A/N I realise it's been a while, my apologies for the absence! (I have yet to read forest of shadows, I realise there's mentions of a secret room etc in it. This chapter is really just building on the deleted scene from the second movie. Not any other canon material)

I do believe I have the next chapter planned out (ish, I have notes, which is by far an improvement, as I've been struggling with writers block for this story)

Thank you so so much for your patience :)

They returned home without Elsa. It no longer felt like home at all. This home knew tragedy all too well, and intertwined with it all was Elsa. Elsa was the one certainty, she was a constant. Annas tears began filling almost instantaneously. The universe had once again taken Elsa hostage, first keeping her inside this castle. And now, keeping her from it. Anna had worked her whole life to build a middle ground. To build Elsa's confidence to venture into the unknown. This pushback, this intervention. Anger was building, Anna's impatience growing stronger.

It must've been hours of searching and scouring the house for traces of answers. Olaf thoroughly enjoyed being given permission to essentially wreck the house, with each new mess came Anna's uncaring shrugs, "we'll clean it up later. There are more important things to focus on". She couldn't shake the memory of her mothers voice, telling her that things would move more efficiently if she cleaned up as she went along. But, there was something undoubtedly therapeutic about swiping books off of shelves, kicking floorboards and in some cases, tearing wallpaper to see if anything was hiding underneath - Anna was certain there would be, this house was renowned for its secrets. Seeing controlled chaos ensue before her, seeing what she felt on the inside externalised, it soothed her soul just a little. Knowing that there was a justification for causing all this havoc - as nobody was stopping her, Gerda and Kai even pitched in. She would take down the castle brick by brick if it meant finding a solution.

A low grumbling caught the attention of everyone standing in that room, Olaf leaped backwards from where he stood, a book tumbling to his side. Kristoff and Olaf stayed firmly where they stood as the grumbling and gear turning came to a close, watching reservedly as Anna took curious steps forward.

"I've climbed this house, high and low. Never did I know about this.." She said quietly. Had the circumstances not been so trying, this would have been exciting for Anna. And still, she could feel the itching anticipation of her childhood self; the Anna that would have been perplexed in the best way, the Anna that- until now - read all the books in the castle at least twice, the Anna that would have believed that possibilities were endless, that adventure was incoming.

Light flooded the room, and Anna's eyes were the first set on the room in who knew how many years.

"What is it?" Olaf asked, peering from behind Anna.

"I'm not sure." She replied. On first glance, it looked to be an extension of the library, there were books scattered everywhere. The second impression she gathered was that whatever this was, it had been untouched for many years. She was growing uncomfortably aware of the added coating of dust sitting in her throat, and the irritable tears that were clouding her vision. "It's old, I know that." She choked.

"Do you think your parents knew this existed?" Kristoff asked, joining the two as they stood a few feet from the entry way.

"I don't know. " Anna stammered, protective chills washed over her.

"We could go see." Olaf shrugged, his eyes cast to Anna, her complexion looking more similar to his by the second.

"No... no I'll go." Anna turned to the boys, solemnly she continued, "Why don't you see if there's anything else?"

Without any further discussion, they quietly obliged and left.

They were the last people here, Anna was certain of it. Taking careful steps forward, Anna felt her heart sink with breath, with each second. Stopping at the doorway, her mind was too noisy in this quiet room. Everything she had previously had of them, it was contaminated with the pain of their death. All of the moments she dug her nails into woven fabrics that smelt like them and sobbed. In her yearning to not feel so alone in her grief, grief that Elsa hadn't been able to share with her, not for those first few years. Anna could only watch as the memory of them wilted away from what was once theirs. It didn't matter how much she restricted contact with their possessions, there was no stopping time. She couldn't prevent the wear and tear that came with an aged existence. For so long she felt she had to ration her pain, saving these comforts for the very worst - which was difficult, how could she determine if worse was yet to come? - hidden behind this bookcase, a whole new world opened for her. She hadn't lost them entirely, not yet.

This was why they - Olaf and Kristoff couldn't come in. It wasn't meant for them. The idea of them touching everything, laying their eyes on it. No, she loved them, dearly so. But this, it was reserved for her and Elsa. Kristoff was a stranger to them, and Olaf, well Anna wasn't sure. She just needed some quiet, Olaf clumsily making his way through her parents belongings wouldn't have elicited the peace this moment required.

Elsa, she should have been here. They should have found this room belonging to their parents together. Still, lingering in the back of her mind lay Ahtohallan. Elsa got to see her mother in light and colour. All Anna had gained was the new knowledge of her parents final words - mentioning Elsa and the image of their shipwreck that she had long had nightmares of, burned into her mind. Maybe this was a small, strange way of repayment. Something for her. Maybe, she would find a letter in here, addressed to her. Maybe now, her parents would grant her the answers she was owed.

This room, these objects, they didn't know death nor mourning. This was their life encapsulated in one tiny, terribly dusty room. This is where grief heightens, and makes space for a whole new person. Anna, now grieving Iduna, as well as her mother. Agnarr, as well as her father.

"Okay." Anna breathed, with one swift step forward, she found herself in the centre of the room. Spinning slowly, she embraced every centimetre of new sights. It was most certainly busy, something in here had to help. Starting with familiarity, Anna began combing through the nearby bookshelf. Magical Arts: Dangers of Dark Magic, just one of many titles in the magical genre that Anna never had the opportunity to venture in.

