrong?"

She had asked in a whisper, though everybody around was busy chatting and didn't pay attention to them.

Elsa really wanted to bottle her emotion and she didn't answer right away, so Honeymaren cleverly bent her head and deeply kissed the tense muscle above her shoulder. The blonde let out a gasp, and immediately bit her lips in case someone heard, but nobody turned. She groaned slightly. If Honeymaren weren't so thoughtful to ensure that Elsa was never embarrassed in public, she would have broken the thin layer of restraint she had left and reduced the blonde to a melted puddle of bliss right there and then.

The deep love it tugged within her reminded Elsa of the promise she had made to her girlfriend long ago; just like with her sister, she assured she would do her best to not hide anything from her anymore.

"Fine." Whispered the Spirit. "I'm worried for Anna. She looks like she has post traumatic stress. I should have asked her about how she felt after the battle, not just cuddled with her on the wagon."

Honeymaren smiled tenderly, kissing the blonde's hair when she sighed and dropped her head on her shoulder. "What if she just wanted to cuddle. Maybe that for now, she prefers that, rather than talk about the fight."

"But I'm her big sister. I should protect her, and listen to her, and–"

The hand at her waist tightened warmly. "Elsa. You are the best sister there is. She thinks that too, believe my words. Right now, what she needs is to be surrounded by love, by family, by friends. The best thing to do is to never leave her alone, and we know that she never was since the Collapse."

That was an actual fact and it should have appeased the blonde, but she was still upset.

"What if she wants to talk about the war but never asks? She saw a man die in her arms during the Collapse, and many others risked their lives as they defended her today. It's their role, but… I know it affects her. And Hans is still out there, and…"

Her throat tightened with emotion.

"She will come to you when she needs it." Assured the wise Northuldra. "Don't rush things. Continue to be there for her, and pay attention to the smallest sign of required intimacy or confession. She'll be very glad when you respond to it."

A silence passed. Elsa nodded slowly, then surely. Honeymaren was right.

'She's always right.' Thought the Spirit with love.

"Thanks." She smiled.

The brunette frowned. "For what?"

Elsa turned to her, and Honeymaren was happy to see the smile that replaced her previously nervous features.

"Being my guide."

Her eyes screamed 'in everything', and Honeymaren's heart beat twice as fast when she understood all the meanings of it. But before she could say anything, Elsa had nimbly placed both of their tankards away, and put her hands on her cheeks to close the space between their faces.

She kissed her, deeply and strongly, and the brunette moaned with delight. Elsa rarely took such a powerful lead, and she enjoyed every second of it. When the Spirit felt her lover's moan on her lips, she intensified the kiss, not giving a damn anymore about the fact they were surrounded by people.

Honeymaren's hands roamed over her back in rapture, fondling her magical ice and tangling themselves in her long and soft hair. Despite both having their eyes closed, she knew that there was a wall behind Elsa, and her temptation to grab the blonde and push her against it to devour her senselessly was incredibly high. But she didn't make a move when Elsa's arms circled her neck tighter. The kiss felt like it went on and on and on, each second of it sealing or celebrating their previous moments of adrenaline; the fights, the dragon, the reunion, the victory, the detonation…

As they embraced passionately, the two women kept in mind to talk about everything with a clear head when they would get the chance. When they go back to the Forest, perhaps. Though, being in private again with their goahti standing right there would surely distract them from a dignified talk…

"When you two will be done eating each other's face, maybe we can go have a proper meal?" Called a voice at the other end of the room.

The two women startled, Ryder's voice making them jolt away from each other. Despite quickly removing their hands, they took a second before turning to him. The Fifth Spirit applied cold on the kiss mark above her shoulder from earlier, and Honeymaren bit her lips to lick the taste of Elsa's remaining on them.

The Northuldra then saw her brother's happy face.

"Do you enjoy moving us apart?" She scolded.

The herder grinned. "It's quite fun, yes. But really, I was only doing my duty. The staff has guided us to the dining room, and you two idiots were the only ones staying in here. Come on!"

The couple exchanged quick smiles, and hurriedly followed him in the corridor. Before they passed the threshold, though, Elsa held her girlfriend's arm.

"Wait!"

Honeymaren frowned in confusion, then she saw the Spirit lick her thumb and rub the top of her mouth with it. It amused the Northuldra. She was not the kind to look at herself in a mirror if she walked by one, but for once, she wished there was one in the room so she could see how bruised her lips were after Elsa's ravenous kiss.

"You… You had a bit of lipstick." Blushed the blonde.

Honeymaren grinned. "Whose fault is that? You didn't have to wear any with your battle outfit. Though…" She added when she saw guilt in her lover's eyes. "...That would explain the delicious taste."

Elsa blushed even more than before, and pushed her giggling girlfriend in the corridor.

---

The atmosphere at dinner was warm and joyful. It was relieving to enjoy peace around a rich meal, and Elsa could tell that the cooks had done their best with the new dispositions to serve them all something amazing. It also was heartwarming to all be seated around the big table, and the blonde had never eaten with that many people in the castle, so she smiled tenderly.

