"Let the Sun Shine On"
Anna walked across the ice with the Duke in front of her, with her scimitar held menacingly against his back. She pushed him carefully by the rope attached to his hands, trying to keep him from slipping as they approached the remaining warships. One of the warships had sunken entirely under the ice, and a second was on its way down. Arendelle's soldiers stood guarding a group of Weseltonian soldiers who had either given up due to injuries or because they couldn't get up. Anna felt a thrill in her heart for her own soldiers. They had won despite not having warships or large numbers.
Arendelle Castle had gone silent. With its soldiers approaching the warships, it had stopped slinging cannonballs, and simply waited in the ever-decreasing shadows of the morning. Smoke and dust rose from it in quiet spirals where cannonballs had hit and open water and broken ice lapped at the edge of the side yard. The side yard itself was pockmarked with cannonballs; tree branches lay scattered on the ground, and the bench near one of the walls sat in pieces.
Anna stopped herself and the Duke, and pulled him close enough that she could put her scimitar to his throat.
"Call off your men," Anna ordered.
"You've given up your hand too early, Princess: I know you're not going to kill me, and Weselton will never give up. Not after you embarrassed us." The Duke whispered back harshly. Anna pushed him closer to her scimitar, and she drew it tighter against his neck. She watched as it drew blood again.
"I can always change my mind, Weselton," Anna said through her teeth. She felt him swallow against the sword and saw more blood dribble down his neck. His body tightened against her with energy, and he suddenly pushed forward against the scimitar and shoved her backwards, causing his throat to be slit with great force. They both fell to the ice in a shower of blood.
"There…will…" Weselton gasped, "Always be…another…to…take my…place, and…we…will…always be…back." The Duke's throat spurted blood as he croaked out his last words. He lay down on the darkening ruby ice and smiled at Anna one more time before his eyes closed. Anna looked down at her blood-covered clothes in shock.
"Your Highness," the Captain of the Guard came over and helped to stand. "The battle is over. The Weseltonian army no longer has a leader or a reason to fight. Their numbers have been severely diminished, and those that are still alive have either fled or given in. We have won." He reported. Anna couldn't help staring at Weselton. The scent of blood filled her nostrils.
"He begged for me not to kill him," she said in a daze.
"He killed himself." The Captain assured her. "Men like Weselton can't stand to lose on any terms but their own." His voice was certain, but Anna was not. "He would have killed himself regardless of if I'd been holding the sword or you." He just liked it better because it was me. Anna thought to herself. Her adrenaline was starting to drop and she started to feel the cold of ice, and how heavy the cleats made her legs feel. Anna sighed to herself.
"I did it, Joan," she whispered uncertainly.
"Elsa," a voice murmured from far. "Elsa, come on. You can do it," the same voice called gently.
Elsa slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Everything around her seemed far too bright at first, but then her eyes started to focus, and she blinked several times. "Elsa, are you really awake this time?" The voice asked hopefully.
"Anna?" Elsa's voice sounded rough to her, and she felt so thirsty. As if someone read her mind, a drink was placed in her hand, and she drank gratefully.
"Yes, it's me," Anna said softly. Elsa's eyes came into focus on her sister looking down at her in concern. Kristoff stood next to her, and Olaf barely managed to peek over the top of her bed at her, but he had her hand in his. Even Sven stood halfway in her room. He made a soft grunting noise at her. Anna threw herself into a joyful hug and Elsa hugged her back.
"What are you talking about?" Elsa asked from underneath her sister's arms. Anna released her and helped her to move over so she could sit on the bed too.
"You've been asleep for nearly a week," Anna told her. Elsa's eyes widened in surprise. "Every few days you've been waking up and talking to me, or Kristoff, or Olaf only to go back to sleep after a few minutes. Do you remember any of that at all?" She asked. Elsa shifted in her bed thoughtfully and shook her head.
"The last thing I remember is freezing the fjord." Elsa stated simply and she shrugged.
"We won, you know," Anna said. "We beat Weselton's troops and the warships." Her uncertain tone made Elsa look at her in confusion.
"Anna?" Elsa asked. "What happened?" Kristoff looked at Olaf and Sven.
"Let's let them talk," he said and pushed the other two out before Olaf could protest. After the door clicked shut, Anna looked at her sister.
"Elsa, the Duke made me kill him." Anna's voice trembled when she spoke. Elsa studied her younger sister carefully. "He threw himself onto my sword." Anna's freckled cheeks turned red, and tears began to tumble down her face. Elsa pulled her into another hug and snuggled her.
"Anna, you didn't kill him. He used you. If he had seen any other way out, what sort of ultimatum do you think he would have given you, or me, or Arendelle?" Elsa said logically. "Statecraft is, and always will be, an imperfect art. Hearts and kingdoms will be aligned or broken no matter what we do."
"That's true, but – "
"But nothing," Elsa interrupted. "Anna, I froze the kingdom, nearly killed half of Arendelle's residents, ruined thousands of kroner worth of crops." She used her thumb to wipe away her sister's tears. "Parts of the kingdom are still recovering from the freeze."
"H-how do you live with that?" Anna sniffed. Elsa took a deep breath.
"Sometimes I don't, but then I remember that I've got you to help me. Just like you've got me to help you." Elsa smiled at her and took Anna's hands into her own. "It isn't easy, but you'll always have me, Anna," she said, "And we'll get through it together."