Rising in her came the realisation that they were trying. All those times she did laps of the halls on her bike, when the house felt oddly empty, the impromptu companionship in Kai and Gerda, who led her from one activity to another. Then sorrow, for all the things she wished she could have known, that might have made the weight of her grief a little easier to bare. Little Anna, the girl who slowly began to believe that it was up to her to bring Elsa back. They never tried to bring Elsa out of her room, and she never understood why. She began to resent their acceptance, channelling her irritation of losing her best friend into various escape tactics and schemes. If she had known about the magic, that this room existed, perhaps she wouldn't have felt so lonely.

She flicked through pages, many of which made no sense. Unsure of what she was looking for, her eyes darted randomly across the pages, it was as though the entire room as calling her, she couldn't shake the feeling she was looking in the wrong place, or that she was wasting precious time neglecting the rest of the room. "Focus." She murmured to herself, willing herself to read thoroughly. Exasperated, she heaved a pile of books into her arms. They were digging into her chest, every breath accompanied with dust that had accumulated who knew how many years.

"These are for you, search them." Anna said hastily, dumping them onto the sofa, with which came a cloud of mist. She would have liked to believe that the boys were getting somewhere in their look for clues, but their oblivious stares said otherwise. The walk back through the hallway was a blur, mindlessly moving forward. This was a motion she was sadly accustomed to.

Anna found herself standing once more in the middle of the room, unsure of what to move to next. Aware that she was losing valuable seconds, she urged herself forward, "Make a decision." she nodded, going to the opposite side of the room. Her eyes fell to the desk, as a child she always saw her father at his desk. A desk, in a secret room, this was her new starting point. There were towers upon towers of books rested on top of the desk, rather clumsily put together Anna thought. Her sights landed on one book in particular. It stood out from the others as it didn't appear to originally belong on the book case. It looked to be a journal, title-less and quite damaged with ink splotches, she hesitantly cradled the book in her hands. Slowly, she opened the book, earnestly listening for any ripping.

I can find no record of a human with power like hers, but for the ancient myths with their tragic fates...

It looked to be dated shortly before the accident. Tragic fates. Those words sent struck fear into her heart. It must have been referring to the fog, the entrapment, the dam. They had reversed it, the forest was free. At least, it seemed so, until Elsa couldn't leave. Maybe, this wasn't a mistake or miscommunication at all - perhaps this was pre-destined.

Mothers handwriting. The soft delicate hands that dried her tears once rested on these pages. With how much the book had been used, undoubtedly the oils of her skin would reside here too. Traces of her mother. It was the closest to a hug she had right now - and more than ever did she need one. Flicking through the book, every page led back to Elsa. Studying and observing changes in her powers, the efficacy of satin gloves, the relationship between distance and harm. In depth methodology and evaluations made on Elsa's emotions and the causal correlation in her powers. It was a lot to take in.

Then it hit her. This, again, was Elsa's memory. It all came back to her sister. This room was made for Elsa, to help and understand her. This room wasn't Anna's Ahtohallan. She was still losing.

She would have walked through the pitch darkness just to say goodnight to Elsa. Until now, the only exception being if they had a fight, even then, Anna made sure to end each day peacefully, the fragility of life stayed at the forefront of her mind, not once for a second was it ever lost on her just how lucky she was to be living her happiest days with her sister.

She ached for that back. When it was simply being grateful for what was then, rather than mourning what was now. She didn't need a reminder of how cruel life could be.

"Anna?" His voice echoed through the vast and suddenly claustrophobic hallways. Even as an adult, Anna was still so small in this castle. The confidence that had taken up more space for her was dwindling. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go back." Anna said matter-of-factly. "It's dark, and it's cold. Elsa's all alone out there, Kristoff."

"We need rest..." He said warily, the baggage under her eyes was now beginning to match her traces of purple in her outfit. "She's with the Northuldrians, she's not alone."

"But she doesn't have any of her home comforts. Olaf, he could take Sir Jorgenbergen through - he can still get through the barrier." Some life, an anxious spirit, had sparked inside her.

He stayed silent, something she was beginning to hate. His habit of letting things be, his lack of urgency. "The trolls, they might have an explanation. I need to be able to go back and tell Elsa that we have answers, a lead... I don't know. I just can't go back the same way we left, she needs hope."

"They move around a lot you know, they don't stay in one place" He shrugged. "Finding them in the dark will be even harder. It's dangerous, Anna." He pleaded.

"When has that ever stopped us?" She furrowed her brows. "It doesn't matter how safe we try to be, we nearly always end up encountering some kind of near death experience. I'm happy to accept that and prepare for it if it means getting my sister home."

"So wait, please. Just wait until morning Anna. You've risked your life already on this trip, I nearly lost you on that dam..." He choked. "We've been lucky Anna, we can't push it."

And all at once, Anna was standing alone, staring back at him. She waited, maybe he would come to his senses. Lucky? Elsa was gone. Her parents, too. Anna wasn't lucky, she was hurting. The universe was pushing her closer to the edge, and her patience was wearing thin. Lucky looks like the citizens of Arendelle who get to sit together at dinner as a complete family. Lucky is stability and normality. She had worked and withstood too much for it to come down to luck.

"I'm going with or without you." She warned. Her heart clenching, silently begging him to change his mind. She would brave it alone if needed, but no. She didn't want to lose anyone else.