A/N: Merry Christmas Eve! Anyways. . . .

Here's a huge thank you and virtual cookie apiece to nhi ily and BrandonBGamer for favoriting; and nhi ily, alicetrollz, and BrandonBGamer for following.

To the reviewer(s):

Kiki Anderson: Thanks. You did well, too. :) You are a very good writer yourself.

Jenae's Writing: Thanks! :D

READ ON!

Chapter Three

Annaliese

Frantic voices broke into Elsa's ears. She slowly became aware of her surroundings, not sure of what was happening. She lay still and silent, listening.

"Is she still breathing?"

"She breathing . . . she'd just unconscious."

"Where did she come from?"

Suddenly realizing what was happening, Elsa jolted up, blue eyes wide, coughing up salt water and gasping for air. She quickly took in her surroundings. A man and woman, both with deep auburn hair, the former with brown eyes, the latter with green, were crouched down beside her. Above them stood another man, this time blond with blue eyes.

Elsa tried to speak, but found her throat blocked. She cleared it and said in a low, shaky voice, "Where am I?"

"You're in the kingdom of Corona," the woman told her gently. "We're going to get you some help."

"What's your name, honey?" asked the brown-haired man.

Elsa furrowed her eyebrows. She wasn't quite sure what her name was.

"I—I don't remember," she said after a few moments. When the adults grouped above her looked disappointed, she added quickly, trying to remember, "I . . . I think it's Annaliese."

They all looked relieved, except for the blond man above, who looked indifferent.

"All right, Annaliese," said the woman. "Do you remember how you got here?"

"I remember . . . hiding on a ship, and—and a wave crashed on the deck. Then I remember feeling really cold . . . but that's all," said Elsa—or rather, Annaliese, if her memory was correct.

The man and woman beside her exchanged looks for a brief moment, before the man still standing above them said gruffly, "All right. Excuse us for a moment."

"Don't worry! The cold didn't bother me!" Annalise called over quickly. The two red-heads looked at her briefly, before turning back to the taller man.

Annaliese watched as the three adults pulled away from her and started talking softly. She heard waves crashing behind her, and turned slowly to see the ocean. What had really happened to her? Why couldn't she remember anything? Was something wrong with her? And why had the man and woman that looked like they could be siblings given her such funny looks?

The words the adults were saying intrigued and worried Annaliese. The woman suggested that she and the blond man, who Annaliese guessed was her husband, take the girl and raise her as their own since they had lost their own son, but the blond man and brother of the woman felt they should take her to the king and queen to see if they could help find her family. The woman sighed and relented.

"Annaliese?" she said gently, bending down to the girl, who had been making swirls and such in the sand.

Annaliese looked up. "Yes?" she said.

"We've decided to take you to the king and queen, so that they can help you find your home," said the brown-eyed man.

Annaliese looked at them for a split second before saying, "Oh—okay. But what if they can't find my home, or I can't remember who I am?"

"Well, that's for them to decide," said the tall blond.

Annaliese took a deep breath. Well, she didn't have much of a choice but to go along with what they were saying, she supposed. "Okay, then. Let's go, I guess."

The auburn-haired man bent down and held out a hand for Annaliese, who took it and was pulled up gently. They then walked up from the beach and to a stone pathway, on which they continued until they arrived at the town square of a kingdom. It looked vaguely familiar to Annaliese—but then again, maybe she'd lived here once, or the kingdom she'd lived in had looked something like this.

They soon arrived at the gates of a castle, in front of which two guards with gold armor and a sun emblem on it were situated. For some reason, Annaliese felt a prickle of fear at the sight of the gates. The air around her suddenly got a little colder.

She wondered why.

"Halt, in the name of the king! Why do you approach the castle?" one of the guards asked powerfully.

"We were walking on the beach, and we saw this girl washed up on the shore," the woman replied, squeezing Annaliese's hand a little tightly. She'd taken it in her own along the way to the castle. "She seems to have amnesia. We were wondering if the king and queen could help her find her family."

The guards looked scrupulously at the foursome for a moment, looked at each other, and then the one who had spoken nodded.

"We will take her to the king and queen," he said, and stepped forward. "Thank you for helping this little girl." Turning to look at Annaliese, he said, "Come with me. I will take you to the king and queen."

"Oh-okay," Annaliese stuttered.

She followed the guard through the gates, into the large castle, up a few flights of stairs, and down a long corridor before stopping in front of a room with two closed large, white doors. Two more guards stood in front of them.

"This young lady needs to speak with the king and queen," said the guard that had taken Annaliese up there. He winked at her.

Annaliese suddenly felt a little more at ease with this young man. She stood a little less nervously as one of the guards at the door said, "Wait here," before he and the second guard opened the doors. He entered the room and said, "Your majesties, you have a visitor."

The guard that had taken Annaliese up there gently nudged her into the room, where a young couple stood. The man—the king—had dark brown hair and beard and kindly-looking eyes, while the woman—the queen—looked rather delicate. Long, golden-brown hair cascaded down her back. She looked at Annaliese with wide green eyes that seemed slightly familiar.

The king and queen looked her up and down. Annaliese's clothes were tattered, dirty, and a little bit damp. Her hair was brownish due to the sand in her hair.

The queen bent down and said in a gentle voice, "What's your name, dear?"

"M-my name is Annaliese . . . at least, I think it is," the girl explained uncertainly.

The queen looked confused at the last part, and looked at the guard that had brought Annaliese in. When he mouthed "amnesia," she nodded slightly and said, "All right, Annaliese, let's go to the library and you can talk to us there, okay?"

"Okay," said Annaliese, and without another word, followed the royals out of the room.