One of the members of the staff, who played the piano as a hobby, even suggested to accompany the evening with a few melodies. The instrument was brand new; the piano maker had just made the delivery, to replace the one that some bandits had smashed during the Collapse.

Beautiful notes filled the room along with happy conversations, laughter and sounds of cutlery.

The staff was just as delighted to serve the royals and guests; the amount of times they got thanked during service with beaming smiles brought joy in their hearts after the dark hours of the Collapse and the hard days that followed. Kai, who supervised everything, saw his colleagues exchange happy giggles and was glad they had fun too. He later saw that two maids were having a crush on Eugene, making a show in serving him in wine way too many times just to stand close to him, much to Kristoff's amusement as he was sitting next to the Prince.

Kai let out a chuckle, and made sure to go to the kitchens between two courses to tell the cooks about the amazing reception of the meal, as well as the good mood in the room.

At one point, Anna slightly jolted, her face freezing mid-sentence as she was talking with Elsa in front of her. The Spirit saw that she had squeezed on her knife at the same time, then she calmed her grip. The elder worried, looking behind her to understand, but there was only the staff member playing the piano. He was smiling and closing his eyes, lost in the melody and tilting his head, so it wasn't like he had been giving Anna a stare.

The redhead shook her head, had a sorry smile, and cleared her throat. "So, I was saying…"

Elsa frowned. "Are you okay?"

"What? …Yeah, I thought I saw… Nevermind."

That escape formula was familiar to Honeymaren, and she took a mental note about the siblings' common point. She however gave a nudge of the foot to Elsa under the table to prevent her from asking anything. Anna had retrieved her smile as she continued to talk. The blonde understood Honeymaren's advice, and listened to her sister as she talked about new tapestries in her study.

In the meantime, the Northuldra gave a discreet look at the piano player. Her experience in hunting observation allowed her to see what had gone wrong. Every now and then, the man was crossing his forearms to alternate the hands playing, a gesture that could both be a skill flex or a proof of his happiness. He was enjoying the melody, she could tell, and he didn't realize that doing so, he sometimes brushed his hand along his ribs, on the side of his jacket where thugs usually kept their dagger.

To the eyes of someone paranoid, it looked like he reached for a pocket weapon, and could easily throw it at Anna's face in one swift gesture, without anyone at the table reacting in time.

The brunette smiled sadly, remembering to tell her girlfriend about Anna's reason to freeze later. She then masked her expression and turned back to the table with a big grin. She handed Rapunzel the salad as she asked for it, and initiated the conversation with her.

---

Honeymaren and Elsa had fallen asleep on the couch, curled together as the brunette spooned her. Next to them, Eugene, Rapunzel, Kristoff and Anna were playing Parcheesi on the floor.

"HA!" Suddenly exclaimed Rapunzel, her fists up, then she clapped her hands on her mouth in fear of waking the couple up.

None of them moved, however, too deep into slumber and actually lulled by their talking until now.

"I win." She added in a murmur.

Eugene grinned. "A few dice throws and I'll be second."

Indeed, some time later, his tokens reached the center, and Kristoff groaned.

"You're very lucky."

The Prince had a proud strut. "And I'm not even cheating."

The others looked at him, and he cleared his throat. "Not that I usually do. It's just that, uhm… I come from a background of people who are fond of rigged dice."

Anna threw the dice, and it was the seventh time in a row that she failed in her score. She sighed heavily, and slammed her forehead on Kristoff's sigh, then resumed leaning on it. "Well I can assure you that those dice are very not rigged."

Kristoff patted her head as she handed them to him. His score was no better. The couple in front of them bounced in close victory.

"Why do we even have this game?" Grumbled Anna, in her sore loser moment.

Kristoff smirked. "I think I remember that you learned from a french dignitary that it's called 'Little Horses' in France, and you wanted to trick Elsa into playing it in game nights because she loves horses."

Anna pouted and looked at her sister's closed eyes as she had passed out on one of the cushions of the couch, her face slightly dissimulated by her hair.

"Very useful then, since she's not playing with us."

Rapunzel gave her a kind stare. "Be gentle. She had a long day."

"Of course she had." Smiled the Queen, pride replacing her grumpy features. "I'm still astonished by that dragon."

"You really didn't know she could do that?" Asked Eugene.

Anna had an admirative smile. "I had no idea. Though, I'll admit it, it doesn't surprise me from her. She's an artist at heart, and improvisation is her thing. I mean, in magic. Otherwise it's a disaster."

They all giggled.

Rapunzel and Eugene won the game, and the group of friends soon headed to the bedrooms, exhausted but happy by the events of the day.

In the morning, Coronan troops were on the leave, charging ships and heading on board. Honeymaren observed them from a window of the castle.

"None of them is injured thanks to your magic and care." She smiled, and turned when Rapunzel walked to stand next to her. "This truly is a wonderful outcome."

