oOPrologueOo

"Okay, all set. Elsa, you ready to go?"

"Anna...I need to stay here..." Elsa lowered her eyes to her hands, her voice dropping off slightly as she lost confidence in her decision.

"Wh-what? Why?" Anna turned away from Sven, the loyal reindeer having gotten a most royal treatment from the Northulhdran to ensure he was fit for the return journey.

"There are answers...I need to find..." Elsa flicked her eyes up, plucking subconsciously at her fingertips.

"But we can find them together...at home..." Anna approached slowly, cautiously her hands coming gently to still the nervous habit.

"No Anna...the answers I seek are found in the past...Besides... Arendelle needs you... You're the rightful Queen..." The touch calmed the newly anointed Spirit, her fingers gently lacing.

"No...no, I don't believe that. Look at all you've done!" Anna didn't care if she was heard, though she did glance around most of the Northulhdran were busy with their daily tasks, preparing to move once more to explore their newly freed home.

"Anna...I need to show you something... Something I was able to bring back from Ahtohollan..." Her hands tightened.

"Okay...?" Anna worried her bottom lip as Elsa began to pull them into the tree-line out of the village.

Anna could feel the air around them growing tenser the further they walked from the camp. A small clearing opening up between them as Elsa turned to face her once more. A soft smile ticked at her lips before she reached into her bodice pulling free a small crystal-like snowflake.

Anna's eyes glittered with wonder as the flake took flight, spinning slowly refracting in the sunlight that came through the cleared sky. The small flurry of magic grew exponentially before her, creating two shapes that took her only a moment to recognize.

"Mother….Father…" Anna's feet led her just a bit closer, her hands coming up under her chin as the snow-formed memories began to speak.

"Darling I've been thinking…It might be time to tell Anna about Elsa…"

Anna's body trembled to the familiar sound of her mother's voice. Her hand coming up to her lips to stifle her gasp as tears began to sting at her eyes.

"I can't bear keeping her shut out anymore." Iduna's voice lowered with strife, her hands running up Agnarr's arms, "She's maturing now. She can be responsible."

"It's not Anna I'm worried about." Her father woefully replied, his own brow furrowed with concern.

Anna's hand lowered down over her heart, something in his words striking somewhere deep inside, someplace painful that she couldn't readily describe.

"What if we let them get close again, and the feelings are too much for Elsa?"

Anna approached her parents slowly, her eyes searching for any hidden truths in the snow and ice that made up their forms.

"Joy brings her powers out as strongly as fear." Agnarr's hands tightened on Iduna's.

"But if anyone can find a way to help her," Iduna pulled away from her husband, her body turning directly in front of Anna, as though the spirits above had come down from the heavens to guide the memory themselves, "It's Anna."

Anna's heart skipped and thudded painfully to her mother's words of encouragement. Her eyes turning towards her father who seemed to brighten up at the mere mention of her name.

"You may be right about that." Agnarr's tone lifted, he too turning to face what his future daughter had become, "There's not much that girl can't do."

"Her love could hold up the world." Iduna's eyes turned straight into Anna's then, though only a memory the feeling that shone through the snow carried across time.

"Lucky for the world." There was so much love and pride her Agnarr's voice as he came to stand behind his wife.

Tears that had been threatening to fall, finally broke themselves free and ran in heated rivers down Anna's face. She'd never heard her parents speak so candidly about her, about either of them. Though still, it was bittersweet as it settled into her heart. It's beat praying that the memory would not end there.

"Okay, we'll tell her when we return."

As her mother and father embraced the memory began to fade away back into the ether. The magical crystals of ice floating off back towards Ahtohallan. Anna's lip trembled as she attempted to process everything but it was an impossible task. Her body turned slowly back toward Elsa who smiled at her so proudly, though she couldn't help but notice the darkness of sadness in the very corner of her eyes. Despite this, she quickly wrapped her arms around her neck and released a sniffled sob into her throat.

"Thank you…So much for that…"

"They believed in you Anna," Elsa's voice was gentle beside her ear a tight squeeze punctuating her words before she pulled back just enough to see into her sister's teary face, "And so do I…"

Anna sniffled again and wiped hastily at her nose and eyes, "I know but…"

"I always have…You're everything I can never be." Elsa smiled softly and lowered her head to press against her sister's quivering brow, "You can do this…"

Anna's throat choked heavily with tears, her eyes closing tight as the weight of all she had suffered through finally came crashing down in one swift breathtaking moment. Her arms returned to claw at her sister's back as she pulled them back together. Her voice muffled into silken hair, her words unintelligible as the grief and joy mixed together in a heart-wrenching sound.

"I love you so much," Elsa held her close, leaning her temple into Anna's own, merely holding on to give her the strength she needed at that moment.

"I love you, too…."

Their moment stretched on as the sun continued to turn the forest red around them. Anna's hold eventually relaxed though her arms still remained around her sister's waist. Her head nestled perfectly along her bared shoulder. Her eyes blurry from her tears as she attempted to count the light speckle of freckles long the bone. When a small noise turned her eyes away. Her lips quirked with a soft smile as Kristoff came through the brush.

"Hey…everything alright?" Kristoff wanted nothing more than to wrap Anna into his own arms and when she pulled away from Elsa, he opened them to receive her.

Elsa watched on, standing alone once more. Her hands coming down to clasp gently in front of her, the warmth of her sister slowly fading away. This is what had to be. This was how it was always meant to be. Why did it taste so bitter-sweet?

Anna let out a soft grunt as Kristoff wrapped her tight but her head turned back to look at Elsa. Something about the way she was stood there made her heart twist painfully. A reassuring glance extended out her hand, her fingers motioning for Elsa to join them.

Elsa didn't see the gesture at first, having lowered her eyes to give her sister a more private moment with her new fiance. She'd debated briefly on whether she should excuse herself when the small movement caught the corner of her eye. When she finally raised her head her heart pulsed with love her body moving outside of her command to join them. This was her family, the one they had made from all the broken pieces of their life. This was everything Elsa had left in the world.

Anna held on tight, pulling her just a step closer though not into Kristoff's embrace. Eyes that had shone with ambivalence filling with pure love. The most important people in her world standing beside her. She offered Elsa the brightest smile her tear-stained face could manage before resting her head down onto her shoulder. Kristoff's arm around her lower back. It was perfection…

Kristoff wasn't sure what to do with his free arm, the hug he'd shared with Elsa at her return was more than a bit awkward for the both of them. It wasn't that he didn't care for her, but it was definitely nowhere near how he cared for her sister. They shared a small look before he let his arm hang at his side, leaving the new Spirit to merely stand in front of him.

"So…Yelena's offered to let us stay with them tonight so that we could get a fresh start in the morning…"

"She has?" Anna tilted her head up, "That's so nice of her."

"We should do it." Elsa forced a small smile over her lips, "It is late…I'm sure the people of Arendelle know it's safe to return now…"

"How do they know that?" Anna hadn't gotten a full report from her sister just yet, her eyes narrowing just a little when Elsa chewed on her lower lip.

"I sort of made an ice wall…that blocked all the water from the dam's breaking?"

"YOU WHAT?" Anna pulled away, her red-rimmed eyes going wide with absolute awe and wonder, "You can do that?"

"Well…Nokk helped…a lot." Elsa chuckled softly and brushed away a stray tear that had somehow clung onto the rise of Anna's cheek, "I'm sure the people will be fine for one night."

Anna didn't much like the tone of loss filling her sister's tone, "Yeah, one more night. Together."

"One more night."