The snow hadn't reached two inches before it became clear to everyone in Arendelle that it needed to stop.

Anna was scared and confused and everyone was looking to her. But she wasn't trained for this. Elsa had been tutored at great expense for many hours but Anna had never had much patience with her tutors and besides she wasn't going to ascend the throne, Elsa was.

Elsa had.

Elsa was queen of Arendelle.

Arendelle had lost its queen a second time within 3 years.

It was very clear to Anna that the kingdom needed its queen, who had run off across the bay. Of course there were proponents of the royal counsel that were advocating that her leaving counted as abdicating the throne, at least temporarily.

But Anna knew that she needed Elsa. She couldn't do this without Elsa.

Anna also knew that a lot of people right now meant Elsa harm.

She knew that she didn't know who she could trust. She knew she could not to let anyone hurt Elsa.

She needed to apologize to Elsa also for outing her, even though it was unintentional.

And they needed to talk. They hadn't really talked in 13 years and it was time that they did.

In order for that to happen she needed to be the one to find Elsa and she ought to be alone, crowds freaked Elsa out and besides she didn't want anyone shouting that Elsa should die to come along with her.

So she was going to go alone.

Anna needed to leave someone in charge of Arendelle while it was going through this crisis.

It needed to be a royal so that all the collected nobility would listen to them, besides Anna had heard some bad things about advisors taking over kingdoms as maniacal despots. There had been an incident in Agrabah with a sorcerer.

Elsa wasn't like that, but not everyone here knew that.

The next in line to the throne after Anna was her cousin Rapunzel and her husband Flynn Rider or maybe Eugene Fitzherbert, people weren't very clear about names and Rapunzel had spent until this past year locked away in a tower with no one but her brainwashing kidnapper for company. Anna didn't want her cousin's first big royal leadership experience to be taking over a nation in turmoil.

She didn't know if the small wide-eyed woman could handle it; Anna couldn't. At least not now, not without Elsa.

Anna didn't know the nobility well. They'd been shut out when the castle doors had closed so many years ago.

Any one she might have picked from Arendelle wouldn't be likely to give Elsa back her throne or abdicate in favor of Anna.

And then the thought hit her.

Hans.

The ever handsome Hans had been at Anna's side throughout the entirety of the crazy mess. And besides, she was going to get married to him in a couple of days anyways and then he'd be next in line to the throne anyways, maybe? She didn't know too much about how this sort of thing worked but that sounded about right. She got on her horse and announced before the crowd, which was arguing about what should be done to Elsa and Arendelle, that she was leaving Hans in charge in her absence.

She told Hans that she'd be back with Elsa soon, not to come with her.

He didn't ask to send anyone with her. Just, tightened his lip and nodded.

Anna felt that his understanding of the situation and nodded back.

They knew each other so well so quickly.

Hans smiled hopefully at her back as she left.

Merida had been there when the visiting nobility was arguing about what should happen to the absentee queen. The duke of Wesselton was demanding that the ice sorceress be burnt at the stake for the crime of witchcraft. It shocked her that people treated that like it was a pertinent argument. The queen had not hurt anyone with the ice spikes that were still sticking up out of the ballroom. More moderate people were simply arguing that her running off counted as abdicating the throne and that they needed for Anna to ascend the throne quickly because Arendelle was in crisis. This too seemed shocking to Merida but Elinor whispered and explanation in her ear.

"The Arendellese are quite religious, given her majesty's witchcraft there is extreme question placed on whether or not she is even fit to rule. Arendellese government dictates that in times of crisis for the kingdom as a whole monarchs decide what will happen and the nobility must bow to their king or queen. In the absence of such a ruler it is likely that the nobles, who have their own personal guards, will war against each other for control of Arendelle, throwing Arendelle into further chaos. As such, if Princess Anna saw fit to ascend the throne, she would be well within her means to do so."

Merida looked at Anna who was being boosted onto her horse.

The girl wasn't even wearing mittens. She was a mess and everyone was too busy arguing about what should happen to the ice queen and what Princess Anna should do that no one was looking out for her well being.

The freckled girl's face echoed her sister's and Merida was struck with how lucky she was to have her parents to look out for her. She and her mother didn't always see eye to eye but her mother never would let her take off in this sort of weather without mittens.

Elinor caught Merida's eye and shook her head.

Merida knew she needed to do something, anything. She couldn't stand by and do nothing.

Elinor glared at Merida knowing that her daughter was planning something.

"Don't let yourself get caught up in this, Merida. It's too dangerous." She whispered, knowing Merida wouldn't listen. Merida never listened.

Merida let her hair cover her face and smiled a wicked sort of grin. She had drunk from The Firefalls. Legends said that only the bravest of the ancient kings had done that.

Elinor knew what her daughter was planning and knew she could not stop her.

All through that night her eyes never left Merida.

Her daughter had grown into a stunning conversationalist, and she watched as Merida drew in Corona's princess and prince consort with the tale of Mordu the Demon-Bear King who had thrown DunBroch, before it had been called DunBroch, into chaos. She watched her daughter serve the hazelnut soup that Corona's princess had helped the kitchens make to the people left in the frosty night streets of Arendelle. She watched her daughter build friendships that would last a lifetime with the nobility and peasantry of Arendelle and Elinor had never been prouder of her daughter.

Elinor knew as she laid down to bed that Merida was planning on leaving that night.

She knew that as much as she wanted to she could not stop her.

And so when Merida crept out of their room, changed into long underwear and a riding dress that she had smuggled onto the boat from DunBroch along with the heaviest cloak she could find, Elinor stopped her and handed her her bow and a satchel with food in it.

Merida was shocked.

She had prepared a defense of her leaving that mostly consisted of, 'Mum she wasn't wearing mittens, her hands will fall off before she gets anywhere.'

But her mother knew. And what's more, the Bear Queen of DunBroch understood.

"I thought ye said princesses aren't supposed to carry weapons?" Merida teared up smiling up at the queen's shadowed face.

"Ye'll need it." Elinor replied terse and scared for her daughter.

Merida hugged her mother tight and for the first time in a long time they felt close again. For an instant they stood like that not wanting to let go.

"Be safe Merida." Elinor whispered, clutching her daughter close.

"I will Mum." Merida sniffed into her mother's shoulder, serious this time in the face of her mother's worries.

Elinor loosened her grip and stepped back slightly. Merida nodded, eye's still wet but determined. Nothing more needed to be said.

Elinor didn't let herself cry until Merida was completely out of sight.