"Thanks." Grinned the Princess modestly. "But hey, you weren't bad at all." She nudged her. "When I healed Arendellian soldiers, many of them told me that if you hadn't been there to fight along them on the battlefield, they would be dead."

Honeymaren smiled timidly. "I'm often praised by them. I don't know if I'm deserving of it… I just did my job. I mean…"

"You were great, Honeymaren." Assured Rapunzel.

The Northuldra sighed.

"I'm glad that you and Eugene decided to stay for some days. First, because Anna was mortified by the idea of you coming only for the war, and it's nice of you to hang around to lift her mood, and second, because it will allow us to know each other more."

Rapunzel nodded in agreement. She asked her new friend about what life was like in the Forest, and Honeymaren was happy to tell her about her tribe.

Outside, Anna was sitting on a bench by the stables, and Elsa walked to her with curiosity.

"What are you doing?" Asked the Spirit, intrigued by Anna's moves over her scabbard.

She also was sticking out her tongue, a clear indicator of her focus. Anna was in fact engraving little patterns on the leather with caution, using the knife a Northuldra had once gifted her. It was perfect to do such a task, as it was the blade that the tribe people always had on them and could be used for every manual task. Elsa sat down next to her to observe the drawings.

The scabbard was long and large, due to the length of the sword, so even if Anna already had made several engravings on it, it only was half-covered. The impressive sword was leaning against the wall, and Elsa admired it, just as much as she admired her sister for being able to wield it on the battlefield. Her attention turned to the scabbard again. At the top, Anna had drawn a crocus and a sun that were overlapping each other, with a hexagon in the center. Elsa smiled at the effort she made to mix Arendelle, Corona and Northuldra symbols. Underneath were traced a few curves that the Spirit interpreted as the valley where they fought, then there was a shield, and a snowflake.

Anna paused from her current drawing to place a fallen strand of hair behind her ear and finally answer Elsa's question.

"We lived history with this war we won. So I'm making myself a little souvenir. You gave me the idea yesterday, actually. Talking about Vikings. They have this tradition to engrave the biggest elements of battle on their weapons."

Elsa squinted on what she was tracing. "And… What might that be?" She asked with as much respect as possible.

Anna frowned at her, then looked at her engraving, then back at her. "Well, it's obvious. Your dragon."

The Fifth Spirit widened her eyes, then pursed her lips, then couldn't help herself but burst into laughter. Despite stopping right away to not vex her sister, the redhead frowned.

"That's a dragon? Anna, I'm sorry, but it's horrible. I thought that it was a chicken at first."

"Wait, what?! What do you mean?"

"I mean that I was wondering when a chicken got involved in the war. I thought I missed a chapter for a moment…" Mocked Elsa.

"Oh, come on!" Groaned Anna. "It's not that ugly… Is it?"

The blonde took a breath in and was about to give her honest opinion, so Anna interrupted her right away. "You know what? Your dragon was ugly. So I'm actually depicting an accurate– Stop laughing!"

Elsa couldn't help herself, and she coughed to retrieve her breathing. "Sorry, it's just… You and I both know that it was majestic. You have been full of praise about it."

Anna had a grumpy pout.

"W-well, what if I lied. How can you know anyway? It's not like you had a visual of what it looked like." She grumbled.

Elsa winced with humor. "In fact, I did. I was one with Gale, remember? It was like I was myself, conscious, but also her, and seeing things from a third point of view."

Anna dropped her sass to widen her eyes. "...Woaw."

Her elder had a smile, then dismissed the topic with a hand gesture. "Come on, let's just focus on your dragon engraving. Do you need help? I mean, I get the symbolism and all so I'll let you do it yourself. But… Tips, perhaps?"

The Queen sighed, though good naturedly, and she listened to her advice to improve the wings.

After an hour of having fun, however, the natural topic of battle's feedback came to them.

"You know, I keep thinking about…"

"About Hans? Yeah, me too. I wonder where he's hiding." Replied Elsa.

They looked at each other with frustrated expressions.

Then, Anna smiled positively, and Elsa's heart filled with happiness to see that she had good news, without even knowing what it was yet. Her baby sister always had the power to lighten her mood.

"What?" She asked, curious.

"Well, the judicial process only started for the guys we arrested yesterday. But there's a thug to whom we can now give an interrogation." Said the Queen. "The one who poisoned you twice. We can head to the prison this afternoon and confront him. Surely he knows where Hans is hiding."

Elsa grinned, but then pouted with a head tilt. "This afternoon, really? Not that I want to wait, this is important, but can't you catch a break? It's been a lot on your soul lately."

Anna smiled confidently, and winked at her. "Since when do I ever slow down?"

---

Author's Note:

Woop woop! We're entering in a new arc heheheheh. Oh of course the fanfic is far from over. You thought that this battle was the final act? HA! I write epic stuff just to make even bigger flangst afterwards. This chapter only is the 3/4 milestone. Brace yourself for the drama to come, and new twists!

Did you like this chapter? Please leave a comment below! :D